Happy Mother's Day!

Dear ones,

First, it was so fun to see your faces back in our home and talk to you. The promise that we get to be together forever is the best! Enjoy Laie, I'm sure it's missed you. Mama, I love you more than I probably understand. I'm so grateful to see how I'm becoming like you, because if I can be like you in even a small way, I'd be happy. To  everyone else, I love hearing about your lives and successes and you inspire me. That is all.

Second, I am ridiculously happy. This week has been one of the most jam packed weeks of my mission, and I don't expect this to change too much, but I am so so happy. (I completely understand that this does not sound like old Josie.  But it's true, because I'm Sister Tueller!)

First, I said good bye to Balamban. The gift of charity is great, but it's hard when we have to pull ourselves away from these people. But they'll be fine. On Wednesday night, the YSA organized an FHE for their less active friends all by themselves and invited us to give the lesson and then brought everyone and their non member friends and it was at the house of our Less actives' , but the DumDums are actually active now. It was this wonderful culmination of our efforts to get members involved in the work, and all our work and then to see them stand and bear their own testimonies... I love this work!

Then, it's been a week of meetings: STL meeting, and then an Area coordination meeting, and then a branch council meeting and then district meeting and then Missionary Leader council and now I'm meeting with you all! But I have learned so much. MLC was incredible. Pres. Schmutz is filled with the spirit and we all just want to be better because we've been around him and Sis. Schmutz. One of the coolest part was looking at my peers, and my examples in the mission and seeing how much we've grown. Missionaries are a special group. One thought from the meeting: there are two kinds of faith. First, the kind that helps us endure and keep going and trusting. That's a stepping stone to the second: creative, active faith that not only allows miracles, but creates them, and pleads them down from heaven. That's where we're going!

Plus, we got to go to the temple! I love the house of God. Eternity is real. I just looked around at all these people who I've come to love so much- and I was so glad that we had made it there. For one day, we made it! And tomorrow, we have to be worthy and do everything again. But we can make it!

And I am in San Carlos! Everything about San Carlos feels like I'm meant to be here. I don't quite know how to explain that except that a lot of light and tropical green life  is surrounding me, probably more fully in a spiritual sense, but also in a very real gorgeous sense. Sis. Luyong is the best. She says everything like she means it, and she's so cute and sincere, and everyone wants to listen to her.

As for others, the people are wonderful. One story- we have a great recent convert- he's probably the most converted 18 year old that I've ever met. Ronico sells ice cream everyday from a bike to support his family because his father drinks all the time. And the gospel of Jesus Christ was exactly the light they needed.  And he's being fellowshipped by a wonderful member family, the Baltasars. But on Saturday night, he had a huge problem- his father has forbidden him to go to church anymore. We had to work it out, and then a miracle happened- he showed up on Sunday!

And then on Monday, we stopped by before leaving to Cebu and taught Ronico and his half deaf mother who's read the book of mormon 3 times, but is scared of being baptized. Ronico was scared, but just needed encouragement. He needed someone to tell him that he can do it and I'm so grateful that I get to do it. We asked if he'd read, and he says "Sisters, I'm not going to stop reading the Book of Mormon until the day I die, and not even then." That's what we need. We have no idea how this hard situation is going to work out, and I'd love prayers for Ronico, but I know it'll work out. We'll make it in the end. It's not going to be easy. But it's possible through Jesus Christ!

We found amazing new investigators, stories to follow, 

I love you all!

Sister TUeller