Sister Healey's Adventure in the Philippines: A working toilet!! Faith is not by chance, but by choice.

Maayong Buntag!

And Happy Valentines Day! For us Valentines day was yesterday, but for all of you on the other side of the world it is still today! So Happy Single Awareness Day! haha

The bathroom is now fixed! That is a miracle and I am so grateful. You know things are bad when you start praying for your toilet, BUT all is well. We no longer have to run outside and we didn't have to pay any expenses. One day it just started working again. :) By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

This week we had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders in Biliran, Biliran. It was a lot of fun! We ate lunch at a member (Heidi's) house! We ate fresh crab, shells, seaweed, fish, chicken, and fresh coconut milk, and of course, rice. It was so good. haha I ate so much I thought I was going to throw up. It was so cool because Heidi is a "pilot" which means that she can climb the coconut trees to get the fresh coconut. There are tiny little grooves cut out in the tree and she just goes up bare handed with a machete tied to her waist. Later we ate some ube ice candy. Lets just say, it was a good day.

The Candido kids went to church again yesterday!! They were late because they had no ride, but they came anyways!! Their mom didn't come again, but hopefully one day she will come as well. The kids were so excited, their mom said that they got up early and were ready to go 2 hours before church started. It just makes me so unbelievably happy to see them progress and to watch their faith grow.

My whole mission has been a trial of faith. Day by day, having faith that we will be able to find someone prepared to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ; having the faith to extend commitments to investigators. Having the faith to walk out the door and speak this foreign language and pray that they can understand me. Having faith in Christ that we can fulfill our purpose to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. If you ask almost anyone about their mission they will say, "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done." BUT they will also say, "It was the best thing I've ever done." They are not lying. I have learned SO much and my faith a grown tremendously. Without opposition we cannot grow. I am SO thankful for my trials and for my mission. I am SO lucky that I still have a year left here in the Philippines to continue to learn and grow.

We had a specialized training in Ormoc. It was about faith and how to achieve our goals. We read and discussed a talk by Elder John K. Carmack, "Lord, Increase Our Faith." Look it up. :) It's great.

I know that faith without works is dead; that if we have faith and complete trust in the Lord, NO DOUBTS, miracles can happen. Miracles WILL happen. So go forward with faith and remember,

"Faith is not by chance, but by choice."

I love you all. I know that the Church Jesus Christ established while he was on the earth has been restored again on the earth today. I know that that church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I know that anyone one in this world can find out for themselves if it is true or not through their faith in Christ and their good works. If they pray and ask God, the true source of all good things, they will come to know for themselves through the Holy Ghost, that this is the true Church, that Jesus is the Christ, and that through Him, His gospel, and OUR works, we can receive eternal life.

Amping Kanunay.

Sister Healey