August 12th - Appreciating the Simple Things.... Like Pillows

So I am just starting my 5th week of my follow up, meaning I have this week and the next and then I am over with my follow up, and everyone keeps telling me I am going to be training. We have 10 new sisters come in, all foreigners, this next transfer! I think this is happening all around the world in all missions with the rush of missionaries going out. So many missionaries coming and not as many older missionaries to train them. I am a bit nervous, but I am ready to face what the Lord has in store for me here.

This week was very eventful, dramatic, and so much going on. I will not go into to many details of things since this is publicly seen, but sometimes as a missionary you see or know people a little too much. That is when you just have to step back, be a representative of the Lord and just look past it all and not be involved, and just handle things the right way. But it has been one good long week.

We had exchanges which was just what I needed to prepare me for if I do have to train. I was with Sister Simbol, she is companions with Sister Christensen right now and they live right next to us. We were in their Ward area and it was so fun to go and meet new people and still realize I can teach effectively and well, without even knowing these people at all. The Spirit helped testify their needs so that I was able to help them and say what they needed. It was a very good day. I saw a monkey (for those of you who don’t know, monkeys are my favorite). He is a pet though, chained up, and up in a tree behind a member’s house. Sadly my camera was dead so no picture, but hopefully there will be more in the future.

One cool experience I had with exchanges was there was this less active sister we visited and it was getting dark, and they have no electricity in their home, so we were pretty much sitting in the dark, reading scriptures with the light on our phone, and I can't exactly remember what I said, but the language just flowed and the Spirit was SO strong! I realized she can't see me, and I could hardly see her, but it didn't matter because we were not being taught by each other, but by the Spirit. It was such an eye opening experience for me realizing this is not my work, it really is the Lords, and He is able to create a perfect atmosphere, and Spirit with my imperfect Tagalog. I feel more confident in the language and often lead, and talk a lot in the lessons. Some topics or things are harder to express but with the Lord, I can do His work.

One embarrassing story from this week... so Sister Barlow was asked to play as the pianist at a funeral service for the funeral the father of someone in our ward... and it started at 2. But islander time, usually things start here a half an hour later then said or an hour sometimes so we were leaving the house like right at 2.... (we are bad, and have sworn to always be early now) but Bishop called asking where we were and we said on our way sorryyyy. We get there, and walk in.... There was a WHOLE congregation of people sitting there in silence with the casket at the front and it looked like they were ready to start. She got to the piano and started playing a prelude, and it started a couple minutes later. Oops... we learned that lesson.

This week we had Zone training... and we each got a brand new pillow!!!!! Best day ever! I was so excited lol. They decided as a mission we each should have our own pillow and not leave it at the house for the next missionary to prevent passing of sicknesses and thing. We were happy campers. Sorry my letters are so jumpy... I try to put it in order but it just ends up all over.

We had the baptism for Jason, an investigator who I have taught since I first got here, and it was amazing! He is 18 years old, and was introduced to the church by a less active, now active member. It was so neat to know him so well, all that he has gone through to get to this point and see him enter into the covenant of baptism with the Lord, feel so clean, and have the Gift of the Holy Ghost with him always. I am so happy for him! Jason was confirmed yesterday in church, we had a less active Brother come to church with his family again, this little boy I use to teach got the Priesthood the other day, and I may have bought him a tie, and he passed the sacrament... yesterday was a good Sunday, beside the Level 2 Baguio warning, and not many people attending church lol. I really focus on the good every Sunday, and try not to get discouraged when people don't show up, or things fall through.

We were told we were supposed to go in by 7pm for the Baguio warning... maybe we didn't get home until 7:45... oops but luckily it passed and did not hit where we were... but since we had a little bit of extra time we roasted smores with all the sisters over our gas stove top.... so fun (: I really have loved the Sisters I live with and I will miss them so much. Sister Barrameda, she is the sweetest Filipina, and is Sister Sands companion, leave to go home in two weeks! She is amazing, and has been a very good example for me of enduring to the end of your mission, and loving every minute of it.

I have so much time left still, but at the same time I don't. Serving the Lord for 18 months in the span of my whole life is so short, and I want to make the very best of it. I am blessed to be here and doing the Lords work. I love all the love and support from everyone. And remember when times get hard, get down on your knees and pray, but just as important is praying when things are good., Be grateful for what the Lord has given you. He has given us everything, and the one thing we can give as an offer to Him is our will. Do His will, and you will be richly blessed (:

Feeling Loved

YES !!!!! ........

