Thanks for the pictures mom! That was neat to see. You need to make sure dad brings his camera next time. I miss those days. This week is transfers. Elder Agbayani is transferring to Bohol and is going to be a district leader. My new companion is going to be Elder Nicoleta. He was in my last district, so that will help our relationship start off faster. I had a baptism this week as well! Jerom Benzone. He is 11 and his family are members. We got there 2 hours early on Saturday, and found out that all the water the church had came to about an inch in the font. Water here is different. It comes on every other day and you have a tank that fills up. The church has a huge tank, but it was empty. But by Sunday they had fixed it and we had plenty of water for Elder Agbayani to baptize him. His friend wants to take the lessons now. But he lives in the next town over, not our area, but visits on the weekend.
Erlinda Alcala is another one of our investigators. She just married a semi active member and wanted to take the lessons. She is progressing, but has not come to church in a month. She just got a job and probably will be working 6 days a week, including Sunday. So that could be hard.
Our other investigators are:
Maria Reyes, Glen Feloso, Rochelle, Nitchie, the Lumin family, Nicolasial Singson, and our newest investigator that we found yesterday, Jesus Constan. They need all the prayers they can get.
So to answer your questions, the monsoon didn’t get us here. It has just been raining a lot. I actually got cold yesterday. It had to be in the upper 80s but was rainy and windy. I am going to freeze when I get home!
People don’t ask hard questions. They are all catholic and have been for generations. The younger ones are willing to change but their parents won’t let them, and the older ones don’t want to find out that what they have believed their whole life is wrong. So they don’t want to find out our church is true, because then theirs is wrong. But everyone believes in Christ and is very accepting of the gospel. Finding people to teach is definitely not a problem. It is just finding the ones that are willing to change that is hard.
I have got a little thinner, but I have only lost 5 pounds, and since I gained 10 in the mtc, I figure I’ll be all right. I found out this week that if you make more food, you actually get full! So I have been making more.
The language is coming well. I focused too much on doctrine my first transfer and a half, so I am probably a little behind, but if you have faith, and actually work at it, you learn super fast. Elder Agbayani volunteers me to teach from the scriptures all the time when I am unprepared, and I can usually get the point across. Most people speak a lot of English, especially the college students. That is nice so I can substitute words when I don’t know them.
As far as I know the mail is still coming regularly. I usually get a letter every week from someone. Thanks for that.Thank everyone for their prayers for me. I really appreciate it. I feel so much help from the Lord. That is the only way to be successful in this work.
I love you all! Thanks for all you do! Tell people sorry I don’t mail more often, there is just no time.
Love you!
Elder Schenk
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
October 20, 2010
October 20, 2010
To answer moms questions, visa would be nice, and yes I did get to
baptize Ritchie and Irene both. Thanks for everything. The jerky and
peanut butter were a life saver. Love you all. Sorry I spent all my
time trying to send some pictures and a movie, I don't think the
computer liked the movie. Sorry. Love you all. Keep safe. I'll try
to write a letter today if I have time. Elder Cooks fireside was
super good. I want to tell you about it. If I forget, remind me. I
journaled about it.
Love you all!
Elder Schenk
Hey mom, I wanted to try sending some pictures, Let me know how it
turns out. I tried to load a bunch and it broke the webpage. So I'll
do a little at a time, maybe multiple emails. Thanks
Love you!
Elder Schenk
Katie,
That is so exciting, you're growing at the right rate. Good for you. Life here in the Philippines is good. I just realized that the building I am in was built around a tiny tree, It comes in one of the walls and goes out the roof. Weird. Well I love you! Take care. Tell Josh I said hi!
Elder Schenk
To answer moms questions, visa would be nice, and yes I did get to
baptize Ritchie and Irene both. Thanks for everything. The jerky and
peanut butter were a life saver. Love you all. Sorry I spent all my
time trying to send some pictures and a movie, I don't think the
computer liked the movie. Sorry. Love you all. Keep safe. I'll try
to write a letter today if I have time. Elder Cooks fireside was
super good. I want to tell you about it. If I forget, remind me. I
journaled about it.
Love you all!
Elder Schenk
Hey mom, I wanted to try sending some pictures, Let me know how it
turns out. I tried to load a bunch and it broke the webpage. So I'll
do a little at a time, maybe multiple emails. Thanks
Love you!
Elder Schenk
Katie,
That is so exciting, you're growing at the right rate. Good for you. Life here in the Philippines is good. I just realized that the building I am in was built around a tiny tree, It comes in one of the walls and goes out the roof. Weird. Well I love you! Take care. Tell Josh I said hi!
