Week 39 "Oh, we're halfway there; O-oh living on a prayer"

I am officially NINE MONTHS and HALF WAY in the mission! I am so excited about it. I can confidently say that I have accomplished a lot during my 9 months of missionary service. I have successfully memorized every EFY song since 2007, I can speak another language, I have shed lots of tears, as well as smiled quite a bit. Missionary work is hard on a whole new level, but it's fulfilling on that same level. I'm glad I am here.

It's been another week. On Monday we did P-Day things like emailed the ones we love, ate at Mang Inesal(that means nothing to those who've never been, but to those of you who've served in the PH, you're probably missing it right now, no? Ha ha)

Tuesday, we had some fun. We went to a members house, and they fed us some beetles- no joke. I even have a signed note that they wrote me, saying that I did indeed eat the butt of a may beetle. Lucky me, no? ;)

Wednesday we taught Anne, and during the lesson, she was asked if she had a testimony, and in came the waterworks. She told us that even if she didn't want to believe, she couldn't deny what she knows. She has such a strong testimony. Now it's all about what she has to be willing to give up for the gospel. God asks us to make sacrifices, and if we are faithful, He promises that our reward will be so much greater than ANYTHING we will ever give up. Read the story of Kind Lamoni's father who was willing to give ANYTHING for Salvation- Alma 22

Thursday I learned two things: one is that you can in fact get so tired of eating food. RIGHT? I never thought I would say those words, but I am so tired of eating food. Ha ha the members are way too nice. They passed around a "Feed The Missionaries Calendar" and we have dinner appointments every day until August. I'M EXHAUSTED hahahah. So funny. They're way too nice. 

And the other thing I learned falls on a much deeper scale, and it's about sorrow, and the role it plays in our lives. Sorrow and hardships are pretty much dreaded to say the least, but it's wonderful in the long run if we are faithful. The most wonderful and amazing people we know are those who know sorrow well, and it's because their trials have given them a depth of soul, something deeper to build their lives on, and that's beautiful.

If you know me, you know that I absolutely love poetry, and thei week, I hard a poem that describes my point perfectly: 

I walked a mile with Pleasure, she chattered all the way, but left me none the wiser for all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow, and not a word said she, but oh the things I learned from her, when Sorrow walked with me.

Isn't that nice? No one wants trials in their lives- I'm sure you dont want them, and I can tell you now that I'd prefer bliss to fire, but that comes perfectly in the next life if we are faithful and endure our trials well. Note the word "IF" (Alma 37:44-45)

So when the troubles and hardships come- and they will- don't fight it. Allow the tears to flow. We are not meant to be invincible, we bruise easily, and the heart is soft; prone to bleed at the slightest touch. It is in those moments of sadness that we much be brave enough to allow Christ in, to let Him be present in our pain; our sorrow is seen by Christ. One day, He will wipe away every tear, He will hold us tight, but for now we much pray through the pain. He understands the sorrow that is whithin you, for He was a man of many sorrows, He wept alone, He was tormented and forsaken. Believe me, a man who has been forsaken such as Christ will never forsake you. 

Jesus is the only person who knows all that you have been through. He is the only one who knows the deepest darkest spots of your soul, and still He remains. Jesus has the scars to prove that He is trustworthy, He had the only heart that bled for you. He will never stop loving you.

So what we learned this week: is that trials make you stronger. :) So embrace them, and love them. Even though they're rough. Let them build you, and you'll come out of the fire renewed. 

I love you all so so much. I hope you're all safe and happy and enduring well. 

LOVE YOU!

 

-- 

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Week 38 "The Message of the Restoration in it's Fullness"

Hi everyone! I'll try to make this email a little more exciting so that I don't lose my audience. ;)

On Monday, we had a normal proselyting day due to transfers, and that was that. It was kind of a normal missionary day... Nothing new.

Tuesday was PDAY! That's always a good day, we emailed our friends and family, which is the absolute highlight of Pday!

Wednesday was... yeah, nothing happened on Wednesday, either.

Haha. Wow, this is not a good start.

 

Thursday, okay Thursday was a good day! On Thursday, the rain came down and the floods came up! It rained like mad! (It was the only day this week where it rained, so in other words, it's rainy season, but we've been living in a sauna 😑)

So when it started raining, we were on our way to contact a referral, and when we got to their house, they saw us standing in the rain, soaking wet, and I'm sure they just felt so bad for us. Lol, so we stood out by their gate with water past our ankles, and they waved us into their home. But when we got inside, this lady and her husband stood by the door with their backs to us, while we sat on the floor right behind them.

After some really awkward and miserably failed attempts at sparking up some kind of conversation, we decided that while we were waiting, and they were ignoring us, we would do our comp study, somewhat hoping in our hearts that they were listening. 

After the rain stopped, we tried one more time to spark some interest, and the lady finally turns to us and just stops us mid-sentence to say, "No. No, I'm sorry. I am pure catholic. Absolutely pure, and there's nothing that will change that. I was born catholic, and I will die catholic" 

We left the house, with our first real rejection under our belts- and all of you serving in the states or in Europe, I understand now how you feel now! Ha ha! And I literally wanted to cry- and not so much from the actual rejection itself, but more from the fact that one of God's children doesn't understand. If these people KNEW what they were giving up, they wouldn't give it up. 

