This week has been pretty fun and different because we had our two day Christmas conference and we also had exchanges with the other missionaries in our district. The work took a two day break but it was definitely worth it.
Tuesday -
This was the day of exchanges. I exchanged with Elder Squire and came and worked with me in Baua. We tried to do lots of finding while testing out the new technique our zone leaders talked to me about during our follow-up call but the day was very slow. Not because of the new technique but because we've went to nearly every house in the small area of Baua and I've met nearly everyone. We tried to do more finding which basically meant going to the far areas that don't have a super dense population and are probably too far to afford paying to get a ride to church. It was a slow but fun day with lots of conversation. Elder Squire is very 'madaldal' as we say in Tagalog.
During the studies of the day I also read rom 2 Nephi 4:17-35 and Revelations 2-3. These are both really cool scriptures. The section of Nephi is about understanding our own shortcomings but also knowing who we can go to for help (Christ) and the two chapters in Revelation are really interesting chapters about overcoming or as I interpreted it, enduring to the end of everything.
Wednesday -
After finishing exchanges we had a good day and talked to nearly 28 new people. We intend to maybe return to two of them though because they showed more sincerity. We also accidentally stumbled upon the house of a less active member named Hitler Tacal which is kind of funny.
Thursday -
This was the first day of Christmas conference. My companion and I had to show up early so I could attend the District Leader workshop with the APs. It ended up just being a three hour discussion and finding people that are willing to attend church. It was actually really good and the techniques they suggested seem like they will be very effective in the Philippines. We basically just try to talk to as many people as possible (since everyone here is willing to talk to you) and then only return to those that say they will go to church after your first interaction with them. Initially this approach seems harsh but here in the Philippines everyone wants to talk to you but not many are willing to change. This new technique helps us identify those that want to change. I can't wait to see it in action a little more.
The rest of the Christmas conference included a general introduction from President Peterson and then all the different zones doing their performances. These performances included lots of different dances, songs, skits, and things of that nature. It was very enjoyable and a nice break from the everyday mission life. It was also nice to meet up with some of my friends in the mission and also meet some new missionaries as well. My zone did a skit actually of which me and Elder Rasmussen with the main stars for some weird reason. It was a tid bit cringey.
Friday -
This was the second half of Christmas Conference. In the morning after a very cold night's sleep (because of the A/C) we continued in our casual clothes to the meeting hall thing and then had some games organized by the senior missionaries. They were actually unexpectedly enjoyable and sometimes difficult. One of the games was as simple as hitting each other aggressively with pool noodles.
Saturday -
We had an okay day of work once again. In the middle of our work though the sisters from the other area called and said they needed baptismal clothing from our church. We dropped everything and returned from our far area to help them. By the time we got to the church they said that they no longer needed the clothes. We then just returned back to our area and kept working. We ended up talking to 11 new people. One of them seemed kind of interested. Later in the day after we returned home we found another rat and burned it alive in our apartment.
Sunday -
We had a nice day of work applying what we had learned about finding people to go to church. We ended up finding three people we might go back to. Also our three investigators went to church again. They will probably be baptized next week.
Pictures -
a mix of pictures from Christmas conference, my packages, the rat, and a very uncommon bird
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