☼ Mabuhay ♥ from the Philippines Baguio Mission!

Final Mission Letter May 2

2011-05-19T12:50:00.002-06:00

Haha! You're actually here! (assuming you didn't miss a flight and are stranded in Korea). I'm so excited to see you!!
This has been a great last week here in Binmaley. I absolutely love missionary work. Saturday and Sunday we went to Lingayan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the church in the Philippines. They had a broadcast of a bunch of youth doing native dances and then a devotional with Elder Cook, Elder Packer, and Sister Beck. It was great. I was so happy that Myrna, Danilo, and Reynaldo were all able to come. So brother Reynaldo is doing great! We visited him for the last time last night, shared the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis who buried their swords. It made me so happy to hear him tell me that he is going to stay active in the church and endure to the end, for sure! 100%! He mentioned how ever since he's been baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, he's had a stronger urge to not let a single day go past without reading the Book of Mormon, and also a greater desire to share the gospel with others. He's also actively involved in helping to strengthen brother Danilo. The two of them talked on Sunday about why his baptism fell through, and he encouraged brother Danilo to get right back up on his feet and continue on the right path. They worked out a deal where they will go to church every Sunday together (in brother danilo's trycicle). That makes me way happy. Brother Danilo's motivation and excitement are coming back. Last week he was pretty depressed and drained of energy and weakening in testimony. But now it's coming back, so I'm really happy about that!

I'm way excited to see you tomorrow. You will love President and Sister Jensen! They are the best!
I love you!

Love, Rebecca

Life is full of surprises

2011-04-26T17:41:00.000-06:00

Hello my dear wonderful family and future family! I love you!!!

Sorry so this is going to be quick. so I just got done with a career workshop here in Dagupan. It was great, I learned so much and came out of it feeling so empowered for the future. So last week - what a week! It was filled with some of the highest highs and the lowest lows... Brother Reynaldo Balagot (62) was baptized and confirmed on Saturday. He was so happy. It made me so happy to see him so happy and fully involved as a member of the church. Unfortunately, brother Danilo threw a surprise on us and backed out an hour before the service. We were shocked, especially because of how much he's been progressing and how ready he seemed. Just of Friday, he showed us 4-pages worth of notes that he had written, just on one verse we had given him to read, on things he had learned. Out of all the investigators we've been teaching, he definitely seemed like the one who would be the most faithful and the most committed member of them all. Well, yesterday we went and visited him, and long story made short - he feels really depressed because he still really wants to be baptized, and I guess it was just Satan working on him that morning and he had some emotional/mental turmoil. Well, on top of that, he's been having hallucinations recently, and it's so sad. he wants to change so badly and move on with his life, but the effects of his former drug-abuse (way back in the 80s) are making it hard on him. Please pray for him. If you get the chance you could also put his name in the temple. I feel at peace. Everything happens for a reason. I really believe that. Sometimes life throws surprises at us, and often life doesn't turn out the way we expected. Heavenly Father sees the end from the beginning, and when we trust Him, he is sure to open doors and windows to us that we never thought possible. He's got it all figured out. It's very comforting to know that He knows the desires of our hearts, and if we turn to Him in faith, He'll help everything work out wonderfully! Yesterday I gave a "farewell" talk in sacrament meeting. I'm sure going to miss Binmaley. I love being a missionary. I am so excited to see you all soon! I guess next week, you'll already be in Manila. I'll see you on Tuesday! Sorry I haven't been sending pictures recently - I always run out of time, but I'll have plenty to show you next week!

P.S. I love you all, ESPECIALLY YOU! :) can't wait to see ya!!!!

Happy Day!

2011-04-18T08:23:00.001-06:00

Hello! This is a good week. I can't believe how fast time has flown. Is it really April already?! Sister Ledesma and I are doing great. She's great. She is almost exactly like me when I first started out on my mission, with her mindset and desires, etc. On Saturday Danilo Ordona (49) and Reynaldo Balagot (62) both passed their interviews and will be baptized this coming saturday at 9:00 AM. Yay! I'm so excited! We found brother Reynaldo after his granddaughter showed up at church. I remember the first visit, he asked us how soon he could be baptized. Brother Danilo we found when we rode his trycicle - he mentioned that he had met elders a long time ago and we asked if we could come and teach him, and he accepted. Then he's progressed so much since then. Missionary work is the best! Sister Myrna is doing great. On Sunday, when she came to church, she kept telling us how she feels she has ended her search and she feels like she's come home. I'm so happy for her. They talked about tithing in relief society, and she was so excited afterwards to pay tithing. She said, "I learned so much today!" and she always shares what she is learning with her neighbors, who may possibly become new investigators soon. Yippee! On Friday night I spoke at the funeral of the mother of our relief society president. Yesterday I spoke in church about the importance of temples. I miss the temple a lot. I am so excited to go to the Manila temple on Sat May 7th with you! I am really excited for the Urdaneta temple to be built! That is going to be a happy day. I am so excited for our investigators, especially Myrna, Danilo, and Reynaldo. They are going to really be strong members of the church. I love the Philippines! So much! It's so happy here. All the people are always outside, and it's way easy to mingle and make friends in the community. It's really really hot now - it's definitely the hot season. Be prepared for the heat when you come here!

I love you lots! especially you!
Your missionary,
Rebecca

Magandang Hapon sa Inyong Lahat!

2011-04-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

Hello my favorite people in the world!

All right, well here's the news. So Brother Reynaldo Balagot unfortunately had a family emergency - his daughter-in-law had her baby prematurely and so he had to go out of town to help. We found out just hours before the baptism. But he's still anxious to get baptized, but after talking to him we decided that April 23 would be the new date. Please pray for him.

Also we received big news last week. We're no longer giving away Books of Mormon for free. We now are selling them for 10 pesos each. This is a 60-day trial - we're on a special assignment from President Jensen (just our zone and Dagupan). It's a different approach, but it seems like it will be a good thing to help us center everything we do more around the Book of Mormon, and I think it will also help those who buy one have a greater appreciation for the book because it places a value on it. I'm really excited because if this works, we may be able to give out more Books of Mormon out than ever before. (The amount allotted to us has been somewhat limited because of a lack of funds).

Brother Danilo Ordona, 49, is doing great! He's getting baptized on April 30, or possibly April 23 if he's ready. He attended all 4 sessions of general conference, and loved every minute of it! I wish you could see how he has changed just in the past month. It's incredible. He always talks about how ever since he met us, he had a complete change of heart and no more desire to bad stuff, like before. I think he's probably the most humble and truly converted investigator I've ever taught. He is always waiting outside on his porch for us when we come to teach him, with his Book of Mormon already open. He's reading the Book of Mormon everyday, and talks about how everything he reads seems to have a direct application to his own life. The other day he smiled as he reflected, "You know, I've discovered that living the commandments really is the best way to live. It feels so good!" Every time he makes the choice to exercise his faith and apply what we teach, he feels the spirit confirm to him that what he's doing is right. And one thing that makes me really happy is how determined he is to endure to the end. On Saturday, very few attended the sessions of conference, and brother Danilo prayed very earnestly that night that more people would come to hear "the messages of God's servants." Well on Sunday morning the entire stake center was filled all the way back to the stage. Even me and sister Ledesma were surprised at the turn out. Brother Danilo always brings his Book of Mormon with him when we drives his tricycle (kind of reminds me of a little boy with his teddy bear), and often asks us to hold it so it doesn't get all bent up while he drives.

Sister Myrna Esquerra is also progressing! She told us excitedly that she really wants to be baptized. Her 2 teenage daughters are also reading the Book of Mormon, and her husband has lots of questions. I can see their entire family becoming really strong members of the church soon. Yay!

Wasn't General Conference great? I think I'd have to say that Elder Hales talk was my favorite, along with the talks by Elder Perry, Utchdorf, and Scott. :) I also liked what one of the spirit said about how we can overcome false traditions and worldly culture by establishing celestial traditions in the home. I thought it was interesting how many times the different speakers referred to covenants. I also gained a greater understanding of the law of consecration. I think the mission experience is the best laboratory to learn about how to live and find joy in a consecrated life.

I love being a missionary! It's the greatest thing in the world. It brings so much fulfillment and joy every day! I wish everyone could experience serving a mission for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! It changes your life forever.

