A Real Short One

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Ashley Mecham	10:08 PM (18 minutes ago)
to me, Amanda, Patrick, Lindsey, Eliza

Kumusta ang Pamilya at mga Kaibigan ko!

Another beautiful week here on Palawan. This email will probably be a shorty because of the lack of internet here. Slow slow slow so I emailed President first to be sure to get that in. 

Listen up, TATAY DANILO GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY. It was crazy because we didn't know if it was going to happen or not! I don't remember what I told you about him, but he had to have another interview with President Stucki because of some things that happened in like 1972, His baptism was scheduled for Saturday and President was coming to Palawan on Friday for our interviews (I passed). So, cutting it a little close. I was the most stressed I've been since I got here! After their interview, President called us into the office and asked us if we thought Tatay was ready for baptism and YESSSSSSS. So he approved it! Tatay was unbelievably excited. He started bawling uncontrollably and in english said, "I'm really happy." even though he looked so upset. He is a real gem. And he was baptized and confirmed. If anyone deserves this gospel in their lives, it's Tatay Danilo. I'll try to upload a picture, but the internet might be too slow.

Ano pa....

Oh, let me tell you what I've learned. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR NANAY. Especially when you think you shouldn't. Two examples of this:

1. The other day I needed a grilled cheese sandwich. But, you know, they don't have real cheese here. So I bought that processed cheese that comes in tin foil and a card board box and was so excited. When I got home, Sister Hunt (my nanay) told me to put it in the fridge so the ants don't get it but I was like, naahhhhh. No need because it's sealed. Nope. When I went to use it, the ants were INSIDE the seal. I have no idea about it.

2. Umbrellas. We had a huge storm and I still haven't bought an umbrella. Plus, playing in the rain is fun. So I was running through it like a crazy person on the way home from a lesson when it was POURING and Sister Hunt chastised me for no umbrella. Then she told me that I should put a towel on my head so I don't get sick and I was like, naahhhhh. No need because that's crazy. But, alas, I am SICK SICK SICK. My cough sounds like I'm seriously dying and sometimes I seriously think I am. So that's that.

That's about all the time. Sorry about it.

I love you all and so so appreciate hearing from you even if I don't reply!

Mahal na mahal ko kayo,

Sister Mecham

PS. Pictures didn't work. Next week na lang

Mahirap ang linggo ko!

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Ashley Mecham	Apr 14 (5 days ago)
to me, Amanda, Patrick, Eliza

To my dearly beloved and beautiful family,

Kumusta po kayo lahat?? That good?

This week was ROUGH. Seriously, it started out so difficult. Remember Myra? I sent you a picture of her. She decided not to get baptized. And two of our other new investigators left us a note that they don't want us to return. (Because Filipinos don't say no, usually. They usually just hide from you if they don't want to visit with you.) So this was them being bold, you know. Then another of our investigators is moving to the mainland. Plus we had to drop a few because they just weren't progressing. So, mahirap ang linggo ko. Plus we were so worried about the our numbers this week because we had Zone Meeting and General Conference. But listen, the Lord blessed us so much! We did better this week than we've ever done before! So beautiful.

But listen, this email will be shorter than ever because I had to type a story for President. Like, I still have tons of homework here. It's cool, though.

Okay, I've got a great story. Listen up:

We were teaching a lesson to an investigator and it started raining like CRAZY. The raindrops on the tin roof were SO INCREDIBLY LOUD. We were literally yelling the lesson to them. Then it got to the point in the lesson where I felt like I needed to extend a baptismal commitment to him. BUT, I hestitated because you can't yell a baptismal invitation at someone. I needed the spirit to be there. I turned to Sister Hunt and whispered, "Should I do it?" She didn't know either. Then suddenly, silence. The rain completely stopped. BAM. Needless to say, Azzley Santos is getting baptized on May 18th. Miracle of miracles.

CONFERENCE. Oh man, I love conference. We got to watch it in english. They had both available at our chapel because a lot of the younger folks here like to listen in english. But I didn't get to watch the last session because we had a brown out. Sad. 

We have a baptism this week! Definitely one for an 8 year old in our recent convert family and sana TATAY DANILO. The one who quit smoking. But he still needs one more interview with President. I'll let you know. I'm praying hard over here. 

Oh, I have another story! I almost got robbed! We were walking at night and it was almost curfew so we were hustling when a man jumped out from behind a fence and tried to grab my bag! But I'm too quick! I squealed and just started booking it which freaked him out and he didn't pursue. So don't worry! I'm still safe here! Haha. Seriously, don't worry. 

FOOD THIS WEEK: Ube flavored ice cream. They really need to bring it to the U.S. It is heaven. Plus this thing that SIster Reyes made for me. It's like, fried saba, which is a class of saging, which is banana. Pinakamasarap siya. 

That's literally all my time. Go read all the conference talks again. They're all beautiful. 

I love you all.

