Comp Arrived

Well hello my dearest family!! 

I don't have much time to write, but I'll try to get in as much as I can, eh :) So transfers are over and I my comp finally got here! Her name is Sister Abonitalla and she's from Cagayan de Oro valley in Mindinao. She's 25, a nurse, and has been a member all her life. Both her parents are RMs, although they're separated and both remarried. Her Dad and all the rest of her family are actually in California. She's the only one left here in the Philippines. So happy she's a filippina, there are no words! We're still getting to know each other, but just from observation, she's super prepared and bold, which I love! The people in this area are a bit more hard headed than most, so it's perfect for them. It's been way fun to work with her, even if it's been just a few days. There's still fungus in the ear. Who knows...but it doesn't hurt, so that's good news. I'll be using the drops til November and then maybe go in for another check up?? I'll keep you posted on that. 

So for conference. We had the main room in Tagalog and another room for English! Thank heavens! Probably because we have the Whitings here so they were sure to work it out so there was English. Conference was awesome. I can't help but always feel a little homesick when conference time comes around. This will come as no shock but one of the things that really stuck with me was when he did a call for all RMs and said, "this is also for every returned missionary whoever stood in a baptismal font with their arm to the square and said, Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ. It was to change your convert forever, but it was especially supposed to have changed you forever as well". Ok, that was just a paraphrase, but it was something like that. And no, I haven't ever done that, but it applies to anyone who has ever been in a baptismal font.  Honest to goodness, one of my greatest fears is getting home from the mission and finding I haven't changed at all. His whole talk just nailed it on the head. Do you love God? In the end, that's the question. Whoosh, so good. But I also loved Elder Eyring's talk. It was perfect for a few of the less actives we're working with. I don't know, there was a ton! It's hard to pick just one. In the end, they're all just about becoming a disciple of Christ in word and deed. I have much to work on :) 

 Salams for all the application information. blugh. I just got my letter today  to turn in for flight information. Makes me sick. I'm thinking I'll just head back to the apartment and burn it, destroy all evidence you know :) haha.  Tell Tate it's not just him. The mission is hard sometimes, especially at the beginning where you're learning all those hard lessons. Don't look at other's outward show of perfect contentment, because it's never a true reflection of what's going on within. We all go through it, and he just learned one of the most important lessons for his mission and for life. 

So I have a sweet story. The elders in our branch have this investigator from

Ireland. Weird right. Well he's an anthropologist here doing a study on language and religious conversion. So of course he got interested in a couple of foreign missionaries teaching the gospel in a foreign language and country. So he started meeting with the missionaries. When they first started meeting with him, he was an athiest. He talks to religious leaders for his job, goes to church about 14 times every weekend to every church imagineable, but he was still an athiest. So the elders started teaching him....they just had to start with basics. And he now believes in God. And what's more, he really is starting to believe this is the true church. He told the missionaries he can't be Mormon yet though because his boss would fire him, especially with the project he's doing. But that at least means he's thinking about it. Haha, when they taught him the plan of salvation, he goes, so I'm actually worse off then for meeting you because now I'm accountible for everything you've shared with me. Ha, you got it! So cool. But he came to general conference yesterday. It was interesting to meet him. The gospel changes people.

All of our investigators came to church yesterday. Hallelujah moment or what!?! I was so excited. Now we just need to get the LAs as excited. haha. So I think that's all for now. I don't have many other new updates. Salams for the rice pudding recipe! Might just make that later today:) Love you!! See you all next Monday!