I love you, Mahal na mahal ko kayo, especially you,
Ingat,
Rebecca

Happy in Binmaley!

2011-04-04T09:08:00.001-06:00

Hello! Happy ako! Mahal ko kayo!

So this week was great. On Saturday we had a scare because brother Reynaldo Balagod (one of our golden investigators) missed his baptismal interview. We were all really surprised because he's usually way on top of things, comes to church really early, never misses an appointment, always reads the book of mormon and keeps commitments. Well, when we went to his house, to our dismay we found that he was drunk. It was really sad. But the next day, he felt very repentant, and when interviewed by the district leader, he was okayed to be baptized this friday. Ever since we started teaching him, he has been very resolute in his decision to keep the word of wisdom. I guess he just relapsed a bit, but now he's right back on track, strong as ever. It made me think about how vulnerable we all are, even if we're strong and trying to do what's right, there may be times when we are caught off guard and fall for temptation. We need to always be on guard because none of us our immune to temptation. Brother Reynaldo is an amazing old man who really wants to do what's right. He gets so excited to share with us scriptures he has discovered in his reading of the Book of Mormon. I love how truly converted investigators really get excited about the gospel once they get a testimony of it!

Another investigator, Danilo Ordona, 49, is very progressing as well. He shared with us the other day about how ever since we started teaching him, he has had no more desire to smoke or drink or do other things he used to do. He said he just had a change of heart and it didn't feel like the right thing to do (even though we hadn't even taught him about the word of wisdom yet). He's always attending church, taking notes at church, reading the book of mormon, praying, and told us that he really wants to know all of the commandments so that he can know everything he needs to do and not do. I think it's interesting - there must be something in the spirit that we bring as missionaries that helps people start changing right from the start. It's not in what we say, it's in what they feel. It's amazing to watch people change for the better. I think it's so neat how discernible the difference is sometimes. You can actually see the light of Christ in greater abundance shining through the eyes of investigators as they progress! A light that wasn't there before! It's the coolest thing :)

This last Wednesday we went to Baguio for a sisters Leadership training :) it was great! I love trainings! They are always so edifying and I learn so much! As I was looking out at the mountains and scenery on the bus ride home, I thought about how much Heavenly Father must love us to spend so much time and effort just making this world a beautiful place for us to live in. He could have just put us all in a huge cardboard box to be tested... ;) hehe, but it shows how much he truly loves us that he created such a beautiful world for us.

Oh, another of our investigators, Sister Myrna, is doing great! She is getting very excited. She loved her first experience at church, and the message of the restoration really clicks in her mind and heart. This week when we came by she exclaimed, Oh if only I could have met you a lot earlier in my life! She's great.

Ok, well that's about it. Things are busy. I love you! How was general conference? I can't wait!

Love, Rebecca

Mahal ko kayo!

2011-03-28T09:46:00.000-06:00

Good morning!

I'm sorry my last email didn't get to you. We went to Dagupan last week for a career workshop for those returning home, and the computer was being too slow. Last week I found out I will be training for my last transfer. My companion is Sister Ledesma, from Bacolod (her native language in Ilonggo). She is wonderful! I like her. I am also in the same apartment with Sister Caras who is also training (we were companions for only two weeks). This is going to be a fun transfer! Oh and by the way, I did meet the elder sister, sister Walker, who you mentioned knows Uncle Joe. She works in the employment center in Dagupan, but we never go there unless we are going home, so that's why I knew nothing about her. She and I had a great chat and she asked to send her love to the Hickens! Guess what! The Agustin Family, Christina Abaya, and Haidi Israel all got baptized! I am happy! I love them all so much. On Wednesday we will be going to Baguio for an all-sisters training, which is exciting. I love it when we get to see President and sister Jensen. We are teaching a brother named Danilo Ordonia. He is in his 30s and always has a lot of great "questions of the soul." We met him when we got a ride in his tricycle and invited him to church and he eagerly accepted a return visit. He has been attending church ever since and preparing to be baptized on April 30! We also met another wonderful family - the mom came to church yesterday and had a wonderful experience. I was surprised at how great all the lessons were - each testimony, talk, lesson all seemed to touch perfectly on all the needs of our investigators. I felt very uplifted and edified. I am so excited for general conference! I think this is a wonderful opportunity to step back for a couple days and "see things as they really are." In our backwards world, where things are not always represented how they really are, this is an opportunity to see more clearly and put things into the proper perspective. Heavenly Father will be giving us some clear solid direction that we need in order to be safe these next few months. Let's all make it a priority and trust in Him and His servants by following their counsel :)

I love you! Thanks for all you're doing! Life is great!

Love always,
Rebecca

It's a great day to be alive :)

2011-03-14T09:06:00.001-06:00

Good morning :) Mahal kita

Yes I did hear about that huge earthquake in Japan. Pretty scary. I heard rumors also that it caused a tsunami here in the Philippines (on the other side of Luzon). Well, sadly Sister Walker had to go home because of some back pain/health problems. So she is probably on her way to Mount Pleasant right now. That means that I'll be left alone in the apartment until Friday when Sister Lapana and Sister Dolojan go home on Tuesday next week. Kinda melancholy, but I'm sure this next transfer will be great.

On Thursday we had our zone conference in Dagupan with Elder Teh. I was called up to give a talk about teaching by the spirit, and I so shared about the importance of "purifying our heart" in order to teach by the spirit. The conference really left me with a great desire to live a more consecrated life.

So, sister Rowena was scheduled to be baptized this Saturday. She already passed her interview and it was all set, but then we found out that her marriage was not legal. It was more like a "cohabitation agreement contract." So that was disappointing. But it's okay because they're going to try to get that fixed. It'll just be postponed for a little bit. She is really excited to be baptized!

Well, both me and Sister Lapana have holes in the bottom of our shoes from walking so much. It's funny, we always come home with big brown spots on the back of our feet. We're so righteous - even our shoes are "holey" (that was for you, Lisa!) Have you ever tried aloe vera juice? it's yummy!

Here's the chorus to one of my favorite efy songs: I like the message :)

Fear is like the clouds that veil the earth from the sun,
Faith is like the morning rays that break with night is done,
And when the fear inside me says that all my hope is gone,
Faith in heaven lifts me up and shouts - "you've just begun."

Well, I love you very much. I know that this church is true. This life is sooooo important, and it's so easy to get distracted from the things that truly matter. Have a wonderful day! Keep smiling!

Ingat,
Rebecca

I love you!

2011-03-07T08:57:00.001-07:00

It's a happy day! Thanks for the cheery emails! I'm excited to read them all in depth later today! Please send my thanks to all who sent birthday stuff. That was really sweet of you! Today we are in Dagupan (because sister Walker and I have to get an x-ray before coming home). I'm excited because Rowena, one of our investigators, is getting married tonight! And another investigator, Renaldo Balagot, is eagerly preparing to be baptized. Sister Jennifer Cardinoza also - though she needs to get married first as well. We taught sister Norma (the one who seemed unreceptive at first but is actually quite open). She had some concerns about the Book of Mormon because she told her pastor and he told her that Joseph Smith was not a true prophet. So we taught her the importance of asking Heavenly Father in prayer. I think it's interesting how easily people just believe what their pastor tells them rather than going to the source of all wisdom and asking Him directly. I really felt the spirit guide us as we taught her, and at the end, she teared up a bit and committed to continue to read the Book of Mormon and found out the truth for herself.

On the bus I met a really sweet girl about my age named Rhia. I had been praying to meet someone on the bus who really needed the gospel that day. And in the morning I felt I should bring an extra Book of Mormon. Well she sat next to me and we became fast friends. It turns out she's studying nursing, and graduation is soon but she's not sure she'll pass, so it's been really stressful for her lately. One of her classmates is Mormon. She is the 8th of 10 children of a single mom, who is working abroad. two of her siblings died. I showed her a picture of our family and of the temple, and told her about how families can be together forever. Her eyes lit up with hope, and I gave her a Book of Mormon and told her it would help her through the hard times. She gladly accepted it. It was a really edifying conversion, and I really feel like it was the time in her life when she was most prepared to hear about the restored gospel. I'm happy!

