Caitlin's Chronicles (Sister Bingham in the Philippines)

Maayong aga sa tanan! This week certainly taught me that miracles really do come after the trial of our faith. We met Brother Efren, 57 years old, a while ago because we were teaching his sister and brother in law about the Book of Mormon. After the lesson, we learned that his daughter and her husband are members of the church in Manila and he's been going to church with them until he left to come here to Binalbagan. So of course, we invited him to church and asked to teach him. When we taught the plan of salvation he had questions about where we go after this life and said he wanted to join a religion where it was clear. After the lesson, he said it was all clear to him now. It was so hard because some days we could never find him!! We spent the day before his baptismal interview on a wild goose chase: asking people where he was, walking there only to find that he had just left that area, and so on. The next day, however, we were able to find him and he was interviewed for bap...

Maayong aga! So this week was full of meetings. On Tuesday, Sister Soriano went to the Sister Training Leader and Zone Leader meeting in Bacolod. She's the only STL in our zone so I went with her to Bacolod and proselyted with Sister Aiono and Sister Burkhardt for the day! It was cool to see a new area and how another training companionship works. We finished the day with ice cream so you know it was a good day. On Wednesday we had a meeting with the Zone Leaders to plan the zone meeting for the next day. I helped Sister Soriano with her training but it was kind of funny cause I'm definitely not a sister training leader and I've only been here for a month....Everyone enjoyed joking about that :P We had FHE at a members home one night. It was lots of fun and we laughed a lot. One of the elders taught about the importance of marriage in the temple, and then we played a game. Whoever lost the game was subject to getting lipstick on their face. (Picture included) Poor Bro...

Maayong udto! Last week and this week are so busy! We traveled to Bacolod last week for zone conference, where I got to see Sister Burkhardt, Elder Yancey, and Elder Keller. I was so glad to see them and talk with them even just briefly! I was so so sad to have missed Sister Hostetter, who had zone conference the day before. (If you're reading this I miss you guys lots!!!) Then my companion is a Sister Training Leader so we are in Bacolod right now for a training meeting, I get to just come along for the ride. They have McDonalds and Jollibee here, which of course is American food (plus rice) but's considered high class. Like they open the door for you when you walk in and you don't throw away your own trash. Crazy right? (See the pictures) So this week, Mary Rose (9) and Rizal (14) were baptized. After their baptism, they get to share a short testimony and it was so sweet. Rizal thanked us for teaching him, and then thanked Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson for being p...