Hey all,
So let me start from the beginning of last last week. So the
30th of Nov was feista here in Amlan and was just amazing because there
wasn't nearly as many hubogs as some other places. We went to 2 members
place to eat and one other to teach. I was so busog afterwards... lots
and lots of food. Then not much happened the rest of that week until Sun
night we get this call from the AP's... no more ZLC on Tues and then
Monday we need to buy 3days food and water and make sure our flashlights
are working. okay? so clearly obvious there is some sore of something
coming. Then that Monday we have people telling us there is a really
big storm approaching and its gonna hit Dumaguete direct on. and it will
arrive and 2 o'clock tomorrow... so the people are thinking two in the
morning. By about 6 at night it is really thick air and there is no
movement of the air... like its dead. That night everyone is expecting
the storm to hit at 2... but then nothing happens we find out that's its
2 in the afternoon. Mao di ay! way claro! so Tues all the members close
to the beach line are coming to the chapel and getting preparations to
stay there out of the storm. So we don't get much done that day... and 2
rolls around and nothing. Well it turns out that Bagiou Pablo is
philippino too... so he rolls around at 5pm (2pm philo time) and takes
all those unprepared people by surprise. It was sooo kusog wind. It was
crazy. It got really dark really quickly and the electric company had
turned their power off in advance so nothing would blow up at their
end. The eye of the storm hit Dumaguete, but that meant we were under
the strongest winds of the storm. We got hammered! Trees and power lines
were falling everywhere and there was rain for a bit but it moved
through really quickly cause of the wind. We had two banana trees fall
on the house at the back... and there were so many mango trees fallen
over the road. The wind lasted until at least 9 or 10 at night before
the storm passed and you could already hear the chainsaws going to start
the cleanup by then as well. So went to sleep and then Weds morning at
6, we got out to inspect what had happened. We went with the Croppers to
inspect members houses and make sure they were all doing okay. We
avoided fallen trees on the road, crossed overflowing rivers by foot to
get to some members, tubig up to the knee, and the water was really fast
too. We helped one member to clean up hi saginghan and we were hackinng
into those for a good hour or so... so much fun. I also got to eat
cacao.... the fruit from which you get cocoa beans (which are the seeds
of the fruit) and it was surprisingly very sweet. Lami kaayo. Work was
hard the rest of the week cause everyone was cleaning up and busy. I
learned how much we take things for granted... we had no electricity
from Tues afternoon till Fri night, and we had the littlest water (as in
it was like so pathetic) in the morning until about 8:30 and then none
till 9pm. We got our water from the neighbour's water hand pump thingo.
You are so blessed there with so many little comforts we take for
granted. Then on Sat we had Zone Conference in Dumaguete with Pres.
Schmutz and the Aps. It was great and we had a great times haring stories
and so forth in the two zones and with Pres. That was all day and then
that night we had the double baptism of sister D-A and Brother
J. Pres Schmutz attended and it was more than just a baptism... it
was one of the greatest spiritual experiences ever. It went for almost
2and a half hours! we started at 7 and we didn't get finished until
almost 9:30. It was the best two baptisms I ever had, and there is no
doubt that these two people will be some of the strongest members in the
branch. Then Sun we had the Christmas devotional thingo in Tanjay. I
really liked what Pres.Monsan said "he who gives money gives much, he
who gives time gives more, but he who gives of himself has given the
most of all". Then Monday we had district meeting, and then we didn't have
to catch the Ceres to Cebu for ZLC cause WE GOT TO FLY INSTEAD!!!! Yeah
ya! I'll send the pictures. The AP's organized everything and then just
gave us the tickets to fly. So yesterday morning we got up at 4:30 to
catch the plane there... it was so much fun. Then we had an amazing ZLC
in Cebu. We had cafe rio for lunch made by Sis Schmutz, and my whole
batch is now there as zone leaders. It was fun to catch up with
everyone. We slept at the AP's that night but before hand we went out
for dinner at a place called Casseverdes. It does these super huge sized
foods... a 12inch round burger! for 850pesos! 5 of us split it and
still couldn't finish every last bit. Very contrasting to your 'healthy
burgers'... hahaha. (Terri here: We went to a place here called "Grill'd" for Stoo's b'day and it has healthy burgers!) Sending pictures for that as well. Then we got up at
4am again to fly back this morning. We were all on the plane and on the
runway about to start the takeoff when the pilot calls in and announces
that we had to go back cause there's something wrong... they do a maintenance and take us back to the terminal to wait. Then 40min later we
are back on are flying back to Dumaguete. We don't know what went wrong
but at least they were concerned for our safety (and theirs... hehehe)
to find out.So now i am emailing you struggling with a broken spacebar
and stupid computers but at least everything is okay.
Happy Bday to Dad...Got my package last Sat at Zone Conf. thank you!
