My favorite family, and they'll all be members now!

     Thanks for the birthday wishes! So this last week not a whole lot happened actually. It was a good week to just work, work, work. We were supposed to have temple tour, but it got postponed to this next weekend. Our two ward missionaries, Richard and Melvin, who have been working with us a lot and doing so much for our ward have one more week here, and then they enter the MTC. They actually just went through the temple this last Saturday, and it was so neat to see them come into church on Sunday; they just had these bright countenances to them, and man, I'm just so excited for them. They are going to be the best missionaries! So this week we're doing an FHE kind of deal for them, and then next week we'll have their farewell party.

       Next week is transfer day, and I just can't believe it! This transfer has flown by, and I'm really hoping I'll get one more transfer with Sister Dyer. So yeah we did have a Relief Society activity this last Saturday that we brought a less active member to and stayed for a little bit of it. It was this cute older member, Sister Roque.  She taught everyone how to make scripture cases out of straws. Yeah, kind of random:) But she is just the sweetest old nanay, and this is actually her job. She makes these bags and sells them. The very first time I met her, she was walking down the street, and I told her that her bag was cute (one of her straw bags).  She just emptied it out and gave it to me right on the spot. Then after this activity, I learned that it takes HOURS to make these bags, and she is just so generous and always wants to give to others and especially to missionaries. She's always giving us little treats at church as well. So we just had to go and support cute little Nanay Roque.
     So I just got an e-mail from Sister Stonick, and I'm so excited!!! Maryjane, Nic, and Renz are getting baptized this Saturday!!! YAY!!! My favorite family, and they'll all be members now:)  
     Hmmm what else... haha I feel like this is a super random e-mail this week. Oh we had a really neat lesson yesterday! So we have this guy named Jay, and he comes to church about every week. So when I asked Sister Dyer about him, she told me that he has been coming to our church for a long time now but just doesn't want to listed to the missionaries. She said that she was able to teach him once before and that was it, and now he has all of these excuses. Well last week I went up and was talking to him about wanting to come visit. Well first he explained that Sunday is his only day that he's home and how that's family day so he wants to spend time with his two kids (His wife is working in Canada.). Then I just told him that we wouldn't take much time, and, of course, our message is for the family and how it could still be family day if we came for a short visit:) haha. Oh and his wife and two kids are members. So he said last week he had somewhere he had to go, but we could come the next week. So that was yesterday:) So we set up an appointment with him at church, and he seemed like he was going to give us a half hour and that was it, but he agreed to let us come teach him. Well when we got there, he opened right up to us and started sharing some personal experiences with us; then we taught him about the Book of Mormon. We wanted to teach that, because if he happens to not let missionaries back in, if he only understands the importance of reading the Book of Mormon, that can be the converting force in his life. Well he was SO receptive, and it was so neat. He said on the way home from church he started praying to Heavenly Father, asking, “Where am I going? I've been going to this Mormon church for a long time now, and what am I doing with my life?” He's a super devout Catholic; as well, he has the attitude of I was born Catholic, and I'm going to die Catholic because that's the way his parents are.  He's really faithful to the Catholic church. I don't know, it's hard to explain all the background on this guy. But he told us after we were teaching him about the Book of Mormon, that he asked that question earlier, and he felt this was his answer. He truly understood that now he just needs to read the Book of Mormon. He even told us that he felt that everything he needed to hear, we told him, and it was just a super neat experience. So yeah, I'm really excited to see how his reading of the Book of Mormon goes for him and what happens. I love the Book of Mormon, and I love teaching about it and getting people excited about reading it.  Jay, for sure, is excited to see what answers to his questions he can find in this book.
     So yeah I think that's about all the updates I have for this week. I'm really excited for temple tour this week to bring our investigators to the temple! I don't know if I told you this last week, but our investigator, Jhenalyn, who is 19 years old, last week in testimony meeting went up in front and bore her testimony:) haha, and she's not even a member yet. And it was a really strong testimony! I was talking to her yesterday in Relief Society, and she said she really wants to get baptized, but she also wants to wait for her family so they can all get baptized at the same time. Lots going on here in Novaleta.

     Thanks for the updates. It's always kind of fun to hear what people are up to. Well have a great week, and I'll let you know what all goes down tomorrow for the birthday next week:) haha We have a zone meeting tomorrow so that will be fun to see other missionaries for my birthday:) Well I love you all a lot, and thanks for the e-mails. Take care!

Mahal ko kayo!

Sister stromberg