The Last Post

I cannot really explain what it feels like to be going home after this 18 month journey.  It really started about two years ago when a prophet of God made changes to missionary age requirements, giving me the option to drop my books, my job, and leave my friends and family for a year in a half in pursuit of a more spiritual cause.  
 

OCTOBER 2012

Announcement by Prophet Thomas S. Monson:

I am pleased to announce that effective immediately, all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19. . . .

As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.

We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty—and we encourage all young men who are worthy and who are physically able and mentally capable to respond to the call to serve. Many young women also serve, but they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men. We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome their service.

DECEMBER 2012

After waiting to get to home base in Nashville, Tennessee.  I began to apply for the journey of a lifetime.  My application, something that normally takes months, was completed in under 4 days.  I don't know how many doctor and dentist appointments I went to in those few days, but all my requirements were filled and I was healthy and spiritually capable to serve the Lord.  My application was sent to Salt Lake City.

JANUARY 2013

Back at school, the big white envelope arrived in the mail.  With friends around me and family on Skype, I got the call.  "Sister Copeland, you are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."   I was about to go to the opposite side of the world.  My destination: third-world Asia.

MAY 2013

I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  I would receive Tagalog language training as well as teaching training.  I think it was my first day at the MTC when I really realized what I had signed up for.  For the first time I put on my black tag, something I would wear everyday for a year and a half.  It said " Sister Copeland" and under my name was the name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  There is really something to wearing a name tag and giving up your first name for 18 months - it is giving up some of your personal identity and accepting to serve Jesus Christ fully.  I wasn't Leah anymore; I was a representative of Christ and His church.

NOVEMBER 2014

I am about to be Leah again.  I cannot really believe it.  I feel like I only blinked five times on my mission - once in San Nicolas, then in Laoag, and Sanchez Mira, then in Aparri and Laoag again.  The Lord has given me the opportunity to touch a few lives during this journey and I hope they remain touched.  I love the people that I have served.   Before I became a missionary, I thought a mission was for perfect people to help imperfect people.  I have now come to realize that missionaries are on a journey leading to perfection and encourage others to join them on the way. I hope some of those I have met and taught will stick with me and not forget the eternal goal.  

This week I will board a plane, go home, be officially released as a missionary, and I will remove my nametag.  I am not sure what it will feel like.  I know I will cry a lot.  When you give up everything for 18 months, it is hard to imagine what it was like before your pre-nametag days and what it will be like in the future.  

I want to thank you.  I am grateful for the love you have sent through your prayers and mail.  I didn't really realize in October 2012 what I was about to do, what sacrifices I would be required to make, or who I would become.  I don't think I have changed that much, but I have improved myself and started a lifelong journey of coming closer to the Lord.  I thought that 18 months would be enough, but not even a lifetime provides the needed time to learn and grow.  It is a good thing that we don't finish progressing here on earth but that we will continue for the eternities.  

At sa wakas, para sa mga brothers at sisters ko sa Ilocos at Cagayan.  Mahal ko kayo at mamismiss ko kayo.  Di ko pa alam kung kailan ako makakabalik, pero hindi ko makakakalimut ang mission. Di nyo alam kung gaano kagrabe ang epekto nyo sa akin buhay.  Magtiis kayo, ah?  Narigat ti biyag ngem Ti Simbaan ket pudpudno.  Walang iba.  Kita kits sa Celestial.

9,8,7,6...

So this week got very interesting very fast.  First, the leaders of the mission (that includes me) had a conference and then an activity.  We had the opportunity to visit some of the local tourist spots.  It was great and I felt lucky to see places for the first time I have not seen before.  Then while eating lunch, the mission president approached me and informed me that I would be flying to Manila the next day.  There was another change in visa policy so we need to have our little fingers printed just one more time before my group goes home.  So the next day I boarded a plane once again with 16 other missionaries.

 

We were very blessed in Manila.  We were able to get our fingerprinting done in a short time and we had remaining time to attend the Manila temple.  It was great to go to the temple after not being able to go for almost 16 months.  

