Hello Everyone! 

This week was awesome! for starters we had the baptism for Perla, who was the one that had been an investigator for about 2 years, and was having a hard time giving up smoking, and she did it! She gave it up, and was baptized, it was so awesome! A lot of the ward came out as well to welcome her and I knew she felt the spirit at her baptism, it was awesome. So that was definitely a highlight. 

Another thing that was really cool was a dinner appointment we had with the former bishop of the ward. It was actually kind of weird because we wanted to do a little activity to invite them to refer a friend to the missionaries, and the bishop just said, oh I already know it, so my wife will just do it.. and he talks kind of loud for filipinos and really fast, so he kind of scares me, so I was just like, okay.. and so the wife did it, and then the bishop really did know it, I thought he was bluffing, and so he ended up just talking about his mission and a bunch of other stuff, and we never got to finish the activity haha. But, it was okay, because he talked on some really cool points. He said that when he visits people, he tells them that he is there because he loves them and they are his brothers and sisters, and no other reason. I thought that was super cool because it is so true that we as missionaries don't visit people for any other reason than because we love them and want to help them. We don't get a prize or anything if they listen to us or read. We only do it because we love them. 

The other thing he said which maybe people already know, but I thought it was super clever, was he said that Faith Allows Impossible Things to Happen, And I just thought it was an awesome acronym. It was an awesome visit, and I learned so much from it, even though it didn't all go according to the plan. 

This week I have been really trying to focus more on the spirit as Elder Christensen taught us last week and it was pretty cool experience, because I prayed each morning to really focus on my actions and think about what I am doing, and try to feel the Holy Ghost more, and it was really cool. Before I did stuff I would get a thought that maybe I shouldn't or do it another way, and really control myself. It was awesome, and in lessons I really tried to focus more on what I should say, instead of what I wanted to say, and I feel like they were better able to understand. I am still learning a lot, and trying to get the hang of it, and really learn to rely on it, But it is really amazing at how much the Holy Ghost can help. 

The Philippines finally got the May Liahonna on sunday, (And the June edition, how does that work?) And I read Elder Robert D. Hales because I remember it was kind of hard to understand him, so I really wanted to read his talk and get more out of it, and I thought it was so awesome. I think it applies so well to everyone, and how sometimes we really do just pick commandments we want to follow, and commandments we don't want to follow, while still professing that we love God. If we love Him, we will obey all of His commandments, not just some. And I realized that for our investigators, we need to focus things more on commandments, versus anything us, and if we really love God, we will go to church, because that is the hardest thing for people here. And some people show so much faith in going, like this one man who had a stroke, and walks so slow, is probably 60 and walks to church every sunday, and even goes to the institute (I think it's institute) on saturday evenings. Where as others don't go and they are upset they have trials. We really have to show our love by willingly going to church, and show our faith. 

I hope everyone had a good week. I will be here in Baesa for another 6 weeks! It's going to be a good transfer! 

Ingat!

-Elder Rock