We're Homeless
So we received some shocking news this past week. Kabahays (or roommates) are now bawal. So Elder Shepherd and I have to move out of our apartment. We have till the end of January to move out because our contract will be terminated by then. So we're on a hasty search for a new apartment. We're thinking about moving out of Daet and into one of the other cites in our area called Basud. Anyway, we'll keep you updated when we actually find a house.
Talked to Isaac TWICE this week: once on our Christmas Eve (their Christmas) and once last night (their P-day). Rebekah and I were laughing that the white handbook still says that Christmas is an excellent time to contact people since families are together. Neither one of us thought that was the case when we were missionaries over 20+ years ago and it probably isn't the case now. Sounds like Ikey and Elder Shepherd did their best in trying to contact people though. They've enjoyed all the Christmas festivities this past month.
My brother-in-law served in the Naga mission 20 years ago, so it was great that when Isaac called on Christmas Eve that we were at my mom's house with the extended family. Rob and Isaac got to talk about the area, the language, the culture, the food, the "crazy", etc. Isaac thought it was pretty great to have called when all the aunts, uncles and cousins were around. He loved talking to Lincoln for a few minutes, too. Lincoln is a senior and will probably be gone on a mission by time Isaac returns in September, so that was super for them to connect.
Christmastime on a mission is a great time, but it's also a frustrating time as people are with family and kind of just taking "time off". We've sensed that Isaac feels he's not working hard enough because his numbers aren't where they are expected to be. Bekah and I keep telling him to not worry about the numbers. Worry about the people!
We've told him time and again to just love the people and bring someone closer to the Savior each day, whether that's through a lesson, service, or just smiling at someone. We've tried to tell him that the numbers don't matter so much; just love the people. Serve the people. It's hard for this boy, though, when he feels like he's failing when the numbers seem to matter so much in the mission. Not sure how to fix his having those feelings, though. We just pray that he'll figure it out. We think that he is.
He told us last night that he's the happiest he's ever been, though. He loves Elder Shepherd. He said that as long as he has the Book of Mormon and a good companion, mission work is the best. They are having a good time.
They have planned with Brother Harris, who was baptized two months ago, to use him to help reactivate others that were baptized at the same time but have not been back since. They have decided that they will try to serve and love the ward as much as they can. Better to love them than to fight them, he said.
As parents, the freedom for our missionary to call each week has been a huge blessing and we feel like we're part of the mission experience each week. We have good weeks when he's having good weeks; we worry on weeks that didn't go so well. We feel for him when he's discouraged. I wonder if the new phone call rule was meant to do that for parents. :) Today, I find myself wondering when and where they'll find a new place to live. I know it'll all work out ... it did for me when I served 20+ years ago, but he's still my boy, and there's just a feeling of wanting to be there to help in a more real way. I find myself having to depend on and have faith in Jesus and God in a whole new way.
He didn't explain the "summoning of the Pepsi" thing, so there's that.
This week, of course, was Christmas, and it was interesting to say the least. We're informed by the White Handbook that Christmas is prime time for proselyting which is a lie. EVERYONE was absolutely wasted. The kids, the moms, everyone just wasted. We did have a lot of people want to talk to us and invited us in, but their communication skills were not the best at the moment, so we decided to try again another day. Hopefully they'll remember that they said we could come back. It was an interesting Christmas, but Elder Shepherd and I had some fun. We also surprise-visited a member and they gave us some food, so it wasn't a completely bombed Christmas. We were also able to call our families, which was awesome because I got to talk to some of my extended family at my Grandma's house.
This week had a rough start due to the holidays, but we're working on picking it back up again. Hopefully nobody dies during the New Year celebration. And hopefully it doesn't completely kill our work. Till next week!
All is Well
Elder Bills
1. Welcome to Cams Norte 2. We played with a cat, and we came back and it was dead 3. Welcome to the Rice Fields! 4+5. The summoning of a Pepsi
Talked to Isaac TWICE this week: once on our Christmas Eve (their Christmas) and once last night (their P-day). Rebekah and I were laughing that the white handbook still says that Christmas is an excellent time to contact people since families are together. Neither one of us thought that was the case when we were missionaries over 20+ years ago and it probably isn't the case now. Sounds like Ikey and Elder Shepherd did their best in trying to contact people though. They've enjoyed all the Christmas festivities this past month.
My brother-in-law served in the Naga mission 20 years ago, so it was great that when Isaac called on Christmas Eve that we were at my mom's house with the extended family. Rob and Isaac got to talk about the area, the language, the culture, the food, the "crazy", etc. Isaac thought it was pretty great to have called when all the aunts, uncles and cousins were around. He loved talking to Lincoln for a few minutes, too. Lincoln is a senior and will probably be gone on a mission by time Isaac returns in September, so that was super for them to connect.
Christmastime on a mission is a great time, but it's also a frustrating time as people are with family and kind of just taking "time off". We've sensed that Isaac feels he's not working hard enough because his numbers aren't where they are expected to be. Bekah and I keep telling him to not worry about the numbers. Worry about the people!
We've told him time and again to just love the people and bring someone closer to the Savior each day, whether that's through a lesson, service, or just smiling at someone. We've tried to tell him that the numbers don't matter so much; just love the people. Serve the people. It's hard for this boy, though, when he feels like he's failing when the numbers seem to matter so much in the mission. Not sure how to fix his having those feelings, though. We just pray that he'll figure it out. We think that he is.
He told us last night that he's the happiest he's ever been, though. He loves Elder Shepherd. He said that as long as he has the Book of Mormon and a good companion, mission work is the best. They are having a good time.
They have planned with Brother Harris, who was baptized two months ago, to use him to help reactivate others that were baptized at the same time but have not been back since. They have decided that they will try to serve and love the ward as much as they can. Better to love them than to fight them, he said.
As parents, the freedom for our missionary to call each week has been a huge blessing and we feel like we're part of the mission experience each week. We have good weeks when he's having good weeks; we worry on weeks that didn't go so well. We feel for him when he's discouraged. I wonder if the new phone call rule was meant to do that for parents. :) Today, I find myself wondering when and where they'll find a new place to live. I know it'll all work out ... it did for me when I served 20+ years ago, but he's still my boy, and there's just a feeling of wanting to be there to help in a more real way. I find myself having to depend on and have faith in Jesus and God in a whole new way.
He didn't explain the "summoning of the Pepsi" thing, so there's that.
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