Happy Monday!

Hello family!

Here is what I wrote to my mission president this week:

 "My Spiritual highlight for this week happened when Sister Cabato and I applied what we learned from our district meeting. Our district leader taught us a new way to plan at night, where we center our lesson plans around a commitment that the investigator needs to do. When we tried doing it that way--thinking of the commitment first and fitting our lesson around that, I was shocked because for the first time on my mission, I enjoyed daily planning, and I felt like I was planning for people, rather than just planning lessons, and I felt inspired in my planning. Before that, I usually just felt tired while planning and wanted to get it done as soon as possible, but since we've been applying that, planning has become more spiritually uplifting. I'm learning a lot about my purpose as a missionary, and I'm really starting to enjoy the work more and to love the people I'm teaching. I hope I will continue to progress in that way.

"I'm learning a lot from Sister Cabato. She is very good at explaining the gospel in a way that helps people understand it. I think that is one reason we are having some success getting people to accept baptism, because I think they really understand what we are teaching. I want to learn how to explain the gospel as well as Sister Cabato does. I love having her as my companion. Thank you so much for putting us together."

This has been a good week. It's so fun to have Sister Asuro and Sister Cabato in the same apartment with me--my trainer and my trainee. There has been a lot of giggling going on in our apartment this week. I'm so happy! Sister Asuro told me that Marlon was baptized on November 17!!! She said he bore his testimony afterward, and the spirit was really strong, and he even started crying. She also said that he said that after he was confirmed he couldn't sleep that night because he was so overwhelmed and happy to think hat he had the gift of the Holy Ghost. She said he really wants to share the gospel with his family, and he wants to go on a mission!!!! When Sister Asuro told me about that, I think it was the happiest day I have had on my mission so far. I have been praying so hard that Marlon would be baptized, and that he will go on a mission, and I cannot express how exceedingly happy and overjoyed I am to hear that he was baptized, and how strong his testimony is now, and that he wants to serve a mission. It is really miraculous the difference the gospel has made in his life, and it really strengthens my testimony that the gospel is true, and that it really has the power to change lives.

At the last Zone Training Meeting we had, it was emphasized that we should focus on families as much as possible. So we've been trying to find families. It's hard because families here are very busy and it's hard for them to find time to meet with us all together, so we've still mostly been teaching individuals. But last night we had an appointment to teach Brother Mario, one of our new investigators, with his wife. We have taught him twice, but we hadn't taught his wife before. When we got there, he was gone, but his wife was there, so we just taught her, and she said we could teach them both again on Tuesday, so we're hoping it will work out. 

Sister Maria Luisa (Mimi) is doing really well. It makes such a difference when the members refer investigators to us. She will be baptized on December 22. She is so humble, and she has such a great desire to learn about the gospel. It is such a pleasure to be teaching her.

Life is great. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. I still have a lot to improve on, but I'm really grateful to be able to spend this time serving Heavenly Father and His children, and learning how wonderful the gospel really is, and how very much everyone on earth needs it.

I love you all a lot!

Love, Sister Boekweg

P.S. I found a Mexican Restaurant here in Laoag. I haven't eaten there yet, but I'm planning to. I hope it's yummy. Wish me luck. ;)