Well I am proud to say that this week I
ate Balut, and guess what, I LIVED!! It literally tasted like a hard
boiled egg but there was a duck on the side. I think i will be fine if i
don't try that again.
Well I have good news, the investigator that we met in balut who
has cancer has returned and we were able to teach him and he has read 5
chapters in the book of Mormon and knows it is true. I am so excited
for him to be baptized which I hope will be soon but he didn't come to
church yesterday which was a bumber but we will keep working on it. I
felt the spirit so strong and I know that he has a strong faith. when
he said that he had gone to the hospital soon after we taught him I
thought he was going to tell us that he didn't want to hear our message
anymore it has caused him problems but it did the exact opposite. it
told him there was a god and that he needs to accept this message. Wow
the spirit was so amazing and so full talaga!!
Then we have a new investigator who cant walk I think he has polio
in his legs but the neat thing is is that is a very hard worker. he is a
tricycle driver and an electrition and a mechanic. the neat thing that
happened was that after our prayer he pulled out a piece of paper and
started to take notes. he wants to learn about the gospel and he wants
read the book of Mormon. wow we are so blessed here in pillar.
then the crazy story that I hope never happens again. We were
informed by our soon to be baptism that she cant get baptized because
her brother doesn't want her too but we had got the permission of the
mother that she could a month before and the week before. Well her
father died so the oldest brother was now the head of the house so we
went to wawa to get his permission. Well, he said that they were
devoted Catholics and that the two girls (who are literally glued at the
hip) didn't know what they were doing and that she couldn't get
baptized. she was crushed and started crying. Before we had gone there
I had prayed so hard that the lord would help me understand what was
going on and to understand what they were saying to me. I understood
the just but I still struggled. so sister Jessica the investigator was
crying because her friend had been baptized and she now couldn't and
then sister Gonzales started to cry. I was like WHAT IS HAPPENING!! I
was so grateful to have a member with us at the time who was an adult
who could talk because I was not confident enough to explain or
understand. we then found our that the friend of Jessica had forged the
signature of her parents and that her parents didn't even know that she
was baptized. GREAT!! more problems. sister Gonzales is crying people
are made and we are trying to fix the situation and the American can
barely understand especially when there is crying people. ha hah oh man
is this funny now but it wasn't then!! In the back of my mind I knew
that it would work out it was just getting there. it turns out that the
tears were the softening point. the brother said that he had never
seen her cry and that he and the parents of the friend had seen some
good changes in the girls since we had come and taught them. so he
allowed her to be baptized and the family is OK with everything now. I
am hoping that through this experience we can teach the family but it
won't be for a while because the ice is still a little soft, but there
is a reason for everything.
So my crazy story for the week and the work continues. I am trying
my best to learn patience in myself and to learn that I am always going
to be learning. there will never be a point in this life that I will
be perfect at the language, teaching, or anything for that matter. I
need to always be working on changing and praying to my heavenly father
for help. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week. Thank
you for your letters and for you missionaries out there, don't give up
keep going even if you feel like you are wasting time there is always a
purpose. I love you guys so much and thanks again for your support.
Love Sister Snow
We asked her to describe the flavor of balut and if she is eating ok, also to translate some of the words coming through in her letter:
the flavor of balut was like a hard-boiled
egg with veins I have pictures they are just on my camera and not by card so i
will try next week to send those. it was weird but I could eat it again.
Talaga means really and I will try to use more explanations. the
sister say that every once in a while I will talk in my sleep and say a tagalog
prayer. graby which is an expression for oh my goodness kind of at least
that is how i use it. I don't know the translation for bug I will try and
look it up. the food is pretty good usually i just eat and I am not
picky anymore. we have spaghetti with banana ketchup as sauce so weird and
I am often experimenting and honestly you can never go wrong. they have a
great system here and the balanga- which is the market basically- has such
fresh food and a variety I wish you could see it but I can't take a picture
without looking more white than I am . Well I got to go. IT was nice to
talk you all and I want you guys to know how much I love you and miss you.
I know that the time will go fast and that before you know it tomorrow I
will be heading home and will see you in the air port. keep up the good
work girls I am so proud of you and I can see you are all changing. Hugs
and kisses. Keep me updated on things you might want, I have some Ideas
but I want to see what you guys want to. Love you!!