Well, this week my testimony has really been strengthened of the power of prayer. Prayer really does make a big difference in how much we and those around us are blessed. I like what it says in the bible dictionary about how prayer secures for us blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. I also think it's interesting how it says that prayer is a form of work. I like the quote that says, "Pray as if everything depends on God, and then get up and work like everything depends on you." So I've been studying a lot in the Book of Mormon about how prophets received answers to their prayers, and I've discovered that each of us can receive answers that are just as clear and direct from the Lord, in the exact same way that they did. It just takes a lot of practice trying to figure out how the Holy Ghost works and trying to become accustomed to his voice. I love the account in Ether about the brother of Jared. I think it teaches us a lot about how important prayer is. Jared was able to receive very specific answers to his prayers to know what the Lord wanted him to do. His prayers also have a great effect in blessing him and his family to receive blessings they may not have otherwise received. Then they halt in their journey on the seashore for four years, and finally the Lord chastens him for three hours for forgetting to pray. On my mission, one of the first things we always do is teach investigators how to pray. It's interesting how many people don't understand how. One of my favorite things is when we teach the first lesson and then invite them to give the closing prayer. Afterwards, you can see how excited they are - they really feel a difference when they learn to pray the right way.

Preach My Gospel is not just for missionaries. It's for everyone. It can answer pretty much any question you have and it is a great tool for life! Conference talks are amazing!

I love being a missionary! I love the Philippines! I love my companion, Sister Lapana. She's great! I love the gospel! We're so blessed! I love you! Thank you for everything!

Love always, Rebecca

P.S. A million thanks Alex, I love you! Your emails today sure brightened my day!

Kamusta!

2011-02-28T09:04:00.001-07:00

Hello from Binmaley!
Thanks so much for the birthday wishes, etc.! Sister Lapana, Sister Walker, and Sister Dolojan and I made homemade ice cream and pasta on Tuesday. We brought it to our district meeting, which meets in Aguillar every Tuesday morning :)

This week was fine. Sister Lapana is a great companion. She is very genuine, down-to-earth, and humble. On Saturday we did a workshop for all the leaders in our ward, to help get the ward mission process going. We also talked about how counseling can be a revelatory process, if we "put off the natural man" (humility, patience, respect, letting everyone express their feelings, and avoiding debating/shouting. If we strive to invite the Holy Ghost into our meetings, it will flow more smoothly. For some reason that's been somewhat of a challenge here. Sometimes it seems more like a city council meeting ;) Hehe, well it was interesting to say the least. I think we may need to do a few more workshops perhaps. We've got a very good dedicated bishop and ward mission leader.

As far as investigators go, we found a new lady named Norma Alejo, who seems very much prepared for the gospel. She is already making quite a sacrifice to attend another church weekly (in a much farther location than the one in Binmaley) so we are thinking she will be a great strong member of the church once she gains a testimony that it is true. At first, she seemed closed-minded and hard hearted, but as it turns out, she had lots of questions, and has already read the first part of 1 Nephi and wants to read the whole Book of Mormon. Yay!

We also found an elderly man, Renaldo Balagot, because his grand-daughter came to church on her own. He was taught by sister missionaries before, and he eagerly asked us "how long until I can be baptized?" on the first visit! I'm excited when investigators are excited to take the next step!

Ok, Well I'm doing great here in Binmaley. It's a lot hotter and there's a lot more mosquitos here in the Lingayan zone than in my other areas. I think I heard that Lingayan is actually the hottest zone in the mission. Ok, well, got to go! I love you!
Love, Rebecca

P.S. you might want to check the time difference again, because some of your emails don't end up in my inbox until the following week :) so just a thought to consider if you have any questions you need answering right away. Love ya :)

Email from February 21: Maraming Salamat!

2011-02-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the birthday song video!! Haha! Holy smokes Jennifer and Jessica, you both look so old! I'm really shocked! Jennifer looks strikingly like Lisa all of the sudden! And Jessica, you look so tall and mature! Looks like you haven't lost any little-girl energy though, so that's good! Well, I hope you had a great week. I sure did. I'm here in the Lingayan zone doing great! Lisa, Happy Birthday on Saturday! We have a big cockroach who is hiding somewhere in our room. I tried to hit him with a broom but then he disappeared. He tried to cuddle up with me in bed the other night! errggg... ;)

This week we've been trying to seek out the inactive members and invite them back, and help new investigators through them. I've noticed a lot this week how important it is to point people to Christ. You can never go wrong in pointing them to the Savior. It always is sure to bring in the spirit into any lesson. One of my favorite investigators, Rowena, (19) is getting married on March 5 to the son of our ward mission leader. She's a very sweet girl. We committed her to be baptized on March 19, and she's really excited and her faith has grown a lot recently. Yay! It's amazing to be a missionary and to have so many people open up to you every day and share their. you get to observe a lot of people in a lot of different situations, and they look to you with trust for advice. My testimony has really been strengthened that Heavenly Father gives you what you need to say right in the moment you need it, to help someone. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the most wonderful and precious gift anyone can enjoy in this life. I wish all people could understand that.

There's a path we have to walk at night a lot, and they say there are snakes on either side, so we have to keep in the middle, or we'll get bit. kinda scary. But | was thinking how that's kind of like life. We've got to keep on the "straight and narrow" path and not make any deviations from keeping the commandments, or we might end up getting bit.

Serving a mission is the best thing ever! It's like an incubator for spiritual growth. You learn so much. And the more you learn, the more you realize you still need to learn. There's something about serving a mission that really changes your perspectives about life and realigns your priorities. It's really good. I've also been thinking about the difference between "happiness" and "fun." I've observed a lot of people who try to find happiness by having fun. While it's true that happiness can encompass fun, fun alone will not assure us true happiness. There's a difference. Happiness is lasting, whereas fun is a fleeting thing that leaves as soon as the music, lights, glamor, and noise all fade away. It's really sad because I think it's easy to deceive ourselves and become blinded to the fact that we are not truly happy, as long as we are absorbed in our little world of chasing after one "fun moment| to another. Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants to feel loved. But it's crucial to step back and realize that concerts, food, parties, drugs, material things, etc. can never produce true happiness. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can. And that's what we as missionaries are on an errand to help people discover for themselves.

I love you!! Thanks for all the wonderful emails!!

Love always, especially you :)
Rebecca

I've got a better idea!

2011-02-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

Hey! I've got a better idea! So, I love the Philippines! and I don't want to leave! here's the dilemma - I miss and love all of you tremendously (especially you!)...but I also love being a missionary here in the Philippines...I feel like I just want it to keep going on forever. and the reality is starting to hit me that I'll be coming home soon and it kind of is melancholy. so how about this: why don't you all just come on down over here, and then I'll petition to President Jensen to let me stay here forever, and arrange to go on splits with each of you everyday! and I'll teach you all Tagalog and we'll build a community of bamboo huts and eat rice and lumpia and chicken curry everyday, and live happily ever after! Ya, I think that sounds like a grand idea! Yippee! Hehehe.

So I just got transferred to my last area! Binmaley, Lingayan Zone! And I'm so happy because my companion is Sister Lapana, who I already know from way back in the MTC! And we've been in the same zone for most of our mission and we're already friends! She goes home in 5 weeks. And I'm also super happy because we live with two of my favorite other sisters, Sister Dolojan (my former companion, who also goes home in 5 weeks) and Sister Walker (my batchmate from the MTC from Mount Pleasant). Life is great!! They speak Pangalato here. It reminds me a lot of Dagupan, but more fish ponds, coconut trees, and windy. We're right next to the ocean.

Guess what Jennifer and Jessica! We are teaching 11-year old identical twins right now. They thought it was neat when I told them I have 11-year old twin sisters too :)

Happy Birthday Mommy! And Happy Valentines Day!! Thank you Alex for the valentine's video!

As far as wedding fun goes, please let Alex know I'm sorry I haven't answered his question for a few weeks. some of the emails come later than when I log on, and It's hard sometimes to remember all the questions in emails. how about you forward him this secret message: jkasdkjasdjkl;asdjkl;Junejkl;dasjkl18kjl;dsajkl9:45jklasdjkasd.... hehe!

Question: When can I sign up for fall classes? I really need to know when the date is so I can make arrangements with my mission president and see how I can get that done. Could you find out for me??

I love you!
Rebecca

Greetings from Urdaneta Philippines!

2011-02-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

Hello wonderful family (& friends)!