What is all this stuff about temples?

http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/church#our_members

  Sister Wood and I had a very funny experience in Manila.  We were eating at KFC.  There were no seats left but a nice man offered us two seats next to him.  We had a nice conversation, he was very professional and only spoke in English.  Of course we spoke in Tagalog because we cannot really speak English very comfortably any more.  Then he asked us where we were from and I responded, "Tennessee."  Then he said, "Yeah, Al Gore is from there, right?  Too bad he did not win the 2000 election."  So this very nice man turned out to be a Filipino Al Gore fanatic and went on and on and on about him.  I wanted to say, "You know that election was 14 years ago?" but I couldn't get a single word in.  You never know who you will meet in Manila.

 

 

 

Considering that I spent some time in Manila this week, we lost a lot of time to serve the Lord.  The days we did have left to spread the gospel in Laoag were busy as could be.  I know this week will be a busy one too.  I am going to do my best to serve Him as a full-time missionary now because my time to serve Him full-time expires next week. 

Tell me what you want what you really really want.

Do we have any Spice Girls fans out there?  Because their most classic song played this week while our investigator was praying.  Our lesson with Angel, a 60 plus year old man, was an interesting one from the start.  We taught about how the Holy Ghost testifies to us of the truth.  As missionaries, we do not expect people to just believe in us because what we say is good.  We want people to know what we teach is true, to ask God for a confirmation, and to feel that confirmation through the Holy Spirit.  We invited this investigator to do just this and as he offered our closing prayer, his daughter's cell phone went off with the all too inappropriate yet appropriate Spice Girls lyric, "Tell me what you want what you really really want."  Sometimes God works in mysterious ways, but this way seemed all too obvious, at least to us sister missionaries.  God hears our prayers and wants to answer them.

Sister Shrack, my companion, is always making fun of me and my umbrella.  So this week I would like to take the opportunity to not only explain the importance of the Holy Spirit, but also the importance of my umbrella.  My umbrella is what most Filipinos consider to be an "old lady" umbrella.  It is big and isn't very compact, but it does keep me safe.  It doubles as my weapon against ravenous dogs and creepy old drunk men. Everyone needs an old lady umbrella.

 

I am glad the work of the Lord is not about the numbers.  It is not about how many souls we baptize or how many lessons we really teach.  Do we track those things?  Of course.  Only so that we can become more effective representatives of the Lord, but this work is based on love.  When you are a missionary and you look only at the numbers, all odds are against you.  When you are a missionary concerned about love, you see the tender mercies of the Lord and the many ways in which he touches the lives of those around you.  I am a missionary and I serve out of love. 

  

Manila and back.

This week was a busy one.  Going to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila was quite an adventure.  It is basically a big building of foreigners getting fingerprinted and getting their pictures taken.  I kept looking around and asking to myself, "Why are you here? This is the hottest place in the world and looking at how tall you are and the color of your skin, you clearly do not belong here."  Then I remembered that they were all looking at me thinking the same thing...

After I got back from Manila, Sister Shrack and I got right back to work.  We saw some small miracles this week.

-Beelee, an investigator, accepted a goal date for her baptism.  Beelee is old, lacks confidence in her ability to read and write, is caring for her paralyzed child, and extremely poor.  But overall, she knows that she has to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized.  

http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/jesus-christ

-The Allora family wants to become a forever family.  As we discussed with Sister Allora what she must do to help her family prepare for the temple, she was surprised that a temple sealing was still an option.  She thought that it was too late and because some of her family members had strayed, it would be impossible for them to enter the holy walls of the temple to become sealed for all time and eternity.  We told her that of course there is still hope if they are willing to work.  

http://www.mormon.org/faq/together-forever

The gospel is full of blessings.  All types of blessings.  There is one for everyone.  We have to follow our Lord, Jesus Christ, and then the blessings will fall down from above and enter our lives when we need them the most.  I have seen just a few in the past 17 months and 1 week of my mission.  I will be home in only a few weeks and I am excited to continue to dedicate my time and efforts in building His kingdom. 

Planes, xrays, and lost souls.

