21 September 2014 -- Pix from the Philippines

This is my mission! This is what I love! This is who I AM!

This is a picture of a hill near our recent convert's house.

Me helping weed their corn.

This is Brother Canoy making a table.- investigator

My companion and the Rafael little girls.

     Mom, I am really sorry that I could not warn you that I would not be on on time. I did not know that I was going to Manila until after last P-day. So I had to travel to Tacloban early, early this morning for a special training and then tomorrow super early my batch going home is flying to Manila for finger printing.
    I'm sorry I tried to think of any way I could contact you but I could not think of any way. So I am really sorry.

This is me and Jerome playing. He loves my hands, my watch and especially my feet. He gets excited when I come to their house and it always makes me so happy! Tender mercies of missionary work

     Soooo... yet again I do not have a whole ton to tell you. I apologize, normally I look back at my journal to see what happened to give me an idea what to write about but I forgot my journal at the office sooo I am off of memory here and .... yea...

This is a member who is feeding her ducks with left over rice.
 It's a common Pinoy scene. The ducks are so ugly here. 

     Ok, we are really focusing on finding new investigators this week and so far it has been a success. We have also found a few new less-actives that just popped out of nowhere and so we are excited to help them come back into the fold.

This is Niko dancing with the youth.
I cheered super loud for him like I would for my own brother. (=

Let's start with Canoy... this is the witchcraft brother that I was not sure what to do, or how to handle. We went and taught him with a member and the first 5 minutes of the lesson he kept closing his eyes and doing this weird jolt thing... it's so hard to explain. But he told us that he was telling the spirits to go away. But he also said the spirits like us, it's just that he could not listen well with them around. So he told them to leave so he could focus and then the jolting stopped. Sounds weird but apparently that is very normal. We taught them about the WOW and invited them to church, not exactly sure what to expect. We were shocked and delighted when they showed up to church on Sunday as a family! Woot woot! You NEVER know. We also had a neighbor of brother Niko come to church, Sister Judith, she is really interested and has a sweet spirit about her.

This is Jayson. He was a less active but he is friends
with Niko and has not missed a Sunday
for over a month now.
I was so happy the ward made him a
big part of their dance performance for
family week this last Saturday. (=

Look at what I came home to.
Just waiting for me on my study desk.

   This week was family week and so the whole stake got together to celebrate and there was a dance festival.... I'm the ONLY tall white girl of a couple hundred people, they watched me like a hawk the WHOLE day. It was fun to have a couple of the Brothers from other wards come up and remember me from the CSP-they would look at me and say HEY you are still here! You are that strong one. Hahaha, Oh yeah... that's ME, the strong one, hahaha.
   We had an incident with one of my creepy stalkers this week. He was very Bold and it was very late and it's a good thing I'm BIG and not afraid to hit a guy or tell him what I think... UNLIKE my companion whose heart stops at most everything about men that she does not know or like.

This is Niko, Jayson and the De Los Reyes family that we teach. Brother was recently baptized and so it has been fun getting to know them and helping them strengthen their family and work toward being sealed in the temple.

I had an experience this week that... ahh! It's so hard to explain over emailing. KILL ME! Basta- I already told you diba that Niko means the world to me. Well we went to his house one night this week and let me just say that....I VERY MUCH have taken for granted being raised in a home with parents that love me, a family that cares and kindness and love are expressed. I feel bad that I literally broke down in the middle of his house due to what I felt and saw- knowing that that is the life he lives and knows. How I love the gospel! How the gospel is a part of who I am, the way I was raised and the person I want to be. I love the gospel more than I have power to express.

This is the Tunada family that I love.

I was so blessed this week to have my personal studies be FULL of the spirit. My companion keeps calling me weird because I get up from my prayer after personal study and I just can't stop smiling- I just LOVE the spirit and the Book of Mormon, I'm learning what it means to really feast on the words of Christ and what it means to be FULL and I LOVE IT! I love missions! I LOVE every day, I love the trials. I just love love! People keep reminding me that I am going home soon but honestly I just don't think about it... I'm a missionary! I love EVERYDAY and I am grateful for everyday! Look at how beautiful these people are....

With Love,

Sister Sarah Ralph