September 30, 2013

I am sorry that I really don't have anything to report on this week about the work. It has been going really well and we are preparing for the end of the transfer. There are many things that have been learned and acquired and there are blessings to be seen in our lives and in the lives of those that we are teaching. I continue to learn daily about the power of the Atonement and the gospel in my life and in the lives that I have been entrusted to care after. And I learn daily about the reality of this plan which our Father has so kindly given to us. I know that as we truly come to understand the love that our Heavenly Father has for us and the blessings that He desires to give to us, we understand more of what we are to fulfill in this life. He loves us. He knows us. And he wants us to be happy. But we must listen to Him and heed His counsel. I know that we may not be perfect now....but that is why the Lord gave us His Son--Jesus Christ. I know that as we come to understand the purpose of the life of Jesus Christ, we will come to feel the glory of the Lord in our lives. I know that we can overcome the sins and transgressions that we have in our life, because of the enabling and redeeming power of the sacrifice we call the Atonement. I have found that this is our power against the temptations we face daily and the energy to endure through struggles our Heavenly Father desires us to face. We may find the times dark, gloomy and unbearable...but there are reasons and truths to be learned in order to help us to come to a better knowledge and understanding of what the Lord said, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it;and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25) I am finding that we must lose our life...every part of it to gain what really matters the most. That means that we give every part of ourselves that is contrary to the ways of the Lord...and we rely on the Lord to transform us into who we really are. This is all possible through the gospel of Jesus Christ. This I know to be true and I love to search for it and apply it in this time entrusted to us...and this I hope to leave with you to ponder. I love you all!!

September 23, 2013

Kumusta!

This week went really well and there was a lot to learn from all the experiences.We had interviews with President Guanzon this last week. That was a really big help to me. We had some really great lessons with our investigators this week and have felt the Spirit lead and direct us to know how to bless the lives of the people that we are called to serve. We had a wonderful lesson with a less active about the Book of Mormon, but turned into the law of tithing, because she had questions about it. It was a really great lesson, because she understood more of how the Book of Mormon could help her to understand the laws of God. We continue to find those that the Lord is preparing for us and strive to overcome the struggles and situations we are faced with. There is currently a low pressure going through Tabaco and it has been very unpleasant with all the rain and wind....but it should be disappearing this week.  Other than that we haven't had much go on this week, because of all our meetings at the church...hopefully more time this next week.

 

---Sister Pace---

Philippines Legazpi Mission

September 16, 2013

Hello,

This week was a really busy week. We had a lot of meetings--Mission Tour, Exchanges and sisters visiting. It was a eventful week with learning about the gospel, our role as missionaries and how to teach the gospel to others. I had exchanges with Sister Ianuzi on Tuesday, which was a really great learning experience. I was really grateful to have the chance to work with her. And I learned a lot from her efforts as a new missionary. We had the Sisters from Catanduanes come and visit us, because of events that were taking place in the mission. It was a great break (and stress also) to have four sisters in one apartment. We learned a lot from one another and learned about the importance of the gospel. One of the Sisters, Sister Fausto, is from Zamboanga. Her family is in the an area that is under war...all people are under red alert. I hope that you will keep that people of Zamboanga in your prayers. She shared with me about the situations that are presently there and it was a very different perspective of life, but that is the reality that she has lived with. I was greatly touched by here example and the love she has for the mission. We both served in the same area in Sorsogon....so we shared a lot of stories about the members there :) We had a wonderful opportunity to go to Legazpi and learn from our Area President, Elder Nielson. We learned a lot about our responsibilities of the missionary and the role of the gospel in our work. We talked about the power of the Atonement in our work...it all came from a talk by David a Bednar-- In the Strength of the Lord. It is a really great talk and I encourage you to read it :) We learned about companionship...which was a great review and has provided some fruit in our companionship. We were also told that President Guanzon and Elder Nielson would select four missionaries to interview. Guess who got interviewed....yup...Sister Pace. It was a really great experience and I felt that I learned a lot from it. Our whole week was ended with some really great lessons and experiences. I felt that the Lord was really using us as instruments in His work. We had one investigator that had prayed that we would visit her...and when we went to teach her, it was exactly what she was waiting for. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to see the hand of the Lord in my life and in the lives of others.  I know that the Lord loves each of us and desires for each of us to receive of the blessings of the gospel...we must be willing to turn to Him and listen. And as we humbly go before Him, we shall see His face.

