Monday, December 30, 2013

December 30, 2013

Kumusta!
Naku! What a week! We had a great week filled with celebrating and finding opportunities to bring people closer to their Savior :) The week was filled with preparation for 2 baptisms on Christmas. Jen and Maryella were both baptized with 4 others on Christmas. It was a sweet remembrance for a beautiful Christmas. We stayed busy for a good amount of time with their baptisms. And then a day later, we had another investigator tell us that she received her cinomar. A cinomar is a form that shows if they are married. She found out that her husband was married already, so she couldn't get married to him, but according to regulations here they had been living together long enough that she could be baptized. It has been a long waiting process for their family and we found ourselves preparing for another baptism. It was a wonderful experience with Sister Jinky and her daughter Mira. It was a blessing to reap of the blessings and to see the Lord working in the lives of those that we love. It was a busy week of baptisms, exchanges and learning opportunities.

Oh yeah...transfer announcements.... Sister Pace is called to serve in Daraga for another transfer with Sister Donato. We are both excited for this transfer and the opportunities to build our area. It has been such a blessing and I know that the Lord merely is using us as instruments to bless the lives of others. I am so very grateful for the birth of my Lord and Savior, and the blessing of a new year. It is to become a monumental time to return to the Lord and face the challenges of life with a determination to become better.

---Sister Pace---
Philippines Legazpi Mission

 


 

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

December 23, 2013

Kumusta,

Ho Ho Ho...what a week this was :) We had a week filled with many activities for the mission and ward for Christmas. It was a really great way to open the season. We started with a really busy day Tuesday, which resulted in being locked out of our apartment. We had to go stealth style...in skirts. It was a trick of sticking our arms and an umbrella through the window closest to the door and then trying to connect the umbrella to the keys hanging on the back of the door....which was really lucky for us. Until my companion dropped the keys on the floor, behind the door. But Sister Pace came to the rescue with the Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet....and saved the keys. haha...it was a very sweet victory to save the day with the gospel :)

As a mission we all met together on Wednesday and shared a wonderful Christmas season with one another, through stories, music and uplifting thoughts. It was really great to meet up with everyone, but was really tiring as we traveled back home. We then fixed ourselves for another party with the ward. It was a great celebration with the members and we had great fun singing and watching the little children play games. 

We also had the great opportunity to have exchanges with several of the sisters this week and share with them about the great work we do as missionaries. It was really great to share time with each of them and help them to find ways to improve their teaching skills and desires to be missionaries in all aspects. 

We have been busy this week trying to prepare two of our investigators for baptism on the 25th. We had interviews with them last night, but one of them was not allowed to come because of her mother....so when she came to tell us, she was crying. It was so hard to see her crying, because she couldn't do what she knew was right. But we are returning to them tomorrow and hoping that she will pass and we will be having a white Christmas.

I hope that you all will enjoy your Christmas and remember the joy that can be found through the birth of our Lord and Savior. It may not be that we receive gifts of great monetary worth...but it is of greater importance that we give gifts from the heart. It was miraculous what the Lord gave us that special night and the blessings that came from above. Now we can use His example to guide us in our thoughts and actions...to bless the lives of others, by giving a little of ourselves. I hope you each have a wonderful Christmas!
 
---Sister Pace---
Philippines Legazpi Mission
 

 
 
 

Monday, December 16, 2013

December 16, 2013

Kumusta!
This week has been a busy week with exchanges and baptisms and about everything else in between, but the sweetest reminder has been through the Spirit of the special season that is approaching. 

We had really great exchanges with the Sisters from Guinobatan and I learned a lot about being a missionary...and not just a missionary, but a missionary of the Lord. It has been great to work with people that have become less active, have a family and then decide to return...but this time with their whole family. I am learning about the simplicity of the gospel and the blessings that it brings to our lives...if only we will follow it. I am so grateful for the opportunity to open the path for others to receive the gospel and see the joy it brings to their families. We had several baptisms this week and so it has turned into a white Christmas, despite the lack of snow. And hopefully we will continue to work toward this for the next coming weeks :) 
 
---Sister Pace---
Philippines Legazpi Mission
 


 

Dear Parents,

We are being alarmed by the number of packages being sent directly to the mission office or the mission home address. This process costs more money because of taxes which we have to pay with the mission funds, usually not less than Php 2,000 (around $50). The amount of money would have to be deducted from the recipient's personal money from home.

We have provided all missionaries the physical address for the mission where parents can send their packages without having to pay extra taxes or costs. The missionaries are instructed to inform their parents about the mailing address but they seem to have disregarded this direction. The physical address is found at the end of this message and PLEASE send the packages for your missionaries to this address:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Philippines Legazpi Mission Office
#152 Rizal St., Brgy. Sagpon
Daraga, Albay
4501 Philippines


Friday, December 13, 2013

December 9, 2013

Kumusta!

It is crazy to think that it is already Monday all over again. Life is going good here. It is a lot a meetings this week and working to meet the needs of our investigators. We have a wonderful family that we are working with toward baptism. It is very interesting to work together with those that God has prepared for the gospel. I am so very grateful for the example of God's children to me. We had Missionary Leadership Council on Tuesday...my first one. It was a really great experience and a great opportunity to raise my vision to the vision of the mission president. I know that the work is not possible unless we rely on the Lord to do His part. We also have one investigator that will be baptized...he is a really great young boy and there are so many blessings that we have seen through his diligence to listen to the message of the gospel. And his family is less active members and they are receiving the blessings also. I love my mission! I get to see the hand of the Lord in my life and seek for the guidance and understand to His work. I had several of the members from Tabaco come and visit...it is such a joy to know that these friendships that I create here will always be with me...just as I shall have my family always, I will continue to cherish these friendships for the eternities.
---Sister Pace---
Philippines Legazpi Mission

 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

December 2, 2013

Kumusta,
Naku! what a week! There has been so much going on...sometimes it is so hard to keep track of everything. We have had some really great experiences this week, especially with exchanges. There was many great opportunities to learn from the other sisters and meet new people. I am so very grateful for the blessings that we have as missionaries to work together and help other missionaries to improve their areas also. From the exchanges, I have learned a lot about what it means to be a leader. One friend put it as this... "being a  leader means that you sleep less and you serve more" There are so many nights that I think about the sisters and try to figure out what I can do to help. Or how I can be better to help them. Naku! There is always so much going on in my mind....I am surprised that it doesn't hurt really bad yet ;P I am still learning a lot about the area and the people and I am loving this opportunity here in Daraga. There was no Thanksgiving here in the Philippines, but we celebrated anyways. My companion and I cooked a good meal for the four of us and we spent the evening eating chicken and drawing hand turkeys. It was a lovely evening and opportunity to remember all that the Lord has given us. I am so very grateful for the gospel and all that I have been blessed with. Thank you to all those that have been an influence in my life :) I love you all!
 
 
 
---Sister Pace---
Philippines Legazpi Mission