This Gospel isn't just another religion. There is nothing ordinary about this work and about this Church. It is purely of God, and nothing anyone can say or do will change that. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. I know it. 

Through Joseph Smith, through a completely ordinary boy with little formal education, wanting to know the truth and mysteries of God, the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to this earth in its FULLNESS. Not pieces or parts, or this and that lang, but the FULLNESS of the Everlasting Gospel was restored in its exactness.

All the evidence is tangible, and it is held together in my favorite book: The Book of Mormon. It's neat when you realize that every crazy question, no matter the background, has the same, perfect answer. The answer is what 71,000 of us, full-time missionaries around the world are sharing. 

The answers are all there, are all found in this Gospel. Hearts can be healed, lives can be made new, people are given hope. 

My invitation to everyone of you is to read the Book of Mormon. Just start reading- find relevance to your life through its stories. Even if you are already a member, and if you are not, read the Book of Mormon. Millions of people have found their answers, and it's changed their lives. I PROMISE that the Book of Mormon will change everything. 

That is my testimony, and I want to say thanks to those of you who still read my emails home. That means a lot to me. :) I love you all, thank you to those who still email me, din. You're all cuties. :)

Stay strong, and enjoy the journey that is life.

Shout out to all the dads: Happy Father's Day!! 

And shout out to Taylor and Tyler Stanley- they just got married and THAT'S SO CUTE. I'm so happy for them. :') 💛

Shout out to Tambi who is going to College, and to KAMRY, my cute niece who just turned 3.

This is what I always pictured the Philippines looking like, pretty, right? This was the rainy day!

Our district before we all transferred- notice the girl on the board. Another shout out to Sis Lloyd for finishing her mission​ with honor! And also for giving me the skirt I'm wearing 😛

-- 
                  The kitten that lived on our doorstep for about a week. That was cute.

                                                                    Cone of shame?

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Week 37 "A Little Insight"

It's been a FUN week. We got to walk through flood waters up to our calves.. I felt like I was in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory- the water was a beautiful brown  color. ;)

Transfer calls also came in, and it turns out that Sis Yanzon will be my LONGEST companion yet! I've literally, until now, never been with a companion for more than one transfer! So I'm excited. :) Rainy season is starting to kind of feel like rainy season, so thanks for the prayers. :)

On Sunday, we got to watch an area broadcast, where speakers in SLC spoke for the people here in the PH. 

Elder Lynn G. Robbins quoted an ancient prophet, when asked why he was doing what he was doing. This prophet, Adam, responded to the Q by stating simply: "I know, save that the Lord commanded me."

He didn't understand the command he was given, yet he obeyed because he trusted his Father in Heaven. It reminded me of a story I heard when I was really little in a sacrament meeting:

It's about a little boy and his father who take a little camping trip to a little forest. One dayt, the boy went a distance away, doing his own thing- harmless. When out of no where at all, his dad says to him, "run." 

And that is what the boy did. He ran. He  didn't know why he was running, or where he was running- all he knew was that he trusted his father, so he ran.

Later, it turned out that the boy had wandered near the place of a baby bear, whose mother had to be nearby. Because this boy was faithful to his father's council, his life may have been saved. But if the boy had paused for even a second to ask the most famous question: "why?" who knows what would have happened. 

We cant always see the dangers that are so present in the world we live, but there are eyes that can see clearer and farther than the rest of ours, even perfectly. God had given us means by which we can avoid the dangers of this world. He's given prophets to guide and direct us, parents, teachers, good friends, and the Holy Ghost.

I'm happy happy to be a part of this gospel, and although we all have our trials and struggles, we can gain courage by acknowledging that God is in the storm. That God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. We can rest assured that although we dont have all the answers, we do know that there is one who we can trust perfectly.

All that we suffer, all that we endure- if endured well, will sanctify us, and in the end, make us 2x the person we are now. Remember, God does not, can not, and will not fail us. 

So, look to the future with hope and faith, keep the commandments with promise, even if they're  not all understood  to you now. The time will come when we will all understand and we will rejoice in the fact that we had faith enough to trust.

​                                                          National Day of Service.

 

 

                                                                             FLOODS

 

                                                          The face of Balut

    my friend in the balut.. i fed that part to a dog, it was too far developed, i didnt have the heart hahah

 

                             found a friend and taught the kids how to be nice to animals lol

                                                  Sis Chambers, taga UTAH​

                                                            sunset ')

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Week 35 "W.O.W."

