Kamusta family! wow this week was a tough one but really good! before i tell you about that i want to share something i was thinking about yesturday at the 1st presidencies christmas devotional. So here in the philippines it doesnt really feel like christmas at all haha. and i have to admit i was feeling kind of lonely and sad about being away from home this christmas. When we would go teach and talk to people in there houses i would look around for the lights and the christmas trees...where's all the christmas stuff? and house after house there was nothing...i thought to myself these people don't even know what christmas is all about! and then it hit me...maybe its me that doesn't know what christmas is all about...maybe i'm to caught up in the presents the lights the material things of Christmas! Last nights devotional really hit me. what is the true meaning of Christmas? i've been pondering that alot and like the 1st presidency said its all about Christ. its a time for us to remember him and his great atoning sacriface. thats what christmas is really all about. we don't need the fancy presents and things to make us have a good and memoriable christmas. Its all about our lord and savior Jesus Christ. i've come to learn a very valulable lesson this week. These people here may not have money to buy presents and even room in there house for a tree but one thing they do know is the true meaning of christmas! i'm thankful for this great lesson i've learned, i know when i was back home i got rapped up in the presents and the neat things and hardly thought of what christmas is really all about. so if i could give you a gift from the philippines it would be just to focus on the real meaning of christmas and remember our savior Jesus Christ!
so this week was a tough but good one! our investigator is still going strong and is still going to be baptized this weekend! i'm way excited for her! its great. one cool thing that happened this week was i was with elder frandsen our american zone leader and we were in a taxi going to this house that was kind of far away and the taxi driver was asking a ton of questions about the church and was way interested haha the spirit was so strong and it was inside a taxi! way cool then we taught this way nice family and on our way home the taxi driver was asking a bunch of questions. i was thinking no way two in a row!!! it was so sweet he said he really liked what he heard and wanted to find the church and take his family there! what a neat experiance. haha i was way pumped when we got home cause two taxi drivers were way interested it was pretty cool. haha but finding the less active is a lot harder then we ever thought! the records we have of the people aren't complete meaning we don't have complete addresses and so we can't find the houses. we walked around for like 3 hours just trying to find one house! haha we dont have to much support from the ward but we're just pushing forward and doing the best we can. i'm learning to love this place and the people here more and more each day which has been a great blessing in my life. i just want to be able to help them more and more and they truly are really nice and great. i'm good though don't worry about me the lord is watching over us missionaries more then i ever thought! im glad you guys are doing well! thats awesome to hear your going to the temple! i never knew how much i loved the temple until i couldn't go to one! so keep going and recieve the great blessings that come from it! i love you family more than you would ever know! i'm thinking i might call home the 26th here so that will be christmas day for you there! i'll keep you updated. anyways i love you guys and hope your having a great christmas season! keep the faith and it will snow! love you family talk to you next week! mahal kita elder machen