I had a chest xray this week.  But don't worry, I do not have any diseases, so I may depart the Philippines in one month without any issues.  This coming week is full of preparations to go home.  In a little while, I will be leaving for Manila for a day to do fingerprinting for my visa.

This week was another hard one in my area.  I have realized how blessed I have been with other successes on my mission, so now it is my time to accept a greater challenge. And that is fine with me.  Challenges are growing opportunities we receive from God.  And patience is a virtue that must be earned.

Watch this psychological experiment and learn the importance of patience:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-09-18-continue-in-patience?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2010&lang=eng&cid=HPWE101514487

Missionaries walk and walk and walk in the hot sun.  When we think we have walked enough, we walk more and more.  We sometimes joke that we do it because we are dieting, but the truth is that we are walking as servants of the Lord.  It takes time and effort to find those He has prepared to accept His gospel. 

As missionaries, we also spend a lot of time rescuing the once found but now lost.  These people, members of the Church who have strayed, are just as valuable as those who do not yet know the truth.  I am thankful for our opportunity to help these precious souls return to Him.  One of these souls is Cathy.  Cathy has been a member of the Church since she was a child but found the wrong friends and lost her way.  She can quote scriptures like the back of her hand and she knows every doctrine of the gospel.  She also misses the Church.  Cathy may have forgotten the Lord, but the Lord has not forgotten her.  She will come back as we outstretch our arms to her and welcome her back to His fold.  

It is crazy to think that in a month I will be on a plane to Manila, to Japan, to Atlanta, and then to Nashville.  It is all coming way too fast.  I thank you all for your continual support and prayers. The full-time missionaries, all 88,000 of us, need you.

I've been working on the...city.

This week has been busy but good.  Sister Shrack arrived on Tuesday and we got right to work.  I have know Sister Shrack for a long time, so it is fun to get to serve together.  My companion has gone through a lot.  Only a few months ago, her mother unexpectedly passed away.  She did not go home.  She went to work because that is what missionaries do.  We leave personal matters behind, however important or devastating they are, because we know our responsibility of serving the Lord for eighteen months, outweighs all else.  I am inspired by Sister Shrack.

This weekend we got to attend General Conference.  Because of time change and distance, the Filipinos of the Church have to wait a week to listen to the Prophet's voice.  But it was great to hear what the apostles and prophet had to share with us.

Hear the Prophet's voice:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPTH100914477&lang=eng

Our area in Laoag seems to be getting harder and harder.  Even though Sister Shrack and I try our best each day, we have many disappointments.  Lots of appointments that fall through, people who are interested that move away, and blistering heat.  But something that is great is that there are always blessings.  They come in different forms and sometimes it takes time to notice them, but they are always there.  Blessings are good at hiding themselves, but it is our personal attitude of gratitude that helps us to find where they are. 

Watch this:
https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/monson-gratitude?lang=eng

I have heard a lot of you talking about the new movie, Meet the Mormons.  I am excited to get to watch it myself when I get home, but for all of you living in the first world, I encourage you to check it out. I am glad that those of you who are not members of this church have an opportunity to learn more about us and what we do. 

http://meetthemormons.com/post/99500117644/meet-the-mormons-new-movie?cid=HPWE100814481

If you would like to learn about some of our basic beliefs, check this out:
http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/articles-of-faith

Blood, sweat, and tears.

