June 24, 2013

This week was filled with a lot of time to opening our mouths and talking to anybody who would listen to us. Sometimes it is not the easiest thing to do, but what a blessing it is when you find out more about the people and you strive to help them to see the joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The hard part of teaching this week was everyone was busy...so there was plenty of time to find new people to share the good news with. We have been working to commit people to read, pray, attend church or continue to listen to our messages. And it was wonderful to feel the power in helping these people understand the power of repentance and how they can receive of the full blessings of the gospel. However, by the end of the week, very few stayed with their commitments. But we will continue to help these people to understand what is required. We had some really great lessons with the less actives in our branch...it was great to feel the power of the gospel and to learn more about our purpose here in earth. I learned a lot this week about obedience and our purpose here on earth. We are to become even as our Father in heaven...but it requires our obedience to His commandments. He has given us the power of agency. But agency is not the power to choose between good and bad. Our agency is the power to choose between good, better and best. We do not have the power in agency to choose bad. When we "choose" bad, we simply are not using the power of our agency. I am striving to keep in mind as much as possible the potential that others  (and myself) have the sight of Heavenly Father.  The work that we are enlisted in, is great. There are so many blessings to be found as we strive to share this wonderful news with others, despite our fears, our differences, our challenges, or our circumstances. The Lord has covenanted with us in this work and we shall be greatly blessed through His love and mercy towards us. I love the story from Jacob 5:70-77. We shall labor together with our Lord and we shall receive blessings with Him (D&C 18:15-16). I know that as we continue to have our minds and our hearts open to the Lord and His will we shall find those that the Lord is preparing for His members :) I hope you all will join the vast amount of full time missionaries, to bring the truth forth to the world!

Mahal kita!

Sister Pace

 

******NEW ADDRESS*****

 

Philippines Legazpi Mission

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
P.O. Box #225
Legazpi City Post Office
Legazpi City, Albay
4500 Philippines

 

June 17, 2013

My companion and I had a really great week! It was filled with appointments and opportunities to talk to as many people as possible. It was a little tiring, but that is missionary work. It is great when you can sleep through the whole night....unless you get leg cramps all the time.

Here are some pictures...I am sorry that I haven't gotten any to you last time....it depends on where we go for internet. But I will try to get more to you.(#1 is the Mayon from one of our areas called Mariroc, #2 is a picture of two of my companions--Sister Andrada is in pink and Sister De Leon is in purple, #3 is a picture of part of our room, where we study) As for a padjack....it is driven by a driver and we ride in the side cart. I will try to take a picture of it, so you understand what I mean. It is like the one that was at the restaurant that we went to in Albuqurque. Our area is beautiful. We are very close to the Mayon. It is the volcano that has started to smoke recently...so the area is very green and full of fruits and vegetables. I will send more pictures next week of the area and apartment. The apartment is okay. We have issues with ants...even after using the Permitox...they are chewing holes in all my clothes. So we are trying to find a way to fix that problem. The apartment is good. I can't say that it is any "higher" in status as compared to other apartments, because it is slightly far from central. But it works out and we find ways to get through everything. We are trying to figure out how to do laundry at our apartment, because the area is just not large enough for us to do our laundry or have a place to dry our clothes. But it works out :)

We will be meeting the new mission president for the Legaspi mission on July 4-5. It will be very exciting! We do not have a new mailing address yet, but I will get that to you ASAP.

This week was filled with a lot of appointments of following up on previous commitments, teaching about the principles of the gospel, testifying, promising blessings and committing our investigators and less actives to act in faith upon the things that we have taught them. It was really a special feeling to feel the power of the Holy Ghost as we taught these people the way unto repentance and the peace that can be had in their lives. But people still have their agency to chose what to follow...and so we are back to where we started. Missionary work is not walk in the park...it is a lot of work to try to help people to understand the importance of their salvation. We had many wonderful opportunities to find new investigators and share with them and help them to feel the joy and peace the gospel can bring to them. I am really excited about the area. I am still trying to learn the roads and how to get around, but it will come with time :) And the people are really great here and there is much promise among the people. How great and glorious is the work of the Lord.

I hope that you all have a great week and I will talk to you again next week! Happy Father's Day dad!!

