Miracle Week

This week started out like any other week, but it just kept on getting crazier.

On Wednesday, Sister V and I had splits with our Sister Training Leaders (STLs). My new companion, Sister Dotillos taught me so much and I found several areas where I can improve. It was crazy though because when the splits were over, and we were staying at the STL's appartment, Sister V's asthma started acting up. We had to call the nearest Melchizedek Priesthood holder for an emergency blessing. We had one of our stake leaders come to help. After the blessing, and some time to relax, Sister V is now recovered.

But Sister V isn't the only one who got sick. The food and water here aren't the cleanest, and on Saturday I got really sick. We traveled to Callao for our first appointment. We were teaching Mary Jane and Jessa, two of our outstanding investigators. Unfortunately throughout the lesson I could not concentrate and didn't feel good. We ended the lesson and began contacting (inviting their neighbors to be taught by us), when I left Sister V's side to sit down. I ended up throwing up in the bushes. I really did not feel good. One of the neighbor kids saw me and yelled, "Asakay!" which is an Ilocano phrase that shows surprize. Anyway, I looked up and all of our fellowshippers, the people we were contacting, and the neighbor kids were all staring at me. 

After that we hopped back into the Tri-C of Edmund Ballad. Sister V asked if I needed to go home and rest. I wanted too, but said no. We only had one more appointment here in Callao, so I figured I could last through one lesson. 

That lesson was with the Sibaluca brothers, and we got lost trying to find their house. We stopped to ask for directions from a family in a waiting shed. It was a large family and we decided to give them all pamphlets and contact them. There was ten adults and several kids, and they ALL WANT TO BE TAUGHT! Miracle number one! 

We found the Sibaluca Brother's house and taught them, and they want us to continue teaching them! Miracle number two!

After that, we were supposed to go home because I really wasn't feeling good at this point. That is when we ran into a sister in our ward. She said, "Sisters! Sisters! Saan pupunta?" (Where are you going?) Then she said, "I have some people you can teach! We met her daughter in law's family and they also are our new investigators. Miracle number three!

It seemed like the pain in my stomach was getting worse at each house we visited, but the sister in our ward also had a friend who she wanted us to teach. We taught Nay and Tay Soriano, who seemed very interested in our message. We had only met them once, but Nay came to church on Sunday, and despite her strong Catholic background, she agreed to keep coming to church! Miracle number four!

It was a really hard day because I wasn't feeling well, but out of it we got: four lessons, twenty contacts, and five new investigators! I'm so grateful that the Lord guided us to all these people! It is amazing to think that if I decided to go home, we would not have met all these people. 

I'm feeling better now though. In fact, this morning Marvie, a less active member of the church that we visit, invited us to her farm. It is harvest time here in the Philippines. We asked Marvie if she would go to church on Sunday, but she explained that she was going to harvest her corn that day. We offered to help her in the harvest, and she agreed. We walked about a mile away to her farm and even waded through a river in order to get to her cute little farm. We spent the morning harvesting corn, and for our hard work, Sister Marvie gave us a few ears! :)

I love Pena Blanca! <3

Love,

Sister Lewis