Week 58 in the Philippines - "pagbago"

Hey family!

Sorry I didn't write yesterday because we had our Zone Conference yesterday, so our p-day was moved to Tuesday this week. Thanks for the emails! I love hearing from you cuties! 

Well we had a busy week! We ended up doing two exchanges this week, Tuesday with the sisters in Isabella and Thursday with the sisters in Kabankalan. I stayed in the area with Sister Mckee on Tuesday and then I went to Kabankalan for my first time and worked with Sister Watkins there. Both were really amazing experiences working and learning from such devoted, awesome sisters. I feel so privileged and blessed to get to know such incredible people on my mission and work so closely with them. 

While working with Sister McKee on Tuesday we had some cool/funny experiences. We worked out in Sua where we have the special sacrament (which I got to attend for the first time this week!). We went to visit this really old less-active whom I nor Sister Mckee, obviously haha, had never met. We asked people how to get to her house and when we got there we started yelling "Tag balay!" which is what you do instead of knocking on a door:) We said it like 10 times and we could see that she was in there.It was like she was ignoring us and then it dawned on me....I remembered that Sister Laulu told me she's basically deaf! I told Sister McKee and we were just laughing at ourselves. We finally somehow got her attention and taught a quick lesson using pictures:) 

Possibly the best lesson of the day ended up being at the most unlikely place. So Brother Jeno and Sister Jane were with us in the evening appointments and we were about to head home, when we stopped at this burger place called Angel's burgers. They all got burgers and I chose to wait til we got home:) While waiting for the burgers to cook, I asked the cute sister who I had met once before, if we could sing/share with her. SO you can picture this in your mind- this burger place is like a box/stand. So it's just outside and then there's always only one worker who cooks the burgers and outside the box you can sit on these metal stools around it while you wait/eat. I hope that helped haha. So the four of us were the only customers and we sang Jeno's favorite song "Because I Have Been Given Much". She had told me the last time I met her about how she has the night shift because the burger place is 24-7 and even though it's hard, she has to support her baby daughter (single mom). So we tied in the song to sacrifice and how Heavenly Father sees the sacrifice she is giving to her daughter and things like that. I can't remember everything, but I do remember that she got tears in her eyes while we were sharing and testifying to her. We of course ended with a prayer and then she had to serve some other customers. It was so amazing though.We all felt the spirit so strong and I felt this incredible love for cute Sister Evelyn whom I had only met twice. President Lopez talked to us yesterday about bringing the Sacred Grove into the homes of everyone we  visit. It's so crazy how we could even create a mini sacred grove at this outdoor fast food restaurant all because of the power of the spirit:)

Thursday I went down south a couple hours and worked with Sister Watkins in Kabankalan. Kabankalan is actually a separate zone, but they only have one set of sisters, so we are their Sister Training leaders as well. You can see it on that big map, I just thought of, that mom has hanging up! HAHAHAHA :) Oh man I miss you cutie pies! I loved working with Sister Watkins as well and I learned so much from her! 

On Saturday, we got a text from President Lopez telling me that he just baptized Brother Cuchumbu!!!!! I'm pretty sure I told you about him when I was serving in Alijis. Edmundu Cuchumbu was the investigator Sister de Leon and I found and taught who was in a wheelchair, paralyzed from having a stroke and blind. He had to be interviewed by Pres because of his past and Pres ended up getting to baptize him! It made me cry to hear that he got baptized! And Pres said he mentioned me in his testimony. It warmed my heart that he remembered me even though I only knew him for a couple weeks. President Lopez said he posted a picture of his baptism on FB so you should check it out! I talked to Pres about it yesterday and he said they had to have two people lower Brother Cuchumbu in the water because he can't even stand on his feet. I wish I could have witnessed his baptism! but I'm just so happy for him:)

Well, this work is really moving forward! Our training yesterday was focused on family history work and really implementing that in our teachings---filling out pedigree charts with everyone we teach! We're excited to be more involved in missionary work for the dead as well!!!! 

I hope you are all doing fabulously! Thanks for your love and prayers! I love you tons and tons!

Love,Sister Malyon