Funny story: we did exchanges this week, and we were knocking on a door of an investigator who wasnt home, and there was a guy on the other side of the street we saw who was smoking. So I turned to my comp and told her to Word of Wisdom OYM this guy, and she went, "You do it!" and I said, "No. I dont want to! I like watching others do it, its funny." And she goes, "Imagine BEING that person who OYMs the guy?" So we talked until the guy walked away and it was too late. And literally a minute later, this man walks up to us and starts trying his hardest to speak english to me, and when I told him that I spoke Tagalog, he was so relieved and we started talking, and at the same time, me and my comp looked down at his hands where he was holding a cigarette, and she silently reaches into her bag, grabs out a WOW pamphlet, and puts it in my hand, and I go, "Brother! Ano po iyan??" (what is that??) pointing to his cigarette, and he gets a little embarrassed and says, "It's a cigarette!" and I said to him, "Bakit brother?" (Why?) "Pangit po iyan so katuahan mo!" (That's bad for your body! actually, the word is ugly, but) and he literally lifts the cigarette into the air so that I can see it, then carefully, he smashes it on the ground and steps on it! Hahahah! And then we taught about the Word of Wisdom right then and there. It was SO funny. God really tested me there! Haha. That was our favorite part of the whole day. Other than that, I cant remember much of what happened this week. A member took Sis Yanzon and I to this delicious burger place- H.I.D. REAL BURGERS. *heart eyes*

This week was great. We had two little boys baptized, and they were so dang cute! Ha ha! Robin and Benock, they're brothers and they're so ready! 

Anyway, I love you all so much and I am grateful to be here sharing this gospel. It's a sacrifice, really. But I have so much faith that in all things in , when we are faithful, all of our losses will be made up. We will be blessed with more than we can even imagine. I love you all so much, and I hope you're making good choices. Be HAPPY! Be FAITHFUL. :)

 

-- 

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher

Week 34 "I Love You All"

So I would send you all the most spiritual and cutest email ever, BUT there are these kids sitting right next to me, and I'm trying to keep my cool. They are shattering my eardrums with their worldly music and shouts. Hahaha.

I'm enduring. ;) This week was crazy and fun and hard and all things a mission is. We took the new MTC missionaries on exchanges this week. Sister McGrath, they're your students! :') They've literally only been in the Philippines for one day and some of them ate BBQed pigs blood, some rode trikes and jeepneys, but OURS was a lucky dog. We made her save kittens from a ditch with us. HAHAHA. But she didn't complain. She was so excited to just be in the Philippines. Whatta girl! :) 

 

 

We did MTC exchanges, and we saved some kittens from a ditch, and we made the new missionary do it too. Are we mean? HAHA.

 

 

The other day, we had dinner at a member's house, and while we were eating delicious food inside, the dog was enjoying his own meal outside. He literally ate my kabahay's shoes and I couldnt help myself but laugh. Long after we'd gotten home and everyone was over it, I was STILL laughing. Ha ha. That was cute. (No worries, she laughed, too)

 

 

We believe SO strongly in animal therapy, and this guy did it for us. HOW CUTE? (its a chowchow @sis Udarbe)

 

 

 

And on Thursday, we had one of the HOTTEST days ever. (See picture below and you will understand). ;) 

 

Everyone keeps asking me how hot it actually is in the Philippines.... and I will show you that this is how hot it is. I kept thinking I was spilling water on myself, but I'll be real with you. That's not water HAHAHAH. 

 

 

 

Friday we had a FHE with some investigators and members, and we played in flour, so that was obviously a party.

And our tender mercy of the week is that we got a new investigator, Anne. She is SO READY to receive the gospel. She is AMAZING! :) She comes to church every week, and she asks US the inspired questions. That is what we are supposed to do, but she's the one who is really filed with the spirit. We are praying always for sweet Anne. :) 

Alright, so I'm gonna head out before I say something mean to little kids. ;)  I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! :) Stay safe, make good choices! 

Week 33 - Hitting 8 Months

Hi everyone! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

I don't have lots of time remaining in my emails, but I just want to say thank you all who email me, and I hope I was able to get back to you. I love you all, and I'm grateful to those who read my emails, and also for those who just click the "mark as read" button. ;) Thanks for letting me pass through your mind even for a sec. ;)

This week was full of miracles, and of course SKYPE. I'm SO grateful for mothers and for family. They are DIVINE, as President Gordon B. Hinkley puts it. I'm so grateful for the Plan of Salvation that gives us a way to be with our families forever. It breaks my heart for those who don't believe in forever. We got the chance to teach a man on the side of the street about our Father's plan for us. About the chance that we have to return to live with our Father in Heaven, that we can be with our family even after death, and that we are still ourselves after this life, that no, we don't turn into dust, and we didn't come from just anywhere. I'm GRATEFUL for the Plan of Salvation. :) I love this Gospel, I love my family. I love my best friends. I love you all. :) 

Stay strong and be of good courage, is what they say, right?:) Know I love you all.

The Church is true, the Book is blue, and our Heavenly Father loves us. :) 

                                                              bff (kitten)

                                                     My comp sister yanzon

                               My last kabahay from new zealand.... we got burned a little ;)

                                                             Skype ')

                                                      Skype for sis yanzon

 

Something you dont see in america... it STINKS

 

                                                                                        Skype 2.0

 

Mahal Kita!

Sister Mosher