Happy day-after-the-exceedingly-great-typhoon!

Hi family!

Hahaha! I just wanted to startle you with the subject of this email. We were supposed to have a typhoon yesterday. President texted us on Saturday night and told us to prepare because there would be a typhoon the next day. I guess it changed its mind, though, because all we got was a little rain and a little wind. Oh well.

So guess what! On Saturday I recieved 2 packages!!! One was from Mommy and the other was from Rebecca! Thank you so much! I was so excited to see real authentic canned ravioli! and Enchilada mix! Wow! Thanks so much for the CD player and CD's! I listened to "Consider the Lilies" tab choir cd yesterday morning, and it was soooo wonderful! Most of the other sisters have mostly efy music, and I didn't realized until yesterday how much I have missed tab choir. And thanks for the goodies and letters and stickers and vitamin c drinks!

This is what I wrote to president this week:

"This has been a good week. My spiritual highlight for this week happened on Thursday when we were teaching sister Mimi, one of our investigators with a baptism date. She hadn't yet recognized her answer about the church and about Joseph Smith. I felt I should share Galatians 5:22-23 about the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.) We asked her if she had felt any of those feelings when she has prayed or read the Book of Mormon. She said she had twice while reading the Book of Mormon--she had felt peace as she read--and she was able to make the connection that that was an answer. She also said that she used to have a lot of doubts, but now whenever we teach her she just believes what we say. I'm so happy that she was able to recognize her answer, and that she has a great desire to learn about the gospel."

I love sister Mimi so much. What impresses me the most about her is that she speaks really good English and she is a teacher, so she is really educated, and she is really intelligent, but when we are teaching her about the gospel, she is so childlike, and she has such a great desire to learn, and she is so willing to believe what we teach her. She will be baptized on December 22.

Yesterday, Tatay Alfonzo came to church again! I am so happy! We thought he was going to turn out as one of those eternal investigators who always promises to come to church but never does. But he has come to church 3 times now in 4 weeks! He is really progressing! He is the cutest old man! I love him so much! Sister

Crisamel also came to church with her granddaughter Angel! I'm so happy!

This week we taught the 8-year-old daughter of the Icalia family. She is not yet baptized, and technically, she doesn't have to be taught by us in order to be baptized, but she really doesn't know anything about the gospel, so we're teaching her. She is really cute, but she isn't all that excited about being taught. Do you have any ideas of ways to make the gospel seem exciting to an 8-year-old who just wants to go out and play, and doesn't want to read the BOM, or pray, or go to church?

Anyway, thank you so much for everything! You are the best family in the world! I love you all so much! I love the gospel! I know it is true! I am so thankful to be a missionary!

Love, Sister Boekweg

P.S. I went to the Mexican restaurant last Monday. It wasn't exactly like Mexican restaurants in America, but it was close enough to satiate my craving for mexican food. :)