Mga Disipulo ni Jesucristo!

Hello po! 

Busy and great week!! I am trying to distract myself from the fact that I am going into my last transfer soon...yeah let's not talk about it. My dear companion Sister Uba only has 1 week left and she is finishing STRONG! I love Uba Cake and the great times we have had and the many things she has taught me the last couple months. 

Enjoying our last moments together :( I'll miss Uba Cake even though she makes me look like a giant all the time haha!

Brother W will be baptized this Saturday! Woohoo!!! 18 yrs old, great future missionary. He and his girlfriend are both planning on serving :) He has just been such an easy investigator. 

Please pray for the V family! They were planning on being baptized this weekend but some things came up so we need everybody's prayers to keep them focused on their goal to become an eternal family! They are such an amazing family and bring me so much joy. Sister G told me I am like one of her kids now (she likes to call me the "son" haha) and she always feeds us healthy foods :) (Mom you can thank her when you come pick me up).

It's been a coldddd week, I promise! But still 1000x better than Utah weather :)
(P.S. from Mom: the low was 75)

I loved something I read in Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley this week in chapter 8, "We Look to Christ." A reporter was asking him why we don't use the sign of the cross or have any symbols and the Prophet's response was, "..the lives of the people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, the symbol of our worship. No sign, no work of art, no representation of form is adequate to express the glory and the wonder of the living Christ. He told us what the symbol should be when he said, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments.' As His followers, we cannot do a mean or shoddy or ungracious thing without tarnishing his image. Nor can we do a good and gracious and generous act without burnishing more brightly the symbol of him whose name we have taken upon ourselves." Our lives should be the symbol of this church!

I feel the weight of my calling and I am so thankful for it. I am thankful that much is expected of me as a missionary because it pushes me and stretches me everyday to be better. I love this name tag and the power associated with it.

I am also amazed every week of the strength of Lipa Ward 1. Our Bishopric is so inspiring! We had a great ward conference yesterday and they shared their new plan of helping the members become self reliant and developing their own "Bishop's Storehouse" for the poor and needy. Our 1st counselor has a lot of land he isn't using so they are going to plant banana trees and have chickens and just all sorts of things on this land to provide service opportunities and work for members in need. They are true disciples of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the poverty and lack of opportunity here but then I see great examples like our Bishopric reaching out and doing what the Savior would.

I love the Philippines. Have a great week everybody!! Live as a true disciple of Jesus Christ! 

Love, 

Sister Giles