Fasting works.

HELLOOO

This was an incredible week.

I got to be reunited with Sister Routhier on Monday because she just got called as an STL and they had MLC here in Legazpi on Tuesday so she got to sleep over two nights! We talked for a very very long time. I miss that girl, but I'm so proud of her. I'm a proud mama. Also Sister Delgado got to come back for a night so that was a good reunion.

Our main focus right now is on the Adana family. They have a baptismal date for March 5 and they are progressing! I'm absolutely in love with this family! Brother hadn't come home for a week and Catherine didn't know where he is, but he finally came back and the whole family's almost complete minus the one daughter.

Sunday was the greatest day of my life. We were fasting and we picked up the Adana family for church. We get there way early and they're really excited because their daughter is being fostered by one of the members and they were going to be able to see her that day. It was such a wonderful reunion when Princess saw her mom and ran to her and gave her the biggest hug. I cried. Church begins and our investigators start trickling in. We had six come. I then have to stop myself from yelling out loud in surprise as Sister Mona Lisay walks in, a less active member we've been working with forever and she will never come to church. She was laughing at my reaction. Church was the most spiritual I've ever been in. Testimony meeting was incredible. In our Gospel Principles class I got called on to go up and bear my testimony because "my eyes were glowing" and they wanted to know why. haha. And President Guanzon was there and gave me a pat on the back after I sat down. haha I love Legazpi Ward. And then Relief Society was just incredible. We went home and studied and broke our fasts and everything, and then we went over to Fred and Iza's. Iza's son, Ichigo has been so stubborn and not very receptive. He gets home halfway through the lesson with a bunch of friends. He leaves the friends outside, is hovering around us listening, and says "sorry I couldn't come to church today. I'll come next week" and then he pinky promised me that he would go. Iza started crying and I was like "is this real life?" and then he offered to say our closing prayer. It. was. a. miracle. We haven't been able to get through to this kid, and then all of a sudden out of nowhere... fasting works, people. It was incredible. 

P.S. Sorry I'm emailing so late. We had another choir practice earlier for the arrival of President Nelson next week. It took the whole P-day, but we're sounding so good and we've changed the song to Abide With Me and It's gonna be great! Which also means, I will have P-day next tuesday instead of monday because he is coming on Monday. So be prepared next week for a picture of me with President Russel M. Nelson. Boy am I excited!

I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!

Sister Wilkins

Re: Pictures Week 44

1. All of us reunited

2. REUNION

3. On the Jeepnie on the way to church :)

4. Before church started

Re: Pictures Week 44

1. Us and Elder Kinikini from Fiji. He's my favorite.

2. Elder Montemayor and Elder Puyat

Blessed.

Heyooooo. It was a fantastic week with my favorite Sister Jimenez.

I want you all to know that the Lord is definitely blessing me in EVERYTHING. Because on Wednesday and Friday I taught the gospel in signs. I taught the entire Restoration and the Gospel of Jesus Christ lessons. We were able to teach Sarah and Michael again (the deaf investigators) and wowowowowow. Anyone who was in ASL with me remembers how horrible I was, but for some reason I can remember signs and I witnessed a miracle. For real.

Thursday we tracted a woman who turns out had been a house help for sisters about 20 years ago. She and her son were SO receptive and accepted a baptismal date right away. We only tracted their house because all of our appointments fell through and we had nothing else to do. Yeah, the Lord has a plan.

Sister Davocol and Sister Roque gave us one of their investigators when they got transferred and we went there for the first time on Friday night. We instantly fell in love with this family. Like, we clicked right away and were cracking jokes and everything. This family has a daughter who is in foster care right now and they're trying to get her back but they're not really financially stable yet to take her back. The mom, Catherine, has a lot of sorrow about it. On Sunday night we had an appointment scheduled with them and we get there and no one is home. We decide to wait a few more minutes and call them and her daughter Casey comes around the corner. She takes us to her grandma's house where we thought Catherine was. We end up waiting and get word that Catherine wants us to just come back tomorrow. So we start to head home when we see her sitting on the side of the road crying. We of course ask her what's wrong and she just cries to us telling us that all she wants is her family to be together but no matter what she does it doesn't happen. We were able to pray with her and help her. Basically I love so much how as missionaries, you literally just go places and it ends up being exactly where the Lord needed you to be. He sent us to help her. That's for sure. I love being a missionary for that reason. Helping people. I'm so done with numbers and statistics. I just want to help people and feel myself coming closer to God.

On Friday we had an incredible Ward Family Home Evening and one of our less active families came, and then they came to church on Sunday! You bet I was BEYOND happy. We've been visiting them since I got to Legazpi.

We had our practice for our Choir for President Nelson earlier today. We're singing I believe in Christ and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. It's going to be so good! I'm so excited for him to come.

I love being a missionary. 

That is all.

Love,

Sister Wilkins

Re: Week 42 Pictures

1. Legazpi District before the transfer

2. The Last picture with the best

3. The best household ever. Sister Davocol and Sister Roque are going together to Ligao. I'm going to miss them.

Nagiging Nanay... ulit...

