So things just keep getting better in the promised land as the rules
keep getting stricter. But we're still living the dream here in the
Laoag Mission! Just got the word that another of Adelaide's finest
will be joining us in the field, the Aussie pool here is getting
bigger all the time, loving it!
So many things happened this week! Firstly we had our area broadcast
where the Area Presidency talked about the new area goals and it just
got me psyched for this year! Just talking about eternal families and
reactivation and increasing Priesthood holders just gets me every
time, I love it!
One of our sweet husbands has been having a lot of trouble overcoming
smoking which is so hard here since its so cheap and everyone does it
so theres always temptation. I knew about the churches quit smoking
program that the missionaries use and I've seen how effective it is
and I knew we needed to get it. Nobody in the mission has ever heard
of it so it took a lot of resourcing and a couple of weeks to finally
track down a copy. Basically they have to buy a whole bunch of
specific groceries which at home would be cheap but here are insanely
expensive, so we had to use our weeks grocery money to buy it for him
because they couldn't afford it, but we were blessed with dinner
appointments this week so we didn't go without! Plus we had to buy
things like pure grapefruit juice which as we've found is basically
impossible to get here, but we prayed and walked into the store and
there was one single carton of it left on the shelf. We highfived
right in the aisle and danced around a bit. The whole thing was in
English so we spent every spare bit of time we could over a couple
days translating it for him and started it on Thursday night. Without
hesitation he snapped all his cigarettes and started on the spot. Hes
been doing so good, he said its still hard but he knows he can do it
now. We've seen him every day and he is a changed man. He looks so
clean cut, hes running around playing with the kids and him and his
wife, oh my goodness I couldn't handle it yesterday, they were just
running around holding hands like newlyweds, it was the cutest thing
I'd ever seen. They, oh man they are just amazing. Hes really gonna do
it. Plus the other smoker husband whos started running away from us
has seen his success and wants on board, so hes next! Miracles. All.
The Time.
We also have started teaching this family again,all the kids
investigated but only the 14 year old daughter was baptised last year.
The dad would not ever sit down for a lesson, but a couple weeks we
wouldn't take no for an answer and managed to get him to sit down for
5 minutes. His wife works abroad so he takes care of the four kids on
his own, but he basically gets drunk every night and they fend for
themselves. Last week the girl was sick in bed with a bad fever and
the dad was drunk, so we brought her food and water and everything we
could to help her and I think the dad started to feel a little guilty
that he hadn't done anything. This week it was the sons birthday and
we told him we'd drop by. They said there would be no celebrations
because they couldn't afford it, so we arrived and found the dad and
all his friends outside drinking liquor and singing karaoke while the
kids sat inside and tried to ignore it. We have the son a little
bottle of Coke and a bag of treats we'd bought and just the look in
his eye, he really just needed it. His dad walked in just then and I
don't know if it was the guilt or the appreciation or what, but he
just broke down and cried and hugged his son. They're hard, they're
going to take time, but they need the gospel, and they're really
starting to realise how much better off their life is going to be.
Saving these families, this is what its all about.
I just keep thinking all the time about who I was before and who I am
now, and how far I've come and how far I've still got to go, and how
much time I've wasted, and how much mercy my Father in Heaven has for
me to have taken me to this point. I can't even tell you enough how
much this is changed my life. Everybody needs this. I've never had so
much fun, I've never laughed so hard, and I just really understand
what true happiness is. If anyone thinks they shouldn't come because
they're not the type, all the more reason to come. I'm not a robot yet
haha and I don't think I ever will be. I just love being HAPPY!
And I love you all. Some of you need to do your duty better and write
me more. You know who you are!
So much love,
Sister McKim
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