SOMEONE IS AWARE
I just want to put in a quick note about how loving God is. And that he never, NEVER forgets any one of his children. He is aware of them ALL. This last week I went on exchanges with a sister under our stewardship, Sister Toa, and she and I traveled quite some ways in search of an LA (less active) from the 4th ward that I'd never talked to before, although I'd seen her at church once. We weren't sure if we were even going to track her down because I'd never traveled to that area before, and all these houses were huge and gated (it was a pretty affluent neighborhood), and it was just scary trying to combat uncharted ground. We weren't sure if she'd be home, let alone if she'd let us in. But I felt very strongly that day that we should make the effort to head up to see her. A couple of times I thought to myself if it was just me making up the thought in my head or if it was really God telling me to "JUST DO IT!" But I am SO glad that we just DID it.
Because we succeeded.
And we ended up having a wonderful time getting to know this sister. Turns out that she's just been feeling really, really lonely. She told us how she hates that in an expatriate ward, that people come and people go. I thought it was amazing that she was talking about such a matter because I've (we've) grown up in an expatriate ward my whole life. People have come and people have gone. I felt like I was able to testify to her of God's plans and that I was more able to FEEL with her, BECAUSE I know what it feels like being in such a ward. Isn't it great how God knows ALL his children and he knows who we need to meet and where we need to serve? God is so concise. He's an awesome master planner.
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JOHN 11
At MLC this past week, President shared with us the story of Christ raising Lazarus from the dead, as found in John 11:
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live...
No one is ever so spiritually dead that they cannot be brought back to life. No one is SO far away from God, or from Christ, or from the world, or from any of their loved ones, that they cannot be brought back to life. No one is so cut off from life, so far away from others, that they cannot be saved. That they cannot be touched. There is no death that is unconquerable, if we will but let the Atonement help us. I've learnt that lesson SO well over these past three, four years of my life. Just a quick thought that I wanted to share with y'all! So beautiful.
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WHITE CHRISTMAS, WITH NO SNOW
President also announced a goal- a vision - that he had prayed about that he wants for our mission. On December 26, 2015, we are goaling, as a mission, to baptize 200 people. That means that each companionship will bring two people to the waters of baptism on that day. And so, yes, there will be no snow. BUT, there will be white. And hopefully it WILL be a white Christmas. This requires SO much faith. I'll be honest- I've been doing deep soul-searching recently to figure out if this can really happen. Our area right now, though having been so blessed over the last couple months, is kind of seeing a slow-down in the work right now. We've helped all our golden investigators get baptized...and now...out teaching pool is really small. And so it takes/will take ALOT of faith on my part and on Sister Esmolo's, to make this work. Faith. Faith, faith, faith. I just talked about Lazarus rising from the dead. If God did that, if Christ did that, surely they will help President Ostler and his missionaries here in the Philippines Manila Mission...right? Have faith. + + + + + + + + + +
MANILA TRAFFIC
The traffic is SO bad here that it deserves a paragraph of its own. Manila traffic..............might be the death of me one day. + + + + + + + + + +
MEMBER MAGIC
I wish that there were missionaries in China! I wish that Gladys and Krystal could see how wonderful it is to get to work with missionaries. I wish that MOMMY got a chance to work with the missionaries. The work is SO much more successful when members and missionaries work together. Before my mission I just thought that missionary work...was for missionaries. That members' roles were limited. How wrong! It takes more than two missionaries to help move this work forward. I will never go to church the same again in my life! I will always be looking for ways to help the missionaries/the work. I love you all! I am so excited for Christmas to come around because I'll get to call you guys! I've missed you all so much. I remember our Mother's Day call ending and just thinking, "WOW. Seven more months before I get to see my family again." I've come to love you guys so much more. November is going to fly by!!!
With love,
Sister Teo
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