January 1, 2024 WEEK 21Happy 2024! 🌟

 Happy new years! I think this honestly might have been my favorite new years yet. We went upstairs and had a sleepover with the 4 sisters living upstairs and made chicken nuggets, lumpia, and some type of fried blended fish dough.

We tryed going to bed at 10:30 but people were honking, screaming, blowing horns, and lighting off fireworks ever since the sun went down... soo we had to go outside and watch at 12:00 and I have never seen anything so amazing. 

Our apartment has an amazing view of the mountains and all the houses so watching the fireworks pop up throughout the mountains was breathtaking!

HIGHLIGHTS
- The guy that I mentioned in a past email who asked us how he can be a member of our church just got baptised! It was an amazing baptism he was so emotional we could tell he felt the spirit.
- Christmas PJs
- No injuries this week everyone! and I am all healed from the past ones 
- Learing our most progressing friend is actually already a member baptised 40 years ago -she just didnt know how to explain that in Tagalog because she mostly speaks Illokano
- Finding two ukeleles in a garbage pile and fixing them up/tuning them
- Whiteboard activity in the middle of the city
- Playing prelude for church
- The fireworks, new years eve food and sleeping at the sisters apartment
- Having a Budul fight: where you lay down banana leaves on a table and dump rice and a bunch of ulams and then just eat it with your hands
- OYM challenge (Open Your Mouth) me and Sister Tu'Ivai invited over 300 people to church (we got way too competitive)


CULTURE
For new years everyone goes all out starting the yelling, kareoke, horns and fireworks right when the sun goes down

ESPIRITUAL NA ISIP
For my spiritual thought today I wanted to share an answer to prayers I had while I was reading "The Ricciardi Letter" *this was not my experience* but it felt like exactly what I needed to hear in the moment. Sorry Its kinda long but I would encourage any missionary struggling right now to read it and replace the name with your own ♡ 

"That morning I had prayed for close to 45 minutes when I decided to cease praying, still not having formally closed
the prayer, just quiet in my thoughts and tears. I was having thoughts of going home, giving up. Then I heard this
message: "Elder Humphrey, I am here. I know who you are. I sent you to those neighborhoods, the very ones
where you experienced nothing but rejection. I prompted your changes in direction to even more difficult
neighborhoods. I know where each of the elect in your area resides. I know their names. I could send you to
those addresses only, and save you the time and sacrifice looking for them. BUT ELDER HUMPHREY, WHAT GOOD
WOULD THAT SERVE YOU? The mission experience is to do what you are told, when you are told, to go where you
are asked, and know that the blessing comes from enduring what I ask of you. This is not about you; it is about
opening your mouth at all times in all places. Doing my will without thought to the end result or consequence .
this is what serving a mission is."

He sees us and knows our struggles, this mission is for us to learn and grow along with the people we are teaching. I love you all so much and I know Heavenly Father does too ♡

PICS
- the fireworks through the mtns
- filipino pool table
- the OYM challenge pass along cards
- Ukes we found in a trash pile haha
- Christmas in Christmas Village
- Example of decorating with mtn dew bottles (the green parts of the star)
- Budul Fight













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