New Apartment

Hello family dearest,

HAPPY 17^TH BIRTHDAY BUG!!!!! What a week it has been. We moved houses!!! Yay. Thank goodness, because the old one just could not hold on any longer. The land lady at our old house was so sad though she got a chair and came and watched with sad droopy eyes as we hauled our things out the front door. She said missionaries had been there for 10 years. We felt bad but were also very excited about living in a non moldy apartment. The elders from our district came and helped us move everything and we rented a jeepney from one of the members so we could take everything over.... it took 4 or 5 trips, I think one trip was filled completely with books, mormons have a lot of books i have discovered. Of course the day we decided to move the weather also decided to pour rain. We were all soaked but it was fun! There is no rain like Filipino rain, I love it!

Old Apartment

Our new apartment is newly renovated and when I say newly I actually mean not finished all the way. They finished up today but for the past 4 days we have been crammed in one room sleeping on the floor and living out of our suitcases. Sleepovers! It was fun but we are grateful to be slowly moving out of our suitcases and putting our things back together.

 

 

Our work this week was really great we have been going over time in working with our investigators to try to help them progress and progressing they are! One of them is a middle aged mother of 6 boys. She lives in a house out in the middle of a corn field, they are the only house out there. Her husband works in the city and cant come home very often. She has been an investigator for over a year but hasn’t really been progressing, receptive to the missionaries but not so much to the keeping of commitments. We have been really trying to focus on helping her understand the doctrine and why it is important for her. We had a family home evening with their family and a recent converts family and she had such a good time. At our next lesson she promised she would come to church, she followed through on her word. She was sitting in the relief society room before we even arrived. After Sunday school we climbed the stairs together and sat down together in the chapel. I am so grateful that it was fast and testimony meeting because it was a perfect atmosphere to feel the spirit. I know that this woman was prepared and was on God’s time table to come to church yesterday. As an elderly member stood to be the first to bare his testimony our dear investigator began to weep. The tears didn’t stop falling for the remainder of the meeting. The first man to bare his testimony spoke entirely in Bikol and I am not sure what he said but I can testify that the spirit was strong. After the meeting our I leaned over to me and said she cant explain what she is feeling, it is just wonderful and good. We explained that is the spirit and it is difficult to explain but it is comfortable and almost familiar.

I testify that this is the true church. I know that the spirit talks to each of us individually. Yesterday I understood for maybe the first time in my life why we have fast and testimony meeting, because our conversion is personal and our relationship with God is individual. I am grateful for the strength that the church gives to me – we all have had experiences that are difficult to explain but that are wonderful and are good. These experiences are what define our conversion and ultimately make up who we are.

I feel so grateful to be here and be a small part in helping people remember their relationship with our Heavenly Father. We are so lucky to be members and to know of the truth that is on earth once again. The miles and miles of rice fields, the climbing dirt roads, the small bamboo houses, teaching lessons around burning fires or candles held by empty food cans and constantly being amazed by the miracles of my heavenly father are becoming a part of me and my conversion to His gospel.

Hope you have a wonderful week! Good luck with the farewell.... send me a copy of your talks! I love you and miss you but could not be more proud that you two are joining the army. It is the best job in the world.

Love from the Pines,

Sister Meish