hello hello. 

this was an INCREDIBLE weekend. we have been deeply blessed here in my area this past weekend and after the time i have been here things have seemed to come up to a pinnacle of success. which is either a sign that ill get transfered next week or that ill get to finish here in an awesome area! either ways okay. 

i dont have enough time to talk about all that happened but i would like to share with you about a less active family we have been teaching. this is the verdadero family. we have been visiting with them since i got here and the elders before me had also been visiting them. ive grown a lot in the time spend at their house. 

this family has lots of concerns. it reminds me a lot of the vinarao family in cabagan. tatay speaks mostly ilocano (which i dont) and that has been fun ha but long story short they have a lot of concerns. one thing nanay has really struggled with was believing that god cares about here. she has felt for years that god has basicaly forgotten her, and that hopeless feeling has caused much pain to her and her family and has been the fuel for many not so fun things that have become a part of their daily family life. 

weve taught them the missionary lessons, read scriptures prayed together held family home evening fasted for them bore testimony brought members and just about everything we could think of to show this family that gods there and he loves them. one thing ive seen and leaned is that the ppower of love can overcome barriers that might seem impossible to overcome. 

i asked president carlos one time if there was one thing that he wanted me to learn from him what would that be, and he said that if you love someone and they know that you will be able to help them, and to council with them, and if needed to chastize them. and thats what we learned. they just wouldnt act, wouldnt read most the time, wouldnt pray wouldnt come to church, mostly wouldnt do anything ha. but we just kept going back. if you just keep going back its inevitable that eventually they will think about it. "they must care about me at least a little if they keep coming back" and after this time spent here in roxas of learning to love this family and doing all we could for them, nanay came to church. 

a lot of great things happened, like hugs of joy from members that had missed her, but the greatest thing was when we visited her at her house, we were laughing and talking about her experience and when we asked her how she felt at church at first she wasnt very serious about her answer she was saying of course i felt good because i went to church and i havent in a long time but then she kinda paused and then said, "pero naramdaman ko na... mahal pa rin pala ako ng dios." i felt that god really does love me. (pala is a word that means i thought but i was wrong so when she said mahal pala ako ng dios it basically means that i thought god didnt care about me but at church today i felt that he really does love me) 

then she said dont worry elders ill be there every week from now on.

tatay still hasnt come but we have hhigh hopes that next week he will be there. 

you just cant write how it feels to see a pair of hopeless eyes be filled one day with the light of the gospel, with the light of christ and the love of god. i never knew what people meant when they talked about someones countinance people had said before things like he had a light in his eyes and i never knew what that means and i dont know if now that because im set apart that i can see that in people or what the deal is but after really loving them and praying for them and wishing with everything in you that you could just take away their pain or give them the hope that is in YOU, and seeing them time after time close the door to the spirit, and then seeing hope in their eyes, seeing the seed of faith grow, you just cant describe it. alma the younger said how i feel in alma 29 10: And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember ^awhat the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

thats how my week was among other things. i love you all and well ill see you all soon

love elder landeen

i love