Sister Jenna Smoot: Wk 34- This week...

Area: Bata
Companion: Sister Lisaca

This week... hmm.. It's been a good week! :) It's been an emotional one but a good one :)

Tuesday we had Mission President's training, which was really good! Before learning more about missionary work and we also invited our ward mission leaders to attend which was awesome and kind of funny because one of them wouldn't stop raising his hand and telling stories. It was really funny :) Had everyone laughing, but before we watched the video of what's going on in Tacloban. It was a very humbling experience. I guess I didn't realize how huge this storm really was. They lost a lot of lives and wow, I pray for them everyday and hope the best for them.

Maybe I'll tell you about investigators because I can't remember each day specifically. But Princess (9) and her dad Ernesto are the only 2 that live in their house. They are doing better! Princess has been coming to church and then right before sunday, she said I don't know if i'll come to church on sunday. I was like AH! WHY?! Anyways, Ernesto avoided us all last week, wouldn't join in on the lessons even after we waited for a half hour for him... We tried going back to get him and he wouldn't come night after night. Anyways, Princess said he was shy because he didn't come to church the sunday before, but guess what?! HE CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!! We walk into church, and we were running a little bit late so we didn't get there until like a few minutes before nine. (typical me) we are usually earlier, but we walked in and there weren't very many people there but Rodolfo was there with Princess and Ernesto!!! AH!!! It made me so happy! I was like yes!! He came! Even without us teaching him!! It was amazing! We went to follow up with him last night and we taught princess about the word of wisdom last week, so she taught him but we reviewed it last night. He has a problem with smoking, alcohol, and coffee. We gave him a chart for his smoking and coffee with a goal to stop in a couple weeks and his alcohol he doesn't do everyday so he said he could stop. It will just be hard with his friends. But he had a little alcohol in his house and we had him go outside and dump the rest of it out :) He actually did it! It was awesome! haha I am so excited for them! Princess was drinking coffee but she stopped after we taught her so we moved her date to December 7th and Ernesto for December 28th. We need to follow up but he was happy and he doesn't know that Joseph Smith is true yet, but we told him the the word of wisdom was revelation through the prophet Joseph Smith and it would help him to know. He's tried to stop before because he knows it's bad, and he said he did for a little bit he's going to amit amit have them disappear! :)

We also went to last night. Emotional night for me last night. We had some good lessons, but our second to last lesson, Edwin (brother of a member) who has been our investigator, but they went home and he was just living with them for his work here in bata, but I just found out his wife passed away 2 weeks ago. They are older, but have two little kids. like 4 and 6 or something like that. I started crying, because i was there when his wife got a blessing. We taught both of them, she had a bad cough and when she walked around and the way she looked reminded me a lot of Emily, and those little children too. I about started crying in the house and when I left I said we'll pray for you and I started crying walking to a less actives house. But It just really hit me strong and it's so true we are so grateful for the knowledge that we have here in this gospel. I love it so much. I love being about to share that with people and help them the best that I can with the help of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for what he's done for us.

We also had some miracles happen with getting new investigators. One we only taught once and following up on tuesday. Me and sister neis oym'd him and he has like his brother who lives in canada. But he was in my mind a lot the past couple weeks. And this past week we started to put him as a back up and finally i decided to move him up and make him a priority. I know now it was guided by the spirit. He doesn't believe in religion yet. He is catholic and says as long as your faithful it's ok, but he doesn't want to be converted.. but we'll work on that. But he said at the beginning of this week, he's started to pray for direction, to pray for help and then here we are in his house! Wow! His wife is Baptist and is an english teacher, he works in the government. It was crazy. I hope we can help him feel the truth of the gospel. I just pray and pray for things like this. That is just one of many that happened this week, we were guided like none other to new investigators. It was awesome!! :)

Anyways, I'm running out of time, so i love you!! I hope you have a wonderful week and enjoy the pictures sister lisaca is so kind to send to you all!! :) I love you so much!! :) Keep going strong!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot :)

*Pictures taken during the typhoon: