Bagong Taon!! Happy 2017!

Wow, best Christmas ever!! I still have a smile on my face from talking to my fam yesterday. When did Jack become a teenager? And why can Edie talk and walk? I am so thankful for my dear, crazy family! Mahal na mahal ko kayo!! I am so excited to have my parents here in 3 short months! 

Well, not much to say this week. The typhoon was pretty crazy earlier. We had no power at our house and scary winds, I saw a couple trees fall over. We are at the mall because there is a generator here so we get to email but please pray for the people. Whenever storms like this happen i just think of all the humble people in Pakil. It is the way of life here so they are used to it, but please pray for them! 

I am not transferred! Yay!! Another 6 weeks here in Lipa with Sister Uba. Prayers answered. We have a baptism coming up for Sister A this next week!! We also have a great new investigator, Sister C. She is the best. She is a super mom of 3 kids and her husband works on an island close by. She is always keeping commitments, asking great questions...we love teaching her! We were teaching her about the Book of Mormon and how it can truly answer any of the questions of our souls and give us comfort and direction. She opened up to us about her struggles as a mom and her desire to do her best and we read Mosiah 4: 14-15 and shared with her that if she and her family will put Jesus Christ and His teachings at the center of their life, they will be happy and everything will work out. The Spirit was so strong as we connected the power of the Book of Mormon into her life! I know the Book of Mormon is true. If you have questions or need comfort- open the Book!! 

Have I mentioned how much I love these Filipinos? They are so faithful and spiritually receptive. They love their Savior and they are so humble and giving. I continue to learn so much from my dear Filipino friends!! I wish you all the best this year 2017!!! Mahal ko kayo!!

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Paglilingkod!

Happy New Year everybody!! 

It was a LOUD weekend here in the Philippines. Very loud haha and lots of food!! Also lots of miracles. Sister A passed her baptismal interview and will be baptized this weekend! :) Woohoo! She has such a sweet, strong testimony. She told us she is not being baptized because her boyfriend is a member but because she has felt the Spirit testify to her that this is all true!! She is always reading and praying and we are so thankful for her seeking soul and sincere heart!

Celebrating the New Year!

We have occasional days without electricity since the typhoon a couple weeks ago

I have been studying a lot in Mosiah this week, specifically King Benjamin's address. I love these first chapters in Mosiah! The word "masaya" in Tagalog means happy so my companion and I call the book of Mosiah the "most happy book" haha they kinda sound a like. I really love Mosiah 5:13, "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" This verse has really been on my mind lately along with the word "paglilingkod" or "service!" I know with all my heart the way we come to know the Master is through serving Him. I am so thankful to have this time to serve my Savior with everything I have. I have truly come to know Him through serving Him. And every sacrifice or trial I face here in the Philippines, my love for Him grows stronger. 

I was amazed by the service we saw in so many faithful members of the church here in Lipa this week. True disciples! We went to the neighborhood of our favorite Nanay (the one with orange hair who chastised the relief society a couple weeks ago) because we have some investigators there. In the heat of the sun we saw our 85 year old friend sweeping her whole road! When we walked up to help her she quoted the scriptures and said, "When you are in the service of your fellow men you are only in the service of your God!" She is so awesome. So we helped her finish cleaning up the road and then she introduced us to all her neighbors who she has given Book of Mormons to! We now have lots more investigators, all because of one member! What a great example of true conversion. 

Our favorite Nanay sweeping the street!

I encourage all of you to serve!! Come to know your Master and feel of His love :) I LOVE all of you so, so much!! Have a great new year! :)

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Elder Limb, one of my original batch to come to the Philippines. He has been serving as my cousin's companion in Lopez. Fun to bump into him!

Lipa Zone

MALIGAYANG PASKO!!

Merry, Merry Christmas everybody! 

Well last weekend was surely the weekend of all weekends! Congrats to Shaye and Court!! The most beautiful brides ever! And welcome home to sweet Ash, Panda and Heath. 3 amazing sisters who have totally returned with honor!! Shoutout to allll of my amazing friends and their examples. 

