Mai Mai searching my hair for bugs (No she didn’t find any)
Hello Everybody!
This week a big Signal 1 Storm (see bottom of letter) came in and rained HARD on Santa Ana for a few days. We would be in somebody’s house, but not able to hear what the were saying because the rain would pound so hard on their little tin roof. The other night we woke up from time to time because of the rain and the wind, then all the sudden we heard a big SNAP. We looked outside and the big mango tree right outside of our house had timbered and landed on our neighbor’s house. Hopefully that will be the last big storm I will to experience here.
the “timbered” mango tree
The other day we got together with some members in the Branch and had the farewell party of Cleo, the member from our branch going on a mission. We ate a lot of food, played some games and had a good time with him. After that, he and I headed to his house out on the seashore. They wanted to feed us, and when they pulled out the dish, it was a food that I have never seen before. It was Blue Marlin eggs haha. I gave it a try, and it had a weird, crunchy texture. It felt like I was eating cartilage. I have really enjoyed trying all the exotic foods here, especially the seafoods. When I make it back here some day with the parents, I will make sure they try all of these foods haha. (editor: You are hilarious, Elder Jenkins.)
The work has been really good here lately. Even though my time is running short here, my prayers have been answered and my motivation has not gone away at all. We have been able to get a lot of investigators to church and are looking to have 2 or 4 baptisms more on August 4. It’s been fun being in a trisome again. We have a lot of fun together and the days seem to just pass by as we go from appointment to appointment.
We had a good Sacrament Meeting yesterday. We are still suffering a bit from only having one companionship here as we have seen the attendance go down a little, but we still have a good amount of members, about 100, coming every Sunday. I was able to give my final talk in Sacrament Meeting. I decided to talk about “Seven things I have learned while serving in Santa Ana” (I’ve learned lots, but decided to just focus on 7). After church I had a good meeting with a lot of the members about our planned Branch FHE (going away party) next Saturday. The members are stoked because I told them there will be tons of food and soft drinks. Gonna be a party 🙂
The highlight of this week was Sunday after church. So for the past 6 months I’ve been trying hard to find and train a local member who will take my spot as Branch President when I go home. I have sought much help prayerfully and have worked eagerly to find the man. Well the past month, I have felt impressed over and over of who it should be, and under the direction of our Mission President, I was able to meet with him and his wife. I talked to them about it, but the wife was unsure about this calling for her husband. I told them to discuss it and think about, then I would talk with them again after two weeks. After many days of fasting and pleading with The Lord to bless this sister to know in her heart, the District President and I went and talked with them yesterday. This time was much different than the last. Although still a little unsure, she agreed that her husband should be the new Branch President here in Santa Ana and that she would support him in his new calling. I have no doubt that The Spirit had a large influence on this sister changing her feelings. I’m so thankful for The Lord’s willingness to help us everyday of our lives and the influence that The Spirit has had on my life.
Well the countdown continues. Wow. I’m gonna miss writing these weekly updates, but am way excited to see you all. Love you! (editor: I mentioned to Gary today that I might miss these letters more than I’ve missed Ryan! Maybe he’ll keep writing weekly once he’s home in a couple of weeks? Haha – my turn to be hilarious.)
-Elder Jenkins
- Meteorological Conditions
- Precautionary Measures
– A tropical cyclone will affect the locality.
– Winds of 30 – 60 kilometers per hour (kph) may be expected in at least 36 hours or intermittent rains may be expected within 36 hours. (20-40 mph)
- – Twigs and branches of small trees may be broken.– Some banana plants may be tilted or downed.
– Some houses of very light materials (nipa and cogon) may be partially unroofed.
– Unless this warning signal is upgraded during the entire existence of the tropical cyclone, only very light or no damage at all may be sustained by the exposed communities.
– Rice crop, however, may suffer significant damage when it is in its flowering stage.
- – When the tropical cyclone is strong or is intensifying and is moving closer, this signal may be upgraded to the next higher level.– The waves on coastal waters may gradually develop and become bigger and higher.
– The people are advised to listen to the latest severe weather bulletin issued byPAGASA every six (6) hours. In the meantime, business may be carried out as usual except when floods occur.
– Disaster preparedness is activated to alert status.
