Best friend gets same Mission Call!!!

THIS IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS JESSICA IS COMING TO MY MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LITERALLY BAWLED MY FACE OFF IN THE INTERNET CAFE I CANNOT EVEN BELIEVE THIS IT IS A MIRACLE, A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE BECAUSE SHE IS COMING IN DECEMBER, I HONESTLY CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE IVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER, I AM GOING TO DIE.

WOW.

I CAN'T EVEN FORM WORDS, I AM SO BEYOND HAPPY.

LIKE HOLY HOLY HOLY CRAP.

MY BRAIN ISN'T WORKING.

I. AM. SO. HAPPY.

Okay. I took a break and now I'm back. Hooooooollllyyyyyyyy crap.

I can't even focus to tell you about my week!!!

SO HAPPY.

Okay! Focus!

I finished the Book of Mormon for the second time since reporting. No doubt in my mind that it is true. I know it is true and it is such a blessing in my life and will continue to bless me for the rest of my life.

We are teaching the husband/father of one of my favorite families in the ward, they are almost like my "Dean" family. The brother is a seaman so he is away from home for 1-4 years at a time and then comes home for a few months inbetween before signing a new contract. He is the only member of the family to not join the church yet so every time he is home the missionaries come to teach him. So we taught him this last week, kindest man ever. He is basically a "dry-member" but just doesn't feel ready to make the commitment to be baptized. We think that it is because he wants to be stable at home before becoming a member, but we'll keep working with him and maybe his time will come sooner!

Mary-glore is doing awesome, she came to church this sunday!!!! I was so happy!! And this last week we taught her the Plan of Salvation, you can imagine how awesome that was with her child who has passed away. The only thing holding her back right now is that she isn't married and they have no money for the forms and permits. We pray for her every day that she'll be able to find a way to get married so that she can be baptized. It is so much fun to teach her, she is so ready for the gospel.

Gino blessed the sacrament in church yesterday!!! *Proud parent moment*

I gave a talk in church yesterday about fellowshipping, and good thing I prepared it in english forgetting that I would have to give it in Hiligaynon haha so instead of awkwardly on the spot translating, I just had to wing it. It felt weird not asking any of you how it went after! I think that is the first time I haven't been able to get feedback hahahaha.

Geez I'm so scattered right now hahahahah I'm just so beyond happy that Jessica is coming to my same mission.

As for pictures, I printed off a bunch to send home in a letter this week, and don't worry about missing out on too many pictures, I don't have very many haha. We are discouraged from bringing our cameras tracting and sister bendoy doesn't have one so we don't make time for pictures very often. I promise I'll be better though and figure out how to send them from the internet cafe, even one or two a week. And Sister Bendoy filmed my reaction so maybe I'll just send home a usb with the video on it so you guys can see it. Priceless.

I haven't tried my card again yet this week, if dad says there is money in there it should be good, I'll give it another shot and let you know if there is still problems.

So glad to hear you all had such a good week!!! I love love love being able to hear all the news from home :)

Dang guys. I am so happy. Did you know that I have literally been thinking for the past 4 days that one of my friends might come to my mission? Because we have transfers this week and I might train or something I've been thinking about the new missionaries coming here and I even had a dream last night that Jasmine Candland got called here but holy crap better than anything I could imagine JESSICA JUDD got called here. There are no words for how happy and grateful I am. Prayers answered. Wow.

I love you all more than anything in this entire world :) Have an awesome awesome awesome week!!!!!

All my love, Sister Manwaring :) <3

A day in the life of Sister Manwaring...giant snakes and all

I loved your letters this week! You guys are just too dang awesome :) I had a good week, frustrating hahaha but good!

I'll start with the good first. We have an investigator named Mary-glore, I don't remember if I mentioned her last week, but she lives in this tiny little bamboo hut with her two little kids and her husband works all day at a bakery in the next town. As for their house, it would almost be nicer to live in the chicken coop. At least the chicken coop doesn't leak when it rains, the homes here mostly have tin roofs with numberless holes, and if you don't have money for gum to stop up the hole, you just have a nice indoor shower everytime it rains haha. It rained the last time we visited her and started dripping right on my scriptures so I had to hurry and cover them and do the rest of the lesson  by memory haha. But she is so awesome to teach. She has such a desire to learn, and the last time we visited her when we were walking up to her house we could see through the gaps in the bamboo that she was reading the restoration pamphlet we had left with her and during the lesson she showed us how she had answered all the questions at the back for suggested reading *proud parent moment* and when we left her a Book of Mormon at the end of the lessons she was sooo happy and kept saying thank you over and over. So rewarding teaching someone who really wants the gospel.

