AKALA KO (I thought) DOGS WERE FRIENDS NOT FOOD

AKALA KO (I thought) DOGS WERE FRIENDS NOT FOOD 

I seriously love this companion..

 Week Highlights:

-We went "sa baba" (down) to the low lands again for Follow Up Training this week and that was just awesome. I couldn't believe we were already at follow up training! This Wednesday will be one month in the mission field. I don't know if time is flying by over there in America but I am just blinking as the days go by here. 

The city is hot and beautiful..

-Because the lower lands are actually flat, my companion ran with me one morning!! Yes it was around 100 degrees but I just LOVE the heat here. Everyone thinks I am crazy haha. You have to appreciate the heat though because it makes the bucket showers so refreshing. Always count your blessings right? ;) 

-This girl got sheets for her bed! That was definitely a highlight haha 

-We experienced some pretty awesome blessings this week from more diligent planning efforts. I am a little OCD and like to do everything step by step by the book. I know this can get a little annoying though so I've been kind of quiet during planning sessions. After Follow Up Training though, I was reminded of the importance of making planning a revelatory time for our investigators as we show to the Lord we are earnestly trying to do our best to help them. I have a firm testimony in becoming a Preach My Gospel missionary so I asked my trainer if we could do weekly planning a little differently. We followed step by step, every line of the Weekly Planning section in PMG and yes it took us 3 hours but our plans felt SO much better. Then that day as we searched for investigators, Sister Lanie Pascua (the cute pregnant lady) was with her whole family and we were able to teach all her kids (she has 8 not including the baby) and her husband! I felt prompted to extend a baptismal invite for the whole family and they accepted! We picked up her three oldest daughters for church the yesterday! Brothers and Sisters the Lord WANTS to bless us. We just have to show him our best effort first. 

 

You Know You're in the Philippines When...

The only snow we will ever see!

Whatever someone is eating, if you approach them while they have food they will share with you. Even if they have just one cracker and it's the first time they met you, they'll split it with you. "Kumain ka na!" they say (You eat now :) ) 

 

Tagalog Word of the Day...

"Kuwan" there's actually no direct translation on English haha but it's when something is on the tip of your tongue but you can't remember the name of it...in America when this happens we pause and think really hard..in the Philippines they just throw "kuwan" in there and that's good enough :) 

 

Missionaries can Laugh Too..

Of course, more stairs..

We get so hungry at night, cooking is awesome...

We were walking up some stairs (shocker) to an appointment and a group of adults were cooking their dinner, or cutting it, at the bottom of the stairs. We carefully stepped around the meat to not get their dinner dirty, the whole time I am assuming it's pig or something....well then I saw it's head and yeah it wasn't a pig. I guess I just stopped and stood there, my kasama was saying something and turned around to make sure I was listening, when she saw my face she DIED laughing realizing this was a new sight for me. So that was pretty funny. And gross. But mostly funny :) 

 

Spiritual Thought:

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is central to God's plan for us. We need to make our life plan in line with God's. This means the Atonement of Jesus Christ should be the center of our lives too. This isn't hard to do as it's blessings are remission of sins and strength through trials. Aren't we constantly making mistakes that we need cleansing from? Aren't we all enduring some sort of trial that we need strength greater than our own for? I find so much comfort in the fact that through the power of the Atonement, I can receive the strength to endure my obstacles and become the missionary Heavenly Father needs me to be. No it is not easy, but it wasn't easy for our Savior either. Let us not only say we are grateful for the Pagbabayad-Sala ni JesuCristo, but use it in our lives. Identify your weaknesses, your sins, your trials. Repent and change. This is sometimes harsh doctrine for us, but we don't have to do it alone. Ask Christ for help, on your knees, through fervent prayer, and because his love is unending and unbound, he will always help you. 

 

The road is rough, I said 

Dear Lord, There are stones that hurt me so,
And He said, Dear Child, I understand
I walked it long ago

 

but there is a cool green path I said

let me walk there for a time 
no child he gently answered me
the green road does not climb 
 

my burden I said is far too great

how can I bear it so
my child said he I remember it's weight
I carried my cross you know 

 

but I said I wish there were friends

who would make my way their own
ay yes he said Gethsemane was hard to face
alone 
 

and so I climbed the stony path

content at last to know
that where my Master had not gone
I would not need to go