Week 53: This is GOD'S work!

July 15, 2019

This week was a really good week and a hard week! A member told us that it was 49 degrees Celsius (which if i calculated it correctly is about 120 degrees Fahrenheit) this last Wednesday. So even though summer should be over its still hitting some really high temperatures here! We will literally just be standing there and just sweat dripping uncontrollably down our face, but its fine because everyone else is too. But my companion last summer was serving in Tuguegarao, the area that has been told is the hottest place in the whole Philippines, and she said that last summer there is the same heat here now in Cauayan, which means that in Tuguegarao its even hotter there than it is right now here! All i can say is that it is H-O-T!

This week i really made a goal to be more Bold with the people we are teaching and helping them to really understand our purpose as missionaries! And because of that we have experienced some really cool lessons that we taught to people. It really reminded me that as i share what the spirit is prompting me to say that the spirit will be my guide and he will help me. Like last night we were teaching Sister Sol, a 60 year old lady, shes praying and reading the Book of Mormon, but isn't putting in the effort to find the way to come to church. So last night at the end of a good lesson i felt prompted to share with her our purpose as missionaries and why we come to her house and teaching her the things that we are teaching her. So after talking about Faith in Jesus Christ and then Repentance, i started to talk and Baptism and i was hesitant to say that "we need to be baptized to be able to enter in to God's kingdom" because i have had other people I've taught tell me about all these other churches that say that to be able to be saved they need to be baptized into their church. And so because i have the natural man sometimes and i started to go around the doctrine, the spirit took my words from me and i was not really able to talk, so then i looked at my companion and then i looked at Sister Sol and i relied on the spirit and told her that the only way to enter into God's kingdom is through baptism into Jesus Christ's church, and it was really cool, because she basically finished my sentence and it just clicked and made sense to her that this is the way. It was a really big testimony builder that the Spirit is the teacher and i should never get in his way as we are teaching these people! Also i learned that if we dance around the subject and aren't Bold and straight to the point then we are holding blessings away from these people we are teaching because they maybe are confused that these are the things that they NEED to do and its not optional for our salvation and exaltation! And after that Sister Sol was like, well do i need to be baptized today? And hahaha we just smiled and laugh and told her no that's not our purpose is to just go door by door telling everyone they need to be baptized, but that we are here to help her to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the requirements for baptism because it is a scared ordinance, and help her to act on her faith and choose to follow Jesus Christ's example and be baptized. So she said that she will pray to know if she is ready to commit to be baptized and we are so happy for her!

Missionary Work is really hard, but its so fulfilling and rewarding, and I'm seeing all the blessings that I'm receiving from serving my Heavenly Father! I am also so grateful for the AMAZING support system that i have back home! I'm so grateful for all those who wrote me letters for the package my family sent me. It was so special for me to sit there and just read some really kind letters from people i know who love and support me! Some made me cry and some made me laugh, so truly THANK YOU! 

I know this Truly is the Lords work and he is preparing people for us to teach and i can see it as I act on my faith and open my mouths and talk to all the people around us! I'm so grateful to be apart of his work and i know i receive His strength everyday as we work long days in the Hot & Humid Philippines! I know that this is the last dispensation and "time is running out" for when our Savior will come again. I know that God restored The Gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith so that we can know what we need to do to prepare to return back to him. I also know that Russell M. Nelson is our living prophet who leads and guides us through revelation he receives from God for our day and time! I love my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. I know they both live and love each of us! I hope you all can feel their love for you and mine! I hope you all have an amazing week and find a way to act on your faith to show your love to God! 

Sister Thayn

-Theses are some of the cutest little kids ever! They are the nephew and nieces of Sister Precious (the girl in the red shirt), a recent convert in this area. And every time we come to teach Sister Precious they come running at us and Bambi (The little girl with the short hair and bangs) will come running at us and hug us (around our legs) and then she'll hold on tight with her arms and then wrap her legs around us too and then just hang for a couple of seconds. And then there is Dave (Hes the little boy in the white tank top and blue shorts), he is literally the cutest boy i have ever met! Hes so funny too, he'll come up to me and just stare at my arm hair and touch it. Or one time while we were teaching Sister Precious, Dave decided to take a bath and so in a 5 gallon bucket there he was the whole time as we were teaching. The whole time we could hear Dave screaming at the cold water, but he sure did enjoy the cold water after the after shock of it being freezing cold.

-JULY 11, 2019/ ONE YEAR MARK/ also 7 ELEVEN DAY/ & MY DAD's BIRTHDAY. Thank you to all of those who sent me letters!

-This is Sister Nambai, she's from Papua-Nugini (close to Australia), She is one of the sweetest sisters ever and I loved getting to be companions with her for a day this last week!

-This is Sister Paoleen, she's 10 years old and she will be baptized this week! She is super excited and it has been so fun to teach her!