Not all the people here want the gospel though. I love what Alyne sent me in her last email, the quote from her friend Lauren, "not to be dramatic, but it's 112 degrees and EVERYONE HATES THE GOSPEL." hahahah I can relate haha except instead of hating the gospel, they just refuse to open their eyes and their ears and realize how important it is!!! For instance: We went to visit a less active yesterday, she was baptized forever ago, like 25 years, but has been inactive for about 20 years. While visiting with her we discovered that she has been going to the Catholic church near her house for the past few years and had no interest in traveling all the way to our church building when that church was so close and "there is only a small difference between our churches anyway." :| YEP. Only a few SMALL differences. Definitely the restoration of the full and everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ through a true and living prophet called by God in our days with all the keys of the Priesthood to receive exaltation through baptism and temple ordinances and to be sealed to your family for forever by the same restoration of Priesthood authority and the full and authorized opportunity to partake of the sacrament and experience all the blessings of the Atonement as well as The Book of Mormon and modern revelation from Prophets and Apostles and all the knowledge needed to be unthinkably happy in this life and receive all our Father has in the next is just a few small differences when you really think about it. Why didn't I see that before?? :D You should totes keep going to that other church! :D

NO.

You should not. You should please just really listen to our message and let the Spirit tell you how true it is and how much it's going to help you!!! 

Even after we taught her about all those things, and asked her questions to try and get her to remember how she felt when she decided to join the church, she just wouldn't really try. So frustrating. BUT. As long as we keep doing our best with her, and never give up, I can feel at peace knowing I have done all I can do.

The other frustrating thing is when people give you their excuses for why they didn't read, or come to church, or even pray. "I just didn't have time Sis!", "I totally was busy washing ALL day", "My husband had friends over and they were loud", "Sorry sis, I totally forgot!". -__- Would you say those excuses to God? Cause you'll have to someday if you don't start keeping your commitments! And it'll be much harder to tell him than to tell me! These people. Hahaha and what's even worse is I know that's exactly how Heavenly Father feels when I'm dumb and don't do whats right even when the obvious choice is right in front of me.

On to more positive things! Our investigator Winnie is doing so so so good. He has had the missionaries visit him for YEARS. At least 6 different companionships. He has a whole stack of pamphlets and Books of Mormon haha. But every time before he stopped progressing for one reason or another, most because of his smoking problem. In his last lesson he was down to 2 cigarettes a day and said he was going to stop altogether before our next visit. He has told us that he doesn't want to avoid God anymore, but he wants to change his life and become a better person. And the changes we've seen in him are sooooo testimony building and make me sooo proud. Literally so many proud-parent-moments haha :)

So I realized that I don't think I've ever told you guys what a normal day is like for me, and that was one thing that I always wanted to know when reading the blogs or letters of other missionaries. So here you go! A Special peek into the life of Sister Manwaring:

Morning! I wake up at 6:00 every day. Cannot for the life of me sleep until 6:30 hahaha so I read in bed until the alarm goes off. After prayers I do my totes effective workout (which always makes me look forward to being able to RUN again), shower and get ready, make breakfast and start personal study at 8. Since I'm still in my first 12 weeks of training we study until lunch and then go out after lunch.

Afternoon! We walk out of our little subdivision and catch a tricycle going to the main road, and then take a jeepney out to a part of our area depending on the day. Our area is pretty big (so excited to split it next transfer) so we can only go visit certain areas every day, meaning we don't get to see every investigator every day. We work from 1-8 and then come back home, taking about a billion jeeps and trikes and lots of walking throughout the whole day.

Night! We come home, plan, eat, and sleep. Oh and journal writing, I write at least a thousand pages in my journal every night. I'm going to fill a bookcase by the time I get home hahahah.

