#1's Weekly Email: Week #22

Magandang umaga po sa inyo lahat! (Good Morning to you all) hehe

I can't wait to come home and speak Tagalog to you all and not have you understand me :) 

So this past week has been really fun and really hard at the same time. The challenge this week has been learning to use time wisely. It was a very, very, very busy week. We had mission president interviews, and a zone conference, and district conference and we were invited to the adult session of district conference as well. 

We've also been trying our hardest to always find people to teach. We talk to everyone that we see and it's actually super super fun. They are always shocked that I can speak Tagalog.

It's been super fun to get to know the people here. Every teaching appointment, we get more and more attached to the people here. Probably by the time that I leave Masinloc, I'll have been here for 6 months... That is gonna be really, really hard to leave. Yes, our area is really hard, but I truly love the people here. That's the key to missionary work, just share the gospel with the people you love. 

The other thing I've learned this week has been that you can't base your success on the choices of others. Some of our investigators decide that they don't want to listen to us anymore or don't want to follow the commandments, and it makes me so sad, but I know that I've done my part for them and the rest is up to them. 

My favorite part of this last week was FHE at the A's. It was so fun. I taught a lesson about obedience and then we played a bunch of games. I taught them how to play down by the banks and they liked it a lot haha FHE makes me so happy. I love them members here. 

Also, yesterday, not sure why, but we got one of our less-actives to really open up to us. Sister V Q is a less-active, and her life is really hard right now because her husband isn't very supportive of her and she has a lot of little kids. We've taught her a couple of times before but every time that we've gone to visit her afterwards she's been "not home." Yesterday, we went to her house with the hordes of little kids following us, and she was just sitting there. We talked to her, and just got to know her more and just became her friend. When we offered to teach her she said that not now but we could come back tomorrow and then when her daughter, H, asked if they could go to church she said ok, next Sunday we will go to church. Whoa. Being friendly and just talking to people really helps and makes them become more open to us. She also admitted to Sister L that the past times, she has hidden from us... haha! knew it. 

Ok so that was my two favorite parts of this last week. 

Thank you for all your love and support. Oh! and you should also know that we are getting two elders here in Masinloc from Tacloban mission. So that makes 8 missionaries now in Masinloc. WHOA. There are so many of us. Time to divide the areas again... :P

So yup. That was this past week. :) 

Mahal na mahal ko kayo (I love you all so much).

Until next week ulit

-Sister Hess