Then Sings My Soul: My New Best Friend

Written 10/26/14

I'm doing away with greetings at the beginning of my emails. I'm just not clever enough each week to think of a new one.

Happy Halloween! They don't have Halloween here. But it's one of my favorite holidays. They DO have a holiday called Kalag Kalag on November 1 and 2, which is basically all the Filipinos gathering in their cemeteries to eat on the graves of their loved ones. We get to go to the graveyards this week and proselyte while everyone is doing Catholic prayers, so this should be pretty fun. :) Weird to think I was new here in the Pines with Sister Fitzgerald this time, last year.

Happy Birthday to Laila, Dad, and Krista! In ilonggo they don't have a way of saying happy birthday. They just use English. Kind of disappointing, right?

I'd like you all to meet my next door neighbor, my new best friend- in the first picture attached to this email. Don't worry mom, when I took this he had just finished eating a live duck, so it was very safe. :)

This week we had Zone Conference in Sipalay and it was amazing. Bacolod Mission baptized 590 souls in the month of September. Is the work hastening or what?? Seriously. I was astounded. I feel like Edna from the Incredibles: "Fight! WIN!" complete with the crazy eyes and fist pumps. That's totally what it feels like to invite people to be baptized every day.

Our mission is working on submitting pedigree charts for all our recent converts in the branches and wards here, and I've really enjoyed it, even though it's crazy and chaos to try and get people to remember dates, names and places. It's so fun to see them run into their house, search for marriage certificates, birth certificates, pictures and the like as they look for their ancestors dates and names. It really brings a great spirit and unifies the families we've taught. They start to discuss old memories and get excited about doing work for the dead. Except in our recent convert's house... R. (about 20 years old) was helping us fill out his pedigree chart, but he couldn't remember too many details. He kept returning into his house to ask his mom names, dates, etc, and apparently she was a little exasperated with his endless questions. It went like this: we'd send him inside to get a birthdate, hear the ensuing shouts from his mom, R. would come out, tell us the answer, and reluctantly head back in with more questions. Ahaha. Louder shouts would follow. This escalated until all their family records were committed into our hands and the mom told us to leave her in peace. Ahaha. What a rousing Spirit of Elijah.

We've had an investigator named M. who has come to church for the past two weeks. She's been taught for a couple months but only now have we seen major signs of progression. She told us she knows now that Sunday is a holy day, and will never work on Sunday again so she can go to church. She's working towards baptism in November, and told us in a lesson "I just want to know everything about your church so I can be a part of it." She loves Gospel Principles class and is always early for church. She stops her work anytime we pass by so we can teach her, and in our lesson yesterday about the Word of Wisdom, she told us she will stop drinking coffee, no questions asked. She is wonderful! She even invites our less active members to go with her to church.

We had a really nice experience this week with an investigator named P. referred by a member a couple months ago. The past month we've tried to visit we've found no one home, but this time was different. We were in a tricycle on our way to that area where she lives, and instead of stopping by her house first, just happened to go past her house and visit a less active instead. We stopped by some other appointments in that area, and then finally decided to head back down towards P.'s house. As we got there, we found some opportunity to give service, and it was a good way to introduce ourselves, as we hadn't previously met her. Just as we started the lesson, the member who originally gave the referral, Maricel, showed up randomly at the house. She told us she was washing clothes and suddenly felt the need to go faster so she could come visit Sister P. She arrived at the perfect time and gave a beautiful testimony of the power of prayer and the Book of Mormon. I have no doubt the Spirit knew where she needed to be, and I'm so grateful she was listening and worthy to receive the promptings of the Spirit.

We worked our tails off this week to reach our goals and saw so many miracles every day. On Sunday, we had 7 investigators at church, and even Sister R. came. We lost contact with her for about a week but started teaching her again and she stayed for all 3 hours of church with her kids and seemed to really enjoy it. My planner is now full of purple marker, compliments of her 5 year old daughter J. :) That's the real purpose of missionary planners.. To keep the small children entertained while we teach the parents.

Last of all, I had an epiphany this week I'd like to share with all of you.

Gratitude is the antidote for comparison.

Lately I've become more fully aware of how awesome my life is. How many amazing people are in my life right now and what they have done for me and being here in the mission with the everyday miracles that are happening... How can I not be grateful? And I've realized in the journey to be full of gratitude, I've thought a lot less about myself and how I compare to others. I can overcome comparison because I'm focusing on what the Lord has done for me, instead of focusing on what I see that might be missing. Think about it... Comparisons, thinking "Man, I'm not as beautiful or talented or patient or [insert personal concern here] as so-and-so" is just another way of disregarding completely the things the Lord HAS blessed us with. How ungrateful and prideful of us. But this past month I've really felt the healing power of gratitude.

That seems to be about all, folks. The work is working. If this isn't hastening, I don't know what is. You better join quick, or you'll get left behind like the pooper-scoopers in the 4th of July parade.

Love you!

Sister Luke