"Timing Kaayo!"

Maayong palis!

This week was "Holy Week" in the Philippines so...lots of processions, lots of people flooding the Catholic churches. Lots of people passing out crosses and setting up candles and statues of saints. And lots of people at the beach or at relatives homes. We got yelled out by a Catholic father for being non-Catholic, but we also had a friendly chat with a friendly nun! haha

Funny Story: For 3 days we had no water, not just our balay but the whole baranguay! We had to borrow and drag buckets of water from our neighbor! The water was a slight brown color.... On a hopefully unrelated note, the next morning, we were late to District Meeting because I spent the morning throwing up!

Carla wasn't at church for the 2nd week in a row and no has seen her, so we were really worried! She still has no cellphone!

During sacrament,  I was reading in Enos how he "poured out his whole soul" in prayer for his brethren once he had received remission of sin for himself. I thought- can I even DO that? Pour out my whole soul? That thought was with me all day.

After lunch as we prepared to go to work for the day, I was still silently praying we would be able to find Carla. I suggested we kneel to pray instead of standing. We all felt that we should go visit Nanay Edith in Loay, even though it's VERY far. We took a bus and headed out. They were all asleep. So we felt that we should walk to another members' home, even though we knew they weren't home. As I was walking- sun beating down, sweat dripping- I was thinking, "WHAT are we doing right now! We made all the wrong decisions!" Then the song came floating into my mind, "Pray, He is there. Speak, He is listening." and so I prayed as I walked and I felt so confident in our direction. I felt like we were headed in exactly the right direction, even though we were technically LOST haha. Then I hear, "Sister!" And before I know what's happening Carla is wrapping her arms around me and apologizing for not being at church. And she was in awe, she said, "wow, timing kaayo Sister!" I told her it was no coincidence that we both happened to be in the same random place at the same time. I told we had been praying about her all week!

We ended up teaching her and then teaching one of her friends and then setting up return appointments with both of them. We also got Carla's paperwork in so she can go to Youth Conference this April :) Then we were able to get back to Nanay Edith just as she woke up.

Yesterday was the best Easter Sunday ever. Because Easter is about celebrating Christ's resurrection. As a missionary, I know that Christ lives, that He loves us, and that He leads His living church. I also know that He leads us personally. And I am so grateful for that!

Love, Sister Bertoldo