Week 37 - 10/14/2013

Family, this week was wonderful! Not too much craziness so I can talk a little bit more about the spiritual stuff. Oh and I'm staying with Sister Estes! Yay! Which is good cause I don't know the area very well and we just work so well together. Our strength is for sure that we both know we have a long way to go (far from perfect) so we set goals everyday and help each other become the best people/missionaries we can be! Cool experience- we taught our investigators Aneliza (12) and Mary Ann (10) who are getting baptized on October 26. Aneliza's parents are returning members who were inactive for years but they are so strong and their faith just astounds me. Anyway, we asked them this week why they wanted to get baptized and they said, "So I can be member of the true church and go on a mission." It was like the single cutest thing ever said! And they are basically the best investigators ever! Her dad(grandpa) reads the book of mormon ever night outloud so his wife with bad eye sight can listen and the went to both days of general conference ALL day long!!! I was talking to Sister Estes, what did we do to deserve to teach these little girls? We didn't find them, they just came to us. It doesn't feel like it, but we are changing their lives by teaching them all the lessons and we will forever have the great blessing of being "their missionaries" It doesn't feel like it because everything we teach they just accept without any problems and are just so pure in heart... so cute. 

We all rode together to general conference (like before with all the chairs in the truck) and left at 7 am. We get there and there's a brown out... boo. then we get to watch two talks from the priesthood session then all the others which was awesome! But at the same time we were so sad because they are all in english and someone told me they had bisaya and tagalog options but there wasn't and it was just depressing because here is this awesome family (the Rosales who I was just talking about) who dedicated their whole saturdayto come and cannot understand a word. It's hard enough for young kids to focus on general conference! So that was a bummer. Then the next day we went again- same time and this time so many people came! We fit almost 50 in the back of the truck, they made me so proud- good day to be a missionary. We were still sad it was english especially since there were even more who couldn't understand anything then we go to the bathroom during the first 30 minutes and we see a classroom with a TV in it. Could it be? YES! They have a room for Tagalog and Cebuano translation! Score! So we missed the next few talks going in and out showing various members of our branch where to go and I was just so happy! And our other investigator (Josephine) who is not married and is ready to be baptized but needs to wait until her husband comes back in December to get married showed up with her 5 little kids all dressed and ready to go. She is amazing! We tried to help with them and keep them entertained so she could focus on the messages and it was exhausting but it was good. And conference was just amazing as usual. Both days we didn't get home until like 4pm so it definitely takes your whole weekend, but I was just so proud of all the members and their dedication. Especially when they thought it was all in english! 

I was just amazed at how much I felt like I was at a zone conference and it felt like they were talking to missionaries! Do you realize that you have been called to work and now the standard is raised and everyone is supposed to actually act exactly like a missionary. Teach like one (in church), follow the spirit to find, pray specifically for opportunities and have faith and open your mouth and talk to everyone... they're treating you like missionaries! It's such a cool time to be out and just to see the incredible changes that are happening in the church. I also love how they talked so much about the Priesthood and gender roles- with the world's views changing so much and so fast, it's definitely something that we needed to hear. I feel so blessed to be here in my own little bubble away from the "world" and cultural views and it is now that I can study and the things I need to do and the ways I need to act just come so clearly and so uncomplicated, but that will definitely affect my entire life. 

It was also fun to see all the missionaries that are new in the zone at general conference! Both days we went and ate lunch with all the sisters in the apartment closest- it's just down the street and Sister Robinson- my mission sister- transferred into the zone! I still can't believe it, 3 transfers in Catarman together and now here? She's following me everywhere! haha but it's so great. I just feel so blessed! My cebuano is coming just great, every time I go to a different area that's waray-waray (biliran or tacloban) I need to switch and it's so hard! I was there for 6 months! My hope is that by the end I'll be able to switch more easily haha Thank you for everything! Enjoy the ability to watch general conference as many times as you want!