I Will Be Leaving My Beloved TayTay!

WEEK THIRTY

Hello to my dear family

I have so much to say and so little time and I hardly know where to begin.

Transfers.. I will be leaving my beloved Taytay.  For some reason I had convinced myself I would be staying one more transfer but instead I will be transferred to the city.  I will be follow up training the sweetest sister from Singapore. Fun connection she remembers Elder Frey serving in her ward- the really really tall Elder.

I will also be living with Sister Passey and I have heard great things about the ward.  I’m heart broken to be leaving all of the people here in Taytay.. especially our investigators and recent converts.. but I’m excited to meet even more  so much change coming.

Last night we spent the night in the Penas home with Sister Morrell and Sister Franks.  We held a Family Home Evening and encouraged the sweet family to do missionary work and they wrote down referrals for us.  After the lesson we held a competition Sister Dimacuta and I against the other Sisters. I hadn’t laughed so hard in long time 

But the losers had to eat balut…

And the winners too…

Masarap talaga.. hahaha oh how I wish you could have seen Sis Morrell and I taking that thing on like it was nobodies business. Lets sign me up for fear factor

A  mouse crawled up on me while I was giving a lesson this week. did I scream? did I react? did it even phase me? Nope I just kept on teaching… the Philippines is changing me....

hahahaha :)

Mission Tour this week. Was incredible.  Elder Echo Hawk and Elder Christensen along with their wives and our Mission President and his wife spoke to us.  It was one of the best meetings I have ever attended in my life.

Elder Christian who is in the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy stood before all of us Quezon City missionaries and testified that we’re not just apart of the Work of Salvation but that we ARE the Work of Salvation.  He testified that the age change wasn’t only to help more individuals come unto the gospel but that it was for us missionaries, for the Sisters and the Elders to strengthen their conversion in the gospel.  To return and have celestial marriages and raise a family founded on the gospel principles.  They talked a lot about preparing now for after the mission; preparing now to begin our families.  He spoke of it all so eloquently and I wish I had my notes with me to do it justice.

They spoke a lot about the role of the Holy Ghost as well.  Elder Christensen got out a white board and drew a graph.  He drew a line at zero and then a straight line across half way up the graph.  He compared it to two people.  One person who had never felt the spirit and the other was one who feels it at a constant level never heightening never withdrawing. He went further to explain that both the person who was experiencing the spirit and the individual who had never experienced the spirit were experiencing the same thing because when its constant you can not decipher when it is there or not.

As a missionary, I assumed, there would be a constant high of the spirit.  That’s not the case.  And I loved that Elder Christensen explained that its not supposed to be that way the spirit teaches us often just as much by withdrawing than by heightening.  But that the withdrawing is necessary for the growth.  Ah its all so good.  The church is good, and I just know it is true with all of my heart

I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Naomie’s baptism was perfect.  I’m convinced that people just look better in white.. She was literally glowing. And the spirit was powerful, and just so sweet.  We had  a crazy rainstorm and so it was rather difficult for the baptizer..the speakers.. and Naomie to get to the chapel.  I was worried the baptism would not actually happen.. but it did, just an hour and a half late 

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I was just sitting in Sacrament meeting enjoying listening to the testimonies being born.. I looked to my right to see two foreigners.. a man and a woman…. And I was rather confused.  It didn’t take me long to realize that this man and woman were reall.. realll.. familiar to me.  None other than my second mother and father.  It was the most surreal, odd, and wonderful thing that has happened to me on my mission thus far.  I sure needed that hug from Barb. And it took everything in me not to just hug Kent as well.  I loved being able to talk with them for a short time, for them to meet some of our members and especially when they were able to attend the baptism.  I wanted to just tell them everything about each person and tell them of every experience.  But I was lucky enough to get a few moments.  I love them. Felt like home J It just made me want each person I love to come and experience the Philippines and meet these people I care about so much, listen to their language, and learn of their stories.

Wow.. life is so good.

This transfer was the most difficult for me and the most rewarding. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing.  I learned soooooooo much.

When I was sick Elder Brewer gave me a blessing.  He said in the blessing that I would find strength and peace from reading my scriptures.  My Book of Mormon has become my most prized possession.  I have seen the words from his blessing manifest in my life.  Reading my book of mormon and the Bible has become my sense of refuge.  I have received over and over the answers and the peace I was seeking through reading those pages. The words and stories have become apart of me.  I know the book of Mormon is true.  I know that it changes lives.  I know that it blesses lives.  I know that our Father in Heaven speaks through us through the pages of that sacred book. 

I know it is true. With all of my heart.

I love this gospel family.. and I sure love you…

In my thoughts and prayers always

Love always,

Sister Welling