June 8, 2013

Kumusta Everyone!

(picture me doing the missionary happy dance.) WE GOT OUR TRAVEL PLANS THIS WEEK! WHOOP WHOOP! man it was like Christmas morning last night! Monday the 17th we are leaving for the airport at 7:30 am to catch our flight to LA, then to TOKYO (thats right im am going to Tokyo!) then finally to MANILA! and then probably a bus ride up to Baguio! I thought tha my excitement would subside from when i got my call but right when i think i couldn't get more excited, BAM i get more excited! I am so blessed to be on a mission right now!! most days i just cannot believe it!

We had the opportunity to SKYPE with the Philippines this week for TRC! technically it was with a lady from the Philippines that really lives in California...but she only spoke Tagalog so it was practically the same thing... :) It as yet another reassurance that I don't know very much Tagalog...but the Lord has blessed me with the gift of tongues more than once at the MTC already and I know that everything will be fine! I love talking to people from the Philippines here at the MTC! they are all soooo nice and loving! Sometimes when i am taking to other missionaries that don't speak Tagalog i automatically say things like yes, and no, bathroom, and food and Tagalog and they look at me like I'm crazy and then i remember that they understand English not Tagalog! i guess that is a good sign! :)

Last week our district got the Chance to host for the first time for the new missionaries that come in on Wednesday! I hosted 4 new sisters! and get this, there were over 900 new missionaries that came into theMTC last Wednesday!! WHHHAAATTTT??? I'm sure you are wondering how in the world these missionaries are going to fit in the MTC, well Brothers and sisters, THE CHURCH IS BRILLIANT!  I don't know how they do it but it all works out so perfectly! I love all of the girls that came in! they were all so excited to serve! even though they had impossibly heavy suitcases....it all worked out and i got a good workout ;) some of my friends from College and High school came in and that was so fun to see them and give them encouragement. There are some new friends that are coming in this week that i can't wait to see! our district gets to host the new missionaries again! suprma exctied ako!

So we have continued to teach Angelica and Jesus. we have asked them both to be baptized and they said that they would but that they are not ready yet! Sister Miller and I taught a super great Lesson with Jesus! It taught me so much about missionary work! He hasn't been praying...about anything. it has been super frustrating! I asked him why he thought that prayer was important and he said that it is important to pray at church and in your heart but he said he is too embarrassed to pray out loud when he is not at church. Finally i could understand everything that he said to me!!!! (gift of tongues moment.) in the best Tagalog that i  know i told him that i know that heavenly father loves his family and him so much and he wants so bad for him to pray and ask for guidance for him and his family. Suddenly the Spirit was INCREDIBLY STRONG and i asked him if he would commit to praying out loud to the lord and ask him if our message might be true. he said that he would and that he would try and pray with him family! the spirit was so strong and he was so thankful!

I am so excited to get to the Philippines and find people like Jesus and Angelica and invite them to come unto Christ!

I love being a missionary and i love being called sister sites! This week is going to be a tough week saying good bye to my MTC district. all of our elders are going to olongapo and the sisters are going to Baguio! I cried a tiny bit when i saw that they leave a day before us. They have been such great examples to me and i wish we were all going to the same place! I know that they are going to be great missionaries!

I hope that everyone has a great week! Thank you for all of your prayers, letters, e-mails and goodies!

mahal Kita, 

Sites sites 

i'd like everyone to meet elder sith lord! :) somedays we get so bored in class so this is what we do! :) 

June 1, 2013

June 1, 2013

Kumusta Everyone!

 

   I hope that everyone has had a good week! This week at the MTC has been pretty rainy and cold so staying in a classroom all day has proved to be a challenge as far as none of us have very much focus left!

 

This week we have continued lessons with Jesus and Angelica! They are both completely different investigators as far as spiritual needs go! Angelica always wants us to come back and teach her! I am no sure that she completely understands the lessons (mostly because my Tagalog sounds like gibberish.) but she loves having people that believe in her! so My kasama and i have been trying our hardest to make the lessons as simple as we can! Doesn't that kind of sound like anoxy moron? Haha it is. It take a great focus to make the lessons simple.... for me anyways!

  Then there is Jesus! He is soooo smart! and he loves listening to us and having us tell his boys what they should be doing to be good boys. We taught him how to pray this week and he like that...but when we asked him to say the closing prayer he wouldn't. He also told us that he doesn't really feel like he needs to pray about if the Book of Mormon is true...he says "well what you tell me is good, so why wouldn't it be true?" I guess that is how a lot of Filipinos are...Hindi KoAlam. hopefully this week we will be able to truly teach him about our purpose and about the Doctrine of Christ. Hopefully he feels the spirit enough to get up and do something about it! :) I am excited for him and his family to gain a testimony of The Book of Mormon and of the Gospel!