Today is a great day! Being a missionary really puts life into perspective. I love it here. You know, I've been thinking a lot about the importance of strengthening others. After the things that happened last week, and many other experiences lately, I've come to realize how important it is that we are aware of those who need help. I think it's easy sometimes to just assume that the people we associate with are doing ok. But a lot of times, they are really having a hard time and need help, and we just don't know it. I've learned that it's good to treat every person we meet as if they are in great need of encouragement, help, or a friend. There are those among us who are wavering in their faith, on the brink of going inactive/off the deep end, or struggling with low self-esteem, but too often we just assume they're fine, and it's not until later down the road that we realize they might have needed our love and help to keep them on the right path. I think if we really understood how much of a positive influence we might have on someone's life, it would totally change how we view our visiting teaching and home teaching assignments at church. We would be so much more eager and take more seriously our responsibility to serve, nurture, strengthen, and teach. Just some thoughts.

I really admire Sister Nielsen for her willingness to serve a mission! She was so determined to go stateside and she didn't ever want to have to learn a foreign language. In fact, she changed her major to a major that didn't require a foreign language. She's tried to avoid it her whole life. And on top of that, she's a germ-freak (worse than Lisa). But she's here, and she's such a good sport. And she's surviving and learning the language. I'm so proud of her!

I love you! We're doing good here in Urdaneta :) I'm guessing I'll be transferred to another area on Friday, but of course, we won't find out until Wednesday.

I love you lots!

Love, Rebecca

2011-02-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

The back of our church building where the mission home is being built

Magandang Hapon, Minamahal Kong Pamilya!

2011-01-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope you've had a great week! (P.S. I got the package you sent, and also one from the ward...thanks!) I sure hope Grandpa is doing okay. That's good to hear that he is in a really nice place now.

Well, sister Nielsen and I are going running every morning - it's funny, we actually cause quite a scene - 2 white girls sprinting down the street at 6:30 in the morning :) Hehe, yesterday we were so happy, laughing and talking on the way to our appointment, that the trycicle driver was really surprised and asked us, "Why are you so happy? Is it your birthday?" hehe! Well we told him no, but then told him that what really makes us happy is the gospel and shared with him the message of the Restoration.

This week has been kind of sobering in a few ways. We found out that one of our investigators committed suicide (yesterday morning) which was quite a big shock. We also found out about what happened to Mark (the one who suddenly disappeared before his baptism). Well it turns out, he has another family in Manila he never told us about, which was a shocker as well. But we went to visit him on Saturday, to try to help him - he mentioned how he really needs our prayers right now. I don't know what will happen, but hopefully he'll continue to want to be baptized.

We started teaching a lady named Lourdess, who has some major health problems. Apparently she was taught by sister missionaries last year, but they stopped coming. She told us of how she hasn't been able to sleep for the past two weeks, but that she remembers when the missionaries came before, she was able to sleep just fine, and how she really wants us to visit her so that she can feel that peaceful feeling again. We taught her about the Holy Ghost and how that's s what she was feeling before - then we told her about the importance of repenting and being baptized in order to be able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Yesterday we were really happy because 8 of our investigators came to church on their own! Th Agustin family is doing so well! The ward members are really falling in love with their family. Brother Amor Delacruz is really being fellowshipped by the members as well :)

All right, well I love you tons! especially you! Have a great day!!
Love, Rebecca

P.S. Lisa - one of the letters I sent to you got returned, and I don't know why. But I'll try to send it out again!

2011-01-26T17:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Day!!

2011-01-26T06:00:00.003-07:00

We cooked Bangus fish this week.

Hello! How are you all?

We are both feeling better this week, thank goodness! Hehe, yesterday Sister Nielsen gave the world's bestest talk in sacrament meeting about being on time to church. She wrote it, and I helped her translate it in Tagalog. It was funny because we were both really nervous that lots of the members were going to get really offended by it, but it turns out that it made everyone laugh and they all loved it and wanted a copy of it. hehe!

It's really hard to see several of our investigators really having a hard time right now financially. Filipinos are so hard-working, but sometimes, despite all they do, it's hard to survive just the same. It almost breaks my heart when the Agustin children pray, "please bless that we will have food today" in their prayers to Heavenly Father. But that's really reality for a lot of people here. We in America are really truly spoiled, and we ought never ever to complain about anything. We need to always be humble and grateful

Last week we had a Family home evening with Jerrene's family. Her little siblings are so cute. We did an object lesson where her little brother got jelly all over his hands, and he tried to rub it off, but it just got all the more sticky. Then we likened it to how sometimes in life we have problems or sticky situations that we really can't get out of without the Savior's help (the atonement). But if we let go of our pride and turn it over to him, he has the power to wash us from our mistakes and help us start over. Sister Jerrene never ceases to amaze me - she showed us her autobiography English portfolio for a school project, in which she has a picture of her baptism and writes her testimony and talks a lot about Jesus Christ and repentance. And then she relates the story of the pre-existence to her teacher and how it all began (the creation, etc.) She said that her goal is to become so well-versed in the scriptures that someday she'll be able to teach us (missionaries) like we teach her.

Life is great!!! I love Urdaneta!!! I miss you all, I miss the temple, and I miss Mexican food. But other than that, I absolutely love it here, and it will be hard to leave. I know that the Book of Mormon is really true. I'm so happy. Thanks for being the bestest family in the whole world. I love you!

Love, Rebecca

Magandang Hapon :)

2011-01-24T09:18:00.005-07:00

Pomela Fruit -- The coolest fruit ever!

Well this week I don't have a whole bunch to report on because Sister Nielsen and I have been really sick. We've both had fevers for a few days - her's was 101.6 and mine was 102.8. I'm not sure why. so we've had to take it a little easy. I'm still feeling a little sick still with achiness and chills. Yesterday, We thought we were ok, and we went to pick up Brother Amor for church, but then I almost threw up as we were walking with him to church. It's been a really weird few days, but that's ok.

Oooh I do have some happy news though! Sister Jerrene (16) completely surprised us when she showed us her book of mormon reading chart that we gave her, all filled out- every chapter! And what shocked us even more is that she told us that she read the whole thing in just 4 days!!! She didn't sleep -- in fact, we could tell as we were teaching and her eyes would start to droop. hehe! But I'm so proud of her! And she even remembers and understood everything she read too, and made note of her favorite chapters. Sister Mary Roces is also doing great with reading the Book of Mormon - she's in Helaman already, and absolutely loves to relate to us the stories she's been reading.

Sorry - I'm not sure if my letters are getting to you all through the snail mail. I've sent several to family/friends, but haven't heard if any have been received. Have you received any of them? Just want to say thank you for the emails! Karla, if you are reading this, you're baby is adorable!! Thank you for sending me pictures! And Alex, I got your package this week - oh boy! Thanks!!! Sorry if I"m not always able to respond to everything - I'm sure I lose track of all your questions, but I'll do my best! Thanks for being the best!

Mahal-na-mahal kita!
Love, Rebecca

Hello!

2011-01-11T07:44:00.003-07:00

Jerrene and her friend and I

Jerrene and her friend with Sister Young and I on P-Day

Hey, this week was a good week.
I'm really happy to see the Agustin family all reading the Book of Mormon consistently everyday! The kids are so cute! hehe, a couple weeks ago we taught them about fasting once a month, and it's so funny because Maria Luna (8) has brought it up somehow in every lesson since then with a question such as "oh, I forgot again. how often do we not eat for a really long time?" It's funny because it seems she likes to eat and is really is concerned about that. Of course we made it clear that for the kids they may have to start out gradually with that -not all at once. They all came to church on Sunday, and the children love primary.

On Sunday we were really shocked and sad to find out that our investigator Mark didn't come to church, and spontaneously went to Manila (without telling us or his girlfriend). He was scheduled to be baptized on Saturday, but I guess that's not happening anymore. It was really a big surprise and really hard for us and the ward members. But oh well, I guess maybe he decided he's not ready, or maybe satan is working extra hard on him right now. That's too bad.

I got locked inside the bathroom in our apartment on Saturday for more than an hour. I don't know how it even happened but the doorknob went wacky all of the sudden, and I couldn't get out, no matter how hard Sister Nielsen and I tried to jam open the door. hehe! Finally we got someone who had a special tool thingy to take out the doorknob. While in there, my companion fed me cupcakes through the vent and I taught her how to fill out a mission-form thing on the other side of the door. It was a funny adventure!

