My motherly Mother, I love you and thank you.

The last package with all the meat was awesome. I still have half the meat left though. Health wise I am doing ok now. I have been eating ridiculously unhealthy amounts of protein and everyone is still commenting to me that I got skinnier. Oh, but just so you know, when I got sick I wasn't eating like a Filipino. Elder Valdez eats like a healthy American. I followed suit and was eating that way too. No rice, lots of fruits and vegetables, just a little meat.... (We sent him meat to get him to eat more of it. He was protein deficient. You can see it in the pictures.)

(Then) Elder Lundy's 1st trip to the terraces.

(Now) Elder Lundy's latest trip to the terraces.
Don't worry, he comes from hardy stock
and he has the Lord to take care of him.
He will be fine!

I will do better though. I hate being sick. I hate working when I am sick and I complain non-stop. I will not be sick anymore. I am also drinking about 4-6 liters of water every day... the American system of measurement is sooooooooooo STUPID! We should convert to the metric system!

1. What was this week like for you?
This is part of my letter to Pres. Carlos this week...

About the work in Bagabag. I feel like we have slowly been declining. We only taught 12 lessons this week, the rest of the zone, it looks like all the right transfers are happening. I'm excited for next cycle. I want to make a difference with my missionaries.

2. Is this week or next week Transfers?
This week is transfers. It is shifted to Wednesday now. That is permanent daw.

3. Will you get to stay in Bagabag?
we just got texted the transfer list earlier this afternoon. Elder Valdez is transferred for his last cycle. I stay in Bagabag for my 5th cycle. That totals about 8 months of my mission in this area... :) but I’m gunna miss E. Valdez :(

4. Tell me the whole truth…How is your health?
I am doing fine health wise. Slowly improving.

5. Are you focusing on investigators or reactivation right now?
Investigators only. We haven't focused on less actives for the past 2 cycles. Usually we don't have time between our recent converts and investigators. We just petitioned president for more elders here but we are kinda low on the list because we already have 4 missionaries within the branch.

6. Anyone you want us to pray for.
 Pray for Moroni Bongtayon and his family. You may or may not remember me telling you about Moroni, but he is a good friend, awesome, the only one who lives in his house with a job, and preparing for a mission. His mother died this past week. It hit him hard at first. He was super quiet for a couple days, then he snapped out of it. His mother had stage 4 cancer. We are all a little worried about the family.

Well, I got to get going if I’m going to shop and get a haircut still...

I love you! :*

March 18, 2013 No letter...

Sorry Gang.
There isn't a letter today.
I'm guessing that this is the week that the zone went to the Banaue rice terraces.
If memory serves me, next week transfers happen.
Have a great week and may God bless you!

Hi, :)

This week, my health has been pretty much the same. I am really afraid of being transferred to a hotter place. I'm getting a little better. I used our house's air conditioning for the first time in 6 months last night so I could actually sleep. It’s so flippin hot!

Elder Valdez just read the part of your letter that said you mailed him the book, and his whole face just lit up with a great big smile. "Really???" was what he said. Thank you. :)

My low for the week, if my mind isn't occupied, it often wanders to after the mission and what it will be like. I'm getting a little trunky to be honest. I'm excited to be home with the family again and start school and all....but I don't want to come home. Life is hard, the fact that Elder Valdez goes home after next cycle isn't helping me any either. Ha-ha :) so thanks for the last line of your letter... “I pray for you all the time. I know as long as you are in God’s hands all is well no matter what happens. Keep working hard, your time isn’t done yet.”

