Well well well. So much to
say. My heart kinda hurts about writing this, but it sure was an adventure!
So here goes for a play by play of this week.
Monday. Normal.
Tuesday,
we got word that a typhoon was on the way of the mission. It was expected
to be pretty big, but always in the past, we hear the news and not much ever
happens to us. So I was honestly surprised by what happened to us here.
Tuesday afternoon continued as normal and we visited our investigators,
including the Diaz family (take note of them). And before we went home
for the night, we figured we would stop by the store to buy some candles,
matches, water, and of course a tub of ice cream! So the night continues,
we decide to put our stuff up from the ground like suitcases and everything
just because it was raining outside and our house tends to flood. Then we
headed to bed at 10:30 pm. Around 11pm, the wind started picking up, and
I kinda had a hard time sleeping considering the fact that I was nervous the
house would flood and it was loud outside. Then it just kept getting
stronger and stronger. The rain was so noisy and intense on the metal
outside of our roof and we could hear the trees blowing. Around 2-3am the
power went out and our electric fan was kaput. Then around 3:30am I put
my foot on the ground by my bed to feel for water and sure enough I did!
The water had entered the house! So I woke the sisters up, they
claim it was in a frantic manner, but I think I was pretty calm. hehe So
we wake up and clean up, and then we had the bright idea- oh shoot! The
power is out! Our ice cream is gonna melt! So Sister Wilson and I
threw that pint down our throats. So that was nice and partially melted. Back
to sleep again at 4am. THEN the rain had stopped and the wind.... Hmm.
Kinda suddenly too. So I am kinda like whaaaa? Tapos na??
(finished?) But then surely enough that was just the eye of the
storm, where everything is quiet. And then the tail of the storm hit us!
It was a nice break for everyone to get on their sheet metal roofs and do
some nailing down for part two! Then it all returned and lasted till 9am.
I was exhausted and woke up when it was about finished and then we were
all like, "Well, we think our zone training meeting is cancelled..."
Sweet! Sister Wilson and I didn’t have to do the workshop! We
got to work, mopping out the water from inside the house, sweeping up the
leaves outside, and then we kinda just wait to see what we should do.
Eventually the office elders drove over to check on us and they said we
were allowed to go out and serve, so we threw on our jeans, grabbed my working
gloves and headed out! Man, it was so dang kuwawa (sad) to see all the
snapped trees, broken power lines, missing roofs, trash flown around, and
crumbled homes.
We
headed to down the street to the closest members, the Sael family. They
live right next to a small river....... the flood in their home was up
the their shoulders...... their house was completely emptied out and they
moved all their things to higher ground. We helped them retieve their
things. It was so sad to see their scriptures and sunday school books soaked,
mission memorabilia covered in water, and everything was just pretty useless.
I cannot comprehend how this family just kept a happy face on! They
were simply grateful to be alive! I am in awe with these wonderful
people! But I will talk more about their wonderful attributes mamaya.
Then we went to our bishops house, rounded up a few more members and we
went on a search to check up on all the members. It was hard for the
other members to go check on everyone because they had to fix their own houses!
So we took the honors since our home is a nice and stable missionary
home. No one really wanted our help because they are all "shy"
and everything was basically already fixed.
There was some heavy destruction. Then we decided to head to the
railroads where a lot of members and investigators live. Basically
whenever we saw a person, we stopped and asked them how we could help, everyone
has some kind of problem. Then we passed our investigators, the Diaz
family. I told you to remember that name earlier, so Tuesday, they had a
house. Wednesday, they didnt. Everything was down. A tree
fell on the house and everything was in shambles. I couldn’t help but get
teary eyed as were watching the son try to put some roofing back on to create
some kind of shelter. They seemed as if they had come to terms with it.
I asked them how we could help, they said there was nothing we could do.
I asked them what they were going to do, and sister just said to me,
"I don’t know, I don’t have any money." There was just a huge
pit in my stomach. I walked away from their home and I just couldn’t stop
crying. Keep the Diaz Family in your prayers please! I hope we can
continue to teach them even though they have a lot going on now. Oh and
Dad, to answer your question, no, none of our investigators have insurance!
They barely have jobs! Then we
went a bit further down the rail road, and the Madrid family, a member family,
there was literally NOTHING left of their home. They had somehow built a
new structure further back on the land and their things were all in there as
well as with 80 year old grandma. We came back on Thursday to serve them
since it was getting dark out. When we returned we basically had to force
them to let us wash their wet clothes. It was so sad to see these things
but so happy for us to serve these people!
On
Saturday we managed to plan a service activity with the whole zone for our
stake president. We cleaned up his subdivision and it was good to be with
our new zone considering that Transfer day still continued on Thursday. I
will try and send some pics from it.
This
was the most brutal storm that the province of Laguna has seen in years.
Throughout it all, we didn’t have power for 4 days, cell phone service for 3
days, a moldy and odorous fridge, managed to finish reading the book of Mormon
and also learned to not eat old eggs that have spots on them and that hard
boiling them will still make you sick... (learned that the hard way). But
the greatest lesson I learned was how to be happy even when everything else
around you isn't. These people don’t have much, and now that most of
their things are ruined they still thank the lord for what they do have and are
happy to continue to serve him. I love the Pilipino people and I count my
blessings everyday to be here to serve them the best way I can, even if it is
not rebuilding their homes, I can share with them the gospel. I love it
here!! Please keep the San Pablo mission in your prayers as we overcome all that
has happened. I am doing ok, and have definitely felt your prayers.
I love you all and cannot believe that I have less than 4 months left
now!! Stay strong, but keep your faith stronger!
PS I just got a text from our
mission president that we need to watch out for dengue fever, there has been an
outbreak! So many mosquitoes here! aw shoooooot!
Sumasainyo,
Sister
Waldrom
Mark
8:35-36
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