So Precious

Hummmmm

Singing in the rain !

Aug 5th, 2013 " We are all God's Children"

To start out I have one shout out to the most amazing mother in the world,

My mom Paula Webster.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM !! (:

I have really come to learn even more the effects a mother has on your children and the generations to follow and I am so blessed to have such a strong mother who strives to build up Zion here on earth, and serve with her WHOLE heart. Being a mother is so selfless and she has been the most amazing example of service to others. One of the reasons I am on a mission is because of her example and influence. I am grateful for my mom (:

And because I am on a mission I have been able to witness SO many miracles and learn so much. I have had some super neat experiences this week I am excited to share and tell about.

To start out we met this old man last week while tracting, we actually were stopping at a tindahan for a snack and he all of a sudden comes out of nowhere talking about how missionaries taught him once. This man knows the bible like the back of his hand, so we gave him a Book of Mormon to read. We visited him Wednesday, and were there for a long time discussing the Restoration of the Church. It is quite intimidating teaching him because he knows more than me for sure, but I realized I do have truth to share to him, that he does not know yet and I have been called of God, and a prophet of God to share this with him. We challenged him to read the Introduction of the Book of Mormon and a passage in 2 Nephi 2.

We stopped by on Saturday to re invite him to church and he pulls out the Book of Mormon ready to talk and starts talking about all these different passages... turns out he read from the beginning to ALMA 42!!!!!! UHHHHHH we were so excited hahaha. We were so stunned at first, and for those of you, who know, Tagalog is a very long written language and the Book of Mormon is a lot longer in Tagalog, but whoa we were stunned. We taught him and read a lot of passages, but he still said he wants to go to his church, but he held the Book of Mormon and said, I know this is another testament of Christ... in Tagalog of course lol.

But that was such a WOW moment as a missionary... and I really have to mentally prepare for when we go to teach him, but the Lord has helped us both times thus far, in doctrine and Tagalog (: I have really learned to rely on the Lord more this transfer in Tagalog. I cannot do this work without Him, or His help and blessings.

Funny thing at his house though, they have a TON of cats, and they are pretty normal, not gross looking like a lot of cats here. Anyways one jumped up on my lap and fell asleep while we were teaching... I didn't know what to do, or seem rude or grossed out so I just let it chill there. About half way through I looked down at it and saw a flea or some bug on it..... hahaha I slowly tried to get it off me... and it did, then it returned 10 minutes later haha. I think I safely avoided getting fleas though no worries (:

Another really neat experience I had and I will ALWAYS remember happened yesterday evening. A little background information: we have been teaching this girl Diane for the past couple weeks and her parents said if they see a Book of Mormon in their house, they would throw it away. She is 20 years old though, considered an adult, but we don't want to cause any problems in her home. But she wants to be baptized so bad! She came with us to teach a less active and asked if she could say something about the atonement, and if she could say the opening prayer. Like seriously she is awesome! She automatically answers or adds in while we teach, and seriously she is golden! I love teaching her! She asked us the first visit about the Word of Wisdom, and we talked to her about it and she said she hasn't wanted to use anything harmful for her body since.

So last night was a hard night for her, her family is giving her persecution and she was having a hard time with it. We were teaching her about the Book of Mormon introduction and introducing the Plan of Salvation and where we came from before this life here on earth. We had her read Abraham 3:23, and told her to replace her name with Abraham's name. She started reading and right when she got her name, she choked up, started sobbing, and said she felt so warm, and enveloped in love. I will never forget how strong I felt the spirit in that moment testify to her, and to myself that God knows each one of us and we chose His plan before this life.

Here is the scripture:

"And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham (Diane/ your own name), thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born."

The Lord loves all of His children, all of us have a plan for our lives, and He is so mindful of us, especially when we are going through hard times. These are the latter days and Satan is trying harder and harder to pull apart people, families, and make people lower standards. We must stand strong and do what we can to endure through the hard, become refined, so we can become like our Father in Heaven one day, perfect and immortal.

I know my Redeemer, Savior, older brother Jesus Christ lives. And because He lives, we can live forever in heaven with our families. I am grateful for the example He set for me, and I want to strive every day of my life, on a mission, and when I return home, to make Him proud.

May God bless all of you, and this find you well. Xoxoxox