Surprise Visit!!

 Hello, friends! 

This week was so fun! We had a baptism, service projects, teachings, extending baptisms, and a surprise visit! It was definitely a week I will never forget.

First off, Ghea was baptized! She is fourteen and was so excited to be baptized. It was a beautiful baptismal service! All the youth of the ward showed up to support her and all of them participated in the baptismal program. On top of that, her dad who is not a member, came to support her at her baptism. I was so happy!

The only complication with the baptism came from going under the water. The first time, she was not immersed completely, then again on the second, and the third…I think it took about six tries for the baptism to be done correctly! But she was finally fully immersed in the water and baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! And when she bore her testimony, the spirit was so strong. She really does know for herself that this church is true.

On top of having Sister Ghea baptized, we were able to invite people to be baptized! One of them was Sister Erlinda! She is the cutest little Nanay here in Ramon. She came to church for the first time when we invited 150 people to church and has come consistently since then! She has told us how much she likes our church. So, this week, we decided to invite her to make a covenant with God and come closer to him through baptism, and she accepted! She has already told us how excited she is for August 3rd, so please pray for her!

The thing I love most about being a missionary is that we get to meet so many people and invite them to come unto Christ in a variety of ways.

One of those ways is through service! This week was full of service, and I loved it.

We were invited to participate in a “rice turnover”. The Church's humanitarian effort donated 350 bags of 10 kilograms of rice to a Barangay here in Santiago. Rice is a big deal here in the Philippines, and right now, it is pretty expensive. Sometimes rice is the only thing that these people have to eat, and if they cannot afford rice, then there is nothing to eat. So, the church donating that much rice is a really big deal.

We were invited to come and meet people, hand out pamphlets, and help hand out the rice. It was actually so much fun and I loved being able to share the gospel in an out-of-the-ordinary way. It also helped me see how blessed I am and inspired me to find more ways to serve.

The other service project that my companion and I started was teaching piano lessons to the youth of the ward. Right now, I am the pianist for the ward, but hopefully, by the time I transfer, some of the youth will be able to play as the pianist!

But I think my very favorite part of my whole week was the surprise visit from some of my favorite people. My first area was Tumauini. I was there for a long time, and I love that area. While I was there, the Caliguiran family was baptized. They always told me that they would come to visit me after I transferred, but 5 months passed and they never came. I was ok with this, because I am very far from Tumauini now. However, this Sunday, they surprised me and showed up to church in Ramon! I definitely shed a few tears. It was amazing to be able to see them. They drove 4 hours just to visit me and bring me my favorite foods. I am so touched and feel so much love from them. But the best part is that they are still strong in the church and attend every week. It is a miracle. I am so grateful to be a part of their conversion.

This week was a week of miracles, and I will never forget the love that God has for each of us.

As I did my personal study this week, I was impressed to study my relationship with my Savior and Heavenly Father. I had the opportunity to read the talk by Emily Belle Freeman that talked about covenants. She said that we get to choose what kind of a relationship we want with our Savior by the covenants that we make with Him.

As a missionary, I get to help people make covenants with God, I get to help them build a deeper relationship with their Savior. I also get to develop a better relationship with Him as I learn of Him and draw nearer to him. I know this is truly the way to build our foundation on Jesus Christ.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that God is our Father. I know that the way to happiness is truly through building a relationship with them through covenants.

Thank you all for your support! I love you all so much!  

The Church is True, God loves you!
Be happy, Be brave, Be smart,
Love,
Sister Miller

PS: My worst nightmare came true this week. Sister Regorosa and I were sorting through clothes to be donated when something fell from the sky right in front of me. IT WAS A MASSIVE SPIDER. I screamed and ran away as my companion killed it. I don't know what I would do without her!