Peace, be still

Well. Another week. I honestly don't feel in the mood to write it all down and hash it all back to you, but I will give you a few excerpted lines from my journal so you can get an impression. Wow missions are hard, huh? Manoa and I are still stompin the streets, keep going keep going keep going. She and I are close though and she cracks me up, its good that I love her or it would make everything else so much harder. She's doing good, slowlyyyy progressing in english and tagalog. We read line by line out of the Book of Mormon, she in English I in Tagalog "and it came to pass" "at ito ay nangyari na" etc. She's got a harrrrd time. The poor girl. But, as ever, the best attitude about it. I don't even think she's cried yet! amazing little trooper!

Annnd so, honestly, this week was hard. People are usually nice in their rejections, but this week for some reason its like they all ate something to make them especially rude. people yell, tell us to get out, get mad because they are busy and we are disturbing them, door after door, hour after hour like that. the efforts to find are much but the fruits are so few. this week has been almost ALL finding because we are at an all time low in investigator pool. Its been day after day of just trying to find somewhere to go, someone new to talk to, trying to hold in the tears from all the unkind words and rejection.

It does lighten the mood though after someone is done yelling at us, then Sis Manoa says "what do they say?" wearing the sweetest little innocent face, and I say "they just got mad at us because they are Catholic and they want us off their property" and then she says "ahhh why!?" haha, its like, late reaction all the time and it makes us laugh. One of our investigators this week returned her Book of Mormon to us, told us she never has been or will read it, that she isn't really interested, and that we should just take it and give it to someone else cause who knows, a typhoon might come and get the pages wet cause their roof isn't very sturdy. Yep, good thinking, we wouldn't want to risk that. Better just give us back that book about salvation for safe keeping. AH! PEOPLE!!

In our DM this week for our reporting, we just had to stand and say how we are doing. Our wise DL knows how rough it is and how low all of our numbers are, and he just wanted to make sure we were ok. As we stood to report our hollow week of rejections, I almost wanted to cry. I feel so exhausted, doing everything I can possibly think of, and still feel like its not enough. The other elders and sisters too, in their reports, are experiencing similar things. As long as God knows we are doing our best though, no matter the circumstances, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I know I am doing my best and I should just be satisfied with that and know that God is proud of me.

At our weekly planning we had a hard facing of reality. This is the very lowest amount of investigators I've ever had in my whole mission. I don't know about other missions, but this might be a first here. We have a grand total of four. Yep, 4. and out of those 4, we lost 2 by the end of Sunday! So as of today, we are at 2. twooooooo inveeesstttigggatooorrrrssss. how is that possible! it is honestly so hard to battle the feelings that I'm even making a difference. I've been 5 months here and I literally have nothing to show for it but a journal full of days and experiences that somehow tell me I was working. We've dropped everyone I've ever taught, since the beginning of my time here.

I've been feeling like I'm being eaten alive by discouraging thoughts, so for a solution I wrote them all out, everything in my head so I could start to reverse it and recognize the source. I'll share a few, why not, this is already as bleak and honest an email as there ever was. "where am i going to go, where am i going to go" "i feel like i'm not living up to who i should be as sis manoa's trainer, she deserves so much better" "why do so few find the truth when its literally right in front of them?" "when are these people going to find 10 mins to slow down from their busy lives, so we can change their entire life's destination?" "why are people so blind?" "where is all my hard work going?" "why is life so unfair and why has this heartbreaking poverty been dealt to some while others are safe and full in their mansions?" "i'm so tired of debate and fighting about gospel topics and i'm so sick of fighting. i just don't want to fight anymore" "what more can i be doing, what am i NOT doing right?" "oh no, why am i thinking these things, i need to be strong, i cant be down like this, so many people depend on me" "i feel like i've got nothing left, that i'm pounded like a small crushed can" and there's more........AHHH i feel like i'm drowning! As all these terrible vibes were in my mind I just wanted to scream STOP!!!!!!! stop!! I'm so sick of it!

