Called to Serve in the Philippines: WEEK 70: ONE VERY MALIGAYANG PASKO!

Well, it was a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Can I just spend this email sharing all the things I love?? Okay I'm just gonna go for it.

> I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME. I am just so overwhelmed with love this week. I just love this time of the year. I loved being a missionary this Christmas as it really brought a different perspective to me.
> I just love the Philippines. I learn so much from these great humble people here each and every day.

> Have I ever told you guys I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY? Well, I LOVE IT.

> I love being able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Guys everyone needs this gospel, and I love having the opportunity to show people just how desperately they need Christ in their lives.

> I love that here in the Philippines, we are still singing Christmas music in church.

>This week we tracted and ran into a lady. As soon as she saw that we were missionaries, she hurried and shut her door. She looked so depressed and sad. She told us to leave because they were a different religion. I said to her, "Sister, we just want to wish you a Merry Christmas!" And her face lit up! We were then given a chance to testify of Christ and how much He loves her. She lit up. Even though she still didn't let us teach her, I LOVED THAT MOMENT.

> I loved teaching a part member family this week who are so eager to learn of the gospel. The wife is a member but has been inactive for years. Ar the beginning of the lesson, I felt the need to ask how their family prayer has been, which was kind of weird seeing as we haven't taught the family before. But, I did, and it was the coolest thing. This lady who has been inactive for so long, bore the most sincere testimony of prayer I've heard in a while. She shared that her daughter was really sick and was just getting worse. It had been a week and they had no money to go to the doctor. So, she prayed. She prayed so hard. And the next morning when she woke up, her daughter started getting a little better. She cried as she tesfitied that we do have a loving Heavenly Father that loves us and that listens to our prayers. We taught the lesson and at the end, we invited her husband to say the prayer. OKAY, this man is usually SO extremely shy and never wants anything to do with us. BUT HE TOTALLY PRAYED! It brought us to tears as he thanked his Heavenly Father for healing his daughter. Such a tender moment.

> I LOVE BUKO. Or fresh coconut. After that appointment, (which is at the top of this crazy mountain) the father climbed their coconut trees and got a bunch for us! See pictures attached. hehe

> I LOVED THE BRANCH CHRISTMAS PARTY. Not so much our chance to perform but yeah it just goes with it.

> I loved getting to share messages about Christ ALL week.

> I LOVED SKYPING WITH MY FAMILY!

> I love Tatay Lindo. {see pic} This week we visited him twice. #1....His knees were really hurting him. Well we shook hands with him and with the hands that we shook, he pulled them away really fast and rubbed them on his knee and told us we have healling powers. HAHAHA. #2 he was killing his huge pig (remember the pictures from around a month ago? Yeah that one. He gave us 4 kilos of the meat. Haha we then went to like all the members in our area and shared with them all. Totally normal over here to prostlyte with half of a dead pig in your hands.

> I love that 2 of our investigator families totally came to the Christmas party!!!!

> I love Melfa. She is our recent convert who has been a member for about a month now. She is the greatest. She worked with us again this week and we got to teach her whole village. She is the one that still leads all the lessons. I love that girl so much! She has such a strong testimony even though a lot of her friends are saying things that aren't so nice to her since she joined the church. She strengthens me.

> I loved our cool CSP this week on the mountain of one of our members. We gardened. We had to pass through this huge lake thing.

> I love that it's completely normal to see a man in the river skinning a goat

> I also (kind of) loved holding this DEAD GOATS HEAD. Like of course I asked him if I could hold it.Don't worry... see pictures attached for proof.

> I loved climbing up on a coconut tree until I fell ALL THE WAY DOWN. Like slid. And by all the way down I mean like a foot down.....hahaha because thats as far up as I got....but don't worry I have a scrape all the way down my arm. Hahahahaha

> I love my district. I love the missionaries here and spending time with them. We planned on having a Family History party but since it was last minute planned....it didn't really work out haha so we ate instead because we had a curfew anyways so no work. So we played some games at the church and the punishment was baby powder on the face......wahoo.

> I love the chance I get to come closer to Christ. I am grateful that I have strengthened my relationship with Him through my mission.

> I love our awesome investigators that gave us some guava because they knew that it's my new favorite fruit.

> I love Sister Larit. She is facing some trials in her life and has been inactive for awhile. She supports her 4 kids by herself. Her house is falling apart. The floor is made of bamboo and is about to fall right under them. She also has some problems with Law of Chastity but has such a strong desire to be obedient. Despite all her trails, and even despite some members judging her and persecuting her for things she's done in her past, she came to church. And also brought her neighbors who aren't members. I love her and have so much respect for this strong woman.

> I love our random investigator. Do you remember the people that would call to me and sing Cecilia? Hahaha well we hadn't seen them in around 2 weeks but this week...one was riding on his motorcycle and we were walking with a huge group of members, and the man called out to me and said "Cecilia! Beautiful! I love you!" Hahaha so now all the members call me Cecilia. So like that's cool.

> I love the Jeramos family. They totes taught me how to cut into a coconut. S/O to them.

> I also love my awesome mommy. S/O to her. Because she is like Filipina, she sent me pictures of Christ that say in Tagalog "You are never alone." Totally gave them out on Christmas and the people loved them. THANKS MOMMY!!!

> I love the Ramirez family. They gave me the coolest Philippines mug.

> I love the Relief Society sisters here! They strengthen me and are such strong people.

> I love reading the scriptures. Especially in the Gospel's this week about Christ. He was really THE MAN. The way He taught and the way He loved is so inspiring to me.

> I love hearing little kids pray. It's really like they are talking to their Father in Heaven. So simple and so sweet.

> I LOVE THIS WORK. I LOVE the people here. I love and am grateful for this Christmas season.

> I love you all and am SO grateful for every single one of you. You all strengthen me!!!

I wish I could go on and on, but my time is up. Just know that you are all so special to me and ESPECIALLY special to our Heavenly Father.

Nagmamahal,

Sister Reategui

pictures:

Tatay Lindo. Coolest Recent Convert ever.

our investigators!!!!

MELFA!

#onChristmasWeWearRed

#CSP