Adventures from Cebu

Lately I've been taking the time to edit Cari's emails, because her English is getting so bad and I want to make it easier for you to read - haha! This week I am tired because I just got home from a trip, so I am going to send this to you as I got it. I think this is one of the worst (as far as the English/grammar goes) She really sounds like a filipino. Anyway, enjoy! Hopefully you can decipher it yourself. I love her! ~Jeanette


So this week has been a little difficult with our investigators. We had three children scheduled for baptism on the 26th and one over night decided that he is now a devout catholic. Yes, I am a little depressed about it but I'm sorry S. Martin and I were trying with all our might not to laugh when we asked him about his baptism and he said he is catholic now. He has been a little stubborn for the past few weeks so we keep pushing back his baptism and the two other children. I am really trying to learn patience to work with children, but sometimes they are soo stubborn. They come from a big part member , inactive now family and they are probably our most difficult and tiring lessons everyday but we arent giving up. Although this week has been hard with the three children we have had a lot of success with reactivation, last week there were soo many people at church 3 previously inactive families. The most I have ever seen at church in this branch. It was awesome!! Oh and our zone activity was amazing...but its definitely difficult being in a vacation spot as a missionary...I have pictures it was literally a paradice vacation spot. Temptations!! But yes I resisted swimming. Yesterday we had Zone Conference, we have really been stressing using the Book of Mormon. Our tine zone of 8 has been trying to flood Bogo with the Book of Mormon. We told president that our zone will be translated soon. We making a zone t shirt with the city of enoch on it that says Bogo Zone-translated. Our strong point is not humility though...haha. But honestly our zone is amazing all of the missionaries are super hard workers and obedient, all of the branches (which you could sometimes say the problems sound like a sad country song) our progressing soo much...the zl's branch is building a new chapel b/c their attendance has increased soo much. Plus with only 8 of us, zone unity is not a problem, we really dont want anyone to be transferred next transfer which is NEXT WEEK!! Time is sooo fast here!!! I really hope S. Martin will not be transferred.

Oh by the way I recieved a letter from mamming and janice. They were baptized!!! Ahhh!! I cried out of being soo happy after more than a year of the investigating and many missionaries dropping them they are finally baptized!! I remember that they had been dropped for a long time but I always had them in the back of my mind and when S. Falculan came to Mabolo I just told her I had a feeling we should visit them. They had been taught all the lessons about 6 times each but we just decided to read the Book of Mormon with them. After many trials finally they gained a testimony after a year!!! The Book of Mormon is just soo powerful, they had to overcome soo much but it was all through the Book of Mormon that all these miracles happened. But I also have some bad news too. Alma quit her job b/c she was being treated badly. Now she has no income and is staying with a ward member. Pray for her. Delilah too, now her boyfriend wants to get married and is very faithful in everything. They are just an amazing couple but b/c they are underaged and even though they have ababy they cannot get married without their parents conesnt which means they cant be baptized either. and their parents are super against b/c they know they want to get married soo that they can be baptized into the mormon church. Delilah wrote me and she sounds soo sad, but still soo faithful she has already had one large miracle in her life, her boyfriend who we never thought would listen to missionaries now has a strong testimony so we know more miracles can happen to her. Please pray for her.

SO yes even though I have lice, mosquito bites, a nasty pimple that shut my eye it was soo big, cold showers, incredible amount of heat and bug. I am happy. Who wouldn't be? I see miracles all the time. I have seen many of people I love with all my heart accept the Gospel and change their lives so that they can obtain eternal happiness. I have seen my life change and recognized all the eternal blessing for my mission, everyday I just see blessing and the Book of mormon has come alive for me. The lice and the itchiness and the being tired are just little things I can ignore or laugh at b/c the blessings are soo much bigger. So really, who wouldnt be happy?

By the way I will fast for Richards son....I am really worried, I hope everything will be okay. and I almost cried about your family listening to the missionaries...I'm expecting a big miracle soon. I now know how possible they are.

Love you all,

Cari