Week 51 – To Whom It May Concern

This week some of the most amazing things have happened! I am not really sure where to start but I guess I can start with something that will catch you a bit off guard.. well maybe. So I forgot to mention last week.. We are pretty much going to some sort of Filipino gathering every weekend now.. it has been so good to meet people and see what we can do for them. Last week though we went to one and I had some real exotic foods, that is no real surprise though. Are you ready? Okay so I had pig ears.. Pig intestine.. cow tongue.. and pig or beef lungs.. not sure! Sounds pretty good eh? Don't worry I will try and send some home next time that delectable meal is prepared. Okay honestly I have to admit.. the intestine wasn't that bad.. ha ha it was bbq'd.. so that makes just about anything good. I am gettin' a little more Filipino each day. I guess to add to that list I have no had Pig skin the other day.. that wasn't too shabby either.. cooked up real nice. Pretty much there are some Filipino dishes that I love, some that I never want to eat in my life again.. but either way, I am getting quite the culture experience up here! 


Okay now to some really great spiritual updates! So first, we got a new investigator this week! Her name is Eunilyn. We followed with her after we stopped in last week. She was a referral from some other missionaries who tracted in to her. She is 19 and Filipino. So we went over and she invited us right in. Now here is where things get crazy.. we are invited in to some house party.. probably 25-30 high school age kids music going down stairs, ball game on the tv.. people in and out.. We are just thinking to ourselves, what on earth is happening!!! But we got in we need to make this some sort of good experience. Ended up actually teaching her part of the first lesson! Yes, we taught a lesson including a prayer in the middle of the party. She was actually really responded to our questions though. Her mom and dad were on the couch nearby watching tv.. but the mom would just pipe in with questions and comments.. so this could turn into a bit more! We have a return appointment this week, so hopefully this environment will be a bit more conducive to the spirit. 
Elder McFall

So that was the Tagalog, but we really have some great things going on here in the Bearspaw Ward! Okay so we finally met and had another lesson with Lisa and Allen, you all remember them, right? It had been about a month at that point. Well basically we went and had a super spiritual lesson with her. Usually she is all over the place with her questions, but we went in prepared and just kept the discussion going in a way that allowed for us to really just state our purpose, give our message, and allow the spirit to bear witness to her heart. In the end, Allen who we have been struggling to really get to open up, just started talking and basically said he thinks this may be exactly what the family is missing.. he really thinks this is what will bind them together. Lisa is now speaking in terms of, "so when I am baptized..." I can't tell you how great this lesson was! The spirit was so strong! And then to top that all off, the whole family, so Lisa & Allen and the 3 kids were all at church the next day! This was the first time! It was the most amazing thing! It has been too long since that has happened, and it was just a really gratifying feeling. Things are lookin' bright for that family! They said they would be there next week again, so this should be good. 

This last one is something that strengthened my testimony on the power of the spirit like nothing else has for quite some time. We were up in the Coronation Park area.. so that means West Ed.. and we were trying first our investigator for a drop by, wasn't home. So we tried this super less-active Filipino fellow who lives with some members in their basement. He has had a tough life for sure, gone through a lot. So to cut to the chase, we ended up sharing a message out of 3 Nephi 14:7-11.. talking about prayer. To begin with this was a lesson that we hadn't planned on sharing because initially we had not planned on seeing him. This man was not just a Filipino though, he also speaks a different dialect.. he speaks Ilokano.. so I have no idea what he is saying unless he decided to speak english. In the lesson, Elder Laceste knows Ilokano so they would communicate in that language and I was lost to be honest, well at least I thought I was lost. Elder Laceste would share a piece of the message and while doing that I would just pray and try to listen to the spirit as closely as I could. It would then transition and it would be my turn to speak, and I would speak what I felt was in my heart at that moment and what I felt needed to be said. Fast forward, we get to the car, I tell Elder Laceste just like well I hope what I said made sense with what you were saying because I had no idea what was going on! Turns out, everything I said fit perfectly with what he said. Every word I said was fitting to what the individual needed to hear from his perspective. He said it was one of the most smooth lessons we have given and it flowed perfectly. So moral of the story.. LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT!

Well my friends, I hope you all have an amazing week! Things up here are now all white, but they are looking good! I am loving life right now! This week I will hit the year mark, can you believe that? Hopefully I can get work to continually pick up and continue to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I hope you all can do the same.  I love you all!

Love,