But to be honest....I think I had the best weekend of everyone because Brother J was baptized :) Yay!! It was a beautiful baptism. And yesterday Sister Uba, Sister Candy and I were able to speak about Christmas and missionary work in church! My 2 favorite things. I read a little bit from Luke 2 and shared how my Grandpa would always read this to our family on Christmas Eve. I encouraged the ward to "Fear not!" (v 10) because we have the good tidings of great joy again on the earth!! Fear not to do missionary work! Fear not if you are faced with trials and hardships! Jesus Christ lives and He has overcome the world! I love the beautiful message of the birth, ministry and Atonement of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful to have another Christmas here in the beautiful land of the Philippines. Remember the reason for the season! Be thankful for all the gifts our Savior has given us, turn out and share your love and testimony with others! 

I have been reflecting on this past year a little bit and I am just so full of gratitude. Last Christmas I was crying like a baby because I missed my family so much and I was just starting to feel the true enabling power of the Atonement in my mission life. I also didn't really understand the Christmas Devotional in Tagalog, ha ha. But this year I understood it all! But more importantly, I can now testify that I know my Savior. I know with my whole heart and soul that He lives and His redeeming and enabling power are real. I LOVE being a missionary and sharing the light of Jesus Christ with others. All is well, all is well. Have a merry, merry Christmas!! Talk to you soon fam :) Mahal ko kayo!!

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Sweet Sister Candy bought us a cake in honor of my mom's birthday!

 

Love all your fellowmen. Saint or Sinner!!

Happy Birthday shoutout to my dear mother on Wednesday!!! Everybody spoil her and bring her chocolate and give her hugs for me. Everybody knows Dawn Giles is the best so I don't even need to brag about her. 

All is well here in Lipa! Sister C is the best recent convert ever. She is already giving us referrals and brought her friend to church! He is this sweet Tatay she always buys coconut juice from. Also we have some good news...Brother J is getting baptized on Saturday!!! :) :D :-)) He has been having some doubts but he attended Sister C's baptism last week, felt the Spirit so strong and then told us his next lesson he wants to be baptized ASAP. I feel so blessed to have been here to be a part of J's conversion process. He has overcome so many doubts and a cigarette addiction and he is just such a powerhouse now. He will be a great future stake president, mark my words. I love these people so much!! 

My dad asked about our golden family and they are still doing great. Came to church again yesterday and loved it :) Keep Sister A in your prayers also, she is ready for baptism but feeling a little hesitant. 

Yesterday our Relief Society lesson was on charity and the sisters were kind of complaining about how sometimes neighbors are hard to love. This little 4 foot something Nanay in her 80's with orange hair in our ward just walked to the chalkboard during the lesson and wrote, "We cannot say we love God if we do not love all our fellowmen. Saint or sinner." Everybody got quiet and she said "love all men" and sat down hahahah it was awesome. She also gave a Book of Mormon to all her neighbors. She is our best member missionary and she is in her 80's and doesn't hear anything unless you are yelling in her ear. What's your excuse for not sharing the gospel? 

Mahal ko kayooooo!!

Sister Giles

The District

Pagpapakumbaba

The subject of my email means humility in Tagalog. No special reason it's just one of my favorite words and I thought you all might like it! 

Well, another great week!! Sister Uba and I have been really finding with faith this week and we saw miracles every single day. Like sweet sister E! We were tracting and she was sitting outside her house so we talked to her. She let us in and said she was so happy because her dad was baptized in the LDS church and always went to church but he had died and she had so many questions about "Mormons!" She has recently moved and has been reading the Bible and looking for an honest, Christian church close to her house. We answered her questions, taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she accepted a BGD!! (Baptismal Goal Date)

Sister Uba and I were feeling brave so we "tao po'ed" (knocked) at this hugeeee house and like 50 dogs started barking at us but we didn't back down! The sweetest lady came out who has also been wondering for a long time which church was true and she also accepted a BGD! 

Also do you remember that super sweet sister G we found a couple weeks ago? We had a chance to teach her and her husband and 2 daughters together and they have been also looking for a church to worship together as a family and they all accepted BGD's!! 

God is a God of miracles. As my companion and I have been striving to be exactly obedient, applying diligence all day and praying specifically and with faith- God is giving us amazing people to teach. They are all so prepared!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!! 

I had an "I'm a Filipina" moment this morning when I was washing my clothes by hand, my companion was cleaning the fresh fish we just bought from a lady on the side of the road and we were speaking Tagalog hahaha! I never want to leave.

