WEEK 18 : LOST IN AN ALLEY ?

    So it was a shorter week between p days because of the awesome temple trip.  I am so grateful that we have a temple here in our mission, its such a blessing. Its a blessing for the missionaries but even more for recent converts so they can go do baptisms which helps them stay active.  It's awesome.      Thursday I had exchanges with elder Espana, he's our district leader. It was a great day. We taught a ton and my Tagalog felt better. its definetly the gift of tonuges.  I feel myself learning the language even if it is slower than i would like.  It's very hard but it is coming, I notice a difference.  We also had two really cool tender mercies.  We were finding and we must have been guided by the spirit because theres no other way.  We decided to stop at a gate.  Sometimes its hard to tell whats a door to a home, but we stopped anyway. and then like 30 seconds later this lady got back to where we were standing.  It was her house and she said she had been taught everything a while back and almost baptized but then she moved and hadn't seen the missionaries.  It was so cool and she wants to continue listening because she was almost baptized.   It was so cool and then later in the day we were walking and we heard someone yell "Elders" and so we stopped and turned around not knowing who said it and this lady walked up to us and said she had been baptized when she was a kid but went to catholic because her dad was catholic.  She wanted to know where the chapel was and so we were able to help her, she going to start visiting or getting a member to go help her because she doesn't remember anything about the church.  she's basically an investigator. it was really cool. right place right time because of the spirit. I've noticed things like that happening way too often for it to be coincidence.  it actually happened again on Saturday, but I'll get there. 
    Friday we were teaching this tatay and he basically bore his testimony to us which was so cool. he's a cool tatay and loves to talk to us  because he has no one else. he just sits around all day.  He literally just sits all day, his house is so small that I have to bend over and crouch.  Friday we had to wash clothes because we ran out.  We had to wash them by hand after we got home and we also got a referral from a member.  It's her pamumpkin or niece and she wants to be baptized and wants us to come everyday.  My companion and I looked at each other amazed because she was so eager.  It was awesome. 
    Saturday we walked a ton.  Appointments fell through and  we were so tired.   I felt the gift of tongues because my Tagalog felt rough but my companion said it was better so I don't know what they heard. 
     Sunday we taught a members daughter.  We showed up and her baby had just died so we taught a spiritual lesson about the celestial kingdom and small children.  I felt so sad but happy we could share the plan of happiness with her.
   We walked out of an alley a little lost and there was a member right there.  We just happened to run into each other and he was able to show us the way.  It was awesome.  Sunday was good too and hard. We went around in the morning to get investigators to church and most weren't home.   There are so many people going home to their province for Christmas.  We taught an investigator at a members home and this tatay thats a member knows a lot of hymns on his 3 stringed homemade guitar so we sung some hymns which was so cool while he played.  We had an investigator that had read the whole book of mormon in Tagalog but she didn't understand because the Tagalog is so deep.   It was so cool that she read the whole thing, it blew my mind. theres so many people here that go to church at this huge catholic church. We happened to be walking by when mass ended and there was so many people, it was crazy.  Something that's kind of funny that happens is that when we teach about prophets a lot of people ask if we are prophets haha and so we explain that we're just missionaries and a prophet is different. the people here are awesome. It's hard work but a good work. love and miss you all. 

the picture is the difference between a filipino eating Mcdonalds and an American.  He had rice and chicken and I had a big mac.  we only eat Micky D's  every once in a while if we can afford it.  It's so good

Elder Snyder