 

 

 

June 10, 2013

Kumusta Pamilya,

Maganda and linggong ito! Transfers has been really great…a lot of learning but the transfer has been to a very beautiful area. I am now in Tabaco 1C with Sister Andrada. She is from Rizal, Philippines. She is the oldest of three girls in her family….and she is just a fire ball of energy. But it has been great having the opportunity to work together. I am training Sister Andrada in her second half of the twelve weeks training program. (The Elders were teasing me that I am just the finisher of training…but I have learned a lot from being able to help these sisters in the second half of their training). She is a really great teacher and I have had many blessings through our companionship. Our area covers a large area…or at least right now it seems really large. But we don’t travel around by tricycles like in Sorsogon and Iriga…we travel around by padjacks—they are bicycles with small (when I say small I mean small) sidecar. It has been a fun experience trying to fit me (a large American) and a Pino in one of these….but maybe I will learn. The people here are very kind and loving…I am really excited about the area and I am trying my best to learn the people and the language….because, you guessed it…it’s not Tagalog! There is some Tagalog, but to be able to communicate with a lot of the people here, you have to speak Bicol. So that is one more thing to add on my list of things to learn. The apartment we live in is beautiful. It is a up-down (that is what they call an apartment that has two levels)—the area is great and there is so much to see from our bedroom window (Saging trees or “banana trees”). It is a little difficult in the apartment, because the water pressure is really weak….so for Monday…I had to send my laundry out. We will have to see how to make everything work here J. 

I don’t have much to write about the work, because we have only had a few days this week to work, because of transfers. But I am really excited about working with the people and helping them to gaining a stronger faith and trust in their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We are striving to reactivate many parents in order to baptize their children and we are striving to understand how to help those who have a Catholic background understand their personal relationship with Heavenly Father. I am learning more about my relationship to Heavenly Father and how much He desires for us to know of His plan for each of us.

As for details on the new mission…The new mission president will do orientations with us on July 4^th & 5^th. There will be a mission division the week before, but we all know what areas are in each mission…so I will have to update you more as we get closer to the new president coming in. If you look at the email I sent to you about the mission presidents, he is the Philippino. It will be really great to see how everything goes J

I think that is about all that I have for you this week, but I am excited for this next week and I will try to get more pictures for you…I am having trouble getting my pictures to you...next week...

Pero…mahal na mahal kita!!!

Ingat lagi,

Sister Pace

June 3, 2013

Pamilya ko,

oh....where should I start?! This week was a great week...the work was really low and we did not have a lessons...but that is not how we should really measure the success that we have in an area. I felt the most benefits or blessings this week, than any other week that I have had here in Iriga. We had many lessons with less actives, to help them to come to church and return to the gospel. The lessons were really great, because you could feel the Spirit so strongly and there was a commitment to become better. We had a family home evening with the branch on Saturday, and we had invited some of our less actives and some of our investigators....how grateful I am to the Lord....almost all those that we had invited, came. And so we then committed them to attend church services the following morning. We fasted that the Spirit would bless them and help them to come and listen to the testimonies of the members. I have gained such a strong testimony of fasting....the Lord may not be instant in answering your prayers or your pleas through fasting...but He does answer. We had two of our investigators attend sacrament meeting. And one of our long time less actives attended with her children. It was such a blessing. Mom...you were so right about the reason why I was sent here. I may not have the opportunity to reap the blessings of being a missionary in the area....but I am playing a crucial role in planting seeds in the hearts of the people that are here. Which leads me to my second note of business. Transfers are this Tuesday...Sister Pace has been transferred to....Tabaco 1C with her new companion Sister Andrada. I will now be in the Philippines Legaspi Mission. It has been a challenge to think of what to expect or how to overcome the fears that come to mind. But I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me and for the people that I will be assigned to. I may not understand the reason now, why I am being sent to a different mission...but I know that there are still souls that need saving. I don't think I can express enough how grateful I have been for this opportunity that you have blessed me with...without you....I wouldn't be here, to turn to my responsibility and be a righteous servant of the Lord. And how grateful I am to have the opportunity to learn about my Heavenly Father and His plan for His children on earth....how glorious it is! So now it is time to look forward to another six weeks...and then we receive another assignment :) There are 16 missions total in the Philippines....and probably many more to open in the future.

My birthday was a good one...time with the people I love the most and doing the thing that I enjoy the most too...the branch was so loving and it was nice to have wonderful birthday wishes. As a district we celebrated today....not too many pictures, but a few. I bought a cake for them and we went out to eat....and then we went to a member's house and had ice cream and played billards. It was a good way to celebrate with my fellow missionaries.

I will try to let you know about my new area next week...it should be an adventure :)

Mahal na mahal kita!!!

