1. FHE
2. You can see Mount Mayon!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Week 17
What a week, man. ups, downs, twists, turns, I've felt it all.
On Wednesday we had our interview with President Guanzon. So guess who is leading the mission? I can't even believe it, man. President knew just what to say to help us. We've been struggling with disobedient missionaries getting mad at us for being obedient and trying to do our best. Basically the word stress defines it. President thanked us for our work and showed us the statistics of where we fall in the mission. The interview in general was just a tender mercy. I needed the encouragement and to see that the Lord recognizes my hard work and that's all that matters.
On Thursday we get to the Nares family's house - a part member family. We've been there for about 3 minutes just talking to them when the daughter Apple gets a text from her grandpa telling them that their father had died. He got in a terrible accident in Manila (where he was for work). He had a word of wisdom problem before but he had overcome it and wanted to be baptized when he returned from Manila. Nanay was baptized this last march. They have 10 kids and Tatay was the only means of income. (P.S. Tatay means father and Nanay means mother). It was such a devastating thing. I can't even imagine being in their shoes. But I do know that a year from now, Tatay can be baptized in the Temple and then the Nares family can become a forever family. Sometimes the Lord lets bad things happen so that even better things can happen later. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I've had to meet this family. They are very special to me.
Saturday and Sunday we had District Conference. President Guanzon was presiding. After the meeting on saturday, he and sister Guanzon went with us to the Nares Family's home to visit the family. Basically the whole district conference was amazing and we had 7 of our investigators come! We were on top of the world!
The Molina family is progressing! They accepted our baptismal invitations and they're older daughter came to church! They want the whole family to be baptized at the same time, so we just need to teach the oldest two who live away from home. I'm very excited for their family!
So we've got one week left of training. Then it's off to the big leagues. Transfer announcement is on Saturday and transfers are next Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I'll be staying here in San Vicente and leading the area but who knows. I'm just excited for whatever is next! I've seen many miracles in the past 4 months and I can't wait to see what the rest will bring.
I love you all! Have an amazing week! Mahal Kita! Kita Kits!
Sister Wilkins
Sunday, July 26, 2015
No Effort is Wasted
Hellooooo my lovely friends and family! Admittedly, this week was a tough one. Persecutions may rage, and mobs may combine, but no unhallowed hand can stop the work! haha I learned a lot about being positive and being forgiving this week. It's hard when the harder you work, the more criticism you get. But it's okay because not everyone is going to like how you do things and people are going to criticize the things you do, but it's important that we do things not to please other people, we do things to please our Father in Heaven. I've learned that my accountability is to the Lord and no one else. And that it's important to forgive 70 times 7! In the scriptures Christ says that those who do things to be praised of man have their reward - the praise of man. But for those who do things for their Father in Heaven, their reward is in Heaven. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have the latter!
SOOO guess what people?? You know when you sit back and think about where you were a few months ago and you realize you're so different. That happened to me with the language. I realized that if need be, I could teach a whole lesson by myself. I really have progressed so much. There's still a lot I don't understand, but man has the Lord blessed me! I can do this! haha
A huge blessing this week was as follows: so our biggest struggle is getting our investigators to actually attend Sacrament meeting. It's like once they attend they always want to attend again and again and it leads to baptism. So our first step is getting them to church. We've only had one or two investigators attend church at a time since I've been here, but this week we had... wait for iiiitttt... FIVE! Oh my heck I was SO SO happy. Fasting works, man! One of which is named Rosalio and he was a referral from a less active member. He's 9 years old. We taught him a few times this week and he attended church and LOVED it! He had so much fun in primary and kept telling me all about it. The Gospel equals pure joy, people. I'm so excited for him and he's excited to be baptized!
On Saturday we attended Tatay Tanada's 83rd Birthday Party. Basically a Filipino birthday party is just eating the entire time. SOO much food, man. But I absolutely adore the Tanada family. Nanay is so strong in the Gospel and she's been singlehandedly reactivating all of her children and grandchildren. She's so loving and Christlike. She reminds me a lot of my mom, so that's probably why I love her so much. Tatay is getting old and can't really function very well anymore but every time I shake his hand he smiles and says "thank you, sister" and then he smiles at his use of English. haha I LOVE these people.
SO today we went to Sobang Park, and there will be pictures to follow. Basically I live in paridise and It's SOSO pretty here. Why is there no ocean in Utah? haha
Welp, that's all folks! I love you! Diyos Mabalos!
P.S. That's 5 weeks in a row with 50 lessons! Hard work pays off, people!
Sister Wilkins
Sunday, July 19, 2015
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
Sunday, July 12, 2015
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