August 14-August 21

Friday, August 14 I woke up in the night with dating ideas for Romel Pomello.  I couldn't go back to sleep until I got up and wrote them down.😍. I'll save them for Andrew too.  We did our wash, went to Jalandoni and shopped.  In reading The Blueprint of Christs Church p 158. He writes about when he was mission president he encountered a missionary who was struggling with obedience.  In a frustrating moment in the interview, he blurted out, "what do you want me to do?" "I'm sorry you have missed the point.  It is not what do I want you to do, but what do you want to do?"  There was a moment of silence and then the missionary said, "President, you don't want me to change my behavior, you want me to change my nature."
If this missionary got up on time because his companion leaned on him, he would be obedient but not changed.  We want to change our nature so that while we are obedient, it doesn't matter who is watching or who knows, we do it because we have a change of heart.  Then when we go home from our missions, we are changed and do not have to succumb to our old Goliaths but we have overcome them.
I just thought this was so great.  I want to conquer my own Goliaths.  "Repentance not rationalization". Forsaking...when we have a resolve to refrain from a certain course of conduct, no matter what happens, repentance is in the works.
Saturday finished reading the Bible today.  We left for Roxas at 8:00 am and arrived at 11:30 at the church, met Strengs and we picked up my gold ring.  I had brought Rays moms plain gold band to wear here on the mission but Brother Alvert, brother to President Oliveras wife is a jeweler and he remakes bands into works of art so Sister Streng took my band and told him to make it like hers that he had done earlier.  Anyway, I can't quit looking at it.  It is so pretty.  We went to lunch at the Veronica Hotel restaurant and then checked into the Lawaan Garden Hotel.  --no toilet seat, no toilet paper, no towels, no electricity.😟. We had to keep requesting everything.  They turned on the electricity, brought us towels, then toilet paper(there is a sprayer by the toilet so they don't always give toilet paper), then they brought a toilet seat and put one screw in.  Very exciting.  Ray just asked for the wifi password...waiting....  Ray called President Sorilla, counsellor in the mission presidency and our landlord.  Before we left this morning we had a fire in the outlet by the table--smoke, black on the wall.  No outlets on the bottom half of the walls work in the whole apartment.  Strengs have gone back to the church to do another English test.  The missionary was scheduled at 9:00 but couldn't come until 4:00.  When they finished, they came back and we had Tostitos with salsa and avocados, and cheese sauce and sour cream while we watched Amazing Grace movie, a true story of the slave trade in England and one mans efforts to change it in England and make the world better.  We also had milk chocolate macadamia nut cookies from Pepperidge farm!  Taste of home.
Sunday we separated from Strengs.  They went to 2/4 wards while we went to another building for 1/3 wards for "My Path" starts.  Meetings started at 8:30 and 1:30.  They asked us to speak in 3rd Ward 10 minutes each.  Their speakers cancelled last minute so that was fun.  We knew several people in the ward from our PEF/ER visits with Elder and Sister Green from Cedar City Utah operating as self reliance missionaries out of Bacolod.  Forty-three attended in 1st Ward and ten in 3rd Ward.  Both wards went well and they will finish My Path next week and keep track of their expenses each week for the next four weeks.  If their group books are in, we will go back in four weeks.  Drove home arriving at 7:30 pm, night driving is wearing because they think it uses gas if they run their lights so many of them don't use lights and you can't see them until you almost hit them in the dark.  When we got home to our apartment, there was a brownout.  We put things away with a flashlight.
Monday we discovered mold in and out of my closet.  I wiped it down with alcohol.  Hope that works for 6 1/2 more months.  It was gross.  In the corners, spider webs wrapped around my hand as I cleaned.  A agh!  For some reason I had diarrhea last night and this morning.  Breakfast:  Ginger brew and yakult.  English testing this morning at Arevalo for four missionaries. Reading today is Book of Mormon page 14.  We heard from Rachael this morning that Dave took a job in Preston.  She will move next week with the kids.  She will move in with Mary Ellen.  After testing, Cushings went with us to the Promenade for lunch.  I had pumpkin soup; the rest had buffet.  I'm still a little "ify" with my bowels.  Home at 3:30.  They are working on our electricity.  Yea!
Tuesday we had district meeting.  Came home and ate and went to Jalandoni. President Tigulo from North Stake presidency brought his wife and Nina and I bananaques, cooked banana with brown sugar coating on a stick.  There were two on a stick, so I took Ray one.  He was in the office.  Then we walked the Esplanade.  It is such a beautifully landscaped walk next to the river.  Came home, brought in the laundry, ate, did dishes, read.
Wednesday we went to Jalandoni, Cushings came and we went to the bamboo store but they didn't have anything new.  Cushings found stuff they wanted so that was nice.  Then we went to SM and paid our phone bill and cleared up a phone ring charge.  Something weird.  Cushings did some of their errands and then we went to our apartment and had pasta with spaghetti sauce but with vegetables and pineapple.  It was great.  Then we took a walk on the Esplanade and then went to Arevalo to check on dates for apartment checks for south zone.  Sister Aquino is back in Manilla for radiation even though she said her nodules were benign.  She is in isolation right now.  I think this is really a difficult time.  This will be two transfers with her unavailable.  After Arevalo we took Cushings to catch the boat to Guimaras.  Home.
Reading in Christs Church pg 163:  There is not one of us here upon the earth that is not greater than his sins, is not greater than his weaknesses and his faults.  But for how long must I forsake?  ..until there is a mighty change of heart and a new mind to make the Lords will supreme in our lives, regardless of our own passionate desires.  Measuring rod:  attitude, not time.  It is not the passage of time but a change of heart that is the key.
Thursday we started at 7:45 with apartment checks for Central Zone with Elder Tolentino and Elder Fogavai.  After checks we took them to eat at McDonalds and then dropped them off at the apartment and we went to Jalandoni.  We will teach Institute at 5:30, emergency substitution.  My part will be Enos-Words of Mormon.      I heard that my mother is getting married again😃. Congratulations.      The class went great!  Attendance was close to 15 plus.  It was fun.  There was a convert of less than a year who has put his papers in to fill a mission.  He is 22 years old and just glowing.  He shared how he got answers to prayers when he was investigating.  He is so excited about the Family Proclamation.  7:30 pm we went home and crashed.
Friday we rushed to the Center at 6:00 am to call Raymond.  The internet wasn't working, the alarm went off in the church, everything was locked up so Ray got soaked under an umbrella while unlocking the parking lot gate.  I called President Insignie to learn how to disarm the alarm.  It was all an exciting morning.  We will go back to the apartment soon after 7:00 am to exercise, shower, eat, read....  We have a full day so I will complete Friday activities next week.  I love you all, Mom, Sister Robinson III