Hello my dearest family!
This has been a normal week full of hard work, brown outs, lots of rain,
and miracles, always miracles.
A few experiences that we had:
1. my companion is fearless. She killed a rat by hitting it over and over
with her shoe... while I was on top of my desk.
2. I ate chicken intestines... again. I've gotten pretty used to the food
here; fish heads, chicken fat, balut, that's all fine, but I still can't get
over the intestines... so weird.
3. yesterday at church we had a powerful Sunday school lesson. It was
gospel principles and there were probably around 20 investigators in attendance.
We were watching Finding Faith in Christ. It was amazing until, all of a sudden,
a brown out. Everyone was sweating and the teacher was scrambling trying to find
ways to fill the time. I was praying so hard that the power would come on and I
didn't understand why it wasn't. Finally I just said, "Thy will be done." At
that moment one lady stood up and bore a powerful testimony of Christ and how he
has helped her in her life. The spirit was so strong and I realized that our
investigators needed to hear that.
4. Yesterday was also fast and Testimony meeting... the power was out so
that means no power. which also means no microphone... nobody could hear
anything President was saying as he started his opening announcements.
Incredibly, just as they were about the bless a baby the power came back on.
Coincidence? I think not (: Fast and Testimony meeting was incredible. Member
after member stood and bore powerful testimony that Jesus is the Christ and this
is his church. It was so incredible that it went over 30 minutes because they
couldn't stop the heaps of people that wanted to share.
5. Have you ever tried sitting on the back of a tricycle in the pouring
rain and then arriving to your meeting like you just stepped out of the shower?
Welcome to the Philippines(: you just haven't experienced pouring rain until
you've experienced a baguio in the Philippines.
The area is doing pretty amazing here, everyone around can see how much it
has started to progress and the incredible investigators that have been coming
out of the wood works! Members have gotten really excited about the work and
many people are preparing for baptism. There are a lot of factors that go into
this: Hard work, obedience, quality teaching, but I do have to say that there is
one thing I have noticed to be causing this work to hasten: Family History. I
have been working very close to the senior couple, the Pettingills, here on the
mission. They're my secret weapon (; haha. Friends and Family across the world I
would like to share a secret. If you want to see the work hasten and the
baptisms increase, make family history a priority. People here in the
Philippines didn't focus on their ancestors temple work, but once we started our
work started to explode. The reason? These people in the spirit world have
waited hundreds and hundreds of years and once they realize they have a chance,
they will do everything to see that their name is found. These people started to
see that the missionaries in Claveria are looking for their names, and just as
Malachi prophesied, "The hearts of the children will turn to their fathers."
Their hearts are definitely turning. People are stopping us on the street,
begging us to teach them, Members are referring their friends, people are all of
a sudden interested in what the "Mormons" have to say. When we ask why, they say
"I don't know we just want to know more about your church." Or "we just
felt we should." That feeling isn't just coming out of nowhere it is
coming from those on the other side. When prophets and apostles have told us
that we have help from the other side, they were not kidding. This work is
real and the people that have passed need our help just as much as those
that are sill on the earth. Please, if you haven't yet, do your family history
work. And for my friends on missions, get your recent converts, members, and
even investigators involved in family history. These people will bless your life
in more ways than you can imagine.
I am grateful everyday that I am a missionary for The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints! I love this gospel and I know it is true!
I hope you all have an amazing week!
Sister Abelhouzen
