Mar 6: A new view

Drifting into consciousness, it is now 6:00AM which it later than I planned to wake up. I need to finish my skills lesson for the other missionaries and the effort is worth the lack of sleep. Awaking in the strange apartment is not disturbing with the confidence and self security that comes from being missionary. Everything is easier to do because you know it is right. The previous day I went on exchanges with my old MTC companion who I did not really click with then, but now so much has changed, so I sleep in there apartment for the night. We has a great talk about the mission, MTC, changes, and other such things before we went to sleep, but upon arising we just go to our daily routine without a word.

This apartment is different because we are not heralded by propaganda from other religions in the morning, unlike my area of Bicutan. At 5:00 the Muslim chanting begins from the nearby mosque, then a 6:00 the Catholics start with their biblical sermons and choirs. I am now adjusted so it strange to awake to only the sound of traffic.

The lesson I am preparing is about commitments and follow ups. Our district has been dropping in progressing investigators and finding. I would focus on finding, but that was they theme of our last zone conference. Thus, we know what to do; we just need to work.
Now quite finishing the lesson, but it is time to leave. Forgetting to check last night in planning and evaluation, I ask Elder Murray if I could see his planner and area book because we need to encourage the missionaries to use them effectively. Elder Murray is a good missionary and he and Elder Dela Cruz were using their tools well enough.

Arriving at district meeting to open the church, we found Elder Orth and Bustillio there to greet us. Elder Orth came of Palawan with me to be the other new district leader in the Paranaque zone. He is from Astralia, and corrects everyone that calls him a kano (amarikano or kano for short). He was also companions with Elder Masangcay (my follow up trainer and current Junior Zone Leader) so we have a lot in common.

The skills lesson went pretty good, I feel it was the most quality I have done. We talk about upcoming baptisms so that we can get all the baptismal interviews scheduled. I am only somewhat happy to discover I have three kids to interview on Saturday, but that is offset by the thoughts of the wonderful investigators in Bicutan who will be baptized.

This Saturday, Allan Jackson will be baptized after going through conversion process as quick as you can. He is a noble spirit that craves goodness, always reading the Book of Mormon and arriving at church early. Some concerns arose about Marcelo because he was married before and has a girlfriend in Singapore. Elder Hall, our AP who has one foot out the door, instructed us that Marcelo will have to stay single unless he gets his rich wife’s partner to pay the expensive fee for an annulment. Our hopes are still high because Marcelo has gone just as fast as Allan and will be baptized next Saturday.

Our exchanges end, we eat at Chow King with some other missionaries after district meeting, and then Elder Acob and I make the hour trip home, to spend the rest of the day showing fruits mete for success in our area through our work, a wonderful day that is followed by a missionary’s day of rest and personal endeavors. I now feel I could almost go without a p-day because of the sweetness of this service. I love this work.