Week 11 ~ Baptism and the Gathering of Israel

Hello! 

It's been a week and I'm officially in the field! A lot has happened, so I'll give a quick recap: First, last week at the MTC, Saying goodbye to all my district mates was definitely tough, but it's okay because I'll see them again! For any district mates reading this, I love y'all keep in touch. Saying goodbye to Elder Lybbert was also tough, he's a great person and was a great companion. 

Anyway, we rode to the airport in a van and let me tell you - the traffic in Manila is insane. It's scary driving anywhere because there are like a million people on the road in bumper to bumper traffic. We got to the airport and waited in line for awhile to check our bags, it was all the Legazpi Missionaries, so we are all tight. Hopped on a little plane and took a 40 minute plane ride that was the scariest plane ride of my life because it was so cloudy and stormy. Landed in Legazpi and met the mission president, then I met my new companion and trainer, Elder Villanueva. I can already tell he is a great missionary, person and trainer. We were sent to Guinobatan, a little town which is the closest our mission gets to the Mayon Volcano (which is a very active volcano) so i'm hoping it doesn't explode. First thing he says to me is, "You wanna baptize someone?" and I'm like sure! So I baptized Brother Robie who is 14, the Spirit was strong and was definitely there. We then did some house to house contact. Something about Filipinos is they won't reject you, but they will just flat out ignore you. So we got ignored a bit. Met some potential IP's then went and talked to Dominic, who is an kaibigan (Friend). His Mother, who isn't a member, brought us out full bowls of food and some Coca-Cola, and guess what also happened? WE SET A BAPTISMAL DATE. Brothers and sisters, Isreal is gathering. I have so much more to say about experiencing the culture for the first time but I don't wanna bore you. 

Spiritual thought:

Talking to Dominic showed me the love God has for everybody, regardless of circumstances. Here in the Philippines, in the area I'm in,  Guinobatan, it's rare to have a door or windows. Most of the houses are open air built out of sheet metal. But the faith I see in the members and Dominic show me that God loves all his children. I know that this is the true church, I feel it pierce my heart in full testimony through the Holy Ghost. 

Tagalog word of the day: Kaligayahan (Joy)

Love you all,
Elder Spackman









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