"Hitting people over the head with the chair of righteousness"

Wow, another crazy week! I feel like I've hardly had a moment to breathe!

I asked Sis Smith yesterday how on earth to summarize our week...she said, "hitting people over the head with the chair of righteousness". I feel like that's pretty accurate, actually. 

with other missionaries at the church

 Basically, after a really inspiring temple square tour training last week, Sis Smith and I decided we were done being things to be acted upon and that we were just going to be so straight up with people. And it is so refreshing! I feel like before my mission, and even on it, I've been the type of person who just tries to keep everything smooth and not rock the boat, even if that means not being as forward as I should be with people because it just feels awkward for me. Missions change you, and that's all I have to say about that! We said what needed to be said to less active members, investigators, sisters in our zone- and it was so neat to see the Lord fulfilling our calling and speaking through us. Everyone progressed this week. The spirit was there, and we had love. We were able to help a less active sister see how her actions are influencing her life now and her future, and able to help some sisters in our zone who were struggling with obedience see how being exactly obedient literally brings miracles. Literally the day after we had a pretty straightforward conversation with them about following certain rules, they decided to change- and had 4 other lessons during finding, something that was HUGE for them. I learned this week that we don't need to be afraid of saying the "hard things" when we are led by the spirit and have charity for people. God backs us up.

This week Sis Smith and I individually and as a companionship asked the question, "Lord, is it I?". The answer to that question is simply always yes. We we working hard before, but we have completely redoubled our efforts and our desire to reach the goals we set has increased 10 fold. We worked so hard last week and there are still so many places for improvement, but it felt really good to really get fired up again.

At the end of a long crazy day

I'm not sure if I've mentioned her before....we are teaching a beautiful Filipino woman named A. I don't think I've ever met someone so ready to embrace the Gospel before. We were knocking doors one day, and we were about to turn around but just felt like we should knock on one last door on the corner. And that's when we met her. :D She said she had been praying to God to be able to keep hearing His gospel even though she was far away from home and her church. She is here taking care of an ama (grandma). She is Catholic. We left her a pamphlet about the first lesson...and she actually read it! Such a difference from all the investigators we just dropped who wouldn't do anything without being dragged along. We taught her the first lesson and she said that she had always been confused as to why in the catholic church, they don't baptize by immersion like Jesus was baptized, and why they believe in the trinity when it just doesn't make sense according to the Bible. Yep, incredible. We didn't have a Tagalog book of Mormon for her in that lesson, so we just left her with an English one and asked her to try to read the introduction. The next lesson, we had a Tagalog one for her. She was so happy. She had read not only the introduction, but all of Joseph Smith's testimony as well. And loved it. Her challenge will be coming to church- with her work it will be hard, so pray for her. I've realized through this experience how willing God is to answer my prayers...I just have to pray for the things I want! How often do I want something, but not actually vocalize that in prayer? And why not? Bruce D Porter said, "Prayer was never meant to be ordinary. It can be among the most exalted of privleges we enjoy in this mortal sphere." I want my prayers to be more like that. I need them to be more like that. 

This week we were riding home in the pouring rain because we forgot our ponchos. A fruit stand lady waved us down and told us she was going to run to her scooter to get us ponchos because she was afraid of us catching cold. So sweet. The taiwanese really have compassion and hospitality down to a 't'. I want to follow their example. 

Love you!

me