Happy Birthday's

First, I would like to say.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELBY!!!! Today is your 23rd birthday, wow are you old! haha, And a very happy birthday to Aunt Traci too! But I won't mention your age(:

Last year on May 3rd i received my mission call..... I read my journal about my thoughts and how I was feeling and what was going through my head... And now as I am actually LIVING my mission for almost a year now... I realize that I mission was never what I thought it was going to be. It is much more hard and much more sweet. Seriously I've never had so many ups and downs. But I am so Thankful that I am here, even though sometimes I just want to pack my bags and go home after a really hard day, or week. I am still here.

Another Year mark that is coming up is my 1 year of being an endowed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and boy does it feel good! I remember the struggles and trials that I went through in the weeks and days leading up to all these BIG things happening in my life... and now i'm here(: Serving in the Philippines....And I can't wait for the day when I get to go back to the temple!

This week has been a hard one. My companion had a melt down... one of those that she is all crying and yelling at me, and where I just go into the other room and cry and pray. I've never experienced something like that happening between a companion and I before. I didn't know how to react...

But It was bound to happen, our area is so... hard. Seriously. Never in my mission have I been rejected as badly as I have been here. There is just something about a blonde haired., blue eyed, tall white girl that the filippinos just love... except in this area. We get punted so much... on thursday we got punted 7 times in a row... the day before that we got punted 4 times... and the list goes on and on. This is Her second area, and she misses her 1st area and now we just get punted so much... its hard. And she is just way tender too.

But we got things worked out and ate ice cream(: so all is well... except that we are going to get fat if we keep having ice cream to calm our nerves. The other day we were reading with one of our investigators and I came across a verse that was so applicable to our situation now... I'll tell you...

1 nephi 16:18:

"and it came to pass, that as I and my companion went forth to find Investigators, behold, we did lose our patience, which was made of fine character; and after we did lose our patience, behold, President Lopez was angry with us because of the loss of key indicators, for we did obtain no baptism."

and That is pretty much how our life is right now. (: But, despite all of that, while teaching the sister of one of our aweome investigators... Sister Marcia, we invited her to come to church, and she said that she had not money to go to church, and I was prompted to tell her that if she came to church that she wouldn't have to worry about food that the lord would provide. That night I prayed so hard that she would find the desire and courage to come to church with her 4 little children... and guess what! She came to church! (: I rejoiced.

But what was even better than that was what happened next. So Brother Rolly is her brother and he has been investigating for about 2 months now and he comes to church all the time. Sister marcia was sitting in Gospel principles class and Brother rolly walked around the corner and the smile on her face was absolutely priceless, and then the happiness that just glowed from him... it was amazing. And it was strange cause at that moment I could feel the spirit so strongly, and it was just them smiling.. It was amazing.

I pray that they progress... that that whole family progresses, because I know that this gospel will bless their lives.

I know that for some reason I was sent here... maybe so I could be brutally rejected and feel more of what Christ felt. I don't know. But I really can't wait till this area is really going good(:

I love you all, and I hope you have a fantastic week. And mom, I'll see you next week huh! (:

Love, your sister missionary,
Sister Young