I opened my Bible and the words of Jesus Christ stopped all of these thoughts racing in my mind. I read "in the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world". It felt like the storm in my mind was silenced, the rain stopped, the race stood still. I just closed my eyes and cried and repeated the words over and over again. Peace, be still. I also read Alma's words, and cried because they were so much of what I am feeling. "wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ" I feel that plea echoing in me all the time. I feel like I've hardly got enough breath to yell out for help, just a faint "wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ" is all that can escape. I know that I'm not doing this alone, I know that even though I feel so alone and I'm getting whipped around hour after hour, that this is what the Lord wants me to do. I know that He loves me, and that He loves all his children.

Because of that love, somehow I walk outside everyday and get hurt. I know that God loves them, and that this message is too important for me to sit still. Even when they yell at me or when they get mad i know that God still loves them, and i just feel sad that they are that way. God loves the world so much, Jesus Christ was given to us as a testament of that love. All I've got to do is be an extension of that love, to just keep going, keep trying to share this message of peace in a crazy crazy world. While I myself am guilty of saying "carest thou not that I perish?" and for all the people outside who aren't aware that they are perishing, I know that Jesus Christ has come, and that through him I don't have to drown. Peace, be still, peace be still. Christ lifts me, and his light inside of me is really the only reason I get up and work hard.

Thats all I can muster this week, sorry if this shatters anyone's view that missionaries are just so happy and living the dream all the time. I believe in being genuine.  So I will be :) THANK YOU for all the prayers and for all of the hope and inspiration! As I read all those sweet comments from fb my eyes got teary. Wow, what an overwhelming amount of nice things to hear! You have no idea how much it means to me, thank you. That's a wrap! Email you next week- miracles are going to happen!!

LOVE sis mcgrath

Und-a pressha

Well well well it's Monday once again! It has been a long week and I could write a novel, but I did my best to summarize my journal entries on a sticky note and give you the good the bad and the ugly. buckle up!

Tuesday morning I woke up and the line from PMG comes to my head right away "how long is your line in the water?" Basically how much of our time is actually spent doing missionary work, and how much is just getting there?  Got it. This week the time doesn't tick counting minutes we are away from the apartment but the time our lines are in the water. I feel like I've been urgently running around all week working so hard with no time to even take a breath! But it's all good, I'm happy to be busy and occupied.


So we shoot out the door Tuesday morning contacting referrals and OYM-ing and talking to every soul. We end up getting directed to this boarding house, deep inside one of the rooms someone said a Mormon lived there. Sure enough- we met a old brother E who confirmed the statement that he was a Mormon, or used to be a Mormon. He was baptized in 1977 and excommunicated in the 70's as well. 3 years ago he became iglesia ni cristo. He welcomed us in, told us to sit down, and before we could get anything but our first names out he starts ranting and pulling out all of his Bibles and different religious books and telling us what we believe and how its wrong. I was shocked that within the first 5 mins he was that bold with us, and didn't say much. He has real problems with the Godhead and the doctrine of God having a body of flesh and bones. After about 30 mins of raging he started to yell and get really angry, demanding us to point to him a verse in the Bible that claims that God has a body. But I being the smart little snap I was, was too wise to take his bait, nope, no way am I about to start debating or proving or pointing. I knew that even if I could pull out a scripture he was not in a place to say "oh ya, you are right huh?' Instead I calmly told him that we would like to return on Saturday at 3:30, we would research his concerns and be back. Flip, wrong move! He gets even madder and starts yelling "You mean to tell me you aren't prepared to answer a simple question? You call yourselves disciples of Christ? How can you wake up in the morning and wear that badge if you don't even know anything about what you preach!?" My eyes swelled with tears but I held my tounge, shoved down the tears, and just took it. He went on and on, insults about us and our church. When there was a break in his yelling I said BROTHER.  We will be back Saturday at 3:30, goodbye. We walked out of there and I took a deep breath, let the tears go, then had to turn and try and explain why I was crying, and everything E said to Sis M. ohh its hard to not even have someone else to talk to about it. Wiped away the tears, then went back out to tract. All the people we talked to that morning wouldn't even answer our question about what street this is and told us to get out and shoo away. The only man that was willing to let us into his shack was this drunk guy...yeah we will just come back when you're in your right mind. And thats all before 11:30 am on a Tuesday!

