November 8, 2010

Family,

This week has been so great! We left Monday morning at about 4:00am to go to Lipa and sleep there for 4 days for a training meeting we had. I got to hang out and work with ELDER HANSEN and VANDERMYDE my best friends in the mission. We stayed in San Pablo City tuesday until we left on friday. The training was really awesome, the Spirit was so strong and I was so eager to teach after we learned all day. We got to go out and find people to teach. We found this one amazing lady. She first "englished" us or basically spoke to us in english and we responded in nothing but Tagalog...but we asked if we could share a message about Jesus Christ. We talked about the Restoration and how sometimes our faith in Him diminishes and the Lord will send his messangers to help her back like the 99 sheep. Well it didn't take long until she really opened up...she began to explain the trials in her life, Elder Vandy and I were a bit taken back but we bore testimony of the truthfulness of our message and if she read the Book of Mormon prayfully she'd find comfort. At the end of the lesson we had her praying and thanking Heavenly Father for sending us to her and asking that we'd find our way back. she was amazing! A more up to date on a family we are teaching are the Garcia family! So when we found them they were really polite and we taught them kind of what we were there fore...who the mormons are why do we walk around outside in ties even when it rains and why are we two gwapo na americans? It was a really good lesson we shared about how much our Heavenly Father loves us. Then we came back the next week and we walk in and a TON of people are there....we find out that it's a showing...or someone in their family died and the body was lain in a glass casket for viewing they ususally keep the body in the house for a bout a week or more so everyone can see it. I walk over to this tiny casket and see a cute 2 year old baby girl...it hurt to look at. their granddaughter died from Menigitis. but they weren't there so we stopped by talked a bit and let. we came back yesterday and taught them about how families can be togehter forever through the temple and about The Plan of Salvation...where we all came from, why are we here, and were we are going..sure everyone says well if your good youll go to heaven, or bad you'll go to hell...but what really is God's plan, what happens to those who dont have the chance or never heard of Christ, where do we go before Judgement, why does Paul talk about 3 heavens....how many heavens are there,,,what's this about Mormon's believing they'll become Gods and all those good quesitons! the lesson went great! It was so strong and we invited her to pray to know if what we taught her was true. I realized this week that the time that i enjoy the most or the time where I am actually 100% is when I am teaching people the truths that save. Sure I could waste my time and drive around or go to nice beaches or hang out with elders...but in the end i'll only have myself to blame. I am so grateful everyday to be a missionary and I cannot explain my joy when we get to work and help people! I LOVE THIS PLACE I absolutely love it!

In other news...Etcitty is going home soon! I'll be getting a new companion and im excited to start getting to work really just getting totally lost in the work! I'm so exhausted we just came back from a nice white sand beach...i completely wreak and i want to go take a shower! thank you so much for my birthday present and all that you've done for me...i love you all so so so so so much

I've never been more grateful to have a loving family than every before, you guys strengthen me through the REALLY hard stuff, I'm so grateful to my heavenly father and his Son Jesus Christ through his atonement i've figured out what life is all about it and I cant wait to share it with you...the only way to have a happy and fulfilling life, the only way to be with your loved ones after this life! I love our messagE!

love,

josh