I'm singing, just sining in the rain!! (6/16/13)

Dear Family and Friends,

It would seem that the rainy season has begun. It has been raining every night for the past few weeks and then we have had a few storms over the past few nights. It has been great! It starts off every morning as a nice clear day in the morning and then around 4 or 5 o'clock the clouds roll in from the south and the rain starts. It gets nice and cool at night which is a bonus, though it is hotter than ever during the day.

We have been getting ready for transfer day which is now only 2 weeks away. There are going to be 37 new missionaries coming in the month of July. Elder B and I traveled up to Aparri on Thursday and Friday to look at apartments. We were actually supposed travel to Sta. Ana, the most northern point on Luzon, but we found out that the apartments that we were supposed to look at were already rented. Elder B's first area was Aparri, so we got dinner at a members home with the other missionaries. Connections rule!

I want to wish a happy Fathers Day to all of the fathers or soon to be fathers who will read this. I love getting to teach to families, and I have been trying to concentrate families. We actually just started teaching a family again, the R family. The children are members, but N is not, so we have been teaching her and preparing her for baptism. She wants to and is almost ready, but she wants her son who is currently serving a mission to baptize her when he gets back, but that isn't until next January. We are hoping that she will agree to be baptized by her younger son, who is preparing for his mission. On Saturday we started reviewing lesson 1, the Message of the Restoration and we started with God is our loving Heavenly Father. We downloaded and showed one of the Mormon Messages called Earthly Father, Heavenly Father. The Spirit was very strong during the lesson. I love testifying to others about God's love and that he literally is our Heavenly Father. I know that God is our Loving Heavenly Father and that he has a plan for His Children. I know that Jesus Christ and his Atonement are central to the plan of salvation and that Christ is the only way that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father after this life. I am very grateful to have been blessed with a loving father here on earth, who has taught  me to love God and keep his commandments. I want to encourage you all to call your father and say happy Fathers day to him and to remember also our Heavenly Father and all of the blessing he gives us.

We got to go to a couple of baptisms this week. Both were baptisms of Elder VB and Elder H, but we are in the same ward and we have all taught to both of the investigators. It is awesome to see others make the covenant of baptism and receive the  Holy Ghost. It really brings the work into a new perspective to see lives change.

Thank you all for your support of all the missionaries around the world. As the work of the Lord grows he needs everyone to put their shoulder to the wheel and push along. Keep on giving referrals, fellowshipping and preparing new missionaries for the work. Mahal kita! Kita Kits! Mabuhay!

Elder Ryne Warren Wood