Okay I just realized that seems really boring, no wonder other missionaries don't send that in their letters hahahaha. Oh well! Something non-boring, I saw the biggest snake of my life the other day!!! We were walking home at night and i look in the road and it looks like a huge tube or hose or something, and then it starts moving and I realize it's not a tube, its a massive snake of satan. It was at least SEVEN feet long and as thick as clayton's thigh. And whats worse is Sister Bendoy said that is a small snake here and there are much bigger ones. Okay, I have to go home now hahahahahaha. Joke. But really, I sympathize with Eve,  if that snake had told me to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, i would've too!!

So yes, that is what has been happening with meeee. I always rememeber a million zillion things to tell you during the week or after I email but then I forget them again or don't have time to write them. It's okay, I'll just send you all telepathic thoughts and you can know all the things!!

I love you all so much and I miss you and I hope you have an amazzzzinggggg week!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUUUUU!!!!!

-Sister Manwaring :) <3 <3

So Blessed

Hello!!!!! I love you all and I love you emails and I love you love you love you!!!!

We had our second baptism this week!!! (technically it's the fourth but the last two I was able to be with from start to finish) Gino, 17 yr old and the only member in his family besides his mom, who was the one who referred him to us. He has been so great through the whole process of preparing for his baptism, as in golden gid. Committed for baptism in the first meeting, consistently keeping commitments and growing his faith, testimony and understanding, and so ready for membership in the church. After his baptism, he was asked to share his testimony and he just started bawling and said how this was a whole new life for him and he was so thankful to be able to start on a clean page and how he never wants to miss a single sunday of church and just cried and his mom was crying and I have no idea how I got to be so lucky as to be some small part of his conversion. So happy for him and his family.

We've been able to find a lot of new investigators this week, one especially awesome one just yesterday. A woman in the ward met this young lady who has no friends and a lot of problems so she said "I'll be your friend! And you can meet my friends the missionaries and they'll solve all your problems!" hahaha so awesome. So we three went to find her yesterday to start teaching her. Her name is Mary and she lives in the tiny little bamboo hut with her 2 kids and husband. As we got to know her we came to find out that she had a child who passed away after being two days old, her husband works as a baker and makes next to nothing, she reads this crazy weird ilonggo bible every day and wants so bad to have a happy family and come closer to God. She cried almost the whole time and I just prayed and prayed that we would be able to help her and know what to say to answer her prayers. We explained what our purpose was as missionaries and what the gospel could offer to her life and she cried again but this time because she was able to see the hope the gospel brings and feel the Spirit testify of its truth and importance. She accepted the baptism invitation before we could even get all the words out, but she still needs to be married before we can give her a date. It's really hard for people to get married here because they don't have easy access to their birth certificates and things, like her for instance, her mom who hates her has hers and won't give it to her but she said she'll try again. I can't believe how lucky I am to have the best job in the whole world. I get to help people find the greatest happiness and peace and purpose they can ever experience. I get to tell families that they can be together forever and I get to share with them the healing balm of the atonement. I get to tell them about their purpose on earth and give them a plan of how to get the most possible joy while here and return to live with our Heavenly Father after this life. I get to see lives change and hearts change and I feel so selfish sometimes because the one changing most is me, I'm the one who gets all these blessings. It's so amazing how that works, the harder I try to help and serve others, the more blessings I receive and the more I am indebted to those people and to Heavenly Father. Like yesterday for instance, we ran into a woman in the ward who is the only member in her family along with her two young children and they literally live in a 8 ft by 8 ft space that acts as their bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, everything. And as we run into her she's coming from her neighbors where she was cooking because there isn't enough space to cook at her house and she gives us literally half of their dinner, these sticky rice wraps, and we try to refuse or at least take less and she won't have any of it. I'll always be uneven in my contract with God, the more I try and do the more I get in return but that's how God works, that's why it's called the plan of happiness. I'm just so glad that I get to be a part of helping others receive all these blessings!!