Elder Schenk
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| Elder Schenk and Elder Agbayani |
 |
| Devin's First Baptisms, Irene & Ritchie |
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
October 12, 2010
October 12, 2010
Family,
Maayong buntag. Kamusta mo tanan? ok ra diri. Naa ko duha mga investigators nga magpabunyag diri sa Carmen. Usa ka kining transfer sa Oct. 23 ug usa ka next transfer sa nov 6, akong birthday. Excited kaayo ko.
Good morning. How are your all? Good here. I have 2 investigators that will be baptized here in Carmen. One this transfer on Oct 23 and one next transfer on Nov. 6, my birthday. I am really excited.
Our email time is now only 30 min to read, write the president, and then write our families, so my emails will be getting shorter. The ocean here in Carmen is really beautiful. There aren’t really any nice beaches, just rocky ones. The other night the moon was full and there was no cloud cover. It was so beautiful with the moon reflecting off the water. So an update on the weather. I asked for specifics on the temperatures. Elder Powel said that he has had a watch that has a thermometer his whole mission. He said that he has never seen the temperature below 88, and this is his last transfer here in the mission. I was blown away! I thought that on a cool rainy night it was about 70, but I was wrong.
I am eating more meat for you dad. And I am exercising more. It feels good. The work is going well. We don’t have time to contact as many people as we should because we are always teaching lessons. We found some more good investigators. Hopefully they will continue to apply faith and strengthen their testimonies. That is a big problem here. People are so willing to hear, but don’t apply it to themselves and really make the change in their lives. I hope I can really convert my investigators.
Well I have to go. Everything is good here.
Love you all!
Elder Schenk
Family,
Maayong buntag. Kamusta mo tanan? ok ra diri. Naa ko duha mga investigators nga magpabunyag diri sa Carmen. Usa ka kining transfer sa Oct. 23 ug usa ka next transfer sa nov 6, akong birthday. Excited kaayo ko.
Good morning. How are your all? Good here. I have 2 investigators that will be baptized here in Carmen. One this transfer on Oct 23 and one next transfer on Nov. 6, my birthday. I am really excited.
Our email time is now only 30 min to read, write the president, and then write our families, so my emails will be getting shorter. The ocean here in Carmen is really beautiful. There aren’t really any nice beaches, just rocky ones. The other night the moon was full and there was no cloud cover. It was so beautiful with the moon reflecting off the water. So an update on the weather. I asked for specifics on the temperatures. Elder Powel said that he has had a watch that has a thermometer his whole mission. He said that he has never seen the temperature below 88, and this is his last transfer here in the mission. I was blown away! I thought that on a cool rainy night it was about 70, but I was wrong.
I am eating more meat for you dad. And I am exercising more. It feels good. The work is going well. We don’t have time to contact as many people as we should because we are always teaching lessons. We found some more good investigators. Hopefully they will continue to apply faith and strengthen their testimonies. That is a big problem here. People are so willing to hear, but don’t apply it to themselves and really make the change in their lives. I hope I can really convert my investigators.
Well I have to go. Everything is good here.
Love you all!
Elder Schenk
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
October 6, 2010
October 6, 2010
Dad, and Family,
Thanks for your letter. It is so good to hear from you. For some reason your email made me cry today. I know the Lord is blessing you so much. I just wish you could know how much he is blessing me. My new area is hard. My companion is a lot different than I am. My last area was amazing and my companion became one of the best friends I have ever had. I never had to worry about teaching because no matter what I said or how well I did, I knew that the lesson would be really good. My new area is a lot more work. My companion is a lot less motivated, so I can’t just follow all the time. I have to be the one leading. But I am growing so much more here. Don’t take it that hard is bad. I love it so much! The Lord has opened my mind so many times to things in the scriptures that I had never known before. I think of the counsel that the Lord gave to Joseph Smith in carthage jail, that even if the very jaws of hell should gape open after him, that all would be for his good. I feel the same way. When things get hard I learn the most. There are a lot of church leaders who had hard times in their lives. I have Dieter F. Uchtdorf on my iPod. He tells about how hard his childhood was as a refugee. But I can’t help but feeling that our challenges and struggles are really a blessing from the Lord. They are the refining fire, preparing us for the rest of our time here in this life, and also preparing us for our work into the eternities. Don’t worry about me, the Lord is on my side, and it is him who I serve. He is watching over me.
You don’t see a lot of animals in the bukid. But it is beautiful. I just asked an elder how hot it is here, to my surprise, I thought it was cooler, but it is in the upper 80's today. It is in the upper 90's a lot. I didn’t think that. I must be turning Filipino. My laundry skills are improving, but are way too slow. I don’t have time to do everything.
