Friday, June 27, 2014

Blessings Falling Like Rain

Hello All,

I wrote in my journal this week. "I think I'm one of the most blessed missionaries to have ever had the blessing of serving the Lord." We were blessed with an outpouring of rain, lessons with members present, and people to teach. Completely wet, busy and successful this week :)

We left our last appointment on Friday night and planned to head to a members' house for a quick visit, but they were already asleep, so we kept walking, not sure where Heavenly Father would lead us at 8:15 on a Friday night. We were walking and it started pouring, which wouldn't have been a problem, except for the WIND. The wind blew the rain nearly horizontal at us, so we ducked under a bamboo lean-to next to a house. as we were waiting, a man stuck his head out of the door of the house and invited us in (not weird and not uncommon here- Filipinos are the most kind and hospitable people in the world :)) We went inside and met Brother Marlon and his family and they allowed us to share some Plan of Salvation pamphlets with them. Brother Marlon then drove us all the way home in his tricycle and wouldn't even accept our money! We felt so blessed to have met this angel brother and are planning on going back to teach him and his family this Tuesday. We know Heavenly Father's plan is perfect and He guided us to find them on a dark, stormy night :)

I had some unexpected creatures come a visit me in bed on Thursday night. I was just falling into deep sleep when I had the sensation of things crawling on me. I tried to reason with myself that it was just the electric fan blowing my hair, but I really felt it- all over- on my arms, face, neck, legs. I groggily got down from my top bunk and grabbed my flashlight from my desk and discovered that an army of ants had decided to march in and set up camp for the night- right next to my pillow. Great! And what I felt crawling on my skin WERE in fact about twenty or thirty ants. After picking them off and killing them with my fingernails, I ran downstairs and viciously attacked the remaining offenders with poison spray and ant-proofed the entire bunk bed. That's the last time those suckers will get me in the night!

We had a member, Sister Molano, work with us all day on Saturday, despite the pouring rain and the fact that she had to wade through ankle-deep mud puddles in her beautiful pink ballet flats. She is a convert of about 20 years from Catholicism and bore a powerful testimony to the Sarmiento family. She said that she used to have a lot of questions that her church couldn't answer- where she came from, why she's here on earth and where she's going. When she found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she found the answers to those questions and peace in those answers. I testify that this is the only church on earth with a correct understanding of the answers to life's most important questions because of continued revelation from God and what has been revealed in the Book of Mormon. If you have questions like these, ask a member of the Church. I know you will find peace in your life as you do so :)

I love you all,
Sister Gustafson

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