02/09/2015

(Insert clever greeting here)

Hi everyone! 

We just came from our epic p-day adventure straight to the computer shop for emails... so my brain is a little bit fried. We went to Wawa Dam today! (Pardon my French.) It's in the Montalban zone here in our mission, about an hour drive from our area, and it ranks in the top 5 most beautiful places I've ever seen! We packed the 22 missionaries of our zone into one jeep, hiked up a mountain and ate lunch on floating bamboo huts near the waterfall and played games. Sister Strickland and I made the desserts - mango float, fruit skewers and banana pie, and the other sisters made our ulam (spicy coconut pork). BYOR - bring your own rice, hehe. It was like a different world up there -- quiet and serene, no garbage, minimal bad smells, cool breeze. I hope I get to serve in that zone. The mountains were huge and everything was super green.

I really enjoyed last Sunday. President Beck (general young men's president, I think?) came and did a fireside for the Fairview stake youth. We got to come as well and he talked about how we can make the sacrament a more spiritual experience and always remember the Savior even when we're not at church. He had the youth come up and participate, sharing how they would remember the Savior in their lives. I'm amazed at the youth of this generation! They are SO strong. Even as a full-time missionary the fireside topic was a great reminder. I really tried to apply it yesterday in sacrament and it made a great difference in the spirit I felt. The words of the hymns that I've heard hundreds of times growing up became real and touching to me and hit me with great force, and the atonement of Jesus Christ felt much more personal. When I take the sacrament, I feel like it's the Savior's way of telling me that he loves me and knows that I'm not perfect, but that because of this ordinance, I can come a tiny bit closer to being such because of Him.

Since I have a little more time to write this week, I can tell you a bit more about our area. We were supposed to have a baptism this upcoming Saturday for our investigator, Sister Shara. She's golden -- she grew up Catholic, went to a Christian school, but never felt much when she prayed. When the first missionaries showed up and taught her to pray, she knew this was it. We had planned her baptism for the 14th, and when we went over to talk to her about the baptismal interview questions... whoops! She's a live-in with a less-active member. We knew they were dating but didn't realize they were living together until that moment. Her conversion has simultaneously been a re-activation of Brother Carlo, double win! So we're waiting for their cenomar to process and hopefully she will be baptized AND married on the 28th. We are also planning 3 more baptisms for that same day. Sister Yollie is the wife of a recent convert who has been waiting for his wife to become interested because he wants her to join the church from her own desire, not just because of him. We've been teaching her and at first she was super hesitant. In fact, I'd go as far to say that it was uncomfortable in our lessons. Now, thanks to her wonderful fellow shippers, she is coming to church and wants to be baptized as soon as possible. I'll save Manilyn and Milanie's stories for another day. As for others, the members told us yesterday about a less-active member who says she's not Mormon anymore and joined another church. We went over there and unfortunately, she wasn't home. But two of her kids were and also some of their cousins. There wasn't an 18 year old present so we weren't able to teach them, but we did bear a quite lengthy testimony about the restoration and gave them a Book of Mormon. I could see their expressions change from being resistant and (can't remember the English word) matigas as the spirit worked on them. I find that almost all the time, people who are less-active or who have left the church have completely forgotten the significance of the restoration or what it even is. When we re-teach it, it's so clear that they never have objections. All they have left is their agency which we hope they will use to act on OUR message. The church is true!

Ayo-ayo! (Hehe, Visaya na naman ako eh!)

Sister Wilson
P.S. Sorry, more pics next week.