Binyagggg! :)

Hello po!

One of the best weekends of my life! The V family was baptized :))) It was a great service. Sister G came out of the water and said, "Malamig po!" (It's cold) haha then asked if she could bear her testimony in sign language because she is nervous to talk in front of people. The Relief Society sisters love her haha she is honestly so funny. Brother G is a commander in the Philippines Coast Guard and our Bishop is in the Air Force so they are already best friends and A (16 yr old)  is planning on attending the EFY kind of thing here in the Philippines! They are such a great addition to Lipa Ward 1. 

Huge miracle!! Sister Claire has been really on and off about her decision to be baptized the past couple months so we have been praying for her and kind of giving her a break but she came to church yesterday, had such a spiritual confirmation that she needed to be baptized and then started crying and asked if she could be baptized that same day! Haha she is the sweetest and we are so happy she has made a firm decision now. We are shooting for end of March. The power of prayer and fasting is so real. 

My last Mission Leadership Council with President and Sister Mangum (yes, I cried)

I gave a talk in church yesterday about reactivation and I shared how much I look up to my mom for being such a great visiting teacher. She is always willing to serve and reach out. I said she never gives up on the sisters she is assigned to. The ward was so motivated to be better visiting and home teachers and Sister Claire thanked me for following the example of my mom and never giving up on her :) So thank you, Dawn Giles. 

Another investigator, Brother Vernond is being married today then baptized soon!!! Woohoo for living the Law of Chastity! I know they will receive sooo many blessings and someday become a beautiful eternal family.

I love being a missionary! I know with my whole heart, mind and soul that we are children of God. He loves us so so much. We can show our love to Him through OBEDIENCE to His commandments. I know that when we serve others, we truly find ourselves. I know my Savior lives and His Atonement is real. I love you all!! Ingat po!

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Spent the night with the sweet Sisters in Santo Tomas for exchanges

Our sweet island girl from Kiribati who is used to going barefoot and eating raw fish

Magiging Masaya!

Hello po!! 

Another great week! I have a new companion who I love sooo much! Sister Soriano from the very bottom of the Philippines. She was in Lipa zone a couple months ago and we actually got to go on exchanges. She is so loud and fun!! Also a great teacher and leader. It will be a great last cycle :) 

The V family was not baptized last weekend but no worries, all is set for this Saturday!! Pray for them :) Sister V said she has been praying to know for sure if this Saturday was right and she asked Heavenly Father to send her a butterfly to comfort her with their decision (haha it's a Philippines thing) Yesterday during Relief Society class, the Primary kids came in and gave their moms Valentine Day cards and little Angel V's card had a ton of hearts and one little butterfly :) Sister V started crying and said that she knows Heavenly Father answers prayers and this is the right step for her family. We are so excited for them!

I loved our RS class yesterday in church about optimism!! "I come..with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I'm suggesting that we accentuate the positive...we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort." -President Hinckley. Let's all be more optimistic about life!! We have the Gospel and Jesus Christ and the answers to our questions of the soul through the beautiful gift of the Book of Mormon!! Be happy and share light with others :) Love you all soooo much!!!

Love, 

Sister Giles 

This is how she ended her letter to me (along with a picture of a snake) "I still love every single day here. Never worry about me because I am happier than I have ever been!!!" FYI, she will be home on March 29th at 5:30 p.m.!

Biiinyag!!

It was a week with many mixed emotions! I said goodbye to my dear kasama, Sister Uba yesterday :( We have been companions for 5 months so it was not an easy goodbye but I know it was more of a "see you soon." 

But our BFF Brother W was baptized!!! Woohoo! It was a great service. Even though he had to be baptized 3 times because our Bishop made a mistake in the words and then he was confirmed 2 times because the words weren't right again. Brother W was smiling the whole time. He wants to serve a mission in a year! :) His girlfriend also wants to serve. Then hopefully, we will be seeing a temple marriage...:) I kind of have this problem of planning the whole lives of my recent converts haha I encourage them to go on dates and get married every time I see them. I'm hoping to see pictures of all of them in white again at the temple in a year! THAT is true missionary joy :) And the V family passed their interview and will be baptized this week!! Woohoooo! Completed family! 

One scripture I liked this week in Romans 8:28,"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." I know this scripture is true. I know that although trials are a big part of our purpose here on earth, if we truly LOVE God and OBEY Him, all things will work out! All is well!! All tears will eventually be replaced with tears of joy! I pray we can all follow the example of my dear Filipinos brothers and sisters and take trials on with a smile and a humble heart. I find comfort in knowing that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is trying to help us all grow and learn. Love Him and all will work out! :) 

Love, 

Sister Giles 

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 

Colorful Chicks!

Helloooo everybody!! 

Well it seems like every week just gets better than the last. Not a lot of time so I'll just tell you a little bit about some of our amazing friends and some miracles we are seeing!

H has been an investigator for yearsss but when I got here to Lipa we stopped teaching her because she wasn't ready.  Long story short, we have started teaching her again and wow- she has been through a huge change. She is so prepared and is already looking forward to the day her family can finally be sealed in the temple! We are also teaching some of her children. At the right time, we know her husband too will join the church.