Yesterday we did a 1-day mission/ward record cleaning with the ward, finding all the inactive members and inviting them back to church. This will be a weekly ward project. It's really a good thing!

We taught brother Luis (76) and sister Norlita (64), two of my favorite investigators. We read the story with them in the bible where a great feast is prepared and guests are invited but they all make excuses for not coming. We likened it to the church (because we've been inviting them for a long time and they always have a new excuse). We testified of the Savior and the restored gospel, and read Jacob 6:6-12 with them. Sister Nielsen said it was the most intense, passionate lesson we've ever taught. I sure hope they felt the spirit. Sometimes I feel like I'm pouring out my heart to these people, and sometimes it just feels like it's not sticking.

The Living Christ document is amazing! It's a great way to build faith in Jesus Christ. I love Alma 62: 4-5 when Moroni raises the standard of liberty wherever he goes, and thousands flock to it. I think that, in a sense, we as missionaries are doing that too. We raise the Lord's standard, and those who recognize it's truth will flock to it.

I love you. That's all!

Love, Rebecca

Happy 2011!

2011-01-04T09:55:00.002-07:00

For New Year's Eve, We made Mexican food for us and our zone leaders who live next door. Sister Nielsen and I made homemade flour tortillas, but they didn't turn out quite how we expected ;) They tasted more like biscuits. But it was fun! A nice family in our ward also came to our house and gave us some spaghetti and fruit salad. The members here are really nice. For New Year's everyone does fireworks. At midnight, it was sooooo loud throughout the whole city. Looking out our window it looked like a battlefield with all the fireworks going off everywhere. This week Sister Nielsen was sick quite a bit. She is getting better now though. We were invited to a dinner at a member's house who served us goat innards (w/onions and mayo). It was interesting, and I don't plan on eating that again.

Our investigator Mark (24) passed his baptismal interview on Saturday. He will be baptized on January 15th! We had an FHE with the Agustin family, and our stake president and his son came. It was a really good experience. I've never seen Brother and Sister Agustin laugh so hard (as we were playing the games).

The work is great! The field is white, already to harvest! I love being a missionary. I was happy because Brother Amor Delacruz (an investigator we've been inviting for a long time) came to church again, and says he plans to continue to do so every week now. He really wants to be baptized. We also visited an inactive member, brother Israel, who told us of an experience where he has had several dreams recently of someone telling him to come back to church. And then when we met him on our way to the house of one of our investigators, he told us how he felt a very peaceful happy feeling (obviously the Holy Ghost), and we came to his house to teach him, and he committed to come back to church. It was neat to hear him during sunday school - he was invited to give the prayer, and he began to relate all those things to Heavenly Father in his prayer (about his falling away from the church, and his dream, and us visiting him). It was a really heartfelt prayer; you could tell He really was talking to Heavenly Father.

Oh I have to tell you about two of our recent converts: Jerrene (16) and Laurena (13). They both come from part-member families. Well, Laurena was sleeping over at Jerrene's house, and they really wanted to work with us at 3:00 pm the next day, but we had to postpone it until 6:00 pm, so while waiting for us, they read their scriptures together, prayed, and practiced teaching (like missionaries). Then they actually went out "proselyting" to their neighbors, scriptures in hand, ready to teach the gospel. Haha! That ticked me to hear that. They both really want to be missionaries. They are really amazing girls.

I've been reading a lot in the general conference Ensign, and I've really been impressed with the messages. A couple themes I've noticed in the talks are: 1. Satan is real. He wants us to be miserable. He's very intelligent and knows what he's doing. He knows our weaknesses. None of us are immune to his subtle temptations, no matter how strong you think your faith is. That's why we must constantly be striving to nourish and strengthen our faith. As long as we have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can stay protected. 2. Exact obedience is important. It's easy to try to rationalize letting go of the iron rod "just a little bit" here and there, or to justify "partial obedience" based on the circumstance - but little exceptions to the rules can lead to bigger transgressions. Sometimes we don't always see it that way until we look back on our choices and realize we could have done better.

I love you very much!
Have a great day!
Love, Rebecca

Good morning!

2010-12-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Kamusta! Today we're having P-day with Jerrene and Laurena (both recent converts). They both wanted to come follow us around here while we go grocery shopping. haha, what fun. Today we ate lunch with sister Young and sister Anderson. Tomorrow is transfer awareness day. I sure hope none of us gets transferred yet! :)

On Tuesday morning we had a mission Christmas conference. It was wonderful, although a little strange not to have President Jensen's wife there this year (she's in the U.S.) We watched a hallmark movie called "Front of the class" - very inspirational. I recommend it :) President Jensen gave us all toblerone and mini books of mormon for Christmas. Also on Tuesday was our ward Christmas party. As the ward was deciding on the food, I jokingly suggested that they bring balut for sister Nielsen (which she did NOT want to try). But they actually took us seriously and brought 10 balut (5 for me and 5 for sister Nielsen), and then everyone piled outside to watch Sister Nielsen try it for her first time. Haha, it was very unforgettable. Well, she ate it! the whole thing! And of course, I ate one too. She's such a good sport. We were ecstatic because of how many of our investigators showed up at the Christmas party - around 30 came!

On Christmas Eve, we made chicken nugget lumpia, and then sister Nielsen and I went out on our balcony to read scriptures about integrity, purity, and knowledge with candles (one of her family traditions) and read Luke 2 while we listened to the fireworks. On Christmas day, we Christmas caroled a bit and visited the Agustin family, who fed us "Bilo bilo" (one of my favorite Filipino desserts) and fried rice patties (kind of like scones). Maria Luna, Vicent, and Ray (ages 8, 10, 11) sang us a bunch of Christmas and Tagalog songs. I recorded it on my camera - I wish I could show you, but the email won't let me send videos. We also watched Mr. Kreuger's Christmas with them. It made us so exceedingly happy to see their whole family at church yesterday, and all of the members did such a great job of fellowshipping them and making them feel loved and welcome. Yay! Sometimes, as a missionary, my greatest fear is bringing investigators to church, because of the fear that members won't reach out and make them feel welcome. Sometimes, honestly, it can feel like feeding them to the wolves. But it's so wonderful when members fellowship newcomers. It's made me really realize how much of a difference it can make for just one member to go out of their way to be friendly to a new face.

On Christmas morning, brother Ferrer, an elderly member (around 80 years old) fed us a nice breakfast. We also stopped by the Madayag family (members) on Christmas day and they fed us a whole bunch of fruit salad. The fruit salad here is really interesting: it is sweet, has noodles, flavorless jell-o, corn, and cheese. my companion hates it, and we had to eat it 3 times in a 24-hour period. It was funny. The members here are so generous and kind.

This week we offered to "remove temptation" from one of the returning members who is struggling with quitting smoking. It was great - we swiped his box of cigarettes, and then he told us how he has decided to quit! Hooray!

I love Urdaneta! I'm pretty sure I've been assigned to the best area in the entire mission. We're so lucky -we've got the temple, the mission home, and the world's nicest people here! I love you! It was so great to hear your voices on the phone! My goodness, Jennifer and Jessica, you sound so old! Send my love to Alex!

Inayayet Kayo! (I love you - ilocano)

Love always,
Rebecca

Maligayang Pasko!

2010-12-20T23:07:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas! And Happy Birthday Daddy!

Haha, that picture of the big huge snowman is great! I really like the one where you are all leaning over mimicking it. Hehee! Way to go Jennifer and Jessica for performing in the Nutcracker! I bet you were great! This week was great. I went to a Filipino wedding (of a member/investigator). It was funny because they gave me and Sister Nielsen red-carpet treatment - we were seated at the family table right next to the bride and groom, with people waiting on us lots of Filipino food. One interesting tradition is that as they were dancing, people would go and pin money to the bride's veil. It was really interesting wedding. The couple didn't kiss or hug or show any signs of affection throughout the entire night! They weren't even smiling at each other. It weirded me out! But it was a good finding opportunity. Lots of neighbors and relatives were there, and we made a lot of contacts and handed out lots of pamphlets.

This week when we visited the Agustin family, little Jo-jo (10 years old) was really sick with a bad flu and fever. Sister Agustin was really scared and didn't know what to do because her husband was in Manila, and both Sister Nielsen and I felt prompted to ask if she wanted someone to give him a priesthood blessing. So we tried contacting a bunch of the priesthood holders in that area, but all of them were gone, and luckily our zone leaders were kind of close and willingly came over to give him a blessing. I think it really was comforting for Sister Emily (the mom) and was a great opportunity to help her understand more about the blessings of the priesthood in her home.

