CHARITY-pure love of Christ

Hello everyone!  I titled this email Charity because I am learning so much about it.  I have so much to learn, too.  But really, I'm learning lessons that I didn't even know I needed to learn.  For example, I have always been someone who views strict obedience as being of utmost importance (and it is!!), but now I'm learning that love is perhaps even greater.  I have come to realize that I cannot teach without the pure love of Christ.  When we love with His love, we invite the Spirit, when we have the Spirit, we teach with power and authority, and when we teach with power and authority the Spirit testifies to those we teach and they become converted unto the Lord.  It is a beautiful process.  I have seen this mostly with my companion.  She is wonderful.  We have so many differences, but I have learned so much from her.  At first, I was so impatient when we weren't on time, or we didn't do things EXACTLY how I thought we should.  Don't get me wrong, obedience is importance, but I am learning that I need to learn PATIENCE and LOVE.  Some times it may be just a bit more important to think of my companion before myself and love her with Christ's love.  As I have tried very hard to always do this and have really tried to learn the Filipino ways from her, we have been able to teach with more unity and with the Spirit ever present.  I have seen direct results from this.  The people we have been teaching have actually been coming to church!  Both our investigators and Less actives!  Yesterday brought a smile to my face as so many of them attended church :)  It really is a miracle if they come.  Many of them live so far away from the church, and they don't have money to pay for the fair to take a tryke to church.  It makes me so sad, as I realize that growing up I should have been more grateful for my many blessings.  I lived right across the street from the church.  And when it snowed, we some times would drive????.....haha.  but let's be real, it's not snowing here any time soon.  Jokelang. :) Okay, Kenneth Woo Woo!  My dear little brother!  There are so many things here that make me think of you and I literally laugh out loud!  I saw this FUNNY looking cow and I busted out loud thinking of how you would make fun of it!  Haha! Also, I drink warm Gatorade here!  Just like during lawns!  Wow, I love you little bro.  Stay strong buddy.  And I hope you are enjoying US Synthetic, but keep up with our business too!  I miss lawns! During my personal study I read Alma 17: 2 It reads "Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and WHAT ADDED MORE TO HIS JOY, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God."  wow, tears came to my eyes as I thought of all you back home.  I hope with my whole heart that all of you are doing well.  I hope that when we meet again, we will still be "brethren in the Lord".  Stay strong family and friends.  Search the scriptures diligently.  Know the word of God.  Wax strong in the knowledge of the truth.  Love you all. Okay our baptism was moved to bukas.  It was supposed to be this last week, pero many different trials came up and the branch all went to Baguio because someone from the the general young women presidency was speaking.  So... we moved the baptism.  so many obstacles are approaching!  Please pray that this baptism will happen tomorrow!  The family is staying strong though. Okay we have a new investigator!  Her house is in the middle of no where!  Wow, we hike to get there.  But it is beautiful scenery the whole way!  I was tagged in a picture on FB standing in rice fields!  I took this pic specifically for my sweet little niece, Paisley!  I promised her I would send her a picture of me in a rice field. :)  I hope you liked it, my little angel!  Anyway, to get to this house we also have to walk through a corn field on this skinny path!  So cool!  But our investigator is doing well!  She was a referral that we took forever trying to find last week haha.  No phone numbers...just an area and then we have to ask people if they know so and so and try to find it haha.  I feel very hopeful for her! Also, our other investigator is progressing too!  She came to church for the second time :)  I love her so much :)  She is the very first person ever in the Philippines that I extended a baptismal invitation to :) So many of our less actives came to church!  Yay!  It really rejuvenated my hope as my comp and I saw the "fruits of our labors" at church this week :) We were all sick a couple weeks ago and missed a couple days of work.  So my comp and I made a companionship goal to eat more vegetables :) :)  We have been making the best lunches!  We practice the language while making awesome Filipino dishes and we just add TONS of veggies to it!  Wow, delicious!  Mom, I told my housemates that my mom would be so proud of me to see me preparing meals.  Because you know how impatient I am when it comes to preparing food :) usually i like to just eat right away BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY ALL THE TIME, but I've been patient and chopping many many many veggies and cooking rice. etc.  My time is ending sooner than I though!  Ah!  I love you all!  I testify that this work is God's work.  The work is hastening.  God loves us All!  More than we can imagine!  Love you! Love, Sister Wright