This week was fantastic! This week I learned a valuable lesson about loving those around you. I have always like those around me, and I've always gotten along with everyone. I consider it a blessing from the Lord that I am able to get along with everyone. But I"ve learned this last week there is a difference between liking everyone, and having a love for them. At our DDM, one of the Elders in my batch taught me through one of his comments, that we need to love our investigators. That really hit me. I have loved working as a missionary this whole time. But I realized I haven't been loving, having a real love, for the people I am serving. I started to pray for a love for all the people are teaching. I'm always amazed at how much the Lord answers our prayers, and especially when we pray for other's well beings. I prayed to have a love for the people we are teaching. It came. Of course I have had to remind myself to love them as it is not yet a habit for me to immediately love each person, but it will become a habit and I'm excited for when that will happen! But when I love a person, I try to look at them as Christ sees them-I'm amazed at how much more vision I have. When I look at a person and think to myself to look at them as if were Christ looking at them, I can see so much more. I look at them and have an immediate desire for their happiness, their well being, for them to not have a hard life, and most importantly I want them to have the true happiness that comes from living the gospel and being able to return to our Heavenly Father. I truly have a desire for them to be baptized because I know it is the first step to returning to our Heavenly Father and I know it will make them happy! And it all comes from looking at them as Christ would, and loving them. I truly am so amazed at how much loving a person makes a difference. Also I'm sorry if what I just said sounded like rambling. I am just so excited for this new realization I'm trying to get it all out at once. I love these people and I desire their well being so so so badly. The vision of Christ will help me work harder, and have more faith in the work. With faith and love, all things are possible. Nothing is impossible to the Lord. He wants so much for all His children to return to Him, meaning H will provide the way for them to get there and I have the great chance to be an instrument in his Hands! Wow our Heavenly Father is so great right!? Man I am blessed!
I had so many great experiences this week! One of which was on Tuesday when we went to the hospital because one of our investigators asked us to visit her there as she was visiting her Nanay there. We went and it was a good experience. We were able to share a message of hope, and by the end of the lesson, because of the Holy Ghost, Nanay was able to smile! She was so sad when we first walked in, and we were so happy to see her smile by the time we left! We also had the chance to say hello and give pass along card to all the people in the room with Nanay. It was great! And it was an evidence later in the week of how the Lord works in mysterious ways. So on Sunday, we got a referral from a member. Then on Tuesday we texted the referral to see if we could visit him on Friday. Then we went to the hospital and met people and gave them pass along cards. Then on Wednesday the referral (Randy) texted us back and we set up a time. Friday we went to visit and meet Randy, and we had met him at the hospital! His girlfriend's (Liberty) family was visiting her Tatay in the hospital for some sickness he had, and we met them all on Tuesday! Then Friday, we met and had an AMAZING lesson with Randy and Liberty! It was so great! They are so prepared to hear the gospel and we pray soooo much they will progress, gain a testimony, be baptized and continue to live the gospel throughout their lives. Ah man we pray they truly are ready to accept the gospel this time in their lives! It was a great experience!
Okay so the hospital was a great experience-also a great culture shock. I sincerely pray that I will never have to go to the hospital while I am here in the Philippines. Ha ha oh boy. I have no right whatsoever to complain about hospitals in the USA. I've been blessed never to really have to go there before, but if I ever do have to go there, I have no room to complain after visiting the hospital here. It's hard to explain ha ha sorry. As we were in the hospital I kept trying to think of how President Monson would bring so much joy to everyone who saw him if he were to walk the halls of the hospital and I just tried to act like he would. Ha ha President Monson is so great. Speaking of hospitals and what not, I've been sick this last week! Ehh not fun. Just a cold, but yuck, it's nasty still. Also ha ha I made a dumb decision. I took Nyquil the same day I was fasting-bad choice. It was an out of body experience. Ha ha my mind was fine, but my body all morning my body was so weird ha ha it was funny to me.
Okay this letter is really long-sorry! And now for pictures!
FHE last week!
The little kids here are ADORABLE!
We had a Zone CSP last week painting a school. School starts this next week for everyone so we painted the school in preparation for it to begin! School buildings here are similar and yet different. I should have taken more pictures as we are a family of teachers eh? Sorry. Anyway, each room is big with a lot of desks inside, one big chalkboard at the front, and the windows are all open for the light. Um ya, ha ha bad description sorry. I'll try to take a picture of a school in the future for you.
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