Week 52 - 1/21/2014

Quote of the week from my companion, Sister Forbush, "Sister, the elect are just falling at our feet!" It's true! We've just seen amazing miracles happen this week and we've found so many prepared people, it's just incredible! Great time to be a missionary here in Dumaguete. In other news, I was told on Sunday that 2 sister missionaries would be going back to Tacloban on January 28 as a  group of the first missionaries (a group of 28). And it was killing me not knowing who it would be! I really want to go but I was so torn because the transfer ends on February 13 and we have 4 baptisms happening before then! So I decided I would be happy to go and happy to stay. And I'm staying! President Schmutz sent an email that Sister Bingham and Sousa are going back, but they will be choosing a second batch to return in about 3 weeks so really near the transfer and that basically everyone will be returning unless there is a reason that they would need to stay. Yay!!! I get to see all my baptisms and go back to Tacloban relatively soon. I have the best life ever. 

We just got back from teaching a really great referral! We don't usually work on P-day but it's only day off and he was golden! So worth it. And yesterday we randomly ran into 2 ladies- one in the morning and one in the afternoon and we just taught them immediately and both them asked before we even started, "Where's your church? I'm going." Me and sister Forbush would just look at each other like, what is happening?!? These people are amazing! That's like the hardest thing to get people to do here. So we'll see if they actually make it. But the first one was amazing because we just met her on the street and I testified how our message would bless her family and she just started crying! Then she told us about her family and how their living situation is terrible and it's just so hard and she was really seeking for help. Later in the lesson, she called us her angels and when I told her that if she listened to us, we would teach her all the commandments so as she follows them, she will receive blessings! Just to make sure she wasn't expecting temporal help from us. And she just started crying, saying, Thank you! thank you! and hugged each of us! It was the cutest. Her house really was so sad. no walls, just tarp for a roof and she had 5 kids and her husband and they basically lived on their beds, like their was no floor space at all and their beds are just made out of wood. But I'm really excited to help her by helping her come to church! I have really come to not feel bad about not being able to give them temporal help because I can give them so much more! The gospel will bless their lives more than anything else. 

And the other one, when we started teaching her, I thought she would just be one of those old Nanay's stuck in her way of being catholic but when we committed her to pray to know if it is true, she said, "oh I know it's true!" We had to repeat the question a few times just so we would make sure she fully understood. And she did! And then she asked about if there is anything not allowed, "because I like to drink and smoke!" and then sister Fely, the member working with us taught the word of wisdom and I testified and she said okay! I will do that! And in her closing prayer, she even asked for strength to stop. WOW! Such a good day. Such a good week! And last P-day was so fun because we went out to lunch with the other sisters to an amazing french cafe with really good food!!! Like amazingly delicious pastries and cakes. Blew our minds. They even had real cheesecake. That is unheard of! Definitely not your average Filipino food. Probably normal in America but it's been awhile! 

At this point, we're getting too many new investigators that are awesome, we don't know how we're going to visit all of them. It's a great problem to have. I have really learned so much in my time here as a Cebu of how to be a more diligent, effective missionary and me and my companion are definitely reaping the rewards! I'm excited to go back to Tacloban just so I can use everything I've learned here to help rebuild our mission there! I'm not worried about when anything is happening, I'm just grateful to have so many wonderful leaders and two great mission presidents taking care of me. Thanks for all your prayers, I can really feel them working. The Lord is hastening the work and it's soooo amazing to be a part of it. 

Love, Sister Pike 

The boat ride to Cebu from last week!

We visited the Villaflores family - they're my favorite! And while Sister Leogie was filling out paperwork for her baptism THIS Saturday, we took pictures with the kids. Abby- the youngest, got stung by a bee so her lip is twice the size and at first it was so sad but she was so cute about it! We all ended up just laughing at her and she would laugh with us! She would even pose like we told her, I love their family so much!

We had a bit of a cold front, like 70 degrees!! We are not prepared. It's so funny how your body just adjusts. That was Sister Forbush, my companion during personal study and I literally wore my pajama pants under my skirt and a sweater that luckily another sister left behind! Cause I got rid of all of mine!

And me with the cutest returning member ever. She's so tiny and cute and calls us "Elder" - it's hilarious!

Our sweet ride, dumaguete style It's called a trike! or a pedicab which is weird cause that's what we called the bikes in Catarman. The transportation varies so much place to place!