Hello Hello family dear!
So what a week! Now that I'm sitting here it kinda feels like a blur. We've been so busy and it makes the weeks feel like days and the days feel like weeks. Oh ya it was New Years this week. Well the people just continue cooking from Christmas and just don't stop! So much food! Thankfully there is a family here in the ward that graciously fed us :) Oh speaking of which the people are SO hospitable!! They felt so bad that News Years morning (the people of Cabanbanan) that there was nothing left of their "feast" last night so they gave us the only food they had.. bread which they buried in mayonnaise (they loooove mayo here) and warm, flat coke. They can't stand to NOT feed their guests- especially on a holiday! Another house gave us cold spaghetti at 9:30 in the morning (we proselyted in the morning for the first time ever) and this delicious frozen salad thing that is my favorite here. That's something that I just adore about these people is how kind and giving they are!!! Sometimes no matter how much you don't want their food you don't even think about turning it down because they're so happy to GIVE!
I actually lost my voice this week and no matter what I couldn't convince the people that it was NOT because I stayed up late on new years and sang karaoke ("the ancient chinese art of ka-reoke") like all the other people.. I've never lost my voice before so it was a weird experience for me.. Sister Silos kind of had to take the reigns and even though I sounded horrible I felt okay so we just kept being busy and I realized how hard it is to be a missionary without a voice. haha
But even with no voice we had a wonderful baptism on New Years day! Lola Deling :) (lola means grandma). Sister Candilaria is her real name and she is 85 years old! She is just my absolute favorite!! Oh how I wish I could just pack her in my suitcase when I come home and we could just adopt her as a 3rd grandma :) It was a special baptism. Her grandson Brother Junide baptized her. He has been a member for a little over a year now and it was his fist experience to baptize someone. He is preparing to serve a mission and WAIT you all met him! haha He was at the computer shop when I skyped you all on Christmas! Ya so that's him. Well Lola's testimony was so sweet. She shared how happy she is that her grandson (that she raised as her own) met "that tall, skinny american" and was baptized and she's really seen the change in him and that's what gave her the desire to take the missionaries more seriously. She also shared how supporting Junide with his desire to serve a mission used to be difficult but now that she has come to know that this church is true, her idea about missionaries has changed and she loves the gospel. She's such a rock! She used to be SO active in the Catholic church (she was a teacher for the Catholic church for sooo long) and she's come a long way as we've taught her. She has chewed tabacco her entire life (since she was 8) (no wonder why she has no teeth) hehe:) and has been drinking coffee since she was a toddler (that's normal here). She is raising 3 more of her grandchildren (ages 9, 7 and 5) by herself (with Junide's help) and they really live in humble circumstances. Brother Junide is so pisan nga magwork sa amon (always works with us!) and we've just grown so close to their little family I just love Lola so much!!
One of the miracles from this week was finding a new family!! They are from Cabanbanan and they just came back from Ilo-Ilo. We found out that Brother Sanchez (the father) was baptized in Manila years ago and though he is less active now he was ridiculously pumped to see missionaries in his home village of Cabanbanan and automatically his wife and 3 children (above 8) and the baby were all equally excited as well!! They all want to be baptized and Brother Sanchez (he didn't have the money to send his entire family) so he sent his 2 oldest children (age 14 and 13) to church and is so excited for them to be baptized. It is really a tender mercy to meet this golden family that has full 100% support from the father of the family. This is the first time I've ever seen this! I'm so excited to see brother make the changes that he needs to make in his life to return to activity in the church and bring his family into the waters of baptism! Someday.. they will be sealed in the temple :)
Another tender mercy from this week is the FIRST return missionary from Calumangan just got home from her mission this week! The members are so inspired by her and I know that she will be just what this ward needs to step it up and make 2015 a "changing" year for this area. No pressure for her or anything:) But really, she's awesome and like a legend here.
This change in the year is exciting and the message that I want to leave with all of you to help us this new year is something that I found in my studies. Mormon 5:23 "In The Hands of God" - Elder W. Craig Zwick
"Everyone one of us needs to know that we can go on in the strength of the Lord. We can put our hand in His, and we will feel His sustaining presence lift us to heights unattainable alone. How do we learn to extend our hand and connect to the comfort provided by the Lord?... learn, listen, seek the spirit and pray always. The Lord will provide sustenance and support if we are willing to open the door to receive His hand of divine assistance. Imagine the wounds in His hands. His weathered hands, yes, even His hands of torn flesh and physical sacrifice, give our own hands greater power and direction. It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty. It is He who bears us up when we need more air to breathe or direction to follow or even more courage to continue. If we will keep the commandments of God and walk hand in hand with Him in His paths, we will go forward with faith and never feel alone".
With our many desires and goals this New Years- let us not forget to take the extended hand of the Lord into our own and rely on Him. We cannot fail if we do this :) I love the Savior our Redeemer! He is so willing to guide us, lift us and comfort us if we simply turn to Him and SEEK. I am so grateful to be a part of HIS work here in the Philippines. And I know and receive comfort each day knowing that He is also protecting, helping and guiding you all at home. Love you all so so very much!!!
Happy Belated New Year :)
Sister Judd
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