While Sister Pututau and I were talking this week, she said, "Man, we have put blood, sweat, and tears, into this area."  I responded, "Yeah, that is true."  So today I will tell you how this week alone, we put our blood, sweat, and tears into this area.   1. Blood I stubbed my toe in the apartment.  It hurt so bad.   2. Sweat It is hot and we were on a service mission this week.  A member had a project for school and needed a specific size box for it.  He had one day to collect the boxes and he needed 6 more.  Without telling them, we went from store to store to store hunting down this very specific sized box.  30 minutes later the mission was accomplished and many calories were burned.   3. Tears Missionaries cry a lot.  This work is hard and even though we always try our best, we do not always reap the rewards of our labor.  Sometimes we do see the rewards, as small they may seem.  We had an amazing experience with one of our investigators this week, Gemma.  Gemma knows what we are teaching is true because she has had many unanswered questions for many years.  She told us how has she has been praying that she will know her children in the next life and not forget who they are.  We asked her many questions like, "God gave us families as a gift for us on earth; do you think he would take it away in the next life?  Why would we have a family here on earth if we were not able to continue living with them in the future?"  Of course, she agreed that God loves us and knows us and wants us to be with our families forever.  Her prayer was answered.  Gemma will know her children in the next life.  They will be a family for all eternity! I will miss Sister Pututau.  She is headed off to a new area and I will continue the work here in Laoag with another good friend, Sister Shrack.  We will continue in helping others become forever families and follow Jesus Christ.  Stay tuned for our next adventures.

Frog on a leash.

It rained really hard a few times this week.  During one downpour, we were walking around and found a lady with a large frog on a string.  I am not sure how she tamed the frog and got it on a leash.  She walked that frog around like it was a dog.  You have to love the Philippines.

This week our investigator, Nanay Monette, shared with us a funny story.  Nanay is poor and old.  She cannot work anymore because she is weak and she has no money.  She often struggles to find money to buy food.  One day she had no food so she thought of a grand idea-  she would sell her old typewriter that was worth 6000 pesos when she bought it over 50 years ago.  This typewriter is big, heavy, and clunky, but nonetheless, Nanay toted it from neighbor to neighbor trying to find a buyer.  She was having no success until she found a merciful neighbor down the street.  Her neighbor kindly explained to her that they use a computer now and have no need for a typewriter.  She siad, "But  even though we will not be buying your typewriter, you may have this bread and drink."  Nanay did not accomplish the task she had set out to do, but she did find what she was looking for.  We are all grateful for the Good Samaritan that kindly gave her bread and drink to get through the day.

 

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=eng

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life.  Sometimes we find ourselves in need of physical nourishment, but we are always in need of the spiritual nourishment that He offers.  I am grateful for those that follow Him and help all of us to come closer to Him.

 

http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/jesus-christ





  

typhoon tyFOOD.

Well Mario, the typhoon, came to visit this week leaving us stuck in the apartment for yet another day.  This week our 72-hour kits were running low from the previous week's typhoon, so we got creative in making meals of the little food we had.  We stayed safe in our apartment and no large damages were incurred.  On the other hand, Elders living close to us were evacuated from their apartment when it flooded over 5 feet.  When the trees violently sway outside and the homes of our friends, we remember the words of Prophet Joseph Smith:

"No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall   say the work is done.”

Learn more about WHAT I am doing and WHY I am doing it:

http://www.mormon.org/values/missionary-work

Sometimes is is hard to go out and work when it is cold and rainy and windy.  The other day we worked in torrential rains and high winds.  A woman, quite worried, stopped us on the street and told us to go home because we were not safe.  We smiled off her invitation and continued on our way.  The Lord protects us.  We work everyday unless there is a legitimate typhoon.  If there is no typhoon, we know we will be safe enough and we work.  We spread the gospel because that is what we were sent to do.  We were not called as missionaries to have fun and play games.  Were were not called to take naps.  Were were called to serve the Lord and that is what we do.

1000 funny things.

Everything about this week was hilarious so I would like to start this post by listing some of them.

1. I asked an investigator, "Saan ka nakatira?"  This means, "Where are you from?"  The investigator said, "What?" I repeated myself a couple of times until they said, "Oh, you mean "Saan ka nakatira?"  And I said yes, I have been on my mission for sixteen months.  I know how to ask where you are from.  Well the truth is that I did not and it took me this far into my mission to realize that I had been stressing the "ka" and not the "ra" in "nakatira."  For the last sixteen months I have been asking people where they are getting high, not where they are from.  

