With Love From The Philippines: January 2017

Monday, January 30, 2017

Week 18 - Q&A (January 30, 2017

Hi everyone!

I hope you liked the pictures.. That is always the best part of missionary emails, so I'm sorry that I couldnt send pictures for the whole transfer, ha ha!

I was asked some specific questions, and so I've decided that I will just answer them to all of you so that you can all kind of get a feel for what I've been up to out here in the Philippines!

1 - What was the funniest thing that happened during your week?

Hm.. I probably have the funniest companion in the PQCM, so I dont know what to tell you. So many funny things happen... I'll try to pinpoint one next week for you... It probably has something to do with cats honestly.

Sister Udarbe and Sister Mosher

Sister Mosher and Sister Udarbe

My FAV

2- What was the most unexpected thing that happened?

OH! So this week, Sister Udarbe and I were just walking back to the apartment, and out of NOWHERE, this creepy, 80+ year old lady came to us, grabbed our arms and dragged us into her house muttering things like, "I NEED you in my house. I don't let people in my house, but I need you there.." Etc, etc. Super creepy, okay? But we were in her house as hard as we tried not to be (she literally YANKED Sister U in the house, she was SO STRONG?!) But we literally thought that this was going to turn into the horror movie where the old lady turns out to be absolutely nuts. I'm sorry, that sounds judgmental, but she was standing by the door with a giant padlock in hand, and blocking our way out... So I think I had a right to think that. Anyway, eventually we kind of did the cliche "What's that?!" *point* *run* and as soon as we were out of her house, she turned to us and said "WAIT. You HAVE to come back. PROMISE me you'll come back." so we told her, "Yeah, of course!" to which she looked us dead in the eye and said, "No, you HAVE to come back. If you don't I will find you and shoot you."

Fun, right? Ha ha. So we talked to the guards in the little community we all live in, and they said that she had Alzheimers, and kind of just laughed about it, so President told us to watch ourselves. ;) HAHAH.

3-How are your investigators doing?

They are doing well. We have 3 potential families. They're doing well and one, Jenny, is AMAZING. She is always reading the BOM, and when we ask about her reading, she teaches us from the BOM. She is Sobrang magaling!! :) We are really praying hard for them. There is another, Edna and her husband. They had a Word of Wisdom problem, but as SOON as they started reading the BOM, she was able to stop smoking. She said that in the mornings, instead of smoking cigarettes like she'd done for years, she only desires to read the BOM. :') There is IMMENSE power in the BOM, and I PROMISE that if you read and read with intent, and prayer, it will for sure

change your entire life. :) She also came to church with her family and Sister Udarbe and I about CRIED when we saw her walk in halfway through the service. WE ARE PROUD MAMAS!

FHE

Exchanges with Sister Seurynck

Teaching Puppies

4-What are your plans for P-day? Well, since we had "celestially" clean apartments, we got to have Pday at the mission home, eating pizza and brownies made by our wonderful Mission President's wife, Sister Koster. We have the GREATEST mission president ever. They are wonderful. Then we shop and email and buy groceries and print pictures and TRY to find a post office to send letters... PDays are EXHAUSTING.

Facemask

Sister Winkel from Utah- we went to the temple, but forgot to take pictures, so we took a picture with a picture of the temple. ;)

5-What did you do for service this week? This week, we went to one of our investigators and we cleaned her house for her. She is super sick, and her husband is in need of heart surgery and a lot is going on with them, so we told them that we would come clean the house and do her laundry for her, but when we got there, all the laundry was done and there was soup on the table for us... The sick husband had woken up super early that morning to wash the house so that we wouldn't have to. :') Filipinos don't want you to help them do things- I think its cause they dont want to inconvenience anyone. They're too sweet. So we washed some other things around her house and then told her that we would return, and not to tell her husband when we would. They're so sweet. :)

6-In what ways did you see the hand of the Lord in your activities this week? So since my comp is going home, we've seen lots of CRAZY things, lots of tactics from Satan, really trying to hinder us. So many random things pop up out of nowhere, that should hinder the work, but we push on, and we see miracles EVERYWHERE. You always hear about teaching with the spirit, and WE EXPERIENCED IT! We taught this english family about the BOM, and it was not us whatsoever. We worked so well together in the spirit. I dont know how to explain it well enough, but when you're focused on finding the spirit, you will. :)

7-Where is your favorite place to eat in your area? STREET FOODS hahaha. There are so many places to eat here. Like I said last week, we dont have to search for food, it just comes to us... So probably the street foods. Oh, and Frutas (all fruit smoothie shop), also Mang Inasal (unlimited rice) SO MASARAP.

