What a Weird Week! (1/26/2014)

January 26

Hello family! How are you! So this week was not as busy as last week but it was just as great!!! We had a a baptism  on Saturday, like I had said last week and it was great! The new ward mission leader is doing great and we love him! He just got called right before we got transferred here, so he is new too and that was his first baptism as Ward Mission Leader. I am grateful for him and his work to make the Salavador boys baptism very special, I am sorry I don’t have any pictures. But Yesterday was their confirmation and it was great! I was able to speak in sacrament meeting about missionary work and I shared the story about Mrs. Oliver. Because she was baptized because she saw the difference in the members and the love they have for the Lord and that is that reason they loved her.

And Saturday started off great, we went to a follow up appointment of the a first lesson that we had shared last Thursday.. so I have a kind of long funny story but here goes. SO to start off..Filipinos still believe in like curses and bad karma and witch craft stuff like that. So that’s cool but anyway on Thursday we went to their house and while we were teaching, we hear a kid in the other room, he is not feeling very well and he threw up and so we did all we could to help them and left so they could take care of him. and then when we came back on Saturday they kept saying ‘usog ’ or meaning that we had caused this kid to be sick. I was so confused and couldn’t help but laugh when I found out they essentially thought that because of whatever, we made him sick. For me, that is ridiculous! But it’s a real thing in the catholic religion here. On Thursday they had a healer come over and see the boy and he told them he had been ‘udog-ed’ but despite that fact, they told us to come in and to see  the little kid, Evan, laying in bed, he didn’t look any better. They said that he had been throwing up all Thursday after we had left.  So his lola- or grandma,  told me to spit on my fingers and rub Evan’s belly to make him feel better… then I was REAL weirded out.. realizing that all this voodoo stuff would not actually help them we offered to share with them again, we sharred a message about the priesthood and asked them if they would like little Evan to be blessed by that power, so we called out Ward Mission Leader and he came over and helped us teach about the priesthood and he was able to give him a blessing. It was really cool to see the faith of these parents and Lola, for their kid. I know that the priesthood is real and is not like any of that beliefs but that it is proven, it really works! And with prayer, the priesthood can bless our lives more than we can ever know. I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood that I have always felt throughout my life and I love this gospel because of the great blessings that come to those who follow it.  What the experience, noh?!

So on Friday, I had the chance to go to a leadership training meeting with President and all the leaders on the South side of the mission. I learned SO much! I am so grateful for the leaders of this mission and the  inspiration that they receive for us. I know that this mission is where I am supposed to be at this time in my life and I am SO grateful for our Lord Jesus Christ. I love you all ,I love this gospel and I hope you had/have a great week :)

LOVE SISTER ROSSBEG