April 14, 2014 Hello Family!-Transfer

FHE at President Tugas's house just before transfer day!  So happy!~

The baptism of Rossel last friday.  She is 18 believe it or not

Hello family!

Well, transfer day was last Wednesday and I was transferred.  I had a feeling all week that I was going to be transferred so I was prepared for it so that was kind of good.  I thought that I was going to be transferred really far away but I was luckily transferred to Santa Cruz, which is where we would go on P-day to buy groceries.  So, really close!!  I was super happy because everyone came to the Santa Cruz chapel for General Conference because it is the district center.  So I was able to see everyone from Masinloc again.  I was especially happy to see Melvin and Ellen.  The two little kids of Ellen ran up to me when they saw me and gave me the biggest hug.  I’m really going to miss their family!  But, on Tuesday, before the transfer day, we went to them and another one of Ellen’s sons listened in along with their friend.  I just know that the entire family is going to be baptized.  They are all super spiritual and really understand the scriptures.  They are also definitely going to be leaders in the church someday.  I was so happy when I talked to Melvin on Tuesday because he said that he was going to Santa Cruz for General Conference.  He is a boxer and is going to go professional probably next year.  At the same time as General Conference was the Manny Pacquiao fight which on the days that he fights, the ENTIRE Philippines watches.  Literally.  It’s a huge national pride thing.  When he fights, usually our church attendance is really low.  Melvin said that he really wanted to watch the fight, but he wanted to watch the prophet more and said “I’ll watch the fight on YouTube later.”  I was so happy that he really understands where his priorities should be and I was so humbled by his faith that even though he was only baptized two weeks ago, he’s already making the sacrifices to be a faithful member!And he’s excited about it too!  It’s not a sacrifice for him, he’s excited for it.

Our note to our investigator what time conference starts because he wasn't home

So my new companion is Sister Empalmado and she is super cute!  I’m super excited to be her companion and I feel like it will be a good companionship.  We’ve already had a baptism here in Santa Cruz.  I laughed because every time I get to a new area, the next Friday or Saturday there is a baptism.  Every area.  I feel bad for the missionaries who didn’t get to see their baptism.  But I was impressed here because all the young men in the branch attended the baptism.  No one else.  And not just because it was a girl being baptized, but they are really supportive and always work with the missionaries.  I’m really impressed with them.  They’ve already worked with us almost every day since I’ve gotten here!  And they are all really strong in their testimonies and sharing of the gospel.  I hope I can be like them when I go home from my mission!

Also, something neat was that on Thursday, we were looking for people to teach and we got to teach this family.  They seem like they might have potential.  The one son is Iglesia ni Cristo which is a pretty hard religion to convert but he had lots of questions.  We invited them to General Conference on Sunday and he said he would come.  Then we went back on Saturday but he wasn’t there and we talked to their neighbors who are relatives of them.  We couldn’t teach them but we invited them to General Conference and said that we had a living prophet that would speak.  The next day at Cnference, we were shocked to see that Erik and Mark had both come!  And they stayed for both sessions!  We haven’t even taught Mark a lesson yet, but he still came!  It’s also so interesting to see the reaction of people when we say that we have a living prophet on the earth.  Immediately they are interested and a little doubtful but it definitely gets their attention.  Hopefully they will turn out to be baptismal candidates!

Well, that’s about it.  General Conference was so good.  I feel a renewed commitment to try and serve the people more.  Focus on the small acts of service.  And to be more obedient and more WILLINGLY obedient.  If we are just obedient because we are obeying rules, we will not enjoy the blessings of being obedient and being happy about it.  There is a difference there and I have really learned that here on the mission.  There are a lot of rules here but they are for our good and we should not grudgingly follow them.  We should follow them because we want to and we know that they make us free.  Not bind us down.

I love you all!  Hope you have a great week!
Sister Sirrine