June 2, 2013

 Ang akon pinalanggang pamilya:)

My beloved family!

It was so good to hear from all of you in your emails! I can't believe the wards getting split, that's crazy! I hope all our friends stay in and stuff, but wherever it goes its the Lords will. Wow I'm so happy for Demi that she got to go to girls camp, what a sweet opportunity. I'm so glad she liked the letter to, i love her so much! Drakes email just had me laughing again, he's too funny. Dad thanks so much for yours too, I'll be good on my bday! I'll be happier than ever spreading the Gospel. Maybe the Lord will send me a birthday gift of a new family to teach :) No worries about that thing, i love hearing the news and stuff back home, and thanks for understanding! But the boxes are so great! We're still downing the sour punch kids, tootsie rolls, etc. I love the ties, i wear them all the time. All my ties are officially blue, purple, and gray! So thank you so much!

This tansfer is just the busiest time of my mission. We have mission leaders trainings, zone trainings, I'm Elder 'Iloa's follow up trainer, we have SO many investigators we are teaching right now, and so much more! This time is going by faster than ever. And it's such a blessing!! You all know how i love to stay busy with things, the Lord has really answered my prayer to help me stay focused on my purpose as a missionary. Whenever I lay down to go to bed i find myself thinking about all those we are teaching, and what more we can do for them. I really am starting to 'lose myself' here! It's so great too! The Lord keeps showing His tender mercies to us here in Caduhaan, finding, teaching, and baptizing! We have 3 baptisms coming up on june 15th, one on june 22nd, and hopefully on the following as well! Our investigators are so great, they are really building a strong foundation on the Book of Mormon!

One of our investigators, Sister Tessi, is on fire. Back then she had been taught my missionaries, but she got tired of it because they would stay long, and came a lot of times in one week. Her husband is a super strong member, and her daughter as well. Well she let us teach her again, starting last month, and ever since then she's been so great! The first time we taught her, it was like a 7 minute lesson, but right when the Spirit came into the room, Elder and I left, so that we could let the Spirit stay with her and do the teaching. Ever since then, every lesson we have with her is so powerful, the Spirit is so strong. Back then she didn't want to be baptized, but now she wants to so bad so her family can be complete in the church, and so she can promise her Heavenly Father that she will follow Jesus Christ. Her testimony is so strong! We had a date for her on July 6, and last lesson as we were leaving, she began to cry. The Spirit was just so strong, Then she said to me, Elder Doane, I hope you're here when i get baptized, because i want you to baptize me. I was so grateful for that, just to know that she trusted me and would want me to baptize her. So we've been talking with her husband and we might be moving her date to the 15th of june because she's so ready! We had july 9 set because she was pregnant and worried about her child thats due on the 22nd of june. But now that's not a worry for her at all, and she wants to be baptized as soon as she can! How miraculous huh? I have such a testimony that exact obedience brings miracles. When I got here in caduhaan i thought it had no potential really. Just sugar cane everywhere, no city parts. But through our exact obedience the Lord has really showed us the potential here in this area, and our potential as missionaries. IM SO HAPPY! :) I love you family, and thanks so much for everything you do!

Love,

ELder Doane