Hello everyone!!
Sorry, this week's letter's going to be kind of on the shorter end, but it was a great week! We had a fabulous zone conference on Monday and have been working hard to apply what we've learned this week. Some awesome experiences this week are as follows...
Wednesday we were trying to find an investigator the elders used to teach. We happened to ask a woman named Sherny if she knew where he lived. She replied by waving her hand that she didn't know. We soon found out she was both deaf and mute. She was SO happy to be with us though, so we went to her home and she taught us a few things in sign language so we could communicate. From the little sign language I know, it was fun to see the differences in american and filipino sign language. We ended up saying a prayer with her and left her a Restoration pamphlet, and we got her number so we could text her to come back. It was neat to feel the love that Heavenly Father has for her. That visit also humbled me and I realized how blessed I am to be able to hear and speak. It was pretty difficult at first to communicate with her, and we ended up writing on paper, but the entire time, she had the biggest smile on her face and never got frustrated with us for not understanding her completely. Such an example of Christ-like patience! She was just so grateful we were there! And we were too...I think we learned more from her than she did from us, and even though she couldn't hear our prayer, we prayed that she would be able to feel the love Heavenly Father has for her, and that the Spirit would testify it to her in her heart. :)
Thursday we visited Analiza, who had her baby! They named him AJ (to use the A in Analiza and J in Jojo). The spirit was so powerful in their home as we sang Families can Be Together Forever and discussed the spirit of a new baby. He was only 2 days old, and we could literally feel his sweet little presence, straight from heaven. We're praying that Sister Analiza and Brother Jojo will be able to get married soon so Analiza can be baptized and they can work towards the path of eternal marriage...eternal family. :)
Sunday we had our regular church services and then headed to one of our farther areas for a special sacrament!! Most of the members there want to go to church, but it's difficult because they are so poor and usually don't have money for travel, let alone food. So we brought the Sacrament to them! The spirit was so powerful as we sang the Sacrament hymn and the elders blessed and passed the Sacrament in the humble home of the Semillano family. We had over 10 investigators that were able to attend, and several less actives. Our hearts were pretty much jumping with joy! Later that night we also visited with one of our investigators named Chari. We met with her the first time last week, and she is SO ready for the Gospel, and Satan knows it! He gave her temptations all week not to listen to us. One concern was her and her husband's livelihood. They were going to sell coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol, but she knows those things are against the commandments of God. She told her husband about it, and he said that she better not join our church then. She was in a tough spot. We testified to her of how real Satan is and he knows her potential and is doing everything he can to prevent her from accepting the Gospel. We read Mosiah 2:41 and testified of God's love for her and that through prayer, He would guide them to find a different course for earning a living that would be in line with His commandments and would bring them even greater joy and success. At the end of the lesson she said she had these "feelings" all over her arm and in her heart and she felt like we were speaking her thoughts and feelings. We happily explained and testified that she was feeling the Spirit. It was an amazing experience and I could truly feel God working through us to testify to this sweet sister of His love for her. It was one of those times where you just open your mouth, and the Spirit does the rest. Those experiences are the best!
I truly know that God loves each and every one of His children, and He has a perfect plan for each of us. It's just up to us to pray to know and follow His will, keep His commandments, and follow the promptings of the Spirit. He will lead us on the path that will give us the most joy if we have faith and trust in His perfect plan and timing. I'm grateful for the light of the Gospel and that I get to be and share that light with the Filipino people each and every day. I know Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior. I'm grateful for His perfect plan for each of us and know He will always lead us in the paths of righteousness and happiness.
Have a wonderful week and always remember how much I love you! Thank you for all the support, prayers, and love back home. I truly appreciate every one of you! Palangga ko kamo!
Love,
Sister Dixon
PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA!!!! :D
Exchanges
Traditional Dance Outfit used during a festival
Ummm---picking up a...
Water snake (notice she is holding it with a leaf!) haha!
Nelly's Birthday
Sherny--the sweet sister who is deaf and mute
How could this be for real?
Analiza, JoJo and their new baby, AJ