Chicken Heads!!!! O Not so delicious

Cooking Isaw (chicken intestines)

ISAW

delicious fake pizza

8-What are you looking forward to this coming week? Looking forward to/ kind of sad about- last week with my comp. Transfers are on the 8th, and since she is going home this transfer, our last day together will be sunday. :'(

Cloud 9

9-How is your Tagalog coming along. People who speak english think that my Tagalog is SO GOOD, and they compliment me on it every 20 seconds, but those who speak only Tagalog look at my companion for translation. Or they nod, smile, and say "ok." HAHAHAH

Basta, missionary work is amazing, and the miracles you experience are beautiful, as well as the sorrow you experience when people don't have that desire to know their Savior. Lots of gain comes from serving a mission (and I'm not just talking about weight gain)

The church really is true, and God really does love us immensely. I'm grateful for the chance to serve as a missionary for our Savior. :)

Also, I just looked behind me and realized that three little girls have been reading and watching over my shoulder the whole time I've been emailing, hahah awkward.

AWESOME Street Art

Little art museum

We offered cooked chicken feet to a chicken. interested siya

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Monday, January 23, 2017

Week 17 - Street Foods and Kiddos

HELLO!

I have so many things to tell you all, but I don't know if I have enough words or time to tell you all.

This week, Sister Udarbe and I decided to try some funky street foods. One, not so funky, but my favorite, is UBE. It's purple yam, but it just looks like purple playdough. It doesn't actually have a whole ton of taste, but it is amazing. Next, we had some chicken balls.... No, not what it sounds like. Just some chicken, rolled into a ball and deep fried. They say it's chicken, but I'm not convinced- it just tastes like fish. Next, we had SKEWERED intestines. Sounds delicious, diba? HAHA.

So crazy. I'm going to try my hardest to be able to send pictures to you all cause they're so fun. But it actually wasn't too bad. I wouldn't crave chicken intestines... like, EVER. But it was fun to try. Next, Sister U and I are going to try street chicken heads. ;) IT's fun because you never have to search for food, the food just comes to you- it's everywhere. You'll never walk down the street without seeing some kind of street food.. I dont have the guts to buy and eat chicken feet.

Street foods aside, it's been a great week. Sister U and I have made lots of friends... mostly kiddos, cats, and dogs. We have kid friends EVERYWHERE we go, and they all know us by name. Okay, when I say they know us by name, I mean they know us as Elsa and Ana, hahha. The song, "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" has been stuck in my head since I stepped foot in the Philippines, I get "Hey ELSA!" at least 20 times a day. Ha ha, especially when my hair is braided and ESPECIALLY when I wear blue. ;) Kids love it, and they follow us EVERYWHERE. :') It melts my heart, we'll be walking, and a brave kid will ask us where we are going and what we are doing, and so we will give him or her a BOM pass along card. And immediately, 20 small hands will be outstretched towards us, begging for a picture of our Savior, Jesus Christ. :) We pray that someday in the future, when they have a family, and they meet some missionaries, they'll gladly let them in because they remembered their missionary buddies when they were kids. :')

One thing I really enjoy about the Philippines is that everyone is always outside with their friends and family. You rarely see a street that isnt just FILLED with people, and with kids playing sports and just running around. It's a happy sight. :)

The people in the Philippines are amazing people, I love them a lot and I've really learned to absolutely LOVE them. Even if I can't fully speak with them, I really do love them. :)

MY FAVORITE is to see someone progress and GROW in the Gospel, to see their countenance COMPLETELY CHANGE because they've finally come into the light of the Gospel. :) It's probably the most beautiful thing in the world, to watch the light of Christ illuminate a person's entire being. :)

Missionary work is amazing, and is undoubtedly the most important work on the face of this work, it is the work Jesus Christ himself did when He was here.

I love you all! I'm still trying so hard to send you all pictures.

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Monday, January 16, 2017

Week 16 - Face Life's Storms (Jan. 16, 2017)

Hi everyone!

