Maligayang Pasko!

Dear Family & friends,

MALIGAYANG PASKO!

This past week has been quite the week. Nothing like Christmas in the Philippines. We had a Christmas zone conference, the branch Christmas Party and were fed well by the members. However one of my favorite parts of this week was watching the youth and young single adults come together to help an investigator family. We have been teaching the Peligro family for a couple months now and progress with them has been slow. two weeks ago we taught them a lesson on faith and how miracles happen through our faith. Two day after this lesson their baby got sick and then spent 5 days in the Hospital. When we were able to teach them again they told us about the miracles they experienced with their child those 5 days. They were so thankful for our lesson and the Miracles the Lord did for them. After all the hospital expenses they didn't have any money to buy the medicine that their baby needed so one of our branch missionaries organized the youth and ysa together and they went caroling for money until they had raised enough to buy the medicine. It was so great to see the members be so supportive of this family and do what they could to serve them. The Peligro family was so touched that they started to attended church, read church, and keep the rest of their commitments. They have felt the spirit and are very excited about the Gospel. They have a baptismal date of January 28. That was definitely one of the highlights of eh week.

This week I had many experiences to better understand the spirit of Christmas and how Christmas is not about material things. The people here are very humble. We probably get more in our stocking than they do Christmas. However they are so happy about all they recieve and for the Filipino people the most important thing about Christmas is simply being together and being happy. The best way the be happy is to make others so and I tried to do that this past week. It was a great week.

This past week Sister Martino talked about how we can all give Jesus Christ a present this Pasko. She encouraged us to all think about one thing that we can give up or improve to become more obeident better disciples of Christ. I think this is something we can all do we all have something we need to change. I wrote my down and put it in a little box. This is one of my presents to the Savior this year.

I love Christmas and love the spirit of brotherhood is brings. I love my Savior and I am so glad I can serve him right now. I love you all. It was great to be able to talk to you this morning on the Phone. I love you all and I hope you are doing well. One of the pictures is me on Christmas with the tree and stocking you sent me and the other is me with some of my batch at the Christmas zone conference and yes Elder Tomasi isn't there. I still haven't seen him here in the Philippines..... Elder Casilac is great and we are getting along. We are doing good work and things are starting to pick up a little bit.

Mahal ko kayo

Love Elder Leishman