I HAVE A KID!!!

So this week was transfer week and I still get to enjoy the Island Life on Marinduque!!

You know why? Because I am training a new missionary!! The new guy is Elder Levasa, 20, from.......... Australia. This batch of new missionaries was all Filipinos except for Elder Levasa!! Good thing I am trying really hard to learn Tagalog through the Lord, or I wouldn't be able to do well with him. He is a solid new missionary and has some great ideas and we get along great!! I can't wait to get this area up and moving again!!

Last week we met this new man and his wife, the Ladlads, and they are Pentecostal and are really nice. The first lesson I had with my new companion was to go and revisit them,  During my conversation with them, the husband just opens up to me and starts crying!  He knows what we are teaching is true and makes sense, but because we are visiting him he is having opposition come from all the other people around him. He wants us to come back but it will be hard. My heart just softened to him and we left a comforting message.  Tomorrow we are hoping to go back with another uplifting kind of message and with a member of the church to hopefully help him.

That is kind of what my spiritual thought is for the week, We don't know what is going on in other people's lives, but the Lord does, and all we have to do is become His example and we will be able to help others and grow closer together.

Thank you for all your letters and help this week!!

Love you all!!
Elder James Dunyon

Finally getting better...hopefully

So this week after coming back from the doctors on the main land, we had some solid days of work. Still dealing with headaches all the time but hopefully they will get better soon. The doctor did an ultrasound and didn't find anything....which is really good!  We met some really nice families this week and some amazing people. A lot of the focus was on families for us and the affect the Book of Mormon can have on a family.

One quote I liked from Sunday school which summarizes the thought up, The home has play rooms, kitchens, living rooms, bed rooms but no rooms for Christ. We need to make him the center of the house and the family, and if we do so, he will make the family and the house stronger.

This is so true about the family and ourselves. We need to do that and come closer to him
This week is transfers and we will see if I am still on the island or if it is time for me to leave. I find out tomorrow..

Thanks for all the letters and help everyone!! It has been amazing and I feel the love and support from you all!!

Love Elder James Dunyon

Good work but.... Hospital again

So this week started out better, I was on medication to help with whatever sickness I have but still had a killer headache, however, we had three solid days of work. We met some really cool people and two referrals given to us who are amazing, probably two of the coolest dudes ever and willing to accept the gospel. I hope they go somewhere because getting to know them for the little bit, they are just two amazing boys and we really clicked. Tagalog is doing alright kind of slowing down in progress because I am again in San Pablo going to the big hospital today to figure out why I am still struggling.

So yes, I am doing better now, but still have cramps in the stomach and a killer headache that just pressurizes my head. It hurts.... So we will see what happens, but because of this, again, pretty much no work has gone on and it hurts to be honest, but still just doing what I can.

Spiritual thought for the week, the holy ghost can be your comforting companion at all time but you need to be doing what is right to receive him. We need to be making smart, right, good, clean, choice decisions every day so that the holy ghost and God's love can be with at all time. If we are not worthy, it is hard for us to have that companion, but I know it is something we all want. He has helped me so much already and am very great for it!!
Love you all!!

Elder James Dunyon

As a side note, we contacted James' Mission President's Wife (Sister Davies) and she said that James is doing better and that they ran tests on James, including an ultrasound and they didn't find anything.  His stomach is settling down, but still has the headaches.  They think that is electrolytes might be out of whack.  He needs to hydrate more and be careful what he eats.

Definitely stressed...

This week ended up being a crazy week to be honest.

My sickness, if you remember that, yea, I still have it.  So we went to the big hospital near the mission home, which took up three whole days of travel. But now I have some drugs for what is going on and am starting to feel better...I think, hopefully. So that was mainly my whole week, there wasn't a whole lot that we were able to do because of it.  We were able to get a little bit of work, but visiting people was hard with new years, and people coming back from trips, and just craziness, so not going to lie....it really stressed me out.

We also had interviews this week with our mission president and that was probably the highlight of the week.

Advice from a stressed missionary, rely on the Lord in all things and he will be able to help you, it takes time but know he is there for you!!

Love you all!!!

Elder James Dunyon

I Will be in the New Year Before You!!!!

This week started out as a good week after the whole sickness again. We had the opportunity to video call family and that was amazing!!! Definitely made Christmas even better!!! We got food luckily, and it didn't make us sick, had time with members, and also met the really cool person on Thursday.

This man's name Is Romeo, so we joked that his wife's names was Juliet, and he was like, "It actually is!!" It was an awesome laugh and he invited us back to hear a message and we left a copy of the Book of Mormon with him. It was a really cool experience.

A lot of the other people we are seeing are struggling, to be honest, but it's partly because of the holiday season and us not being able to see each other.  Then on Friday through Sunday we had a huge tropical storm come through and there was a ankle deep puddle outside our house (picture below) and we couldn't get out, which didn't matter anyways because I was in the house with a huge migraine. Still have a headache so we will see where this goes!!

My spiritual thought for the week, is when you need help, pray to the Lord and know he will help you. You need to have the faith that He will and then He will!!

Love you all and thanks for the letters and the amazing Christmas updates!!

Elder James Dunyon