Week 61 (Bacolod)

Maayong aga sa inyo tanan!

So today is indeed transfer day.  The good news is we are not transferring! The ultimate duo gets another transfer in the land of Bacolod 2nd ward! I'm grateful for our companionship that is exactly obedient, diligent in the work, and still able to have fun along the way! The APs gave us a scare though because they called last night AND this morning to freak us out but it's okay, it was all just a joke. They scared us good though. When they said Sister Clarke won't transfer she hugged me and pressed all the air out of me but we were overflowing with relief and joy :) 
Lots happened this week:
  • MLC (Missionary Leadership Council): It was my first time and we received lots of good training from President and the APs. And I got to see some of my old companions! 
  • Zone Conference: Sister Clarke and I had to do a demonstration of talking to and teaching the Restoration to people on a Ceres bus. Which is funny cause Sister Clarke has only been on 2 Ceres buses her whole mission. And who pretended to be the teachees? The APs (assistants to the President)! It was terrifying but kinda fun :) It's weird to think that we are the old missionaries now. We also watched a clip from Star Wars. The part where Yoda is training Luke Skywalker in the swamp with the famous line "do or do not, there is no try" and another good one "judge me by my size, do you?" but what stood out to me this time was when Yoda does the seemingly impossible and uses the Force to lift the X-wing out of the swamp, Luke exclaims, "I can't believe it!" and Yoda calmly replies, "And that is why you fail" We have to trust our Master and do things even when they seem daunting and impossible at first. 
  • Willis: The Willis worked with us this week! Last Saturday, and it was so fun! They took us to lunch. We went to some appointments and had really good lessons and a strong spirit. Just like in Cauayan. They also attended the baptism of Sister Janarie which brings me to the most important happening:
  • BAPTISM OF JANARIE: Sister Janarie got baptized with her two kids, Kim and Clyde. I love her very much and she was so excited for her baptism! She started coming to church with her cousin and family. She felt the spirit and agreed to let us visit her. We taught her and she was 100% prepared to receive the restored gospel. Her life has been hard, she used to drink a lot. But after she went to church, she stopped. We asked her to pray if our message is true and she did and felt the Holy Ghost. We gave her a Book of Mormon and a reading assignment. The next time we came back and asked about it, she showed us the notes she took in the back of her 10-year-old daughter's notebook. We got her a journal of her own and she takes notes on gospel principles class, her reading assignments in the Book Of Mormon, and our lessons with her. She understands the scriptures and the gospel and LIVES it. I shed tears as I watched her come up from the water. And as she cried during her testimony. You can see the change in her. How the light fills her eyes and now their home. You can see she doesn't feel burdened anymore by her past or current struggles. She radiates joy. Sister Clarke and I were bursting with joy and love. This is why I love being a missionary. This is why I love the gospel. This is why I'm here in the Philippines.
LOVE YOU ALL THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS

SISTER BINGHAM

*There are a couple of videos attached - you may have to go to the actual blog if you wish to view them. Thanks!

**For more photos of the art museum click this link: google drive art museum folder

We went to an art museum on Monday 

Art Museaum exterior

Nativity

BAPTISM OF JANARIE: Sister Janarie got baptized with her two kids, Kim and Clyde.

Sister Clarke trying to write a poem in Japanese while Allen is being interviewed for baptism this week.

Zone Conference



***Another video link that was too large to attach:  Walking down the road/Philippines






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