Baptism! & Effortless Investigators & See Their Change & Make the Most of Your Dash!

Hello Family!! What a roller coaster of a week. As. In. But let me tell you the highlights :)
We had a baptism!!! Ryan, Angelyn and Angelica! Last transfer (at the very end) we were walking out of this neighborhood and there were these parked sikads and this man yelled out to us that the old woman sitting outside her house next to us is a member. So we stop and talk to the grandma and she told us that the man that yelled is her son and their family was taught by missionaries a loooong time ago and she and one of her sons were baptized. They lived in the bukid (it's the middle of nowhere) and missionaries hadn't gone there but her daughter had been baptized in the city and sent the missionaries to her home in the bukid. Well many many years later they end up here in Talisay and have been less active for a really long time. They're shy to talk to the missionaries and shy to go to church because they don't know anyone. Well.. we met their families and they just love the missionaries! Sister Maricar is the young girl (still in highschool) that sent the missionaries to her home in the bukid back then and now she's pregnant with her 4th child. Ryan is 10 years old and is her oldest child. Angelyn and Angelica are cousins to Ryan and we are teaching their parents (they are also in the picture on the side of sister hermosura). These 3 kids are the shyest little things in the whole world and the sweetest. They love to read the Book of Mormon and I love their families so much! I'll try and get pictures with them all these next weeks. Thank goodness for Ryan's uncle that called out to us that one night!
Another exciting thing is that we're teaching a part member family. We are sooo close with the Altamera family here (I just love them like crazy) and the oldest sibling of that family had been taught by missionaries more than 8 years ago but had never gone to church or anything. We met Christine a couple of weeks ago and this week we talked about that night that we met her and asked her if we could teach her family and she told us that she had been praying for a sign to know which church is true (yea.. like Joseph Smith) and she said that she was so happy when we asked to teach her family and was like even trying to hide her happiness and excitement so that her family wouldn't tease her.. haha she's this funny and outgoing person (it's refreshing for me to meet someone outgoing here) and we are just so excited about her and her husband Christopher because they really want to get baptized and are really searching for the truth. Christine's younger sister will leave on her mission next month and one of her brothers is also preparing to serve a mission. The awesome part about all of this is that Christopher said that he wants Christine's father to join them in investigating the church and get baptized with them so we went and taught Brother Altamera and found out that he's been waiting for us to teach him!! We extended him baptismal date and he asked if it has to be so far away.. he wants to get baptized sooner! Wow! That's the first time that I heard that reply from a new investigator! It just goes to show how Heavenly Father is truly preparing the hearts of these people. I feel like it was effortless.. we just started teaching and they're the ones telling us that they've been praying, searching for truth, feel like this church is true (from what they've heard and seen from their family) and can't wait to get baptized. Can a missionary's life get any better than that?? :) It's all so exciting! Sister Christine's son is a recent convert- he was baptized with Christine's mother back in January and he is the smartest 9 year old I've ever met!!! His name is Chi-an. He's so cute when we teach his parents. He's the one to tell his parents that it's their turn to pray- his dad was so shy when Chi-an picked him to pray! So Chi-an offered to let his dad follow him in the prayer (like you do with 3 year old that don't know what to pray for).. so that's how the lesson started and it was just too sweet!! I love their little family so much!
This week Sister Davenport gave a training at the mission home with 2 zones and with President and His wife and other visitors. It was nerve racking... our hands were shaking so bad hahaha but we just followed the plans that we made for the training and we were both confident that it was such an inspired plan and the training was overall great. It just FELT great! It was strong and clear and hit home for all of us. We taught about the sacrifices as missionaries but how the sacrifices that we are making is nothing compared to the blessings that we will and are receiving. This work is the work of salvation! We talked about how we all have a start and end date. Just like on a tomb stone Dec 4 2013- June 4 2015... and that little tiny dash means EVERYTHING! We challenged them (and ourselves) to focus more on the dash than the end date and to MAKE THE MOST OF THE DASH!! It was in that point of the training that I got emotional really feeling like my end is coming quick... my dash means everything in the world to me!!!!!!!! When I gave my departing missionary testimony later that afternoon after President Ferrin's training I didn't feel like it was real and was trying to feel the "holy crap I'm going home soon" feeling but I just couldn't feel it. I'm waiting for it to hit me... maybe before we get on the airplane or when we land.. or I don't know when.. all I know is it hasn't hit me yet! I'm just taking it day by day trying to help me and Sister Hermosura accomplish all that we need to do here in this area. Staying busy really is the best medicine for trunkiness- no time to think about yourself!

We had a hard let down this week with one of our awesome investigators that can't yet get baptized because he's having a hard time quitting smoking. He was hopefully going to be able to get baptized my last week here.. but now it won't happen. We were all disappointed at first but after such an awesome lesson and then after the lesson I just felt so much happiness as I watched Brother Marcel take his Libro ni Mormon and sit outside his house and read the assignment that we gave him while we chatted with his wife. From where I was sitting I could see him sitting on their tay2x (little bridge to their house) and realized this incredible change in Brother Marcel from when I first met him! He was so nervous and terrified to join the lessons when we were there and then step by step we started teaching him more regularly. But he would drink every night and when we would follow up about his reading in the Book of Mormon he was tell us that he read but while he was taking shots. Now... he can't wait to read again the verses that we talked about in the lesson and when he's done reviewing the verses he comes back inside and shares us what he learned and is just so pumped and excited! His smile is bigger than I've ever seen it before and even his wife is surprised! It's little moments like that... I can't explain my happiness to see and realize this HUGE change in these people after weeks of teaching them. Applying the principles of the gospel in our lives creates a natural change in our countenance and behavior that brings us true happiness and helps us feel closer to the Savior! I see that in Brother Marcel. It's even noticeable in his face! I no longer feel this disappointment that I won't be here when he's baptized.. all I know is how happy I am that I've been blessed to be here to see this incredible change in him. The best part of missionary work!!

Gwen's video clip that she included in her letter really hit home for me!! Thanks Gwen. We've done a lot of service this week trying to get community service hours to get a wheelchair for Bishop's mother! I love service! It really feels so good to serve :)
Blooper for the week: What I said- "Biskan lip-ot lang nga pangamuyo" (even just a short prayer) What they thought that I said- "biskan ipot lang nga pangamuyo" (even just a poop prayer). them- "ipot!!! hahaha" (poop!! hahaha) me- "ano ang ipot man??" (what's poop???) hahaha oh how those kids laughed at me!

love you all!!
oh ps we might email super late next week because we might be doing things in the morning next monday..

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hasta sa wala'y katapusan
Sister Judd