With Love,

Mahallies! So my kabahays and I finally moved into our new apartment, and it's BEAUTIFUL. GOODBYE TOILET SHOWER, hello wall of separation! (for those of you who've never been to the phils, you probably wouldn't understand...but just look it up on the internet or something. our shower is just a bucket...and the floor ahahaa there is no divider. #yayPHILS ahha just kidding, it's not that bad, but y'know. just one of the things you don't see very often in the states. BUUUUT Can i just say how much I love it here? i would use the toilet shower for the rest of my life if it meant i could be here forever. Golden City is full of blessings and some of the kindest people I've met in my entire life. 

This week, I've learned to love the Lord more than I ever have in my entire life. He'd given me another chance to improve myself, and the sand and stars could never amount to the number of tender mercies He has bestowed upon me. I can't even begin to express how continually blessed I am to be able to share about the plan God has for each of His children and the sacrifice that Christ made for each of us. 

I've learned this week of the importance of love. Knowing that we are children of our Heavenly Father and that He loves us, and we are WORTH loving changes how we think of ourselves. Acknowledging that others are also children of our Heavenly Father, and that our brother, Jesus Christ, sacrificed His life for them as well should change how we treat others, and inspire us to see them with love - giving them extra patience. And lastly, but most important, making the right choices out of love for God, rather than fear of Him, changes the amount of happiness we will have in our lives. Believing that God has given us rules and regulations as restrictions make life seem like prison cell, but when we understand that He has given us commandments as steps to become more like His son, Jesus Christ, we will realize that the motivation behind it all was always love.

Let us seek to serve others with love, and to serve God with love. We shouldn't choose to obey God and serve others just because we're afraid of the consequences - that is selfish. We're only thinking of how the consequences will impact us. Instead, I invite us all to be selfless and strive to be better, because we want to be closer to God,&we love Him too much to do anything to hurt him. Strive to serve others, not because of the reward, or praise, or consequence, but because we want to help others to feel the Christ-like charity we all hope others would show us. As my mother taught me, "One of the greatest ironies in life is that we acquire love as we give it away"

Throughout history, the prophets of God have called repentance among people. Rarely do we ever think of this as an act of love - more often than not, we think it to be an act of chastisement. We think "GET OFF OF YOUR HIGH HORSE! you're not perfect either!" But I know that they have been sent as representatives of God and that God calls us to repent because He loves us. He wants us to return to Him, and we cannot do so if we are dirtied with sin and have not used the atonement to repent and become clean. He wants so badly for us to come back into His arms, and has given us all the tools to do so. I know that our leaders are called of God - and that we have a living prophet on the earth today, by the name of Thomas S. Monson. Heavenly Father has an equal love for the people of olden times as He does for us, and knows that we need guidance because our specific needs are not the same as those people in times of old. I'm grateful, that because He loves us, He has given us direction. I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the Bible, which stand as a constant reminder that God still speaks to His children today. I'm grateful for this gospel, and hope to share it with each of you, because it is something that has changed my life, my family, and my relationship with God - and I know it will do the same for you. You are so, so, so very loved. You are prayed for. And you are known by our Father in Heaven. Please don't ever doubt His love for you, or the love of His son, Jesus Christ. 

I know these things to be true, and I'm happy to leave my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.