SALUTE to BALUT

So this week I became a Filipina.... that is right... I ate Balut (: the half embryonated duck egg. I ate an 18 day one... the oldest they had at time but I guess 20 days plus are the highest you can get. It was ... tasty. I covered it in salt and vinegar ha-ha and luckily there were no feathers nor beak in this one but the body part... like i don't know I won't get into details but it was not that bad., It was actually pretty good. I want to be daring and try a 20 day or older.... maybe I will give my stomach some time though lol.

So today is fiesta so there are so many people are around and we have this thing called "okay oki" which is all the clothes sent from Goodwill/ D.I., etc.  from the US sent here and then sold in the markets. It is awesome! My companion bought a skirt for 10 pesos... like 25 cents. I may have some bought some souvenirs.... you will all have to see when i a home or i will try to take some pictures in them this week. But it is fun and we bargain with the people getting them to lower the prices. I am not too good at it but I try. But we had lunch at our landlords apartment,  sobra masirap pagkain (very delicious food) and I love her. She is so funny and very nice. We were asked to come to 4 houses to eat today... only going to be able to make it to two of the, but we are being fed well. And I weighed in last week and lost 3 pounds... I am scared my body is going to start going in reverse though with fiesta. You say "busog na" (full now) and they make you eat more( hahaha.)

So some big news this week! My area split! And we were going to have two Filipina sisters, and then I get to district meeting, and where we had interviews with the mission president and I see Sister Sands, a sister from my batch (came with me from the MTC)! She was in the other district but we knew each other in Provo.  So she and Sister Barramada are the new Sisters in our area. They are Goa 2B and we are Goa2A.  These two sisters live with us now, and the other two sisters, Sister Christensen and Sister Farnes live next door.  So we have 4 Americans living in pretty much the same house. When we walk around it is hilarious. What’s your name?", “You are beautiful" "Hello ma'am". I still laugh at the attention we get as Americans and it has its pros to it. People wonder why we are here and ask us sometimes about it. But it does have some cons. It can be quite uncomfortable at times.

Since our area split My companion and I are in the really far areas, Cagagycay, Salog and Napawon. Then we also have Gimiga, Halawig Gogon and the Borja area/ barangay.  We don't have as many people to teach and our teaching pool has shrunk so we are going to tract loads this week and do what we can to find investigators. It will be a new experience that is for sure, but I am half excited. We have not tracted, or went door to door since I have been here, and neither has my companion!  So wish us luck and courage! I am nervous, but good thing people are usually understanding and really are pretty impressed with the Tagalog I do know.

One miracle this week or cool experience for us has been our investigator quit smoking, and hasn't for 4 days now. I know that is not super long but her has been really reading the Book of Mormon and I asked him how he felt when he prayed if it was true and he said he felt in his heart it is true (: ahhh so awesome!

One of my new favorite scriptures this week is about hope.

 It is Hebrews 6:15:

“ 15 And so, after she had patiently endured, she obtained the promise.”

I may have changed the he to she, but I am applying this to my language learning and the frustration that comes with that sometimes. I need to patiently endure and have hope and the Lord has promised to His missionary the gift of tongues. One day (: I am happy with where I am at and so blessed to be a missionary. Thanks for all the support all of you give me (:

Until next week!

Filipino Grandma

Okay Oki

JUNE 17^th, 20 13 – Being Grateful

So we had 2 baptisms on Saturday, and the Goa 1st Sisters had 3 also we decided to have one big service for the 5 children. It was amazing! And I love one of our investigators that was baptized, Vincent, he was SOOOO excited he ran to the font when it was his turn. And the other investigator, Jona, her father was able to baptize her and he has been inactive for 3 years! I felt the Spirit so strongly and I love being the chorister ( I am in relief society, at our baptisms, and even was last zone conference haha). I love it though because there is such a strong spirit when we sing and praise God. I love the power of music and that influence it can have in our lives for good.

So a funny story this week. One of the days we were going to Upper Classy TayTay. a barangay (neighborhood) where we have to walk like a mile to get there... okay maybe not a mile but it is a ways out. It is the area in my photos that I am pointing on a long dirt road with rice fields in the background. So on the way there I realized I didn't have my umbrella, which I almost always bring. It looked stormy but not too bad (speaking of it just started pouring rain haha). But anyways so we were like a 4th the way there and we started hearing the rain like coming behind us... like a wall was coming our way. We had my companion’s umbrella and used it as a shield because the rain was pelting us sideways. We tried taking cover behind some tall weeds (haha )but there were no houses or any where to take cover. We were drenched and walking in mud, it calmed a bit so we ran the rest of the way. We were laughing so hard, ringing out our skirts and embracing it. It is rainy season here for sure. I really love it (: So fun.