We visited Jerrene's mom, Josephine (who is an inactive member). Usually she has been too busy and hesitant to let us in and teach her, but when we came on Saturday, she seemed eager to have us teach her because she quickly grabbed two chairs and invited us in, even though Jerrene wasn't there. As we talked with her, she cried and expressed many things to us. She knows this is the true church - she is just having a hard time trying to let go of the past and come back, but she expressed the desire to have her family sealed in the temple. (If you remember, two of her children died when they were only 6 and 7 -- they drowned in the ocean). In this area especially I have seen and experienced many things that have really taught me the great importance of never judging or condemning others. We have no right to judge others because we don't see their whole situation clearly - only Jesus Christ is the one who truly understands where they are coming from. I've learned how important it is to never gossip or talk behind someone's back - because there is always a reason behind why people do the things they do, and we need to exercise more charity and leave the judging to the Lord. Gossiping is never helpful, and is never a worthwhile or productive use of our time. Instead we should be giving people the benefit of the doubt, and looking for ways to help and serve them. Sister Jerrene is great -- she really wants to go on a mission, and always wants to work with us. She is already being such a wonderful influence on all those around her, especially her family. Her mom talked about how they used to all go to church as a family, and her husband was taught by the missionaries and almost baptized, but then they're 2 children drowned, and it was really hard on them and quit coming. But now it seems he is warming up more to the idea of being taught again. Because she said that whenever we come over, he is in the other room listening in, and even grabs his scriptures to read along with us. She also said how Jerrene's little brother and sister are now excitedly reading the scriptures on their own, which is surprising to their mom. And Jerrene told us of how she has changed since she became a member -she used to argue a lot with her mom and they would run around the house trying to hit each other, but now whenever they have a disagreement, instead of hitting, Jerrene gives her mom a hug. You can really tell how much of a positive impact it has had on their entire family. I always tell Jerrene that she can be the light and beacon in her family.

Yesterday we had ward conference - it was one of the best sacrament meetings I've ever attended. They spoke a lot about charity. I liked this quote: You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. Bishop shared the story about the Lord feeding the children of Israel manna for 40 years, and he tied it into keeping the Sabbath day holy. It was very edifying. There are 1000 members (exactly) in our ward. Unfortunately only about 9% of those are active. Needless to say, there is plenty of work to be done.

I worked with Sister Young on Friday while our trainees went to Baguio for a new missionary training. I learned that trying to teach drunk people doesn't get very far. But at least you can leave them with something to read when they get back to their senses. I feel so blessed to be assigned here in Urdaneta, where the new temple will soon be built. It is an adventure to be training, especially since we are both Americans. I love Tagalog - I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to learn this language - I didn't even know what it sounded like before :) Filipino people are so great. We in America really are pretty spoiled in a lot of ways. In some ways, I wish Americans could be more like Filipinos: humble, childlike, affectionate, content with little, easily excited, always smiling. I just love it. I love you! Have a wonderful merry Christmas! I'll call you on Christmas day for me - probably Christmas Eve for you --- or Christmas night (morning for you). Oh p.s. our email time was increased to 45 minutes now :)

Love, Rebecca

It's Christmas time!

2010-12-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Maligayang Pasko! (Merry Christmas!)

Hello my most beloved family! How are you???? Thank for the emails! Oh boy! Christmas is coming soon! Ok I'll probably try to call you on Christmas day then - I'll let you know when exactly next week. This week was great. On Tuesday morning, Sister Young and I left our trainees to work together while we headed to Dagupan for a 4-day training. It was a really good 4 days, and I learned a lot. President Jensen is a wonderful mission president, and very good at teaching us pure doctrine to motivate us as missionaries. He taught us about the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy, and I learned a lot. He read us Doctrine and Covenants 59 and explained that the blessings that come from obeying this commandment are very very similar to the blessings of keeping the law of tithing. Heavenly Father promises us the "fullness of the earth" and will open the windows of heaven and pour us out blessings that we won't even be able to contain, if we only give him this one day to refrain from shopping/working and to worship him. Both laws are very similar too. The law of tithing requires us to sacrifice and offer the Lord by means of our income. Sabbath day observance requires sacrifice by means of our time. It can be really easy to overlook how important it is, and to even cheat a little if we don't have a deep and abiding faith that blessings will literally be poured out on our heads for doing so. But they will. As my companion likes to say, "If we're almost obedient, than we almost receive the blessings." It's interesting to think about it that way. I learned from President Jensen's discussion that no matter what you try to do or where you look, the very best way to get out of poverty is by living the gospel of Jesus Christ, especially in keeping the law of tithing and keeping the Sabbath day holy.

I also learned that the gift of discernment is one of the most precious gifts of the spirit that we can receive, and that listening is one of the best ways to enhance our spiritual discernment. And I learned that sharing personal experiences is one of the most effective ways of teaching and inviting the spirit. Also, I've learned that the most important doctrine you could ever teach someone in 60 seconds is the "Doctrine of Christ" which is, in order to fully access the blessings that Jesus Christ offers, we must to these 5 things: have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the holy ghost, and endure to the end. Why not say that families, or community service, or temple work is the central doctrine of our church?...as important as those things are. Because none of those things matter unless we can access the atonement. Those 5 things are the most important thing that any missionary or member of this church could ever share in order to help others come unto Christ.

During the training, I also got to go on splits with a couple sisters in Dagupan and work in their areas, which was neat. My companion sister Nielsen, is great. She always has great ideas and has a great sense of humor about everything. Last night we taught one of our investigators about the importance of having "a mighty change of heart" and I used that carrot/cookie analogy that you emailed me. Thanks!

Last night we watched the Christmas Devotional and I loved President Monson's talk and his counsel to "discard the meaningless." Being on a mission in the Philippines has really had a huge effect on my perception of what things are really most important. Material things just really don't matter, and yet it's sad how caught up we can sometimes get with them, and how easy it is to set our hearts on things that won't ever make us truly happy in the long run.

I love you! Being on a mission is the best thing in the world! I feel so lucky to have been assigned here in the Philippines Baguio mission! And in Urdaneta as well, where a new temple will be built! What a privilege. This gospel is true. I'm so thankful for this wonderful experience to be here. Don't get me wrong, it's still sometimes super hard and discouraging, but the happy things way out the bad! I love you very much! (especially you!) Keep being great! :)

Love, Rebecca

P.S. one of the Christmas traditions here is the little children go around on the streets singing carols to people walking on the streets, and asking for candy or pesos. It's cute!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-07T13:28:00.002-07:00

Hello everybody! Mahal ko kayo!

Guess what! Tomorrow I get to go to Dagupan for a 4-day leadership training. I'm excited. Sister Nielsen and Sister Anderson will be companions for 4 days working in both areas. They are both really nervous because they've only been here for 2 weeks and are having a hard time with Tagalog still. But it will be a great experience - they will do great!

Well, as far as our investigators, things are going pretty good. One of our investigators, Nanet, and her daughter, Christina, are getting baptized in January! We are helping them, the Agustin family, and Joanna get over their addictions to coffee. They're doing great.

Sister Jensen (wife of President Jensen) flew out to the U.S. today and won't be back until January (family emergency). It will be different not having her around for the holidays. Speaking of, let me know when you want me to call home - it can be anytime during the holidays.

This morning we went hiking as a zone. It was very hot, and my companion and I got sunburned. I'm enjoying learning lots here in the mission field. There's a lot I've learned about how to be more effective in setting and reaching goals, and I've seen Heavenly Father's hand this week in helping us to reach some of our goals and the standard of excellence. Doing missionary work is hard. But it is very enjoyable, especially when we try to keep an eye single to the work. It requires so much, so it's really hard/nearly impossible to be effective if your whole heart isn't fully into the work. I'm really grateful for this wonderful opportunity to be here. I just can't imagine my life without having served a mission in the Philippines - the culture, the people, the lessons learned, the friendships made, the language, the experiences. It's strange to think I might have never had these priceless experiences had I not decided to go on a mission. Boy am I glad I did! And how the Philippines has almost become a part of who I am now. I just am so grateful and happy that I chose to be here, although I definitely had no idea what I was getting myself into at first. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ! We are so blessed, and Heavenly Father loves us so much. The restored gospel is true, and it will do more to make us happy than anything else in the world.