Later that day our investigator who was slowly progressing with word of wisdom relapsed and now is at 4 cigarettes a day. A (our recent convert) didn't come to church the Sunday after his baptism, so we visited him and tuns out they just slept in. Sister Jane, my beloved investigator, went back to Manila for another indefinite time frame and I might be gone when she comes back. How am I supposed to help her battle all her doubts and concerns if she's hundreds of miles away? We visited another less active who has no money to come to church, shared a scripture and then helped her budget out her expenses and wage she gets in one week and where all the money is going. We figured if she walks to the pelenke all week and saves 2 pesos a day, she will have enough. She's a single mom and her son is a deacon, they really really need the blessings of church attendance. All day of walking walking walking and talking talking talking wipes me out. Sis M too- we were tracting this home at 7:45 and she just sat on the ground with her head in her knees. Awh- I feel bad. Missionary work is so hard at first and hard to adjust. We came home planned and crashed. There's my Tuesday!

The rest of the week I wont go into so great of detail, but good news is L our less active promised to come to church before September is over!! AAH I seriously dream all the time of that wonderful Sunday when I see her in those church doors, I'd give anything for it to become reality. We went jogging on Thursday morning before 6:30 and drank some buko juice. In the middle of a lesson an Indian man came up to me, totally interrupted, and asked me if I'm married and all of these creepy personal questions. To his credit we were teaching in a restaurant, so there were lots of people, but still can't you see we're busy here? Totally creepy but I give him credit for his persistence and his people finding skills. He'd make a good missionary.

Later in our comp study I literally fell asleep in the middle of talking. Ya, I was sharing what I read in my personal study and then my mouth got all slow and I zonked out for a bit. Woke up and Sis M motioned I just kinda fell asleep there for a second. I got up and brushed my teeth and did simultaneous jumping jacks to wake up. Back into the world.

Nanay S

This week we had Sister Seechung work with us! She's the oldest member of RS at a white-haired age of 83! She worked with us! It was the cutest thing. We came to pick her up at the church all dolled up, then tryceed all the way to the doorstep of Nanay S, our less active who has a grand total of 6 teaching records all recording her firmness to never step foot into the Mormon church again. Actually Bishop told us to not waste our time visiting her anymore, but Nanay Seechung wanted to visit her long lost friend so we did. S is 75-ish? Anyways, cutest thing- we walk her up to S's door, they see each other, and Nanay Seechung laughs and shuffles into the door, arms stretched wide and says "I'm gonna hug you!' and grabs her in a big hug, while Nanay S exclaims she hasn't bathed and to stop. Whatever, I know she loved it! We pretty much let those two go, talking and talking and catching up, Nanay Seechung telling her to come back and join us. Oh I hope to be a Nanay Seechung when I grow up, she's definitely added to my list of role models. 83 years old and still making house visits to call her sisters back! Amazing talaga.

Let's go back to Saturday, the dreaded return visit with Brother E. All week I've been reading and studying and listening to conference talks and doing all sorts of research on the Godhead and every other concern of his, wrote down a nice little list of scriptures across the whole gospel library, addressed it to him, packed my bag and said a prayer and left the rest to the Lord. As we walked to his boarding house I didn't feel that nervous, I felt armed sword and shield with scriptures and my testimony. We rushed to get there on time (there was no way I would have him think we were scared or intimidated) and at 3:30 on the dot we knock, and he opens the door. His jaw drops, he couldn't hide his surprise that it was us and that we actually came back. We came in, sat down, on the table beside us was open every single religious book he owned and I knew that I wasn't the only one who had been preparing. I took a deep breath, turned around the room and saw a pic of him holding a grandkid. whoow. Ok. He's just a nice kind grandpa deep down.

