Monday, February 8, 2016

Happy Valentine's Day from the Philippines!!

Hello friends and family! I hope everybody is having a happy February and has a great Valentine's Day. I love all of you so, so much. 

This has been a great week! First, update on our recent convert. She is doing amazing! Her testimony is stronger each time we visit her and she already has goals for a mission and temple marriage. Her strength is incredible, especially because her family really doesn't support her. I was reading in Alma this week about Alma and the Sons of Mosiah and I love how they explain missionary work. There really is no happier work. In their words- how great is my joy!!  Knowing that I have helped one child of God onto the path of eternal life makes me so happy! And I am thankful to have more time here to help many, many more. Time is going by too fast. 


Yesterday at church during the Sacrament, a nanay in the branch started having troubles with her heart and fell out of her chair so members had to carry her out. It was really scary and I could feel how worried everybody was. The branch continued with Sacrament Meeting and we had a really powerful testimony meeting.  Then at the very end, nanay slowly walked back in with the help of 2 brothers and then she let go of them and walked straight to the pulpit to bear her testimony!! It was an amazing thing to watch! She bore a powerful testimony and the spirit was so strong. I love the Filipino saints. Even though they may be few, especially here in Pakil, they are strong in the faith. 

My Tagalog has been improving a lot lately with the help of my companion and roommates. We made a rule that if I speak English in the apartment, I have to put a peso in a container and at the end of the month we will buy a treat with the money hahaha it's helping though! I speak slowly and still mess up a lot but they are patient with me.

Each day is still full of crazy new experiences here. Like this week we were teaching in the bundok (really rural part) and a mostly naked drunk man covered in mud was running away from a group of people chasing after him, it was pretty funny. Everybody was laughing and trying to catch him. I'm not quite sure what happened but I said a little prayer that he made it home safely.

Each week there are a lot of ups and downs but each Monday when I sit down to email I just feel so thankful. Thankful for the good times and the bad times. And so thankful for the support of my family and friends! I am truly so happy. I'm excited for another great week. We get to watch the worldwide missionary broadcast this Wednesday and I am so excited! I love you all! Happy Valentine's!

Love, 
Sister Giles 

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