Pregnant squid is edible???

Did I tell you I've eaten a pregnant squid? Eggs and all? Oh, and it's ink? And that all the fish and crabs still have eyes? And I eat sardines whole? And I didn't though up? Didn't even gag!  Also, I am a lot tanner, skinnier and blonder then I use to be. I put on my jeans for service and was worried they were not going to stay up. Elder Stirland offered me some rope. Elders... always so helpful. 

This week we had a new investigator. She just lives down the street from us. She always smiles and waves at us like she knows us, but we are always running late to an appointment whenever we walk that way, so we have never been able to stop to talk to her. We have even written her in our planners twice. So finally this week we were determined to visit her. The moment she could tell we were coming to talk to her, she was like come in come in! And feed us. She said that every time we would walk by she would wish we would come and visit her. She was almost giddy that we came. We had only been there for 5 minutes and I already felt like we had been visiting her for a long time. We automatically loved each other. We shared about the Book of Mormon, and the next time we came she had started reading from the beginning and talked about how good it felt when she read it. We had planned to teach her Lesson 1 through prophets, but we started talking about the Holy Ghost. When we explained that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost were three different people, it was like a light bulb turned on. She said that she had been wondering her whole life how they could be 1 person. She said that it never made sense to her before, but now it was clear and made perfect sense. It was just cool. She has two cute little kids, who already love us as well. We gave them a copy of the picture story book of the Book of Mormon and they were already looking at it before we left. 

We had national day of service on Saturday. That was fun to go and do something different. We planted trees in this national forest place and then 'raked' leaves. I put that in quotes because the gardening tools here are not the same as at home. We dug holes with bamboo and racked with sticks tied together in a bundle. It was awesome, and super pretty. 

We have two baptisms this Saturday. Tatay Godofredo and Lecel are going to be baptized. They are both so ready and so excited! As am I!

Loves you all so so so so so so so so so very much! 

Sister Lyons

I am Filipino...

Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder why I have blue eyes, when I'm a Filipino. Humm?

I went to the temple on Wednesday. We were going to wake up at 3:15 to get ready to go, so we could leave at 4, get their by 5:45 and be in the 6 session. I say we were going, because that was the plan. But we woke up at 4:05 to the cell phone. Aw shoot it's 4! It was the Elders calling to see if we had already left, because the night before Sister Stonick threatened them that if they were late, we were going to leave them. No, we are still here. They were more compassionate then we would have been and waited for us, but we were out by 4:17... not to shabby if I do say so myself. I only forgot to brush my teeth, but I did put on deodorant. Because sister Stonick and I were on this adrenaline rush, we sang hymns the whole way to the bus stop while the elders looked like they were a tad dazed, and too tired to even notice were they were going. Funny boys. (They look like that even when they wake up at 6:30) But the temple is beautiful! It was cool because all the flowers inside are native and the men get to wear native Filipino celebration dress. I love the temple so much! We get to go again this week (not for a session) for temple tour. That is were we take investigators, RC, or LA and teach them about the temple. I think it will be a really great experience. 

We got a new elder next door. Elder Lindford got transferred and has already sent us a hello through Elder Stirland that he misses us. Awww! But the new Elder is great. He is Filipino but we have all decided that he is actually from Samoa and there was a huge storm that blew him all the way to the Philippines and his parents found him in a banana tree and they just forgot to tell him he was adopted. The Filipinos don't even think he looks Filipino, and they claim anyone with dark hair and eyes. 

We've had two awesome FHE's this week with the elders. Which always includes yummy food. I think FHE's might be one of my favorite things to do. It is so fun to share with the members and the Elders always have the craziest games. We also have a new investigator with a baptismal date. He is 13 and his whole family are members except his oldest sister. They were both away at school when the family joined. At their one year mark they were deciding whither or not to got to the temple or wait for their other 2 children. The decided that they needed the influence of the temple right away, so they went right away, having faith that the other 2 children would join them. He is super cute and was so excited to see us at church. It's like he got two new older sisters. 

One of my favorite people is Irene Tutol. She has gone through the temple but has become inactive because her mom won't go to church if she does. It is kinda a stranded relationship. She want to go to church so bad but she also wants her mom to go to church. The first time we went to visit her she looked so exhausted. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. After we started reading from the Book of Mormon, it was like this burden had been lifted off of her. When we went to go visit her this week she thank us for coming right at that moment, because she didn't know how she was going to get everything done and she just didn't know what to do, but she said that she felt so good as we were sharing and after we left.        

Yesterday in RS there was a little girl that had just had enough of sitting still (and I was feeling her pain) so I handed her our family picture I carry and a picture of the manila temple and she stared at them, just stared and smiled at them for a good 30 minutes. She thought they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. I was afraid I wasn't going to get them back. It was so cute. And her mother was sure grateful. 

Tatay Godofredo's wife was at one of our lessons with him... kinda. She always disappears right away but this time she stayed to talk to us, but then left when we started the lesson. But then she sat under the window were she though we couldn't see her and then continued to edge closer to us until she was in the doorway through out the whole lesson. We were pretty excited, as was Tatay. 

Love you all so so very much! I wish you could just all be here for everything! It is all amazing! 

Love, 

Sister Lyons