Also, I GOT MY PACKAGE!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D I literally thought I might die, the couples brought it by and I could barely get it open fast enough hahahaha. And holy cow, every perfect thing I could've ever asked for!!!!!!!! I LOVE the journal!!! and every single other thing!!!!!!!!!! Mom, why are you so awesome????? I love you so much. I was so so so so so happy and I could feel all your love for me and I can't believe how totally selfless and incredible you guys are!!!!!!! I've said it a million zillion times, but how did I luck out with the worlds best family??? Geez, I just love you allllllllll <3 <3

Mom, I'm so sad to hear that you couldn't finish your race!! But I'm way glad you were still able to have such a good experience and I know you'll have your chance to try again sometime in the future :) In the meantime, that race in provo sounds awesome!!! Keep an eye out for races we can do together next year ;)

And as for that music, I don't really know much about any of it, but you're so awesome for trying to get that figured out!!! I'll let her know what you said and if she has any other questions i'll just have her email you. You're the best!!

So glad to hear you all had a great week!!

Nate! I love you!!!!!! I hope you're having the best summer ever!!!

Clay!! I love you! *point*

Hannah! Stop being so dang beautiful and awesome. I miss rewww.

Sera. Yew ar uglee. et wud be nyce ef yew jes lik stawped beeng sew growse.

Cam and Alyne! You better be keeping a journal of all these things that are happening to you so that you can write a book someday that tells people how to be like you and it'll be a best seller of course but that won't matter cause you'll already have all the fame and money in the whole world ;)

Dad! Saved the best for last ;) I love you so much and I can't wait to come home and camp out in the basement and watch star trek and steve carrell movies for forever. You're so awesome and I love you :)))))))

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!! Have the bestest week everrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

-Sister Manwaring :) <3 <3 *BIG HUG*

I believe in miracles!! Megan is SO brave :)

Well hello :) I ruvv yewww awwlll!!!!!!  Your letters this week were awesome, I'm glad you all had so much fun!! And don't worry, it doesn't make me jealous to hear about everything you guys do haha, it keeps me sane! :) So keep it up! 

Such a good week... I had my first baptism!!! Well okay, we've had two others, but this is my first start to finish baptism :))) Pretty sure I've told you about her, Mieca Nalasa, she's 15 and soooo golden. She's basically been a dry mormon her whole life and we just happened to be the lucky missionaries to teach her. Her baptism was on saturdayand it was the most peaceful yet energizing thing ever... just like in the PMG movies when I think his name is Ming? The hilarious Chinese guy? Anyways he says the spirit felt like "calm energy" and that's exactly what her baptism was like. I just cried  basically the whole time hahaha. I am so sad you guys, I've turned into such a bawl baby!! It's ridiculous! And okay, it's not like I sob or anything, I just always have these silent-tears moments. It's so embarrassing hahaha. But yes, she was so so excited and her testimony afterwards was the sweetest thing ever. So happy that I was blessed to be part of her conversion!! 

We have another baptism this saturday, Gino Omilig, so excited for him as well!!

So the rest of this week was crazy haha but good. Sister Bendoy got realllllyyy sick on wednesday. We had Zone meeting that morning and then when we got home she said she needed to lay down for a while cause her stomach hurt, so I just ready scriptures while she napped and then about 15 minutes later she goes running into the bathroom and just barfs like she's going to die... and okay you know how dad is sooo loud when he's throwing up? Yeah, she has him beat by a million miles. It was like she was POSSESSED. I know the devil was in her hahahaha. So I hurry and get some water and see what else she needs, and she lays down again. And then within the next 15 minutes she threw up like 4 more times, each one more possessed than the last, until the last one she threw up blood D: So I hurried and called the mission nurse and was like "Um, hi, my companion is throwing up blood." And she told me that probably she had an ulcer and told me what medicine and all that to do for her, then I had to call our DL cause it's not like I could just run on down to the store haha. While I was waiting for them to come with her stuff she just kept getting worse and worse, she was like moaning and yelling and murmering in her native language, Wadi, so I couldn't understand what she was saying, and I would try and help her but there wasn't really much I could do and she was basically like a barfing version of an evil moaning myrtle. FINALLY the elders came with her medicine and to give her a blessing, and she was much better after that. She stopped throwing up and was able to sleep for a while, so I cleaned up the apartment (that'll be a lifelong habit thanks to mom hahah) and studied until it was time for bed. The next day she was better but still really weak so we stayed in the whole day except for one hour in the evening to go review Mieca's baptismal interview questions. I was nervous that the day was going to be really long and lonely since she was just sleeping in the other room, but I read scriptures and PMG and the Liahona and wrote in my journal and time went by pretty quick so it wasn't too bad. So yeah, that was an adventure hahaha. 

