Jacob 5

The Lord loves us.

This is an adventure, with roadblocks, surprises, sublime moments.

The Spirit is here.

Bravery.

Valiant acts.

Eternal relationships.

Testimony from some so young.

Beauty.

3 Miracles.

So thankful for the Book of Mormon.

The Priesthood is real.

This is His vineyard.

The Lord is watching over it

and loves it.

He loves his children. 

Is this Heaven?

No transfers! and honestly we were all so thrilled.  The 4 Cabatuan sisters are staying put....They are my family.  Cabatuan has definitely become my 'home away from home.'

On Saturday there was a baptism.  This baptism was so special....incredible.  J. was baptized.  It is one of the most spiritual experiences I've had my whole mission.  To see J's face,

                                             it was pure happiness.  

I can replay the image of him coming out of the water and cry.  It's imprinted on my heart for eternity.  The veil is thinner around J.  When you are with him you can just feel a piece of Heaven radiating around him.  It's totally real.

I got a new pair of proselyting shoes...they really are just rubber flats.  Every sister wears them because they cost about 50 cents and they are comfortable and water proof.  This pair is glittery gold, and since it was the first day I was wearing them, I had some excess glitter on my feet whenever I took them off.

So, we are teaching a lesson to some of the I. kids, and one of my favorite girls was sitting next to me.  Whenever she is near and gets bored she will start touching my arms or feet.  She's intrigued by my white skin.

But this last time we were sitting on the floor and she was rubbing my feet with just one finger as I was talking.  I watched as she touched the top of my foot and then looked at her finger now covered with specks of glitter.  Her jaw dropped, and she turned to E. and exclaimed with pure enthusiasm that my skin was magic.

I'm grateful that I get to stay here a little longer.  I'm happy.  I'm happy to be here.  You guys, I love this Gospel.  with my whole heart.

The Book of Mormon

"I'm so happy, I could fly!"  Those were the exact words R exclaimed to me as I met her outside of the baptismal font.  The look on her face was priceless.  It is branded in my mind forever.

Our whole mission is doing a Book of Mormon 'Power Read.'  It's a 60 day read and started earlier this week.  I'm reading it with a new fresh Book of Mormon and circling anytime it makes reference to Jesus Christ.  Also, I'm highlighting certain things about His mission here on earth.  The whole thing is focused around the Savior, which is incredible because I have that focus in mind.

 The Book of Mormon

The heat is creeping back.  You know it's hot when you step outside and it's deathly quiet.  as in absolutely no sound.  The dogs are too exhausted to bark.  There are no people in sight, no kids playing in the streets, nobody riding their bikes down the road trying to sell balut.  The commotion starts around 6 at night when people finally come out of their homes because it's air that is refreshing enough to breathe....90 degrees...

On Saturday, Sister S and I hit the streets.  We traveled far to one of our areas and expected a lot of appointments.  We walked until 7 pm and had absolutely no lessons.  That's never happened before.  It was frustrating, but we made the best of it.  We cracked jokes the whole day, and by 3, we turned everything into one big fat game of who could sweat the most.  It was one of the longest days of my mission.  Heavenly Father blessed us yesterday with the success that we needed though.

This week especially, I've focused on my relationship with Jesus Christ.  I can't say a lot because some of the experiences I have been fortunate enough to have are so sacred and dear to me that I can't express them.  All I can say is that the Atonement is real.  That Jesus Christ really does love us.  And knows us.  He is our brother.  If there is one thing in life that I desire for anyone and everyone - it is for them to truly understand that.  and have that true knowledge of their Savior.

That's why I'm here.
I don't think we always fully recognize what we have
and how lucky we are to have it.

Did you guys know that I'm a grandma?   My kid is training a new missionary now.  cool right?

Sister Frame

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