 

Also one more thing, I hope all of you back home are attending the temple regularly!! I miss the temple so much. You are all soooo blessed to have a temple so close. My sweet companion and her family were all converted in 2006, saved up money for a year and then in 2007 traveled from the very bottom of the Philippines to the Manila temple to be sealed forever as a family. I am truly inspired by these faithful Filipinos. Sister Uba told me that her family and a couple others traveling to be sealed prepared the Sacrament on Sunday, had FHE and sang hymns on the boat. Even though they don't have much money, they are so happy because they know they are an eternal family!! I hope all of us still have that same reverence and commitment to temple covenants even if the temple is 10 minutes away. Have a great week!! Mahal na mahal ko kayo!!

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Maging Ilaw sa Sanglibutan!

Hello po everybody!!  

I hope everybody had a Happy Thanksgiving. I made a little Thanksgiving dinner for my comp and kabahay, definitely

not my mom's mashed potatoes but hey, they liked it. It was a Thanksgiving I'll never forget!! I feel extremely blessed everyday as I live and serve around these humble people and share the amazing gospel of Jesus Christ!! 

I am also so happy the new Christmas video is out. Go watch Light the World! Or Maging Ilaw sa Sanglibutan!! We have cute new pass along cards, I love the Christmas season. The best season for missionary work!! Especially here in the land of the 'ppines where everybody loves their Savior :)

Good news...Sister Candy's baptism is all set for this Saturday!! Woohoo!! She is so excited. It has been such a privilege and blessing teaching her and watching the Gospel change her life. She has a new light in her life and is such a converted person. 

Also yesterday our miracle family that I told you about last week came to church!! The whole completed family :) They are very wealthy but very humble and we can see them as great leaders here in Lipa someday. We were teaching the Plan of Salvation to them this week and it was such a sweet moment teaching a completed family all sitting together and participating and watching the Spirit teach them and soften their hearts. They have a goal to be sealed in the temple and become an eternal family :)

Sorry not a lot of time because I spent a while looking at the cute pics of the family my dad sent me haha. I am so thankful we are an eternal family!!! I love this Gospel. I love being Sister Giles. I love my Savior so much and I hope you all share His light this week!! Maging Ilaw! Mahal ko kayo!

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Sister Candy is the best and bought us Burger King. We used the self timer and Sister Uba didn't make it, haha love her soo much!

Binyag ni Sister Candy!! :)

Hello po! 

It was such a great, busy week. Sister Candy is baptized!!!! :) It was a beautiful day. She looked beautiful in white and had such a glow. We are amazed by her spiritual maturity. Her testimony is so pure and powerful. After her baptism when she bore her testimony, she quoted Amazing Grace and said "My chains are gone, I've been set free. My Lord, my Savior has ransomed me." We all just started crying because the Spirit testified to everyone who attended that the Atonement is so real. Sister Candy has truly been set free and she now has a chance to return back to her Heavenly Father because of her obedience in following Jesus Christ. I love this Gospel so much. I love being a missionary and instrument in God's hands. Nothing brings me so much joy!! I know with my whole heart and soul that through Jesus Christ we can all be set free. All trials and sin can be made light through the Atonement. Sister Candy will be a great leader and light to Lipa Ward 1 :) 

We also had the chance to attend MLC and have exchanges with Sister Santizo and Sister Moore!! I worked with Sister Santizo in her area. She has been my friend in the mission for a while now and is from Utah so we had a great time!! There are very few "white" girls here in the San Pablo Mission haha so we love when we get to spend some time together. We also saw a cactus!! Yeah I have no idea why there is a cactus in the Philippines but I think AZ was just trying to give me some love :) 

MLC was also sooo inspirational. GREAT things are happening in PSPM! President focused on the word BELIEVE. We need to believe more that we can overcome any false limitations we have for ourselves. I love setting goals and my companion and I are feeling so motivated to set higher goals and believe and work hard to achieve them! I don't want to go home! Maybe I'll just stay another year so I can witness more miracles and be a part of the BEST thing in the whole world- the work of salvation!

I hope everybody is getting into the spirit of Christmas and serving others!! mormon.org We are having so much fun with 25 ways in 25 days- come be a part of it! Mahal na mahal ko kayoooo! :)

Love, 

Sister Giles