The rains came down and the floods came up . . .

          HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

     We had quite the experience here in Novaleta this past week. As you can see, I experienced my first flash flood. And, yes, what a crazy day it was! It started as just a normal rainy day which isn't out of the ordinary. As we were working, the rain got a little harder, but, like I said, it still wasn't really different from other days. Then as we were in our area of San Juan, it has this big drainage river type thing, and little by little it was getting higher. Well we were at Ben and Amelia's house waiting for Brother Wilmar to get there because he and John were teaching the new member lessons to them but wanted us to help them the first time. When Brother Wilmar showed up at their house, he said that the river had raised all the way to the top, and he could reach his hand over the side and touch the water. Which of course we were surprised, but we kept on working and taught Ben and Amelia. Then we went to one more appointment with Maricris and Mark to teach them and then headed home. By that time there were floods everywhere. The pictures I'm sending are from right after we taught Maricris, and it's not really too high in those pictures. But as we were going home, we had to tricycle some of the way—which the tricycle was driving through all the water and started smoking because there was so much water entering into the engine and such. Then when we got dropped off by the tricycle, we had to walk the rest of the way home, and the water was up to the middle of our stomachs!!! Ahh it was so crazy!! We had to carry our bags up on our shoulders so our scriptures wouldn't get wet and then hold our umbrellas with the other hand and just trudge our way home. It was a good thing we had John and Brother Wilmar with us because they would go first and make sure it wasn't too deep and were a big help!! But yeah all we could really do was laugh as we were walking through flood up to our stomach and think... only in the Philippines:) haha What an experience.

 
    To say the least, our plans changed completely that day; the next day we spent a chunk of time at a member’s house trying to get all the water out of her house. We would fill up buckets and then walk up to the road and throw it out and then get another bucket full and did that for a good hour or two. So yeah what a great CSP:) haha. I wish I would have gotten a picture when the water was higher but that wasn't really the first thing on my mind, to tell you the truth! And another thing was the water was SO gross!!! After washing my garments three times, they still won't go back to being white. What a day! 

We did a CSP in "Longbeach," and this is the walk out to it.

                    It's probably the prettiest place in our area :)

                            The fishes in this area are everyone's job here,

                           to catch fish early, early in the morning

                            and then they dry them out in the sun all day.

    As for our investigators, we had this one day where we kept meeting the funniest people. Annamarie worked with us, and I just love that girl. She's 19 and is now thinking about going on a mission since the whole change with the ages, and so she's been working with us a lot more. Well one day she was holding a restoration pamphlet over her face to block the sun from her eyes, and a guy just came up and grabbed it out of her hand and asked if he could read that. haha He then continued to explain how he loves reading things like that and is looking for the truth. He said he's been searching for awhile but hasn't quite found it. We then gave him a Book of Mormon and set a return appointment and will go back to him this week. But what a funny guy. He also went off about how we're not supposed to eat blood and how it says that in the Old and New Testament many times and a lot of other really random things.
     Then that same day, as we're just walking out of this one area, we see this man standing on top of this tall building, and he's yelling at us in English saying, “STOP! WAIT! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!! WAIT!!!” Then he runs down and just is so excited to tell us that he's from California, and we talk for a little, start to share with him, but then he says that he's a minister and has been for 40 years now and pretty much isn't interested in our message. So yeah another quite strange experience! haha And there were others I'm just not thinking of right now.

      But as far as our progressing investigators, Khaycie is our next baptism on the 17th of November. She's awesome and has no problems, so I'm just sure it will happen on her goal date! Then we had some progression this last week with Jennalyn which I was so excited about! She's so great and has a testimony for sure, but Satin has been working on her big time. This past month she ended up with a husband (or live-in because of course they weren't married), but she didn't want to tell us. It all came from her siblings and her aunts that had no problem telling us all about it, even though we didn't ask. But she was very secretive and denied it, and it just made it really hard for us. Well she had some real bad family problems and didn't know who to go to, so she came to us for comfort. We tried to comfort her, and then a few days later when we went to teach her Uncle Reynando and Hazel, she joined in on the lesson and came up to me and said that this past month she's had so many problems and trials, but now they're all gone. She said she's ready to focus on the gospel and preparing for her baptism. Then her aunt said that she doesn't have a husband anymore; she decided she didn't want that. (It sounds funny in English, but they called him her husband and how he's not.) Then yesterday she sat by me in Sunday School and talked about how she really wants to go on a mission and how she wants to work with us sometimes and different things. She's getting back into the swing of things and the way she was before. So yeah we just have to work on repentance, and then we'll be going somewhere with her:) I'm excited for her!! Her baptism will either be last week of November or first week in December! She's joining us tonight for family home evening at her uncles’, and I'm really excited for that!

      So yeah that's the crazy week that we had here in Novaleta. Oh and the crazy thing is in the other areas in our zone, they didn't have any floods; it just happened here in Novaleta. I don't really know how that works. But yeah this Thursday is transfer day, and I haven't heard anything yet so I'm hoping that means I'm still here in Novaleta. I would cry if I had to leave after only two transfers. I love these people too much and have so much more I want to do to help them! But I did hear that Sister Culango is transferring back to the mainland for her last transfer, so I'm SUPER excited about that! If she didn't, I wouldn't get to see her before she goes back to Davoa! So I'm super blessed!:) I miss that girl! We will be getting a new district leader and zone leader so that will be kind of exciting!

      Well, family, I hope you have a great Halloween! Mom and Dad, I'll be thinking of you again on the 31^st, and you better not go driving late at night! Love you all so much, and I pray for you each and every day. Hope all is great for you all! Take care.

Mahal ko kau!