Elder Andersen...Laoag Philippines: Week 36...Lasam Philippines

This week was fast and busy. My companion, Elder Roberto, is awesome. He is way chill and we get along really well. He loves the people here in Lasam so we automatically get along well.

So we found a couple families this week. We were walking to our new recent converts house, and there were these two 7 year old kids walking home from school and staring at me (because I am white). I started talking to them and stuff and they are way chill. I told them to walk with us and I found out there names and where they lived. After they went home I told them I would come back and meet there parents. Elder Roberto and our fellowshipper were ahead and so I got up to them. Then we taught our RCs and then we got punted by our next appointment, so I led them over to one of the houses of one of those kids. So we taught their family and they were way Catholic but way interested and way fun to teach and their 20 year old daughter had tons of questions about what the differences between Mormons and Catholics are. I told her we would answer those questions when we come back. It was supposed to be like a 5 minute lesson just to get to know them and give them a pamphlet but they kept changing the topic and and I had to keep reeling them back in haha. They talked about Car wrecks and How God saved them for about 8 minutes and finally when I got a chance to get a word in I was like " God loves us and He wants to protect us from car wrecks and other dangerous, and He has shown His love to you by keeping you alive so we can come here and teach you about the Book of Mormon." hahahahaaha.

Then we went to the house of the other 7 year old and met his fam. They were nice too but the Dad seemed a little weirded out that there was a tall white American speaking tagalog to him. But we scheduled a return appointment with them. I hope they accept the gospel

Wednesday, I went on Exchanges with our crazy zone leader, Elder Hoopes. He is nuts.

Thursday I ate some really good pork Adobo.

We taught this girl named colleen and she really was interested in the message of the restoration and it all made sense to her, but then she got kinda scared when we invited her to be baptized if God told her the Book of Mormon is true, Cause her parents are super active in the Born Again church. She said maybe to getting baptized and seemed a little more on the doubtful side. We told her that it depends on her if she would like to be baptized or not, but then we said "So what if God tells you the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet? Will you answer still be maybe?" She was still reluctant, but I think it was mostly because her mom was in the other room listening. We will see what happens.

On Sunday our 2 RCs got the Aaronic Priesthood. SO COOL. Our branch President went kind of nuts though because Elder Ergiza and Elder Harrold were late to church again and that made him mad. He was kind of on one all day after that haha.

The branch is still way sick and the Branch Pres is awesome and we have tons of fellowshippers and lots of eating appointments. Also it is a bit colder in Lasam then the rest of the mission so I like that a lot. It is cloudy almost everyday here.

But yah. That pretty much is this week. We walk really far everyday cuz our area is huge, but I don't mind cuz I like walking and talking.

Ask me questions.

I miss you all and thank you for your support and prayers.

-Elder Andersen