WEEK 28: WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY

Guys this is really weird. I've already been out for over 6 months. Less than a year left in this beautiful country.....

Well it's been another busy, busy week. We are really working hard and seeing the blessings of it for sure!!! This week we made a goal early on to set our goals high and really work as hard as we can. If there's a will, there's a way right? The Lord is great. I know He is really in the details of our lives.

We saw so many miracles this week. Somehow we were able to teach ALL of our less actives that we have in our area. Even some that haven't gotten taught in 5+ months. And guess what??? We had the highest less active attendance this week than ever before in this area. Talk about miracles, right? Ah it is so so great to see these great people becoming active again.

Something important I learned this week was the importance of love in this work. I read a quote that said something like "there are only two kinds of people here in the world, those you love, and those you don't yet understand." Okay this is so true, especially as a missionary. And especially here in the Philippines. The people here have really showed me what a mission is all about, love. They have shown me that even though they have close to nothing, it doesn't matter. They give everything they have and really genuinely love you....even if you can't speak their language perfectly and you don't look like them. It's all about LOVE. Loving the Lord and serving Him. Loving those around us and serving them as well. Because if we really love our Heavenly Father, then there is no way we can't love His children. And we are all His children. There are so many people in the world but every single one is worthy and deserving of our love. So basically don't waste you're time hating someone if you could just love them!

Another thing I have really learned here is that God works in mysterious ways. We don't always know His reasoning for the things that happen. But He works in His own ways and He knows what's best for us. ALWAYS. Because He can see the big picture. All we need to do is trust in Him. Because we are merely here to work through HIM. In Moses 1:39, it says "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." This is His work and His glory, for us all to return back to Him. So this should really become our work and our glory as well. Trusting in Him that He knows better than us. Trusting in him that His plan is better than ours. Because He really does know what is best for us.

Well, I'm sorry but nothing this week really stuck out enough to write about it. We worked hard and the Lord has been good to us. We had a high record of attendance yesterday at church of 189 in our Branch. The work really is progressing here and I feel so blessed to be a little part of it.

Being a missionary is awesome. Especially here in the Philippines.

Mahal na mahal kita,

--Sister Reategui

Here's some pictures.....one is with some investigators that we teach in the straight jungle, one is with some members and one is with other members eating fresh coconut!