Hello Family!! It's been a great week! I LOVE MY NEW COMPANION!!! Sister Silos is brand new! When we became companions she only had 1 week left of her training.. she must just be so awesome they cut her training 1 week short ;) She is from Bicol Philippines (they speak a different language than Tagolog AND also Tagolog). So I'm learning some Tagolog through her because she doesn't know very much Hiligaynon yet. But at the same time she does for only being here for not even 3 months! She so awesome! We get along really well and it's so easy to teach and work with her!! She's so so kind and the people love her! Oh how I'm going to enjoy this transfer :) You will meet her on Christmas! :)
So with the amount of missionaries going home this week we are losing almost 40% of our missionaries here in the Bacolod Mission!! That's a lot! So there are a lot of changes here!
So this area is doing pretty well!! We are really enjoying how "progressing" our really far area is right now! It's pretty darn far from the church- (it's in the middle of Sugar Cane and Rice Fields) and it's not cheap to travel in and out of their place because the tricycles have to go out of their way for like 20 minutes on a bumpy rode.. but these people are amazing!! Even though they are so far, they find a way to come to church! For example they fill up a tricycle and share the plete (money it costs) and then we were suprised that another group of them showed up after church had started and the other (who are also from there) were also surprised because they knew that they had no money.. but that didn't stop them! They WALKED. And then they caught a ride on the highway.. but their walk was probably about 4 miles! They were dirty and sweaty by the time they got to the church and shy to come in but I am consistently so surprised by their strength and their faith! It's hard to teach people across the street from the church (about 20 steps away LITERALLY) and they have all the reasons in the world why they don't even plan on going to church.. uhhhhhh ya that just shows how AWESOME the people from Cabanbanan are!!!
Speaking of the people from Cabanbanan... the other day while we were making the long walk to their houses, we passed a group of teenagers that we are teaching that we passing us going the other direction. We asked where they were going and they said to the computer shop (about 2 miles away) and I surprisingly asked "You will walk that far just to get on Facebook??" and they replied "No way! We'll catch a ride!" Then they ran past us towards their "ride". A Caribou!! hahaha Their friend Brother Andrew (who we are also teaching) was sitting riding on this wooden contraption (kind of like a sled on the ground) being pulled by his ginourmas cauribou and had a long whip-type thing in his hand made out of banana leaves to keep the caribou walking. That's how the group of 5 or 6 teenagers ages ranging 13-17 went to get on facebook from Cabanbanan on a Saturday afternoon. Only in the Philippines :)
So Christmas is next week! I enjoyed watching the Christmas Devotional from the First Presidency last night and I hope you all also watch it! I was so touched by the story that was shared about a boy suffering from Leukemia and how through the light of Christ we can become more like Christ! The Christmas season is such a special time where hearts are especially soft and charitable acts are just that much more special :)
The other day we visited a family who is less active who are going through some big trials right now. The parents have separated and the children have been left without a mother. There are 6 of them ranging from 14 to 1 years old. Brother Jasper is 14 years old. He goes to school and then is filling in the gaps of his currently broken family. To see this hurting 14 year old that isn't able to come to church but that has this strong desire to go to church just like all his church friends and someday serve a mission.. I was so touched as we were teaching him knowing and feeling that Heavenly Father really does have a plan for 14 year old Jasper and he loves him so much! He shared to us how he does the laundry, cooks, cleans, buys the food, watched his siblings, is going to school and basically does it ALL at his home. His dad is tries his best each day to find money so that they can eat and is not willing to give us his time to let us teach right now. But I know that with the strength of Jasper he can influence his father and his 5 younger siblings. We have challenged him to read the book of mormon and working with members to see if they can help him come to church. I know that Brother Jasper is one of MANY that is facing trials in his life that seem unbearable. But the greatest blessing that Heavenly Father promises us is that Christ has suffered all so that he can comfort us no matter what we're going through (Alma 7:11-12). The Atonement of Jesus Christ is eternal and has no bounds and can strengthen us when all hope seems lost! Through our faith and diligence we will witness miracles in our lives that are only possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This knowledge and testimony can become our rock through trials and hardships that we ALL will face throughout this mortal life! I have witnessed this in my own life and since serving a mission have seen this in the lives of many others.
Let's all remember the Savior daily especially this Christmas season. And no matter what are burdens are.. I know that through Him they can be made light!
I love you all so so much! I am missing you this Christmas season!! But the love I feel from my Savior, from these people and in turn the love that I feel for them makes it okay that I will miss one more Christmas. There are many more Christmases to come but only one more left for me to serve the Lord :)
LOVE YOU ALL!!
Sister Judd
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