Craziest Week!!

February  18, 2019

Okay, first of all, I'm sure you have all heard of the new missionary policy announcement that we, as missionaries, can now video call, email, call, etc. EVERY PDAY!! I was shocked. I did not see that one coming, but I am not complaining! 

This week, I was able to finish the New Testament! I loved reading it, and there is so much that I learned from it. I really feel my testimony of Jesus Christ has increased!! I have recently started reading the Old Testament and am planning to finish it in around 4 months, so pray that I'll have the gift of understanding, haha!! 

Also, we had zone conference on Tuesday and it was amazing! The Spirit was there in abundance! We read this talk from Elder Holland about the importance of the divine companionship of the Holy Ghost being with missionaries. At one moment, Elder Holland quoted from Doctrine and Covenants that "if ye have not the Spirit with you, ye shall not teach." When he said this, the Spirit hit me in it's usual powerful way that I've been feeling lately, but then what followed, about a half second later, was probably the most intense comfirmation of the Spirit that I have ever felt in my life. It seemed to hit me so hard that I think I moved back a little bit on the bench. WOW! The Spirit is incredible and I know that we need it in our lives, especially as missionaries. The companionship of the Holy Ghost is the key to conversion. It was at that moment that I committed to strive to have the Spirit as my constant companion for the remainder of my mission!

Then on Friday, we had a baptism! It was for Noah, who is so awesome! His parents were less active, but we worked to reactivate them a couple months ago, and they haven't missed coming to church since!! We had our recent convert, Gab, baptize Noah. Awesome experience for us all! 

Yesterday, we had a dinner appointment, and while eating the food they prepared, I told them that I had entered heaven. We had rice (of course) with fried chicken, and then a delicious, but different, marinated chicken, along with a super good vegetable dish. Finally, we ate this dessert called bicol, which is sticky rice with caramel! It was amazing!! 

The computer I'm at won't let me upload any of the pictures, but next week I'll send some, so stay tuned!!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Noah's baptism

Bobo ang pusa!

February 11, 2019

Hahah... so I had an interesting Monday last week! Right after we emailed, we were walking to go eat, when my shirt got caught on a sharp edge of a pole and cut a huge hole in it. Then, later that night when p-day was over and we went to teach someone (who is actually getting baptized this week), I felt sick and just terrible!

So, after the lesson, we went back to the apartment - now here's where it gets weird - we walk into the house and find a cat stuck in between our window and the screen! It must've squeezed through this super tiny hole, but then it couldn't get out, so it was freaking out when we arrived! We let it outside, and then we heard something running around upstairs... ANOTHER CAT! Elder Villalobos and I had just come back from walking over the mountain in the dark, so he had his flashlight in his hand - which actually doubles as a taser (don't ask me why)! Just then, the cat jumps on my bed and Elder Villalobos wanted to scare it. Seeing the cat on my bed, and knowing Elder Vilalobos' intentions to scare the cat, I said "Huwag na! Sa ibabaw siya ng kama ko!" Meaning "Don't! It's on my bed!" He didn't listen. He used the taser and the cat got so scared... IT PEED ALL OVER MY BED! Then he chased it outside, hahah! So, feeling sick and terrible, as I did, instead of laying down (Mom, I'm fine now), I spent the evening washing my sheets!

Yesterday, we had our interviews with President and he told both Elder Grant and me that, unless Heavenly Father has anything else to say, we will most likely be going to new and separate areas. I'm excited for a possible transfer, and to see new scenery, but I've grown to love a lot of the people here and will miss them all so much!

I heard everyone got a ton of snow in the states! It is getting super hot here! The hot summer months are almost starting. Summer, here is.. well, always, but technically it's march-may. So if anyone wants to send a package full of snow that would be very appreciated ;) 

MAHAL KO PO KAYO!

Pic: A very confused cat

Six Months!

February 4, 2019

Wow! Six months! That's crazy! Part of me is like, "that went by way fast", but also the other part thinks about everything that has happened and says, "that was only six months?". Crazy that the first 6 months of my mission was spent with Elder Grant, which, by the way, I forgot to mention in my last email that he is still living with me haha... ALSO, on our six months day (feb 1st), Elder Grant and I happened to have exchanges together in his area. The first four appointments fell through and we had nothing to do...So we just walked and walked and found some new people to teach and then walked some more. It's a good thing we had a lot to talk about while we walked! We had also gone on a run that morning so after running and then walking all day, when we finally got back to the apartment, I was so sore! 

On Wednesday, we helped the zone leaders move to a new apartment, because their old one was falling apart and was so nasty! 

SPIRITUAL STUFF!!! 

Every time we share the lesson about Joseph Smith, I feel the spirit so strong! My testimony of Joseph Smith, as a true prophet, is rock solid! Also, a couple weeks ago I finished the Doctrine and Covenants, and I loved it! There are a lot of super powerful verses and great explanations for some things in the church! I'm so grateful for the prophet, Joseph Smith's amazing faith and love towards the Lord! 

LOVE YOU ALL!

The zone leaders moving their fridge on a trike

The best and healthiest way to break a fast! Pancakes with nutella and syrup, noodles, and of course a sprite! (Sorry mom)

New Comp!

January 28, 2019

This has been a very eventful week! After I said goodbye to Elder Ferrer, I temporarily became companions with another elder, whose companion also went home. To be honest, I was not excited to be companions with this guy... I have been around him a few times, and he has come across as a super prideful person. Also, I had heard a lot of rumors about him from others too... Never judge people! One night when we were in his apartment, he opened up to me and shared with me how he has thought about going home a couple times, and that his mom was the only person that kept him on the mission. He confessed that he would hate nothing more than going home early and disappointing his mom. As he opened up to me, I realized in that moment that not only is everyone is a child of God, but also, everyone is a son or daughter of a mother... After this realization, my perspective of him, and jumping to conclusions about people in general, changed. I found that I enjoyed my time with him and learned a lot, in the process. We actually got along super well.

On Thursday, I met my new companion, Elder Villalobos, another short Filipino! He's 5' 1"! Haha... he has super bad OCD when it comes to cleaning. First thing he did when he got to the apartment, was clean the upstairs (even though it looked clean to me) and then he flipped when he saw that my ties that were hung up upside down... hahah... He's super funny and very talented when it comes to teaching. He was only converted 8 months before he left on his mission. He lives with his brother in law and hasn't seen his parents in 11 years! He returns home from the mission in April, and then he has a plane ticket to go see his parents in May! His story is very inspiring and I'm looking forward to a great 6-12 weeks with him!

Love and miss you all!