E.Manansala is very excited to try some things. And thank you to those
few who sent photos. They are much appreciated!
Love you all so much.
Take care,
Elder Taylor Addison Cox
Terri hre; Note the Visayan words sprinkled in with the English! Sorry I can't translate for you. I only know one of them...busog - means full!!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Letter #70 (5th Dec, 2012) .....Or is it really #70????
Terri here: We didn't get an email from Taylor this week as the Super Typhoon Pablo was hitting the Philippines, and after it hit Mindanao island it headed for Dumagete, which is 31kms south of where Taylor is. But I did get an email from the Sister of a Senior couple that lives down the road from Taylor. I've added it below.
Dear Sister Cox,
We are all fine. The missionaries on Negros, including your son, all fared well, and stayed safe. The winds were much stronger than the typhoon we experienced last year, but the rain was not as heavy, so the damage has been different--lots and lots of trees down, taking with them the jumble of power lines that snake and meander through every alley way here. Then many homes lost parts or all of their roofing, so belongings are wet, and some have had to stay at the church while they do repairs. You can not believe the size of some the the massive, ancient trees that toppled!! The old acacias mostly fared okay, but many others did not. No loss of life, and no injuries in our immediate areas. There were many families evacuated to every church building the night of the storm.
The day after the typhoon, Elder Cox and Elder Manansala travelled around with us, assessing damage and helping where we could. One member had lost much of his banana crop, many of the trees laden with almost ready bananas that are too green to ripen properly, so we bought a couple of bunches from him, to use as Christmas decorations at our house. Your son helped clean up his mess, untangle his power lines from a very precarious fallen tree, and then carry out the bananas--it was a great help for that family.
Electricity is now back up--it has been restored over the last couple of days in different areas. Ours (and theirs I assume) (Terri here: Taylor didn't get his power back till Friday night...read in the next week's email) came back on last night late. The place were Elder Cropper and I live has a generator, so they have been turning it on for a few hours each day, we did get a load of laundry run through for them and charged their phone yesterday while the power was on for an hour.
Elder Cox is a trooper--always eager to dig in and get the work done, and he is a kind, talented and generous man.
We are now looking forward to their 2 baptisms tomorrow, which will go on as scheduled (well never as scheduled here, always later than scheduled) These are two very, very precious, prepared souls, who your son had a great influence on.
Thank you for sharing him here. And thanks for the prayers. The divine protection was evident.
Love to you,
Sister Cropper
Dear Sister Cox,
We are all fine. The missionaries on Negros, including your son, all fared well, and stayed safe. The winds were much stronger than the typhoon we experienced last year, but the rain was not as heavy, so the damage has been different--lots and lots of trees down, taking with them the jumble of power lines that snake and meander through every alley way here. Then many homes lost parts or all of their roofing, so belongings are wet, and some have had to stay at the church while they do repairs. You can not believe the size of some the the massive, ancient trees that toppled!! The old acacias mostly fared okay, but many others did not. No loss of life, and no injuries in our immediate areas. There were many families evacuated to every church building the night of the storm.
The day after the typhoon, Elder Cox and Elder Manansala travelled around with us, assessing damage and helping where we could. One member had lost much of his banana crop, many of the trees laden with almost ready bananas that are too green to ripen properly, so we bought a couple of bunches from him, to use as Christmas decorations at our house. Your son helped clean up his mess, untangle his power lines from a very precarious fallen tree, and then carry out the bananas--it was a great help for that family.
Electricity is now back up--it has been restored over the last couple of days in different areas. Ours (and theirs I assume) (Terri here: Taylor didn't get his power back till Friday night...read in the next week's email) came back on last night late. The place were Elder Cropper and I live has a generator, so they have been turning it on for a few hours each day, we did get a load of laundry run through for them and charged their phone yesterday while the power was on for an hour.
Elder Cox is a trooper--always eager to dig in and get the work done, and he is a kind, talented and generous man.
We are now looking forward to their 2 baptisms tomorrow, which will go on as scheduled (well never as scheduled here, always later than scheduled) These are two very, very precious, prepared souls, who your son had a great influence on.
Thank you for sharing him here. And thanks for the prayers. The divine protection was evident.
Love to you,
Sister Cropper
Letter #69 (28th Nov, 2012)
Hey all,
This week has been up and down... I've been under the weather the past few days now and been struggling with getting up in the morning with stuffy sinus and a head that feels so heavy, but this morning after my shower it feels like it now may be gone and that I will be heading back to full strength. We've had other struggles this week with trying to get members working with us every day, especially the days when we are visiting female investigators and members. We had to forfeit a few lessons the other day because we had no-one that would work with us, but at least we were obedient, which is the most important thing. We have also had the challenge of turning up to houses and no-one is home, even after setting a time to visit. We don't know if it has anything to do with the upcoming fiesta here in Amlan or maybe Heavenly Father is just testing us this week because we chose to work on our patience as a companionship this week... looks like we chose the wrong CLA... should have picked diligence, hahaha
A bit of bad news. Turns out that Brother J and Sister M can't get married and that the marriage license before is still very valid. So we plan on proceeding with the baptism of Brother J this coming December 8th. We will hopefully be having another one of our investigators be baptized on that date as well, Sister D-A who has embraced the gospel and the church so readily and has been fellowshipped so well by the members.
