Baptisms In The Ocean - November 29, 2010

So thanksgiving just doesn’t really cross my mind here in the Philippines it comes and goes without me noticing because it isn’t a holiday here so it is a little strange but I am glad that you all had a great thanksgiving!!!! I will be sure to get the pearls and I will probably be sending them with the Liahonas because I haven’t gotten them yet. They are still in Pakil so I'm working on that. 

I think it is so funny that you talk to the members on face book. Ha-ha sometimes they tell me oh I talked to your mom. Ha-ha. Brother Joshua said that he wants to talk to you but he is nervous ha-ha. They are funny! I love the members here! I told president that I never want to leave! He came to the baptism of Sister Andrea this Saturday!

Sister Pascual, Sister Anderson, President Anderson, Andrea & Sister Andreasen

So let me start from the beginning of the week. We had to tell Tatay Emiliano that we can't come see him as much because he was drinking again and he isn’t keeping his commitments that was so hard! But hopefully it will help him! We are having a hard time keeping investigators in Barra so we will be doing so tracting this coming week, which I am excited about! I did get sick this week, which was horrible! I had no voice because of a cold and had a bad headache! Luckily one of our members worked at a hospital and she knows all about stuff like that, she is also a returned missionary and a Suaybagiuo! Her name is Sister Beng I have pictures with here. 

Sister Beng and Sister Andreasen

She is in purple and glasses at the last family home evening of Sister Arrieta. She is amazing she came over in the morning and helped me and told me what medicine to take then Nica stayed with me and Sister Beng and Sister Pascual went and worked! They are so amazing! Nica too is a part of the Suaybagiuo family!!!! I love them so much! She is actually from a different ward but she works with us and she is awesome! Her boyfriend Jerome is in our branch. So that was hard it was driving me crazy being inside all day! I could hardly wait to get back to work!!!!!! I love the work. I think it is the fact that one day it will be rainy and the next it will be hot. My body doesn’t like it when the weather changes but I am fine!!! Don’t worry! I have plenty of help and love!!!!!

We had a fun pday! If you see pictures with my feet in the water and I look like I’m doing the chicken dance that is what we call magpunaw!

Chicken Dance? No, Just Looking For Clams

It is so fun. You use your feet to get shells, clams. That is one of the ways people get food or they sell them. It was fun it was hard but I liked it and I was so excited when I found one.

Yeah, I Found One!!

Ha-ha. Brother Joshua taught us and Sister Pascual didn’t really like it so she and Sister Lani just got shells from the sand that is fun too. Then Maria came and she had a lot of punaw the shells, she is really good at finding them because that is what they do all the time! Then we went home that night and ate them, they are really good!
So funny story me and Joshua put our sandals on the sand and as the water got higher it reached our sandals and my sandals started to float away! Ha-ha. But we got them, and I have a picture of it.

Caught the Flip-Flop

So going back to the week, it was a hard week because people are sick or busy. Sister Maluo and her family have been sick for over a week and it is so sad! I love them so much! So we haven’t been able to teach them because of that and they weren’t able to come to church because their kids were sick and it rained on Sunday! We met a new investigator Sister Peres and she likes to listen but says she is a catholic and not going to change! So that is hard!

Maria the younger girl in our punaw pictures is progressing and she now has a baptismal goal date so I’m really excited for her!

Then I told you about Joann and we weren’t able to teach her because she hid from us and then she was sick! Ahh it makes me so sad when I feel so good about teaching someone and then it doesn’t go through!

The sister of Sarina, Dadelyn is interested now so I am excited to teach her!

We are seeing some good potential in Talao Talao with sisters Sally and Grace they have good questions and they aren’t to debate it is just to know the truth so we committed them to pray about Joseph smith and they said that they would. I think that they would have come to church but they had something going on in their community and they needed to be there for it! I am hoping that we have some progression coming from that area! Our branch president is so awesome! He lets Brother Joshua drive his tricycle to take us to Talao Talao so we don’t have to pay for the trip there! I love it! But it is funny to see a guy in a white shirt and tie drive a tricycle! Ha-ha.

Then we had the baptism of Andrea it was supposed to be Andrea and Lay-Ann but something came up with Lay-Ann so hers will be next week! But she is pretty much amazing! So Sunday she didn’t have anyone to watch her sister so she wasn’t sure if she could come to church but she found a way. But then it was raining and she has to ride a boat but she came anyway! She is so awesome! The attendance wasn’t as good this Sunday because of the rain and it is so sad. Because of course they walk to church but a lot of them don’t have umbrellas! So they can’t come! It just breaks my heart.

This Saturday we had the baptism of Sister Andrea and she was so excited!!! President came and it was just so spiritual! I know that she was ready for the gospel in her life! And I am so happy for her testimony! It makes my testimony grow! We met her at her house before and her daughter was there and we were able to talk to her, before she didn’t want to talk to us but now she is okay with it and she came to the baptism and to church! We are going to start teaching her and I am so excited!!!! She is way cute! She is in the pictures from Andrea’s baptism. There are two little girls and the one with shorter hair is Veronica the daughter of Andrea!!!! :)

Then we had a cottage meeting this Sunday and it went really well the spirit was strong and I think it really helped the family. The mom and two sons are active but the father has been inactive for a while now. We committed him to come to church and he said that he would so I hope that it is true we are going to go by their house to make sure :) not this coming Sunday but the next because he will be in Laguna for work next week.

I love the work here! I am excited for our investigators to progress and I am really excited for this coming week to find new investigators!

Tomorrow is our zone conference and I know that will be a big spiritual boost! I miss zone conference! And I am so excited for it!!!!!

I know that this is the Lord’s work and I know that as we trust in him he will guide us! I can see that as we trust him and do the things that he has asked of us he will never leave us comfortless he will always lend a helping hand and guide us through our struggles! How blessed I am to be a missionary and to see the effect the gospel has in the lives of these people! Everyday I learn something new and I know that the Lord is teaching me as I do all I can to teach his children! I love the gospel! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon. That has been a big focus in the mission right now using prayer and the Book of Mormon and it is so true it is the key to conversion! As they open that book they open the door for the Holy Ghost to teach them of the truth!!!! I love it! I know that this is the true church and as we stretch ourselves we become stronger through the Lord!!!! I love you all so much!!! I hope that all the pictures are able to go through in time!!!!! With all my love!!!!

Sister, Andreasen