Week 5

Continuing madness this week. Every week there's something extra in our schedule so it's made for a crazy transfer! We had check-ups this week, which was awesome. All the new missionaries and trainers meet together and I got to see my batchmates from the mtc! So great. We told funny stories about being here and basically cried together tears of joy from reuniting. Love those girls. I ate a most delicious mango shake this week. Definitely tasted some condensed milk and nutmeg. Tasted like dad's papaya shake. My companion had some really golden one-liners. Also, we decided to really make the absolute best of our time together because what are the chances that people as similar as us get put together again? slim to none. mostly none, though. We got a referral this week from our 13 year old investigator...SO CUTE. he's already a missionary, we were so touched. Elections are going on this week and the traffic has been insane! Basically every candidate puts words to an american pop song and blasts it though every neighborhood. The cars start at like 6 am and go non stop! Thank goodness the madness ends today. Also, philippinos LOVE karaoke. i heard a celine dion song this week...reminded me of abuelo.

We had some really great lessons this week! Also a really terrible one. I had that one lesson that every new missionary needs to have…where your investigator randomly brings up all these concerns right before their baptism. Then she asked so many deep doctrinal questions. It was so hard to bring it back and to feel the Spirit. And we couldn't even understand a lot of what she was asking because we didn't know a lot of those words in tagalog. crazy. but we went back again and just really emphasized our purpose and helped her understand more about the book of Mormon and joseph smith. Which is definitely the answer to everything! I could just feel the difference in my ability to understand and teach in tagalog and english when the Spirit was there.

We taught a lesson in a tree house this week. Literally the size of the tree house, but it was on the side of the road. i love this place! Several times a day i just look around and kind of laugh to myself. Who on earth would have thought I would have come here? So cool (: I love those moments.

I read from 3rd Nephi to the end of the book of Mormon this week! Literally could not stop reading. My testimony of the book of Mormon has grown so much as I’ve really read it with the desire to learn. I can remember things more easily during lessons and I just love reading it. On our way back from checkups this week, we had a really cool conversation with the AP's and Sister Burt about some deep doctrine my companion and I have been talking about. Interesting conversations for sure! I love being around other missionaries.

Have a great week!

love, sister gaspar de alba

me and my girls!!! YES. after check ups on thursday. it was so good to see them again! they were all in my district in the mtc

sister meti making us chicken curry. i was basically in HEAVEN.

sister burt was in my district in the mtc and we are in the same district in the field! seriously she has been such a comfort to me. shes also basically the smartest and most cultured person i know (after my dad)! i love her. this is our first trip to mcdonalds in the peenes! after district meeting on wednesday. i get to see this girl once a week.