The Other Side of Heaven

There was a movie made with the title, "The Other Side of Heaven," that is about a missionary who served in Tonga. Well, this last transfer, my trainee got transferred to the other sister's area in Orion and now I'm with Sister Fotu'aika, who is from Tonga. For those of you who are devout followers of my adventures, you may recognize her! She and I were together in our first area, Sta. Cruz, as housemates. So, in a way, we get to start and end our missions together. Besides my birthday, nothing too crazy has happened. Something I have noticed, however, is how God is blessing us with families to find. In just the last couple of weeks, we've found a handful of families committed to be baptized and it makes me so happy! Whenever we invite somebody to be baptized, we like to tell them that they can receive one of two answers, that is, it is not true or it is true. And before they can receive an answer, all they have to do is read from the Book of Mormon and pray every day, and go to church each Sunday, at least for a month. We then promise them that they will know the truth. That's my invitation this week to you all, to try this message out for yourself and see what answers you receive. 

Word of the Week: palaman - food spread Ex: I bought a chicken BBQ flavored palaman and it's great on toast!

The Queen Pin Strikes Again!

For a district activity we got to go bowling! I was so excited to use my bowling name, Queen Pin, again as I smashed the competition! Well, not really...guess I'm still a bit rusty. But overall, it was fun for sure. Despite the crazy weather that seems to vacillate only between typhoons and desert heat, our work continued to be successful! I love it when our investigators read from the Book of Mormon because not only is it convincing evidence that Joseph Smith is a true prophet, but that it really does answer our questions and problems. Even for me, as I'm reading it in Tagalog and sometimes not totally understanding everything, I can still feel the Spirit. As I'm starting my last transfer, I'm excited to continue to be zealous in carrying out the work. Nothing can rain on our parade! (See video)

Word

of the Week: Masigasig -- really hard working Ex: All missionaries should be masigasig even until they go home ;)

Wonderful Wet-her!

I heard that in Seattle there was a crazy big storm that came through. Similarly we got word from our Mission President that a giant typhoon would be coming through our area. Fortunately, the flooding wasn't too bad and we were still able to work while sharing my one broken umbrella. (Don't worry, we're buying another one this week haha). But speaking of water, our investigator Mary Angel was baptized this week! She is the granddaughter of an elderly couple we helped return to church and renew their temple recommends, which one needs in order to enter the temple. She is super sweet and even reads the Book of Mormon all the time. It's amazing to see the wonderful change in this family as they've returned to church and become active again. Truly despite the storms in our life, God's blessing are always showering down upon us as well!

Word of the Week: Nakakabighani -- amazing/shocking Ex: Sister Morgan's beauty is nakakabighani ;)

In the Jungle, Part 2

 I feel like everything has a sequel nowadays, so I'll add my contribution! This week the jungle wasn't the muddy forest of banana trees but rather the urban jungle of Olongapo city. I had a couple of meetings to attend there and on the way to one, extreme flooding occurred right outside the church building to where it somewhat resembled the chocolate river in Willy Wonka's factory. Slightly concerned for my feet (which if you remember are a little scary looking already), I shimmied my way down the street grasping onto telephone poles and whatever greenery I could lay hands on. Fortunately, I made it through pretty well.

Now of course, some may be wondering, "Ok, that's great, but where's my spiritual analogy?!" Good news, there's one coming! This weekend I got to watch General Conference, where the church leaders, apostles and prophet speak to the whole church. Just like I had to rely upon the poles and trees to guide me through the dirty waters, similarly if we hold onto the words and abide by their revelations, we too can navigate life's great vicissitudes. I find much comfort in knowing that we have a living prophet. I'm thankful those men who in their complete service, dedicate their lives in ministering unto all people, even those in the tropical and concrete jungles.

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle!

So as the title might suggest, my companion and I spent some good quality time in the depths of the Filipino forests this week! We actually were trying to locate a member family and a former investigator that seemingly lived in the middle of nowhere. Well, after some hours had transpired and our lovely legs were adequately caked with mud we miraculously found both of them! After visiting with each, I thought to myself how God really does guide us to people we need to teach. The jungles here are so beautiful despite the treacherous paths. Similarly, we must sometimes transcend the trials and struggles we all experience here on earth to simply enjoy the beauty and wonder of the world in which we live. As we do this, I know that we can gain strength to overcome any hard things that we are experiencing. With gratitude comes blessings, right? Whether in the evergreens woods of Seattle or the tropical jungles of the Philippines, evidence of God's love is there.

Word of the Week: muddy -- maputik Ex: My legs are so maputik!