I have realized more and more. I realized this a lot while I was on service council is that I like to do spur of the moment random things. I have been gutsy in trying foods from members and maybe I should be more cautious but I have been okay. Knock on wood... but really… I love to embrace the culture and try what people give me. I have yet to try Balut but I plan on trying it soon. Sister Morales loves it.

So I talked in Sacrament yesterday and talked for about 5 minutes! Big for me! I had written it all out and pulled quotes from the Liahona conference issues we have in our apt... but I went off the paper and did a lot of it on my own! I feel that because I prepared the Lord was able to give me the words I should say at the very hour I needed them (sound familiar (: D&C 100:6 ). But I told of the story of the Prodigal Son and how like him, if we turn out hearts back to the Lord, rise up, and go to our Father admitting out wrongs and repenting, like the Prodigal son, the Lord WILL do just this:  "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had  compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."

The Lord is so willing to run to us and welcome us back into His presence, IF we repent. I also talked about the Atonement and how it won't apply to us if we don't repent of our sins.

Christ says in D&C 19:16-19

 16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

 18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

 19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

I talked about not taking upon ourselves this pain and burden, because Christ already has. We are just asked to repent, acknowledge the greatness of God, and our imperfections, and strive to do better each day. I may or may not have shed some tears when I was talking , but I felt the Spirit so strongly testify to me the truths that I spoke and that some people in the congregation needed to hear what I was saying.

I love being a missionary. Its hard, and sometimes I think...'Woah, where am I? What am I doing here?' and then I realize all those questions say "I,I,I". What I should be asking is 'Where does He need me to go? What is it He needs me to do?' and then I can be he missionary I need to be. This is something that is so hard, but I hope I can strive to become a more selfless missionary.

One last story before I go, but I have surprisingly been more put together then I thought when it comes to seeing poverty. I thought I would cry all the time, and I have at times, but I have tried to just realize that this is what they are used to and many don't know differently, especially children. I did have a break down yesterday though. There is this family who has so little and the kids often go to bed with no food. I had Fita crackers (like ritz) in my bag, but they had been smashed pretty bad, but I gave them to the boy we teach. He was so excited! He opened them and shared them with his brother, and I literally couldn't hold it in. They have a lot of family problems, that I won't talk about but let.s just say he is 11 and has to work to support himself pretty much.  He has 5 younger siblings, all of which I adore and I have contemplated so many times... hmmm could a 21 year old adopt 6 kids? Would they let me? I know that even though they go to bed hungry at times, the Lord watches over them. He loves His little children and helps lift them up. This was an eye opening experience for me and I really want to appreciate all that I have. Even when they have so little, they laugh, play and have so much fun. Material things, and temporal things help us in this life but they are not things of great importance. I love the gospel and the light and hope it brings to this little boy’s life, and mine. I am grateful for what I am blessed with.

I hope all is well in your life and that things finds you happy in well.

Xoxoxoxox

The Lord's Will, Not Mine

This week I have had some ups and downs but I sure have learned so much about myself. My companion and I have had some misunderstandings, but I realized and have really worked on putting myself in her shoes and it is hard to train, especially when the person you train is not fluent in the language and day in and day out you have to do the majority of lessons or fix what she does wrong lol. There have been things we both have had to work on but we are communicating a lot better and I am so grateful for what I have learned from her. She has lived a hard life, and had a lot of trials to face, but she never lacks faith in the Lord, and continues forward enduring to to end.

But some miracles this week. The language is coming along. I found myself talking without pausing and saying what I wanted to say. I am also trying to be more confident and gutsy when I teach. I mean what is it gonna hurt if I stumble a bit, but get the point across right? Just as long as I don't say something to bad not meaning to haha (which is easy in Tagalog with all the different focuses in sentences), but I am doing good so far. I really love the people and there are some families that when I go there I feel so at home. They are welcoming and I just love teaching. Children are the easiest to talk to to, and they are so patient. I have learned to laugh with them when they laugh at my accent/language and then it causes them to laugh more so it works (:

Last week a member told us of a less active family she knew was in the area but their records were not in the wards. We went to visit her on Saturday night, and they came to church the next day. They hadn't been in 2 years and now the granddaughter has a baptismal date for July 6th (: The Lord truly places people in our path so ready to hear the word and willing to come back to Him. This was one of the miracles I was able to witness.

