June 4, 2012
Epistle from the Philippines #6 - Another One Bites the Dust
Hello friends and family! Aloha to my
parents and siblings who are in Maui right now. :P
This week has been a pretty exciting one. On Saturday we had a triple baptism! My first baptisms as a missionary! Two 9-year-olds and a 17-year-old girl have entered the fold. I was so excited. As excited as I was for our investigators, I was actually giddy for Sister Ombao's and Sister Palai's investigators. On the very same day they baptized a family of four. But before the baptism there was... a wedding! Right in the chapel. The couple couldn't be baptized without being married first, so they had a marriage ceremony, and then immediately had a baptism after. I love weddings! And I love baptisms! That was a good day.
Sister Rosina and I started teaching a new family. They were a referral from some members of the ward. Before we even taught them for the first time, the woman of the home had already been to church, and she was attending stake choir rehearsals, not to mention the ward activity on Friday night, and the baptism on Saturday. She lives spitting distance from the church, so that helps a lot. She and the husband are both very inquisitive. They are hungry for knowledge and also spirituality. It's awesome and I love it. The thing I'm a little sad about is that Sister Rosina won't be around for the baptisms. That is because I am killing her tonight, possibly tomorrow.
In missionary lingo, to "kill" a missionary is to be their last companion before they finish their mission and go home. Today is Sister Rosina's last day in Sagay. Within the hour, actually, we'll be taking her stuff and Sister Ombao's stuff to the bus station, and we are going to Bacolod. In the morning Sister Palai and I'll be getting new companions, and we'll come right back to Sagay picking up where we left off. Our "dead" companions will fly home to Lezon (northern Philippines) on Wednesday. Sister Palai and I are only one transfer old, but starting tomorrow we will be senior companions in the sense that we will be "leading" the area. We know the people and places, while on the other hand our new senior companions don't, so much of the work will be dependent on us. I will still need my new companion to lead in most of the teaching.
This week I taught some lessons mostly on my own and mostly in Ilonggo. It was terrifying and enlightening to know how awful I am at the language. But at the same time I can see how I've progressed. It's very frustrating not being able to say what you want to say. VERY frustrating. But I move on. In the last few days I let Sister Rosina teach most of the lessons, not because I didn't want to teach, but because these were her very last teaching appointments as a missionary, and I wanted to enjoy them.
This week has been particularly rainy. This has resulted in some cooler weather which I haven't minded at all. Is it monsoon season? I do not know these things. Someone tell me these things.
This week has been a pretty exciting one. On Saturday we had a triple baptism! My first baptisms as a missionary! Two 9-year-olds and a 17-year-old girl have entered the fold. I was so excited. As excited as I was for our investigators, I was actually giddy for Sister Ombao's and Sister Palai's investigators. On the very same day they baptized a family of four. But before the baptism there was... a wedding! Right in the chapel. The couple couldn't be baptized without being married first, so they had a marriage ceremony, and then immediately had a baptism after. I love weddings! And I love baptisms! That was a good day.
Sister Rosina and I started teaching a new family. They were a referral from some members of the ward. Before we even taught them for the first time, the woman of the home had already been to church, and she was attending stake choir rehearsals, not to mention the ward activity on Friday night, and the baptism on Saturday. She lives spitting distance from the church, so that helps a lot. She and the husband are both very inquisitive. They are hungry for knowledge and also spirituality. It's awesome and I love it. The thing I'm a little sad about is that Sister Rosina won't be around for the baptisms. That is because I am killing her tonight, possibly tomorrow.
In missionary lingo, to "kill" a missionary is to be their last companion before they finish their mission and go home. Today is Sister Rosina's last day in Sagay. Within the hour, actually, we'll be taking her stuff and Sister Ombao's stuff to the bus station, and we are going to Bacolod. In the morning Sister Palai and I'll be getting new companions, and we'll come right back to Sagay picking up where we left off. Our "dead" companions will fly home to Lezon (northern Philippines) on Wednesday. Sister Palai and I are only one transfer old, but starting tomorrow we will be senior companions in the sense that we will be "leading" the area. We know the people and places, while on the other hand our new senior companions don't, so much of the work will be dependent on us. I will still need my new companion to lead in most of the teaching.
This week I taught some lessons mostly on my own and mostly in Ilonggo. It was terrifying and enlightening to know how awful I am at the language. But at the same time I can see how I've progressed. It's very frustrating not being able to say what you want to say. VERY frustrating. But I move on. In the last few days I let Sister Rosina teach most of the lessons, not because I didn't want to teach, but because these were her very last teaching appointments as a missionary, and I wanted to enjoy them.
This week has been particularly rainy. This has resulted in some cooler weather which I haven't minded at all. Is it monsoon season? I do not know these things. Someone tell me these things.
Okay fun stories of the week. Hmm....
Right before we came to the internet cafe, Sister Rosina got her haircut in a little hole in the wall sort of place by a cross dresser/tranny. Those are pretty common in the Philippines actually. I see cross dressers in the commercials and game shows on tv (not that I'm watching tv...). The haircut seemed different from the ones in America. First the guy/girl combed Sis. Rosina's hair through with globs of goop I'm assuming was a shampoo of some kind. Then he/she just left it there to sit for like 10 minutes. Then the person washed it out in the sink, and proceeded to dry and straighten Sis. Rosina's hair. Then he/she cut it. The cutting was dead last. Well, whatever works.
Right before we came to the internet cafe, Sister Rosina got her haircut in a little hole in the wall sort of place by a cross dresser/tranny. Those are pretty common in the Philippines actually. I see cross dressers in the commercials and game shows on tv (not that I'm watching tv...). The haircut seemed different from the ones in America. First the guy/girl combed Sis. Rosina's hair through with globs of goop I'm assuming was a shampoo of some kind. Then he/she just left it there to sit for like 10 minutes. Then the person washed it out in the sink, and proceeded to dry and straighten Sis. Rosina's hair. Then he/she cut it. The cutting was dead last. Well, whatever works.
The one-eared cat has found a home in a
suitcase a missionary left under our kitchen sink counter. Note: our kitchen
sink is outside. The cat isn't allowed in the house. But he sleeps in the
suitcase, and it' so cute. Whenever we get close it gets scared and jumps out
of the suitcase and runs away.
Our next door neighbors listen to the same album of music ever night. It's this Filipino singer who rivals Bugs Bunny as the most nasally singer I've ever heard. Seriously though. Think Bugs Bunny, but lower it a few pitches, and you've got this guy. His music is Spain/Mexico inspired. Lots of trumpet. It's very odd.
American Catchphrase of the Week - "See you later, alligator."
No one says it here, so I've taken it upon myself you say it whenever we leave a place. Well, not EVERYTIME. But I sure do think it. American clichés and sayings are so silly.
Madamo pagpalangga! (Much love!)
Sister Kelli King
Our next door neighbors listen to the same album of music ever night. It's this Filipino singer who rivals Bugs Bunny as the most nasally singer I've ever heard. Seriously though. Think Bugs Bunny, but lower it a few pitches, and you've got this guy. His music is Spain/Mexico inspired. Lots of trumpet. It's very odd.
American Catchphrase of the Week - "See you later, alligator."
No one says it here, so I've taken it upon myself you say it whenever we leave a place. Well, not EVERYTIME. But I sure do think it. American clichés and sayings are so silly.
Madamo pagpalangga! (Much love!)
Sister Kelli King
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