April 5, 2015 --- Rockstar Grandma

Happy Easter!!  How were you Easter egg hunts and General Conference and Spring Break?!  Did I tell you? I just wish I could carry a video camera around with me all the time so you could see how great it is here!

I have so many favorite parts of this week but this one is probably my favorite-favorite funny thing.  We were talking with a woman (I think she said she's in her 90's) who kept telling me I look like Mary, and as soon as we bring up the church (literally all we said was "We're missionaries from the church...") she completely cut us off and started singing really, really loud (and energetically!) about the Virgin Mary.  I wish I could have recorded it but just imagine a granny, with black dye in her hair, a huge umbrella to block the sun, waving her arms and acting out/pointing to each thing she sings about..."Your hair so dark...and your skin so fair...something about a long cloak...come sit by me near the tree over there..." I wish I could have remembered the whole song though because it lasted for at least a full minute.  She's definitely my new favorite singer!!

Saturday night was the hottest night EVER in my life!!!  It was so hot that my dream was just about me filling water bottles and putting them in the fridge.  Every day gets a little bit hotter and I'm finally beginning to understand why people say the Philippines is so hot.  And it's not even the hottest part of summer yet!  You know the scene from Holes when all the boys are in the desert and it's really hot and they're cheering on the cloud that almost covers the sun?  That's just what it's like here! I love the clouds more and more each day and I get more and more excited for rainy season!  (which is still pretty far away)...

This week was Holy Week and there is so much that goes on during Holy Week!  It was even crazier than Christmas or New Year's!  There were parades, all kinds of events in the plaza, food, and fireworks the whole week long.  It was great though because everyone is home for the week so we were able to teach/find a lot of people who we would have normally not been able to get a hold of.  My favorite lesson though was when we made temple goals with one of the families in our area.  It was kind of a "family counsel" with the missionaries.  For their goals, they decided on the date they want to be sealed as a family and wrote down how they were going to prepare for it.  It was so much fun seeing how involved/excited everyone got!  The kids all gave ideas of how they can improve their scripture study, remind each other to say their prayers, and help each member of the go to church on Sunday.  It was just such a sweet lesson and so, so exciting!!  I love seeing people progress in the Gospel and find more happiness each day in living the Gospel. 

Also, here's my little Easter message.  Today I was reading, from the March Liahona, Elder Bednar's talk Strength Beyond Our Own (that's a link so you can read it!) and it was really good!  It's about the "Grace" part of the Atonement.  Anyways, Elder Bednar is talking about when Nephi's brothers tied him up and Nephi prays for the strength to break the bonds he was tied in. I love when Elder Bednar says, "He did not pray to have his circumstance changed. He prayed to have the strength to change his circumstance."  I love that the Atonement doesn't only make it possible for us to be forgiven but will also give us strength to become better.  While you watched General Conference I hope there were things in your life that you realized could be changed to help you come closer to Christ.  And as you try to change, or improve, on those things, always remember and use the enabling power (grace) of the Atonement.  I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us so much and wants the very best for each of His children.  The Atonement is one of the many blessings or tools we have that we can used every single day to help us reach our fullest potential and be worthy of receiving all the the blessings Heavenly Father gives us.  I love you all and hope you take full advantage of having strength beyond your own!

Love, 

Sister Marshall 

 

When the sun gets really bright outside, Sister Lim pulls her umbrella down to block the sun...and then she looks like a mushroom!!

 

Sometimes we find random things like a bathroom in the middle of the water...

 

Lately we've been seeing lots of goats everywhere!!!  They chase after us sometimes which is scary!  Also, this buko (coconut) house in the background is super masarap (delicious)!!  |They have the yummiest coconut shakes!