SURPRISE! I know I told you guys last week that we'd email on Tuesday but our activity got cancelled and so we are having a normal Monday P-day today. I can imagine that you guys are enjoying yourselves in Hong Kong right now (or have you guys already gotten to Singapore?) and I wish so bad that I could be with you this summer BUT! To every thing its proper place and time. Next summer will be a good summer.
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Marco & Carolyn
1) Marco is down to ZERO cigarettes. He's been off cigarettes for almost three weeks now! I am so proud of him! I wish you could all see the glow in his countenance. The physical changes are real. I know that he's probably feeling really great internally and spiritually, but nothing beats the physical glow that he is rocking! I know that it wasn't easy for him to quit cigarettes at first. It took him from May until now. But his drive was his baby girl, his daughter, Charmaine. Family. Family drives every good thing.
2) Carol's birthday was this past Tuesday (the 14th) and Sister Veras and I were determined to make sure that she enjoyed her special day! Tuesday saw us running up and down the city (because our district activity took up a good chunk of time and we had to make it back to our area/the mall Market Market) but we had so much fun worrying about how to make someone HAPPY!
We bought her a Goldilocks cake roll- chocolate mousse; no woman can turn down chocolate OR mousses- and Pizza Hut. And we were thinking so hard about what present we should get her but then it occurred to us that maybe we should get baby Charmaine something instead (because, come on, all new mothers appreciate ANYTHING for their babies). Sister Veras and I bought Charmaine some church dresses/home clothes. Pictures attached! By the end of running up and down the mall Sister Veras and I were BEAT, but that night was so special for all of us because I know that Carol really appreciated it all. I love Carol. So much. I love Marco, and baby Charmaine, and families can be together forever. Theirs, will.
3) Marco's re-baptism will be in August and I'm not sure if I've told you guys the story of how his church records got lost, but...EITHER WAY, his church records did indeed get lost and so for record purposes he has to be baptized again. Sister Veras and I are really pushing for Marco and Carolyn to get marreid as soon as possible because although Marco will get baptized and therefore "cleansed" again it still won't be right for them to be putting off their marriage for a couple more months. The situation is super complicated but the stake president granted this procedure and to be honest Sister Veras and I are still a bit confused BUT! One step at a time. I can't wait for Marco to get a second chance!
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Sarah
Bless Sarah's heart. No, for real. Bless this woman a million times in ths life and for the eternities to come. Yesterday was Sarah's third consecutive Sunday at church, and again she brought all five children with her by herself. That woman is a superwoman indeed. I have so much respect for her. SO much respect. Mom, I feel like you and Sarah would get along well. I see so much of you in her. She always tells her kids to say "po," she always tries to teach them good manners...she is a good mother. I can't wait for you guys to meet Sarah, Mom and Dad. One day we will come back to Manila together and I will introduce you to the superwoman of Brgy. Rizal- Sarah Padua.
1) Her blessings just keep coming. Sarah is so humble. She lives in such humble circumstances but she is so grateful, for EVERYTHING. A grateful heart goes a long way and I am so, so, so thankful to Heavenly Father for having prepared her for the gospel. She's been taught a LONG time by missionaries but only this past transfer having come to church consecutively...and she is seeing immediate blessings from her efforts. Every night before I sleep I beg God to bless Sarah. She is really trying so hard.
2) On Friday Sister Veras and I gave them our food because we've had some chicken sitting around in the freezer for SO LONG now and we've always been too lazy to cook it, so we thought, why not just cook it up and give it to Sarah and her kids? So I fried up the chicken - I didn't know that frying chicken was so easy but so hard - and we cooked a pot of rice and brought it over to her. She wouldn't stop thanking us, but by the end of the night, I couldn't stop thanking God. Because after we left Sarah's, the other two appointments of that night saw us fed to the MAXIMUM!!!
Sister Veras and I were SO full by the end of the night! It wasn't until that next morning that I realized...we had tried our best to give what little we could to Sarah, and God had given us TWICE more than that in return. SO grateful. I could not complain. This people, having so little, are still so eager to give what they have to the missionaries. I didn't mind a full stomach that night. (I swear I'm still full today from that night.)
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Raff
1) AUGUST 1 LOOKS LIKE IT IS A GO! Raff's baptism is coming up. He's doing really great. We are bringing him to the temple this Thursday for a tour. My fingers are crossed that he will have a great experience on temple grounds. 2) BUT, this seemingly smooth road hasn't come easy. This past week Raff asked a piercing question - "I've been to other churches. Why does everyone say that THEY are the right church, the true church?" Good question, Raff, good question.
3) His answer came when we watched the Restoration DVD together the next night. No kidding, though, there is NEVER a moment of quiet when missionaries preach about the Restoration. I've experienced this countless numbers of times and it was no different with Raff. We didn't have good, large electronic speakers - just small ones - and so as if it wasn't hard enough already for him to hear the DVD clearly, a billion airplanes were flying by, the kids out on the road were screaming, motorcycles seemed to have roaring engines...I was in my seat panicking that, "Oh no! He's not FEELING it!"
But who am I to doubt the power of God and the influence of the Holy Ghost, because by the end of it all, Raff was GLOWING. All my worrying had been in vain. He'd FELT something. His question had been answered. No matter his surroundings, he'd been watching intently. He had been listening. God helps those that help himself. And Raff was a recipient of the Spirit that night.
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Forgive me for such a long email of stories this week; I just consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to be friends with these four people. I love them with all my heart.
I have cried over them, prayed for them, BEGGED God on their behalf. I have loved them. I have laughed with them, smiled with them, encouraged them. I am doing all I can to help them because I love them. Infinitely, indefinitely, forever, always.
This area will always have a special place in my heart.
With love,
Sister Teo
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