Six People on One Motorcycle

Six People on One Motorcycle

Well so far, pretty cool out here.

So I read a devotional talk given by one of the general authorities of our church this week. Something he said was pretty powerful. I don't have it with me, but it says something like:

If you give praise to him, you are only returning the breathe he gave you. If you work hard for him, you return the heartbeats, the strength, and the utility of the body he gave you. If you spend time in his name, you are just giving back of that time which he gave you. When you pay tithes, you are giving 10% of the things he has blessed you with back to him. So you see, everything you can give to him really already belongs to him, except for one thing:

Your Will. 

That is the one thing he handed over to each of us completely. That is the one thing we can truly claim to be ours. Therefore, if you will give him that, you will truly give him everything. 

Whoa.

So now I have to think. Now I have to think long and hard, because the only way he can change me is if I let him. 

I can serve all day long, but if in my heart I am not desirous to serve, if while I am obedient I am thinking about how great it would be to do other stuff, if even I feel like it's cool, but I would rather be at home, but I have to serve, so I'll grin and bear it, if I feel any of these things...Then I haven't given myself over to him. And he can't affect what he doesn't have. He can't change what I won't let him touch. I can only become better if I want to...

In other matters:

Rice.
Rice.
More rice.
15 types of rice.
Black rice.
Blue rice.
Yellow rice.
Rice.
The root word for eat is kain.
The word for rice is kanin...

But I'm good with it. It really goes well with everything they serve here. I had something called Bikol Express. TASTY! And I had it with rice!

Kids are something else. My companion likes to pretend we don't understand English. The children will say to us "Good Morning!" or "What's your name!" and then Elder McQuarrie will say back to them in Tagalog: "Whoa, English! We don't know English! Nosebleed!" (Filipinos say nosebleed when they don't understand something.) Then you should see the kids just stare. Sometimes they ask if we are Filipino! A lot of fun.

I love jeepneys and tricycles! You think they look ridiculous when you first see them, I mean, six people riding one motorcycle is kind of out there, but it works. They like to drive fast, and since there aren't any windows, you get a refreshing breeze from it.

And of course, the spirit's pretty cool too. 

So there you have it.

Sorry, less experiences.

But hey, next week, when I don't have a poem…

Sincerely,

Elder Streeter

The Spirit

November 9, 2015

The Spirit

No greater feeling can one feel
At a meal or a deal
Or even at a gathering--
Whether for family, friends, or a special ring--
No greater feeling can one feel
Than the Holy Spirit saying: "That's real!"

You are sitting in the sacrament.
The blessing's done, the bread is sent.
As it comes, you see, before your eyes
Christ in a garden, where he cries,
And as in Gethsemane you see him kneel
You hear the spirit: "That right there is real!"

Perhaps instead you read a book
Of prophets, and people who did look
To them for guidance in a troubling world
And as you think of those words unfurled
You wonder if it's true, and feel
The Holy Ghost whispering: "Yes, that's real."

As you kneel in prayer at night,
The coming sleep you struggle to fight,
You seek The Father's council in life,
Full of stress and growing strife.
Then not an answer, but love--you feel
The Spirit say: "More than life, that love is real!"

Then one day for the Father you work.
Serving others, you never shirk.
The time is hard, your body tired
But as you love, you feel a fire--
A warmth which has no earthly source--
And then the Spirit: "That's real, of course."

And what's more, you endeavor to give
To others the spirit as long as you live,
But most can't seem to feel that spirit.
Or even worse, they seem to fear it!
Except for that one who comes up to you
And says:"You're right! That's real, that's true!"

And the Spirit echoes what they said to you.

And then one day you then behold
A beauty that won't diminish when old,
A power in heart and mind and soul,
You convince to live with your imperfect whole!
And at that moment when together you are sealed
Then the Spirit almost shouts: "O what wonders are real!"

And then such a union bears a result
And after the cheeks are covered in salt
Arrives a young child for whom you now care!
You feel great love for this burden you bear.
And know that, though hard, there's no greater source
Of happiness in your earthly course.

