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Maayong hapon friends and fam!
This past week was really good actually! We had a lot of good progression in terms of working in a trio and also with our investigators! It's a good time to be a missionary in the Philippines Iloilo Mission!
This weeks highlights:
Monday after emailing -
We visited one of our investigators (the one who's 15 years old and the one where were trying to get her family to listen to what we're sharing as well). It was such a blessing actually what she told us during the lesson because her mom hasn't been too understanding about how her daughter needs to go to church and stuff. Her mom is really nice and is willing to let her get baptized pero it's just going to church and other activities that's the problem. So what we did last last week is we fasted - all 4 of us! And this evening when we visited we saw gid ang blessings of fasting because she told us that her mom is going to buy her church clothes!! ANO?! (WHAT?!) how cool is that? 😄 I know it's something really small to get happy over but that it meant alot to us. FASTING WORKS!
[😊]
Tuesday -
This was a really good day! So a highlight was that we visited one of our investigators (the one who has a tsanggie/mini store) and we found out that she has temporarily relocated her tsanggie to the plaza (kind of like a central park) because there's going to be a fiesta coming up soon here 😄 So we visited her at her tsanggie in the plaza because we haven't seen her in a while and she didn't look well at all. She had gotten sick and is just really overwhelmed. We had visited to sort of "determine the relationship" because we felt that they haven't put as much effort as they have before to listen to the message we've been sharing. Like before they would always look forward to us coming over and we would too because they're so receptive! But these past few weeks have been different. However when we went to visited, somehow she shared about how she had an experience of someone who was saying not so nice things about our church. She and her husband just listened and didn't say anything. But what's so cool is that she said that she didn't believe anything that person said and I know that they didn't believe what the person was saying because they know that the message that we're sharing is true. They know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and having a knowledge of that overcomes every disbelief if we're strongly rooted in our beliefs!
Another highlight of today is we visited another one of our investigators who is just the best (joke lang, all our investigators are the best!). But anyways it was such a good lesson because we've been frequently following up with him about how he's doing with his vices - smoking and drinking. He said he stopped them both and he doesn't want to go back anymore! Sometimes I wonder how hard it can be for someone to stop drinking and smoking, especially when that's something they've been doing since they were younger but he's literally a testimony to me of people who have the desire to change can truly change. I believe in him 100% that he won't drink or smoke but if it turns out that he does, we'll be there to support him no matter what because he truly wants to (from the bottom of his heart) to change. It's amazing seeing real people really change their lives from their old selves and then becoming a disciple of Christ! I'm excited for the rest of his journey.
[ I just find this picture so funny.
Both of my comp's are 'kana, joke lang!]
Wednesday -
Zone interviews! It was a good day! Really inspiring to hear from President Cruz, Sister Cruz, and our AP's (Assistants to the President). President and Sister Cruz are really the best mission parents ever.
Thursday -
This day our zone leaders came over to teach us for district meeting! It was a good lesson kay ultimately what I learned that we as missionaries are held to a higher standard and have to live by mission rules, pero we really do have the power to choose. We have the power to choose to be obedient missionaries and have a successful mission! I really believe that to be true.
Another highlight of today was when we visited another one of our investigators who we've only been teaching for 2 weeks but she is so nami gid kay (very good and) she totally understands and accepts everything we have shared with her! Because it tends to be that people invite us over because everyone here in Philippines is really religious and they enjoy to have people over for "bible study." But as we've been teaching her I've really seen her faith grow even though it's been such a short amount of time and I know it's because of her desire and willingness to know. When we first met her she was SO SHY but she has really opened up and is actually sharing! It's amazing what sharing the truth can do to peoples' countenance.
[District meeting 😄]
Friday -
A highlight of today is when we visited one of our investigators (as always those are the best parts of my day). Actually this one's pretty funny because the lesson was going really good! We had invited her last time to read the Book of Mormon to know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet. When we asked her if she had done it she said "of course, it's like when we go to school, you have to do the assignment the teacher leaves so that you can learn!" I love her enthusiasm and it would be cool if all our investigators would do the commitments we invite them to do. But so yeah the funny part is that she recently found out that her live-in partner IS A MEMBER. Hahahah, ano?! It's pretty funny because we have been teaching her for a month or so and she barely found out. It turns our he became a member...a long time ago! He's not active right now but he told her "go listen to the missionaries, you won't lose anything just by listening." It would be so awesome if we can get him to be active again and then they can raise their children in the church together!
[The sun was bright!]
[Our area has city and also not city 😊]
Saturday -
This day we were punted times 10000000 pero of course we don't let that stop us! We looked for some people that we had street-contacted before and had expressed that they wanted us to come over. Also we looked for someone who was referred to us and we found people that knew him but not him 😞 It turns out he moved back [where he came from] because he's sick. Kinda sad we never got to meet him. But yeah overall it was a busy day! A lot of running around all over our area - I'm going to go home so dark by the end of my mission, haha!
[#PrayForUs 😄]
[Had to walk really far to check if someone was home...
and no one was home 😢 okay lang!]
Sunday -
Almost everyone we had committed to come to church, came to church! This usually never happens but I know with Sister Quinton, Sister Salan, and my diligence and obedience, we had success this week. It's just really satisfying to see that our hard work is paying off. Because just thinking about it, Sister Quinton and I didn't start off with much in our area but now we (with the added help of Sister Salan) had 4 investigators at church yesterday! Besides that it was a good, busy Sunday... lots of meetings but it's good to know what's going on. Especially with the changes in the church instruction handbook!
[Patriarch's really old Book of Mormon!]
I'm looking forward to this week because it's zone conference once again. I'm ready to feel inspired and motivated! Also I'm looking forward to November because we have mission tour!
And one more thing and probably the best is that we can potentially have weekly baptisms in November if our investigators keep their commitments. YAY!
Hope all of you are doing well! Life's good!😄
Halong kamo pirme,
Sister Ventura
Philippines Iloilo Mission (Jan 2018 - July 2019)
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Send an e-mail:
elza.ventura@myldsmail.net
Written letters and packages:
Sister Elza Ventura
Philippines Iloilo Mission
Osmeña Street,
Arevalo, Iloilo City,
5000 Iloilo
Philippines
*Some names have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of individuals.