Always just so amazed at their discipleship

Hello family!:)
     Thank you all for the e-mails and updates. There has been just a little rain so we've been lucky and were able to get a lot of work done this last week. It was a really great first full week for Sister Dyer and me.

     Last Tuesday we started off with a Zone training, and the Cavite zone is SO big! There are so many missionaries in our zone, which is so different from Palawan because the zone there is so small. So I don't know very many of the elders, but for the sisters, Sister Abbangan and Sister Pacino are in my zone. I lived with both of them in Carmona, so it was a lot of fun seeing them and chatting with them again.

     Our investigators are all doing great. We have an older couple, Ben and Amelia, who are going to be having their baptismal interview this Saturday! YAY! They were members of Couples for Christ before and super involved and active there, so when they started learning about our church, it wasn't hard for them to get involved and be active here. They're really excited!

     Then we had Jhenalyn and all of her siblings and cousins and neighbors that I told you about last week (the masses of little kids). Jhenalyn is 19 and is really interested in the church. She even has said she wants to serve a mission. Last week they asked me to bear my testimony, of course because I was new, and Jhenalyn asked me if she could bear hers after me. haha I laughed, and we told her that for Fast Sunday she could. So yeah we're going to have an investigator up bearing her testimony for Fast Sunday:) haha. She said that she already wrote up what she wanted to say, and her whole family said they'll come to church that week.
     This morning we were supposed to have a ward missionary activity and play volleyball at the church, but it ended up being all the little cousins and siblings of Jhenalyn at the church. But we actually got a lot of referrals from them yesterday. We took all the kids around, and they introduced us to some of the parents. We got to teach a couple and got some return appointments so it was great. Little kids really are the way to get in the door sometimes:) One of the littlest ones, Aaron, is always holding my hand, and this morning he started calling me mommy.... haha I don't really know what to think about that:) haha but he's way cute!

     Then we have another investigator, Maryjane, we were able to extend a baptismal date to this last week, and I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited about baptism before. She's been living with her boyfriend (who happens to be a less active/recent convert), so we explained to her how she would have to move out and to our surprise, she said she had no problem with that. She basically said whatever it takes so she can get baptized. It was awesome to see that excitement! That's how it should be!!
     Yeah we have a lot of investigators and it would take a while to tell you about each of them today, but there's a lot of potential. It's so fun teaching all of them! I do miss my members/ investigators in Sta. Monica, but it's just also really exciting helping new investigators/members. One of the members here actually served in the Manila mission, and she served in Sta. Monica so she knows Janeth really well. We were talking about her and all the other members. That was fun!
     Oh and I have a neat experience I had this last week; I want to share with y'all:) So I told you last week about the two ward missionaries here that are always working with us and are just so hard working and great (and they both have there mission calls). Well one of them, Melvin, he had his birthday this last Saturday. So we planned to do a family home evening at his home for his birthday. So some background is Melvin is a convert of I think two years now. He is now the YM president and works with the missionaries all the time. All of his family are members, but his parents are less active. So as we are closing up family home evening, Melvin is giving some closing remarks, and I was just SO touched. He was talking about how that day he spent fishing with his young men and how happy he was spending time with them, and they even got some less active YM to come out. Then when he came home, they didn't have anything prepared for dinner because their family has no money. But he just started crying and said this was his happiest birthday he's ever had because he was able to spend time with his young men and have an FHE with his whole family. We brought them cake, and it really meant the world to them! It's hard to explain, but I was just so touched at how this 21 year old was in tears because he was so happy to serve the Lord for his birthday; he was so happy to see less actives at his activity; he was so happy to be with his family and some ward members; and yet they had no fancy dinner, no cake, nothing that we have at home. After we brought cake and ice cream, they brought out a plate of bread and Cheeze Whiz, and that was going to be his birthday celebration. I learn SO much from these humble people here. Melvin just amazes me with his testimony and example and only being a member for a short couple years. This is just one example of why I love these people so much! I am always just so amazed at their discipleship.

     So yeah I'm now about out of time so I better wrap it up. Life is great. I did end up buying a new camera, and I also bought a couple things in Palawan before I left because it's souvenir central there! I haven't received any packages yet, but we have a temple tour this weekend so we'll see if I get anything then. Ingat palagi!!

Mahal ko kayo lahat!

Sister Stromberg