"Everyday is Hilarious out here"

WEEK TWENTY-ONE

Jenna loves the children!  This is one of my favorite pictures:))

Hello to my dear sweet wonderful family,

I loved the pictures I received from your vacation and I hope you're all enjoying yourselves!

I have to tell you it is the strangest thing to hear about snow............ remind me what snow is?

As for me here in the Philippines it is summer now. It makes for beautiful days. The sky is so blue, like the blue in the kids painting set- that blue.. the weather is the perfect weather for being in the swimming pool. But don't worry if you can't make it to the swimming pool you will still get to feel like you're in the pool :) oh baby its hot hot hot. 

On Wednesday morning this week our appointment fell through and so we spent an hour talking to everyone we could.   I sat on a bridge with green tropical trees surrounding me and gave a Nanay a pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation after learning about recent deaths in her family.  I told her of our Father in Heavens plan for her personally.  I told her that she would be able to see her husband and eldest son again.  

Elder Packer made a promise that as we talk to people and get to know them we can find a gospel truth that applies to their situation in life immediately in which we can testify about. Its been an amazing thing seeing this promise in action.  THIS GOSPEL IS SO GOOD

Everyday is hilarious out here.  My comp sometimes has a hard time understanding english and I sometimes have a hard time understanding tagalog. Oh fam.. I wish you knew how many things get lost in translation.. it gives us something to laugh about on a constant basis. 

We taught a lesson on the top of a mountain this week. Whenever we teach outside and I'm surrounded by nature- Gods breathtaking creations- I feel the spirit intensified.  So as I sat on a little tree stump and watched closely the Borja family to discern their needs.. I felt the spirit work through me and my companion.  It was our first lesson with them, they seemed soo excited about our message and attending church.  Brother asked over and over where and when church was- he even wrote it down..

turns out he didn't make it yesterday and so we'll pray next week :)

In PMG I was reading about Humility- which includes "gratitude for His divine help".  I feel His divine help bawat araw.  I have been striving to have a grateful heart at all times- even with the things that it is harder to be grateful for.   I'm grateful that the language is coming slower for me... its made me learn how to rely 110% on the Lord- on the Spirit.  Its made me realize I really can't do my work without His "divine help".    When I have His help, His spirit, if they don't understand each word they can feel of His spirit.  I'm learning to rely wholly on Him and how to work for the spirit.  I love the way the Lord goes about fulfilling His purposes.  He is teaching me so much through this struggle.  Its the coolest thing, and I wish I could more adequately explain all these realizations I've had.

But.. I'm just grateful for the Lords divine help in each aspect of my life. 

There is this song apparently "look up" so everyone in the Philippines do this for all their pics.. hahaha 

Mary Gold, sweet Mary Gold told us in our lesson this week that she wants to serve a mission! and so we will be helping her prepare and by this time next year hopefully she will be Sister Montejo :) I want nothing more for her.. I know that a mission will deepen and strengthen her testimony and conversion.  I look up to Gold so much.

Sister Are always says after lessons how crazy it is that I can always understand almost everything that the investigators say.  Its so cool..in the lesson settings I can always understand all Tagalog..

So, two nights ago I spent a good twenty minutes in the bathroom scrubbing, and I mean scrubbing my body with soap- and then as I was writing in my journal in bed I noticed that my feet were still dirty.  I have a feeling the dirt on my body might be permanent for the next eighteen months-- momma how do you feel about this? :)

Team. I really pray my body will hold out my entire mission.  I get home and I wonder how a body could be so tired.  It feels so good.  Every night I feel utterly exhausted and utterly content and happy.  

This morning sister Are said something to me in English, I couldn't understand her and so she repeated it- in Tagalog- and then I responded. weird.

We took Tatay Reynaldo to a baptism and so he could experience one before his own.  It turns out he took the whole "baptism will make you clean" rather literally..when the little girl got in the baptismal font he turned to me and asked where all the soap and shampoo was... oh Tatay.. ha

We were able to have interviews with President this week.  My mission President is one of the best men I know.  He is so easy to talk to and its so nice to have some kind of father figure out here.  He is just so sweet- so sweet.  I'm so grateful I get to learn from him.

Well my dear family this gospel is true.  I know this to be true with all of my heart.  I always anticipate bearing my testimony in lessons.  Its all I want to do.  Because this testimony continues to be strengthened each day and I just feel like I have to share it.  I'm so grateful for it.  This time we have is so precious.  This time to prepare ourselves for the eternities.  Through living the gospel we will reach our divine potential, something thats blessings last for forever, for all time.  Each decision matters.

I love you I love you.

Love Always, 

Sister Welling

"all these kids come SPRINTING at me when they see me (sometimes its a little frightening :)) but they love saying "up top tayo" which means high fives for everyone :) they're so cute.."