 

2. After we were done proselyting one night, we decided to try a bakery that everyone is always talking about that has buy-1 get-1 bread after 6 pm.  We took a tricy and went inside. We soon realized that we had left our personal money at home and had very little to spend on bread and get home, too.  When we looked at the prices of the bread we realized it was way more expensive than we expected and that it was going to be tight with the little money we had.  In the end, we bought bread, got one free, and walked a very long way home.  I think it took us an hour.  We will try to exercise better financial planning this week.  

 

3. In our area is a very big bridge connecting downtown Laoag and the rest of Laoag.  We have an investigator assigned to us just over the bridge.  One night while we were in downtown we had no one to teach.  No one was home so we decided to cross the bridge.  It was night and raining and the bridge is a little long and a little dangerous, but because we are poor missionaries, we decided to walk the bridge.  When we got on the bridge, we decided how ridiculous the decision was and tried to cover ourselves with our umbrellas so no one would recognize us.  Well, we are maybe about 5 meters onto the bridge and a tricy pulls over, a woman steps out and says, "I'm a member of your church.  Get in!"  We tried to reason with her and say, "Oh, we are just going over there.  We can walk."  She said, "What are you thinking?  Get in."  So we got a free ride over the bridge.  Thank you Rivera family.  

 

The work of the Lord is good.  The area Sister Pututau and I have is difficult but we are working to outsmart our area and find those the Lord has prepared.  We are fighting Satan everday, but he works in mysterious ways.  We have to outsmart Satan with the help of the Lord.  A story I recently heard reminds me of the power of Satan:

 

It was about this city that was perfectly perfect. They were all so good except for this one man; he was out to destroy these people. The two things that could destroy these people were chocolate cake and the color red. Obviously the people weren't going to just go out and eat chocolate cake and wear the color red, so the man devised a plan to get into the hearts of the people. He started by making chocolate chip cookies with just a little bit of chocolate. The people loved the cookies although they were nervous about chocolate. They reasoned however that it was a far cry from chocolate cake. Eventually however, it was extra chocolate chip cookies and then he introduced a move about chocolate to the media. At this point the people were exposed to chocolate at every point. The man soon introduced cake. But not chocolate cake -  every flavor of cake BUT chocolate, but ALL were topped with chocolate frosting. Then one day the people in the town began to eat chocolate cake, not even realizing the consequences soon to come. "Have you seen the new movie?"  the townspeople soon started I say. "No, but I don't want to see another movie with chocolate in it." "Oh this movie has no chocolate, it's all about the color pink." Not before long, the people were destroyed and the city fell. 

 

We should never let ourselves justify anything close to sin or reason that we are "good enough."  Satan will take those opportunities and destroy us.  The problem is we may be oblivious to the personal destruction we are encountering because of the sneaky ways of Satan.  We must be alert and never fall for anything.

 

Going back to the start....love, Coldplay.

Saying goodbye in Aparri was a lot harder than I expected.  I loved Aparri and when you are in the work of saving souls, it is hard to leave them and move far away.  It is okay now though because working with Sister Pututau is pretty sweet. We have been friends since the MTC so moving into the new apartment in Laoag was like moving back home.

The area we have to work in is absolutely crazy.  We are in the biggest city in the area and our area is centro - full of stores and not full of people. All the missionaries know about this area because there is never much progress, but Sister Pututau and I have gotten down and dirty in the work. Working in the most commercialized part of your third-world mission does come with benefits...like McDonald's and meeting some really interesting people.

 

The most interesting person we met this week was Jose/Pepito/Joe.  He goes by three names, so choose the one you like the most.  We are mostly all Americans here at the blog, so we will use "Joe."  Joe is a grandpa and is about 60 years old.  He is rich and owns a high-end souvenir shop.  He is a genius and talked to us all about how the local dialect has roots in Pacific Island nations.  He knows everything about the gospel, Joseph Smith, and our beliefs.  He also knows it is true. "Of course, Sisters, I didn't learn that it was true.  The Lord told me that it is true."  Well, Joe, why are you not baptized?  Even though Joe has received  a spiritual witness of the truth of our message, he is stuck in his old ways.  He is a member of a church established here even before the Catholic church because he believes that it is the most correct.  Too bad he does not yet understand that we do not have to settle for the "most correct" because we can have access to the entire and complete truth.  He is still suffering in a personal apostasy, like the Great Apostasy, a period of time after the death of Jesus Christ.

