December 4, 2012

Flight plans are in and I have got a ticket to the Philippines for Monday, December 10th.

 

Leaving: Salt Lake City Airport    8:25pm

Arriving: Los Angeles     9:28pm

 

Leaving: Los Angeles     12:05am

Arriving: Hong Kong     7:40am

 

Leaving: Hong Kong     9:05am

Arriving: Manila     11:15am

 

It is crazy to think that I am already leaving the MTC, because I feel like I just arrived. But I know that it is time...and it is going to be so great! I am the only one from my district that is flying out that night, but i will be traveling with another District and Zone...so I am deemed to be the travel leader of myself (haha...hopefully I can keep myself in line ;P) From the time that I land in Manila, I will then be taken to an Airport Hotel and stay the night until I travel the next morning. So I should arrive in Naga by December 13...and Mom and Dad...they (The Mission President and His Wife) will email you to let you know if I made it safely to Naga.

From the last couple of days, there has been so much that has been going on, but there is also so much to learn! It has been amazing to see the mercies of the Lord in my life daily and to see Him help me as I strive to learn the language and acquire skills to be His missionary. I know that I am not the best at the language yet, but I had this wonderful insight as I was reciting the first vision of Joseph Smith...there are going to many struggles in striving to understand and speak the language, but this is only in place so that we may be reliant and dependent on the Lord....for these are His children and we are dealing with their salvation. And to know that truth was only what was being sought after when the young boy, Jospeh Smith, went to pray...but to see the result of his concerns bring about the most historical occurence in the world.

Anyways...this week is full of classes and teaching...along with packing and preparing everything to go by Sunday. My companions and I all leave at different times and so we are each trying to help one another get everything done for our travels on Monday. The fun part of all of this is inviting new missionaries in and helping them get settled with the rest of us. It has been amazing seeing how many sisters and elders have been coming in every week...they say that by January they are really suppose to getting a marjority of the 18 year old elders and the 19 year old sisters. Even more exciting is that within 12 weeks of my mission I will be working with other missionaries to train these new sisters and elders when they arrive in the field.

I know that what I learn now will be of use to me, for the rest of my life. That truly is a gift that I could not put a price on. If there is anything I could ask more of you, would be a challenge...I challenge you to seek to bring yourself closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism (covenants and commitments made to God), receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end....I want you to study it out. For this is your salvation...maybe that sounds a little rash and uncertain with the circumstances that I am in compared to you....but I know that if you seek, and knock...He will answer. Here are some talks I would like you to consider reading...Learning to love learning ( David A. Bednar), Born of God ( Ezra Taft Benson) and The Inconvenient  Messiah (Jeffrey R. Holland). They are all really great and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Love you all and I am excited to write you again from the Philippines!!!

Mahal Kita palagi,

Sister Pace

November 26, 2012

I am sorry if it is a lot of information as from the small amount I give you in the emails. I just felt like I needed to share it with you and I hope that you enjoyed it. And the greatest part is that you can feel the Spirit as strong as I do here, in your attendance to church, partaking of the sacrament and attending the temple, etc...it literally is a promised blessing that our Heavenly Father wants to give to each of us. However the conditions vary for each person and their reliance, diligence, faithfulness, obedience, etc., to the Lord. But I know that you will receive a witness that this is true :) I am doing well personally. The last couple of weeks was rough and I was really trying to figure somethings out, because I just didn't feel like I had what it could take to do this. But as I have decided to rely on the Lord and take my weaknesses to Him and ask Him for strength and guidance, I have found my prayers to be answered...sometimes slowly and sometimes immediately. But I have started to find the way in which the Lord wants me to turn to Him and rely on Him in all that I do. It is not simply when I feel like I should go on my knees and pray to Him, but it is at all times. I am slowly learning how to rely on my Heavenly Father...because as you know I have a hard time turning to others and relying completely on them for everything (granted I did that with you...but talking about now when  I have the ability and agency to chose soley for myself). And through this reliance, I have learned much about myself and about my Savior. I have a feeling that the glasses was a lesson for my to learn and it has opened a braoder perspective to what the Lord would have me to do. I know that it probably sounds clique, that I relate everything to the Gospel....but without Heavenly Father and the gospel, none of this would exist....there is a reason and a ryhmn to everything. And I feel that the glasses was just the beginning of helping me to see things spiritually and not only physically. However....the glasses make life so much more exciting because I can actually see things. This week has been really great. The same schedule for everything, but more to learn and more to prepare before we leave. I have been placed in the position as the senior companion....wow...I have learned a lot about myself and about the type of leader I need to be....and I was praying and asking Heavenly Father to help me to know how I could be a better leader for my companions and it was interesting to see how He answered it through a devotional talk the next night. It has been great striving to overcome my natural man and becoming better everyday. Thanksgiving at the MTC was absolutely wonderful. There was just so much wonderful things that were going on and learning about gratitude and others. Jeffrey R. Holland spoke to us (along with his wife)...it was amazing. He talked about the things we shoudl be grateful for and the life that we have been given in this last dispensation. And then our service project was putting together school supplies and medical supplies for a village in Mali, Africa. It was a wonderful expereince and I enjoyed it so much.

