Monday night the lovely Sister Pal and Sister Webster-our local sister training leaders-came to sleep over/check our apartment for cleanliness/get ready for exchanges the next day. We had a brown out all night Monday and all day Tuesday so it was quite the sleepover. While they were doing the cleaning checks, they checked our water filter and it turns out I have been drinking unfiltered water for the past 3 months. AH! So, we are supposed to change the filters every 3 or so months but since our apartment is brand new, the Elders set up our apartment and told us everything was all set to go and to change the filters in 3 months...welp, I guess they forgot to actually put in the filters..so yeah, I kinda wanted to throw up. That is disgusting. What the biyaya (blessing) that I have not gotten sick! Man. Anywho, on Wednesday we had Zone Conference and Sister Reeder gave us both a worm pill to kill anything that might be in our tummies from that gross unfiltered water. Bleh. Still get the heebie-geebies when I think about what is in that water/what I have been drinking. Oh well, I am alive and well and we now have filters! haha
Tuesday- exchanges with Sister Pal in Nabua. It is amazing how attached I am to Baao. I missed it so much and couldn't wait to come home. I love this place. :)
Wednesday- we were in Iriga all day for Zone Conference. We talked lots about perosnal revelation and in particular about receiving personal revelation for big life decisions-mission, career, marriage, children, like that. It was good. Definitely helpful.
Alrighty and now to the good stuff..Holy Week. Multiple times this week, we looked out our window to see men dressed like Jesus Christ, with crowns of thorns on their head, being pulled by a rope around their neck with a cross on their back, as other men dressed like soldiers beat them with bundles of sticks and pushed them around...these men volunteer to portray different parts of Christ's life, in particular His persecutions and crucifixion. It is there way of suffering for Him and showing their respect and faith in Him. It was terrible to watch. They cut themselves, have others beat them, carry the cross all through the town, fall on their face, and in the end are placed up on the cross-some by nails and others just tied by rope. Definitely an interesting experience for me. Thousands of people stood out on the streets to watch as these men did this, then as the men left to go to the next street, all the people walked away, back to their houses as if nothing even happened. For the past couple days, I have seen group after group of little kids re-enacting the actions of these men. It makes me so sad! These little kids are beating up their friends as he carries a little cross, just because they dont know any better. That is their way to "play."
In other festivities, a couple nights this week, there was a "procession" where literally hundreds of thousands of people walk throughout the streets of the town in a parade of floats with life-sized saints and depictions of Christ's sufferings. Really an interesting holiday.
One of our investigators asked us where it talks about saints and processions and holy week in the Book of Mormon and the Bible...good question Brother, it isn't there.
It has shown me this week just how confused some people are. They are just following after the traditions of their fathers before them and don't know any better. What a great motivation this week has been for me to work harder and to help relieve these people from their wicked traditions and to help bring them to the full truth!
I love my Savior and His gospel. I know that it is true. I know that He did suffer and die for each of us and that He did rise the third day and lives today. Happy Easter to you all! :)
Mahal Kita!
-Sister Roderick
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