TRANSFER!

Well, the time has come for me to leave TayTay 1st ward.  I got the call this morning that I would be transferring to Quezon City 2nd ward.  My new companion is Sister Duque, she is a Filipino and she just got out of training, so I am her first senior companion!  I'm very excited for a new experience in quezon city and a new companion.  I have had the feeling that I would be transferring for a few weeks, especially lately, that I even began packing last night so that I would not be so stressed today with everything that I need to do.  I of course am going to miss this ward, area, investigators, and recent converts so so much.  I'm so grateful to have been assigned in such a wonderful area for my first transfer.  

It was a wonderful week as well to end off my time spent here in TayTay 1st ward.  We had a ward FHE and it was a blast!  I gave the lesson(all in Tagalog) and I spoke about the importance of bonding as a ward and the blessings that the ward will receive as a whole, but also how individuals will be blessed.  We then played games, and let me say, the games that they come up with here are so much fun. They had coins placed in flour and we could only blow and use our face to grab the coins. I ended up with so much flour on my face haha. Then last night we were able to go to the bishops for FHE, I cooked a chicken dish that they love. It was so yummy : ) Then we played games, and I lost twice so I had to do almost the same thing and find a piece of gum in a pile of flour only with my face. We played a few different times and then it ended up in a flour fight in the house between everybody! It was so much fun, and such a wonderful way to end my time here in TayTay. 

The hardest thing though has been having to say goodbye to everyone.  My recent converts especially.  They have such a special place in my heart.  I have plans to attend the temple when Cornelio goes to the temple in about a year, and also to visit all my recent converts before I go home.  When saying goodbye to Violeta, I just cried when I bore my testimony to her and told her to stay strong and continue to read the Book of Mormon and attend church.  She started crying, then I started crying, then the ward missionaries and Sister Pakalani started crying as well.  We were all a mess.  I can't begin to explain my love for these people here.  It is so hard to leave such amazing and wonderful people I have met here.  But, I do know that there are people in my new area that I need to meet as well, and I am excited for a new journey to begin as the new transfer starts tomorrow.  

I had a wonderful experience on Sunday.  As we were sitting on the stand, because we were giving a special number in sacrament meeting, I saw the Estrera family come in.  Jorem was baptized a few weeks ago.  Before he was baptized it was only him and his father who are non members in their family.  Now it is just the father in the family who is not a member.  He works a lot, but when he comes home every once in a while we go and drop everything and teach him.  We were able to teach him last week and I testified to him about how important it is for him to attend church.  He wants to become a member, but he doesn't like to leave work because that means less money for their family.  I expressed to him that if he will put in the effort, that Heavenly Father will bless him and his family and that the Lord will provide.  So....as I was sitting on the stand, I saw the family enter, and at the end of the line of his family, was the father.  I looked at the mother, who I am very close with, and she just lit up.  We both just smiled at each other and I could tell that she was so happy to have her COMPLETE family there.  I know that for him to come to church was such a sacrifice, but that there is something better that Heavenly Father will give him.  It's hard to sacrifice, especially when you are concerned for feeding your children, to making sure they have the necessities of life, BUT, if we do, the Lord will bless us, and we will see in the end how worth it it was :)

I also had the opportunity to give the workshop at district meeting and it was about "we invite, they commit, we follow up." I just quickly want to share a scripture that I shared.  "I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life." Alma 5:62  I love this scripture because this is my purpose.  I am out here inviting others to come unto Christ, to allow the joy of the gospel enter into their life's, to receive the blessing of eternal life, and to follow the example of their brother, Jesus Christ.  I want everyone to know that I am so grateful to be a member of this church and to be inviting others to come unto Christ.  It is not only an invitation for investigators, but also an invitation for ourselves as members.  We are continually being invited by him to come closer to him, to know Him better, to repent, and to let the atoning sacrifice of our Savior help us become who He wants us to become.  I know that through Christ, all things are possible.  That through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can become more like Him and that if we let Him into our lives, He will shape us into who He knows we have the potential to become.  I love my Savior.  I love this gospel.  And I love being a missionary.

-Sister Latham