The Spirit?
"The birth of a soul, and how you now feel
Are things which are truly, in this life, most real."

Then one day a cherished loved one
Closes their eyes for the last time; they're gone.
What sadness this brings! But then, what peace
You receive as you know they don't cease:
Their spirit's awake, though their body's asleep
And the Spirit speaks: "This real knowledge, always keep."

Now at some date maybe I'll see,
When from this life I'm finally free,
That friend that never could show his face
But always spoke with heavenly grace.
And he will tell me with all power:
"So much in life was like a flower.
For a small time it is beautiful there
And then it's gone without a care:
Having money, winning games,
Climbing higher, wordly gains,
The joy of disobedience,
The power that comes from anger and malice,
And all things that of the world were,
Only seemed real while you were there.
But I did tell you in all my ways
What was real, in all your days."

And then to him, I will reply;
With all my spirit, I will cry: 
"A better friend I never had!
You comforted when I was sad,
You helped me when I studied Christ,
You showed me all my sin and vice,
You spoke to me of what was true
And counseled me in all I'd do!
But the thing you never spoke to me
Was of that which I could never see:
The greatest thing I did ever feel
Was that you, my friend, you were real!"

Jokers and Murder?

WELL!

Certainly an interesting experience.

A normal day for me?

Get up at 6:30, and exercise for half an hour.
Get ready for the day for an hour. Includes breakfast.
Then personal study.
Companionship study.
Language study.
Lunch.
And then we are off proselyting and don't return until 9:00 pm, at which point we plan for the next day, get ready for bed, and hit the hay at 10:30.

Yup.
Long days.
Long weeks.
I'm still waiting for it to start flying...
But our week did seem to go fast in comparison to how much we did.
We contacted a ton of new people. A lot of the time, they listen just to be nice, but every once in a while, it's a pretty cool encounter.

For instance:

We taught a group of 5 or six construction workers on a return appointment to a potential investigator. What ENERGY! Funny thing, we were worried at first. There wasn't a good spirit. But then we sang "Nearer my God to Thee" and prayed, and suddenly it was a lot better. Hard to control, because Filipinos are jokers, but it was, I think, a good lesson. We taught about Jesus Christ's ministry, we taught how he left the church to his apostles, we taught how when they died or were killed the authority and power of God went with them, and then we shared the restoration, we shared how God, because he loves us, did not leave us eternally in darkness, but called another prophet, as he did so many times before, to guide us. We shared Joseph Smith's experience 200 years ago, in his own words. I love that passage.https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1.1-26?lang=eng#0

Will it come to much? Who knows. But the spirit was there, and hopefully one of them felt it.

We taught to a referral by one of the other missionaries. He accepted baptism and wrote the date with conviction on our first visit! He has such a desire to change! I'm not very good understanding Tagalog, though, so I hope his story about murder and guilty wasn't about himself...

We also taught a Nigerian guy. That was all in English. He was really cool. We asked what he wanted, he said to always seek more about Jesus Christ in his life. He said if you have Jesus Christ, you have it all. And then he asked why we were on a mission. I told him. I told him my mother raised me to be kind and loving. To want the best for others. I told him I knew what I was professing was true, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't. And I told him that it's just like in the scriptures, where Jesus said to an apostle: Do you love me? And when the apostle replied in the affirmative, Jesus responded: Feed my sheep. I told him I loved Jesus Christ. And he told us as we left that he wishes he was like us.

So yeah, pretty cool. Hard, but cool.
Cold showers every morning.
But a warm spirit every day.

I did get the package. TELL GRANDMA THANK YOU! I receive mail when I receive it... depends how long it takes to get to the Philippines, and whether someone brings it to me, or I get it myself.

I've mostly found what I needed. Contrary to MTC rumors, there is toilet paper. Only on the Jungle-like islands is there none...

I have to wash garments by hand, but we give the rest to a laundry shop, which does that for us. I'm going to buy gloves, because the first time I washed my garments by hand, my fingers were in a lot of pain. I've still got a little bit of scabbing, but it's mostly good now. Plus, no dengue for me so far... let's hope it stays that way.