I told myself that, said a sincere opening prayer for the Spirit to be there and to help us respect each others beliefs and have our knowledge expanded, and it was go time. I unlaid the scriptures before him, we went everywhere on our little scripture journey. He had lots of questions and needed lots of explanation, every other question was "what is your stance on/ what do you believe about?'' I felt so calm and quickly could answer his questions. I am so glad that I can trust 100% in my testimony and the things I've learned and know that they will never conflict because truth doesn't conflict with truth. I will never get tied up or tripped up if I stick to the truth. It was very intense, but this time he was quieter.

At one point I could see in his eyes, as I was bearing testimony and boldly declaring the truth, I could see in his eyes that he knew I was right and there was no denying it. He didn't say anything, literally had ran out of things to say. He didn't fight, didn't yell, none of that. He quietly told us that he was so impressed that we actually showed up, he really didn't think we were coming. He told us that in the past, missionaries have found him, after their first meeting said they would come back and then never did. His countenance was totally changed, so softened. I couldn't believe this was the same man as Tuesday, did this guy really make me cry? He thanked us so much for the visit, introduced us to his wife, told us to be back next Saturday same time and our discussion would be salvation. We asked him to say the closing prayer, and as he prayed he burst into tears and thanked the Lord for sending his servants to him once again, he prayed for our success in bringing our other brothers and sisters to the light, and all sorts of other things like that through heavy tears. I had to open my eyes to believe it. Funny how I was the one left in tears the first time and now we left him in tears. MAN HOW AWESOME!! I know that the Spirit really does work through me and that somehow I can battle dragons with it's strength. We left and fist pumped the air, then I had to tell the whole thing to Sis M again who didn't catch a word, haha :)

That brings me to aki, Sis M. Whooooow. It is a haaard time to speak. It really stretches my patience to the max! haha we have a lot of fun though and are good pals, shes so hilarious! haha oh my gosh sometimes though, I cant help but crack up to the things she says! I totally feel for my trainer now and know that I was probably saying crazy things too. Some of the week's highlights are "each person we teach is a problem and trial" and "God sends us problems to reveal the gospel" HA! ooh we get a good hoot and holler as I tell her what she really just said. She's got the greatest attitude though, just happy and pressing forward in learning. so its slow, slow slow progress, but thats expected. just a little pressure on me to handle this whole thing sort of alone for a while. Keep up the prayers for her AND for me, we need them so much!

That's the week! We are happy and good and working well under pressure! It's hard and its good and every night in my prayers I tear up just so grateful to be here and to be a part of this work. I love being a missionary! I love you all ! Have a great week!

Love, Sister McGrath

unto us (another aki) is born, unto us (another aki) is given!

Selfie w/ Sis. J

As is every stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone moment, it's sort of bleh at first, then it gets good.  This week was no different. So I'm TRAINING AGAIN!!!!!! My next aki is from kiribati, her name is Sis M, and is the sweetest funniest thing. But of course lets rewind.....zzzzzzzzz

Ok I woke up the day of transfers, heard Sis J say "good morniiiiiing" like she does every day, and then I burst into tears. AWW I don't wanna leave my aki!! I don't want her to leave me here! I was such a baby and cried literally all morning...as she was packing the last of her stuff, in the trycee, all the way to transfers. by the time we got there my eyes were red and puffy and it was all a little extreme because I knew I'd see her again and it wasn't even really goodbye.  She's transferred to Iriga and I'm sure is doing fine, I just miss her and selfishly want her back thats all :(

Hm...then the rest of that day we just walked and tried to find someone to teach....I got called fat by one group of thugs and ugly by another. Welp. That's fine. At least I know that God created me and He don't make no junk.

