Lessons

Dear family,

I Can Juggle

     3 languages! Never in a billion, gazillion years did I think that I would be able to speak three languages. I mean, I guess I always HOPED to (maybe) learn French or something from Ether, or maybe some other exotic language ... but I never thought in a million years that I would speak Tagalog as well! Obviously there is a lot of brushing up to do with my Mandarin when I get home, but for now, I can claim that I am multilingual! The gift of tongues is #REAL.

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Still A Child Of God

     This past week as Sister Pamesa and I were on our way to the chapel (on a jeep), on hopped a homeless man. He was dressed in pretty dirty clothes, his hair was dirty, his face was dirty, his hands and feet were dirty... and it was raining really hard, so he was wet too. I remember being SO uneasy when he sat across from me in the jeep. He was staring at my necklace and I wish I didn't think this because this was so judgmental of me (forgive me!) but I feared he would snatch my necklace and harm me or something. I know, paranoid. Halfway through all those thoughts, though, I realized...what am I doing? Why am I thinking these things? 

     Here I am, 

a missionary. 

     Literally a representative of the Savior. If Jesus was beside me, He wouldn't be thinking such thoughts about this man. He would love him regardless of his clothing or situation. Within five minutes my thoughts changed from paranoia to compassion. To love.

     And because this man was homeless, he didn't have 'pamasahe' (bus fare) to pay as well. No 'pamasahe,' no seat for you on the jeep. As people got on and filled the seats he willingly sat down on the steps of the jeep, right by my feet. It was a scary couple of minutes debating within myself if I would talk to him...but I am so glad that at the end, I did - I talked to him. 

     I bent over and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to Makati Ave. I asked him what he was going to do there. He said "Not much." Unfortunately that was all we could converse about because the jeep got to our stop, and so I hurriedly and as nicely invited him to church on 19 H.V. Dela Costa. And that was that.

     I'll probably never see that man ever again in my life. But I will always remember his face. I will remember the emptiness in his eyes and how, even though his lips smiled at me, his eyes were blank still. I will never forget realizing, so poignantly, how he too, was a child of God. In the words of Elder Holland: 

are we not all beggars?

Powerful lesson learnt. 

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Jerry's Fast

     Guess who fasted for the first time in his life this week?! JERRY! We opened our fast together that night that we met for his lesson and ended after lunch the next day. Good man. He did it! Last week he slipped again and took a cigarette from his boss (I do not like this boss!) but I pray that he will see the fruits of his fast this week. I know that God will strengthen Jerry.

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Prepared

     We picked up ANOTHER Chinese investigator this past week! Her name is Jessica and she was a member referral. She is 36 and living here in Manila for the time being as she goes to graduate school. She is super intelligent, super nice, and she came to church yesterday! These Chinese people...they truly are prepared for the gospel. Can't wait for China to open it's doors to the gospel! 

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"One Day, She'll Be Just Like You"

     Yesterday at the expat ward, a brother and a sister (husband and wife) said something to me that really stuck with me. Background context: I spoke in sacrament LAST Sunday (someone give me credit for keeping my cool in front of the Seventy) and in my introductory remarks I was saying how I have lived everywhere (well, sort of). And I was also saying how much I loved it, how great it was to be an international kid etc etc. Anyways... this dad I was talking to yesterday was saying how when they looked at me on the stage last week, they saw their daughter in 15, 16 years. They said, "How amazing it would be if one day, she will grow up to be just like you." 

     All my life I had always seen these adults, these young men/women go up to the podium to give talks. I would always admire them, want to be like them, wonder how they got to where they did. I never thought that one day, someone would tell me the same thing, too. I

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The days keep on going by, but the happier and happier I seem to get.

With love,
Sister Teo