   One of the first things we learned about Learning a language is that it is NOT a gradual up hill learning scale...it is more of a very up and down, bumpy, crazy up hill scale...! (so picture in your mind and very squiqally line going up hill!) at times i feel like i am an expert but this week has been more of a "wow, i know nothing about this language" week! I have to remember that when we teach it is more about having the spirit with us than how much language we know. So i have to always remember that. One thing we are encouraged to do at the MTC is SYL! (speak your language!) I am really good at the words "Hi! how are you? can i go to the bathroom? I am doing good. can you please repeat that and slow down? slow down please. Thank you! good morning. Good night! I love you!" and i think that is about it! hahaha sometimes it is really hard but when i finally figure it out i say "PALA!" which means a sudden realization of something!

 

This week Craig Zwick from the 70 spoke to us in the Tuesday night devotional! he taught something that i really admired! He called it the 6 ways to develop Christ like Attributes! (his construction company builds temples so he also uses these 6 steps in building.) 

1. Start with the end in mind. 

2. Strong desire and commitment 

3. Willingness and discipline to work hard. 

4. Prepare for challenges

5. Structural and spiritual testimony

6. Total Dedication to the Lord.

I love all of these! I think they can apply in so many ways in all of our lives! Especially in missionary work! And i have learned that you have to have ALL of them. Working  on one or two of them just isn't enough. I have learned that Enduring to the end requires us to give our whole heart and soul and ALL OF OUR PATIENCE. We are going to have trials. Everyone does. But that is a part of the Beautiful plan that the Lord has for us!

I love missionary work. I love the spirit here at the MTC! I cannot believe that i only have 15 day left until i am off to the Philippines! I really appreciate the love and support from all of you! I am so grateful for all of you and the great examples you have been to me throughout my life! Thank you for the support you have given my family. It is such a relief to know taht they are in good hands :)

I saw my dear sweet Cousin this week! Sister Ali Walker just got to the MTC! I ran up and gave her a big hug when i saw her! she has such a Strong willingness to serve!

I also saw one of my Friends from high school! Sister Cali May Trunell is going to the Washington DC south mission Spanish speaking! Just right below the mission that Wayne is serving in! It is so funny when i see people that i know! i get sooo excited!

Here's to another fabulous week at the MTC! My district gets to be hosts for all the new missionaries on Wednesday and on Thursday we are skyping with the people in the Philippines for TRC...should be awesome!

Much much love, Sister Sites

Mahal Kita. 

May 25, 2013

May 25, 2013

Kumusta!

When i sit down to write my e-mails I think back on what happened at the beginning of the week and it seems like it was weeks ago! life goes so fast at the MTC but i love it.

This week we Taught Angelica and Jesus for the first time! I really love teaching Angelica. My Tagalog is terrible but she is so helpful and helps me out a ton. We taught her how to pray in our last lesson and she committed to praying and reading the book of Mormon. Hopefully she comes through with it! i know that she will be blessed! I love the youth so much! I hope that i can relate to her as much as i can and she will be able to feel my testimony.

The first time we Taught Jesus was a little rough... He once wanted to be a catholic priest and so he is really stubborn. But he is really curious about the Book of Mormon so that is so helpful! He is reading the Book of Mormon now and hopefully praying about it. He works three jobs and has 5 boys! He has such a great family and he plays his father role so well! I know that the Gospel will truly bless his family!

We are teaching them both next week!

I have learned so much this week! My Kasama and I have become so close! We have definitely had our differences and offended each other. But we both have strong strong testimonies and great desires to serve! so through that we have been able to overcome our differences! She has taught be so much about the Gospel! She has only had the Gospel for 18  months and I have had the Gospel for the entire life! I feel like she knows so much more than i do! but she taught me that It is in my brain somewhere. and I know it is. I have become a missionary for my investigators and a missionary for myself!

The Language is coming very slowly. I have to remember to have confidence in myself...haha so i study and practice more than i every have for anything! I am learning how to study and not get stressed out! I am so grateful for that lesson!

At the MTC I have prayed harder and longer than i ever thought that i could. I have been so frustrated and so anxious that i can hardly stand it. I was talking to one of the teachers about it and he was so inspired to tell me "Sister sites, The atonement applies to stress. give it to him." Instantly i was comforted. I now use the Atonement daily with all my heart. So remember that. "the atonement applies to stress, give it to him."

An amazing scripture that i found this week is Mosiah 4:10 ". . .if ye believe all these things, see that ye do them." I love that. I have a testimony of so many things in the Gospel and i believe everything, But do i live them truly? Unfortunately i don't. Now i have a better understand of WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE DOING ALL THE TIME. So please live what you believe. always. I promise doing this will bring so many blessings!

now for a good laugh:

ang watawat na winawagayway ay nakakapagpakabagabag!

This is my favorite tongue twister!

it means The flag that waves is disturbing. apparently its funny in the Philippines... haha 

have a good week everyone! I love hearing from everyone and i love getting letters! I promise i will always write you back!

Love always, 

Sister Sites