I love you all! Thank you for the emails!! It's okay for others to email me but I'm not able to reply to them. If you see Alex or Karla, let them know there's a letter that will coming soon :)
Let me know if there's anything I can do for you all! Thanks for everything you are doing for me.

Love,
Rebecca Marie Boekweg

Mahal na mahal na mahal ko kayo!

2010-11-30T12:32:00.002-07:00

Kamusta to you all! Our email time got cut in half, and now it's only to immediate family (unfortunately that doesn't include future family, so you'll just have to forward the family emails on to Alex from now on). And I'll probably not have much time to reply individually anymore, so you just get the family email. But that's ok - at least we still get to email. I love you! I'll be printing off all your emails so I can read them when I have more time. Include questions/anything you think I might want to respond to in the subject line, ok? Guess what! Mangoes are back! They've been out of season for a few months and I've really been missing them, but I saw them in the palengke last week and we bought some! Mmm! Philippines mangoes are the best thing in the world! I've been having some fun with Sister Nielsen, It's funny because she told me that she hates rain, seafood, and is a cleanliness freak, and yet she was sent here to the Philippines. It was raining superduper hard the other day, and she asked, "are we really going out to work in that?!" And I said, "Yep, you betcha! We're Baguio missionaries!" But she's a good sport. I'm really enjoying being able to help her in Tagalog - I can't believe how far I've come in 11 months. I remember when I was really struggling and wondering if I would ever get this language down. Well, it became possible! We had zone conference last week, and had a really nice lunch cooked for us by some Filipino ladies. I found a big caterpillar in my chop suey! Hehe, I almost ate it because it just looked like another vegetable, but then I noticed it had a head and legs. So then I just put my little friend aside - I'm still not sure whether the cook added it intentionally or not - it almost looked like it was supposed to be there. ew! ;) On saturday we had an open house for our new stake center, which was really nice. It was a great way to open it up for the public to come and learn more about our faith. Yesterday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting about the blessings of the restored gospel. We are so very blessed to live when we do, and to have the fullness of the gospel back on the earth again! Last night, we were almost attacked by a dozen dogs on our way to an appointment - but we were safe-- I tell ya, it's gotta be because there's a special bubble of protection around the missionaries! Then we found out that the area we had been in was not a good place to go at night, because we have to go through a field - and there are a lot of snakes that come out at night. The Filipino lady that we visited warned of that before we left to cross the field. Yikes, how scary! But we didn't get bit! Hehe, I didn't tell my companion what "ahas" means in Tagalog (snake) until we had safely crossed the field. I'm very happy because the Agustin family is now coming to church every week! They are wonderful! One thing I love about Filipinos is that they are not shy about singing, loud and shamelessly. We visited a brother in his 70s, who sang us an ilocano Christian anthem, loud and clear - it was so classic I feel bad I didn't get in on video. I just love that! Well, other than that, everything's going great! Thanks for everything you do! I love you!

Love, Rebecca

My First American Companion

2010-11-30T12:30:00.004-07:00

Hey! Sounds like you all already know by now, but I have my first American companion, Sister Nielsen, from Oregon! It's great! We found out on Wednesday that Sister Almaquer was being transferred and that I and sister Young would both be training. Sister Young's trainee is the MTC companion of Sister Nielsen! It is really interesting having an American companion - I'm going to have to get used to it! It's funny because it made me realize how far I've come in one year, and how much I've learned. I'm so used to speaking in Tagalog that it's like second nature now, and I need to pause sometimes to remind myself to speak slower, or explain things in English. (but actually there are some things in Tagalog that don't really have a direct translation in English, so it's kinda weird! I've been in the Tagalog mindset for quite a while!) But I'm so excited for her! She's going to be rambling off in Tagalog in no time! It's been fun to see her reaction to new things and the culture, etc. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever be put with an American my whole mission. This is going to be fun. One funny thing is that here, they often say "o-o" (yes) with their mouth closed, and Sister Nielsen always says "uh-uh" for "no", and so it's a little confusing for both of us sometimes, whether we're saying yes or no! Ha, i love it.

Yay! Yesterday I was so delighted because the Agustin family came to church! Finally! I love them so much! I'm so excited that Alex got to stay the weekend over there! That's so happy! I hope you all give him a great big hug from me! :)

On Monday, Sister Young and I made Thanksgiving dinner with Sister Almaquer and Sister Garma, before Sister Garma went home on Tuesday. It was great! We taught them how to cut out hand prints to make a turkey and write everything we're thankful for. They enjoyed it. Sister Young stayed over with us until Friday - it was fun to be able to work with her again.

I love missionary work. We are so blessed. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to find lasting happiness and peace. We can look anywhere we want, but unless we latch onto Heavenly Father's plan, whatever route we end up following isn't going to produce true happiness. It's like we're branches, and we've been broken off from the tree, and our temporary happiness is unavoidably going to eventually shrivel up and wither away unless we are grafted in again the the mother tree, or reconciled to Heavenly Father through the Atonement.

Love you lots! Stay happy!
Love, Rebecca

P.S. So, I've heard some rumors that the email rule might be changing, and we may only be allowed to email immediate family again. Anyways, I'll find out for sure tomorrow at zone conference.

Hello Most Wonderful Family

2010-11-30T12:29:00.003-07:00

Greetings! Happy Thanksgiving! Sister Young and I are getting together today to make Thanksgiving dinner for our companions later on, so they can have the American experience. We're going to have to improvise a little because of lack of pumpkin, stuffing, and the usual makings -we're use chicken instead. Jerrene was baptized on Saturday! She bore her testimony afterwards - she really has a great desire to share the gospel with as many of her friends as she can. It's great!

This week, my companion and I taught a workshop about how to begin teaching. I've learned that teaching is not so much filling people's minds with information. It's more about creating a feeling in their heart. This week when teaching a wonderful family for the second time - we followed up their prayer (praying to know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet), and unfortunately they didn't keep their commitment. The mom even laughed a little, and said she forgot. Well, it would have been so easy just to go along with their lighthearted attitude and say "oh that's ok - just pray tonight about it, will you?" but that's not what Elder Holland said we should. He said we should be devastated. This is eternal life, and we're too casual about this most of the time. And I knew that So we showed them that we really were devastated and testified boldly about the first vision. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ actually appeared to Joseph Smith! That really happened! And they restored the one true church of Jesus Christ back on the earth - the only one and true way to return and live with our Heavenly Father after this life. This is the most important message in the whole world. Either it's true or it's not. And we can know the answer, from God himself. But if we don't pray and ask God to know if this is true, we will never know. Anyways, it was a really neat experience, because right as we said that and set the right tone - not fearing what they would think, and not trying to go along with their casual attitude - The whole atmosphere changed. Their was a heavy silence, and the spirit filled the room and testified of the truthfulness of the restoration, and they felt our love for them. It was one of the most powerful teaching moments I've had yet.

On Thursday, we went to an FHE at a member's house, and they had us eat the very native Filipino way - with rice, whole fish, and meat all piled up on a big table with banana leaves laid out. No plates, no utensils. Everyone just crowds around the table and digs in. hehe! yesterday was a special day because our new chapel was dedicated. President Jensen and Elder Edwards came and spoke. Both of their talks were amazing! Elder Edwards talked about the danger of "gospel drifts" and corrected some false traditions/doctrines that have been spreading around - such as not taking the sacrament with the left hand (which is fine to do) and some other things. He talked a lot about "looking beyond the mark" and how we should not focus on form more than substance. The worldwide leadership training was also excellent! We got to watch it on Saturday morning!

I love you very much! Thanks for being so wonderful!!! This gospel is true! Heavenly Father loves us so much, and we are so blessed! Strive always to do what you know is right, even when it's hard, because blessings are always poured down on us when we keep the commandments. Love you lots!

Rebecca

Mahal Kita!

2010-11-09T13:37:00.003-07:00

Hi! How are you all doing? Is everyone ok? Love you all!

