I'm Pretty Sure I am Going to Die in this Area!

Here are updates from May 7th and also from our Mother's Day video call.  He sent a lot of pictures last week too! Yay!

5/7/18

I'm pretty sure I am going to die in this area! 

It is testing me physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. We had accounting with my district leader last night, he asked us to prepare a list of successes, needs, and concerns in our specific area. I kind of laughed because there were definitely a lot of needs and concerns. Our area is very shot-gun like…meaning all the different places we go to are spread out and far away from each other. We have to walk A LOT or wait a long time before there will be a tricycle that will pick us up.

Yesterday we waited for an hour in the shade for a tricycle that would take us to an area that would have taken an hour to walk to. It was super hot though so we decided to take our chances and wait for the tricycle. That is another thing is that is is Super Duper hot here right now (not that it isn't always hot, but still). I have been sweating buckets, as well as when we are walking I can feel the heat in my black shoes.

Mentally I am being stretched to my capacity as well. I have had to speak more Tagalog in the past 2 weeks than I have ever had to do before in my life. That’s not really bad for me, other than it is just mentally tiring to speak Tagalog and try to think of how to speak Tagalog every day. As well as this area has really fallen apart or is really struggling right now, so it is mentally hard trying to think of what else I can do to try and build the success in this area and have effective days of work.

Spiritually I am trying to rely on the Spirit more, better accept God’s will, as well as become more familiar with the scriptures and Preach My Gospel now that I am with a companion that I can’t rely on him to tell me what to read or what to say in lessons. These past weeks have brought me to my knees in prayer more than I ever have before.  Emotionally just trying to keep myself together has been tough. All the stresses of the area and the work have not been easy. We deal with repeated disappointments and discouragements in the area. Lots and lots of dropped appointments and a very young branch with lots of needs and room to improve has not made it any easier. If I am to toot my own horn a little bit though, I have kept my cool and kept it together very well. In my life before my mission, or even earlier on in my mission, I think I would have had a really hard time, and maybe made some decisions or done some things that would not have been very smart. I feel like I have been very calm and reasonable lately (and humble). ha ha

There are also some other things and concerns that don't necessarily fit into any of the other categories for me, but here are some other concerns: The screens in our apartment don’t really work so it gets dirty really quick and lots of bugs.  Our water comes from an electric pump that pulls it from the ground. Right when I heard the pump go on to start filling the tank, the power shut off so we had very limited water this morning. I was also changing our water filter and almost puked. They say the filter is up to date, but I was really disgusted that I had been drinking from water that was coming out of that filter. 

Elder Stevens and I are also really different from each other, but we actually get along really well. He has told me and talked to me a lot about all the stuff that he was into before his mission. I was not really into most of the stuff that he was into, but it has been good and fun to get to know him. I think it has been good for him as well. I think that he enjoys having someone that will listen to him and be interested in what he does. 

There is currently no one to update you about because we have no investigators right now. If I was to give a perfect analogy of my area now it would be this: I have been given a pile full of carabao crap, and I am expected to turn it into a diamond. That is not going to happen without a lot of patience, time, stress and pressure. That is basically what is happening right now. 

(Added by Alayna:  From Wikipedia...a carabao, also known as a Kalabaw in the Phillippines, is a swamp-type domestic water buffalo native to the Phililipines.  This picture is just off the internet, not one of Frasier's.)

   

It is really good though. I’m not complaining at all, I’m just being real with you and letting you know what’s up. Even though it is maybe going to go down as one of the hardest cycles of my mission, I am learning a lot. 

Sister Lundevall sent me a copy of her farewell talk so that I could read it. I’ll just tell you that that talk was awesome. The Book of Mormon is the greatest book in the world. I could tell you all the feelings I have about the Book of Mormon, but that would probably cause the veil to be opened too much and you would all start crying or being exalted or something like that. J

It is the word of God and the most true book upon the face of the earth. I wasn't super big into reading the Book of Mormon before my mission, but now that I am here on my mission I have realized what I was missing out on. It took some work, and I have told my companion about this as well. A love for the Book of Mormon and a joy or excitement to read it doesn't just come; you have to really want it, work for it, and find how to make it interesting for you. That is what it was for me, but I promise you won’t want to put the book down once you find the joy. The problem is that here on the mission I don't actually have enough time to just sit down and read the Book of Mormon how I would like to, and by the time we get home at night I am way too tired to even try to sit down and try to read. 

