Adventures from Cebu

Well...it might be spring for all of you, but summer has started here and IT IS HOTT! Well it has been raining super hard or super hott one of the extremes.

We had the most amazing week, we doubled the mission standards hitting 40 lessons!!!! I didn't think it was possible but we did it :) and through diligence of course comes success...we had 7 of our baptismal candidates attend church-three which should be baptized this Saturday!! I am sending home a cd of pictures this week soo hopefully you should be looking forward to getting 2. I just love these investigators...one is a single mother who has completely changed around her life and is so excited. The other is a 15 year old boy that we just have lots of fun with and has completely made a turn around, stopped drugs and smoking and is just loving being apart of the youth in the church. He has a friend we are teaching which is just the nicest funniest little filipino with the funniest smile. The last is one of my favorites and one of the most difficult he is 9 years old and he has 11 brothers and sisters and tons of relatives and we have been teaching him for soo long b/c he is very very stubborn. But his family has returned to church b/c of him and although he is super stubborn he is super funny. You will be able to tell by the pictures he loves pictures and sometimes gets violent with us b/c he needs to be the center of the picture. super funny. He was soo nervous for his interview but after wards came out dancing and E. Hardin just said he laughed the whole interview. It will be on of my greatest moments to see this little guy go into the waters of baptism. E. Hardin thought he was only 4 years old...haha.

We had a district CSP this last Monday...whacked down weeds with machetes (no idea the spelling) You can just guess the elders LOVED that! We got to drink and eat fresh coconuts...the fruit here is just amazing. I usually boil bananas or eat fried food on the street or rice. I don't know I am soo random there is no rhyme or reason to my eating here. I do miss mexican food like crazy but I don't know how you would send that. I don't need any make up or tooth paste I have a ton.

So I was kissed. I have been trying to be such an obedient and good missionary but I am sorry mom and dad. I was kissed on my mission....oops. There was a drunk man and he told me he loved me and took my hand and kissed it long and hard. haha. He was harmless though...his friend tried to stump me with a question. He asked if we all came from Adam and Eve why are there filipinos and Americans and Chinese? I just sat there and then he kept questioning and I was like well what do you think? and he got mad and said "WHY are you white and I am brown?" and I said, "Brother its b/c its hotter here." (funnier in cebuano) everyone laughed and he was confused and a little disheveled b/c he lost his edge.haha

So we had a district activity. We wanted to go hiking and they wanted to bring live chickens to kill and cook. haha. elders... but then it rained so we went to this area we had never been to and ended up trying to cross a river by the ocean that was deeper then we thoughts and Elder Banzon fell and cut open his foot so the elders took a shirt and ripped it so we could continue our journey. We ended up wandering through a grave yard which had human skulls and bones every where. Until we finally ended up on a private beach resort.oops. It was pretty beautiful though, but we decided as missionaries it is not good to be trespassing. So we just got back from a long adventure of wandering in the jungle and beaches with elders and machetes, spearing trees. haha. yes I am in the Philippines.

I just wanted to say..I AM SO PROUD OF SCOTT, yes I can't wait for him to just serve a wonderful fulfilling mission. But as much as it sounds like all fun and games it is definitely work. HARD WORK, but the most worth it work I have ever done. I think President Davis is going to have to hunt me down to remove this name badge and release me. B/c I don't know if I can willingly allow myself to have this amazing power and spirit gone from me. I just love helping these people and having them set an example for me. Each of them has a piece of my heart forever. This place is engraved in my heart. I love it.
Padayon sa inyong ehemplo ug maayong gibuhat!! I love you all!!!

Love,

Cari