Ites Pamilyia Baptism

My goodness time flies sister nelson went home on monday ah! So grateful she showed me selfless service and how she is so calm in the face of adversity whether it be shes choking on fish bones from a dinner appointment or deciding about her future she just loves and trusts God and will be soo missed. BUT saturday! BEST DAY EVER!!!!! t

The sweet intes pamilya sooo many miracles and sweet lessons that helped to stregthen their faith and Brother even was offered a job for a whole week doing consturction but declined knowing it wouldnt let him get back for his baptism on saturday. Okay that meant 7 days of no work for his family with 6 tiny children to feed and we prayed gud with them and right after we visited on wednesday someone came by asking if he would do work for 3 days IMMEDIATE BLESSINGS and it doesnt mean it was easy because he still had to tell them he would only work half day on saturday and no work on sunday but he did it and stoof up for what he knew was right even with it being hard and they took a step of faith having no idea where their next meal would come from and they were so happy doing it!!!!

Sweet cherrylan their 8 year old daughters bday was on sunday so we wanted to celebrate after their baptism and we were running around with appointments and meeting people on saturday so when it came time for the baptism we showed up at 4:50 with only a cake in hand and the intes were the only people there with the baptizer, tatay dela cruz. Okay we zoomed trying to set up chairs and call people and hand write a program when within 20 minutes straight miracles happened. The whole branch 2 was having a party in the other room but they all came and filled the whole room, the branch president made it and someone brought a hand drawn baptismal program and people volunteered to be speakers and despite their playful kids running around it got soo quiet when they were getting baptized and BOOM a sweet calm filled the room and thats the holy ghost.

 Sister cherrylyn cried as she testified of the truthfulness of this church and how grateful she was for her new life, and brother julan how he changed everything and knew his family could be together forever. Sister nelson has an angelic voice and on the spot sugested we do a musical number (which im pretty sure even without a cold on a good day my voice still shouldnt be compared to sister nelsons) and as we sang i am a child of god and said: "rich blessings are in store" i started laughing put of pure joy and then crying because i saw the biggest light radiating from them and the best biggest blessings really are going to come to them!!!! Everyone started singing to finish the song while i laugh/cried and the whole thing just felt like the atonement of jesus christ. It really was because of Him, that the whole day was able to become more and be enough and be so poweful!!! Pretty sure that was the best cake we have ever eaten 

Yesterday sister heimuli and i were together and trying to find a lalaki we had met and we found his dad who is a priest in the catholic church and instantly started asking about church policies and speaking only tagalog and it was incredible that we understood but it just didnt have any impact like wala siya nadulot kay we knew (and know haha) that this church is true and we still felt the spirit and peace and ran into his son again who asked again what time church was because he too felt that spirit yaay!!!

Also on sunday our friend john paul came to church and he only speaks tagalog! Shoutput to all my companions that tried to help me learn but sadly its all gone away and we had an incredible lessons where we understood eachother kind of using english bisaysa and tagalog and he wanted a book of.mormon so bad! THEN at church the whole branch did sunday school in tagalog so he could understand and he even answered about how small things can become great things and after church he looked at us and in english said "i am so happy" ahhh so nindot! He has a busy work schedule but we keep trying to visit him

Other fun things

We found a frog in our house today and finally used plastic bags to help get him out from under the bunk bed

Halo halo, we love it gud its so lami

We met a member who just moved here from balamban and isnt very active but we got to talk to his wife and teach them sitting by a boat on the seashore which i still belive is so magical and just the ocean coming in and out ah it testifies of Heavenly Fathers love and that He is real

I know this is the true restored gosepl and Jesus Christ Himself is leading this church. When we follow Him and He becomes part of our lives it is only natural to talk of Him, remember Him, become like Him, and invite others to do the same. Feel so blessed i still get to do that and learn and become better all the time LOVE YA!!!!

Bakit

Intes Family Baptism

The cake!

Riding the trike to church with Charlie

                                                            the frog under our bed

Pictures from the Week

Tender Mercy in the Overflow

 As many of you know, Kayla was born with a Humanitarian Heart.   She has always had a deep love for God and for the welfare of all people.  She desired from an early age to spend her life partnering with God to relieve physical and spiritual suffering throughout the world.  Her efforts have taken to her to help build a school in Guatemala, houses in Mexico, empower and educate women in Rwanda, and teach, preach, and testify of Jesus Christ to the humble people in the Philippines - all without running water or the comforts of home. For years she has looked to Sister Sharon Eubank as a role model and mentor and has been flattered by the nickname 'young Sister Eubank'.    

