Friday, April 22, 2011

HAPPY EASTER WEEK TO ALL MY FAMILY & FRIENDS! ! :)

Hello my momma! Hello my Family and my Friends!
Wow, today has been a crazy day. We went to Banaue again because there
are new people in our district who haven't been. Its a three hour trip
there and back. We woke up at 4 and the elders were supposed to show
up at 5, but we ended up leaving around 6:00.

We just got back about an hour ago. Well, right when we got off the
jeepney it started pouring. We rushed to the nearest internet shop and
right when we got there, told the woman we needed two computers, and
turned on the power. Immediately the power turned off and it started
hailing. We decided to shop first and wait for the power to come back
on. Now we are internetting obviously...and my computer has been
experiencing some difficulties. Welcome to the Philippines. Anyways,
know that I am totally rushed in writing this.

Earlier today we climbed to a tall part of the rice terraces. You have
to climb down many stairs to get to the other part of the terraces
where you climb up. I fanned Sister Roncal while she threw up at the
top. She wanted to keep going. We made it finally to some beautiful
falls, and took lots of pictures (that I can't attach cause I dont
have a memory card reader). Last time I went I was totally afraid of
heights, but this time it wasn't a big deal to me. I bought a hand
woven scripture case for 80 pesos and we ate halo-halo the Chowking at
the bottom of the mountain.

Tuesday at district meeting, after our accounting, I got teased by the
elders about how many packages I had waiting for me in the foyer. I
got four packages and two letters! :)
I didn’t receive Michelle’s package yet.
Maybe it will come next week. Tell them all thank
you so so much for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
I absolutely loved everything and was thrilled to be thought of so nicely.
Thank you all so very much!!! I felt so special :)

Wednesday, I asked for a blessing from e.Miller. Sometimes I just dont
know if what I'm doing is okay to the Lord. Sometimes I feel a little
distanced from Him, even here. Sometimes I feel like I'm going psycho
trying to know if my work is accepted or is he's listening to my
prayers or what I need to do next. I miss my blessings from Poppa and
Nathan. Elder Miller, in his blessing, said that I promised the Lord
before I came here that I would serve a mission and he blessed me to
fulfill the things I promised Him I would do--dah!!! What did I
promise?? He also said that I need to draw closer to the Savior. In my
personal study this week, I discovered something that I have been
doing wrong in my personal study. I haven't been focusing enough on
the life of the Savior and on his atoning sacrifice. When we learn
more of the Savior and come to know him more, we have the Spirit with
us more...we have his guidance and we feel his love for others. I
remember in my patriarchal blessing it says that I will bring people
into the gospel net through expressing my love for the Savior.

Sometimes the answers are so clear, but I am blinded by myself somehow.

Where is Mal's mission? Texas? What mission? Spanish speaking? I wrote
Alainna a while ago? I love you Alainna!!! I love you Michelle!!! I love you all!!!

What else happened this week? We got three new doorknobs in our house,
and our back faucet works, and our drain is draining again in the
bathroom. Were still looking for an apartment.

We have a baptism this week--Jershon Nephi Hore. He is 12 and his dad
is a member.

I got to talk to Sister De Fiesta on the phone!!! Sister Analyn called
her while I was over. It was so lovely to hear her voice. I love her
so much. She is working at a resort in Puerto Vallerta.

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on missionary work. A member came
up to me afterwards and said, "You can speak Tagalog afterall, I
thought you couldn't for some reason." And I felt like my tongue was
loosed the whole day. That feeling comes and goes.

Momma, pray for me that I will do the right things? I'm trying hard to
be obedient and do what I think is right. I am my worst critic :(
We have Zone meeting this week. President will be interviewing us. I
will be singing with Elder Miller, "A Child's Prayer." We have FHE
tonight at Analyns. She’s making dinner, I'm baking a cake, and we're
watching Joseph Smith History videos with our investigators.

I love you so much. Tell all my family that I pray for them always, and miss everyone very much. I love you all and thank you for everything and all your prayers. I do need them and I do feel them. Thank you! Kiss and hug everyone for me. I wish I had some pictures of everyone. Whenever you all get a chance, please send some to me.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for the packages, Momma. I did give a lot away to Elder
Miller and his companion Elder Deriada, cause they do so much for us. That’s all for now. HAPPY EASTERRR EVERYONE!! :) I love you Pop! I love you Grandma!
Love,
Sister Fort

