It’s Been a Long time since I’ve been here (9/9/14)

Dear family and friends,

This is going to be a short one.I am currently sitting at a computer shop where the key board is a bit lagged, so it makes typing a bit rough. The title of the email is concerning where I am typing this email right now. I am in Manila, the capitol of the Philippines. We all of the departing missionaries have to get finger printed at the immigration department, so all 15 of us had to get on a plane today and fly to Manila. It is definitely different from Laoag. I can't imagine serving here it is so big. We are staying in the same hotel that we stayed at almost 2 years ago. It is really odd, but kind of cool at the same time.

This paragraph is not being typed from Manila but back in Laoag. We decided to just email President Barrientos then go back to the hotel. Manila is so crazy. Everything is so big and the traffic is insane. With the exception of the short time at the computer shop, we just sat at the hotel the entire time, discussing our missions and the gospel and related topics. It felt really strange to not be out doing the usual work, but we weren't allowed to do anything but just sit and wait. It was nice to get to spend time with all of the Elders from my batch. And to eat Krispy Kreme doughnuts. 

But it is great to be back in Ilocos Norte. It was a great relief to get off the plane in Laoag again. It felt like going back home, because I was. I wasn't even gone for 24 hours and I missed it loads. 

Quick update on Pinili. Sher is having his baptismal interview on Saturday! At that point he will have gone a whole month without alcohol or cigarettes and is ready for the interview. We have been reviewing the baptismal interview questions with him and he is super ready. he has been reading and reviewing everything that we have taught him to be ready for the interview. He may be a little over prepared haha. He has really turned his life around and is now looking forward to his coming life with a covenant with Heavenly Father. And they are keeping their eyes forward to a temple sealing!

We had a great experience this week in contacting a referral. We got the referral a while ago, but they live so far away that we were waiting until we could travel with a member to contact them. Bro. Ban, our ward mission leader, worked with us on Thursday so we headed out to find the referral. We found a teacher from that area that Bro. Ban knows and he asked about the name we had. And there is no person by that name in that area. But she directed to some one with a not so similar name, who turned out to be the right person! Turns out she met the missionaries on a bus and so the missionaries had a hard time hearing her. We taught her a short lesson and we are going back this week to teach to her entire family. The Lord was watching out for us and preparing the way for us to find this family even if we had the wrong name. What a blessing!

Elder Jun and I are looking forward to continually moving Pinili along in the work. We have been losing some investigators recently, so we are going to up our finding efforts and look for more people to be baptized in the coming months. We are also giving our Recent Converts a greater focus, as part of President Barrintos goal to have all recent converts from Jan to Sept 2014 retaught all 5 lessons by the end of the year. Yeah! We have much work to do in Pinili, since there are a lot of RCs there. I am excited for this new phase in the work for the last month of my mission and to have the chance to give my self an extra big push. Here we go!!!

Thank you for all of your support and prayers! I know that this work is the work of the Lord and that there is no great work. He is directing it and He is the way that it works. I have seen indescribable blessings and miracles in the past 22 months and there is more to be part of! I love this work!! I know that Christ is our Savior and he lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through the Prophet Joseph so that all families may be together forever. So let us all be a part in these last days! 

Love,

Elder R Wood