Last transfer...staying in Mindoro

Hello my dearest family! Transfers are already here. Breath Candace Breath. Haha. So here's the news! Sister Sanchez flew out this afternoon at 1 so we'll be getting a new sister in the apartment! Whoohoo. I'm so happy. I'm still here with Shumway who will going running with me. Yay! This will be her 5th transfer here. Just like me in Morong. I'm praying for a fresh new one who's excited to be here and just go go go. 

Princess's family is all active, sealed in the temple, one of the stalwart members. Her cousins are the ones who just got baptized last week.  And yes, she is so flippin' cute. And thank you for the password for HP. Elder Froude will be very happy as well. Haha. As for the package, you totally didn't need to send anything, but I appreciate it just the same. I honestly have the best family ever. I'm trying to find a wood carved nativity set to take home. Oh yeah, and I'm getting a skirt sewn right now. It's a total of 80 pesos, about $1.90. Haha. love the Philippines :) 

So updates for the week! First of all about Sister Marissa. She is so awesome. Honestly one of my favorites here. She is the sister in law of a less active and we just started talking to her one day and invited her to join the lesson. And then, yeah, now she's getting baptized! She is so sensitive to the spirit. She can recognize answers like no other and everytime we go there, there's always something new she's learned that she needs to change in her life. She's already in Alma 25 in the BofM which is pretty incredible considering the BofM in Tagalog is so stinking long. To get to Alma in Tagalog is about 400 pages. Sheesh. She's 30 years old, has a 11 year old daughter from her first live in when she was young and then got married about 5 years ago to her current hubby. They have no kids, but she wants kids so bad. Maybe that's a blessing just waiting for her, like the Susa family in Morong. 

We have this new investigator, Sister Jill. We've only taught her 2 or 3 times. This last time we taught her this week, we taught about the premortal world to kind of help her get some perspective with her life. So we asked her, Do you believe that you lived before you were born here on this earth (awkward English translation. Haha). She just started laughing and she goes, are you guys joking with me?? Hahaha, she seriously thought we were kidding. After we explained it to her though, she believed it. I think it's just interesting how one of the most fundamental truths, people just don't know: We are literally children of God. I think we're the only religion that teaches the premortal life the way we do. The only one of heard of so far anyway. 

So this week I re-read Elder Scott's talk from last april about personal revelation and I had an 'ah-ha' moment that I'd like to pass on to the other missionaries out there. He said, "When we are acting as instruments on behalf of others, we are more easily inspired than when we think only of ourselves. In the process of helping others, the Lord can piggyback directions for our own benefit". Re-read it again. This is SO true! I have so many experiences where I've been teaching a principle, or used a scripture, or whatever and all the sudden I understood it differently and on a deeper level. That's personal revelation. And I am witness it happens way more when we're helping others than if it's just for us. The sad thing is, I didn't write them all down! I wrote some of them down, but not all of them. So here's the advice for all of you: When you get out of a lesson and you've had one of those 'ah-ha' moments (you'll know what I'm talking about), make sure you write it in your journal. Don't take them for granted just because they happen all the time as a missionary. I wish I would have done this so I could go back and remember when I learned that and the situation and what I felt. I can remember some of them, but definitely not all. Too bad I'm figuring this out at the end of my mission. Oh well, life's a learning process! :) And Chanae-la, don't worry about the emotional swings. They're the worst in the first 6 months, but after that, it'll start to level out, promise. Haha, oh man, love reading their letters. Being a missionary is just a whole different experience. 

I have a favor....can you look up the weather in San Jose Mindoro and then compare it to Morong and Quezon City. I swear it is a MILLION times hotter here and so so dry! As in, I use lotion here because my hands feel so dry! What the....! I'm just curious to know what the temperature is. I'm feeling like Ryan....a popsicle melting on the 4th of July. Dehydration is like a never ending battle for me here. 

Quote from my comp for the week...."justifying our sins will little by little destroy us". I felt that was a very true statement. 

Love you all and we'll see you on Monday! Maraming pag-ibig....Bahahaha, that's an awkward translation. Much love na lang!!