Sister Eveland...What a crazy week!

I have neglected to put any of Sister Eveland's emails up recently. I am so behind, but am going to put them all up now. Bear with me and read as you please. There are a bunch. You can also just look up the label Sister Eveland and her letters will be there as well.

This week was crazy!! Nothing went as we had planned. But the Lord knew what He was doing and it turned out to better than we could have hoped for.


Starting Monday though our schedule was wacked. First of all we got home late from getting everything we done on P-day and as we were getting ready to leave the neighbor girl walked in asked for our help with her english assignment, we couldn't just say no so that made us an hour late getting out the door. Our FHE plans fell through with the same family for the second time (hopefully it works for tonight). We went to our only appointment to see if they were there, but wala ( no one), and no one at our back up either. By this time it was pouring, but we decided to stop one family who have been investigators on and off for three years, they haven't been baptized because they didn't think they could get married, (BUT NOW THEY CAN!!) whenever we stopped by before they were never home. But we found out that they are home every Monday, we were able to teach them and set up an appointment for tonight. AND the husband and two daughters came to church yesterday!!!

Later that night we found out that district meeting which is usually here in Cauayan on Tuesday mornings was changed to tuesday afternoon in Ilagan because president wanted to do interviews with our zone. There went all our lessons for the afternoon. We got to teach of them in the morning before we left but it through off our fellowershippers and the rest of our lessons for that night. And we had to take the hour plus van ride each way, I am not even kidding when I say this, there were 23 people in a van at one time, no AC, yeah and they aren't even very big vans they are meant for maybe 9 people. We actually did have a really good lesson with one family (the Manaog's) we tried to set a Baptisim date with sister but she hasn't set one yet. The lesson was so good though, the spirit was really strong, AND all four kids were in the lesson and participated. THEY CAME TO CHURCH for the first time since before I got here!!!

Weds- No bayawak :( apparently they don't just go to the palangke and buy one. They shoot them themselves, out of the cauayan trees (bambo trees). You can buy at the palangke but I guess it is hard to find them for sell. They are still on the look out we hope that we will get to try it before we get transfered. all of our lessons/plans fell through this night too. But we ended up finding a less active member who usually isn't home when we have stopped by. She came to the activity on saturday but not to church, hopefully next week. Most of all fellowershippers fell through that night too because it was raining (no one works with us when it rains).

Side note-- it is funny when it is pouring and my companion and I are walking to appointments with our umbrellas just soaked, while the Philippinos are hovering under the smallest over hang or shelter they can find to wait it out because they hate the rain, they think everyone is going to sick if they walk in the rain. They always yell at us to get under covering and most of our investigators try to get us to stay at their house until it stops raining. It's actually pretty entertaining.

Thursday, again most of our lessons fell through. We didn't teach at two appointments that day because they didn't read. They are investigators that we have trying to see if we should drop. We told them that we would come back on Friday (the next day) and if they read we would share with them. We had another good lesson with Manaog, again they were all in the lesson!!

Friday, we went back to sister Evlynn and sister Angelita, not knowing if we would share with them. BUT both had read, and both were REALLY REALLY good lessons. We were not expecting to see that change in them over night. Nothing else really happened this day, except weekly planning... And we updated EVERYTHING because we have no idea what to expect on thursday with transfers because there is a possiblity we could get pulled out because of changes that need to be made in the office... We are so lost..

Saturday, we had branch FHE. President and sister Carlos came. It was actually a pretty fun night. I really like them. Later my companion and I are going to the mission home to help sister Carlos make brownies and cookies. She has to bake for all the missionaries coming in and going home this week and asked for our help. Not going to lie, there are a lot of perks to living close to the mission home. No one here has ovens so we never get baked goods. So I am excited!!

Sunday morning we got up at 5:30 again so that we could leave by 7:00 to remind our investigators to go to church.. We woke most of them up..haha Most of them said that they were coming to church. Church starts at 8:20 now and classes are first (which is a good thing), we waited outside until 15 min to nine when our first investigator showed up..after that they dragged in up to over an hour late..Okay are you ready for the best news of the week...Drum roll please....Guess how many investigators were at church?!

TWELVE!! that is the most that my companion has ever had at chruch, and that isn't counting any of their kids that who are too young or haven't sat in on the lessons!! Our efforts are paying off. The funny/odd thing is is that all of our investigators who came to chruch last week or who have been progressing didn't come. And all our investigators that we weren't sure would come actually came. We have seen a big change in a lot of investigators!

I love this work. Sorry no more time. Love you all. Thanks for you love and support!!

Love sister Eveland