So happy late fourth of july everyone! The last time I was out of the country for the 4th of July I was with Cam visiting his mission, and now for the second time I'm in my own mission! Craziness. Also happy birthday Cam and Nate!! And happy 1 year proposal anniversary Cam and Alyne! Hannah, remember when you wanted to marry Cam? That was funny hahah ;)

So we got a call last night and we have a ton of changes in our area coming up this transfer!! We only 2 weeks ago moved into our new apartment but last night they told us to look for a new and bigger apartment because we're going to have another set of sisters in our area! That means that our area will be split and Sister Bendoy and I have no idea how they'll split it or who will go and who will stay and now when we're out working we have to also look for a new place to live and move there as soon as possible. It's way new and crazy hahaha but I'm excited!! I think it'll be really fun to have 2 other sisters in the apartment and it'll really help the progress in our area! Our area is pretty big so it's hard to make all our appointments cause we have so much travel, so that'll definitely help us visit more people every day!

Last monday I met an Elder Hawk, and it turns out he is from the Ellsworths ward in vegas and totally knows them!! I was sooo happy to find someone who knew my people!!! So yes, shout out to the Ellsworths from Elder Hawk!! 

To try and answer some of your questions, yes I am starting to feel a little more at home here! I actually don't know that I'd say "at home" yet, but I for sure am much more used to how things are here. Honestly though, I have no idea why this is but before my mission I felt like I have a pretty good understanding or expectation of everywhere in the world except the philippines. It's basically the exact opposite of home hahaha. So  it's taken a lot of patience to get used to everything!! But gradually, every day and every week, I get more and more used to how everything is and I'm able to not be stressed about the differences haha but to enjoy them :) Where I am is more city so we don't have much of the lush forests or beaches but there is still SO MUCH beauty everywhere. It's crazy gorgeous here. And now that I can understand the people and I'm used to their personalities and culture I love them so much more!! They really are so fun and hilarious. I can't believe the improvement I've had just since my first few weeks and I'm so excited to keep improving everything!! One thing thats been awesome this week is my improvement in language, now that I feel more confident and like I can say what I'm thinking and feeling, it's SO FUN! HIligaynon really is such a fun language and I can't wait to come home and just speak to you guys in it and you won't know what I'm saying but it'll sound really cool and everyone will think I'm so awesome ;D hahaha but really, such a tender mercy, so glad I have the opportunity to learn this language and that I have the best language tutor ever! How many people can say they have a tutor that knows everything and can speak to their minds? (Yes, I mean the Holy Ghost, Sister Bendoy does not have telepathy). Anyways, so blessed. 

Be Proud of Megan Moment:  We were teaching a lesson to this adorable old lady who lives in this little cement room where she sews dresses for a living and while we're teaching a rat crawls across the floor and starts eating the garbage sitting there, and it didn't even phase me. And she had left a wrapper on the table so there were ants everywhere and they were crawling all up my legs and I just kept right on going, and it honestly didn't bother me at all!! I have no idea how that is possible because you guys know me!!! I'm the girl where if there's a spider I WILL NOT even go into that room for days, if there is a bug I will scream bloody murder. But somehow it doesn't affect me at all!! Like, I don't even get grossed out!! #tendermercy #imjustsuperbraveandawesomenow 

Cam! Tell me more about all the crazy things going on at work!!

Hannah! Holy beast, you are a lacrosse goddess!! not to mention an actual goddess cause you're so gorgeous and awesome. BOYS. STAY AWAY. 

Nate and Clay!! I'm glad you guys had so much fun at lagoon! We'll go together when I get home and maybe my bravery of bugs will transfer and I won't be scared of roller coasters either ;) 

Mom! You're going to do SO GREAT on your run this week! I can't wait to talk to you ;) and I'll be praying for you and thinking about you the whole time!

Dad! You are just too awesome. No idea how I lucked out with such a great dad. I love that you send me pictures and I love hearing about your mission stories!! It makes me so proud that I get to add my own to all of yours :) 

Alyne! Stop getting so skinny and beautiful!! It's ridiculous!! And write me!! I miss your funny words and things ;D

Sera! Nothing for you. hahaha joke. I'll just write you a special email cause you are my wife and it's only fair. 

