Our First Week On Our Mission

 I have certainly had to make a lot of adjustments....such as....jet-lag and no sleep because of the barking dogs and crowing roosters ALL NIGHT LONG...converting dollars to pesos...shopping for fruits, vegetables and meats at the palangke (open market) instead of Walmart...learning to like rice instead of potatoes (WILL NEVER HAPPEN)...making do with no 'hair-do'...finding out that you can survive without airconditioning...discovering that the happiest, most loving people in the world don't have ANY of the luxuries we take for granted every day...sharing testimony and thoughts on a moment's notice...communicating in a simple way and finding that the language is only a barrier when you are not communicating with your heart.

 

The missionaries here are the best in the world!  I have been so impressed with their leadership ability and their testimonies.  Even the meekest, quietest sisters are excellent teachers.  On Saturday night we went to the baptism of a 17-year-old boy.  The spirit was so strong there, and that boy amazed us with his great testimony.  Of course, we were asked to bear our testimonies as well.  I wasn't sure I could remember what I had learned in my language class, but I was able to give my testimony in Tagolog.  On Sunday we attended one of the 10 branches in our area.  I was amazed at the caliber of the Branch Presidency.  The President is only 25 years old.

 

The most choice experience was last night when we accompanied the Elders to visit the Narne family out in the 'sticks',...literally!  We parked our car on the rocky road and used flashlights to walk through a field to their humble hut...no electricity, just a flashlight hanging from a bamboo rod in the ceiling and a dim candle on their small table.  Their seven children came running out to meet us with smiling faces and outstretched hands.  They began their FHE singing with 'gusto' from the hymnbooks given to them by the previous senior couple.  We gave the lesson and brought cookies to share.  Bro. Narne shared with us about how he had prayed one night to be able to find the true church of God.  The next day the Sister missionaries came tracting through their area and found this wonderful family who was ready to listen to their message.  They are now preparing to go to the temple in December.

MTC

Hello dear ones,

 

I thought I would just take a minute to tell you a little about the experience we have had here..from my journal:

 

The presence of the Spirit of the Lord on this enormous campus is undeniable.  What faithful, incredible youth we have in the Church!  We have enjoyed rubbing shoulders with over 2000 of them every day. Reminds me of Helaman’s 2000 stripling warriors.  Yesterday, as Elder Roberts and I took a very brief walk outside we noticed three sisters across the street kneeling on the lawn having prayer together.  It touched my heart to be a witness.

Joe could not speak above a whisper by the time we got to our small classroom to prepare for teaching.  So he asked two of the elders in our district to give him a priesthood blessing.

When Drusilla told me she had had the most spiritual experience of her mission while in the MTC, I couldn’t understand that until today!  I know with a surety that the Lord blesses us when we accept His call to serve.  We had our second teaching experience today, and I was, again, quite nervous about this…especially since we had had NO time to prepare the way I felt we needed to.  But the Lord keeps His promise and as Elder Roberts and I shared our message of the Plan of Salvation, the words actually came to my mind what I needed to share.  Joe told me afterwards that he too was truly amazed.  We were able to teach together in unity, and I felt blessed to have a companion who understands the gospel so well and is able to convey it to others in such a wonderful way.  And besides all that, Joe’s voice had returned!

Our final day of classes.  My body is telling me it’s definitely time to quit!  We have pushed ourselves to the limit.  Today we did more role-playing, but this time, with inactive members instead of investigators.

For the last class which included the whole group, we just shared how we felt about our MTC experience, then they showed a clip from a talk Elder Holland gave to the missionaries at the MTC.  He summed it all up so well when he recited a poem translated from French…

“Come to the edge” he said.   “No, we’ll fall!”

“Come to the edge” he said.   “No, we’ll fall!”

“Come to the edge”, he said again.    “No, we’ll fall!”

Then he pushed us----

And we flew!!!   

Elder Holland:  “That’s where you have to go, spiritually”.

I can honestly say that I have been pushed and I have flown.  If anyone had suggested that I would have been able to bear my testimony in Tagolog with just three language lessons, I would have laughed at them.  Well, tonight I did it…without notes. 

I can't believe we are finished...now for the next chapter.

Our Farewell/Family Reunion

Big Bronco fans gather to watch the BSU/ Tulsa game prior to our farewell on Sunday.  It was a highlight for us to have most of our family sitting together in church. There were lots of tears shed as Kim & girls and Tim & family say "farewell" for the next 18 months.  We plan to visit the others before we enter the MTC on October 17.

We're going to the Philippines!

Joe and I received a call on July 21 to serve in the Philippines Angeles Mission as member and leadership support missionaries.  We leave for the MTC on October 17, 2011.  Wow!!

I hope to use this blog as a mission diary.