CALLED TO SERVE: "you know what Elder? your doing very very well. keep improving, you got this"

my 2 fav boys :) reminds me of some kearl cousins

Hi mama,

NAY!

man what a sunny trip you had in utah with the kids. glad you enjoyed it!

pretty interesting week to be honest. so I started with ANOTHER package from you! and a third letter from oma! she put in an email from Celine Horne and Ben Velasquez and i loved it. that woman is so amazing wow. any way i got some pretty awesome plans for the church stuff package you sent. im going to send most of that stuff to people in the mission and i'll let you know how it goes. also big plans for the big quad. you are a trt. best missionary mom in the PCM!

oh, also i ate some cobra!! yeah it was funny.

so the interesting things. tuesday and wednesday were actually really hard for me. i was discouraged, not able to focus, feel the spirit, or just feel enjoyment. i was sick of it so asked the Anak to bless me. he did so ever so humbly and i've been reinforcing it with some deep personal prayers and my life has done a 180! i've felt some truly deep and true joy and happiness. amazing advances in my tagalog and a handful of other tender mercies. but ultimately i've just been feeling satisfied. i stepped up my obedience a bit and have seen lots of other little things change as part of it. me and my anak are really focusing on exact obedience. it's hard, but it all pays off and also I love Heavenly Father sooo. just a nice calming feeling like "you know what Elder? your doing very very well. keep improving, you got this" i'm studying the white hand book like none other and the scriptures in there give such a deep and better understanding to certain commandments were given. an interesting one is in james 3:1-13. you cant have a fountain that has fresh water and salt water. same with our language!

Anyway, something fun here. they use the word "pag-asa" or in english "hope" to mean GF or wife. for example they say i have no hope but referring to a lover. idk kinda gets me hyped. and the kindness and patience out here is insane!! but its almost too much. people will never correct you or be strict at all. like the children here are kinda out of control and there's even some dogs in sacrament! just no one wants to say anything to be mean. its a little frustrating at times. but maybe i just gotta get more into it.

the works been slowing down a bit but theres some cool things happening. lots of good work from our supportive ward, love em and good work in our furthest barangay while the closest is pretty anti us. a pretty good "I love being a missionary" kinda week.

so i studied the 10 gifts to bring home talk and it really hit me and helped me re evaluate my mission. things i've been doing well and things i need to focus more on. i've been doing well with gaining a love for my scriptures, my parents, understanding the holy ghost, faith to act and also the power of prayer. but the things i need to work on are loving the people, my personal virtue and also working harder.

thanks for the talks! i really really love it and appreciate it. excited for next week when i can watch conference.

so i can only acsess my chequing account. my camera is improving so don't worry about sending me money for a new one.

Hymn 19 "we thank thee oh God for a prophet"

"when dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling brightly before us, and we know that deliverance is nigh. we doubt not the lord nor his goodness."

KEARL