Week 10 - October 8, 2018 (Camalaniugan, Philippines)

Elder Larona and I at Casili,
my personal favorite brgy in our area,
it's so beautiful out in the rice fields

Hello Everyone! I'm going to make this week really quick due to lack of time, but it has been a busy one. We got a lot of good work done, and have seen both success and heartbreak in the course of only a few days. We had a baptism scheduled for Saturday, and everything was looking perfect up until Saturday morning, during which our investigator called and cancelled, due to her husband who is overseas telling her no. That was a tough morning for us. We went and visited her later, but I really don't know what is going to happen. And it frustrates me to no end that I really can't to anything to help, on account of my inability to speak this language. But I guess that is just a drive to work harder at it, and pray for the Gift of Tongues. And on Sunday, we had seven investigators come to church, which was such an incredible blessing, and a family to add to it! We've been out working a lot, it has been quite busy but exciting. 

In other news, we still have no power at our apartment. Going to break the mission record, haha, I'm pretty sure we're the last one in the mission without it. But we have been staying at the Zone Leaders' for the past couple nights, so that has been a blessing, though quite the hassle to commute back and forth. Also I've learned a lot about myself, like how I need to stop doubting in my abilities and just keep trying. And how important attitude is to literally everything. I've really been enjoying studying the Book of Mormon, I'm looking for the Christlike attributes and learning so much, and whenever I go in with a question I am answered, it truly is a miraculous work that we have been blessed with. 

Yesterday I came to a realization of how selfish I have been lately, in feeling bad that I don't have power or water or good food. Because there are people here who live their lives like this, who come from broken families with nothing, children we are teaching who have to be taught at members' houses because their parents are drunk all the time, and it has broken my heart. I have been so blessed in my life to be born into a perfect and loving family, with the gospel in my home, and all the comforts and goodness we enjoy back in the great country of America. But even there, and everywhere else in the world, there are people who have never tasted of that, and perhaps never will. But here we are, called to teach them His Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is all any of us here on earth need. And I'm so grateful for the opportunity, I hope I can give these people the truth they all deserve. And I know this gospel will bring to them the peace they need in their lives, because I've seen the peace in mine. I love you all, I hope your week has been amazing, I'll see you soon!    Love, Elder Griffitts