We had great success from the district conference with two less-actives returning for the forth week in a row at conference! We were so pleased as well because these two brothers have been struggling to become active, one because of the challenges of the Word of Wisdom in his life and the other because of struggles with Anti-Mormon literature from a baptist minister in Dumaguete. But it seems like both of these brethren have been strengthen in their commitment to continue to come to church each week and we have seen great changes in each of their countenances as they seem to be happier every week.
I am really enjoying this second transfer with Elder Manansala as the second transfer really helps you to see your own weaknesses and the areas you need to improve to help the companionship become stronger. Also the trust we have built with each other has helped us to be open with one another about our struggles and challenges and is allowing us to move forward stronger as a companionship. I learn so much from him everyday especially the things I need to be better at.
The branch here is on fire at the moment and our attendance averages 90-100 every week! We've got good hopes that it will be a strong ward once the district becomes a stake sometime next year (or so the rumor goes, we will be a stake next district conference). We just had district conference by the way. It was great! We had on of the area presidency there, and I realized that I can understand quite a bit of Tagalog (because that's what he spoke at the conference as he can't speak Visaya).
We're going to Cebu this Dec 4th for ZLC and maybe the package will be there then, so i can pick it up. I'll send the pictures to Reilly this week of the baptisms and wedding (well the picture of R and E in their wedding clothes after the wedding).
Love you all,
Elder Taylor Addison Cox
This week has been up and down... I've been under the weather the past few days now and been struggling with getting up in the morning with stuffy sinus and a head that feels so heavy, but this morning after my shower it feels like it now may be gone and that I will be heading back to full strength. We've had other struggles this week with trying to get members working with us every day, especially the days when we are visiting female investigators and members. We had to forfeit a few lessons the other day because we had no-one that would work with us, but at least we were obedient, which is the most important thing. We have also had the challenge of turning up to houses and no-one is home, even after setting a time to visit. We don't know if it has anything to do with the upcoming fiesta here in Amlan or maybe Heavenly Father is just testing us this week because we chose to work on our patience as a companionship this week... looks like we chose the wrong CLA... should have picked diligence, hahaha
A bit of bad news. Turns out that Brother J and Sister M can't get married and that the marriage license before is still very valid. So we plan on proceeding with the baptism of Brother J this coming December 8th. We will hopefully be having another one of our investigators be baptized on that date as well, Sister D-A who has embraced the gospel and the church so readily and has been fellowshipped so well by the members.
We had great success from the district conference with two less-actives returning for the forth week in a row at conference! We were so pleased as well because these two brothers have been struggling to become active, one because of the challenges of the Word of Wisdom in his life and the other because of struggles with Anti-Mormon literature from a baptist minister in Dumaguete. But it seems like both of these brethren have been strengthen in their commitment to continue to come to church each week and we have seen great changes in each of their countenances as they seem to be happier every week.
I am really enjoying this second transfer with Elder Manansala as the second transfer really helps you to see your own weaknesses and the areas you need to improve to help the companionship become stronger. Also the trust we have built with each other has helped us to be open with one another about our struggles and challenges and is allowing us to move forward stronger as a companionship. I learn so much from him everyday especially the things I need to be better at.
The branch here is on fire at the moment and our attendance averages 90-100 every week! We've got good hopes that it will be a strong ward once the district becomes a stake sometime next year (or so the rumor goes, we will be a stake next district conference). We just had district conference by the way. It was great! We had on of the area presidency there, and I realized that I can understand quite a bit of Tagalog (because that's what he spoke at the conference as he can't speak Visaya).
We're going to Cebu this Dec 4th for ZLC and maybe the package will be there then, so i can pick it up. I'll send the pictures to Reilly this week of the baptisms and wedding (well the picture of R and E in their wedding clothes after the wedding).
Love you all,
Elder Taylor Addison Cox
Letter #68 (21st Nov, 2012)
Hey all,
So transfer week this week, and transfer calls! Guess what... NO TRNASFER KAMING DUHA!
I am so excited to have another transfer with Elder Manansala! We have so much that we want to accomplish together this transfer, we have already made plans! hehehe! We have the marriage of Brother J and Sister M to help them work out and then get Brother J baptized and ordained to the priesthood. Then we have another 6 or so investigators we are working with to be baptized on the 8th of Dec or the next few weeks after as well. We want to continue to set the example for the zone in obedience and diligence and will be working more closely on our teaching skills as a companionship this transfer as well.
