INVESTIGATORS, HACKING BACK AT JUNGLES, RIDING BIKES AND TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY

Oh my. Quite a week indeed. First and foremost in terms of importance:

Sister Itak went to church again AND brought their daughter! We now  have 2 out of 5 and we plan on getting higher next week. What's more is that they stayed for all three meetings, which is unusual for new investigators who usually bug out right after Sacrament until they have friends to go with. We've discovered one of the family's main concerns, which is that their daughter (who is studying in San Fernando and thus has been absent in the lessons so far) isn't with them to be baptized, and their concerned about "leaving someone behind" as they put it, so we've worked with them and their schedules so that their daughter will come back on Friday to Sunday and we'll teach them on those days instead! We're very excited.

Other than that, we've been hacking back at jungles, riding our bikes through mountains to get to the jungle hacking just mentioned, attending a baptism from the other elder's area held on Saturday, were invited to a ward member's "debut" which is the Filipino version of a girls quinceanera but is held at age 18, and worked with the Bishop on Sunday! Very very fun stuff.

I apologize for not sending pictures, my SD card got a virus and is currently being fixed.

My companion, Elder Alonzo, will be released Wednesday next week, and if what president has told me actually comes to pass, then I will be getting my trainee that week as well! I'm interested to see the VERY abrupt contrast between working with a missionary at the end of his mission and working with a new missionary who's mission has JUST started.

I love everyone and am out of time!

Keep your fire burning!

Elder Mikesell

ANSWERED PRAYERS, PROGRESSING INVESTIGATORS, BROKEN BIKES, SERVICE PROJECTS, HOMELESS BREAK-INS AND COCONUT ADDICTIONS

I'm addicted to coconuts!

Prayers have been answered this week!

The mother of the Itak family came to church and had a good experience! This is the first time this has happened to me in a very long time on my mission, where a real investigator went to church. Brother Itak was determined to go, but a problem with his kids traveling to a different municipality came up and he wasn't able to. He's committed to go next week. Sister Itak has also been tearing up the Book of Mormon. We're going to invite them to be baptized again on Wednesday.

There's an interesting quote I will paraphrase:

"A mission is months of exhausting and discouraging rejection broken up by scattered moments of pure joy." True story :P

In other news, my bike broke once again, we were once again able to hack at the jungle for a service project, and we had to confront the homeless man who keeps breaking into our house for food yesterday. Fun stuff. We tried to keep it civil because he always carries around a long screw driver which I think he keeps for self defense, but we were able to keep everything reasonable so nothing tragic occured.

I love being a missionary :)

Elder Mikesell III

Feeding the ducks after a service project & looking out over the ocean.

PICTURES!