Sister Harris // Philippines Cebu Mission: Week 13 Toledo....

I'm going to start this email out with something I haven't done in a long time...shout outs!!

shout out to STEVE, JANET, and ALYSON BAILEY!! Thank you for the valentines day package, yes I finally received it haha!
shout out to my SINGLES WARD for the jolly ranchers, tootsie rolls, and letters!
shout out to my sweet mother for the card and stickers (bet you're excited i am now over halfway through, no?) ;)
shout out to GRANDMA! Happy Birthday on Sunday! I love you so much!!
also a shout out to Sister Wechsler's mom for the cute card!
and one last shout out to JESSA MAE and JEHAN TILLOR for dinner last night...thank you! read your scriptures :) love you both!

This week has been a great week! What everyone told me before my mission was true, once you hit your halfway mark time just starts to fly...I feel like it was just barely last wednesday! So I hit my 9 month mark on the mission last wednesday and I had been really sad for a few days...but I decided to change my attitude and be happy about all that I have accomplished in the last 9 months, so we had a party to celebrate! I bought ube icecream and a small cake with a "9" candle and us and our housemates, Sister Zamora, and Sister Bacuaja, had a fun celebration. I also made torta talong, a filipino dish. Sister Zamora and I came into the mission at the same time so she hit her 9 month mark too, so it was a double celebration! Why be sad when you can be happy! This is the work of the Lord, he wants me to be happy so I will be happy :)
We also had a zone activity on Wednesday at the beach in Balamban which was super fun! We just played games on the beach and had a good time bonding as a zone. I am serving my mission in such a beautiful part of the world, I am continually amazed at how beautiful Cebu is!
Jenn had her baby this week too! We went to their house for a lesson on Saturday, and nobody was there, so we called and Rico told us that they were at the hospital! We went with President Magbago (branch president) to the hospital, where Jenn was able to receive a blessing before she had the baby. They were going to name him Nicolas Joseph after me and Sister Wechsler's first names, but they decided that wasn't memorable enough, so they are still deciding on the name and might do Harris Wechsler or Wechsler Harris. So funny! So now I will forever be remembered in Toledo because I have a baby named after me.
We have been really focusing on less-actives this transfer in Toledo because our area is FULL of them. Well, this Sunday we saw a lot of success! We had 6 less actives return to church for the first time, and a few returning for the 4th week in a row! This is what success feels like as a missionary. When you see people you have prayed for, fasted for, studied for....making those changes in their life and coming back into the fold. It makes all the hours of walking and sweating like crazy worth it! Our attendance was through the roof on Sunday. As I watched people come in, these people who I have been teaching for the past 13 weeks in Toledo, I couldn't help but feel such immense love for them from our Heavenly Father. I bore my testimony and expressed to them that love. These people have literally changed my life. I will never be the same because of the time I have served in Toledo Branch 2.
Something kind of random that happened this week is that McDonalds opened here in Toledo! I am super excited about that because I can finally get my black forest coke mcfloats again! McDonalds is soooo much better in the Philippines :) I also had my 2nd ever dinner appointment in Toledo, last night, at Sam and Yves and Jehan's house. It was really yummy bangus and I ate it with my hands.
Sister Domingo and I are doing well here in Toledo and I'm still just loving this time I've been given to serve the Lord! Thank you sooo much to all of my friends and family for your love and support! Continue doing all you can at home to hasten the work there! We are so blessed to be members of this church!

Lots of love, Sister Joslyn Sue Harris :)