 

How do the Dark Ages (Great Apostasy) relate to Mormonism?

 

http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/restoration

Joe knows the truth.  He just doesn't know that he has to make changes to his life to become even more enlightened by the gospel.  We will help him on his gospel journey.

 

Love you all!

 

P.S. The time is running out to send me fan mail! Just do it!

 

Sister Leah Copeland

Philippines Laoag Mission

Brgy. 50 Buttong, Airport Avenue

Junction Tangid Road, Laoag City 2900

Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Anna mittin? Ano ba yan? What the heck?

Well, my time in Aparri has come to a close and this week I will be transferring to the last area of my mission.  I have been called to serve as a Sister Training Leader...it is like a Zone Leader for those of you who have served a mission in the past.  I am grateful to be called to serve the Lord in an additional capacity.

But just because this was my last week in Aparri does not mean it was not full of experiences. Let's review the week:

 

1. I got a bad sunburn.  All the Pinoys kept saying that I was blushing. "Oh, Sister Copeland, you are even blushing on your arms!"  Sorry, Filipinos, I was not blushing...it was a sunburn.

 

2. We asked our less-active member how his daily scripture study was.  He said, "Great!"  Then he told us that he just got finished reading "The Spirit of God,"  a favorite song of his from the hymn book.  We told him that although it is great to read the hymn book, he needs to also read from the Book of Mormon each day.  

 

Daily scripture study?

http://www.mormon.org/blog/relationship-with-god-3-ways

3. We have been eating a lot of swordfish.  It is my favorite.

 

4.  We spent time this week locating some old investigators of the missionaries who served in our area in the past.  We found the Rabor family this week who gladly let us in to speak and share.  They were very open in explaining that although they had a desire to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they decided not to be.  Their reason?  They could not understand the missionaries.  They didn't speak their language, Illocano.  I am grateful for spiritual gifts, especially the ability to communicate in the local dialect. The Rabor family has another chance to hear and understand the fullness of the gospel.  This does not mean they will be baptized tomorrow, but at least they can partake of the blessings of knowledge of God's plan for them.  I am grateful that the Lord blesses His servants in different ways so that they can reach the people He has prepared. 

 

 

Spiritual gifts? 

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/02/gifts-of-the-spirit?lang=eng&query=gift+of+tongues

I love you all!  Ayo Ayo.

Um brella brella brella ay ay ay.

Rainy season has been really setting in the last few weeks but it has rained very little.  I tell my companion everyday that it is going to rain.  Then it never rains.  But this week, for the first time, I said it was going to rain and it rained.  Cats and dogs.  Or los gatos y los perros. Or mga pusa at mga aso.  Whatever language you speak, it rained.

 

We taught some really cool people this week in our area.  Each time we meet someone new, we quickly find out that we did not find them by accident.  There are no accidents in the plan of God. Let me introduce three special ladies:

 

Meet Marlene, 40+ (sells fish)

-her husband doesn't want her to change religions

-she wants to listen because she does not understand her own religion

-she flooded us with questions that she has been holding in for years

 

Her answer: http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/restoration

Meet Lovely, early 20s (many tatoos)

-released from jail last week

-her baby has been in the hospital for one month with meningitis

-her child was declared dead but later returned to consciousness

-she is looking for money and, more importantly, something more to life

 

Her answer: http://www.mormon.org/values/choice

Meet Kuh, 30 yrs old (loves speaking in English)

-working on fixing her broken family

-her husband works in Korea and will not come home for at least 5 more years

-loves to listen to all religions, thinks they are all good

-wants to mend a broken marriage

 

Her answer: http://www.mormon.org/values/family

One of the greatest lessons I have learned on my mission, is whoever we teach and whatever their problems are, the gospel is the answer.  It is the easiest math problem - whatever the numbers or the calculation, the solution is always the same.

P.S. Sorry that I have no pictures this week.  The computer I am using just deleted every picture on my memory card.  I love computer shops in the third world. 