R is our Alma the Younger investigator, haha! Such a mighty change of heart is happening to him. He has been through a lot and has past regrets and we are truly seeing the Atonement of Jesus Christ heal him and change him. Yesterday he attended all 3 hours of church then stayed for the 1 o'clock Ward Sacrament Meeting! He loves learning and feeling the Spirit. He finally shaved his beard and he promised he will cut his long hair soon :)

Little kids love playing with chickens here. There was a festival and some brought colored chicks!

 

V family is still progressing well but little 6 yr old A has been in the hospital for a couple days :( Please pray for them! But we were able to visit them and say a family prayer and when we got there Sister G was reading the Book of Mormon. They are still confident in their decision to be baptized because they recognize the blessings the Lord is giving them despite some challenges.

 

My companion is expired! She goes home in two weeks. I will love her forever!

And about 10000 more stories!!  I love being a missionary. I love Lipa!! This ward feels like my second family and these people we are teaching feel like my best friends! My companion told me I sleep talk some times and last night I was teaching a lesson about temples in Tagalog hahaha weird. I love teaching the gospel even in my dreams!! I love you all so so soooo much!! I know the true church of Jesus Christ has been restored. I know that God lives and He loves us. We are all brother and sisters so let's treat each other that way!! Continue to love and lift everybody around you and I know you will feel true joy and happiness. xoxoxox

Love, 

Sister Giles 

The Mayor's daughter has billboards, what do you think dad?

Love-Inspired Correction

Magandang Hapon sa inyong lahat!! 

A great and busy week! 2 exchanges, lots of walking and finding and teaching and so many miracles!! You remember one of the sisters who kind of dropped us last week? We have been praying so hard for her and haven't given up. Then yesterday she came to church! We were able to teach her last night, resolve her concerns and sweet sister C is back on track for baptism! We are so thankful for the Spirit and the way we are able to be instrument in God's hands to share His love and get people on the right path back to Him!

Love my fellow missionaries!

Also the V family is still the best golden family ever. We were teaching them about temples this week and it's like they all had a light in their eyes and there was such a sweet spirit in the room as we testified of the reality of eternal families!! I am so thankful for my eternal family and the priesthood authority that has been restore to the earth. The V family has a great desire to be an eternal family :) 

With the V family's puppy!

2 verses I liked this week: Doctrine and Covenants 136:31-32. I love how the Lord chastises us because He loves us! I am so thankful for love-inspired correction and the way it can help us reach our potentials. And I know that if we have sincere prayers and talk with the Lord, our eyes will be opened and our hearts will receive the correction Heavenly Father is trying to give us so we can progress. Learn to love correction!! 

Sister Uba studying hard for her English test everyday! And one of my "tests" for her!

 

So last Monday morning Sister Uba and I went to our friendly corner tindihan (little store) and bought some laundry soap and I asked the lady, "Magkano po yung sabaw?" Which means how much is the soup. I meant to say "sabon" which means soap. Haha anyway everybody thought it was the funniest thing and now every time we see her she yells "sabaw!!" and starts laughing hahaha I'm kind of the white girl comedy show for a lot of these Filipinos. They really are the best. And obviously I still need to perfect my Tagalog...haha. Love you all!!! Have a great week!! 

Love, 

Sister Giles 

Mmmm, Tilapia, my favorite food now!

Sister Moore is quite an artist!

Sister Batiou! New sister in Lipa zone from Kirabati. I love spending time with all these different cultures!

The Sabbath is a Delight

Helloooo everybody! 

What a great week. Baptism of Sister A, MLC, fast Sunday and so many miracles! Sister A was glowingggg in white and it was such a beautiful day!! She has the strongest testimony. We know her bright light will bring her family and friends into the church also. 

Along with the ups, we also had some downs this week. 2 of our really progressing investigators planning on being baptized told us they were no longer interested in being taught because of opposition from family and friends..hard to hear. And I was hit with some sickness but no worries, all is well and nothing can stop the work! We know God has a plan for those 2 great sisters. 

I'm also thankful for the downs because it makes the ups so much higher and brighter! Like the V family reading the Book of Mormon, attending church and preparing to be baptized as a complete family! And Brother R working sooo hard to overcome smoking and drinking so he can feel closer to his Savior! And a powerful testimony from a returning less active member yesterday who chose not to be offended by the judgments of fellow members and is applying the Atonement into her life! And the G family who have gone through sooo many trials but are trusting in the Lord and seeing small blessings. Sister G is now a single mom of 10 small children, they lost their house and just lots of other things. But we have seen the ward pick them up and wrap them in loving arms! 

I just want to share with all of you how much I love the Sabbath Day. I just felt so spiritually refreshed! Taking the Sacrament every week brings so much hope and light into my week. I am also so thankful for the power of fasting and the extra spiritual power it can bring into our lives. Yesterday there was a confirmation, baby blessing, lost of investigators being fellowshipped and feeling the Spirit, and powerful testimonies! I love Isaiah 58:13 and that phrase there, "Sabbath a delight"! I pray all of us can set aside our worries and personal desires on Sunday, align our will with God's will and feel the JOY that comes from worshiping Him! 

This Gospel is so beautiful. I love being a missionary more and more every day. I love this land of miracles and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love the Sabbath Day!! Mahal na mahal ko kayo!!!

Sister Giles