My mom says that I am really bad at telling you what actually goes on over here, and I guess that's true ha ha. But I always forget what happens by Monday. Hm.. So one of my companions in the MTC, Sister Whaley had this motto, which was "Make 'em cry!" I get it now! We are teaching this wonderful family (the ones who readily accepted the BOM), the Adoptante family. They're so sweet, AND THEY LOVE SPEAKING ENGLISH. So that is a tender mercy for real. It's nice getting to speak English. Anyway, we taught about the Atonement and how it isn't JUST for sinners, but also for saints, and not JUST for sins, but for pains and sorrows as well. At the beginning of the lesson, the mother told us, "I'm not listening for conversion." but at the end of the lesson, they were both in tears, and telling us that they were so grateful to God for sending us to them. I'm grateful to be serving in a place where the people are so ready to hear the Gospel.

The mission is hard, but there is SO much to love. I've only been on this mission for four months, but I've seen IMMENSE growth happening.. One thing I've really learned is that trails make us SO much stronger. I read a story this week: "I like the story and the philosophy of storms expressed by a rugged old-time cowboy who said he had learned life's most important lesson from Hereford cows. All his life he had worked cattle ranches where winter storms took a heavy toll among the herds. Freezing rains whipped across the prairies., Howling, bitter winds piled snow into enormous drifts. Temperatures dropped quickly below zero degrees. Flying ice cut into the flesh. In this maelstrom of nature's violence, most cattle would turn their backs to the ice blasts and slowly drift downward, mile upon mile. Finally, intercepted by a boundary fence, they would pile up against the barrier and die by the scores. But Hereford cows acted differently. They would head into the wind and stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing the storm's blast. 'You most always found the Hereford cows alive and well.' said the cowboy. 'I guess that is the greatest lesson I ever learned on the prairies-- just face life's storms'" -Norman Vincent Peale

Face the storms and they will most definitely- if endured well- redefine and shape you into something much better.

Everyone, grow from your storms because I know that God doesnt throw trials at us at random, He knows when we need them, and it's because He knows what He wants us to become. Face the storms with faith in our Savior and in God's plan. We can trust Him, and that's comforting. :)

I love you all. And I have some pretty fun pictures to send BUT NO WAY TO SEND THEM. :( Sorry all. I think I have a memory card that doesnt agree with the computer.

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Monday, January 9, 2017

Week 15: Almost 4 months out - January 9, 2017

This week has been a good one, and I've definitely seen a lot of miracles. I've met so many people this week who have said, when we introduce them to the Gospel and the BOM, "This is exactly what I've been looking for". It's amazing to see truly humbled people. This Gospel is literally for EVERYONE, but we really do have a role to play in understanding and gaining a testimony of the Gospel. Humility is NECESSARY. We have to have open hearts, and if not yet, we have to have that desire to have an open heart.

That's something I've been working on this week- Christlike Attributes: Humility. We all are selfish in one way or another, but it's our job to try to rid ourselves of that. This Gospel really is amazing, and I'm happy for the chance that I have to share it with these truly humble people.

I love you all, sorry that my emails have been itty bitty- I don't have much time. And the computer also doesnt want to me to send pictures, so NEXT WEEK. :)

Love you all. Thanks for all the emails and for all the support, if I didn't get back to you, know that I DID print off your email to me, and I'm reading in my leisurely. ;) Ha ha thanks a ton for all the support.

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Monday, January 2, 2017

Week 14 - 2017: God Is Good (January 1, 2016)

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

New Years is CRAZY in the Philippines. It's funny; we were on lockdown on New Years Eve, New Years, and now today. Three days of 5:00 curfew. Kind of fun, though. We all played games and ate lots of food... The members like to give us food, they're so sweet.

Hm... I am really trying to think of what happened this week. Transfers! I was transferred out of my first area, and I am now in Antipolo- it's SUPER pretty, and we literally have to hike everywhere- to get from place to place, we hike around. It's a workout.

The people are so kind, and the members of the ward are so cute. They're very humble, too.

But I don't know what else to say, haha. It's good work, and God is good. I can see Him working in everything we do. Every single day, He gives us Tender Mercies and that's amazing. His hand and support is ALL OVER. When we really look, miracles are EVERYWHERE. I guess it's just a matter of really opening your eyes to that kind of thing. God really is good, and He loves every single one of His children. He gives us angles to support and sustain us all the time. This is special work, and I really do believe that God is hastening it, even using those who don't wear missionary badges.

Thanks to those of you who read my emails, and for those of you who just look at the pictures, I don't blame you. ;) Be safe everyone, and find ways to be missionaries. :)