Mahal ko kayo lahat. Miss na miss ko kayo. Ingat po.

(Added by Alayna:  Translation is I love you all.  I miss you.  Be safe!)

--

Forever and a day, Love Elder Williamson!

These are all pictures of people I said bye to in my last area.

These are pictures of my companions and my last cycles. The picture of the elder that is crossing his eyes is just one of my good friends even though I’ve never been companions with him. That blurry picture is a picture that a little kid took of me with my camera.

In my area currently, there are a lot of people that grow tobacco. This is a member’s tobacco hut where the tobacco is hanging out to dry. Some things they don’t understand and also tobacco makes them the most money. 

These are the only pictures I have of a baptism that happened the first week I was in this area. Technically, I have had 11 baptisms thus far in my mission. 

That’s the Avengers poster that is at the theatre in the city.  I can’t wait to see that when I get back.

This is just the scenery that I have taken pictures of. The green one is a picture right outside my front door.

These are just candid pictures of me walking down a really long hot path. I was trying to take a cool selfie, but it was so bright that I couldn’t stop squinting.

This is the apartment I am currently living in. It is a little messy right now. We have to clean it because I’ve got “ins”, and I found out that we have apartment checks later this week! J That’s the kitchen and study room, that’s the bedroom and closet area, the outside of the apartment, and then that’s the bathroom. A toilet without a seat, a bucket that we fill with water for our "shower", and that is the whole house for you.

I cut a hole in this plastic chair and put it over our toilet because I can’t stand to go to the restroom anymore without a seat. ha ha
I’m going to do this in every apartment and write on the chair “You’re welcome from Elder Williamson”.

This is the other watch I bought with my Christmas money. I saw it and couldn't resist it. It is fairly nice and looks cool. That other one I bought is kind of corroding because it is always wet and sweaty, but I still wear it. I will take a lot better care of this one. 

Mother’s Day

(This is a short post from Alayna)

We got to talk to Frasier for Mother's Day!  It is so good to hear his voice!  We worked it out, because I am in Barcelona teaching, to have Troy and the kids on at 8 pm Sunday night, Frasier called Monday mid-day, and I woke up at 3:30 am Barcelona time.  One of the few days (besides Christmas) when I became a morning person! J

He is doing well.  I think he went from beginning of the mission excitement, to having a hard time with homsickness and culture shock, to realizing that Filipino culture is his new normal and that is just how it is.  He seems pretty well adjusted...even in this new hot and hard area.

We all (the Williamson family) agree that we don't know how he does it...no toilet paper, a shower from a bucket, seriously unbearably hot and humid weather, eating rice every single day, but he didn't complain once about any of that on the call.  He just tells us things matter-of-fact.  He was just happy to talk to us, see his siblings and hear their voices, and be "with" the family for a bit. 

We still miss him TERRIBLY.  But, the days are getting better, I will admit.

We (Mormons) are an odd people, don't you think?!?  Together forever, family first, know exactly what you're kids are up to every second of every minute, of every day until they graduate high-school, then send them off to a remote part of the world, with virtually no contact for 2-years!  The Lord works in very mysterious ways! 

And to be completely honest, people said..."when you send off a missionary, you are so blessed" and yet (without details) the past 10 months have sent some serious trials and GIGANTIC LOADS of Carabao crap our way.  Like, besides cancer,  the deaths of Troy's parents, and maybe a couple other low points in life, these have been some of the hardest months of my entire life! 

But, I do think Frasier is being blessed, protected, and is learning valuable life and Gospel lessons.  So I'm choosing to believe those are the blessings we are receiving.  And...if I could NOT get any more "blessings" sent my way for a bit, t'would be much appreciated! 

Anyway, we are almost 10 months in.  So I just realized that I only have to get through one more Christmas call and one more Mother's day call!  Even though the official count-down doesn't start for 2 more months, I'm on the phone calls count down! 2 down; 2 to go! Yahoo!

God Bless all you good people in our lives!

- Alayna