On Tuesday of last week, I went on exchanges with Elder Mifflin in Bacolod Third Ward. It was a good experience and I was able to learn a lot from the way they run their area. Most especially how they plan and carry out their plans to baptize every week. When Elder Galanza explained the 3-filter system of planning with investigators in the MLC wasn't completely clear. The benefit of being able to go on exchanges with them, so they can clarify some of their trainings. The thing I really took from the experience and would like to apply in our area is the way they follow up with their investigators reading the Book of Mormon,. It was interesting to see how excited their investigators were to share what they had learned fro their study. Elder Mifflin said that for most of their lessons, the follow-up takes the most time.
We were able to have quite a few investigators at sacrament meeting again, and we were able to have our baptism and another baptismal interview. Everything is setting up well for us to be able to achieve the weekly baptisms all throughout June. Elder Stagg and I are very excited for the progress and the work in EB Magalona. One thing that has been a little frustrating is having referrals fall though. We will show up and for one reason or the other, people can't listen to us. Then when we come back for a return appointment, they aren't there or something else happened. But we will continue to try to find new people!
Update on the rat saga! Wednesday night we rigged the trap perfect so he would walk right into it. He did, and half of his face was stuck in the trap. We left him in there to die because we didn't know how to kill him. Elder Stagg said we should take care of it in the morning, but when we woke up the next morning he was gone. This thing is a demon! I was in the shower on Thursday when I heard a scream. I got out (shampoo in my hair and all) and Elder Stagg is standing on our counter. He is freaking out and said the rat crawled on his leg while he was writing in his journal. Anyways, the rat was in our room and I told Elder Stagg to shut the door because it was going to end tonight! I get out of the shower, just in my towel, holding a butcher's knife and bug spray and locked myself in the room with the rat. I am literally spraying this rat with bug spray and taking swipes at it with the butcher knife (I have video of it), but to no avail. This thing will not die. Finally, I just attack it with a bucket and our dust pan. After a couple of minutes of the craziest adrenaline rush ever, I get it in the bucket. SUCCESS! The only problem was we didn't know how to kill it. It was underneath an upside down bucket and we were debating how to kill this demon. We decided to drown it and Elder Stagg did the honors. We walked back inside and what did we see--another rat! This one is significantly smaller, but still a rat. We have not yet succeeded in killing it!
Elder Stagg is doing great. He is gaining confidence in every lesson and is getting very good at the language. I am loving training one of my best friends. It's so great because whenever one of us does something to the other, we just punch each other! Like yesterday, Elder Stagg poured water down my back while I was studying and I squared up and hit him in the sternum. With Filipinos or other Americans, you can't do that because they will get butt hurt. We know each other's personalities, so it's not a problem.
We are being exactly obedient and we are seriously seeing the blessings of it. Our investigators are coming to church and we can even see the blessings happening in our families. The Lord blesses all aspects of our lives when we do what is asked!
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| Cole and Elder Mifflin |
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| The Demon Rat |
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| Myke Judiels Martonia's Baptism (Elder Stagg's First) |
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