I JUST LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND I WANT YOU TO BE SO HAPPY AND HAVE THE BEST WEEK EVER AND I HOPE YOU HAVE SO MANY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU AND I JUST LOVE YOU AND LOVE YOU AND LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU AND DON'T WORRY CAUSE TIME WILL GO SO FAST AND THEN WE'LL BE JUST LIKE ALMA WHEN HE'S REUNITED WITH THE SONS OF HELEMAN AND OUR JOY WILL BE FULL AND DON'T WORRY I WON'T BE A WEIRDO WHO QUOTES SCRIPTURES ALL THE TIME. OKAY WHO ARE WE KIDDING I TOTALLY WILL BE. BUT I'LL STILL BE NORMAL SO DO'NT WORRY. Also Im sorry, that all did not need to be in caps. But I love you!!!! and hope you all have a great great week!!!!!! BIG HUGS!!!!!

-Sister Manwaring 

Every member a missionary

Well hi :) As always, I can't start an email without saying how much I love you all. I love you :)

    This week has been awesome! We had Zone Conference on thursday and we had the opportunity to watch the broadcast and I was so glad! When I heard about it in your email I was sad that I might not have the chance to watch it, but of course it's way important for missionaries to see that haha so we got to see it! Holy Cow. How lucky are we to have living prophets and apostles?! And such amazing men, they love us so much! It has always been apart of God's plan for us to have EVERY member of the church be involved in missionary work. It is not, never has been, and never will be the lone responsibility of the full-time missionaries to preach the gospel. It's part of our baptismal covenant to preach the gospel, that means even our precious 8 year olds! (Get ready clayton, you and grayson can serve a couples mission in a few months ;) ) While watching the broadcast it was confirmed to me that while this has been a commandment since the beginning of the church, it is more important now than ever for missionaries and members to become united in this work. Our goal here in the Bacolod mission for weekly baptisms is not "our" goal of us missionaries, it's the goal of our wards and branches. Our investigators are the ward's investigators. Our success is the ward's success. I did not do as good as a could or should have done as a member missionary, what's been on my mind most recently is when Dad asked me to fellowship the investigator in our ward and I selfishly insisted that he just attend the singles ward. While it is important for members to be placed where they'll most likely grow and flourish, it was so bad of me to not fulfill my calling in any way possible. How much I missed out in in my time in young womens by not fully reaching out to those around me! As I watched the video clip of the family I was so happy to imagine you all having those same opportunites every single day and so proud to know that you're all so awesome in all you do. I totally encourage you to continue and to always think of how you can improve! Such an awesome broadcast, I know it'll work miracles for the church in finding those who are currently without the gospel and for strengthening our members.

     The conference totally energized and re-charged me for the work, if you can't tell haha :) Every night since then I haven't wanted to go home, I want to just keep working, to visit one more family, to hand out one more pamphlet. It's been such a blessing for me! It's so hard to figure out how to "lose yourself in the work" but as I've prayed and desired that Heavenly Father opens up a way for me to feel committed and excited about every day :) 

     Mom, thank you so much for your mission portion of your letter! I know EXACTLY what you mean! We're just twins haha :) I am SO HUNGRY for the gospel, literally every spare second I'm reading the scriptures, PMG, or the Liahona, and when I'm not reading I'm always thinking about what I learned, how I can apply it to my life, haha just like Nephi :"my soul hungers and I constantly ponder on the things I've learned". One of the things I've been trying to do with what I've learned is to apply them in a, idon't know how to explain it haha, a "normal" way? Like, not in a robot-missionary way, but as myself just wanting to share how the gospel has blessed my life and how it can bless the lives of others. All you future missionaries, don't fall into the trap of becoming a robot-missionary! Be yourself, show your personality, joke around and have fun! Follow the example of our awesome prophet and apostles and be yourself... but the version of yourself that is constantly looking to share the gospel haha :) I promise you'll be less stressed, and so much happier.

     Dad, that's such a cool story about planting the seed with that woman! So many of our investigators are the result of past missionaries work. I can't wait to hear more stories from "Elder Batman" ;)

Okay, I haven't gotten Cam's letter!!!! Please someone send it to me so I can read it next week!! I'm dying to know what's going on with those two!!

