"I'm Pregnant....again! hahaha 1/20/13

Well sounds like this week was good for you guys, send my love to gramps and know im praying for him. as for things in the good ole pilipinas it was a week full of blessings for elder and i, and more for our investigators! the lords hand is really in the work here and it drives us to push forward and take advantage of this. well i got the call this week, i'm training again. everybody was joking around with me saying "ay buntis ulit si elder machen." translation, elder machen is pregnant again haha. (its a joke in the mission that if you train you have a (anak) or kid, so since this is number 3 for me the elders were joking around saying i was pregnant again.) i feel blessed the lord is entrusting me again to train a new missionary and i have to say im very surprised but know i will do my best. so this week was full of traveling to meetings and fitting in as many appointments as we could. our investigator sis liway passed the baptismal interview so this thursday she will be baptized, its amazing the story that goes behind her. i would like to share it with you this week, so we met sis liway back in november, she joined a lesson we were teaching to this other family, she didnt seem interested at all and after the 1st lesson she was the last person i thought would progress out of the family of 6. well two months later she is the only one left out of that family, she quickly gained a testimony of the book of mormon and has been faithful in church attendance. elder and i knew we had to give her a ibd (baptismal date) but we didnt know when, so we did the only thing we knew, pray. we got on our knees and maybe where there for about an hour praying for what day the lord would have her to be baptized, after much pray and talking it over with my companion, we felt through the power of the holy ghost she should be baptized on jan 24. we had little time to teach her all the lessons and get her prepared for such a sacred covenant, but we trusted in the lord and went forth with faith! all i can say is she has truly been enlightened by the spirit of the lord! it has been amazing to see, she has made sacrafices and has been blessed where i have been left jaw dropped with what the lord has done for her and her family. i want to testify with all my heart that the heavens our open! The lord answers our prayers and prepares the way. Sis liway asked us the other day who would be the one to baptize her, we told her whoever she wanted, she thought for a second then looked up and me and asked "elder machen can you baptize me?" i was taken back and it truly touched me that she wanted me to do that. family this work is truly the work of our Heavenly Father. elder terry and i are bummed this will be our last week together because we have become best friends, i have learned so much for him and will truly never forget the work we did here in little santa maria. this work is inspiring and i absolutly love it, i love you family and know you are in my prayers and trust in the lord with all your heart! mahal kita Elder Machen