ALL I WANT IS A COKE

Just kidding my subject line is super dramatic.... but last week Sister Slade came up with this great idea to give up sweets to understand and as a challenge for our investigator with a smoking problem. Joke, it actually is an amazing idea. And we have been able to feel at least a tiny amount of how hard it has been for him to give up smoking which has been an addiction since he was about 12. But Bryan is amazing and wants so badly to be baptized so he can take his family to the temple! We have so much faith in him!

But I mean I am having serious withdraws..like I had been living off of oreos..so this is probably really good for me anyways. 

We had a BAPTISM on saturday, Stacey who is 12. She is so cool and smart. She is also like an all star tennis player (like practice every day for a few hours) She is the Santos's grand-daughter. They are an amazing and strong family and stacey had recently moved in with them and started taking the lessons with us and her progression went amazingly fast because she started reading the Book of Mormon and praying ever night. Sometimes when she would talk I was like are you sure you are 12 because they would be things I didnt even think about that were so insightful. ( I'll try to send pictures next week) 

Oh so last night we visited some less actives and then tried to find a referral the elders gave us and everyone we asked kept saying oh yep just walk a little further...next thing you know we are walking for like 45 minutes #sundaywalks 

But it was so worth it because we found the referral Elma and we met her daughter whose name is LIAHONA!!! She had been given a Book of Mormon and read it when she was pregnant and liked the name so used it! We are super excited to visit her again this week and have high hopes! 

Ether 12:4 

"Faith maketh and anchor to the souls of men" 

So beautiful right? Everything in life goes back to faith! It is the foundation of all that brings lasting goodness and happiness in our lives

Oh also Happy St.Patricks Day!! 

Not sure that really exist over here...rocking my Irish pride still though..haha 

Oh also Miranda- I loved your email in tagalog..I translated it for language study..do it again..hahah 

Ahh I have no time left to write..next time na lang. 

Have a beautiful week!

Love you all, 

Sister Mahe 

This isn't Burger King

Family and Friends! 

So this week was amazing and started off with zone meeting and ended with District conference and some wonderful things in between. 

So our zone leaders shared with us at District conference and Elder Walker gave the highlight quote..haha 

"This is the Lords work, do it his way. This is not Burger King, you cant have it your way."

Hilarious and incredibly true. I think that all the time when I want to just do my own thing, like helllo sister mahe you are on the Lords time not your own. 

But hey we are all just imperfect people trying to following the perfect example Jesus Christ has set for us. 

I know he is happy with me when I have done ALL I can to do his will. 

The Philippines area president, Elder Neilson came for conference and spoke to us President Stucki was also there so it was of course AMAZING. 

Missionary work is flooding the earth. In 2013 there were 53,000 missonaries. Now in 2014 there are 83,000. 

In all of Palawan there was only 14 in 2013 and now there are 28! 

Kuwento Kuwento (Story time) 

So this is a story Elder Nielson related to us in district conference 

"So imagine after this conference you are the last one to leave and discover your car wont start. You need a jack to jumpstart the car but no one else is around. Finally Brother Dela Cruz pulls in and you see a jack in his front seat. When he ask you how he can help you, you reply you need a jack. So he tell you to follow him into the Church where he prays and prays God will provide you with a jack. He then calls another brother in the ward and ask if he has a jack. He then calls the bishop and ask for his help in getting you a jack. After all this he tells you he will continue to pray you will find a jack and drives off with the jack in his front seat. " 

Of course we were all laughing because the story is ridiculous? Who would do that right? Except we all do it sometimes. We pray for others, we help them seek for answers when many times we have the answers they need. 

Do not hold back. We cannot be selfish with the blessings God has given us when there are so many in need of OUR help. Not the help of someone else some other time. But here and now and from us. 

Earlier this week Genie was having a hard time and was thinking about moving home to Davao where he family is, we told he to pray but she was being stubborn and said she just didnt want to talk to God while she was so upset. We invited her to do so again and left. The next day we came back and she was so happy and said that night she couldnt fall asleep and decided to pray and recieved an answer to her prayers.

After conference we met with Genie and Boby who both have a baptismal date of May 3rd now! We reextended for the both of them and now they have a date for their wedding, the last week in April. They are amazing and working so hard to change to become the people  the Lord has intended them to be.  

Genie started crying when she accepted and bore her testimony to us. She said she tries not to cry because she knows it makes me cry. So what Im an eternal crybaby. Great things are happening in their lives and I am so happy to see it all. 

The Lord is hastening his work...are you? 

I hope this finds you happy and well

Sister Mahe

Spring Bride

This week I will try and attempt to make my letter shorter, Talia tells me my letters are too long..hahah

So this morning after we woke up super early to get our laundry done (handwashing) we found that the shower water was out so we all had to take bucket showers..Oh the joys of a foreign mission. Of course right after we all finished getting ready the water comes back on. 

Also who invented washing and drying machines? Why dont I know their name because seriously they are amazing and contributed to society incredibly.I will never complain about laundry again when I can use a machine..ok I might but I promise it will be at least a year after I get home. 

Anyways this week has be filled and busy and awesome, even though...

We got dropped twice this week, by Peter and the Hirardo Family. Peter just told us he was too old and we should spend our time helping younger people and the family told us they just werent ready to receive our message. But both told us to always come by and say hi and that they wanted to be friends.When they told us they werent interested I felt like I could literally feel my heart breaking. But I know that even though now isnt the right time one day it will be. I think they are some people I will just never stop praying for. 

So the subject line? We have been visiting Boboy and Genie a lot this week, because they are really progressing. We set a plan for Boboy to quit smoking and told them to pray together about what they should do in regards to setting plans to be married. The first time we talked about the Law of Chastity it was just Boboy and then just Genie. We were nervous because Boboy really wants to be baptized but didnt think Genie would want to get married. Then we talked to Genie and she said she does she has just been waiting for him to ask!! She said she feels like Anne Hathaway in Princess diaries and if he asked she would be so happy. She still isnt sure about baptism but she wants Boboy too so badly because she knows he wants it and has seen the changes he is making. There is always so much happiness when we go visit them. #ismylifealovestory? 

Anyways they are planning to get married in April and Genie asked if Booby could just get baptized after the ceremony..UMM YESSS! 

They are an amazing family and I cannot wait to continue in this journey with them. 

Time is running out over here so I'll try to get more in next week

But- Can everyone send me addresses..I know it may be like months before you get my letters but I want to send letters cause ya know who doesnt like those and our zone leaders are taking mail to manila next week- so send them to me by next sunday (cause it will be my pday monday here) 

Be kind and Be considerate..the Lord needs you to be an instrument in helping others

Love you all

Sister Mahe