Family!!!!
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| Me, Sister Conching & Sister K |
Oh
my goodness Christmas is here. How did it come so fast!! I can't wait to
see all of your beautiful faces this week. I have lots to tell you.
This has been an INCREDIBLE week and I couldn't ask for anything more for
Christmas. It was a very very white Christmas. I am so happy.
So
something that I forgot to tell you last week is that we had zone p-day and I
can't believe I did this but we played the game where there are a bunch of eggs
and some are boiled and some are raw and you all smash it on your foreheads at
the same time. Haha well.... I TOTALLY THOUGHT mine was cooked. But
nope. Completely raw. I totally smashed an egg on my head and it
was absolutely disgusting. But I sent a pretty good picture that captured
my reaction.
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| Me & Sister Conching |
So
maybe I will start with the very best and most beautiful miracle of the
week. So it starts with the Barcenas family, and my beloved Conching
Baluyot. So the Barcenas family have been anxiously awaiting their
baptism and were so excited. Especially brother, because he has been
waiting for about 10 or 15 years, and everyone at his job always assumes that
he is a member. So he couldn't wait to be "legit." Sister
Conching was filled with a light all week waiting. She was so prepared. As
we were teaching her more about the gift of the Holy Ghost, we touched on gifts
of the spirit, one of which being gift of tongues. She told us that while
she was interviewed by President Mangum, normally she struggles understanding
English. But she had such a peace while in the interview and she said she
understood absolutely every word. She also felt divine help as she was
responding back to him in English. She bore testimony that it wasn't
herself, but the Holy Ghost guiding her. It was a great experience for
her.
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| Me, The Barcenas Family & Sister K |
The
baptism was on Saturday and was absolutely beautiful. We
passed out invitations all week and tried to do everything we could to
coordinate with our WML and other members to make it really special. When
we pulled up, there were tons of members there and all 5 of those getting
baptized were already dressed and ready. They truly looked like
angels. There were lots of members there and Conching's daughter-in-law
who is not a member (and is a little bit anti-mormon came for moral
support). The members made all of this food and programs for
everyone.
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| Sister K, Sister, Me, Elder Galbraith, Sister Galbraith (mission nurse), Sister Brown, Sister, & President Mangum |
(Maybe this sounds like a normal
thing back in the good old state of
Utah, but this is extremely rare here
in the Philippines). Sister K and I sang a duet, the baptisms went
perfectly smooth, and then we were guided by the spirit during the workshop we
gave about the temple. President Mangum and his wife, Elder and
Sister Galbraith, and Elder and Sister Moran were all there.
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| Sister Kekauaha, Sister Brown, & Me |
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| Me, Sister Conching, & Sister K |
Not
only that, but even though we had to go on exchanges this week and missed a few
days in our area, we were still able to miraculously hit all of our
goals. It was just a testimony to me that if you put everyone else but
yourself first, especially God, you are blessed two-fold.
We
found a new family that has great potential. The Sikat family (Sikat in
Tagalog means famous). Brother has worked for President Garcia (stake
president) for a long time now and has come to church the past 3 weeks by
himself. He is super super interested and said that during the fast and
testimony meeting he couldn't stop crying during the testimonies haha.
His wife on the other hand will take some work, faith, and prayers but I really
have a feeling this family will be baptized. Haha during the lesson, I
did have a hard time concentrating at the point when his wife (who is quite
large) took off her bra in the middle of the lesson and was playing with it the
rest of the time. Hahahhaha different culture. But this family is
basically the same story as the Barcenas. Brother and his son came to
church again last Sunday. I'll follow up with you more next week:)
Brother
Pamilacan, a long-time investigator, who knows it is true but just struggles
with alcohol also had a change of faith... accepted his baptismal date
for January 24th and committed to never drink again. He says
that he is sick of his weaknesses and wants to give this to Christ for
Christmas. He wants to get baptized so his family can be sealed in the
temple. Another miracle and the result of many missionary's prayers.
I
also hit my one year mark on Thursday. Surreal! I am sad but
motivated to make every day count. But Sister K was so sweet and
decorated my desk and wrote me this really nice note. Later that night,
we took a member with us and got pizza and yema cake (probably one of the best
things I have eaten in my life... grabe naman). It was a really nice day
and I am grateful to be with Sister K at this point in my mission. I feel
like this is the climax of my journey. I feel like I have learned and
changed so much, I have the language at a good place (but always want to keep
learning), and I feel I know my purpose. I am sad to only have 6 short
months ahead but will do everything I can to make the best.
I
love all of you so much. Thank you for your support and love.
Merry
Christmas to all of you!!!
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| Me & Sister Kekauaha |
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| Sister K & Me |
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| The Zone |
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