April 7, 2013

Hello Family!!! Can you believe that it is April already???? Holy cow, time has flown by! My mission is half way now.... Kind of makes me a little sad, but it is ok. I still have a long time! Things are going well here.... it is still summer and still hot, but that is something that I am getting used to.. You would think that after seven months of being here I would be used to the heat, but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and my hair is wet, my face is wet.... Like somebody poured water on me and then I realize that it is sweat. So I wipe off my face and turn my fan up. You all know how good of a sleeper I am, so i can usually go right back to sleep. That is quite a blessing because I get grumpy when i don't have enough sleep (I think you know that too).

So anyways, this week has been good. We have just been working and stuff. We went to a less active here in our area. She is really really old!!! She was saying that she prays that her back will mawawala.... It is funny in tagalog. It is hard to expain in english, but like she wants her back to dissapear. So Sister Alibogha said, if you keep praying for that, you wont have a back sister.... We were laughing so hard. Then Sister Fay (the less active) was holding my hand durring the lesson and Sister A said to her, you can have Sister Palmer's hand, or sa inyo yen po ang kamay ni Sister Palmer. Once again we were laughing. Then at the end of the lesson I was closing it and I was saying "we leave this..." and she said, in our thoughts and heart..... I was laughing so hard I could'nt close the lesson for a little bit until I recomposed. But she is really so sweet! 

Two weeks ago we went and visited our bishop. We are trying to build the relationships of the ward members right now so that the work will progress better. So we went to Bishops house with a "how can we help" attitude like it says in Preach my Gospel. At first he was like, "what are your problems". Then we asked how we could help him and his attitude changed. He was more willing to work with us. Then he asked us to pray for him because he misplaced the ward credit card. When we got there it seemed like something was bothering him, and that was it. He had just come back from going to different places looking for the card. He said he felt sick about it. Our ward had a temple trip last week and they needed to card for it. So he asked us to pray for him and the card. So it was good that he opened up to us. I felt like after that he warmed up to us. So yesterday in his testimony he said that he went to the security guard at the ATM and the person after bishop found the card and gave it to the security guard. Then the security guard hid it until the owner came back. Bishop bore testimony of the power of prayer. I know that if we have faith and if our desires are true and honest, our prayers will be answered. It was truly a miracle because the person behing bishop and the security guard could have used the credit card, but neither did. it was another testimony to me that God protects us and the sacred money that we pay for tithing. I am sure that that was sacred tithing money that was in the account, but becuase it is the Lords money and it is for the kingdom of God here on earth, it was protected. After sacrament meeting bishop thanked us for our prayers. Our relationship with him has really been strenghtened by this experience and I know that through this the work will progress better and faster here. 

Things are going well with our investigators too. We have really just been trying to talk to everybody and plant a seed in there heart for this great word of God to grow. I know that this church is true with all of my heart. This is the work of God and if we are obedient we will be in the right place at the right time to help somebody else, and share this great message with them. I have learned here that we shouldn't be scared to share this message, because not only is their salvation dependent on it, but ours is too. if we hold back from them their sins could be on our shoulders for not telling them the things that are true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. i love reading it every morning and studying Preach My Gospel. Two of my favorite books. Have a great week. I can't wait for this weekend to watch General Conference and listen to our prophets voice. Have a great week. Love you so much! 

Sister Palmer