We had a great success this week with Sister E who got married to her husband last Thursday and then was able to get baptized on Saturday. We have seen an amazing change taken place in her life and she just seems more happy and outgoing now than before. You can really see the light of the gospel in her countenance. She is excited to continue to learn especially about the temple as she prepares with her husband to enter the temple and be sealed together. We will be visiting with her tonight to teach about the temple and preparation and goal setting to be prepared for that.
We have also had continued success in our FTE's and found it is hard to get the standards because we keep ending up teaching lessons when we FTE! (not that that's a bad thing or anything...) We lost a few investigators this week from our teaching pool, for various reasons, but the Lord provided us with more (as he does), who have a greater interest in the things we are teaching and how this can help them in their lives. The Lord works in mysterious ways, that are just mysterious enough that you can say to yourself, "This was no coincidence". That is what we have felt this week as we have met new people and begun teaching them and their families.
I have had some great personal learning experiences again this week, especially as I try to get back into the habit of writing in my personal journal every day. I have begun to notice more things that have changed in me for the better and things that are still being weaknesses that I need to work on. It has helped me to re-evaluate again... which is always good for reminding yourself what more needs to be done.
I have been studying the Bible more this past transfer and trying to become more well-versed in the Bible so that when I teach I can use the Book of Mormon and Bible to support each other. I have found it has really begun to give me a deeper understanding of the basic principles of the gospel and better grasp on using the scriptures. I have never loved reading the scriptures as i do now... often i find myself wishing there was 2hrs of personal study each day so i can keep reading more and more and become more knowledgeable.
The Croppers are doing well and are a great help to the zone in everything they do. We are so thankful that they are in the zone and are always there to help. And the branch is doing really well at the moment... its not perfect (of course, well... at least not yet...hehehe), but the members are a great help and always willing to help as well.
We didn't feel the earthquake... I think we were probably riding a jeepney at the time... so we didnt know it had happened till we turned up at the Croppers house and they were like "did you feel the earthquake?" and we just looked at each other like "what earthquake?"... hahaha
Love you all so much,
Elder Taylor Addison Cox
So transfer week this week, and transfer calls! Guess what... NO TRNASFER KAMING DUHA!
I am so excited to have another transfer with Elder Manansala! We have so much that we want to accomplish together this transfer, we have already made plans! hehehe! We have the marriage of Brother J and Sister M to help them work out and then get Brother J baptized and ordained to the priesthood. Then we have another 6 or so investigators we are working with to be baptized on the 8th of Dec or the next few weeks after as well. We want to continue to set the example for the zone in obedience and diligence and will be working more closely on our teaching skills as a companionship this transfer as well.
We had a great success this week with Sister E who got married to her husband last Thursday and then was able to get baptized on Saturday. We have seen an amazing change taken place in her life and she just seems more happy and outgoing now than before. You can really see the light of the gospel in her countenance. She is excited to continue to learn especially about the temple as she prepares with her husband to enter the temple and be sealed together. We will be visiting with her tonight to teach about the temple and preparation and goal setting to be prepared for that.
We have also had continued success in our FTE's and found it is hard to get the standards because we keep ending up teaching lessons when we FTE! (not that that's a bad thing or anything...) We lost a few investigators this week from our teaching pool, for various reasons, but the Lord provided us with more (as he does), who have a greater interest in the things we are teaching and how this can help them in their lives. The Lord works in mysterious ways, that are just mysterious enough that you can say to yourself, "This was no coincidence". That is what we have felt this week as we have met new people and begun teaching them and their families.
I have had some great personal learning experiences again this week, especially as I try to get back into the habit of writing in my personal journal every day. I have begun to notice more things that have changed in me for the better and things that are still being weaknesses that I need to work on. It has helped me to re-evaluate again... which is always good for reminding yourself what more needs to be done.
I have been studying the Bible more this past transfer and trying to become more well-versed in the Bible so that when I teach I can use the Book of Mormon and Bible to support each other. I have found it has really begun to give me a deeper understanding of the basic principles of the gospel and better grasp on using the scriptures. I have never loved reading the scriptures as i do now... often i find myself wishing there was 2hrs of personal study each day so i can keep reading more and more and become more knowledgeable.
The Croppers are doing well and are a great help to the zone in everything they do. We are so thankful that they are in the zone and are always there to help. And the branch is doing really well at the moment... its not perfect (of course, well... at least not yet...hehehe), but the members are a great help and always willing to help as well.
We didn't feel the earthquake... I think we were probably riding a jeepney at the time... so we didnt know it had happened till we turned up at the Croppers house and they were like "did you feel the earthquake?" and we just looked at each other like "what earthquake?"... hahaha
Love you all so much,
Elder Taylor Addison Cox
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