 |
| Cute little boy of one of our less active families. |
 |
| Yep, these are my feet. look at my legs haha I'm so tan now! |
 |
| Nanay Esquerra my lil missionary Grandma. I'm like a Giant next to her. Oh boy haha. |
 |
| Everyone at our service project day. |
 |
| picture with the mungyon's. The filipino elder who is in the center, he was sister Sabiano's bestfriend from back home and they got assigned in the same mission. HIs conversion story is just like hers. |
 |
| Our less active family, they live so far away from the chapel and don't have enough money to get the whole family to church. They just live in a one room sinderblock house on the side of the road. Catalan family, love the kids:) they still read the book of mormon everyday. |
 |
| Our investigators huge momma pig had her babies the morning that we came to see them, she had 17 little piglets! i just wanted to pick one up, name it Wilber, and take it home with me hehe |
 |
| Service project. Stairs. |
Hey Fam!
wow...first have to say that Andelyn looked absolutely gorgeous in her prom outfit and Conrad looked pretty handsome too. So fun:)
This week has been amazing....we have seen miracles and have received blessings from the Lord. Our investigators are progressing and 9 of them came to Sacrament meeting yesterday. On the 24th of this month we will probably have 3 baptisms and we have many more scheduled for June. The area is really progressing and we are continuing to find more and more people everyday. Sister Monticalbo and I are a great team when it comes to talking to people on the street. We literally are inviting everyone to hear our message and giving referrals to the other missionaries when they are in their area. It's been so fun:)
I've mentioned one investigator before Tatay Mendez, he's an older man that we talked to on the street one day and told him about eternal families and he said "I can see my wife again?". Super sweet and one of my favorite people in the world hehe. This past week we had visited him and he was still praying to receive answers to know if everything we taught him about the Restoration through Joseph Smith and about he book of Mormon was true. He wasn't receiving answers or at least wasn't recognizing them and was unsure about still listening to us cause he had listened to many other before and was hard core catholic. We had taught him about the priesthood before and he was telling us how he couldn't come to church because he lives far away and he can barely walk just down the street because he is so weak. We had a priesthood holder with us at the time and a thought entered my mind that I should offer him to receive a priesthood blessing. I almost pushed it away cause I thought, 'well he hasn't received an answer yet, and he may not even believe in the power of the priesthood' but I felt strongly just to ASK. So I did...we explained to him what the blessing would be for and he said 'actually I think I would like one, I just want to feel comfort, and try to get an answer' so our branch missionary. Bernard, who joined the church 2 years ago and is preparing to serve a mission himself) gave Tatay Mendez a priesthood blessing of comfort. I wasn't sure how things would turn out but during the blessing I was praying so hard that tatay would feel the spirit testify to him of the truth. After the blessing Tatay sat there for a minute, and we were just all so quiet. Than tatay started sobbing, I was so surprised and didn't know what to say so we all just continued to sit there and wait till he was ready to speak. he looked up at us after a minute with tears running down his cheeks and he told us that he couldn't explain to us the feeling that he had inside but he believed everything we had taught him and he just felt peace and warmth. We helped him recognize it as the feelings of the spirit and than extended the baptismal date to him...and he accepted. And yesterday... he walked the 2 miles to the church building and attended Sacrament Meeting for the first time and walked 2 miles back. It was a miracle. We walked out of that lesson with him and I just didn't know what to say but my testimony of the Power of the Priesthood was even more strengthened and I'm so grateful that I got to witness that miracle.
The Absalon family is also progressing, Brother Absalon comes to church every week, we are just helping them with Word of Wisdom issues but they are doing better and better everyday. We are making them a chart today so that they can track which days they don't drink coffee and smoke a cigarette haha. with a countdown to the day of their baptism so that they can visually see their progress.
We also met a new investigator named MIchelle, she was taught all the lessons 10 years ago and was about to be baptized when her family suddenly moved and she couldn't find missionaries again. Than we met her last week and are teaching her again and she accepted a baptismal date. So crazy that we are continuing the work of 2 Elders over 10 years ago to help Michelle come unto Christ. It just shows that you never will know what will happen down the road.
I feel so blessed to be a missionary and help others to come unto Christ and to feel the Holy Ghost. It's weird to think I only have about 2 months left as a full-time missionary, it makes me anxious and makes me want to work harder everyday. I continue to learn more and more everyday, I've been enjoying reading about the Savior in the new testament, and every night before I go to bed I read 15 minutes out of the Book of Mormon, my testimony has just been strengthened about Jesus Christ. My testimony that this is his true church has grown stronger as well, I've realized even more how organized it is and how this truly is the church that Jesus Christ organized himself while he was here on the earth. How blessed we are to be members of his true church! :) Being baptized was the best decision I ever made, serving a mission has been the 2nd best decision. I just love missionary work and I hope you guys know that I pray for you everyday to have opportunities to share some part of the gospel with someone else.
I love you guys and I'm so excited to skype with you next week:) have a great week and be safe:)
mahal ko kayo!
Love, Sister Ammah Jones
