Miracles and Thanksgiving

Tears come to my eyes when I think of this week.....not tears of sadness but great grateful tears of joy. As you guys are feeling over in america this is a week of gratitude. I have seen such a miracle happen this week. Im still in awe at the grace and love of jesus christ and our father in heaven. He is showing me his power and love for his children....Thank you soo much for you letters of love. I am facing some difficulties leaving my mission. Actually its really hard, and im very emotional...these last months my heart has even grown and felt more for these people and everyone. Im thankful for your love and counsel and the mercy of God. God continues to allow me to experience precious miracles and experiences and continues to forgive me of my countless mistakes and weaknesses.

I witnessed a very special tender mercy of the Lord this week. We have our bible basher invetigator Al...I told you about him, he is the one we are really being bold with. I was telling someone that my mission has been like a video game, in levels of difficulty in investigators and he is definitely the bowser level. He has some tough questions, but I feel the love of the Lord soo much for him, b/c i am soo guided in everything that I say to him. Nothing is held back from him, and last week he told us that his father in law died. we hadnt gone to visit him for two days and he has no money and no one to turn to to perform his funeral service and so he went back in desperation to his old pastor and his pastor kindly performed the service for his father in law. Well when we heard about this he said he felt it owed it to his old pastor to go back to his church...like he had a debt to him. Well I looked him straight in the eye and said who do you have a bigger debt towards you pastor or the savior? And he said " well...the savior" and I said then dont you owe it to him to go to his church. and he agreed and said he would go. The next morning he was at church again early and in a white shirt. A few days before that he said it was too tiring to kneel down and pray so I made him continue to read scripture verses about sacrifice and kneeling until he finally agreed to kneel. He was still unsure at the end of the lesson so we got down on our knees on his dirt/ kind of muddly floor and knelt down...hes like "no, no stand up" and I said no we're not going to stand up we are showing you that we are willing to kneel for the lord...and so he agreed. He has made soo much progress. But I havent even gotten to the miracle. He HAS to work on sunday....he says he needs to to earn money for his family. Well...ever since we met him he doesnt really catch very many fish, so I promised him I said "Brother AL, as a messenger of Jesus Christ I promise you that if you go to his church this sunday and do NOT work, you will catch more fish from monday to satuday then you ever have." I said I make you this promise from the lord as his messenger. Well after he went to church we visited him, and yes he had not worked. I started to fast that this promise would be fulfilled. So monday we were walking around near his house and we see his son with a full bag and lots of fish and S. bosio asked whose fish is that? and hes like my dads. I almost feel on my knees with gratitude and tears came to my eyes. I looked at the sky and was in awe at the power given to missionaries to make promises in the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord always fulfills his promises. Then we saw Al walking and we asked him how was his catch and he said it was a lot 11 POUNDS!!! I even saw his son giving some fish away and his wife, who has been against all of this kept smiling at us listened to our lesson and sent us home with 4 beautiful fish! :) I love this work!!! If we are worthy, obedient and in-tune with the spirit we have this authority from God to promise miracles for people.

So yes I love my mission, everyday is precious. Yesterday we planted rice, it was super muddy and fun. Its Birthday week for me and E. banzon...only problem last week we had a rice eating contest against e. irvin and the prize was the winner gets to command the two losers to do whatever he wants for a week (within mission rules of course). Well I ate 9 cups of rice, elder banzon only 8 and elder irvin got 10. Hes a lot bigger than both of us. So now hes king of birthday week, and yesterday he kept commanding us to throw mud at eachother, well it was just a mess haha. Ya I know I might have grown in maturity spiritually but mentally its well....im gonna have to work on it when I get home. Today we're celebrating thanksgiving, mashed potatoes, gravy, chicken (expensive is the turkey), corn on the cob, cake and macaroni salad....we are forbiding the filipinos from rice....they might die from 1 meal no rice...haha..then friday I share my birthday with 1 of the members in our matabao area so we're partying with all of the investigators. Its filipino style meaning I provide all the food...haha. American style we get treated....so im a poor little girl, but Ive been saving. And we keep being fed b/c im almost leaving....and people are just too nice. Oh by the way our sacrament was again 100 in attendance...yes 8th week in a row now. MIRACLE MIRACLES