Obedience is the best way, obedience is the only way.

Area: Floridablanca

Companion:  Sister Echon

Sister Training Leader

                                                                                    Monday, February 24. 2014

FAMILY. FRIENDS.

It's always a good week when there's a BAPTISM! Danica Yumul was baptized Sunday after church. Unfortunately her mom and brother were unable to attend, but she was very supported by the branch-there were many in attendance. She was so happy when she came out of the water and bore a beautiful, simple testimony. 

Sister Echon and I have been struggling getting our investigators to church, So I challenged us to do all we could to be exactly obedient. The other sisters had a baptism on Saturday, but we remembered the hand off where it said we cannot attend other baptisms unless we have investigators present. We didn't have any investigators to come to the baptism, so we decided to obediently go out and work--soon to be immediately blessed. The time we worked that day, where we would have been at the baptism, we got a family of 4 as new investigators, all of which came to church yesterday. Obedience is the best way, obedience is the only way. This family, as all families has their own story. They are a referral from one of our recent less active returns. The family consists of Nanay Beatriz (75), Girlie Diez (30+), Norman (9), little girl (7).When Girlie was pregnant with her little girl-her husband left her and never came back. Girlie has severe epilepsy and cannot work. She seizes at least once a day. She cannot afford the medicine that would hopefully heal her, which only costs 7 pesos, that is 31 cents...Her mother moved in when the husband left and became "dad." She is the bread winner for the family, and literally makes close to no money. Nanay Beatriz walks the distance from Dublin Ranch to Dublin High and back to go to work because she cannot afford to pay for rides.(that is a good 4-5 miles and keep in mind she is 75 with the strength of an 80 year old!) When their youngest was a baby, they couldn't afford milk, so instead they put the leftover water from cooked rice and a little salt in a bottle. They are so soo poor. Capampangan is the dialect spoken here, so Girlie does not know how to speak Tagalog, and Nanay knows a little bit--we definitely rely on the Spirit to be our teacher. All that being said, they are so sweet and so humble. We invited them to church yesterday and they were so excited, they were out on the street waiting for us to come pick them up 30 minutes early. We are very excited and hopeful for this cute little family. I know this gospel will bless their lives tremendously. 

I went on exchanges with Sister Evangelista, it was such a blast, their investigators are awesome. We contacted a referral that had been given to them by one of the members, and wow what a story this lady has. When she was 7 months pregnant she gave birth to her first and only child, and had a stroke that changed her life--the following 8 years she couldn't even get up off of her bed to go turn on the lights without falling down of exhaustion-let alone take care of herself or her baby girl. Not to mention, her husband took off on her and never came back, so her siblings were left to take care of her and raise her child. No doctor prescribed medicine could help her. Just this last year she found this medicine that now has her living a close to normal life. Her father just had a stroke and is bed ridden--she takes care of him, has to feed him by tubes every four hours which is a one hour process. When we went over to teach her, she was in the process of feeding her dad. Seeing the pain that he was in, and seeing her struggling because she was so exhausted, but the overwhelming amount of love she had for her father was incredible. The trials of these people are unreal, but their faith, that's what gets them through. I absolutely love my mission, and there is no other place I would rather be. These people are incredible, they lift and inspire me to be better every day, and above all else, to be aware of the all the blessings I have in my life, we truly are SO BLESSED. God is good. 

Sister Echon and I started biking this week--okay can I just say I LOVE BIKING! I haven't been so happy on my mission ever, it is such a blast! Given, we have had our fair share of embarassing moments, skirts flying up from the wind, our bike stands giving out when we are trying to talk to people on the side of the road--spraying all the contents that were in our bags all over the road when the bike falls, etc. etc. 

The other day mid lessons, our less active starts complaining about how it's so dark and he can't see, wondering what's wrong with the light, we had to remind the sweet man that he had his sunglasses on. This is the same man that plays ninja while praying, his prayers are so intense he has his hands clasped together and is swinging them around to the words of his prayer, yes I peeked okay.

The gospel is true. I love you! Have a great week and be safe. :)

P.S. A member in our branch named their son Angel....Angel Moroni. True story. HAHAH.I love this place. 

Sister Pilkington