If You're Happy and You Know It :)

Kamusta Everybody!

  This past week has been really good. I have some funny stories and we got to teach a few really good lessons. 

  It was tough at the beginning of the week because one of our progressing investigator found a job in Qatar. He got the job on Tuesday and left on Thursday for 5 years. I was super disappointed but then realized that everyone is on their own timing and maybe Heavenly Father put him in my path so that he can hear some of the Gospel now and be ready for baptism some day down the road. 

  We have also spent a lot of time working and visiting some of the members in the ward. We have reactivated 2 families and have visited many more. I have been trying to put the Family Proclamation in every part member home and have been giving the Book of Mormon Story Book to the families who have kids. I have also learned that a lot of the members know a little bit of English but want to learn more so I have been trying to set up with the Bishop an English class that we will have every Saturday.  This past week I also met one of the councilors for Alaminos, Brother Abu. He spoke perfect English and also was pretty funny. He took a picture with us so hopefully we don't end up in some campaign poster in a few years...

 Last Monday after I emailed we hopped on a jeepnee to head to the store where we get our groceries. The driver insisted on filling the cab so there was about 30 people in a jeepnee made for 20. We were packed in so tight that nobody could really move. Then the driver turned on the music and the song playing just happened to be.. “If You’re Happy and You Know It”... it was really random but also pretty funny and ironic because everyone was visibly irritated and nobody was happy, and they knew it. Even if they were happy we were all to squished to clap our hands! It was funnier in the moment, but I thought you all might like to hear about it.

 On Saturday we went and gave service to the Silos Family in our ward. We painted their house and they wanted us to move some piles of dirt into bags. The problem was that when we started shoveling the dirt 3 queen fire ants came out of the pile. Not thinking I squished them and kept going. Then all of the sudden out of the pile, (which turned out to be a huge fire ant hill) came a billion angry ants. They crawled up my shoes, into my sock and up my pants.. I literally had ants in my pants. So the Silos family and all of their neighbors watched as the crazy American danced around smacking his legs and kicking his shoes off trying to kill the fire ants.They all thought it was a riot,and laughed for while then finally someone got some kerosene so I could light the ant hill on fire. 

 Well that's about all for this week, I miss you all. 

   Mahal Kita

     Elder Hayden Merrill