Eric, you know that song by inside out "I hope they call me on a mission"? Remember when the little girl said that her uncle didn’t like the Brazil mission because he had to eat fish including their skin, eyeballs and bones? Been there done that! It’s not actually that bad. I have really come to like fish. And sardines, not that bad either! I learned today the Filipino way to eat with your hands. That one is going to take some practice.
I got your package today! Exactly 1 month early! Nice work! I am going on exchanges with the district leader today. I will be with his companion in Danao. He doesn’t speak English. That will be fun... I am excited. I get to learn again!
Eric, I am proud of you! Keep working hard. Learn all you can now. Education is really important. Keep up the good work.
I haven’t seen conference yet. Saturday morning session would be Saturday night here. So we get to see it this weekend. We also get to hear from Elder Cook in person on the 14th! I get to shake his hand! I am really excited!
I love you all so much! Take care! Tell Jeff Komar thanks for writing me. I don’t have time to send him a letter so you will have to do it for me.
Love you!
Elder Schenk
Dad, and Family,
Thanks for your letter. It is so good to hear from you. For some reason your email made me cry today. I know the Lord is blessing you so much. I just wish you could know how much he is blessing me. My new area is hard. My companion is a lot different than I am. My last area was amazing and my companion became one of the best friends I have ever had. I never had to worry about teaching because no matter what I said or how well I did, I knew that the lesson would be really good. My new area is a lot more work. My companion is a lot less motivated, so I can’t just follow all the time. I have to be the one leading. But I am growing so much more here. Don’t take it that hard is bad. I love it so much! The Lord has opened my mind so many times to things in the scriptures that I had never known before. I think of the counsel that the Lord gave to Joseph Smith in carthage jail, that even if the very jaws of hell should gape open after him, that all would be for his good. I feel the same way. When things get hard I learn the most. There are a lot of church leaders who had hard times in their lives. I have Dieter F. Uchtdorf on my iPod. He tells about how hard his childhood was as a refugee. But I can’t help but feeling that our challenges and struggles are really a blessing from the Lord. They are the refining fire, preparing us for the rest of our time here in this life, and also preparing us for our work into the eternities. Don’t worry about me, the Lord is on my side, and it is him who I serve. He is watching over me.
You don’t see a lot of animals in the bukid. But it is beautiful. I just asked an elder how hot it is here, to my surprise, I thought it was cooler, but it is in the upper 80's today. It is in the upper 90's a lot. I didn’t think that. I must be turning Filipino. My laundry skills are improving, but are way too slow. I don’t have time to do everything.
Eric, you know that song by inside out "I hope they call me on a mission"? Remember when the little girl said that her uncle didn’t like the Brazil mission because he had to eat fish including their skin, eyeballs and bones? Been there done that! It’s not actually that bad. I have really come to like fish. And sardines, not that bad either! I learned today the Filipino way to eat with your hands. That one is going to take some practice.
I got your package today! Exactly 1 month early! Nice work! I am going on exchanges with the district leader today. I will be with his companion in Danao. He doesn’t speak English. That will be fun... I am excited. I get to learn again!
Eric, I am proud of you! Keep working hard. Learn all you can now. Education is really important. Keep up the good work.
I haven’t seen conference yet. Saturday morning session would be Saturday night here. So we get to see it this weekend. We also get to hear from Elder Cook in person on the 14th! I get to shake his hand! I am really excited!
I love you all so much! Take care! Tell Jeff Komar thanks for writing me. I don’t have time to send him a letter so you will have to do it for me.
Love you!
Elder Schenk
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Pictures Received in the mail from Devin Today!
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| Elder Clark First Companion  (Elder Schenk, notice he's still wearing his nametag)   This is the waterfall/river I am in and took pictures of. One of the most beautiful places on earth! |
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| Busay The river on the way to Irene's Father's house to ask for permission for baptism. He said yes :) |
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| Tabonan To the right is the second highest point in Cebu. We went to go visit an excommuncated member who invited us to his house. It took an hour on a hubbal hubbal. Forever! But one of the most beautiful drives. On the way you can see both sides of the island. You can see Negros, Bohol and Camotes. So beautiful. There is a cave and a rainforest in the bottom. Brother and Sister Reid (the last office couple) went there. They said it was awesome. We planned to go there, but I am transferring tomorrow. Our currenarea is HUGE! It goes from downtown with 2 churches and a temple to this 38 km from town. Crazy. I love it. I am transferring to Carmen. I hear it is so beautiful. Lots of Bukids. Love you, Elder Schenk |
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| My Batch Cebu Temple The Filipinos came from the Manilla MTC. |
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| A better view of the Elders and Sisters. Brother Bailey is on the left and Sister Hansen is on the right. |
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| Rambotan You pull hard and the outer skin peels in two. Inside is a white fruit with a big seed that looks like an almond. They are good, but eat too many and your throat starts to itch. |
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