Let's see a doctor...

We became well acquainted with the local doctors this week in Aparri.  My companion had a series of asthma attacks which we considered extreme only until one of the elders was also admitted to the hospital...hyperventilating and seizing.  He is better now but at the moment we saw him stumbling in, we thought he was going to die.  His experience has added to my testimony of how the Lord truly looks over His servants.  Missionaries get sick, especially those of use who are foreigners, but somehow our recoveries are quicker than expected and we end up stronger than we started.

Speaking of the hospital, the Mabbun family was released this week from the hospital and are doing great.  Slowly but surely Sister Imelda is recovering from her shoulder surgery.  She is much stronger after her accident...physically because she has stainless steel in her shoulder and also spiritually because she has exercised so much faith.  We had another small miracle happen again concerning the Mabbun family this week.  Out of the blue, Sister Mabbun asked us if the church offered wheelchairs to those in need.  We told her we were not really the ones to ask but that she could ask the leaders if they knew of something available.  At the same time, we told her nothing was probably available because their family member who needs a wheelchair is not a member of the Church.  Then, yesterday we were informed by our mission that the Church has begun a new program offering medical supplies free of charge to those in need, whether member or not.  What a blessing for their family member who recently had a stroke and has no possible way of walking!

Interested in the program?

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/funds/wheelchair-distribution.html

Find out how we reach out:

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/

It is easy to see miracles when you are a servant of the Lord and a member of His true church. I love this work and I love to see the blessings others receive through us as servants of God. 

Happy Birthday, Sister Ufagalilo.

My companion is 24 and we partied like rock stars.  Not really, because we live in the armpit of the Philippines and we are missionaries, but we did have cake!  I love her so much.

This was an all-star week, mainly because the Mabbun family was baptized.  They were prepared by the Lord, not by the missionaries, for the gospel.  I feel so blessed to have been part of their conversion.  When Brother Mabbun shared his testimony with the branch, he related how there were so many "dakes" things in their life before we met them.  "Dakes" is Ilocano for "bad" and "ugly."  He said that the gospel erased their problems and made their home a peaceful place.

It has been raining a lot here.  When we were leaving the apartment one day, it was drizzling outside. I asked my companion if she would like to walk or take a tricy, but she returned the question.  We decided to walk in the end and about 15 steps from our apartment, it poured.  It was raining oceans, we got soaked, and we taught some wet lessons.  Nothing like being soaked to the bone.  People always ask us when we are out and soaked in the rain, "Are you going home now?"  We always say, "No!  We are missionaries!"  They seen to be satisfied with that response and they get to better understand that the work of the Lord never stops.  

We have been working closely with the district president here the last few weeks.  He just "loves" my Tagalog (not true), but he insists that I sound like Chris Aquino.  I do not know who Chris Aquino is, so you better look her up and tell me if the district president is honest.  

 

I love you all.  Send some chocolate.  XOXOXOXO

SuPeR sEnIoR.

First of all, my new companion, Sister Ufagalilo, is awesome. It is fun to serve with a Samoan.  Did you know that one of her favorite foods from Samoa is raw tilapia with watermelon.  Delicious....maybe.

This week was way awesome.  The Mabbun family is all set to be baptized next week and the area is super progressing. We are so excited that the whole family is entering into such a sacred covenant together.  The gospel has become their answers to each problem they have faced: relationship problems, infidelity, family unity.  They are the perfect proof that this gospel is made for families and that the family unit is ordained of God.  

Find out why families are such a big deal: http://www.mormon.org/values/family

Something that I said, obviously inspired, hit me this week.  We were teaching an investigator about the importance of attending church weekly and how we need the spiritual recharge before we start our week. She, like almost all investigators said, "I'll try, Sisters.  I'll try to get to church this week." Boldly I replied, "Well, sister, then God will just try to bless you."  I know that only when we try to do our best, the Lord will fulfill His promises to us.  That investigator did not attend church on Sunday.  It is sad that she couldn't find the time; the Lord has blessings waiting for her.  He has blessings waiting for each of us, but we have to be the first to act.  

