We discovered the Palawan Portal!

[Marinda's blog this week is short because she wrote her Mom a very sweet and long email. A couple of quotes from that email include:  "This is actually a really happy part of my mission." and "My views of the blessings I have will forever be changed because of my mission." ]

If you see the picture below and think that it's an old one from my time on Palawan, you'd be wrong.  Apparently, we have "bukid" or "wilderness" in our area.  The edges of Paranaque, where we discovered we have some members, are actually pretty wild.  It was nice for me and Sister Taufa to spend some time there,  and we now go back quite often to teach the members there.  It felt like being back in the backwoods of Virginia and Tonga for us at night :)

We've been doing a lot of work here.  We're contacting many part member families, and really working on teaching them and bringing people back to Church for those who haven't been for a while.  We're definitely seeing miracles, and I can say that this is a very, very happy part of my mission.  The ward is amazing and they work well with us in accomplishing this work. 

I really don't have much to say today - except for Happy Valentine's Day!  One of the little girls in the ward said she made us Valentine cards, and she's really excited to give them to us.  We have weekly planning on Friday, so that means that our Valentine's day is going to be spent by making plans for a few hours for all the people we teach.  Sister Taufa and I joked, "We're gonna have SO MANY dates this week!  Baptismal dates!!!"  Ah... missionary jokes.  Sister Taufa and I have a lot of good times together.

I hope everyone is doing well and is happy.  Count your many blessings every single day, and always find ways to serve others. 

Much love,

Sister Larsen

Stairway to Heaven?

On the way out to the area that I now like to call the Palawan Portal because it's so medium jungley again, there's this magical tree that has stairs wrapped around it.  No, the stairs don't go anywhere.  They're just there.  I feel like this should be in a super hip art museum somewhere.