Sounds like you've had a week! I have too! Elder Valdez and I were walking down the side of a rice field coming from bro. M-----'s house and a cow by the path went crazy! It chased us back to his house! We tried to go by again a few minutes later, but it started bucking like a bull and chased us again. Then we decided to walk through the rice field on one of the 9 inch wide foot paths. A bunch of kids saw the cow going crazy so while we were on the path in the rice field, they went to mess with it. There were like 10 kids without a single one above 9 years old. Next thing we know, all the kids bust out running in different directions with the cow bucking and going crazy ... hahaha :) dumb kids :)

anyway, Bro, M----- is a cool Find. One of Elder Valdez's referrals came to our area for the funeral of a family member. The RC gave us a referral as well so we went to talk to her to find out where the referral lived. When we went there, we met the mother (40+) Sister D----, of the girl who died. We shared with her a little about the Plan of Salvation. http://www.lds.org/topics/plan-of-salvation?lang=eng She stopped crying, looked extremely interested, and when I told her that she could be with her child again, she interrupted me and somewhat forcefully said "How?!" We set a return appointment with the intent to come back and teach her more. This past week when we got back, she wasn't there. Her boss in Hong Kong told her she had to come back to work. But we were able to meet the father when we went back this time. His reaction to our message was the same as his wife's. We are super excited to teach him! :)

So I don't know if I told you last week or not, but 4 of our investigators were baptized this past Saturday. All part member children/youth. I'm done with kids now though.

I love hearing about you doing missionary work. It’s amazing. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like to hear Eric doing this.

I love you! Keep it up!

-Elder Lundy

 

Picture taken at the Mission Home - Thank you Sister Carlos : )

 

Hello! :)

Things here went OK this week. The baptism in Solano went well and started late as usual. Not even Elder Woodruff could get the Filipinos to start on time though. The meeting in Bayombong went well too. The Branch President was able to give some good advice on splitting the area and offered some info that we didn't know... like Bayombong used to be 2 separate branches!

YUP! I did get to go hear Elders Hallstrom and Teh...but they didn't really impress me. The person who impressed me the most was Sister Hallstrom. She gave a very great talk about faith using some very good examples. The first example was Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in Daniel 3:14-18 –

“Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

My favorite example is as follows by my best recollection:

She told a story about a statue of a dog in a train station in Tokyo. This dog's name is Hachikō. The story goes that Hachikō’s master was a professor at the University of Tokyo. Over time they developed a daily routine. Every morning Hachikō and his master would walk to the train station. Hachikō’s master would then board the train and go to work. Hachikō would then go about his daily business returning to the train station at 4 pm every day to fetch his master. This routing went on for some time, then one day at 4 pm Hachikō was patiently waiting for his master to come home...but he never did. His master had a stroke at work and was brought to the hospital where he died a short while later. Hachikō went home thinking he might find his mater there, but he was nowhere to be found. A short while later the professor's family sold his house and gave Hachikō a way to another family. This family could not keep track of the busy Hachikō though. He would wander off every day to his master's house hoping to find him there waiting for him. After a while Hachikō seemed to realize that he wouldn't find his master at the house, so every day at 4 pm he returned to the train station and patiently waited for his master. This continued for 11 years. Sister Hallstrom described Hachikō’s actions like this: "I will return for you every day, BUT IF NOT (ref Daniel 3:18), but even if you aren't there, I will still be waiting for you."

Sometimes the Lord helps and supports us in our trials. Sometimes he doesn't help us so that we may grow. It is easy for us to be faithful when we see that He is helping us, but what about when he leaves us to ourselves so that we may grow? We must always be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego and say, "We believe that our God can do all things, and that he can and will help us through our trials, BUT IF NOT, even if He chooses not to help us, we will still be faithful to Him no matter what happens to us!"

That is the greater part of Sister Hallstrom's message. I really liked it.

(I asked Elder Lundy how his ears were doing - because he has trouble with them when he goes over mountains. The Mission Home is on the other side of the mountain.)

My ears are doing well with having gone over the mountains so many times, even through the mountains do split in Lagawe. I’m sick from other reasons right now. It’s getting really hot and I can't get rid of this feeling of always being overly hot. I sweat non-stop. I have full body aches and a stiff neck. And we are always getting to bed late and we chose to wake up at 6 every morning so we aren't late to studies so I’m not getting enough sleep. Yup, woe to me! hahaha lol. No, I’m on the mend right now. It’s not all that bad.

Thank you so much for the package you sent! I do love the goodies. :)

Well, I got to go. I love you guys! :*

-Elder Lundy