New Companion, Old Area

This week was crazy. I was sure I was going to transfer but turns out I am staying in Rosales. Hoping that I will be here til the end, because it is a good area. I did get a new companion, Sister Quijada. She is from Cagayan De Oro like Sister Bomediano. She rocks. She is easy going and really humble. She thinks I am funny... so we are happy. haha everything is good as long as she laughs at my dumb jokes. 

The work was a bit rough this week, because of transfer craziness. but we still got to see some good spiritual progress in our investigator friends. Word of Wisdom issues are going away. salamat. 

Time is going by fast. I know I say that in every email. but I can't get over it. I am in my second to last transfer. everyday goes by waaaaaaay too quick. I am dying. Coming home isn't that appealing right now. Sorry. I still love you guys though.

Hope you guys have a good Halloween. Can't wait to see all the pictures of the costumes and everything. 

This week is All Saints Day so everyone is gonna be in the Cemetary  and we will just teach plan of salvation all week so people can know how they'll see those people again, and it will be a good week. 

I have pictures to send this week, but I will send when I can go somewhere that does not delete all the pictures off my USB. Blessed. 

I love you and miss you guys. My November spiritual message to you all. Be grateful. FOR EVERYTHING. I realize when we are genuinely grateful we naturally have a desire to make it up in some way, which usually happens through service or kindness. Especially to Heavenly Father for His blessing, we will naturally desire to follow Him and His will and do better for Him. Gratitude fills our soul and lifts us higher than anything or any problem that pulling us down. Like what the great missionary Ammon says in Alma: 

Alma 26:16 " Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." 

Gratitude lifts us to a higher/happier level in our lives that guides us to His will and ultimately to Him. 

I love you and miss you all dearly. Have a great week.

Sister Gentry

My Mission Motto

Alma 26:12

Meet some of my friends

Sonny and Rowena.  I love them.

The Gueb Family. They are also golden investigators who are the best. This week we had Family Home Evening with them and we had a blast, even though I almost caught Sister Gueb on fire with my "object lesson." But they got the message. The members thought they were already members and are excited for their whole family. They have some of the best behaved children I have ever met who read in the BOM instead of hanging out with their friends. One day when I have super fast lightening speed internet (when I am home) I will show you the videos of their super talented kids. 

This is Sisters Mhy and Nanay Loreta. The most beautiful ladies in Rosales 1st ward.

All is good and happy...

I know I am not good at documenting my week to you guys. Hopefully you got some of the pictures I sent, we had some family home evenings this week, and also had good things happen with some of our investigators progress. The weather is kinda cool this week, and all is good and happy. 

I wanted to share a quick insight form the latest general conference that I put in my Mission President's email this week so that you have something spiritual at least coming from me this week. 

I am not sure this was necessarily stated in General Conference but it was a topic that stood out to me, calling those who are on the wayside, calling those who are questioning it, and even to those who are calling their loved ones. I have grown to understand faith a lot more on my mission and I understand now that faith is the most powerful principle of the gospel. It is our access to His power. All we need is the faith the size of a mustard seed, but what if our faith is sometimes bogged down by fears, worries, doubts, questions, and like Peter our faith doesn't seem like enough to keep us walking on the water? I love the story in the Bible about the man who needs help healing his son and when the Savior asks him if he believes he exclaims, "Lord, I believe; Help thou mine unbelief." I understood that phrase a bit more now. He was probably so desperate. His son threw himself in fires, foams at the mouth, agonizes in pain. All he hoped for in his heart is for his son to be healed. So he went to the Savior, but maybe when he asked him if he believes, he really wants to, but can't remove the doubts and the fears that keep coming up, so he begs the Lord to "help [his] unbelief." The Savior heals his son because He is merciful and loving and because of that man's simple desire to believe. 

The talks in conference seemed to reply/counsel on this topic that when you have fears, doubts, or concerns are hindering your faith, focus on your DESIRES to believe. Ask the Lord to help your unbelief, because you need your little faith to work, you want your faith to be able to carry you to the end and help you access His power, and by this story and those talks given, we know it can. Rely on Him, rely on your desire, and ask him, "help thou mine unbelief." 

I love you alll!!!! sooooooo much. Praying for everyone of you. miss you 

LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU guys

All is well.

This week we focused a lot on Less Actives because we have about 600 less actives in the ward. So we found less active families, and even some less actives who reached out to us themselves and have started working with them. Yesterday at church we had many of them come to church for the first time in a long time. And now we are just trying to get them back for good. Sometimes you don't always see success in baptizing but it is good to see success in retaining and rescuing members. 

Our investigators are still doing good- some are progressing some are hiding... hahah but the progressing ones are really, really good families. Hopefully we will see these families be baptized in the next few months. Just gotta keep working on the cigarettes.... but there was progress this week!

Sister Stromberg (housemate and batchmate in the mtc) ate Balut* this week again for some reason... I don't know. But it was horrible. Sister Stromberg has the whole video.

We had a family home evening this week with an investigator family and their kids joined and there were lots of members. It was a lot of fun. For Family Home Evening here, we just have a song, prayer, quick lesson/message then LOTS of games. There are a lot of really funny games here that make you just mostly embarrass yourself and then if you lose you have some kind of consequence that typically results in you, again, embarrassing yourself in front of everyone. I am always the loser. ALWAYS. 

Women's conference was really inspiring this week. I was touched by Elder Uchtdorf's talk. and about the other talks in womens conference. I know I am behind because  you have already seen general conference but I am excited for it this week. We are going to use it as an invitation to all here, to come listen to the living prophets voice so that they know God still calls prophets to guide us even in this time. 

How is the family doing? Any new news? How is the ward doing? etc. Hey, is it true in Russia that missionaries cannot proslyte anymore?  How are they going to find or baptize etc?? So glad that I am assigned here where people literally talk of God as you are checking out in the grocery store. BEST Mission! Top in the Philippines now and in the world now!! At least that's what our President tells us, because we may be bias ;)

Gotta go - We are gonna do P-Day, grocery, gotta look for an outfit to wear to our leadership meeting this week :) that's about it. Getting sick of p- days, kind of... I love you and miss you so much.  

*A balut is a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell :|