Week 9

Hello Everybody!!!!!! And a Happy Mother's day!!! Although, I am writing this email on Monday afternoon and most of you are getting it on Monday at 1am :) but none the less I wish you all the happiest of Mother's day's!!

While in the MTC one of my teachers gave me a talks he had gotten from the devotional he had been to the night before, all about motherhood and being a woman in Zion. Regretfully, I did not bring them with me to the Jokap(internet cafe). I finally got around to reading them, and what better day than mother's day? :) It made me so happy to have a mother! And to sometime later in my life, to have that opportunity as well! Hopefully that won't happen for a while though, because I don't think I could raise a baby right now :) so that's far down the line. But I am so grateful for the powerful roles mothers play in all of our lives! I have no doubt that all that my mom did in raising me was to get me to this point in my life. And I am so grateful for that! And for her amazing example of spirituality(hippie-ness and all). Just like the story in Alma of the stripling warriors, they knew because their mothers knew. We all learn by example and through teachings, and my mother taught me A LOT! And I couldn't be more thankful!

I feel my emails are getting shorter and shorter as I get further into my mission! But always know that all is well! That the giant rat outside my house, that is the size of a fat wiener dog, will not scare me away :) The language is coming better! I am able to understand better what people are saying, but the responding back in waray-waray is what gets hard. Bu I know that in due time and through trials, we become greater people. We just have to allow ourselves to be!

I had my first baptism this week! Shera Mei Quintana! A 14-year-old that is lit with Christ all in her life. She is the biggest example to her family of that too! Her two younger sisters have even started coming to church with her! I have no doubt that this girl will go forth and accomplish so much in her life! Her happiness and smile have helped me so much this week. She could tell I wasn't at my happiest and tried her hardest to speak English and crack a good joke at me! I love her to pieces! She came to her baptism service about an hour late, which Filipino time is far worse than Hawaii time. So I will not be learning how to manage my time better on my mission :) even church starts late! But she came ready to receive something she longed so much for! She was baptized on Friday and had to wait till Sunday to be confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, but you could tell, the minute she came out of the water, how happy she was!

Well, the computer is about to kick me off, but know how much I love each and every single one of you! And I am so grateful that I was able to skype with my family today, and to see my beautiful sisters belly! That little growing girl is definitely my motivation! I love you all and wish you all the best of weeks as well!

1Nephi 3:15 -"As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down....until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us."