.: Week 17 "Strange things my imagination might do, take a look reflect on what we have been through..."

Week 17

When a song only Jack Zarbock will know is going through your head haha :)

Dear Family and Friends,

KUMUSTA PO :) How is everyone doing?? I hope that you all had an awesome week! This week was a busy one let me tell you and then all of the sudden it was Monday again haha. We are officially out of the rainy season I am pretty sure because it is SO hot here. But I can't complain, life is good here. Sister Dolor and I have our final week together this week--maybe, we don't know with Transfers coming up the first week in October. I have just loved our time together so I hope we stay for a little bit longer :) but anyway, on to this week. We had a lot of really good lessons with our investigators which makes me so excited, can't wait to tell you all about it :) Wanted to mention that we had six investigators at church yesterday by the way!!

So Jason..... He got baptized the beginning of the month and we have been preparing him to receive the priesthood and a calling, and I just love our visits with him and his wife Phoebe--they have been my little home away from home honestly. And talk about someone who is just SO ready to have the gospel in their life. It really is just so great to see someone progress in the gospel, get baptized and see how the gospel little by little changes their life for the better. And that's what is happening with Jason :) We sometimes like to joke that I am their lost child from America because we like all of the same foods haha, I literally love them SO much.

Sister Gayo. This was a way cool experience this week. Sometimes Sister Dolor and I get a little down on ourselves, sometimes we ask ourselves if we are visiting the right people, are we teaching the right things and so on. So this week we decided to visit a less active named Sister Gayo...our luck with Less Actives is kind of a hit and miss. So we go to her house and she opens the door SO surprised. And she said you need to come back again! Please text me, and then shuts the door. Well okay, that was kind of strange. So we reschedule with her for the next day. We come back and she lets us in, made lunch for us, and had her Book of Mormon and paper for notes at the ready. So we started to chat with her. And she asked us "How did you know to come here?" And we kind of just shrugged and laughed, we had no idea why we were there...I wish we would have had some cool revelation. But she started to talk to us about how she felt the need to come back to church and the night we came over, she was really thinking about it and she wanted a sign or something. Then about 5 minutes later we knocked on the door :) It was just kind of a little sign to me actually that, you know most of the time I have no idea what I am doing out here--but right then I was a little answer to a prayer for Sister Gayo :) I am happy with that.

Sister Dolor and I have been praying for teaching opportunities extra hard this week. And so on Wednesday, our back up back up plans had fallen through--well dang it. And on our way back from an appointment I saw a lady, and I felt like I had seen her before because we always walk the same way to that area. So we went and started to chat with her. We asked her if she had family and she said she had 4 kids and that she was married. GREEN LIGHT. So of course we had to try to get in the door. Big family and she's married, I wish you could have seen mine and Sister Dolor's face, it was priceless. But anyway, we went in and taught her. And that same day we met another Sister...and I am sure we had passed these houses a million times. Lesson learned? Prayers are totally answered :) So Sister Marilene and Serenaya were just a little tender mercy. Super grateful for that.

And a final experience was with Paulie, the Armenian. I have talked about him before, he has been coming to church and he just loves the church. We honestly don't even know where he came from or how he heard about the church. And I thought, if he comes to church this week--we are going to teach him. And he did! So we got with him after church and started to talk with him. He's had some pretty rough patches in his life and he started to tell us that he thought that "every religion had the bible all wrong." and so I asked him how he feels now. And he said, he finally feels like what he learns here is what he has been looking for. :) And the smile on my face...I just couldn't be happier for someone who has been through SO much, finally feels like this is the truth. So I asked, you think you would want to get baptized? And he said, yeah isn't that why I am here? Haha, I don't know. It was just awesome to see someone not pushed or forced or constantly having to make sure that he has the desire--he just knows for himself :)

So those were just some of the highlights this week. :) Honestly I can't begin to explain how many little things happen in a week, or how many little things that help build my faith...it honestly doesn't feel like I am teaching these people. It really feels like they are teaching me :) I have become so humbled by teaching, learning Tagalog--everything in between. I read D&C 19:23 this morning and it says, "learn and listen to my words, and you will have peace." That is what is happening everyday. Whether its a hard day, good work day, lots of rejection, or whatever. I feel like God knows and is aware of all of us :)

Okay, Hope you all have a great week this week!

Mahal ko kayo!

Sister Zarbock