February 6, 2017

So this week was a good week, I have made some awesome friends here in the mission from missionaries, members, and investigators. I have had a lot of fun being with Elder Feiloaki, Elder Peterson, and Elder Kirifi. Some awesome friends that I will never forget. I will be transfering tomorrow to most likely my last area:) I have met so many great people in my area here in Bocaue. It has been difficult but I can confidently say that I have left the area better than when I found it. That is one way you can measure success as a missionary, not by baptisms, or by how many people to teach but just by helping the people and building them up. (then all the baptisms and such follows) I didint have too many baptisms my 4.5 months here but we mostly definitely set up a lot that will come this month and in March. Hopefully about 6. One of them being a family that I have come to really love teaching. They are very sincere family and want to know the truth. But they basically have all of the barriers of being baptized they are not yet married, they smoke, drink alcohol and coffee. But we knew that they could over come them. So we just kept teaching them the basic lessons Restoration, and Plan of Salvation and they have been reading the Book of Mormon and building their faith. Then yesterday we dropped the word of wisdom on them. BUt it was a great lesson. They were pretty surprised when we named off all of the things that are not allowed. But as we went on and told them how it was a commandment coming from GOd and that we need to live this in order to return back to God and they understood and accepted to live the word of wisdom in their own individual lives. Who would of thought that a white american 19 year old with a tongan 19 year old would go knock on these random peoples doors enter their home and then return about 3 times a week and ask them to change their lives. Well it definitely is not us because that is not possible but it is God the Holy Ghost working through us. You may not always feel the Holy Ghost super strong with you and feel like speaking for you, but he is there. There is no way two 19 year olds could just go and do that, it doesnt make sense. It is the Spirit of the Lord. Just look back on your life and dont focus so much on "why am I not feeling the spirit, why dont I feel like them" Just look at all the miracles and changes in you then you will know that God is in your life. We met this other huge family the other week, we went knocking on doors and found this whole extended family that wanted to listen to us Grandma, daughters, sons, grandchildren, aunts. THere was like 12 of them. So we taught them and went back a few more times. I was shocked because they listened so well during the lesson even though it was a lot of them. Then as we kept going back man I was so shocked, the little girls ages 10, 11, and 12 are reading the Book of Mormon like crazy. We asked them to read 1nephi chapter 1-3 and they laughed at us and told us that they were already on chapter 8 hahah. I was so surprised. They really wanted to go to church the other day as well, but sadly we had stake conference and it was way to far for them all to go, but this upcoming sunday I expect them there:) I have had so many cool experiences here and just feel bad sometimes because I think I took it for granted. But God really just did bless us and me so much and I am very grateful. I will be leaving tomorrow morning for my new area in San Jose Del Monte. Which used to be back in the day the best place in the mission. They called it the "promised land" It has since then kinda gone down but I am excited to go there and hopefully help it come back to being the promised land again. I need to do all I can this next next area I only have 4 months left and its scary, I hope I will become the person that Heavenly Father expected me to become. I need to finish off my conversion as a misisonary, help others become more converted, I need to love others more than myself, I need to leave it all on the table. I love you all. Thank you for all your amazing words and pictures. Have a good week:)))