Sister Mecham

Another email from your favorite Sister!

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Ashley Mecham	9:29 PM (11 hours ago)
to Amanda, me, Patrick

Deeeear Pamilya,

Fist off - jealous of you all about conference. We get to watch the rebroadcast on the 13th and 14th. However, I'm totally cheating right now and watching some talks. Which is why this email is going to be short. Sorry about it! 

Life here is beautiful, as always. We are in the middle of summer now. GRABE INIT. I will be sending you a picture of my new tan line. From one day only. So, my life right now is interesting. We haven't had water in our apartment consistently. So when we find that the water is running, we just have to frantically fill up every container we have with water. It's awesome. Also we have a mouse living in our apartment. Sister Hunt is terrified of it. But really, it's adorable. 

Language: Coming along nicely. But I've developed a habit of pretending like I understood what people said. Which, you know, sometimes works out nicely. But let me give you an example of when it did not. We are currently teaching the best family of recent converts. They have an adorable daughter, Isil, who just talks non stop to me and I never really know what she's saying. So one time, she told a hugely long story and the correct response seemed like, "Really?! Wow!! That's so cool!" (In Tagalog, of course) Wrong. I later found out that she was telling me about how she fell into a well. Like, for reals. A real, deep well. Wrong.

One thing that I love about my area is how awesome the youth are! Seriously, they are all preparing for missions and are way more active than their parents. We have so many youth that come to church every week even though their parents don't want to. One thing that is super awesome is that if they do well in seminary, they get to go on the temple trip to Manila for free. Seriously an awesome opportunity for them. The youth are great.

That's just about all I have for this week. The pictures I attached to this email are 1. Me in a fight with a rooster. We teach this family right next to here and this rooster seriously is so loud at the worst moments. So, we had to rumble. Roosters here are totally a thing. They are everywhere and the crow all the time - not just when the sun comes up. Yeah. 2. My tan line. Ignore how sweaty I am...

Oh man, I love you all so much! I know I say this all the time, but I feel your prayers so much in my work! Keep 'em coming! I need all the prayers I can get. Also, I finally got mail! Such a huge pile... you're making me look, like, really popular or something... Hah, thanks to everyone who wrote me or dearelder'd! I love hearing from y'all. Be safe. Be happy. God loves you.

Ingat kayo lahat,

Sister Mecham

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

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Pictures only

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Ashley Mecham	9:57 PM (11 hours ago)
to me, Amanda

1. This is a hamburger I got the other day. This picture is for dad. Can you see the patty? It's tiny, hidden under the tomato. I thought of you when I got this, dad! It was still delicious.

2. This is how the people here store their babies. It's awesome and totally something I'm going to do as a mother.

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Mabuhay pa!

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Ashley Mecham	2:46 AM (7 hours ago)
to Amanda, me, Patrick, Lindsey

Dearest pamilya at mga kaibigan ko,

First off, MAMA: President and Sister Stucki did not bring mail with them this week, but they did bring your package! THANK YOU THANK YOU for the Cadbury Mini Eggs. They're all gone already - the most delicious. And for the socks! They're perfect. And especially for the shirts! I love them so much, I already bought one of them! It's okay, though, because now I can wear it twice in a week without washing it. Which brings me to one of your questions - no, I do not have to wash my clothes in a stream. I have running water in my apartment. I wash them in a bucket with real soap and everything.  

Yeah, the reason for the pictures thing is that I can actually only send two in an email but sometimes I get ambitious and try three, but it never works. Sorry about it. Emails are better than dear elders, because I get them once a week instead of whenever someone comes from the mainland. But I still love dear elders and real letters once in a while.

Other question of yours: My living conditions are fine! We actually have a nice (relatively) apartment, especially compared to everyone else's home here that I've gone to. I sleep on a real mattress and we have filtered water in our apartment and a refrigerator and a rice cooker and a hot plate. So, basically livin' the life.

This week was awesome! Sister Stucki (wife of mish pres) worked with us on Wednesday which was the best. She is such a gem. And she was so impressed with my Tagalog - only because she had no idea what I was saying. So that was rad. We had a branch activity that night and so many of our investigators came! More than actually come to church usually... but that's beside the point. It's Beejay - I've sent you a picture of him and his family. They have the cute house and cook the delicious food. So, they stopped progressing, really, but still read the BoM. They had told us that they weren't sure yet if it was true. BUT, at the activity, Beejay was talking to President Stucki, and in his broken english we heard him say, "The Book of Mormon is a treasure. It is the way to return to God." And we were like WHATTTTt???? Yes. It is. We were so pumped. 

LOL MOMENT this week: One of our investigators is a nine year old member of a LA family. His name is Robinson. We were teaching him about the Word of Wisdom and at the end, we were doing a quick review (because he's nine...) and I asked him, "Where did this law come from?" And he says, with such confidence that his answer was correct, "Si Satanas!!" Mali! We laughed so hard. 