Then Wednesday came! The day of the arrivals!! We went to the mish home and once again I sat through a long long powerpoint on how to train/rules/all that stuff. Bleh I was so bored I just took tally marks of how many times Elder C said "po". (in ten mins he used "po" 99 times. no joke. thaaaats a little over the top with respect, ha?) anyways they all filed in, so nervous to be split from their batch and to get new trainers. I stared like a creep at my aki (I knew which one she was before they announced it) and gave her an extra long handshake with an extra creepy smile :D She's SO CUTE oh my gosh! the first thing she says, wearing the biggest smile with matching dimples I've ever seen was "TAGA KIRIBATI PO AKO" haha :) we got paired up, Sis K (my kabahay) is training too and her aki is ppina. fun fun!

It's been so fun with her because its like my eyes are being re-opened to the wonders of the ppines. Like, I got to witness her first trycee ride, teach her about pesos, help her do her first "tao-po" and go try everything in sight at the tindahan. SO FUN!

It's sure a good thing I already love her, cause boy oh boy do I have a loooot of weight on my shoulders. With us being both foreigners, somehow I'm supposed to be the one to understand/speak/take the next step in everything. This last week I've taught almost every lesson alone, and its haaard. I feel for her though, I guess thats a good part of our companionship because I know exactly what it feels like to not get anything anyone is saying, to have no one understand you even when you exert all your efforts to say one simple thing, all of that hard stuff about learning a language.

In our language studies we work out conjugations, pronouns, time particles, all the basic stuff. I've got lots of charts and pictures and things to help. The poor, poor girl. she doesn't speak English. I wish I could explain properly in this small space how hard it is to teach someone a foreign language, IN a foreign language to them. She's got her kiribati Preach My Gospel open, reads a paragraph, goes to the English to understand what I'm saying, then finally to the Tagalog to try and work it out. It's hard for us to communicate with no common language, but we are finding a way. Lots of hand actions, facial expressions, pointing. Pretty much I will beat anyone at a game of charades, I'd put money on it. It is a little overwhelming, and very very tiring. I feel so stretched, one time this week I just went to the CR, sat on the little stool and put my head down and took a 2 min guilty nap, prayed for some strength to get up, did some counting to threes, then went back out to the world. whoow. It's tiring, but its good. I'm going to help her the best I can and do everything I can to help her sprout some wings and flyyy!! Just please, say some extra prayers this week for her, and for me to have the patience to help her :) Even though its so hard, she's got the best attitude. She just smiles, accepts it, and says "pero OK LANG" and is just so cool about it. I would have already had a break down by now if I was in her place. She's the best.

This morning we played "volleyball" and "jogged" but once again, laughed more than played anything. ahh its a good life! Sis M cracks me up talaga.

not much else to report, the work is....well.  It's work. Lots of it to do. Lots of finding to do as well. We have a tiny tiny teaching pool and really need to get some more investigators. Whow.  Please pray for us.

That's all I can muster up right now, have a great week and know I love you all so so much!!!

LOVE Sis McG

saying goodbye to Sis Sol, Australia bound

sleepover bash

bedtime selfies, anyone?

more bedtime selfies

Sis' B's birthday

speed and sardines.  rooftop.

farewell lunch

I'll stay where you want me to stay.

Teehee, big news, I'm NOT transferring! things got whipped up and now I am still here, holding down Naga city. And even bigger news: I'M TRAINING. AGAIN. And this time she's a Polynesian sister. gulp. She comes tomorrow and I am scared and excited and nervous and everything thrown together. Sis j is LEAVING and transferring to Iriga zone :(((((((((((((((((((( I am sad more than I can say and seriously love her so much. It's not goodbye though cause were going to stay tight forever :D Sis Sol left for Australia this morning and we sneaked away to say goodbye to her at the airport and watch her go through security :( uh, leaving is the hardest thing! I hate saying goodbye but there are souls she needs to sol-ify there in Aussie land so its all for the best. Sis K will be training too! So our house will be 2 American trainers showing the ropes of this country. what!! haha feeling a little overwhelmed but am excited to go go go!

