One of our Investigators is a former Miss Gay Bangued. Which means that HE was in a pageant full of gay people out of the whole municipality of Bangued and he won. I will not say what year to protect his privacy but anyway he is listening to the messages. He has been living life as a girl since he was 2, so He really doesn’t know what it’s like to be a man. His Mom said she likes him better this way because girls get into less trouble than boys do. We wanted to invite him to come to church but we didn’t know if he would go to Elders Quorum with the men or Relief Society with the women. He really looks like a woman, I had a hard time not calling him "Sister" but he doesn’t wanna be called brother. 

ANYWAYS, In order to answer the question of what class he would attend, we taught him the Law of chastity, a law from God about marriage and family roles and Physical Purity. We told him that no matter what you feel, when God looks at you he sees a son, So he would have to attend with the men because if he went with the girls, we would be permitting him to live in his sin, telling him it is ok to go against God's plan for him. I was really nervous to teach the lesson but it went good. I thought we were gonna get kicked out of the house. I forgot to say that his Fiancé who is also a man was eating a steak right next to him, good thing he’s from Peru and doesnt speak any Tagalog. hahaha

Also I have been called as a Zone Leader in Sevilla, San Fernando. So tomorrow I need to go on a 4 hour bus ride to San Fernando. 

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! 

Have a good time this week! Don’t forget to Pray and go to Church. 

Elder Hennessey

 

 Sunset

 

The Ambuyat Family Home Evening

 

Companionship Unity

 

Sister Brown who is going home tomorrow

 

Siobal Family Home Evening

 

A really cute baby (grandchild of Sister Siobal)!

Bangued Zone

Before I tell the story, here is a little language study:

Balik - Return

balikan - Return for something

babalikan - you are going to return for something/someone (often times referring to returning for someone in order to marry them.)

We have a new investigator who we have given the nickname Tatay Gro-ot. He is pure illokano and knows about as much Tagalog as I used to in Spanish, so not a whole lot. The first time we taught him (in iIlokano) a lightning storm hit our area 5 minutes before the end of the lesson. By the time we had said the closing prayer we were in the middle of high winds, heavy rain, and lightning every 10 seconds. Tatay told us “There’s kimat (lighting) and the sound that follows is Groot (thunder).”  When he said thunder he shook his body and raised his voice and it was really funny. So the second time we went back to him we have a running joke now where we ask him "Tay, pag nalipas ti Kimat, adda ti..." (tay, after there is lightning, there is...) then he says "GROOT" and we all laugh. He’s 74 by the way. 

His 14 year old granddaughter and her best friend also 14 came up to the house where we were visiting with him. The best friend Angel started asking me about America, at the same time that Tatay was talking to Elder Vilela. Angle asked 

"nageesnow ba sa inyo?" Does it snow where you’re from?

"Oo" Yes, I replied.

I didnt know that when she asked me the snow question, tatay also asked me:

"Agsubli ka para kanyana?" will you babalikan her? To which he heard my reply of:

"oo" Yes.

Elder Vilela turned to me and asked me if I was serious, "Are you going to balikan her?" I was shocked and confused and worried, I said "what? no, What?" looking back and forth from Angel my future spouse, Tatay my future grandpa in law, and finally resting on Elder Vilela in a desperate plea for help.

Elder Vilela kind of cleared things up with a joke. "You see tay, he can’t, he already as a wife, 2 actually" then we all laughed and moved on. 

Hope you got a laugh out of it. My house mates sure did when I told them. Have a great week.

Elder Hennessey

 

Yo Yo Yo We got a new puppy WHAAAAAt!   This is my new puppy in America!
Please vote on a name:


Kubsut

Emmett

Leonard

Norman

Anray

Quigley







A Golden Doodle (golden retriever/poodle)

This is yet another week of pics. Enjoy.

Companion exchanges with Elder Lloyd, the first time I've ridden bikes as a missionary. We went across Calaba bridge which is a super long bridge with a suuuper pretty view.

Another picture from our exchanges, this is someone’s house with an amazing background. I love how there are sceneries here that are similar to computer backgrounds, they’re actually real places pala.

A CSP from last Monday. We were mixing cement to be poured into the back end of the room so they have a raised sleeping area to put their raised bamboo platform on that they sleep on. On the wall are 2 pictures of Jesus and the certificate of marriage from the Temple. That is the only decoration in the whole room. #Priorities

 

A birthday party we went to. We had spaghetti with soup instead of sauce which was really good, and fried Grape and sweet potato leaves, also maserap. We had blue Mountain dew (I think that’s what it was) in Coke Bottles: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I don’t have much to say about this week but earlier today we went to a wag-waggan (2nd hand clothes store, where most of the clothes are shipped from China in big assorted bags).  Me and Elder Vilela both bought 4 ties. We talked them down from the original price to 4 for 100 pesos. 4 ties for 2 bucks :) I normally wouldn’t have bought any because I already have ties but I would like some so I have an easier time giving them away when I leave the area as SRs, or Special Remembrances.

Hope ya’ll are havin a  great week. Miss ya. Be good, go to church.

This week we had what is called a Mission Tour. One of the Elders from the quorum of the 70 (one step below the quorum of the 12 Apostles), Elder Schmutz, came to our mission and had a seminar with 1/3 of the missionaries at a time. We learned a lot of really good things, and were able to feel the spirit a lot while he was with us. One of the best things that I heard him tell us, that as missionaries, we represent Jesus Christ in our areas. And as his representatives, we have the right and the authority to extend to our investigators any and all blessings that are found in the scriptures as well as any that we feel inspired by the Holy Spirit to extend to them. I think it will help to be more bold and powerful in the lessons we teach. I hope that people will be able to recognize the truth we tell to them and actually act on their faith and follow the commandments.

On Saturday and Sunday we had District Conference. So all of the Members of the District, which includes 6 different groups of members, all met in Bangued to listen to speakers.  5 out of the 6 speakers' topics were on Tithing... Which is a super important commandment that we really need to follow. Tithing is the Lord’s law of finances, where we promise to give 10% of all our income to the church for the purposes of caring for the needy and building the kingdom of God on Earth. President Andrada (the man with a blue tie in the pictures) said "it doesn’t take money to pay tithing, it takes faith". Which is very true. He also said, if you want to be right in this life, pay tithing, not meaning that we will become missionaries, but that we have been promised that God will open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that we will not have room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:8-10)

 

"What’s bigger? A door or a window? *a door* Yeah but there’s more windows" -President Bangal hahaha, love that guy.

My companion doesn’t yet have his patriarchal blessing so we are going to make an appointment to go to BAGUIO CITY for him to receive it. If you have any questions on a Patriarchal Blessing, ask my mom, she would love to explain it.

Have a great week!!!!