Then Sings My Soul: "Today is a Good Day for Being Pooh"

Written 1/12/14

Ang mga palangga ko! And Happy birthday to you, Sarah!! :)

How are you all doing my loved ones? This has been an interesting week, and a joyful, joyful week.......... T. GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love being a missionary.

Okay. But seriously. I have never felt so happy. I testify that there is "godly sorrow", but there is also Godly happiness, too. It makes you feel like your heart is going to burst! So much light and joy and heaven packed into your heart....That kind of happiness. Wow. It's the bestest. I'll send some pictures of the baptism. T.'s testimony after his baptism was amazing. He said he knows temptations still come to him, and always will, but he knows that because of the church and because of his "tight faith" in Christ, he is able to overcome it all. Wow, what a powerhouse. I love him!! Seeing him baptized was the MOST best. My face has been sore for days from all the smiling.

I've heard some crazy 50-degrees-below-zero stories about the states... and that 50 some odd people froze to death in New Jersey? True? You never know what to believe here... But it sounds like it's been pretty wintery in the states... And the same here! I don't know the degrees, but goodness. I broke out my CARDIGAN and SCARF yesterday for church. And I didn't sweat one drop of sweat! What is life? It's been raining here for like 3 days straight. I think the island is going to turn into a raisin. You know how your fingers get all pruney when you stay in the bath too long? Yeah, I think that's what's going to happen to all the Philippines. It's. So. Wet. Currently I'm wearing and sweater and a scarf now. I feel like a Filipina... I'm actually cold. I think it's probably somewhere around 60 degrees? Who knows. But I'm actually sleeping under my sheet nowadays :) It's the little things.

This week with Sister Person has been so good. She's so diligent, even to the very last few days of her mission! It would be so easy for her to slack, but she never does. She's an amazing teacher, and I'm learning a lot from her. I've been a little under the weather this week, but even when I was stuck in the house we arranged for member exchanges so she could go out and work. Wow! I love her. She's funny and caring and loves to laugh. She's small, but gets a lot done :) I'm so lucky. On Tuesday I'll get my new companion! Let you all know about the next victim next week ;)

This week we taught sooo much, and got a lot done, but only one RC came to church, and only one investigator. Definitely tender mercies that we had at least ONE of each at church, or I might have lost it otherwise. It's hard to work so hard the whole week and have little to show for it. Somehow, rain seems to become an acceptable excuse for missing church. Hmm. Don't pick me to be the one to tell Heavenly Father that...

Funny experience from this week: Sister and I went to visit a less active of ours a couple nights ago. He's an RM and really nice, and every time we go, he gives us Puto (these yummy little rice cupcakes). We'll call him John. Sister and I went to his house, and as we walked by, saw two drunk men sitting outside. We walked by, and continued to John's house. They told us he wasn't there, that John was sitting outside drinking. Oh, good. So we go over to where the two men were sitting.... Except now there's only one. We shined our flashlight on the man and asked him where John had went. He kept telling us he left... Except we could see him hiding behind the huge tree stump by their table. *Sigh*. Some people will go to desperate measures to hide from the missionaries. :) It's sort of fun to be so scary. Ahaha.

Love you all so much! Keep on keeping on- the work is working!

XOXOXO

Sister Luke