Yesterday was Kayla's preparation day and she called much earlier than she normally does.  I received her Google Hangout request as I was actually driving to our Stake Center to hear her beloved  Sister Eubank speak.  I arrived about 20 minutes early but the chapel was already full, so with phone in hand and Kayla on the line, I put my purse down on a soft chair in the overflow.  Even the overflow was starting to fill with women now, and as I turned to go finish my conversation in the hallway, Sister Eubank was standing next to my chair.  I told her I was talking to my missionary in the Philippines.  She asked if she could talk and if it was an elder or sister?  I gave her my phone and Kay was able to talk to her, to be lifted and strengthened by one of her mentor's here on earth, as well as by God.

From a chapel overflow in South Jordan, Utah to an internet cafe somewhere in Toledo, Philippines - heaven allowed these 2 special sisters to connect.  One of the many, many great example of God's love and tender mercies in our lives.  I testify that He lives, that He knows and loves His children, and desires each one of us to Come Unto Him to partake of the bounteous blessings of His gospel.

We Love Life!

Hi! okay i love sharing the gospel in the philippines

We were walking down the road the other day and there was a Tatay we started to talk to. He informed us he was a member of the church but hadnt been to church in years and was doubting all together if there was a God. Suddenly this group of teenagers joined the conversation and started testifying of the reality of God and Jesus Christ and this tatay thought we were all just missionaries, but we had never met them, and they were just walking down the street and wanted to share their testimonies and were members of a different church AH but here it is so natural to share your faith and testimony and it was powerful as we all told this Tatay of Gods love and that he wasn't forgotten.

Brother Alan!!!!! he's getting baptized on Saturday!!! man he is converted and just last sunday after our come follow me discussion he told us "sisters i have some thoughts about this life of tree thing in 1 Nephi" and explained how the rod is keeping us from temptation and mists of darkness and how the fruit of the tree for him is like reading the Book of Mormon haha his birthday is tomorrow so this is such a fun week and the best gift ever to be baptized!!! we are going to buy him a cake haha

I got to be companions with Sister Hulon and for those who remember it's been a whole year!!! the sweet Sister Ruthy and Brother Jonas we were teaching in Balaman just hit their year mark january 19th 2019 so to be companions with her again and remember everything that happened last year and see all the changes ahhhh NINDOT! As we went through our day we felt a lack of the Spirit so we prayed on the street and I had bought some towels from a little boy selling them on the street that morning, not really sure what to do with them but we only had like 5 minutes before we needed to go home and we saw a little boy 3 years old who called out "sisters!" and felt like we should follow him but I didnt follow it because I thought that seemed strange and we went to a different house instead and a girl was brushing her teeth outside and turned to us with toothpaste running down her cheeks and such wide eyes just looking terrified and it was just in a dark alley and hard to explain but instantly we knew we were not where we were supposed to be so we ran back to where the kid was and he was still there! He showed us his home and that his mom wasn't there but we gave him a pamphlet and the towels to give to his mom and I am so grateful for Sister Hulon's reminding me that we can't go without the Spirit like there is no conversion even if we are speaking bisaya or stating true doctrine we need the Spirit!

also i had a dream I was giving a talk on a jeepney and the next day as we walked into church they asked me to give a talk haha,which was like my dream coming true but definitely a lot easier done in the chapel 

okay we got to talk yesterday at zone con about adding Jesus Christ into our lives. I know that if we have Christ with us and add us into our lives we will become more, instead of just adding more upon us in the hope of being Christlike. I know and have seen as I think of Him and put Him at the center of everything it's enough and it's helped so much putting HIm into our evaluation that He wouldn't ask the number of people we talked to but would ask how we were able to help and He even did an evaluation with his apostles on the seashore. He didn't scold them but simply asked "do you love me, more than you  love all this?" followed by "do you love me?" asked twice. I know that it's just like that in our lives too, that if we love Him, we will have a desire to follow HIs example and keep the commandments and share the gospel okay sorry no time but I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY andI love my Savior have a good week!!! love Sister Miller 

Intes family so incredible!!! their cute family fills a whole pew and they are preparing to be baptized next month! the flash really gets ya haha 

these kids are always at the house of the Tatay we are teaching (Tatay Boy who is soo kind came to church and always gives us snacks after lessons) and the one in the green asked if we only visit Tatay Boy because of the free snacks he gives us haha 

okay maybe ill try to attach the other pictures later joke lang pasaylo :)

Lice.....Again

okay there is so much to say!!!! here are some people we are teaching and thing that happened 

Julan and Cherrylin Intes (okay the ones that have 6 children under the age of 8 they are all so tiny) they have been trying to overcome the word of wisdom which is not easy gud but we decided to focus on praying to know again about Joseph Smith and no words would do it justice and it was such a sacred and special excperience but i will just say the holy ghost testified and ITS TRUE! We had a member give brother julan a priesthood blessing and promised that he would be able to stop today. powerful gud but we will keep praying for them.

