Re: Week 15 Pictures

We didn't have the right size of baptismal clothes for her.. haha

Week 15?? My lucky number!

Well, well, well another week gone. I can't even. So on Wednesday I went on my second exchanges. With Sister Sebia this time. Her area is right next to ours and I already knew a lot of the members. It was great! One of the members gave us avacadoes and yes, they're better in the Philippines. We made some killer guacamole!

On Saturday was April's baptism! AH! It was amazing and I cried. I also cried when she was confirmed on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting. I LOVE THE GOSPEL. It makes me so happy! They were definitely happy tears!

So we had committed so many investigators to come to church this last Sunday, but they all texted and backed out right before the meeting so we were all sad. Sacrament meeting ended, then we find out that Sister Molina came! Sister Tarantan had texted her as an after thought and invited her. She hadn't been responding to our texts so we haven't been able to teach her at all. She was taught by the previous missionaries. BUT SHE CAME! and I sat next to her in Gospel Principles and SHE CRIED when a Nanay bore her testimony. AND THEN she was asking the lady next to her about baptism. Yeah. So we went to her house and taught her that night with her husband. They've been investigating the church for a while and have a close friend who's a member and who's taught them. Basically they know it's true but they've been persecuted a lot by their neighbors and her family. So we'll be able to teach them more now and I'm so excited!

I was reading Jesus the Christ this week and I found a really awesome quote that I thought I'd share with y'all: "true, the Father knows our need before we ask, but by asking we acknowledge Him as the Giver, and are made humble, grateful, contrite, and reliant by the request." When I was younger I used to wonder why we prayed if God's will was God's will and we couldn't change it. But I came to realize then as I was reading the scriptures one night, and I came to realize it again as I read that quote, that we don't pray to change God's will, we pray to change ourselves. God's plan is perfect. He knows what we need and when we need it, we just need to change the way we look at things and align our will with His, because He is perfect and sees the beginning to the end. I'm so grateful that we have prayer as a communication with our Heavenly Father.

Anyways, I love you all! Keep in touch!

Love Sister Wilkins

Re: Pictures Week 13 (Tatlo)

Also please note my weirdly curly hair. That is all.

Fwd: Week 9 :)

Legazpi Mission Rising Up

Sige po! So this week was another incredible week! I'm seriously loving life. It's not easy, that's for sure, especially as a missionary, but it's SO worth it. This Saturday will be the baptism of April Joy and boy am I excited! She's the first investigator that I actually found. I've been there since the beginning. She's 9 years old and she's the cutest. She and her cousin Realyn really want to be friends with Jayda. I've shown them pictures of her and told them about her and they want to meet her! She's SO excited to be baptized and she can hardly contain herself every time we mention it. Ah. So cute.

So this week we had Zone Training and we had our third week with 50 lessons (yay for consistency) and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting with way better Tagalog than before and basically life is speeding by but I'm loving it.

We started teaching Sofia and Sunshine, two sisters that are about my age. We tracted their house when we were on exchanges and we met their mom (who spoke English!!). When I went back with Sister Tarantan we taught their Lola. The third time back we met them and they're super interested and progressing! They didn't come to church yesterday though because their mom is recovering from something with her eye and they were taking care of her. But there's always next week! haha agency man. We've had to drop a few investigators this week because they just weren't progressing and keeping their commitments. That's always the hardest. Especially when you've grown to love them.

Ok this is the shortest email so sorry. But I love you all and I love hearing from you even if I don't have time to respond. I love my life and I love being a missionary! The church is true! Mahal na mahal kita!

P.S. I finally fulfilled my lifelong dream of owning rainboots. They were like $3 US equivalent. THey are a necessity though because man, it's been flooding. okbye.

Sister Wilkins

Fwd: Week 8 weekly photos

Kapayapaan

ATTENTION ALL: I am no longer the only white person in my zone!! Hooray for transfers! There are two new american missionaries, Elder W..something and Sister Hunt. Basically it's nice to have people who understand what I'm saying. Plus it's not so lonely not being able to speak the language. haha..

anyways. This week was fantastic! Week 2 with 50 lessons! we're trying to be consistent with that for the rest of the transfer. It's been raining like crazy over here! It's very hard for me to not dance in it.. it's bawal to do that so we don't get sick... hmph. But I seriously love rain so much and it's so beautiful here. There were two earthquakes in the Manila area this week and we were expecting it to send a baguio our way but thankfully they didn't!

SOOO this week we met a sister named Rionie. We went to her friends' house who is a member and she was there and we taught her a lesson. She was so receptive and asked questions and she truly wanted to know. She accepted our baptismal invitation and everything. Thennn we went to her house a few days later and she was still so receptive but she didn't want to accept a return appointment. We were asking why and she said she knows it's true. She said she prayed and received a witness, but she's a very active member of the Catholic church and she teaches a class and she feels obligated to stay. So we gave her a book of mormon and asked her to call us if she wants to learn more. People's agency, man. But it's all good! I've said it a million times - a huge part of missionary work is planting seeds. She's heard the message of the restoration and she knows it's true. She just has to submit her will to the Lord's. It might take time, but we'll be gladly waiting. I've learned a lot of patience while being here. Everyone grows and learns at different paces and not everyone is ready now and that's okay. All that matters is that we are doing our part in helping them be prepared.

In church yesterday I was sitting with this little girl named Jazmin - she's the daughter of a member. She leaned over to me during one of the testimonies and asked me what the Holy Ghost was. AND THE HEAVENS OPENED UP AND I SPOKE PURE TAGALOG AND EXPLAINED THE HOLY GHOST PERFECTLY AND SHE SAID SHE NEVER UNDERSTOOD BEFORE BUT SHE UNDERSTOOD MY EXPLANATION. Holy heck, people. I have struggled so much with this language it's ridiculous but I know that the gift of tongues is real and that God gives answers to His children when they ask. I have progressed in the language so much this week. I still have a long way to go, but I also have lots of time to learn. God is good.

I love you all so much! I hope you had a good 4th of July! I was annoying my companion all day with singing patriotic songs. This Land is Your Land never gets old.. haha.

Mahal na mahal kita!

Sister Wilkins