HAPPY EASTER!

 WEEK TWENTY-FOUR

Happy Easter to my beautiful family! 

We spent the week beginning each lesson with the best news and message there has ever been, that our Savior lives.   What comfort this sweet sentence gives.  What an incredible message that we have, that there is no such thing as endings in this gospel but everlasting beginnings.  What hope that brings, what encouragement, what peace, and what love.

Well, I sent home my second companion.  I will miss my dear sweet Sister Are.  It was such a fun transfer.  She taught me the importance of building strong relationships with the ward members and having them help in our work.  I learned from her the importance of getting straight to the bottom of a matter, or in other words how to be bold.  I learned from her how fun it is to talk to everyone, and to introduce our message to everyone.  She made missionary work natural and fun.  

I've spent the last two days working with Sister Verdeflor and Sister Morrell, we were considering calling up Pres. and asking him if us three could just stay together this next transfer.  I felt like I was working with my two best friends all day- I get overwhelmed thinking about how blessed I've been to have these people in my life, having these Sisters have such a large influence on my life.  They are relationships I will cherish and appreciate for forever. 

I will find out who my companion will be tomorrow.  I feel inadequate and incapable to train, but I will look forward to this new challenge :) I hope I can give the same guidance, love, and encouragement that my trainer gave me.  I think the nice thing about being called to train at this point is that I still remember exactly what it feels like to be new- and I hope and pray I can help this Sister in the transition into missionary life :)  

Tatay's baptism was supposed to be this Saturday.  However, it will have to be postponed because he wants to wait for his wife (who is working abroad) to return to be present at the baptism.  Unfortunately his wife doesn't get home until next February......... So, we'll continue teaching and working with Tatay, and wait..  Its sweet to see how important his baptism is to him that he wants his whole family present.  

We had a beautiful young woman come to church with a friend this Sunday.  She sat next to me in Relief Society and intently listened as different Sisters in the ward bore their testimony about the true, restored, church.  At the end of our gospel principles class which was about prayer.  She turned and told us that she wanted to be baptized and that she already knows that the church is true. wow.

All the promises in the Book of Mormon are true, that the Lord is preparing His children to receive the gospel.  I'm so grateful this young woman's coworker invited her to attend church with her.  I am so excited to begin teaching Naomie and help this testimony she has already found be strengthened and built upon.

This week I have felt completely overwhelmed by how evident the Lords hand is in our lives.  I know I say this a lot.. but its something that needs to be talked about.. a lot.  He is SO aware of His children.  I just sit back in awe after I experience tender mercy after tender mercy.

Sometimes its the small things.. :)like walking for two hours trying to find the home of a referral, just to get there and find them leaving.  Being exhausted and so hot, a little discouraged, when a random Jeepney appears in the middle of no where and offers to drive us free of charge to our next appointment. (the kind of blessings that just bring a big smile to your face) :)

Or when you're outside exercising with Sister Morrell and a conversation gets brought up and you end up sitting in the middle of the road talking for forty five minutes as she tells of an experience she had..  not knowing that what she experienced is exactly what you're experiencing.  Not knowing that she answered my every question and concern through her words.  

Sometimes it’s being in a recent converts home, hearing the father give a kneeling closing prayer.  And you know that this pure strong incredible love that you feel in your heart isn't coming from you alone.  

It’s amazing being a part of the Lord's work and feel His love work through you.  It is a life changing realization as you come to know just how much your Father in Heaven loves His children, including you.  I know that what President Monson testified of is full of truth, that He cares about the details of our lives.

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He loved us enough to send His Only Begotten Son, to suffer and to die for us.  That we might be able to return home to Him again.  We can overcome spiritual death and physical death because of His merciful, incredible plan.  Because of the sacrifice of the Father and the sacrifice of the Son.  On our behalf.  Their love is real and eternal.  and I hope I can share it with just about every person I come into contact with in the Philippines :) I love this gospel family.  I love it with everything I am.

Look up the Bridgemaster on youtube.

Love you always and forever,

Sister Welling