The attached pictures are of us at the activity - I don't actually remember which ones I attached - but I think one of us with Leah (who has left now for her mission :( no more working with her) and Sister Sucki and Sister Angoy. The other is of us with Myra, another investigator of ours. She is great, too.

Okay, running out of time. Tatay Danilo has been completely off cigarettes for 10 days now! 

FOOD OF THE DAY: Sugared, fried saging on a stick, which is a form of banana. So good.

TAGALOG PHRASE OF THE DAY: Hahampasin kita = I will slap you.

His baptism is this month! Easter here is awesome - they don't have anything except focusing on the atonement of Christ. No easter bunny. It's awesome. Christ is risen and because he was judged of the world, we don't have to be. I am so in awe of the magnitude of the atonement every single day. I wish I could write more. No time.

I love you all! Thank you for emailing me and for your prayers. I seriously feel them every day. Every minute of every day. You are all the best. Be safe. The Church is true. 

Kapayapaan,

Sister Mecham

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

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More Pictures

More Pictures!

1. This is of my roommates, Sister De Leon and Sister Reyes and us at these underground caves in the Sisters' area. Pretty sweet.

2. Us with Leah. We're so sad she's gone because she worked with us all the time. But, you know, happy because she's serving the Lord and stuff.

Mabuhay pa!

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Ashley Mecham	2:46 AM (7 hours ago)
to Amanda, me, Patrick, Lindsey

Dearest pamilya at mga kaibigan ko,

First off, MAMA: President and Sister Stucki did not bring mail with them this week, but they did bring your package! THANK YOU THANK YOU for the Cadbury Mini Eggs. They're all gone already - the most delicious. And for the socks! They're perfect. And especially for the shirts! I love them so much, I already bought one of them! It's okay, though, because now I can wear it twice in a week without washing it. Which brings me to one of your questions - no, I do not have to wash my clothes in a stream. I have running water in my apartment. I wash them in a bucket with real soap and everything.  

Yeah, the reason for the pictures thing is that I can actually only send two in an email but sometimes I get ambitious and try three, but it never works. Sorry about it. Emails are better than dear elders, because I get them once a week instead of whenever someone comes from the mainland. But I still love dear elders and real letters once in a while.

Other question of yours: My living conditions are fine! We actually have a nice (relatively) apartment, especially compared to everyone else's home here that I've gone to. I sleep on a real mattress and we have filtered water in our apartment and a refrigerator and a rice cooker and a hot plate. So, basically livin' the life.

This week was awesome! Sister Stucki (wife of mish pres) worked with us on Wednesday which was the best. She is such a gem. And she was so impressed with my Tagalog - only because she had no idea what I was saying. So that was rad. We had a branch activity that night and so many of our investigators came! More than actually come to church usually... but that's beside the point. It's Beejay - I've sent you a picture of him and his family. They have the cute house and cook the delicious food. So, they stopped progressing, really, but still read the BoM. They had told us that they weren't sure yet if it was true. BUT, at the activity, Beejay was talking to President Stucki, and in his broken english we heard him say, "The Book of Mormon is a treasure. It is the way to return to God." And we were like WHATTTTt???? Yes. It is. We were so pumped. 

LOL MOMENT this week: One of our investigators is a nine year old member of a LA family. His name is Robinson. We were teaching him about the Word of Wisdom and at the end, we were doing a quick review (because he's nine...) and I asked him, "Where did this law come from?" And he says, with such confidence that his answer was correct, "Si Satanas!!" Mali! We laughed so hard. 

The attached pictures are of us at the activity - I don't actually remember which ones I attached - but I think one of us with Leah (who has left now for her mission :( no more working with her) and Sister Sucki and Sister Angoy. The other is of us with Myra, another investigator of ours. She is great, too.

Okay, running out of time. Tatay Danilo has been completely off cigarettes for 10 days now! 

FOOD OF THE DAY: Sugared, fried saging on a stick, which is a form of banana. So good.

TAGALOG PHRASE OF THE DAY: Hahampasin kita = I will slap you.

His baptism is this month! Easter here is awesome - they don't have anything except focusing on the atonement of Christ. No easter bunny. It's awesome. Christ is risen and because he was judged of the world, we don't have to be. I am so in awe of the magnitude of the atonement every single day. I wish I could write more. No time.

I love you all! Thank you for emailing me and for your prayers. I seriously feel them every day. Every minute of every day. You are all the best. Be safe. The Church is true. 

Kapayapaan,

Sister Mecham

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

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More Pictures!

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Ashley Mecham	2:46 AM (7 hours ago)
to Amanda, me, Lindsey, Patrick

1. This is of my roommates, Sister De Leon and Sister Reyes and us at these underground caves in the Sisters' area. Pretty sweet. 

2. Us with Leah. We're so sad she's gone because she worked with us all the time. But, you know, happy because she's serving the Lord and stuff.

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

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