Going through the extremes!

Hello Family and Friends,

It has been a wonderful week here in Quezon City :)  I'm loving life as a missionary, loving the work, the people, and I'm even putting up with all of the "unwanted friends" in the apartment. hahaha

So just a few quick things that have happened this week

1) the other night I went downstairs right before bed to put something in the fridge, and when I switched on the light, I saw 4 mice in the sink jumping around, and about 6 cockroaches crawling around the kitchen.  Had this been the first time I had seen a mouse crawling, I would have screamed, but instead I took a few steps backward up the stairs and just yelled for Sister Duque to come downstairs and help me.  The mice were stuck in the sink and could not get out, so we had no idea what to do.  Sister Duque just sat and cried on the stairs haha while I called the DL and asked what we should do hahaha The advice from the DL was to first "throw some alcohol in the sink and light them on fire." I quickly decided that that was not a good idea. and then the second advice was "go and drown them" and then I said there was no way I was getting close to them. So I tried spraying permethrin on them from far away, that did not work...so we decided to just leave them and see if they would be gone in the morning.  Thank goodness, they were gone in the morning, not gone from the apartment, because we still hear them, but they are at least not in our sink anymore.  

2) The aparment we really wanted was taken by someone else so we need to begin looking again, so the likelihood of us moving before I transfer is really small, but I'm still going to keep looking so that the future missionaries don't have to experience what we have been experiencing haha 

3) I ate chicken blood for the first time, and it was actually pretty good.  Family, when we come back you will have to try it :)

4)WE FOUND A JAMBA JUICE and KRISPY KREME! When I saw it from afar, I almost about ran and immediately told Sister Duque that I have to get some, and it was delicious :)  

So, I experienced a lot of new things this week, it is all exciting and I guess all part of the experience and life as a missionary here in the Philippines :)

We have some wonderful things coming up this week, we have the baptism of Sister Marechel, the sister who is deaf, cannot read, and cannot do sign language :)  We had her interview on Friday and it was a bit tough for our district leader to conduct the interview, but we were there to help him and she passed.  Marechel is so amazing, we gave her the Book of Mormon about 2 weeks ago and even though we thought she can't read it, we gave it to her to have.  But, when we went to her one day, she brought out her Book of Mormon and had read till Alma!  I don't think she understands a lot of what she is reading, but it is clear that she can feel the Holy Ghost while she reads and it testifies to her of the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon.  I am so excited for her to get baptized this upcoming week, she has been preparing so well and is so excited.  

We also found two new investigators who have been prepared at this time to accept the gospel.  They immediately came to church this past sunday, are reading the Book of Mormon, praying every day, and are already participating in church activities.  Hopefully we will have a few more baptisms coming up in September :)

The church is true, God and Jesus Christ live, and they have a plan for us to return back to them and that plan is only possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Throughout these past few months, my testimony has grown so much about the Atonement that Jesus Christ did for each and every one of us.  I know that had Jesus Christ not atoned for our sins, we would not be able to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.  I love sharing with people about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and inviting them to use it every day in their lives, to change and become like our Savior, to follow his example by entering the waters of baptism by someone who holds the power to do so.  That is my message that I am blessed to be sharing with the people here in the Philippines.  I love my calling :) Sending my love and prayers to all of you :)

Love, Sister Latham