Just Chugging Along

April 29, 2014

 

Magandang Umaga Po!!

How is life back in the states! Hope all is well and that things are going great! Thank so much again for all of the emails and support that you are all sending my way. I am so blessed!!

This week was temple week, so I was able to wake up this morning at 4 to go to the temple. I love the temple and I feel so privileged that I get to attend once a transfer. Temple week always seems to come when I need it most and when I am in need of an extra boost. I am grateful that we all have the opportunity to attend the temple and receive the many blessings that await us all in doing so. It is so easy to feel Heavenly Father's love there, and going to the temple always helps to put my life back into perspective.

This week we got to go to a birthday party for one of the Less Actives in our ward. She is the mother of 2 special needs children and her husband, who is also a member, recently became very anti-Mormon. He wouldn't even come downstairs to celebrate his wife's birthday with everyone because he knew that the missionaries were there... It is so sad! I pray that he'll have a change of heart and remember the feelings and testimony he once had. The party was really fun though! There was soooo much food, the people were so nice, and they were all doing karaoke.. Filipinos, (generally speaking), are pretty tone deaf, but they all LOVE to karaoke! It's so great!

Things with the Honrejas Family are doing great! The parents have come to church twice, and they are really enjoying it! We are now really trying to focus on getting all of their kids there so that their whole family can be baptized. I love to see the changes and progress they make each and every time we visit them. I know that the Lord has prepared them and I feel so blessed to be an instrument in His hands to do this great work.

Judy Ann and her family are still really struggling. They are completely out of food still and I don't know what to do. I feel so limited as a missionary as I can't give them money and food, but at the same time, if we don't do anything about it, who will? It is such a difficult spot to be in and I wish I could do more. Judy Ann, who is already skin in bones, is just withering away. All the food she gets she gives to her kids, and she honestly looks sickly. It breaks my heart!

This week has been kind of hard because I have been sick. It started on Easter when I started getting a little cold. I tried to not let it get to me and just kept working. Everyday kept getting worse and then on Saturday night when we were having a lesson with on of our less active families, I got so sick! I tried to keep a smile on my face and did my best to share a message. After doing planning when we got home, I climbed in bed, hoping that I would be able to sleep it off, but I couldn't sleep at all! My head was so full of fluid and pressure, which carried a bunch of pain down to my jaw. I was up all night blowing my nose, and then to top things off, I had a fever. When morning came, I literally looked like death and felt like it too. I texted the Mission President's wife and she told me to get some antibiotics. We went and got the medicine and went straight to work. It was AWFUL!!! My temperature was 101*F and then walking in the heat here made me want to die. I felt like my skin was boiling and I kept looking down to check to see if I was steaming yet because I literally felt like I was on fire. We went to church and made all of our appointments that day. I honestly have no idea how I was able to make it through! Heavenly Father was definitely blessing me!! I still felt pretty sick on Monday and by the time we came home for the day, I felt really sick again. I went to gradb my toothbrush so I could brush my teeth and get to bed, but of course- being the klutz that I am- I totally slipped in a huge puddle of water on our floor and landed flat on my butt. I seriously just wanted to sit there and cry... It was so sad... Haha but I am feeling much better now!! Thank heavens! Just got to keep chugging along no matter what!!

Nakakatawa:

We met with a woman named Belle this week for the first time. Out of nowhere, she turned to me and asked, "Do you believe in enchanted places?" I was totally caught off guard and asked her to repeat her question. She looked at me again and said, "Do you believe in enchanted places? Like dwarfs and those kinds of things?" I couldn't help but start to laugh... and then I realized she was being completely serious... Whoops. I had to explain to her that I don't believe in those things... It was super awkward because she told me that she was convinced that "enchanted places" have healed her illnesses... Some people!!

We also went to teach a less active this week, but when we got to her house she was having Bible Study with a missionary from the Iglesia Church. So since we couldn't teach her, we tired to just tell her that we would come back another day... She did not like that idea though. Her daughter who is in her 40s, made us come into the house and sit down. She thought that we would like to know more about her brother who passed away in January, and so she turned on a DVD that had her brother's funeral recorded on it.. So we watched a funeral. Thank you, sister! That is exactly how I wanted to spend my morning- watching a funeral!

Well that is it for now- sorry there isn't very much exciting stuff! Hopefully there will be more next week. Thanks for all the prayers you are sending my way- I am DEFINITELY feeling them. There is so way I could be doing this work without the strength of the Lord. I feel so blessed to be serving and I am so grateful that I have this amazing opportunity to be serving in the Philippines. I love it so much here and the people are amazing. I am so grateful for all of the experiences I have had so far, and all of the experiences that are to come. I love the gospel so much and I hope I will be able to share this love with the people here. I love you all and can't wait to hear from you soon!

Ingat po kayo!
Love,
Sister Anderson