That Awkward Moment When...

Kumusta!

 

Here is a neat experience:

We had just started teaching a lesson to one of our investigators, when out of no where two Jehovah Witness missionaries show up. Turns out our investigator has also been taking lessons from them. So that explains where he has been getting his other reading material and ideas. Awkward for our investigator that we both showed up on the same day.

It actually turned out pretty good. We didn't want to "Bible Bash" because that often creates contention that drives away the spirit. Instead we just discussed our different beliefs, both similar and otherwise. When I say we discussed our beliefs, I really mean it was mostly just my companion Sister Calinisan. I understood just enough of the Tagalog to know what they were talking about, but not enough to really be able to contribute. Instead I just prayed for my companion, who did wonderful. Towards the end of our (maybe half hour) discussion, my companion provided me an opportunity to bear my testimony. I just bore a simple testimony of Our Heavenly Father, about Jesus, the Bible and Book of Mormon. I bore testimony that Christ's original church was restored again to the earth through Joseph Smith. I bore testimony of modern day prophets, even Thomas S. Monson. I bore testimony that we can receive truth, wisdom and knowledge through the Holy Ghost. And I bore testimony that God loves us.

My companion later told me that my Tagalog was exactly perfect the whole time, and that it was an especially powerful testimony.

Our investigator, his member mom, and the uncle had just been listening quietly the whole time. Sometimes they would nod their agreement (like during my testimony), but they didn't say anything. But as we were leaving and I was shaking our investigator's hand he smiled and said "Bukas" (means tomorrow). It was just one word, but to me it seemed to have much more meaning. He seemed to be saying that to him, me and my companion had won the 'contest', and that he was choosing us.

We will go back to teach him today. We will see what he thought about what happened yesterday, especially since the Jehovah Witnesses stayed after we left to teach him a lesson.

 

This last Sunday was Fast Sunday and I just want to take a moment and say how grateful I am for fasting. Whenever we need a special blessing from God we have a special way to ask for it. Fasting gives us the opportunity to show God that our spirits are stronger than our bodies; that eternal things are more important than the physical things. We become humble before God and he blesses us so much.

 

Love you all. Choose the right and stuff.

 

Pictures:

 

1-We came to teach just the man on the right (his children are members and his wife soon will be) but we ended up teaching the three of them. It was a fun lesson. You will notice that in a lot of my pictures we are sitting on the floor. We don't just pose like that, that is where we teach a lot of our lessons.

 

 

2- Today for a Zone activity we went to a nearby cultural site. On our way back we stopped to take pictures of this cute little place.

 

Mahal po kayo!!

Sister Abish "Bukas" Curtis