Okay. So much happened this week so hopefully my fingers are fast enough to type everything. Hold on to your hats, folks.
I thought the Philippines was going to turn into a raisin this week for all the rain. The storm was pretty good, over the course of like 3 days. I think it's name was Ompong? Anyway. We experienced flooding in Sipalay for Zone Training on Thursday and I've got some sweet pictures to show you that. We waded through floods on the streets up to our knees. Sweet. On our bus ride home, only 10 minutes from Inayauan our bus was stopped because of a huge tree that fell in the middle of the highway and had to wait till everyone got their machetes and started hacking away. #FilipinoProbs
Also, I have to share an experience out of my pride. On Friday, the rain was still going strong, and the rice field going to our investigators house was flooded. But we had to teach this investigator. So. I, Sister Luke, tromped through a flooded rice field full of huge, swimming spiders, to get to our investigator, in the pouring rain, sopping wet and trying not to scream in horror. Ahaha. I can do hard things. And I had to laugh.
An investigator rejected our baptismal invitation this week on account of her birth certificate having "Catholic" printed on it. Ahaha.
This week was a lot of tender mercies. We went back to a young mother, Sister R., who we've felt prompted to visit again, but hadn't been able to recontact yet. We met her a couple weeks ago when she sat in a lesson with our investigator, Sister Ch., but hadn't been able to teach her since. But on Wednesday, we went back and taught her, and she was golden. SO receptive of the message and seemed to really be feeling the Spirit. We extended a baptismal date to her this week for November 15 and she sat in silence thinking about 5 seconds, and then looked at us and said, "Yes." Her husband is supportive of it too. Even just after our first lesson with her, she said, "Can you come back on Friday at 2 so you can meet my husband and teach him, too?"
We found out from Sister C. this past week that her husband wants to watch her baptism, and that he wants to be baptized too! Which obviously is sweet. But the only problem is that he isn't sure WHEN he'll be home this month, because he's working in Baguio right now... so she isn't sure about October 25. We're praying really hard for her baptism to go through on the 25th. She could use your prayers!
R. didn't come to church yesterday because he went up the mountain to his family, but he's doing really well with Word of Wisdom. And we were excited on Sunday when Ch. came to the second session of conference even though she was sick.
I was inspired this week by B., our new recent convert (C.'s mother) and R.O. her sister (also a recent convert) came to 3 sessions of conference. 3. That's sort of unheard of here in the Pines unless you're the Branch President or the missionaries. I was touched by their faithfulness, coming to watch 3 sessions when they can understand like 5 words in English. But she was so determined to see the living prophet, and shared with us that she felt he was true. We saw miracles this week with B.'s husband, who normally refuses to listen to us, but when we brought out a pedigree chart for B., he sat and listened and even asked questions through the whole lesson. The Spirit of Elijah is real!
My favorites from conference were Elder Klebigat, Lynn G Robbins, Elder Holland, Bednar and Uchtdorf, and Elder Carlos A Godoy. So much goodness from General Conference.
Well, like the scriptures, I can't contain a hundreth of the happenings and doings of my week in one email, but hopefully you get a picture.
Apply all this goodness from general conference, peeps. What's the point if we are only "hearers" of the word, and not "doers" as James says? President said in his email today,
"We had a wonderful feasting on the words of our living prophets this weekend! It should have strengthened you to become a more powerful and dedicated servant of the Lord. Change in your missionary behavior and proselyting skills must meaningfully improve. Or else the Savior’s words would describe us: “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” "
What wisdom. We live in the latter days where the Lord is not silent! He lives! He speaks! To all of us individually, and to us collectively through our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, whom I sustain and love, with all my heart.
Happy Birthday to Spencer, in one week!
Mischief managed. For this week.
Yours,
Sister Luke
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