November 6, 2012

Week 5...it doesn't seem like it has been that long...but that means only 4 more weeks. The language is starting to come a little easier...not a pro yet, but working towards it. Halloween here was...well...pretty much nonexistent...we were all wearing our costumes...missionaries! I am learning a lot about what it takes to be a missionary...I love gaining new insights to the work that is ahead of me. Being in class for 16 hours I really don't think of much other than those we are teaching, the gospel and what words are what in Tagalog. I am starting to gain a higher and deeper appreciation for the gospel as I learn about it again in Tagalog.
Alam ko po na mahal tayo ng Diyos. Alam ko po na totoo ang Aklat Ni Mormon at naglalaman ang Aklat ni Mormon kabuuan ng ebanghelyo kay Jesucristo. Nagpapasalamat po ako para sa pagbabayad-sala ni Jesucristo. Alam ko po na totoo si Thomas S. Monson ng propeta. Alam ko po na pamamagitan ng ebanghelyo tumatanggap patnubay at kapayapaan at pagbabalik-loob na lumapit kay Jesucristo. Sa pangalan ni Jesucristo, amen.
Patotoo ko is not much, but from what I can say in Tagalog I know it is true.

October 31, 2012

This week has gone pretty well. The language is still a struggle and trying to work with two others is a challenge some days. But I have started to find joy in the journey of it all. I guess I am truly needing to find fault not in others, but in myself so that I can find a way to draw closer to my Heavenly Father. We had many speakers and leaders this week that refer to the fact that in order to help those we are teaching come unto Christ, we have to do the same things also. This is why it makes so much more sense, when we receive our mission call and it states, " you are hereby called to serve..." We are serving the people.....we are not preaching the gospel. In order to have someone come closer to our Heavenly Father, we must be willing to walk the same path and overcome what they are overcoming. This of course is going to be different for every missionary, but the idea is focused on having the Lord's countenance in our own. I feel like I have gained a greater understanding and knowledge of why i am here and what I need to be doing. I hope that I will continue to carry this vision forward as I go to serve the people in the Philippines. Other than that, all the other missionaries that were in our classes, left on Monday for the Philippines...it was so hard to see them all leave because we had all become so attached to them. But just thinking about it....that will be me in 6 weeks. Let's hope that I can get myself in order and practice the language a little more, before I get on that silver bird! 

Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!!



left to right: Sis. Hayden (Manila mission), Sis. Pace(Naga mission)  & Sis. Jones (Quezon City North mission)

 



Sis. Pace & Elder Pitts





October 23, 2012

Well...this week was rough. As I expected it was going to be, but wow it hit hard. It has been going great here, at the MTC, but there is just so much going on around you and you have so much to worry about and it all is thrown at you at once...but the great part is when you start a new week, go to the temple and get to have a day to prepare yourself for the next day. The language had not been one of my favorite things to do...in fact, it is one of the most difficult things I have encountered up here. But I can face the challenge as long as I trust that the Lord will help me. Which by the way....that has helped a ton. The other part is having two companions...I feel that the Lord has given me the challenge to have two companions that are absolutely contrary of one another. It has definitely tried me, but I have learned more about myself and what the Lord wants me to be. We have learned a lot about serving the people we are teaching and how to share the gospel. It just makes me so excited to go out...of course if I were talking English ;P But the Tagalog is going to take some time to learn. I am loving the MTC and I am excited for all those that will be reporting here over the next couple of months....they are going to love it. I love the Lord and I love the gospel...there is so much joy and happiness to be found in it!!!

October 16, 2012

Well...I have officially made it through 6 days at the MTC. The first day was really crazy because there was just so much that we needed to know and learn in prep for the next day. The Kelleys (Brother and Sister Kelley and Jace) were able to drop me off at the front doors of the MTC...it almost seemed surreal, but it was all so exciting at the same time. The day was filled with orientation and meeting you companions and so much more. I have two companions while here in the MTC--Sister Jones and Sister Hayden. Sister Jones is from California and is reporting to the Quezon City North Mission. Sister Hayden is from Washington and she will be reporting to the Manila Mission. Did you know that there are seventeen missions in the Philippines? I had no idea! But it is so amazing to see how many missionaries there are that are going to the Philippines. the first day of class we were completely immersed into the language...it was so overwhelming and crazy, but it has been really fun and trying.  By the second or third day we were already being required to teach an investigator in Tagalog...trust me, at that point you have no idea how to even say "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"...but I do know that the Lord watches out for you and helps you to understand the language more and more. In fact, the other night I had a dream about Tagalog...not too sure if any of it was translatable, but it was kind of funny when I woke up :) Sunday was wonderful...all of it was in Tagalog...well other than when the Branch Presidency spoke to us. It was so spiritual as we spoke about the Holy Ghost and the importance of recognizing it. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it, although I didn't understand it all :) We also had Sister  Burton, the General Relief Society President, come and speak to all the sisters for Relief Society. It was an amazing talk and she was so encouraging! I also was able to meet up with Elder Pitts. It was really good to see him! He is leaving in a week and a half. But then again, it seems like everyone is leaving so soon. I also ran into a friend of mine from school, Sister Warren. Yesterday we had the opportunity to teach our investigator again...I thought it went okay...I am just trying to understand what he is saying now. But with faith and hope in the Lord, I know that He will help me in my struggle to learn Tagalog. I am so grateful for this opportunity and the blessings that have been poured upon me....I could never ask for a better experience :)

Sincerely,

Sister Pace

P.S.  Her mailing address has changed:

        Sister Alexa Renae Pace

        MTC Mailbox #161

        PHI-NAG 1210

        2005 N. 900 E.

        Provo, UT 84604-1793

It's Time!!

The count down has begun and the address has come! Here is my mission address if anyone would like to write me :) This blog will be updated weekly, by my family.

Sister Alexa Renae Pace
MTC Mailbox #161
PHI-NAG 1212
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Sister Alexa Renae Pace
Philippines Naga Mission
39 Panganiban Dr
,Naga City
4400 Camarines Sur
Philippines