Mom, thanks SO MUCH for putting together a package for me!!!! Geez, I love you so much!!! I'm so excited to get it and I;ll just imagine everything wrapped and ready like you wanted :) LOVE YOU!!

Dad, I love the pictures you send me, and the random ones are totally great! Keep it up :)

Mom, (sorry about this weird back-and-forth thing hahaha) Don't worry, it doesn't make me feel left out when you tell me what you guys are doing! I love to hear about everything :) I hope I'm not making you all too jealous that you don't get to be where I am ;)

I wish I could send you guys pictures!! I'm sorry that you don't get to have visual aids to be able to see everything I'm doing haha. Oh man, I'm scared to think of those pictures of president Lopez's FB hahahaha I'm sure I'm just lookin gorgeous as always ;D hahaha no. I've had to lose all sense of vanity here hahaha. I'll have time to look pretty again when I get home and have air conditioning haha :) And anyways, all anyone cares about is my white skin hahahahaha so it doesn't matter whether my hair is curled or straigtened or if I am wearing tons of makeup hahaha.

Funny thing of this week: everyone here just burps all the time hahaha, it makes me wish quincy and I could have exchanges for a day so she could enjoy this hahaha. Okay and it's not like "after meal burping" it's just in the middle of conversations, 6 times, random burping hahahaha. It's so so so funny.

Sorry that my letter is so boring this week! And I hope it wasn't preachy! I'll do better to take notes of funny and interesting things that happen this week. I love you all and I hope you have the most fun combined birthday week ever!!!!! Go on all the scariest rides at lagoon for me ;) You're the best family in the world and I love you so much and I miss you and I love you and I always pray for you and I always smile randomly throughout the day because of something funny that we've done before or some good memory I have and I just have the best family ever ever ever ever and I love you all so much!!!!!! HAGS. hahaha jk. Okay, love you!!! Talk to you next week :)

The enabling power of the Atonement

Hey guys :) So glad to hear your week went so well!! And thank you so much for your mission letter dad and also for your effort mom and cam, I'm so excited to hear all about it!! I've literally been craving so much to know about your mission experiences!! When you send them, please include things like your investigators, companions, hard times, good times, all of it! I really want to learn from your examples and experiences and they will totally uplift me and help me more than you know!! I'm so blessed to be apart of this work just like you all :)

Yes! That indian (filippino) man was talking about my birthday package for sera!! I have the information today for her to claim it, maybe they can just send it back quickly! If they send it back to me I'll just send it again. That information is DHL-USA: telephone number #1-480-636-2571  AWBH: 2656169924   Reference #: 201031193460 (LBC)   It's a super funny package and I sent it forever ago but some of the stuff in there is having trouble coming thru customs so just call that number and see if you can get it, if not once it gets back here I'll just send it again. 

We didn't go to that broadcast, so it would be awesome to hear what it was about!!! I'm glad you all got to hear it though!

Package suggestions:

-A new journal, I"m already like halfway through the one I have and I'm not in an area to be able to get the kind that I would like, so if you could please go to barnes and noble and get me another leather journal with a strap on the front that holds it closed- it actually doesn't have to be leather or have the strap, Sera! I trust you to choose a good cute one! haha :)

-More garments- about 5 tops and 5 bottoms would be amazzzzing

top size: xsp (and it's called like carlita or something? it's the spandexy ones) bottom size: 32pa silk

And this is random and not about packages but holy skinny Alyne!!! I saw those pictures and you've always been a model but like what you are so tiny!!!! 

okay back to the package

- Will you please send me the neutrogena healthy skin mineral foundation,. it's about 11$ and at walgreens or anywhere and I don't know the exact color but if you go to Ulta and show them the Bare Minerals foundation in medium C25 and ask them to match it to the same neutrogena color then they will

-there are these mod-bod or something mormony brand shirts that the sisters here use and they're basically like those modest undershirts but they're only half a shirt so it's kinda like a sports-bra-top-thing but I'm sure they have them at downeast so if you could get some white ones that would be awesome as well. 

and of course all of these are just suggestions and I'm not going to die without any of them but I would be nice if it's not too hard to send a package to have them :) totally up to you guys though!!

Hannah, thank you for the pinterest workouts!!! You've just saved my morning sanity hahaha

Okay now about this past week!

