Tiyaga - Patience (2)

*Update on the natural disasters that hit during this time* First off, I am lucky. I am in Batangas area if you want to google map it in an area close to Lipa called Rosario. In Batangas area, their was very little flooding. We are higher up and far west on the islands so the storm was weaker when it hit us and most of the flooding was to the east. Tons of my fellow San Pabloians got flooded out, including elder Montesclaros who was returning from transfer to be stranded from Marinduke for a few days while the storm raged. And Sister Spjute reported that she had to swim through the flood to help some missionaries move out of their apartment. Scary stuff, but we are all safe and well. The first typhoon was named Undoy, and he destroyed Manilla. Its the first typhoon to really hit there, and it killed over 100 people, displaced 60,000ish families or homes, and many are still missing. The next typhoon Piping, was bigger, and fortunately headed up north and did not hit San Pablo mission, well, it hit Lopez I think, but im pretty sure its further north. There is another one getting stirred up, but where I am at there is never any threat really from typhoons. We did get hit with an earthquake a few weeks back, it was small and didn't do anything, but I felt it and kind of tripped out. I thought I was just dizzy, but no, it was an earthquake...wow.

So now onto Tiyaga. Its the Tagalog word for patience. It has been a struggle for me to be patient for my entire life. And this problem was made physically manifest to me when I broke my collarbone...and 3 weeks after my 2nd surgery I broke it again because I was impatient and wanted to return to the lifestyle I was living earlier and put my mission in jeopardy. Later...in the MTC, I jeopardized my mission when playing Volleyball, I landed awkwardly after a dive and it got very sore and the word "Patience" rang in my mind. By the grace of God, it didn't break, and its 100% now, but obviously I did not learn the lesson.
 

So God gave me Elder Arnold Omandam to be my trainer. I'll be honest. He is the last person you want to be your trainer. He is prideful to the extent that he thinks he is never wrong, he wears stunner shades while tracting (I have pictures to prove all of this too), he naps every day, his disobedience is constant, and is openly public about it. He wrote on the outside of his missionary planner "The rules of God, I know them, But I am not obedience,". He is alright at English, but you get the point. In addition to all of this, I spoke to the President about it all. After he was threatened to be sent home, we returned to our apartment. The first thing he did was lock himself in a room and blasted death metal. I swallowed all of it, said a prayer for meekness and humility, then walked into the room. He called me every horrid word you could think of, from plastic (fake), ayaw kita (I hate you), and even called me a whore. After his venting finished, I simply stated, "I am sorry for the way things happened, I am sorry you feel hurt, but all I did was tell the truth, I did not lie, I did not exagerate, I simply told the President why I was un-happy." I told him I was willing to do whatever it took to make things right. He shook his head and said there is no love, there is no unity, there is nothing. (That translates a little weird in Tagalog). I sighed, stood up, and said, "well, I'll be outside studying, when your ready to help me make things right, but I will not teach until this gets resolved." Long story short, he came out and said I want to become happy (again, awkward tagalog translation). And ever since this superficial relationship has been. Then...neither of us got transferred.

 what?

 Well, I honestly did not think I could do it. I was close to devastated when I found it out. But at the same time I knew for a surety that it had profound purpose. Then, as I pulled out my new planner to start the new transfer. Patience once again came to mind. I wrote Tiyaga on my planner, and have looked to it every day in an attempt to remember that this has purpose, and I have to be patient in order to understand the reasons and learn the lessons from this experience. I began to lose hope that I could do this for another 6-5 weeks as the first week came to a close. Then my zone leader told me he wanted to go on splits. So I headed to Lipa and left E.O. in Rosario and worked with Elder Park. Basically he helped re-inspire my hope and faith that missionary work can be enjoyable, that I wont always return home at 7:20pm, that we wont only teach woman and children, and that I wont always teach like I'm selling shiny jewelry on an infomercial. He helped me realize all things will come to an end. My time with Elder O. My time in Rosario, my mission, and eventually my life. He helped me realize that time is to important to waste being stressed, being unhappy, and not using the time we are given. So, I have accepted my calling to be in Rosario with Elder O. for another transfer, and I will do my best to use this time to improve my language (which is going great by the way, a gift of unbalanced compensation that God has greatly given me) and to re-build who I am as a person. My tolerance and patience has grown exponentially since this has all happened, and I know I will take these lessons into my future career, relationships, family, and into the eternities. Its hard to be grateful for afflictions, but the scriptures say we should use trials to obtain knowledge. I believe very strongly we learn the most from trials and sufferings. It helps us appreciate the things that really matter to us, and helps our experience and knowledge in this life grow.

 ...[I've said some things that] sound prideful, and I promise with all my heart and soul that I do not put myself higher than Elder Omandam in any way, and to be honest, I wish I could utilize his experience in the field better and really feel like he is my trainer, but circumstance does not permit me to necessarily trust his council. So, I focus on the language, I study as much as I can, and just try to teach the best I can with what I have.

 I apologize if this epistle has been somewhat discouraging, and not as bright as my others have been, but that same zone leader helped me realize that there is no purpose behind hiding the truth of circumstances, of the same token, I am healthy, alive, not in a flooded apartment.  I'm serving the one true living God, and learning exponentially about life, people, myself, the Gospel, and everything I will need in my life to come.


 With much love

 -Elder Mace