Happy Mother's Day~ May 14

Dear Family and Friends, It was awesome to talk to this morning on the phone! I really enjoyed it! It was fun to hear everyone's voices! I hope that I wasn't awkward at all. It's amazing how fast those 40 minutes go on the Phone. Anyways I am glad that everyone is doing well and that things are good at home! This past week has been a really good week. We had a lot of good things happen! For the past couple weeks we have kind of seen our teaching pool fall apart. However this past week we found a lot of new people to teach and saw some miracles happen with our investigators and less-active members. We found a less-active member who went inactive right after his baptism 12 years ago and he doesn't really remember anything about the church. He experienced an accident in the ricemill where he works and broke his leg. He isn't working while he is waiting for his leg to heal and this has given us the chance to teach him the Gospel. I know that God has a plan for all of us and he puts people in our path that are ready to receive or re-recieve the Gospel. Last sunday we also had a less-active member come to church with her husband. They moved here to San Jose from Paniqui a year ago and they just found the Church. We went and taught them last saturday in a place called palasapas. It's beautiful there! up in the Mountains but the road is paved there. The area and the people there actually remind me a lot of Burgos! They came to church again yesterday and so happy that they finally found the LDS church in San Jose. One of the highlights of this past was having the De Dios Family attend church as a family and attend all 3 hours of church. Right now one of the big struggles we have with our less-active members is getting them to attend church for 3 hours. Most of them leave right after sacrament meeting. We try and get out into the foyer quickly to help them stay, and we have fellowshippers to help take people to classes but somehow they end up sneaking out and going home. I talked a little bit about the De Dios Family last week. They are awesome! They are a less active family who in the process of coming back to church. They two oldest children aren't yet members and they loved church. I really love teaching them because every single one of them is excited about the Gospel. We really have had to adjust our teaching to meets the needs of Brother and Sister De Dios and they children. Brother De Dios's mother is actually a temple worker in Manilla and I know is very excited for her son and family to come back to the Church. I really just love teaching families. Seeing a family accept and live the gospel is about one of the most rewarding things a person can do! For the past two months we have teaching an investigator named Crison. He is super smart and really wants to know the truth. He is aready in Alma in the Book of Mormon but is having a hard time recognizing the spirit. Part of his concerns come from his family members who are devoted Catholics and don't want Crison to Join another a religion. This past week Elder Adao and I fasted for Crison and we taught him about fasting and how through fasting we can receive answers to our prayers. We havn't been able to follow up on his fast yet put I am praying that he will have received a witness through the Spirit about the Truthfu

lness of the Gospel. Lately I have been better able to understand the Power of Fasting in our lives. Through fasting we come closer to our Heavenly Father and We show him that we are willing to sacrifice and humble ourselves to gain spiritual power. I know that fasting brings spiritual power and sensitivity into our lives that helps us help others and receive answers to prayers. Well, I love being a missionary! What a Blessing! I love San Jose and I love my Savior. This wed. Is transfers. I'll let you know what happens next week! mahal ko kayo nagmamahal Elder Leishman