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello mommaaaaaa!!!!!!Hello My FAMILY and FRIENDS!!!!!!! :)
I totally love Sister Roncal. She has such a desire to be good and we
are on the same page with everything--and when we aren’t, it'll take us
about 5 minutes to figure out what the other person is trying to say
in Tagalog or in English, and everything's fine. She is quick moving,
clean, helpful, and so humble and willing to learn. I am learning so
much from her that way. She served as a part time missionary before,
so the training part of my time this cycle really is more of an
internal struggle than anything--figuring out what she could possibly
learn from me. President told me that she just needs someone to help
her teach by the spirit--so I am doing my best to keep our
companionship a divine one, and listen to my own promptings, and
discernments. Sister Roncal came basically pre-trained and full of
fire. We ended the week with 11 investigators who have accepted
baptismal dates.
One day was full of just talking to people in a neighborhood here
called Osmena. And it turned out to be "less-active finding day." We
had BBQ chicken at LEAH's, and a skinny woman with hair down to her
back asked us if we were Mormon. When we said yes, she told us that
she was also a member. Something I've noticed here is that even though
people stop coming to church, there's still a sense of pride found in
being a member--enough to say, "Hey, I'm a member." We took down her
information, and scheduled to share with her next Sunday when she is
available.
Later in the day we went back to contact a previous OYM of ours, Mina.
When we sat down with her, we started talking about Joseph Smith and
she mentioned casually that she was baptized about 12 years ago when
she was really young--she didn't remember anything about the church.
We sat outside of their old, wooden two-story as we shared, and I kept
hearing something up above us to the left--like faint stomping and
thumping on the wood paneling. I thought maybe it was the people
inside, until I heard a squeak from a gaping hole in the ceiling. I
secretly glanced over once to see what it was, but there was nothing.
A few minutes later, in the middle of my testimony, I heard a loud
thump and slap and looked over and saw a RAT, THE SIZE OF A SMALL DOG
flop onto the pavement and run into the house. EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! I was
speechless for about 2 seconds, I think I also maybe gasped quietly,
but really wanted to scream and throw up...
Another woman we taught that day said that her husband was a
less-active member.
What else...what else...
There is a young returned missionary couple here, the Go's, who gave
Sister Roncal and I a referral--Jonathan Passion. We spent 1/2 of a
morning just asking people if they knew a Jonathan Passion and where
he lived, but no one knew. Finally, after asking and asking, we
discovered his name was Nelson and what he did for a living and where
he lived and what time he'd be home. We returned at the time we were
told, and he came out to see us. He told us he wanted to know how to
become a member, and we taught him his first lesson that night in the
Go family home. He shared so much with us about his life, we gave him
a brief-spirit-directed overview of the Restoration, and he accepted a
baptismal date before we could even get the question out. He came to
church two days later.
There are people here who are ready.
We've been looking for a new apartment to live in, because the one we
are in is SO LOUD in the mornings and all throughout the night. There
are about 15 dogs in our surrounding premises and every night and
morning and daytime and mealtime and shower time and study time and
washing the dishes time and whenever, they bark. One misfires, and the
rest go off. On top of the dogs, there are drunk men next door every
night, a bombay who lives in the back of our compound whose kinda
creepy, and motors. This morning I woke up to dogs, motors, and
someone playing a xylophone? It was 6:00am. The elders found us an
apartment, and Sister Roncal and I went to look at it...well...lets
just say...I was reminded of the time Pop found that house on
Amarillo? The roof was tin, and there were gaps between the roof and
cement cinderblocks, so any critters or bird or mosquitos could come
in. The downstairs was tiled nice, but the upstairs was all wood and I
could see where the mice had chewed their little holes. ek! Also,
there were black and white photos of some old Filipino man everywhere
and Sister Roncal and I held on to each other and squealed as we
talked about there being a potential ghost...we're still looking for
an apartment...
I got a package from Sarah Roughton!!!! Sweetheart! She sent me
fruit snacks and thin mints (I made cookies and ice cream for the
elders and stuck some thin mints in it for them. I learned how to make
ice cream from Elder Apin. :) ) and a cd that she burned. The cd has beautiful songs. Please tell her that I am so sosososo grateful!
Also! I got a letter from Mallorie Lamb. Remember her?! She is waiting
for her call right now...maybe she even has it by now? When you find
out via facebook or something, will you let me know?! I am so happy
for her and excited!!!
OMG MOM. Please squeeze Alainna SO HARD for me when you see her and
kiss her face and head and pinch her bum. She is so sososososososososoos loved by me!!! TellMichelle I love her, and think of her often. Thank her for all her support and prayers. Give her a big kiss and hug for me.
You know, you can attach pictures to your email to me? I don’t have ANY
pictures of my family here. Sad:( Pictures PLEASE, if you all get a chance ;)
My english is getting so terrible, momma. Every time I see the older
Sisters and Elders from America that only speak English, I get
confused about what words to use. I hope that I won’t be too weird when I get
home:/
Today, is my 8 month anniversary!!!!! Of being on my mission. Next
month, I am half-way. Can you believe it? For my anniversary, Sister
Roncal and I are teaching a lesson, OYMing, and putting on an FHE. Hah.
How are things going with Pop? Tell him I love him.
We get to see General Conference this upcoming weekend.
I can't attach pictures cause there is no memory card reader at this shop. Blah.
Anyways, thats all I can think of. And I am out of time. We are working hard.
I love you all soooo much! All my FAMILY and FRIENDS :) Thank you all for helping me and being such a great support to me on my mission. I feel your prayers and love you all for thinking of me and giving me the strength I need. I love you my GRANDMA, kisses and hugs sent to you!! Give all my little babies and Brother's and Sister's hugs and kisses from me.
Love you so much my Momma and Pop!!!!
Your bebe,
Sister Fort