Maayong hapon sa inyo tanan :)) This was a really amazing week -- we saw lots of miracles and really saw the Lord's hand in helping our RC's and investigators come nearer to Him. I'll just get right to it:
Update: I'm completely recovered from whatever sickness I got last week, but apparently I gave it to two other missionaries in my district. Whoops! Those handshakes will get ya. I was happy to help them know what medicines would help and what they should do when they felt a certain sickness.
Teaching this week was just fun. There's this family we're teaching and we just love them and going over to teach them and they love us too. They always give us snacks and juice and the mom makes everyone in the family come into their small living space to listen to us. They're progressing really slowly, but progressing. They tell all their friends that come over that they're planning on joining the church so we've figured that's a good sign. We have FHE with them tomorrow with the Elders and we're excited to spend some time with them since the dad will be able to come too (he usually has work and isn't there during the day). Should be fun!
Ernesto and Ahmed were baptized this week and it was just a really awesome experience. We've really seen the blessings from the missionary trainings we've received from the First Presidency about investigators for those two. The First Presidency has really been focusing on repentance and how it's the center of all of our teachings and they were the first ones we tried a new angle on teaching with trying to center all the lessons on the aspect of repentance. Seriously we saw the great effect it had on them as people as they began to keep commitments and make big changes in their lives. They haven't smoked in over a month and come to church extra early so they make sure they'll partake of the sacrament. It's just been such a blessing to see how Heavenly Father has changed their lives into lives that love Him and are willing to follow Him and we're excited to see how they grow in the church!
Conference was on Saturday and Sunday (we get it a week later than you guys) and it was super amazing. Loved the talks about missionary work, especially the member of the Seventy who was a convert and his change of heart to join the church. Elmer and Raniel really liked that talk too and really enjoyed all of conference. I was actually reeeaally impressed with how much they understood because seriously I've known these guys for three months and they really cannot understand English on TV or when I speak but they really understood the messages given in conference. It's called the Spirit!! It's so real and has really helped build their testimonies. I really enjoyed the talk from Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a line he said really stuck to me. I'm just paraphrasing, but it was something like Heavenly Father doesn't want us to just change our behavior, but our nature. This life isn't an accumulation of the rights and wrongs we've done but it's more of who we've become through Christ's sacrifice and love.
Anyways, thank you all for your love and support! I really do feel it and am grateful for my opportunity to be here. I love the Philippines :)
Sister Pope
1) a couple kids swimming in the ocean near an investigators house. They LOVED that I was taking pictures of them haha
2) We just walked by this, it was drawn onto the side of a house and I thought it was cute
3) These are the people Sister Ducado and I taught in Bacolod 2nd!!! They came to General Conference and were so reverent. It was so good to see them again! Love the Basketball Boys
4) Ernesto and Ahmed :) not sure if I ever explained but Ernesto is Ahmed's uncle so it was a cute family moment at their baptism. Ernesto takes really good care of Ahmed and we're so proud of the example he's become for Ahmed and his other neices and nephews
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