First Baptism!

So Monday we had zone conference all day so we didn't have P-day on Monday. Hence, here I am on Wednesday. I hope everyone enjoyed general conference! I haven't been able to see it yet because we don't get to watch it out here until a week later. From the sounds of it, it was amazing and really pushed missionary work. I'm so excited to hear that! 

We had our first baptism over the weekend! It was the Medina family. They are so wonderful! The husband and wife are so humble and loving and they have 3 kids under the age of 7 that are the cutest. At the baptism, the font wasn't filled high enough and Elder Crabb is quite tall so it took 6 times to get the wife completely immersed. Pretty funny! But the spirit was so strong and I feel like they're going to be really strong converts. We almost weren't able to get them baptized because we had to get the brother an interview with the mission president and all odds were against us the night we were supposed to take them to the mission home. We couldn't catch a jeepney, brother was late coming home from work, we got lost in the neighborhood, we were past curfew. And then when we got there we realized that the brother could hardly speak English so Sister Surio went in to translate the interview. We had been praying all through the night that we would get there because we realized Satan wanted us to turn around and go home so the baptism would be delayed a month. But we persevered and it was amazing. 

We got 7 new investigators this week through tracting, 2 of which are really creepy men, but the other 5 are so prepared. It was an answer to our fast! Also during our tracting we met one guy who was into "genie-ism" and gave me a lecture on why I should have stayed in America because the Philippines doesn't have showers or "big sirloin steaks." You meet the weirdest people out here... During one of our appointments, we were teaching this family that has had a son in the navy. He's really tall and buff and when he sat in on our lesson, he was pretty severe. He didn't smile and he seemed very disinterested. After we started the lesson, he started to listen and he asked for a pamphlet to read as we taught. We gave him one and he read the whole thing and then asked for more. By the end of the lesson he had a complete countenance change. As we were leaving, he asked what time church was. I was completely amazed at how I could see physical manifestations of the spirit working in him. Then at our next appointment, we had to drop this one sister which was really hard to do, but she said something that really touched me. She was talking about how it strengthens her faith to see that I would come here and learn Tagalog so that I could teach her what I know is true. Just my being there strengthened her testimony. Be an example at all times because you never know who is watching or how you're helping them.

We have almost no work this week with zone conference, followup training, general conference, temple day, zone training, etc but it's been so much fun! At zone conference, President Sperry gave a workshop that completely blew my mind. It was about the gathering and scattering of Israel. He gave us the background and the history and took us through this epic scriptural journey through all 4 standard works about how we as missionaries are playing a major part in fulfilling the prophecies of the ancient prophets. By the end of it, we were all giggling because we were so amazed and fascinated. After the conference, the elders got a text for a dinner appointment that said, "We'd like to invite you, S Wilson and S Surio to the Amorsolo Res. for an exclusive family dinner." Well, the elders interpreted "Amorsolo Res" to mean Amorsolo Restaurant instead of Residence. So they got it in their heads that we were going to a really fancy restaurant and so me and Sister Surio let them think it was. We took them there and when we brought them to the member's house we all got a really good laugh out of it.

A message to all the young kids - especially my siblings - I'm amazed at how the children entertain themselves in the Philippines. They have nothing so they make their own fun. Yesterday I saw a big group of kids playing a really intense game in the street using a tin can and the sole of a shoe and they were having the time of their lives. Make your own fun! Use your imagination. 

My USB isn't working on these computers so no pictures this week. I love you all and I so appreciate those of you who have been replying! I love to hear from anyone and everyone who will talk to me! Any updates about things back home in the US I love to hear about. :) Have a great week!

Sister Wilson