Clean Swimming

Views of Colonia

This is where we get water and have to carry up our stairs. More exercise..:)

We moved into a new house by the way. It's on the second floor and significantly better than our previous. Here are some views from our porch.

More views of Colonia

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 Hello Family!

This Sunday was the first Sunday that we had sacrament meeting in our old apartment in the proper of Colonia Divina so our members in Colonia didn't have to climb up the mountain to get to church and our attendance was significantly higher than it usually was.

One of the moments that I enjoyed was seeing standing room only left during the sacrament, and we also had some good testimonies from the members of the branch making it a good spiritual experience for our investigators that attended.

I also enjoy getting to teach the youth class like we usually do, except Elder Celebrado was helping in primary so I was flying solo. I've found that I get some of the greatest satisfaction in teaching youth, although sometimes it can be the most challenging or frustrating, but when I can have those moments where I can see that they are really "getting it" and they are feeling the spirit it makes it all worth it. Especially when teaching a group where participation is sometimes a challenge.

Siwahon is being as progressive as ever. Both of the parents of one of our recent converts there came to church in Colonia, making the hour walk there and back, for fast and testimony meeting (our Branch President is going to do a special sacrament every week in Siwahon except for the first Sunday where he wants everyone to gather in Colonia) and I think they had a good experience. The father has been to church twice now, attending the special sacrament last week, and his wife came for the first time this week, and the father is looking like he might be the first Melchizedek priesthood that we will be able to baptize in that area which makes me really excited.

Sister L and Sister H are both very excited for their baptism, and Sister L expressed that she wanted someplace "solemn" for her baptism, which I think is wonderful because I know they both value this experience that they're about to have so much. So we've been scouting out an area by the river running next to Siwahon so that we can find a "Waters of Mormon" worthy place.

Of course as with anyone who is making progress they have both been experiencing opposition with regards to their joining the church, having people telling all kinds of false rumors about the church and saying bad things about them and so on and so forth, but these women are unshakable, and they just laugh off all of the silly things people are saying and are sticking to what they know is true. Sister L told us about how one person expressed shock to her that they are switching religions at their age and she told them, "Well, if the pool that you're swimming in is dirty, and you see one that is clean, why would you keep swimming in the same old dirty pool? Why not get out and go to the one that is clean?" (English translation, the Ilonggo analogy was a little different, but you get the picture…)

I just couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day after that. :)

Alright, that’s about all I think I can do for today.

I love you all!

~Elder Butler