See what I am really talking about: http://www.mormon.org/worship

You know that you are a super senior missionary when the mission is started to make your flight plans home.  I have been so grateful to be here and I cannot believe that in a short time I will be back in the good ol' USA.  I love this work and I love the experiences I gain each day.

Flip Flops and Nourishment

This week I ate the tsineslas ni Jesucristo  or the "flip flop of Jesus Christ."  It is really just a wide fish that is shaped slightly like a flip flop.  It was very delicious.  

This week was fairly uneventful, but one thing our investigator family, the Mabbuns told us, made the week awesome.  They told us that before they met the missionaries and before they were taught the gospel, they were like a withering plant.  They were dying a lot more than they were growing.  But they said that since they accepted us and the gospel into their lives, they have been nourished and have grown.  Not only have they grown, but they have become strong.  They have been "nourished by the good word of God."

President Erying said:

The Savior taught Peter and His other Apostles and disciples why and how they were to nourish others. You remember that in the Bible account He fed them before He taught them. He had been crucified and then resurrected. His servants had gone to Galilee. They had fished through the night, catching nothing. When they drew near to shore, in the dawn, they did not at first recognize Him. He called out to them, telling them where to cast their nets, and when they did the nets were filled. They rushed to greet Him on the shore.

They found a fire of coals with fish cooking and bread. I have often wondered, as you may have done, who laid the fire, who caught the fish, and who cooked the meal, but it was the Master who prepared His disciples to be fed more than fish and bread. He let them eat first. And then He taught them of spiritual feeding. And He gave a commandment to them which still stands for each of us.

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs” (John 21:15).

I hope that we can all find ways to nourish others with the gospel, to strengthen them, and to help them come unto Christ.  

" But  if  ye  will  nourish  the  word,  yea,  nourish  the  tree  as  it beginneth  to  grow,  by  your  faith  with  great  diligence,  and  with patience ,  looking  forward  to  the  fruit  thereof,  it  shall  take  root;  and behold  it  shall  be  a  tree  springing  up  unto  everlasting  life." Alma 32:41

I may be seen looking homeless...

...but that is not true.  Today we decided to take our laundry to a laundromat in Aparri, but we could not figure out how to get our clothes there because we did not have any baskets.  So we put our laundry in sheets, threw it over our backs, and walked through the city looking like nomads.

 

Also, there was a new announcement made in our mission last week that our mission president himself will be doing cleaning checks of our apartments...unannounced apartment checks.  So one night I had what I thought was a "revelation": the mission president will surprise us tomorrow with a visit because we will be home in the apartment all morning.  Most days we go out in the morning, but our schedule was altered on this day.  I told the other sisters my theory and they got up early the next day to deep clean.  I convinced them that our president would come.  Did he come?  Obviously not, but the other sisters did a great job of cleaning!

 

In more inspiring news, Sister Liza Pinon came home this week.  After being falsely accused and put into jail in the Middle East, she is home.  Her family has been waiting to be reunited with her for two years and we have been teaching her family for the last two months.  Her husband and children have wanted to be baptized since the first day that we met them, but they also wanted to wait for their mother so that they could be baptized together.  We have been waiting and praying for Liza for months and the Lord answered our prayers.  When we first met Liza, we talked about her experiences in prison and got to know her.  She soon broke down into tears, thanking us for teaching her children to pray.  Before she left, her family was messy and her kids were undisciplined.  Now they pray individually and as a family many times a day, they read from the scriptures, and they attend church.  Liza told us that we were an answer to her prayers; too bad that she doesn't realize that she is an answer to our prayers.

  

 I am grateful this week to be in the Philippines, but I am also grateful to be an American.  We made some Filipino style BBQ chicken this week.  It was nothing like home, but it was fun to take time to remember home great the States are.  Sometimes you have to live in the third world for a year, to realize the blessings of being an American.

Check out whose steps I am following:

https://history.lds.org/article/sister-missionaries-video?lang=eng&cid=HPWE070214297