 

---Sister Pace---

Philippines Legazpi Mission

 

 

missionaries from the zone traveling in a jeepne

Sis. Pace & Elder Brent H. Nielson

 

HERE IS THE EMAIL THAT WAS SENT TO MY PARENTS FROM ELDER NIELSON: 

 In the subject line: I met your daughter!

 

Dear Mom and Dad,

Last week my wife Marcia and I were touring the Legazpi Mission.  We had the great fortune of meeting your daughter, Alexa.  She is outstanding in every way.

I had the opportunity to meet with her personally.  While she misses her home in New Mexico, she is dedicated to the work.  We are very fortunate to have her serving with us in the Philippines.  Thank you for sending and supporting her.

If there is anything I can do to help you or your family while she is serving with us, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely yours

Elder Brent H. Nielson
Philippines Area President

 

 

 

 

September 8, 2013

This week was a week of balancing our investigators and less actives. We have had some really good progress with those that we are teaching and we are hoping to continue to help them progress to baptism. I love watching our less actives rediscover the Book of Mormon and feel the Spirit in their lives. I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life so much as I have tried to give all that I could to Him. I know that the gospel is foundational to all that we do in this life. It gives us direction to what the Lord desires for us.  I know that this work is so important in this life and all that we do.  I gave a talk  (in tagalog) on Sunday about Missionary work...it was a really great learning experience. Especially since it was given to me the night before and the mission president was present :) But I am learning more and more about our responsibilities as members and full time missionaries and the blessings the Lord desires to give to us.

 

---Sister Pace---

Philippines Legazpi Mission

 

 

 

September 2, 2013

This week was a really fast week. There was a lot of learning on parts of companions and hopefully we are on our way to improving our relationship. I took the challenge this week to really sit down and write how I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life and in the lives of others...it has been a really fun process and a great time to ponder on the love and miracles that the Lord blesses us with. We had interviews with the President on Thursday and after our interviews we went to centro. There was a gentleman that we saw and said "hi" to, but we didn't think much about it until we were walking to one of our areas and saw him again. We had a small conversation with him, and then he was off. As we were walking to one of our appointments, we saw him standing outside a house...because it was the third time we had seen him, we stopped and talked with him. This was the most powerful testimonies to me about the work of the Lord. Because as we were talking with him, he shared with us, His experiences and his dreams that he had. He said that he had had a dream of the Savior, pure white and glorious....and when he went to look at his face, he woke up. He said he wanted to see that again. I don't blame him....I would love to see that. But he was talking about his life and how he had all the material things any man could ever want....but he wasn't happy. We shared with him a short message and told him that we had a way for him to see the Savior again and to be happy in this life. I hope that this next week we will be able to see him again. We also had an experience with one of our investigators....she has been investigating for a long time. Her mother and father are less active and her and her two sisters are investigators. They have had many baptismal dates, but they have always fallen through. But when we went to her this week, she said that she wanted to be baptized and she set her own date, for September 28th. The Lord works in mysterious ways. But I know that He is mindful of each of us. I have seen His help in my life so much this week as I have been striving to overcome and become more like Him, I know that He hears and answers prayers as I seek for His guidance and understanding in my daily actions. I have come t see the role of the Atonement more fully in my life and the power it has to transform people into saints. I hope to be able to continue to see the hand of the Lord in my life and in the lives of others.

---Sister Pace---

Philippines Legazpi Mission