Janera Pogio her sister is a recent convert and almost the whole neighborhood has noticed the differences in their lives since they started learning the gospel, she has a job interview on friday and asked us to help her with her english and when we asked her about her strengths she said: prayer! How nindot?? so true though thats a strength for all of us because it's' how God helps us in all things (2 nephi 32:9)

Alan Birao okay he has been taught for so long but is finally seeing how he is really converted and it came from his reading the book of mormon, praying, and actually being like a missionary!  he invited his friends to come to a lesson and ended up teaching the whole thing about faith being like a plant and then we read in Alma 32 and he was amazed that something he felt was in the scriptures without him even knowing it haha

some good times:

Okay, so there are lessons in seriously everything! first, I have lice again which we are thinking just means they never went away in the first place haha which has helped to remind me how important it is to use the Atonement of Jesus christ all the way gud!!! we cant just throw our old ways in a calm pool just so we can get them out later if we desire to go back to our old ways, that we need to throw them in churning water and use the real permethrin stuff and lice combs instead so we can leave old ways behind (okay never thought lice would relate to that but just some of the thoughts we had while my sweet companion used the lice comb)

We tried doing a fhe about eating oranges and using mouthwash and the correct order of things (usually my dad did this about the law of chastity) but about seeking first the kingdom of God and all other things take its place and it kind of worked but they were just happy to eat the orange even after using the mouthwash, but they got the picture and want to come to church on Sunday!!!

Also!!! we tried teaching John Paul in tagalog! Sister Zoleta actually helped me so much before but its a whole different language so Sister Nelson and I stumbled over words and tried switching in english to help him understand too but we testified of God's love and finding that in the Aklat ni Mormon and they were sooo intently listening and his sister Devine told us she got the chills and soo badly desired a testimony like that ah God is so good sorry i love it here this is my home if we put Christ first everything gets put in the right place and we can be sooo happy!!!!! have a good week! 

Day of Travels

This morning Sister Miller & Sister Nelson and another set of Sister missionaries got on a bus and rode for several hours from Toledo to Cebu for meetings.  Kayla took time during the bumpy bus ride to hand write us letter and then sent us pictures of  the letters at an Internet cafe just before heading back to Toledo.  She also sent some pictures from the week.  We sure love hearing from this girl whether by phone, email, hand written letters, photos, etc - we LOVE it all!!!

Happy 2020!!!!

Hello!!! I'm in Toledo on Cebu Island.  Ah, i had to say goodbye to Sister Zoleta and Busay Ward - its so wonderful there i feel like it helped us to grow so much and ah love the people, pero Toledo is also so wonderful and so many miracles!!! We always run house to house Sunday morning (especially when our phone was broken) to remind and invite everyone to come to church and we had MIRACLES HAPPEN   18 people were there!!! 8 were little kids under the age of 8 and we looooove them and the sacrament is so powerful and totally what brings people back time and time again,  even before they have been baptized because who wouldn't want to be able to become new and grow and change and learn through the atonement?! 

That's something I looked at this week, remembering Lot's wife. Okay maybe we are having such a good time and enjoying our life as fishermen or in Sodom and Gomorrah or in Jerusalem, but because Christ loves us so much he asks us to do things for our growth.  Having planned blessings in store ahead of us if we just choose to follow him and become fishers of men or leave our old lives behind and don't look back!!!

 I love our recent convert Queent who has been trying to change her whole life as she becomes a disciple and leaves old wardrobes or drinks behind. Also the intez family!!! This is us going to church with their 6 tiny children ah we love them and also okay no time but i love you Have such a good year and day!!!! 

Wait, there was this moment we were called over and started to talk to someone and they asked for a way to know parts of the bible were true or a second witness okay bASAHON NI MORMON! then, imagine the most magical sunset glowing orange and pink as we testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. i love being a missionary.  okay bye!  

Walking to church with the Intez Family  They are the Best!!!!!

Queent - I LOVE her so much!