Another was a Tatay (father) had not been to church in over 3 years, and we have been teaching his daughter and she is getting baptized next week, and he was there on Sunday (: Through his daughter, I hope he can feel again what he felt at baptism and come back to church.

The Lord is there for us and He knows us so well. He never leaves any of His children alone we just may have our own pavilions covering us from feeling His love. If we seek to do His will and not our own, miracles can happen and we can feel more direction in our lives. I really have been trying to do the Lords will, and work with His timetable for me and the people we teach and I am seeing His hand in my life and the lives of others. Faith is looking forward with hope and not looking back. 

I have been reading in the New Testament really slowly, pondering and trying to understand every verse. There is so much power in the way Christ taught. He taught boldly, yet with love, and He expected a lot, but gave the greatest sacrifice known to mankind, His life, and taking upon all of our sins, pains, heartaches, and losses. All He asks of us is "Come follow me". I feel so blessed to be here in the Philippines being His servant, His hands here on the earth, and I know without a doubt that Christ lives, and He loves me, and every single person on this earth. We should never doubt our worth, because "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God". 

I hope this finds everyone who is reading well. Xoxoxox

Sister Webster

I live in ASIA!!!!!

Okay so something that I say to myself every week is,,I LIVE IN ASIA!!!!!

How crazy is that!? I am living all across the ocean and 1000's of miles away. I forget at times. It is such a weird thing to comprehend at times.

I made a list of things I keep forgetting to write about and I am sure there are so many more things I have forgotten, but here is goes haha:

I weighed in like 3 weeks ago... lost 12 pounds haha. All my MTC weight. I feel so much healthier though and hope I can keep it all off. I have been fed a lot of fried chicken this week lol

Since I have been here, 2 tricees have broken down, once right after we were on it... out in the middle of this dirt road, i felt so bad for the driver, and then once when we were in a brown out and it was pitch dark... it was the day after, i was on the back of the tricee, standing on this step part, and it wouldn't start haha

i have been making no bake cookies (: (we have no oven, aka no oven needed) and they are my fav, and we use fresh coconut shavings (:

Mom can you send me the caramel corn recipe? We made popcorn this week for our companionship study snack on the stove... unique way to make it but it works

Members in the ward keep giving me avocados, from their avocado trees, and we have been making guacamole (: (hahah so many of these bullets are on food hahaha I promise I have lost weight hahah)

this little neighbor boy of ours, who is 3 years old, has a "crush crush" as they say.. on me haha he always runs out to see me walk by, then run and hides when i smile at him haha he is so cute.... hopefully a picture to come with him, i have yet to take one

tonight we have Family Home Evening with the Zabala family and it is SamSam's bday and he is turning 2 so we are buying him a little cake (:

oh one more food story... this one is so funny.... so i found this little pizza stand and we had walked like 5 miles that day, soaked in sweat I thought hey 18 pesos not bad, then we were going to go teach our last lesson for the night. I was content crossing the street eating my pizza and this bike came zooming up (people don’t have the right away here lol) and i saw it and stopped... my companion didn’t... it seriously missed here my inches.... like she was okay and everything, but how would that have gone telling our mission president... "Sorry i was eating my pizza while my companion was hit by a bike" haha so grateful it didn’t happen.

Wow food topic today lol let’s just say i am really loving it here haha

So my area/ward will have 4 missionaries in 2 weeks because our ward boundaries are huge and we have soooo many less actives. so there will be two new sisters living with us and the other sisters will be next door (Sister Farnes and Sister Christensen). So we will have 4 sister missionaries in our Goa 2nd Ward, which will be so helpful and good. I am excited.

Ano pa? I am happy, even though we had no water today and I took a body cloth shower hahaha. Life is good though and I have learned that I just have to look past the physical things that go on, and the bugs, food, rain, lack of water. They are not a big deal in the scheme of things, and I am blessed with so much.

I do love letters though so feel free to Dearelder.com... its free (: or write one of you like... it just takes a while either way.

This week, good luck on graduation Courtney, your mission farewell Kira, Happy birthday Dad, and welcome home Elder Larson!

Keep the faith and trust in the Lord with your whole heart. He knows whats best for you (:

xoxoxoxox