Hallayuyah

In the MTC, all the other sisters in my district made fun of how I pronounce the word "Hallelujah." So now that it is Easter, we can all cry hallayuyah together! This Easter is actually very special to me. No, there are no egg hunts or Easter bunnies, but something happened that's more sweet than all the chocolate bunnies in the world. Our investigator Rince was baptized and it made me so happy to see how her life has changed because of the Restored Gospel. Her testimony of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and everything is so strong. Why? Because through her actions of reading, praying and attending church, the truth was manifested to her through the Holy Ghost. No, Christ will not descend to you to straight up tell you everything. Rather, spiritual knowledge and a testimony is learned through the Spirit, peaceful feelings and clear thoughts. I know this work is the Lord's, not mine. This baptism is the Lord's, not mine. As an Easter invitation, I invite all to learn more about the Savior's life and His Atonement, and specifically how it can be applied to our lives. I know that when we do this, our love for Him will increase and we'll shout "hallayuyah." 

Word of the Week: Aswang -- mythical filipino creature who eat babies. Ex: Careful to not cross that bukid (field)! The aswang will eat you right up! 

This week takes the cake!

We had an activity at the church this week where we decorated cakes to celebrate the 174th anniversary of the Relief Society, the name of the group for women in the Church. It was so beautiful to see heaps of chocolate and banana cake. There are not that many ovens here so seeing cake is a rare occurrence. It was funny to see all the nanays go crazy in eating the cake. I thought with only 30 people and 125 pieces of cake, there'd be leftovers...but nope! All gone in less than 5 minutes! I love how in the Church, even if you're from different places and speak different languages etc., you can still feel a spiritual felicity for others. To add one more happy news to this week, our investigator told us her parents will allow her to be baptized! There are true miracles happening here and I love it, even more than chocolate cake ;)

Word of the Week: Bonggacious -- fabulous! Ex: Sister Morgan's outfit is soooo bonggacious! Ex: The new Hello Kitty store in Masinloc is bonggacious!

Things are heating up!

Both the work and the weather are heating up! Being from Seattle, I've always been fundamentally opposed to using an umbrella, especially for sunny days. Although now, I've realized how much a necessity it is here. From beating away drunk men and dogs to preventing sunburns, umbrella's are a wonderful invention! A thought I had this week was about opposition and why it's necessary. With some of our investigators they have many things like approval from parents, getting married or stopping addictions that they need to overcome before being baptized. I know that them being baptized is what God desires and is the correct path for them to take. I also know though that because of that, Satan does all he can to stop it. I find comfort in knowing that no matter how hard our trials are sometimes or the stumbling blocks in our lives that never seem to end, through the Atonement of Christ and knowledge of His plan, that great day will come where are things are made right and we will become perfect. Missionary work is real and powerful and I'm grateful to be a part of it, even if that means using an umbrella :)

Word of the Week: Pangangailangan -- need (noun) Ex:My biggest pangangailangan is chocolate. Always. 

"We are family!"

I absolutely love how perfect the Gospel is for families. Especially here in the Philippines, there are lots of big families that remind me of my own. All these families live next to each other, sometimes in big areas called compounds. The people here are so giving and loving, even to strangers like me. For example, we found and taught this new family and afterwards they gave us some juice and mangos. It really touched me how even though it wasn't a big thing, the fact that they would be so kind to new people amazed me. I love the Filipino people, especially the families. Our message is centered around Christ and how his Gospel helps families return back to Him. I know that families truly can be together even into the next life. Only through the Restored Gospel can that happen. Even though I'm far away from my family now, I know that through missionary work, other families can be together forever.

Word of the Week: Gupit -- to cut hair Ex: Wow Sister Morgan! Your new gupit looks great!