This week I met Aragog's pregnant wife. Pictures attached. Sister and I agonized a full half hour before achieving his murder. He was right next to my bed. The Lord loves those whom He tests...
This week a child was following his older sister in what he should say in his prayer... We ended up with this: "Bendision mo ang mga Sisters sa.... Ano? Sa pagpabunyag... uh, sa pagpanglupot nila...." Which eloquently translates to "Bless the Sisters in their.. what? In their baptism.. Um, I mean, in their diarrhea.." Ahaha. Bless us in all that.
We went to teach a recent convert at his house on Saturday and to our shock and dismay found his drunk, 60 year old father in a pair of very brief briefs, standing right in front of us talking as if there was nothing amiss.... To quote Mulan, "I never want to see a naked man again."
This week we have seen the hand of the Lord. I have no question that He directs this work because of the tender mercies and small miracles we see every day. I know I say this all the time, but God is so in charge. Lots of "right place, right time" experiences this week. This work is picking up speed and the members can feel it. We had 3 members this week come up to us out of the blue and say, “Sisters, we have a referral for you!”
We helped Sister De Asis (a member) talk to her referral, Sister V., a young mother with 6 kids. V. had her latest baby 2 weeks ago, and hours after she gave birth, went right back to washing clothes so they could have rice to eat that night. She is tirelessly hard working, and receptive to the gospel. Sister De Asis was so bold in sharing her testimony and in inviting Sister V. to church. I love the members here so much. It’s inspiring to see their desire to share what has blessed their lives.
I was delving into the old area book in our apartment and found the teaching record of our Recent Convert, Sister B. She almost completely rejected the missionaries before, only grudgingly accepted the commitments the missionaries offered, and she never kept them. She hid from the Elders and never came to church. I compared it to the B. I know now, and I have no doubt in the power of the Spirit. Right now, B. can’t wait for us to visit each night, and we often come to her house and find her reading. She even read to her husband and his friends while they drank, reading in Jacob about what will happen to the sinners. Ahaha. So brave, and unapologetic about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
C. is so ready to be baptized, but she told us her husband won’t be home until November 5, and he wants to be baptized with her. So she's on hold for a sec. But still progressing.
We had 5 of our investigators at church. We were excited to see them exercising their faith, especially our 50 year old investigator M. who specifically got work off to come to church. R. got sick Saturday night and wasn’t able to attend… meaning we had to change his date in November, but he’s completely quit smoking and is reading the Book of Mormon every day.
Something I've especially noticed and felt this week is expressed well in a quote from President Uchtdorf from the General Women's meeting:
"You are loved. You are dear to your heavenly parents. The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you.Yes, God loves you this very day and always. He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.
"And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them.He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens—even when you are struggling with your own.
He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly—He knows you as you really are. And He loves you—today and always!"
Hope you've all had a wonderful week. I have. I testify that God's love is there for us when we fail, when we fall, when we are weak, and even when we are forgetful. His love doesn't excuse us of repentance, but on the contrary, it motivates us to do everything we can to be able to feel that love eternally when we return to live in His presence. I know the true miracle of the Atonement is not only that we can live eternally with God, but that we can live comfortably in the presence of our Creator. Because we have been washed clean in the blood of the Holy One of Israel. Aubree shared a couple weeks ago a quote from Elder Scott- that we must remember always that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than he does rebellion. "Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will always bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy."
Let's not be too hard on ourselves. Let us give all our effort to living the gospel and trust in the grace of God to make up the difference.
Love, Sister Luke
1. Aragog's Mrs.
2. Fun in the sun.
3. It's Fall here too!
4. Glorious rice fields. Green is my favorite color.
5. This is not a drill. Real bird.
6. Crystal clear.
7. Not filipino candy like I thought. Frog eggs.
8. Beauty queens.
9. For Fun...