Sister Pace

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

 

May 27, 2013

Kumusta,

wow...everything that happened last week is a little hazy...it was a challenging week, because since we are a new area, we are struggling to find new investigators... so we spent part of the week tracting and doing all that we could to find new people to teach. talk about being exhausted...but there are many other blessings to be found. We had many opportunities this week to go out and serve those around us...such a great way to feel the love of Heavenly Father. We also had a baptismal date set for one of our investigators. We are really excited,but it is a double effort, because his father is a less active. My companion and I are doing well...I am trying to get through everything and trying to figure out how to help the people...and my companion is thinking about transfer day. It started about....what....three weeks ago. So nothing new, but makes it hard sometimes to work, when they are worrying about what is on the other side of the rainbow and not what you have on the side you are on...but you know....sometimes it happens. So transfer announcements are this saturday...so Monday I will let you know if I am being transferred or not.

The pictures are from out activity today as a district....I am eating a coconut...sobra masarap! it was fun, but hot!

I am sorry that this email is going to be short...I am trying really hard to think of what to share with you...there is so much,but so little time.

I will have to write more next week...but thank you so much for everything and I hope you know that I love you all so very much and I always have you in my prayers.

Ingat lagi,

Sister Pace

May 19, 2013

A day after I spoke to you, I received your package. Thank you so very much for everything! I was so happy to receive it :) And thank you so much for everything inside...perfect!

This week has been a lot of learning. We had Zone Conference...so I got to meet a large amount of the American sister in the mission. It was a great opportunity to learn about being obedient and striving to help those that we are teaching, through the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.I am so very grateful to have the opportunity to be a missionary. We have come to the point where there are no longer any investigators that will listen to our message....so this next week is focused on finding new people to teach.

Everyone here is getting excited because Transfers are coming in two weeks...but as my companion says...birthday mo muna! Birthdays are celebrated so differently here...the birthday person pays for everyone's meal if they go out to eat. So we will see what I will be paying for...;)

We had a one day mission with the branch....it was a great opportunity for the members to find those that have been lost along the way...I hope to play a big role in missionary work, even after the mission.

I am sorry that I don't have much to write about this week...maybe I will have more next week,with some pictures.

One last thing...a scripture: Mosiah 4:6-12. It talks about our salvation through Jesus Christ. We have no other way that we are able to enter into the kingdom of God. We must have trust in God that He has given a way for us to receive eternal life, and that Jesus Christ has suffered for us. "...if ye shall do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins: and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true." I know that as we strive to live the gospel and put our trust in God and His Son, we shall find the way to gain greater knowledge and become even as He is.

I hope that you all have a great week and I will try to have more next week.

Mahal na mahal kita!

Sister Pace

May 6, 2013

What a crazy week again. I am really learning a lot from this calling as a trainer. And the hard part is feeling so tired from constantly doing something...even on p-day. It was nice this morning to go jogging....but it was a slow jog, because the sisters couldn't keep up with me. My companion is great. She is a wonderful teacher and really great with the people. She is helping me to learn Tagalog, but there always seems to be little time to study.We are working with a lot of the members here. Our difficulty right now is the less actives. We are having the hardest time getting some of them to come back to church. But i have really come to see the sorrow that Heavenly Father has for His children, when they choose not to follow the path that He has given them. We have many less actives that have told us that they do not want us to return...but how great has been the power of he Spirit as we have shared with these LAs the importance of the gospel in their lives...the Spirit works so greatly in our responsibilities as missionaries. I know that the Book of Mormon is a Another Testament of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that the gospel has once more been established on the earth, through Joseph Smith. I have had the opportunity to share with the people here, and I have gained a greater knowledge and understanding of the importance of the gospel in our lives. As we work with some of our investigators, it is great to see their desire and hope in the gospel. And to know that we are able to give them the happiness that they have always wanted. I thank you so much for the statement that you sent to me weeks ago, when I first arrived in Iriga..."I think you were placed in Iriga to plant a seed into the hearts of those who are ready to hear the gospel, but don't be discouraged if they are not being receptive. Things will happen in the Lord's timeline, not our timeline...we are so anxious to have those fantastic moments, but it's those small moments that add up to become that fantastic moment. We just need to be the Lord's instrument & trust in him to do his work for our fellow brothers & sisters. You are right where you need to be, to be teaching those who may or may not be ready to take that step towards a better life. None of us are perfect & if we were, we wouldn't have need for this gospel...simple & true! We work on our shortcomings every hour, every day, every week, etc...just remember that we are here to help others realize their potential."

 

There is a reason to why I am here in Iriga...and I realize it little by little each day. I try not to think about the little amount of time that I have in this opportunity...but it is crazy to see the time go by so fast. I am listening to the CES fireside and I love how Elder Walker states about President Thomas S. Monson that He gave himself to everything that the Lord called him to. Not because he was concerned of other's thoughts, but because He knew it was the Lord's way. The Lord truly does call and qualify those that work in His kingdom.

 

Mahal na Mahal kita!!!

Ingat palagi,

Sister Pace