We had transfers this week so a lot of changes to our zone but Sister Bendoy and I are still together, but we moved!!! Still in Sum-ag but to a new nice little house!!!!! I love it and I'm so happy and it's such a tender mercy!!!! It's in an area called "Firmville executive estates" (please read in a snooty-british-butler-accent) and it's a little house with a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom... and the bathroom has a shower!!!!!! and a flushing toilet!!!! and even a sink!!!! It's all in a 5 ft. by 2 1/2 ft space hahaha but I don't even care!!! and yes, there is not a water heater but that's not so bad, and yes the water is a little yellow (I don't know why...?) but I just call it "golden" and I haven't died or contracted leprosy yet! It's a new place and we're the first ones to live there so it's clean and new!! It's really tiny of course hahaha but it's plenty big for just two people!!! When sister bendoy and I were moving all our things and organizing and stuff I felt like a new couple moving into their first house hahahahahaha which then made me think of when I come home and get married and have my own house and I just can never stop thinking about home and all the things that will happen after my mission and I wish I could just turn off that part of my brain but it's all good and I'm not like crippled with homesickness or anything so I can endure trunky thoughts for a while hahaha. Sorry for the huge sentence!! But yes. I love our new place. 

  

I've been focusing my studies this week on the enabling power of the atonement. I had always known about the atonement for sinners but I never really thought too much about the atonement for helping good people become better people too. The atonement is also to help us have patience in our afflicitions, it's to help us to have the courage and strength to face adversity and trials. The atonement enables us to have the power of God to help us overcome those things we couldn't do on our own. I don't really know how to explain everything I've been learning but I do know that what I'm doing is really really hard hahahaha it's hard!! But I also know that I can do anything through the atonement of jesus christ, not just by repenting of my sins but by receiving heavenly help with all my trials. I've always been  blessed to accomplish the things I set my mind to, and I know that this comes from divine help. Every time that it gets really hard I always first pray. and after that I do everything I can to keep the commandments, read the scriptures and liahona's like no other, and try so hard to give everything I can to the work. And it hasn't been easy but it has been possible! I know that there are soooooo many things awaiting me in my mission. One of the reasons I've been dying to hear about your own mission stories is that they really help me to have patience and faith! Like Cam, your experience with Elder Hatch has helped me so much!! and I know that you would never ever sacrifice your mission just because you had it tough at first! And mom and dad, I can't wait to hear about your experiences as well because I can relate them to my life right now and use them to become stronger! Also please don't think of this as some cry for help or like i'm all depressed or something haha, I'm just admitting that it is really really tough sometimes!! And even though I can't really expalin everything I've been learning and experiencing how I want to over email, I just wanted to share that it makes me so happy to know that I'm somehow blessing you all back at home, and I want to you know that I feel your prayers and they help me so much so keep em coming :) I'm so grateful to have you guys!!! And I'm so grateful that you're all so strong and active in the gospel, that blesses me so much!!!! I just love you all so much :) :)

I don't have much time to talk about the work this week, but I have to quickly share that we had a less active come to church on sunday who hasn't been in years!! We visit her about 2 times a week and we always invite her to church and offer to come with her and help her with her kids or whatever she needs and she always says "sige lang sisters, if I have time!" and then yesterday morning she texts us and says that she'll come with us and that she's getting her kids ready right then, it was so so so so awesome, i'm so grateful for her progress!! 

All of your letters are so so awesome and so uplifting and it's such a highlight of my week to hear from you all!! Please remember to also include the "spiritual" things of your week as well :) But don't stop talking about what's going on in the every day stuff, I love to hear about it!!!

Nathan. Holy stud pants. I'm so excited for you to go to promcoming as well hahah :) 

Okay! That's all I have for today!! And I'm totally good with you guys sending me dear elders, just know that they do take a while to get here, if you have sent any so far I haven't gotten them, so you can send them but please include important or the stuff I want to hear weekly in your weekly emails and then the dear elders can just be a nice little treat when I get them! but yeah, the bulk of your emails should be weekly so I have something to read and keep up on :) I love you all, keep being awesome, and I hoope you all have such an amazing week! You're always in my thoughts (whether I want that or not hahahaha ;) ) LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU