No Typhoon or Ailment can Stop Tatay Andron

There were so many miracles this week I cannot even count. Today I will be focusing on the miracle of Tatay Andron.

Tatay Andron is a 77 year old Tatay (old man) who is from Visaya (another region in the Philippines). We have been teaching him since the beginning of the transfer and honestly it has been super difficult. I mean... he is so old! Plus his understanding of Tagalog is not great and often he replies in Visaya which is completely different from Tagalog. So we got to work and studied some Visaya and it was amazing what God did to help us. There were so many times that I just understood what he was trying to say even when I could not understand each individual word. The Gift of Tongues is real! While his understanding was slow we finally felt like he was prepared enough for baptism. He loves God so much. The last time that we taught him before his baptism he told us, "Wala ko masayud sa tanan apan nahibal-an ko nga ang tanan nga imong gitudlo kanako naa sa akong dughan ug nga ako mibati nga mas duol sa Dios." Which pretty much means, "I do not know everything but I know that everything that you taught me is in my chest and that I feel closer to God."

He has changed so much in his life and has giant faith. Not only that but he has a giant laugh and smile (even though he has no teeth haha).

The week before his baptism his foot got a huge infection and was super swollen. He could not even walk anymore and said that he could not get his foot wet. He really wanted to be baptized but he did not think he would be physically able due to his ailment. The medicine was not working and it was two days before his baptism. I decided that we needed to give him a Priesthood blessing. We gave him a blessing and prayed with all the energy of our heart. The next day we came back to check on him and when we came in, this old 77 year old man who is sitting down on the couch lifts his foot above his head and says "Gumaling na ang paa ko!!" His foot is healed! The miracles are pouring out!

 Then, as some may know there has been a typhoon that has been raging in this area. This mission was a little concerned because we were not sure if Typhoon Ompong was going to hit our area. We prepared for the worst and made sure everyone was in safe conditions. We were worried for Tatay because we were not sure if the Typhoon was going to stop the baptism. As Saturday came, the rain was strong and the wind was like sticking your head out of a car going 60 miles per hour. The electricity went out and we thought we were going to be stuck in the house all day. We knelt down and prayed the the storm would keep everyone safe and that according to God's will, the baptism would not be canceled. Finally a couple hours before the baptism, the rain stopped and the winds calmed. 

NO TYPHOON OR AILMENT CAN STOP TATAY ANDRON FROM BEING BAPTIZED! Miracles are around us everyday. As long as we have faith and it is according to the will of God, nothing is impossible. 

-Elder Cadayong