Last monday (hope you got the pics ok) we hiked Mt Isarog! Again! Ah it is seriously a PARADISE. I live in a paradise people. It is the prettiest thing EVER!! waterfall and green and all these things I wish you could all see. Afterwards we ate bbq out of the lids of rice cookers and plastic bags and stuff that the elders brought and smores without fire cause the air is too wet to light a fire in the rain forest. BAHH did you believe that? haha no I just forgot the lighter. It was still good though, not sandlot status, but smores pa rin.

This week we babysat 3 sisters again because their kasamas went to mlc. Whoow I seriously feel so much like a mom getting everyone where they need to be and stuff. I had to be the mean mom and text them upstairs if they were studying cause all I heard was wild laughter in personal study time. yeeppp....sorry to be that person! Ha we found out also that it was Sis B's bday THAT DAY and so I quickly ran and whipped up a Reese's cake and threw up some party decor and got the candles (this time with the lighter) and celebrated her bday right. fun fun!

This week we ate sardines on our rooftop and played a mad game of cards and I don't think life can get any more complete.

This week we had a baptism!! ahh so so sorry the pictures wont load! I dont know what's up with my camera. darn it. Znyways it was the baptism of Alejandro, our 13 year old! It was such a sweet baptism cause brother ren ren got to baptize him, a new priest who works with us and has been taking Alejandro under his wing. I got teary eyed seeing them both in the baptismal font and have so much trust in the youth of this church. They are amazing! Poor little Alejandro came with his sister and cousins, they live with their less active uncle and he doesn't know his parents. Little lost boys :( i feel so bad for people without a mother and want to take them all home with me. We gave him a tie for his baptism and he came up and said thank you so softly too us. Awhh!!

As far as my lesson learned this week, well maybe it should be lesson being learned cause I don't think I'm done- anyway I was sitting in the chapel, half listening to the speakers in church. I was thinking about these past 3 transfers I've been here, all the investigators that have been dropped, all of the disappointment for lack of a better word. This past week has just had that overcasting vibe to it, that I am working so hard and doing my best but its not turning into anything. I felt pretty bad for myself this week to be honest.  As I was reveling in my disappointment, all of a sudden there came to my brain all of these times that I had been successful, all of these tiny little moments flashed though my brain:

1. Our less active Linda bought a skirt. nope, hasn't come to church yet and isn't quite ready, but has made progress and has a skirt now.

2. Alejandro just walked off the stand from being confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. he's gonna grow up in the church and sana serve a mission too, think of all the lives he can change!

3. Sis J is sitting next to me, last Sunday of her 12 week training and i am so. so. proud of her. she is an incredible missionary, is fearless and teaches so well and follows the Spirit. Even though that stuff was all inside of her naturally, I played a part in unlocking that!

4. Our investigator who told us she wasn't coming walked in the door right as we were standing to sing in the choir, I wanted to cry I was so happy she came.

All of these tiny things like that came to my head and I felt like I got a little slap from the Spirit for thinking that I was failing. Look at all this good! The wise words of President Uchtdorf came to me and said "if you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life's sweetest experiences." That is so true. there is so much to be grateful for and so many tender mercies and tiny miracles happening every day. Maybe not blooming roses, but progress.  I might not be the Oxford dictionary's definition of successful, but I know I'm doing everything I can with what I've got. I AM injecting good into my little corner of the earth, no matter how small it may be :) It was an answer to my prayers this week in helping me see the success. These next transfers I'm going to keep doing just that, and find peace in anonymously doing what I can. I am so so so happy!

Family, I love you guys so much! Thank you thank you thank you times a billion for the prayers you send my way, keep it coming! I love you to Pluto and back!

