So Blessed

Hello!!!!! I love you all and I love you emails and I love you love you love you!!!!

We had our second baptism this week!!! (technically it's the fourth but the last two I was able to be with from start to finish) Gino, 17 yr old and the only member in his family besides his mom, who was the one who referred him to us. He has been so great through the whole process of preparing for his baptism, as in golden gid. Committed for baptism in the first meeting, consistently keeping commitments and growing his faith, testimony and understanding, and so ready for membership in the church. After his baptism, he was asked to share his testimony and he just started bawling and said how this was a whole new life for him and he was so thankful to be able to start on a clean page and how he never wants to miss a single sunday of church and just cried and his mom was crying and I have no idea how I got to be so lucky as to be some small part of his conversion. So happy for him and his family.

We've been able to find a lot of new investigators this week, one especially awesome one just yesterday. A woman in the ward met this young lady who has no friends and a lot of problems so she said "I'll be your friend! And you can meet my friends the missionaries and they'll solve all your problems!" hahaha so awesome. So we three went to find her yesterday to start teaching her. Her name is Mary and she lives in the tiny little bamboo hut with her 2 kids and husband. As we got to know her we came to find out that she had a child who passed away after being two days old, her husband works as a baker and makes next to nothing, she reads this crazy weird ilonggo bible every day and wants so bad to have a happy family and come closer to God. She cried almost the whole time and I just prayed and prayed that we would be able to help her and know what to say to answer her prayers. We explained what our purpose was as missionaries and what the gospel could offer to her life and she cried again but this time because she was able to see the hope the gospel brings and feel the Spirit testify of its truth and importance. She accepted the baptism invitation before we could even get all the words out, but she still needs to be married before we can give her a date. It's really hard for people to get married here because they don't have easy access to their birth certificates and things, like her for instance, her mom who hates her has hers and won't give it to her but she said she'll try again. I can't believe how lucky I am to have the best job in the whole world. I get to help people find the greatest happiness and peace and purpose they can ever experience. I get to tell families that they can be together forever and I get to share with them the healing balm of the atonement. I get to tell them about their purpose on earth and give them a plan of how to get the most possible joy while here and return to live with our Heavenly Father after this life. I get to see lives change and hearts change and I feel so selfish sometimes because the one changing most is me, I'm the one who gets all these blessings. It's so amazing how that works, the harder I try to help and serve others, the more blessings I receive and the more I am indebted to those people and to Heavenly Father. Like yesterday for instance, we ran into a woman in the ward who is the only member in her family along with her two young children and they literally live in a 8 ft by 8 ft space that acts as their bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, everything. And as we run into her she's coming from her neighbors where she was cooking because there isn't enough space to cook at her house and she gives us literally half of their dinner, these sticky rice wraps, and we try to refuse or at least take less and she won't have any of it. I'll always be uneven in my contract with God, the more I try and do the more I get in return but that's how God works, that's why it's called the plan of happiness. I'm just so glad that I get to be a part of helping others receive all these blessings!!

Also, I GOT MY PACKAGE!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D I literally thought I might die, the couples brought it by and I could barely get it open fast enough hahahaha. And holy cow, every perfect thing I could've ever asked for!!!!!!!! I LOVE the journal!!! and every single other thing!!!!!!!!!! Mom, why are you so awesome????? I love you so much. I was so so so so so happy and I could feel all your love for me and I can't believe how totally selfless and incredible you guys are!!!!!!! I've said it a million zillion times, but how did I luck out with the worlds best family??? Geez, I just love you allllllllll <3 <3

Mom, I'm so sad to hear that you couldn't finish your race!! But I'm way glad you were still able to have such a good experience and I know you'll have your chance to try again sometime in the future :) In the meantime, that race in provo sounds awesome!!! Keep an eye out for races we can do together next year ;)

And as for that music, I don't really know much about any of it, but you're so awesome for trying to get that figured out!!! I'll let her know what you said and if she has any other questions i'll just have her email you. You're the best!!

So glad to hear you all had a great week!!

Nate! I love you!!!!!! I hope you're having the best summer ever!!!

Clay!! I love you! *point*

Hannah! Stop being so dang beautiful and awesome. I miss rewww.

Sera. Yew ar uglee. et wud be nyce ef yew jes lik stawped beeng sew growse.

Cam and Alyne! You better be keeping a journal of all these things that are happening to you so that you can write a book someday that tells people how to be like you and it'll be a best seller of course but that won't matter cause you'll already have all the fame and money in the whole world ;)

Dad! Saved the best for last ;) I love you so much and I can't wait to come home and camp out in the basement and watch star trek and steve carrell movies for forever. You're so awesome and I love you :)))))))

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!! Have the bestest week everrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

-Sister Manwaring :) <3 <3 *BIG HUG*