Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Sisters, like mine

Hard couple of weeks, but I'm proud to admit, this week was back on track.  
ALMA 31: 31-38 saved the day.  Scriptures seem to do that.  But, honestly, I've spent overtime on my knees just talking to Heavenly Father.  Just telling Him what was on my mind -

He definitely heard me.

Tuesday was quarterly interviews with the president.  President Rahlf is a champ.  Really.  I love that man.  We just talked and had the most open conversation about the mission, and I left with a clearer perspective of this all.  So, I checked my attitude at the door and went to work.

I studied my brains out this week on Christlike attributes.  Kind of discouraging because...holy cow...I have a lot of work to do.  But each day as I studied, prayed, read, and applied different attributes, my mind was clear.  An attribute that I recognized I am seriously lacking is - charity.  so...I am now working on developing my charity.  Because without it, i will have no success as a missionary...or a human.  I will continue to pray, study, seek, ponder, and develop charity until I can look at any person and see them as Christ would see them.  I want to have the pure love of Christ for everyone.  

We were teaching charity to M. and N. this week.  As I was talking, I was literally teaching myself the lesson. I was starting to understand it, now I just need to develop it.

and with that...one of my favorite scriptures this week is Moroni 7:45-48.

N. and M. are baptized!!!!!! Holy cow...I saw miracles this week.  Sister P. and I were talking one night as we were going to bed, just reflecting back to when we first met N. - how she was so shy and was too nervous to ask any questions...and now she and M. are seriously our best friends.  I think I am so obsessed with them because their relationship as sisters is Laren and I to a "T."  Loey and I are the American version of them.  It's scary.  So many personality traits, mannerisms and the way they interact with each other- it's all practically identical...and makes me miss my sister.  

But just to think - they are members of the church now!

It is incredible just to see the progress and the testimonies that these two individuals have developed in the last month.  They're happy.

On to miracles - N.'s husband, Mk.  He is usually working when we're over there, but we had met him a few times while teaching N.  He never had a lot to say when we did see him, but I think he is just shy.  Anyway - N. told us last weekend that Mk. couldn't come to their baptism because he had to work.  

And because he had no pants or shoes.

                                    Well -

that was simple.  It only took a few texts to the elders and a "Please and Thank You" to solve the clothes issue.  By the end of the night we had more church clothes than we knew what to do with.  Mk. had endless options of pants and shoes, neckties and shirts to choose from.  And they were all his!

Now M (19) is the CUTEST girl in the world and we have had a blast introducing her to the most handsome RM's in the stake and making sure one of them picks her up for institute each week.  We have gotten her very involved with all the single adults.  On Friday-Saturday there was an overnight YSA conference with 15 stakes at Water World Resort about 30 minutes away.  We arranged for May to go, and we were SO excited, but it conflicted with her baptism.  

So - we simply pushed the time back - 

She could have the best of both worlds:  The activity and getting baptized later than night.  Moving the time back opened the door for the 1st miracle.  On Saturday night, Mk. showed up to the baptism, all dressed up in perfectly fitting church clothes to his wife's baptism.  He was able to get work off the second half of the afternoon.  It was awesome.

The baptism, of course, had a rough start.  Naturally, Satan had to make his debut and make things complicated -  Like Sister P. and I sitting on the curb in a downpour for 30 minutes waiting for someone to come open the church gates, complications filling the font, no baptisimal clothes, and last minute sprints to the bishop's house to find some - but by the end of the night - they were baptized and the spirit was undeniably strong.  Awesome.

The next day, during Sacrament Meeting, they were getting confirmed.  M. had gotten a really bad fever and they were late making it to church.  They arrived and Mk. came with such an enthusiasm to be there.  He told Sister P. and I that he had a dream the night before that "he was in a white building that was so beautiful, he couldn't describe it," and that he felt so peaceful.  He asked us to come over after church to teach him.  Then N. (in English) said, "Let's get him baptized!" I love when they do that...speak English.  

That night, M. was still VERY sick.  The home teaching coordinators just happened to be stopping by to welcome and visit N. and M.  They also gave M. a blessing and Mk. was able to witness it.  You could just see it in his face....he was so touched.  

Heavenly Father is in this work, and it is amazing to witness.  I'm grateful to be a part of it.

With the language...I've seriously let down a wall and started speaking more.  Mostly just like the things I hear my companion say.  I hit my head on the bunk bed one night and said the first thing that came to my mind.  It was in Tagalog...I don't even know what it means, but I hear my companion say it a lot.  And when I'm with other missionaries and they are teasing me, I've gotten really good at all the sarcastic expressions and comebacks.  I still can't teach in Tagalog worth crap.  But I'm keeping up with the street smarts.

I don't know why every bug and insect in the entire country of the Philippines thought it necessary to drop by our house for a visit.  They were never invited and it was so gross.  I woke up Sister P. two times to kill a cockroach the size of my face.  They are annoying...especially the millipede in the shower.

Thank you for ALL your emails, updates, love, support.  I'm serious - I felt all of your prayers this week.  And I thanked Heavenly Father for it.  There are obviously bad days...and weeks...or two weeks.  But I'm seeing the strength that comes from it all.  I'm enjoying the work.  I'm enjoying these experiences...mostly.  

                                I'm over here falling more in love with the Gospel!

- Sister Frame



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