Dear Friends and Family,
Well I had a great Christmas
here in the Philippines although it was not like home I still had a great time.
The Pilipino love to video oke when there are holidays and they are
everywhere. So we spent Christmas eve at the Samson and video oked and
had a great time we laughed and ate a lot of food. We ended up staying up
until 12 and just had a blast. Then the next day, yes were tired but we
had breakfast at the Samson's and opened gifts and it was so much fun to sit
there like we do at home and open one by one, one of our gifts. Sister Baui
was so happy to have gifts to open which came from me and to see her get so
excited and laugh and smile made my whole day. I gave her one of my scarves
mom the blue one and she loves it so much. She is wearing it right now.
Sister Taylor and Sister Penaranda got a lot of candy, Sister Baui got a
lot of random stuff and I got CLOTHS!! we then got ready and went and
baked at the senior couples house for a little and then we went out to
work we ate a LOT OF FOOD!! I was so full by the end of the day I think my
stomach grew a second stomach just to fit it all.
As for the work it is slow but
going. With the holiday season there are a lot of people that are
busy or doing other things like.........drinking. Yes! that is so much
fun. One of our investigators the Perez family was drinking one night and
it is so hard to teach in that environment but we go on. We are a little bummed
that there is no progression there right now but as it says in preach my gospel
no effort is wasted. One lesson I would love to share with all of you is
to Bobbi Altera and his wife (who of course he is not married to) desere
delacruz. They live in Wawa too and we have been teaching him for about a
week and a half. He is 30 and she is 40 and they are having their first
kid together. She is 7 months pregnant and they have only been together
for almost a year. he is so excited about this baby but sometimes she
seems to be really annoyed by him but who knows. anyway, our lesson on Saturday
to him was on the gospel of Jesus Christ and as we started the lesson, every
question and every answer he gave was literally perfect and it all led up to
him wanting to change wanting to get closer to Christ and we asked him if he
would be baptized and he said yes! we didn't give him a date because his wife
listens and is not really involved and he being so young and the gospel being
all about families it is important that we get them both on the same page. we
really focused on her at the end of the lesson and throughout the lesson I was
feeling the spirit so strong in my heart and to know that this was the lesson
they needed. After much fighting we got her to say the closing prayer and
she started out a little rough but she did it and she LITERALLY talked to
heavenly father like she was telling him her life story. I really felt the
spirit as she was talking about her life and I think that is why prayer is so
important however it is done if it comes from your heart than it is right. Of
course we still have some work to do but this is the start and I hope that they
continue to progress.
On Sunday we had a wonderful
surprise, one of our less actives from barrio maasim came to church and I was
so excited. I never thought they would come but it was amazing to see them
there and to see them smiling and it literally made my whole day I can't even
describe it. It just goes to show that nothing is impossible when you
keep going on and showing them that you care.
Well not much this week but I want
you all to know that I love you and am seeing the importance of family in this
work. it is so hard to see broken families and to know how blessed I am
to have a whole family and to get together with them often. Thank you for
your support and I look forward to talking to you all next week. love
you!!
Sister Snow
