Dec 17

Dear Family and Friends,

So I am sorry that you guys were all anticipating an email yesterday.  We kind of had a crazy schedule yesterday because we you had to travel to Legazbi for our trainer trainee meeting today.  We were just going to email when we get to Legazbi, but it took a long time and we didn't have time.  So they told us to email today after our meeting.  We are in Legazbi for another night and we have our big Christmas Zone Conference tomorrow.  All of the Missionaries in the entire mission will be here tomorrow, so that is really exciting.

Christian is doing alright.  He is working to overcome an addiction of smoking.  He wrote down a plan and has a lot of support from the member family that he lives with.  We had a great lesson about how he is not alone doing this work that he can do it with the Lord's help.

We also had a great lesson with Rodel this week.  He is really so prepared. It was funny we were reporting in our coordination meeting and they asked what his concerns were and I was like there are none. He really has just been waiting and prepared for the truth.

We also found some new investigators this week. It was actually a really interesting experience for me.  We taught one new investigator who was a former member of Inglesia ni Cristo.  Which is one of the most common religions here in the the philiippines and actually the founder was a member of the church.  But anyway their belief in Christ is a little different because they believe that Christ was just a man not God.  It was just interesting for me because as we were teaching it I just wanted to testify and testify that Christ is more than just a man, but it is by him that makes salvation possible.  It is just so sad to think that people don't know the good news that we have a savior-the savior of the world to save us from sin. I also had an experience this week with another new investigator, Jese.  She is the wife of an less active in the branch.  Her Husband wasn't been to church for a long time, but has a strong testimony.  Jese is from southern philippines in Mindona?, but anyway she is Muslim so they also believe that Christ was just a Prophet.  We got to watch the Christmas Devotional and I couldn't help but think of these two individuals and think how sad that they didn't know about Christ and his role.  That they don't know that Christ is born.  It just brought me back to my purpose to invite others to come unto Christ.  That is our purpose to help them come unto Christ by living the gospel of Christ.  Our mission is to testify that Jesus Christ lives.  This is the good news that we bring, just as the angels in Bethlehem shared to the shepherds so long ago.

It still doesn't feel like Christmas here, something about there being no snow and stuff.  But they play all the Christmas music from america in all the stores about Frosty and White Christmas.

Anyway I don't have too much time today, but I promise I will include more next week.  I love you all and am thinking about you all at this time.

-Sister Heather Richins