Monday, August 29, 2016

Cell Phone Distractions and Family Time

Hello Everyone!

Well I had another great week this week!  We went to Cauayan this week for my companion to do his English test.  It was fun to be back in Cauayan for a little bit.  After his test we got banana splits which is always a bonus!  My favorite part was the bus rides though.  I bought so many peanuts.  The peanuts they have here in the Philippines are amazing.  The people who sell them on the buses have just cooked them so they are always warm and the flavor is just the best!!!  I think I bought 4 bags of them.  Anyways, it is so weird that another cycle has already almost gone by!  The time is really going by so fast now it is ridiculous!  Really though, I thought that by now I would be adjusted to the heat but that is just not the case.  I am sitting here sweating like always.  When I get home, I may construct a freezer and live in it until winter arrives!!! 

Well this week we had a family home evening with a family who is visiting from America.  The are Filipinos but they mainly understand English.  Let me tell you, I never realized how the Sister missionaries in our Ward used to feel when I wasn't paying attention until this week.  During the entire family home evening, everyone, including the little kids and some of the adults, were on their phones the entire time.  It got to the point where my companion would ask someone a question and they wouldn't even hear my companion because they were so focused on their phones!!!!  Man, at that moment, I am thankful I built up my patience because I was not very happy with what they were doing.  Really only 2 adults were paying attention to us.  The rest were totally focused on other things.  After our pretty unsuccessful lesson we tried to play a game with the family and that was worse.  We had to explain the game rules basically to everyone individually.  We would teach a person then when it came to the next persons turn we had to teach it again.  After we finally got around the circle, which took about 20 minutes, we switched games and it still wasn't working so we just closed it and had dinner.  

If there ever was a sad point in my mission, this would be it.  The fact that a family could be so obsessed with their phones literally sickens me.  They couldn't take 10 minutes of listening to us or 30 seconds of instructions for one of the simplest games ever invented.  I honestly left that family home evening a little frustrated but even more sorrowful.  It is honestly sad to see the way families are changing.  Now I know I was definitely never enthusiastic about family home evenings, but we need to give people more respect.  Family Home Evenings are an important thing to have very week.  Its a time to come together, feel the spirit, and bond.  How can we bond if we are so enveloped in our world of technology?  My challenge to all of you is to value your time together during family home evenings 

I am grateful that my parents invented the electronics basket for family home evening.  Now that I remember that, I might install that rule when I go to the next family if it is permitted by the parents because that was just sad.  I know I am not a perfect missionary, I still have many things to work on, and I am not even close to the best teacher or at speaking Tagalog. But I know as I continue to try my absolute best I can become the tool the Lord needs me to be.  Lets try to spend a little less time coming closer to the screens of our cell phones and a little closer to our Savior.  I know I can do it because I have been living without a phone for over a year now!  

Anyways, the rest of the week went pretty well.  We are really working with our investigators but they just stopped coming to church.  Hopefully we can pull them back!  My companion is still working with me to finish strong and I am happy to see him working with me.  I love all of my companions and I try to make them laugh as often as possible, because who wants a serious companion?  

Well, I love you all and will talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Warren

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