7 months, WOW!

Dear Family and Friends,

It's hard to belive that I'm here writing again and that 7 months have already gone by on my mission! Time really flies! As usually this past week has been another great one in Burgos. We had 2 baptisms which were awesome. We had to make a lot of last minute adjustments to our plans but the Lord answered our prayers and everything worked out perfectly. So far this transfer has been awesome. It has been such a blessing to be a trainer. I feel like I am learning more than Elder Tating. Right now we are the first transfer to use the 12 week program and it is awesome. It is the Iron rod to successful training. It helps you become a preach my gospel missionary and helps give the trainee opportunities to take the lead with teaching, finding, and planning. It's so important to let them take the lead even when they aren't 100% comfortable. It's through the act of doing that we really learn. It amazing to see the changes that are happening in missionary work right now. Things are a lot different now from the time I got into the field 5 months ago. It has made me realize the blessing of having Church Leaders who receive revelation to further the work of the Lord. Elder Tating is an awesome companion. He is from Laguna Philippines and his family are all members. He is really easy to get a long with and we learn things from each other everyday. Elder Tating has been such a great example to me of enthusiam for the work. He's always excited to the work. Even when it's pouring rain, when we walk 5 miles in Philippine heat, when he is trying something new or teaching a lesson for the first time he is always excited. It makes the work so much more enjoyable when you are excited about being a missionary and there is love and unity in your companionship!

This past week we had an awesome experience with one of our investigators. Her name is Nora. We have been teaching Nora for 3 weeks now and since the begging I have thought that she was really shy. It turns out that she doesn't understand Tagalog really well and really only speaks Ilicano. However before we learned she talked to her fellowshipper and told him that she had felt a different good feeling in her life and She didn't know what it was but she really liked it. Her fellowshipper (a recent convert) told her that it was a spirit and it came from living the Gospel. We now have a member act as a translator at all our lessons, and Nora's progress is awesome. Because she has felt the Holy Ghost she knows this Church is true. This helped me realized the importance of the Holy Ghost in Conversion. That a missionaries we aren't always perfect at the Language but the Holy Ghost can speak to anyone. Conversion only takes place through the spirit.

This past week we found what we thought was a Golden investigator. He was awesome! We oym'ed him on our way home once night and came back and taught him two lessons. However after two lessons he moved to a different city for his Job. We told him he can conctact the missionaries there and I pray that he does. This week we also had one of our investigators who was progressing towards baptism tell us we couldn't come back and teach her because she had gotten into a fight with her husband about her becoming a member. It was really hard to hear that. It's hard to see the people you love tell you can't continue. However the Lord has a plan for everyone and when one door closes another door opens. This week we had some great doors open with new investigators and with working with the members.

Right now the work is good and it's really busy! Our new meeting house should be dedicated in a couple weeks and it is giving us so many great finding opportunities. The work continues to progress in Burgos! This past week I really enjoyed Alma 26:12. It helped me realize that to be humble we have to have confidence, not in ourselves but in the Lord. "In the strength of the Lord I can do all things". We really are nothing without the Lord it is only through him that we are able to do what we do everyday.

As far as the pictures go. In the first one, my tie is wet from yes, sweat:) The second one is from the baptism of Mayanne and Richieanne.

Being a missionary is the greatest! I love this work so much. I Love my Savior and I know he loves us all. I love the people here and mahal ko kayo!

Love Elder Leishman