Week ~ 8

Another one gone. Kind of a frustrating week. Nothing too interesting happened honestly. We try so hard to get people to come to church every week and we testify of the importance of church attendance and they come up with the most ridiculous reasons to not go. On Saturday we had a stake activity called Flight 2015. It was a huge missionary opportunity to get people to learn about Ang Plano ng Kaligtasan. We started all of the members and non members in the gym, that was where "take off" was. The imaginary plane took off and everyone "started their lives." They showed a legit video that talked about buckling up and all that stuff. It was like a real video from Delta Airlines ha-ha. Then, the plane crashed and everyone died and that's when we started the tour of the church/activity. All the rooms of the church were decorated to represent a different part of the Plan of Salvation. We didn't actually go through it because all the missionaries were at the question and answer portion which was toward the end. But I did get to go through before it started. Super awesome and made really good sense. We invited at least 8 less active families to attend, none of them came. That was so frustrating. We also invited all of our investigators to come, NONE OF THEM CAME. OH MY GOODNESS I WANTED TO FLIP. So frustrating. One good thing came from it though, last Friday we OYM'd (open your mouth) like 8 kids and invited them to go, we talked to them because they started talking to me about my skin and my nose and all that ha-ha. But we invited them, 5 of the 8 came to flight 2015! I didn't think they would, they had a good time though! And I'm sure they loved the air con! I always do ;) but after the activity we invited them to church the following day. My lack of faith showed again, I didn't think they would come, BUT THEY DID. At church we had 6 investigators, 5 of them kids. These kids are like 10 and 12 years old. I don't even know their names ha-ha. They were fellow shipped so well by the young women's president and the primary president, they had a good time they said! Now we just have to meet their parents. That will be hard. 

Update on our other investigators: Brother B. is still smoking, so that's AWESOME. Not. He's trying though. He didn't go to church, for whatever reason. So he has to start his 4 weeks over. Should be glorious. His progression is kind of slowing down. Very frustrating. We were blessed this week to teach a guy named Brother J. O. He has been taught all the lessons twice, and he is SO ready. His family are all members and hes the only non member! He asks us to teach him everyday when hes not working, hes a security guard at Starbucks Coffee, cause apparently they need guards here ha-ha. He's super awesome and I know he will be baptized in July! He knows most of the lessons we are just required to teach him again! I'm super pumped for him. 

I have been thinking a lot this week about the circumstances the people here live in. Last P day we went to a place called Divisoria where you can buy literally anything you can think of, real and fake items. Don't worry mom I bought things i needed ;) We were on a jeepney on the way there and we got into metro Manila, as soon as we got into the city the traffic was super slow. And I heard this creepy laughing and there were two kids who got on the jeepney and started crawling toward the front sweeping the floor for money. They were wearing hardly any clothes, more along the lines of no clothes. They stopped at me (cause I'm white) and asked for money. We aren't allowed to give them money... But it really hit me. We live in such great circumstances in Utah, and such amazing homes. So many people here have hardly anything. I have found myself become more and more thankful for the things I have. We have mansions in Utah. My flippin bedroom was bigger than most of the houses i teach in. Very humbling. I'm glad I have been able to be here. Best decision I have ever made. I love it here and this work. Is that long enough mom? ha-ha. Love you all!

Love, Elder Lambert