Tuesday we had MLC, and that was so good. We ate salsa and chips... I about cried with excitement hahaha. I miss Mexican food. I really thought with all the Spanish influence here I would eat more burritos, or tacos... nope, but its okay.. rice all day everyday (:
Wednesday we had exchanges in Pili, and I was with Sister Ghori again (she use to be in Naga and we were together last exchanges). She is from Pakistan and we came to the Philippines on the same day so we are "batch", (that's what it is called here). We had 2 members work with us, and we went to one of their really far areas. It was a good day. There is one family there, the wife is a member and the husband comes to church but isn't a member yet... he is a little hard headed.. but I love teaching him. I have gotten a lot bolder in the past few months haha. We got him to pray and challenged him to doubt his doubts, not his faith, and really truly pray to know if the church is true. He did at the end of the lesson, and the Spirit was so strong!
Thursday we met this woman who said she use to go to church in Iriga sometimes with members there, and we have been teaching their whole family lives right in the same lot. The daughter, Roseanne came to church yesterday (: She is so cute! We are having FHE there later tonight so I am excited to keep teaching them the gospel.
We have been having a really hard time getting people to accept baptismal invitations, as in every one! But we are doing our best and trying to be positive no matter what.. (I may or may not have started sobbing when a use-to-be progressing investigator hid from us yesterday.... haha but the Lord keeps leading us to others, it may just not be their time ).
We also have this Nanay that calls us her daughters, and kisses my cheek every time she sees us. She sleeps on her table she sells stuff on in the palengke (market place). She is so sweet and we were able to teach her how to pray this week. She did, and it was so sincere!
Friday, Junabelle, one of the Elders investigators was baptized so we helped out. She is 15, and the only member, but her testimony is so strong. She started coming with a recent convert who lives by her. The font water was literally green, so we emptied it, and tried again..... light green haha. We do what we can (:
That night we for some reason stopped by an investigators that sells food at night, and I normally just say |okay next time... we'll come back another day", but we sat down, the Nanay gave us some food, and not too long after 3 men who were working near there stopped by. The one said his family is being taught by missionaries in Daet (up north), the other was had been drinking, so I gave him a word of wisdom pamphlet (:,hehehe and the other one started asking us about tithing. The one who asked about tithing, Victor, we ended up teaching, and I felt prompted to give him a Book of Mormon, telling him it would change his life... He seriously got so happy and started telling us how he needs to change, and he feels he is drowning in trials/sins, etc.... He prayed before we left, and it was amazingly heartfelt, and sincere. I know the Lord placed us there at the time He needed us to be there. We felt weird when we sat down, and started eating snacks... not like both of us to do that hahaha.
Another lesson on Saturday... was a little long, but we taught all of the Restoration to a Brother who was referred to us from another investigator. He used to want to be a preacher and is very well versed in the Bible, in the House of Israel... things I am not always well versed in. One thing I have noticed though is I really don't fear lessons like this anymore even if they have more knowledge then me, because I know the simple basic truths. I always want to study more, but I am not converted to the Gospel because I have verses memorized, but because I have FELT it is true through the Holy Ghost. We cannot be truly converted on knowledge alone. It is important, but not what really converts us. He told us he will read the Book of Mormon and that he believes in Joseph Smith. I am excited to continue to teach him. He said this is the fourth church he has investigated... he has found the one (:
Sunday, I learned a lot. I learned that everyone has challenges far worse then me, and I need to stop crying when someone hides from us. In the morning we taught an investigator we met last week, and that came to church, but he doesn't remember coming to church....... He was in an accident and has some sort of memory loss and is saving up money for a catscans. He remembers us, but really does not remember where our church is, or that he went there. We have a challenge there..... we will have to figure out what we can do about that. Then we were punted after church, and it is Holy Week here so there were mobs of people walking around with a float of Christ carrying a cross, kind of like a parade that everyone just joins in, so working will be a little tough this week... but we will find those who we need to. We found people last night though! Their challenges: the one woman's family's house burned down with them all inside of it and her sister saw it happen from outside and is having a hard time coping after years, another woman's husband left her 7 months pregnant with 3 little children for another woman down the street.... So I have no room to complain. I seriously realized so much last night that we each have individual trials, we cannot compare, but we must realize many people have it far worse than us at times. I know the Lord visits us in our trials. I saw these to amazingly strong women doing all they could to support their family, despite the hard things they have/are going through.
I know the Lord is there for us. I know He knows each one of our circumstances. No one can truly know what we are feeling, but Him, so we MUST turn to Him. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
He will guide us, if we put our trust in Him (: I love all of you! Have a good week! xoxoxo
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