Hey Hey Hey it's transfer day! Well actually yesterday was... which is why I have P day on Tuesday instead of Monday this week.

But this week was good! Lots of things happened so the work was kinda on hold, but I'm excited to get back into it this week!

So Sister Delgado has been transferred to Masbate, one of the islands. I pray for her. And my new companion is... Sister Jimenez! Wahoo! I get to finish her training. Back to the 12 week guide, y'all. I'm so grateful though. I've been able to work with her a lot this last transfer and now we're proper companions. She's waiting for her visa and will be heading for Salt Lake City East Mission in probably about March. We speak English. yesss. She's absolutely perfect and I'm so excited to be her companion and to be able to work with her. Man, I luck out with trainees.

On Sunday this former investigator randomly came to church and we were able to teach him last night. He's from India and he only speaks English so it was good practice for Sister Jimenez. Every lesson with her has just been so spiritual and wonderful. I love going back to the basics and foundation of missionary work. Grateful to be a trainer again. For real. This is going to be an incredible transfer.

There's a Sister Wilkinson going home tomorrow to Payson and I'm sending some letters with her so y'all can expect that! I love you all so much! Thank you for all of the support and love! Have a great week!

Sister Wilkins

Signing and Singing

Hello people!

This week. Monday I was dying of sickness, Tuesday the fever broke but I was still pretty dead. We had to go to the ear doctor because I supposedly had an infection there but no one would listen to me when I insisted there wasn't one. Guess what? I was right. The ear doctor just dug around in my ear and I'm sitting there just waiting for it to end when he finally tells me that there's nothing wrong with me. Yeah. I could've told you that. The Lord is for sure teaching me patience over here... haha. 

Wednesday we had our interviews with President Guanzon and as always, he said just what I needed to here. I had to go to yet another doctors appointment after that. I have some sort of allergy apparently and they had to put me on an allergy diet and give me this weird soap and lotion to use. I can't even eat mangoes. It's horrible. But my follow up appointment is later today so hopefully all is well. The hive-like marks are almost gone so that's a good sign. We finally got out to work for the first time that week on Wednesday night. I was sick of staring at four walls and doctors who don't really know what they're doing. It's was so good to get back out into the work.

I had the coolest experience this week. So on Thursday I was on exchanges again with Sister Jimenez and we had like 15 minutes before we were supposed to go home for lunch, so we're tracting a small little side-street. We just keep getting nos and I'm a Catholics and finally we get to this house with some cute little boys playing out front. So we start talking to the boys and we ask them where there mom is or who is with them at the house. They say there's no one there, but I could see a girl inside trying to hide. She eventually comes out and kind of waves us away and I realize she's doing sign language. And then it hit me. When I very first got here to Legazpi (I don't remember if I emailed about this or not) I met a deaf girl and a little boy on the street and she took a picture with us and I signed a little bit to her. Yeah. It was the same girl. Her name is Sarah. So we freak out a little bit and she lets us in her house. She can't understand Tagalog, just English, so we were writing back and forth in English and I was trying to sign what I remember to her. It was incredible. We set a return appointment for the next day because we had no English pamphlets or Book of Mormon. We go back the next day and there's someone else there, her deaf friend Michael. They kept writing on pieces of paper that they want to be Christian and they want to go to church. Sarah read the Book of Mormon Introduction and did the sign for "true". The Spirit was so strong in the room. We went to the house on Sunday Morning and Sarah came with us to church. She told me that the people in other churches are usually mean or they just stick to themselves, but in our church everyone was so friendly. It was weird trying to translate or let her know what's going on in the classes. I had her read the sacrament prayers out of the Book of Mormon during the sacrament and it was just such special experience. It's incredible to see someone who can't even hear still listening to the word of God. I just wish I had paid more attention in ASL in high school...

Friday night we worked in Sister Jimenez's area and we got to teach their recent converts. The three little girls were baptized about a month ago, and on Saturday their grandma was baptized. I fell in love right away with this family and the grandmother's baptism was so special.

Sunday we had another WAY cool experience. During dinner we get a text with a referral and then the AP's call us and tell us the family is expecting us right then. So, we leave and get to the house right before the family is about to leave for Manila. The mother just found out she has breast cancer and they needed to leave to get some tests and treatment done in Manila (cause y'all know from my experience how wonderful medical care is in Legazpi). But they decided to let us teach them before they left. We don't know who gave the referral to the AP's and they said they don't know any Mormons, so we're stumped there, but it was so incredible. The Spirit was so strong in the lesson and we were able to comfort this sister in her time of need. We connected with them so well right off the bat. I told her I thought her shoes were cute and she tried to give them to me.. haha. She hugged us goodbye and said they'd text us with an update. I left with an assurety that God really has a perfect plan for each and every one of us and He makes things happen when they need to. His plan is perfect and His timing is perfect.

Also this. Elder Nelson is coming on February 15. Like as in THEE Elder Russel M. Nelson. And I've been asked to be the chorister for the choir to sing to him. I'm minorly freaking out. But I'm SO excited for him to come!

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Mahal Kita!

Sister Wilkins