CPR the small and simple!

Kumusta ang magandang pamilya at mga kaibigan ko.

This week was a little bit more difficult than I'm used to here in Claveria, but that's okay. Still a good week and lots of miracles! 

Last monday we went to Laoag to withdraw our money for the month. It was awesome we went down with the Petinggil couple in their car! We went to the filipino mall and ate pizza hut! then on the way back up we stopped at this really cool light house! the oldest in the Philippines!

The rest of the week we worked hard, and were actually pretty punted. I think Heavenly Father is just trying to keep me humble because these last couple weeks we've been having tons of success. Well it worked and I really had to pray and fast this week for help. One of the things I've really been struggling with is Ilocano. Now I'm pretty comfortable saying that I'm pretty fluent in tagalog, but we still have quite a few investigators that only speak Ilocano... I feel like I'm starting over, but I'm still working hard and not ready to give up this fight. by the time I leave this place I will be tri-lingual ( is that right?) haha.

but after a couple discouragements we started seeing the blessings.

One of the families we have been working with said they know the church is true. their baptismal interview will be this week, because they have been consistently attending church for weeks now. They have the coolest story, but I'll save that for when their baptized(:

We had an incredible lesson with the Vega family. This family is very influential in the community and would really help our little branch. they are truly investigating and want to know. As I taught them I really felt that they will be baptized!

Sunday was really great. So I spoke, you know us missionaries always prepared. Our recent convert Tatay Cresendo and his wife sang in church how great thou art. They sang acapela  and tatay harmonized. the whole audience was in tears. It was incredible. They were so nervous, but I'm so glad they shared their talent! They also mad history being the first musical number in sacrament meeting in Claveria.
I arrived to church to find out that one of the speakers didn't know he was giving a talk... well sister Abelhouzen to the rescue. As the leaders were stressing out I volunteered to speak. the relief on the faces were priceless haha.

My topic was centered in the scripture "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Alma 37:6

Something I have really learned on my mission is how important the small and simple things are. They may be 'small' but they make a big difference.

For example: Every morning we must be out of the apartment at or before 8am. One morning in my first area, my companion and I were running late. Everyone was late to shower and nobody had eaten. Earlier that week my companion and I had set a goal to be out the door before 8am every morning. It was 7:55 and we hadn't eaten yet. Though hungry we decided to pray and leave so we could achieve our goal. Right after we left a man on a tricee passed and we flagged him down to take us to our first appointment. "perfect timing." we thought. we started talking to him and turns out he was pretty interested. we went back to visit him later that week. That man's name is Maurito Rigunay and in April he was baptized a and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Can you imagine if we would have decided to eat or if we were just one minute late?

I promise you that as we are exactly obedient to the commandments of the Lord, even the small and simple, the Lord will provide and we will see miracles.

This is true not only for us missionaries but for all of us in our lives.

We missionaries have a term we use a lot. CPR

C-attend church

P-pray daily

R-Read Daily

This three things are commandments of the Lord and are basically the commitments we leave to everyone. Though simple, it makes a big difference. I have seen that as people follow these small and simple commandments their spirituality becomes more sensitive, their desire to do good increases, and the distance between them and our savior is shortened.

I hope all of you will do the small and simple things in your lives!

The Church is true

The Book is blue

if you do these things, the Lord will bless you.

Yes cheesy... but true.

have a great week

palagi may pagmamahal ako para sa inyo!

Sister Abelhouzen