Month of May

So the month of May 2015 has been one of my favorite months in my whole mission so far. Because! I got A LOT of training from President and Sister Rahlf.

We had sisters conference, then stake conference, then new missionaries and trainers meeting, then personal interviews!

SO ABOUT THE WORK:

1.Sister Maroket and I planned to work with our recent converts and less actives. Saturday, we worked with Vanessa (a recent convert) and it has been great! We also asked help from a return less active to fellowship one of our progressing investigators and we felt good about it. In this way, they will have the opportunity to feel joy of the missionary work. Plus, it will “put their own roots even deeper in the rich soil of the gospel” just as what Pres Monson recounted (PMG, 179)

2.We took turns in reporting to the ward correlation yesterday, and I am proud of Sister Maroket.

3. Just this week, I was surprised of how Sister Maroket “used the scriptures” in teaching just as how the PMG told us to do so. She’s been I-R-A-Bing scriptures now!! I was surprised how she introduced the scripture before reading them!! I asked her how she came to apply it, because I had not taught it to her yet. And then she said: “Because that’s what you’ve been doing. So I did the same thing.” Sister Maroket is like the prophet Mormon: SHE IS QUICK TO OBSERVE! So I have to be really very CAREFUL what I have been doing.. Because I she will be doing the SAME THING.

4.The ward suddenly gave me an assignment to speak about MILLENIUM at the sacrament meeting yesterday. I have to admit, I was terrified!! Because I only know a little about millennium!! As I was praying and asking for His help to guide me as I prepare for that “Millenium” talk, I just suddenly remembered the scriptures 1 Nephi 22: 24-26 which tells about the conditions in the millennium! I have never ever used those scripture verses, ever in my whole life. I just suddenly remembered it! The words of our Savior is D&C 84: 85 is true: If I didn’t study those scriptures before mission, the Spirit cannot “bring things to my remembrance” (John 14: 26).. So it is reasonable that whatever teaching assignment I will have in the future will be dependent on how I “treasured up in my minds continually the words of life”! I love the Spirit so much! On how it guides and directs me in every aspect of the work!

I love personal study! I love companion study! I love language study! I love lunch time! I love proselyting! I love teaching! I love accounting! I love planning! I love writing to area book! I love praying!

Because in all of these, the 3rd member of the Godhead is with me to guide me!

This is the time I am closest to heaven.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!!!!!

Sisters Conference

Stake Conference. So this is my second stake conference in Ilagan Stake. The stake president and some of the members of the Ilagan Ward noticed me and told me "Sister ang tagal mo na dito ah"

I might be staying here for the rest of my life. Hahaha!

New missionaries and trainers meeting.

Just a beautiful picture with my anak. :)

I love love love!

Like Jessica: I love my anak. I love my area. I love my mission president and his wife. I love this mission. I love my Father in Heaven. I love my Savior. And every fiber of me loves every thing and every one and every moment I have as His missionary. 

About the work. It has been good. I had colds for 3 days, but I am already fine. Work work work and water water water have been helpful.

I was not feeling well yesterday that it made me want to go home, but I had this feeling that the greater the struggle the greater the blessing. So we continued to work. And tadahh! We had the whole Santos Family again. Taught about Prophets.. and I was so happy when the father of the family willingly offered the closing prayer.. I love this investigator family. If we just went home “because of not feeling well”, I wouldn’t be able to experience the Spirit of hearing Tatay Santos “volunteering” himself to pray.

I am just grateful, to know Christ better as I serve as His missionary.

How long would I be willing to lift?

I am willing through the end!

I love being a missionary!

Beautiful week!

I do not know what to write. We were in the STLs area for 3 days because we had exchanges with them last Friday and then we stayed there ntill Monday morning because of the typhoon. I miss our area. I miss the people there. I miss everything and everyone in Alinguigan.

For the good news!

1. My anak is "growing up" which makes me happy and sad. Happy because that means she's getting used with missionary life. Sad because that means, few months or weeks to go ... we'll be going on separate ways. I love my anak. Our companionship's divine.

2. Being a trainer helped me learn "by experience" that motherhood is really not easy. You do this, and that just for your anak. I've come to experience "in a very small scale" the sacrifices my mother has done for us. She's the best mom in the whole world.

3. We had a very powerful lesson in one of our new investigators family. We were punted all day so I we kept on praying to lead us where He would have us go. And then, after diner...we were led to this family. We taught L1P1-2 and I do not know how words just came out of my mouth continually ... and there the mom cried, the fellowshipper cried, and their eldest daughter cried in the closing prayer. And me not being aware, had tears flowing down my cheeks. The Spirit was too powerful to bear that we left the house speechless.

So yup, at first the day was difficult, but we ended it great. I believe that is also the same for what's happening now.

Hard days, will lead us to better days.

Until the perfect brighter day!

I love being a missionary!

"Whither shall I go?"

I’ve been thinking about Nephi and his father Lehi lately -- of how Nephi asked his father where to go to obtain food (1 Nephi 16:23). 

I think it applies in how we work with people. Even though Lehi became discouraged enough that he murmured, Nephi still went to him and asked his father’s help. 

So for the past few days, I made it a habit to ask other people's help. And I think it has been helpful. I just love the book of mormon so much! I love how it teaches leadership principles like these.. How to make other people strong: Wise Confidence in Them Builds Them. 

I cannot remember who said this but it says that when you treat other people as to who they are right now, they will remain as who they are right now. But if you will treat them as what they should be, they will be.

It could have been much easier for the Lord to do this missionary work all by himself. He is powerful, He is perfect, and He can do things perfectly. But! He called me to do missionary work even though He knows I am not perfect.

I am sometimes awkward in contacting, teaching, asking questions and the like. I fall short. But His confidence in me, builds me!

That's one of the characters I love about our Savior. He gets the “ work” done through people, and on the other hand, He gets the “people” done through the work. 

I just love being a missionary and I am grateful for all the lessons I have learned and continue to learn in this sacred time that I have.

And speaking of sacred time, I am sorry if I write way too much. I still have minutes left, so let me tell you what made me happy this week!

Nanay Agripina Labador and Sister Maricon are now LA returned!!
Jimmy, one of the recent converts has gone to the temple to do baptism for his late dad.

Sherwin, my first LA returned, has gone THROUGH the temple last week … and he bore his testimony yesterday, and I got the best feeling in the whole world! 

I am just so much grateful to be a little part of this great and marvelous work! Yes! I love being a missionary!