Week Eight in the Philippines - "halloween!"

Hello dear loved ones!

Happy Halloween! How was everyone's? What did everyone dress up as? I didn't see any sign of Halloween celebration on Oct. 31, but they call Nov. 1st  "All Saints Day" and in the evening, we saw lots of kids dressed up and lots of parties going on. Most people visit the cemetery on that day and have a picnic there. Here's a picture of some of the kids we teach dressed up! They're so cute! 

We have this cute investigator named Erlyn. We found her through a LA family that she is part of. For the past few weeks, I have felt like something was not clicking. Finally, this week she opened up! Actually, last Sunday she came to church, which was a MIRACLE! She came with a LA friend and she really enjoyed it. Then when we taught about the Book of Mormon this week, she really opened up and voiced to us all of her thoughts about our church and her questions and concerns. It was awesome. I can tell that she's gaining trust in us and I know she truly has a desire to know the truth. The spirit was so strong in that lesson as we testified of the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon. We are so blessed to have the truth and I love being able to share it with others!

Oh my goodness. I have to tell you about the cutest boys in the world. We have a RC, named Marjoe, who's 12. He's adorable. This past week, when we went to visit him, he introduced us to his father and brother and so we started teaching them. Get this- his brother, who is also 12 years old, not twins, just super close in age, is named Joemar. And his father's name is Joemar too! I love it. Marjoe, Joemar. Awesome. Anyway, we're excited to teach them!

Also, the coolest thing ever is that Elder Anderson came to visit this past weekend! We got to hear him twice! He spoke to all the missionaries on Saturday and then met with our stake on Sunday! He talked about the effects of the earthquake in Bohol and what service the church is giving there. He said that we are part of the family of God, which means that we all help out each other. As long as we have food on our plate, we share with our neighbor. I love that. We are part of God's family. That is sooo true! We all need each other. I'm learning about that here because everyone here knows each other. Their front doors, if they have one, are always open. People are always outside their home talking with their neighbors. Back home we keep to ourselves so much. I love the sense of community here.

The spirit that was in the room when Elder Anderson was with us was sooooo powerful. I was filled with the love of God and gratitude for the opportunity to be addressed by one of His apostles. It was truly an experience I will never forget. I'm so grateful to be here. I know that we have a living prophet on earth today who leads us and truly speaks for God for us, Pres. Monson. I know that the true church of God was restored through Joseph Smith. We are so blessed to live on earth at this time when we have the fulness of the gospel. we don't have to live in darkness because we have the truth. God loves all of His children so much! He wants us to return to Him!

I love you all! Thanks for your examples!

Love, Sister Malyon