Dear Family and Friends,
This week was a good one, had some rough spots, but that just comes from living life. the important thing is that I'm still alive and have most (all) of my limbs last time I checked. It's been a rainy one for Asingan, but we have also seen a lot of sun which has been nice for getting all my clothes washed, so that's always nice!
Now for the Subject Line. We were outside teaching a lesson when a sister came to sit down and listen to us as we taught another investigator. Moments into the lesson we started to involve her in the lesson and I first asked "What's your name Sister?" well I noticed that my companion started to giggle a little bit. So I asumed that I may have messed up with my Tagalog a little bit. We continued with the lesson, and when we had concluded our visit my companion called me aside and said "That's not a woman Elder....", What!? I was a bit confused but my companion explained that sometimes that's what they do here, some of them are better than others, but this one had me stumped and fooled me! Like they say here "It's more fun in the Philippines!"
Now for a lesson I learned about complaining about our blessings. Now when you read that last sentence you may ask "only a really picky people complain about their blessings" but this week got me to realize how often we actually do it. On Friday we were in a far area, at night it is impossible to find a ride home, so we have a service tricycle that always comes to pick us up at night. Well on Friday our ride had to cancel on us at the last minute, leaving us 6KM away from our house at 9pm (our curfew is at 9:30). So we started walking, and decided to say a prayer. In the prayer we asked to find a way home so we could get home in time for curfew to be obedient. We continued walking, and we saw a trike! But it refused to take us home. I got a little angry at this, but we kept walking till we saw another tricycle (finding 1 tricycle is lucky, but 2 is crazy), when we told him where we were going to the town center he told us to get in, but when we told him we were going to the town center in Asingan, he told us he was going to another city's town center. At this point I was wondering what we were going to do, until a 3rd tricycle found us. We told him where we were going, and he agreed to take us, but for a very high price because of the lateness and the distance. We had no other option so we did it anyway. As we got home I noticed that the time was 9:25, which meant I wouldn't be able to cook a big dinner. So I started to complain in my head. After a few minutes a thought came into my head saying "Elder Johnson, what are you complaining about? I answered your prayer, and you're complaining about it?". Sometime the Lord's answer isn't the most convenient, but he will always give us a way to accomplish what matters, being obedient. As it mentions in 1 Nephi 3:7, the Lord will provide a way, but on His terms, and in His way, but he still answers. Sometimes our answers come in odd ways, in ways we don't necessarily like, but the answer we receive will always be the best one, and the one we need. I relate this experience to that of the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness for 40 years. The Lord provided Manna, His way, but the Israelites started to complain. Its my belief that the Manna is only as delicious as you want it to be.
Hope everyone of you have a great week! Mahal ko kayo lahat!
Elder Trevor Kent Johnson (TWMYK)
P.S. I will send picture next week.... I don't have a card reader... whoops!
This week was a good one, had some rough spots, but that just comes from living life. the important thing is that I'm still alive and have most (all) of my limbs last time I checked. It's been a rainy one for Asingan, but we have also seen a lot of sun which has been nice for getting all my clothes washed, so that's always nice!
Now for the Subject Line. We were outside teaching a lesson when a sister came to sit down and listen to us as we taught another investigator. Moments into the lesson we started to involve her in the lesson and I first asked "What's your name Sister?" well I noticed that my companion started to giggle a little bit. So I asumed that I may have messed up with my Tagalog a little bit. We continued with the lesson, and when we had concluded our visit my companion called me aside and said "That's not a woman Elder....", What!? I was a bit confused but my companion explained that sometimes that's what they do here, some of them are better than others, but this one had me stumped and fooled me! Like they say here "It's more fun in the Philippines!"
Now for a lesson I learned about complaining about our blessings. Now when you read that last sentence you may ask "only a really picky people complain about their blessings" but this week got me to realize how often we actually do it. On Friday we were in a far area, at night it is impossible to find a ride home, so we have a service tricycle that always comes to pick us up at night. Well on Friday our ride had to cancel on us at the last minute, leaving us 6KM away from our house at 9pm (our curfew is at 9:30). So we started walking, and decided to say a prayer. In the prayer we asked to find a way home so we could get home in time for curfew to be obedient. We continued walking, and we saw a trike! But it refused to take us home. I got a little angry at this, but we kept walking till we saw another tricycle (finding 1 tricycle is lucky, but 2 is crazy), when we told him where we were going to the town center he told us to get in, but when we told him we were going to the town center in Asingan, he told us he was going to another city's town center. At this point I was wondering what we were going to do, until a 3rd tricycle found us. We told him where we were going, and he agreed to take us, but for a very high price because of the lateness and the distance. We had no other option so we did it anyway. As we got home I noticed that the time was 9:25, which meant I wouldn't be able to cook a big dinner. So I started to complain in my head. After a few minutes a thought came into my head saying "Elder Johnson, what are you complaining about? I answered your prayer, and you're complaining about it?". Sometime the Lord's answer isn't the most convenient, but he will always give us a way to accomplish what matters, being obedient. As it mentions in 1 Nephi 3:7, the Lord will provide a way, but on His terms, and in His way, but he still answers. Sometimes our answers come in odd ways, in ways we don't necessarily like, but the answer we receive will always be the best one, and the one we need. I relate this experience to that of the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness for 40 years. The Lord provided Manna, His way, but the Israelites started to complain. Its my belief that the Manna is only as delicious as you want it to be.
Hope everyone of you have a great week! Mahal ko kayo lahat!
Elder Trevor Kent Johnson (TWMYK)
P.S. I will send picture next week.... I don't have a card reader... whoops!