Love, Sis McG

a quick one

This week so many people have been so kind and have been hospitable and fed us, but none of them want to hear the gospel. Rats. Seriously, we met this one couple in their rich home and they immediately let us in and called us their "latter day saint friends".  Turns out elders went to them way back in the 90s and they have read almost every Mormon book ever and dropped names like Brigham Young and the three Nephites and all this stuff, but when it came down to the question why did you stop/whats the hold up here about becoming a member if you love it so much- and the answer simply came down to the Spanish colonized the ppines. As in, seriously, that was their answer, their

found another PUPPY!!!

ancestors are all Catholic and will all be Catholic forever, just cause that's who found them first. They explained it to us like this- everyone is in a different boat, all the different faiths and religions are constantly rowing and pressing forward in their own way, but at the end we will all get closer to Jesus Christ and he will accept us in his arms because we made it to Him, however that way was.

Uhhhhhh.....how does one go about replying to that without offending? How do you communicate the singleness and straitness of the way and tell them that it does matter, there is only one boat that Jesus approved as the correct boat that returns to him? They have no interest in converting and frankly see no need to, just content on rowing side by side us, differently but rowing all the same. Anyways, ppino hospitality has brought us to their home twice this week to pick up some avocados they grew and wanted to share and for some dinner too. We listened to Christmas music because Brad Pitt (ya the tatay's name is Brad Pitt and the wife is Babes. Gotta love name creativity here) said that it was July and time to start celebrating.

district.

photo booth fun at SM

This week we oymed this old 90+ year old lady in a bathrobe having hair dye dry and her nails wet. She led us up to her home and she looked so sweet and kind, we started to introduce ourselves and message and all of the sudden she interrupts and in broken English says "I do not like Mormons. I do not want to be Mormons. I do not like you and no one likes you here. You are wasting your time here. Everyone is Catholic." We just stared in shock for a bit, then excused ourselves out of her home. Ouch. You are wasting your time? That's hard not to believe when you have no one to teach and just wander the blazing hot streets of Naga trying to find somewhere to spend your time and someone to share the most important message they need with. Sigh. It's ok though, I know that sweet old nanay is wrong, and I am not in fact wasting my time.

eating at the aponalla's :) 

this is the guy i studied the art of tinola from :)

We had zone conference this week, our workshop by President was all about the ppine rules and laws about marriage. Have I ever told you that divorce is illegal here? It's the only country in the world where divorce is illegal. You can imagine the marriage/live in partner/other man or woman situations that this creates and all of the broken law of chastity blocking up baptism. He talked to us about all the legal stuff and things to do and to be honest I just felt like Elle Woods in law class taking notes with a figurative pink fuzzy pen trying to describe all the law talk. Yikes, my brain does not work that way.

Little part member Alejandro had his baptismal interview this week and passed! yay! He's 13 years old and a shy but sweet little kid. We're excited for his baptism and he is too. He and I walked into the empty baptismal font to show its not really that deep and he isn't going to drown. He's scared he's gonna get dunked like Joseph Smith Sr. in the video and can't swim :)

betitos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love love love love love love love

 these two. i would do anything for them. 

Great news! Sis Jane came back!! For an indefinite time, but at least I got to see her one more time before i leave! We got to teach another lesson and try and try to work out a little bit of all of her many doubts. We told her that if on a scale of one to 100 she's only at less than 25 in her faith, it's ok!  As long as she keeps growing.  Conversion doesn't come cheap and doesn't come fast. We are all ok with it taking a long time, as long as she gets there someday. I pray all the missionaries in this area in the future will love her as much as I do and help her at whatever pace she's going now. I really love them!

hiked mt isarog with my sistas!!!

We hiked Mt Isarog today!! Again! This time we went on a way safer way that was so fast to the falls. It is seriously SO. BEAUTIFUL. I can't describe the paradise that I live in. The rainforest is the most gorgeous thing! I love love love love it!

I've got to go but thanks for all the emails and love you send my way! hope you got all the pics- its so many I know. He he sorry, enjoy :)

LOVE YOU!!
<3 sis mcgrath

me and the killian 

our most beautifulest selfies. can you tell i'm happy? 

my smile is kind of hard to see i know........

elDER!!! 

wackyyyy

back at missionaries of the poor! i found all my lola friends again!

look at sweet lola's face! lol!