This week was wonderful! Sister Almaquer and I are doing great. We're thinking that one of us might be transferred soon. Sister Jerrene passed her interview for baptism. She will be baptized on Saturday! She is so amazing - Yesterday she bore her testimony in sacrament meeting, and cried as she expressed her faith in the Savior, and related how the first Sunday she walked through the church doors, she felt an overwhelming feeling of love and peace, and she knew she was in the right place. The church really has been quite a refuge for her with all the trials she is going through right now. Her testimony is rock solid and she's so eager to be baptized and endure to the end. I hope we can help her mother to return to full activity in the church. Little by little I think we're helping her to warm up to the idea. Sister Jerrene has already caught the missionary spirit, and even came to work with us one day. She also referred her best friend, Joanna Marie, to us and we've started teaching her. They are both really sweet girls.

One funny thing that happened this week is that we were teaching the Vintigan family, and invited the dad to church. But he made an excuse saying how he had to stay home and take care of his pigs (mga baboy), because he has to help them take a bath and feed them in the afternoon. Well, my ears made a mistake and I thought he was referring to his children (mga bata), and I so I immediately and enthusiastically exclaimed "Bring them along with you! Don't worry, there are classes at church for them too! Everyone is welcome!" and told him how there are teachers there who will watch over them and where they can sing songs about Jesus and learn the gospel. Then Brother Vintigan got the most bewildered look on his face and said, "What?! Bring my pigs to church?" We all got a really big laugh about that when I realized he was talking about his pigs, not about his children. Hehe!

This week we read 1 Nephi 17 with the Agustin family - I love that chapter. It is full of really motivational inspiration stories about obedience and faith, even in the face of difficult circumstances. Instead of finding excuses or focusing on our obstacles, if we have an unyielding resolve to do what God has asked us to do, despite opposition, miracles can occur.

Well, this week was great. We're trying to prepare this area as much as possible for the new temple to be built. It should be in 3 years from now. It's exciting to think that our investigators are going to be that close to a temple in just a few years! You know, I've really come to learn that the biggest indicator for success in missionary work is our attitude. It's all about our attitude - it's not dependent on the area, members, time of year, etc. If we think positive, our work will be positive! Like President Monson pointed out - when feeding the 5000, Jesus Christ didn't complain about the lack of bread/resources. He simply gave thanks for what they had, "and a miracle occurred." That's a great principle to live by.

Today Sister Young is with us for preparation day :) because sister Garma went to Dagupan for a career workshop. So that's all for now! I just received your letter in the mail Lisa - thank you so much! Have a wonderful day!

Love, Rebecca.
*I love You*

2010-11-02T06:51:00.001-06:00

They are sweeping the rice that they have laid out to dry on the road.

Happy All Saints Day!

2010-11-01T01:17:00.000-06:00

Hi! It's a great day! They don't really celebrate halloween here in the Philippines, but today is All Saints Day, and everyone goes to the cemetery (it's like our memorial day), and they also light candles and put it outside their door at night.

Thanks so much for all your letters and emails! I love you lots! Sister Almaquer is a delight to work with. We are doing great. This week was great. We took sister Jerrene to witness a baptism on Saturday. She is doing wonderfully well and progressing very rapidly. She'd make a great missionary if she chooses to go on one. I can't wait for her baptism! Sister Mary is going through some challenges right now, with some family discord, and she got really sick because of all the stress, so we offered to find someone who could give her a priesthood blessing of healing and comfort. President Orpiano, and another brother in our ward, offered to do that. I'm really grateful for our stake president's humble example. He is very humble and even though he is very busy trying to provide for his family, he is always magnifying his calling and willing to minister to those who need it, and we found out that he often cleans the whole church all by himself every week. I wouldn't be surprised if he is called to be the temple president of the Urdaneta temple in a few years. I learn many things from the examples of many good and inspired leaders here in the Philippines.

This week I've been really distressed about one of our families preparing for baptism who we still haven't been able to get to come to church, after recommitting them many times. My testimony was strengthened this week as me and Sister Almaquer have prayed a lot about how to help them, and ideas came to us that we never had even considered previously, which will hopefully be able to help them. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. It just requires us to be in tune and receptive to the ideas and impressions that come to us. Yesterday I was really happy because one of our investigators surprised us by coming to church. We've been inviting him all the time, but he was always drunk and never came. Well this week we went to him many times to remind him, and we were delighted to see him walk through the gates. He told us he wants to become a member of the church. Yay! We found a wonderful family this week through a member referral - they were so happy that we came and the mom kept telling us how grateful she is that we will be teaching them. It was funny because the mom was shocked that I knew Tagalog, and kept asking me over and over "I don't believe it - do your really understand what I am saying?!" Hehe, another of our investigators thought that I was born and raised in the Philippines. It's pretty rare Americans to know Tagalog, and so many Filipinos are kind of take back by it when they hear one of us Americans speaking their own language.

The Book of Mormon is of priceless worth. It is often taken so much for granted and even "trampled under the feet of men." I think it's interesting in 1 Nephi 1:11, when the Lord appeared to Lehi in a vision - out of all the things he could have done - he gave him a book of scripture to read. Also in Matthew 24:27, when Jesus Christ appears after being resurrected, out of all the things that he possibly could have done and said to his disciples, he opened to them the scriptures. That says a lot about the importance of scriptures.

I love the story about when Jesus' disciples are fishing in the sea, and they aren't having any luck, and then Christ comes to them and tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the ship, which, they do. And after they do - they catch so many fishes that their boat almost starts sinking. I think that teaches a great principle about obedience. Sometimes when promptings come from the Holy Ghost, we might be inclined to say to ourselves, "That's a silly idea" or "That doesn't make sense" but if we cast away our pride and act on faith, we might be surprised at the miracles that can result.

Well, anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful day. It's a great day! Heavenly Father has blessed us all so much! I know that this is His church, and that He leads and directs us today through His living prophet. We all have limitless potential to do good and bless the lives of those around us. Let's all find out one thing that Heavenly Father wants us to do, and go do it. Go out and make someone happy!

I love you!
Palangga kita! (that's I love you in ilonggo!)

Rebecca

Hello hello hello!

2010-10-26T22:36:00.001-06:00

Magandang Hapon sa Inyo Lahat!!

Hello! The typhoon started Monday night and lasted until Wednesday, so we were told not to work, just to stay inside, for a couple days. A lot of the houses of members and investigators got flooded. Some in the lower parts were flooded pretty bad, but most were just up to the ankles. Luckily our apartment stayed 100% dry. It was kinda exciting - at times we could feel our walls vibrating because of the wind. It was pretty cold too. The lights were out for a while and we used candles and made lumpia and sang lots of hymns about sunshine, just for kicks and giggles. On Saturday we went to one of our investigators houses, only to discover that the entire road leading to their house was completely flooded over, so we got pretty wet making our way over there.

We went to a birthday party this week at a member's house - she had cooked spaghetti and was complaining that it tasted sour, and my companion said "What? they forgot to add sugar!" But I told her, "Wow, this tastes American!" hehe--spaghetti here is very sweet :)

Mary Roces (recent convert) is really catching "the spirit of Elijah." It's interesting- ever since she's gotten baptized, she's kept having these reoccurring dreams where her family members (who have passed on) come to visit her and ask if she can do their ordinances in the temple. How neat! So we've been helping her record their names and send them to the temple. The other day she found a really old Book of Mormon the other day that belonged to her father, who investigated the church a long time ago. How exciting!

I've been thinking a lot lately about Satan tries to distort our perception of things as they really are. He'll use any means or strategy he can. We need to be so careful about what we allow to enter into our thinking. Mainstream media and popular culture often send messages that distort our perception of things as they really are. It can be very deceptive and very subtly distract us away from the things that are most important. I think the words of the living prophets and visiting the temple often are excellent ways to combat that and to see things clearly.

I love you very very much! Stay happy and safe and know that you are loved!

Love, Rebecca

It's raining!

2010-10-18T09:36:00.000-06:00

Hey hey hey! It's a great day! This has been a great week too. Looks like a typhoon is on its way tonight! We were all pretty scared a couple days ago, because the forecast showed a signal 4 (President Jensen said that's "very bad") and it was heading straight for Baguio. So we were warned to get ready with all our 72-hour kits and "prepare for the worst." Luckily, yesterday we were notified that it has shifted a little northward and is now aimed at the more northern part of Luzon. We'll still get a typhoon, but it will be signal 2 instead of 4. It's supposed to start I think sometime tonight. Don't worry, we'll be just fine! Our apartment is on high ground.

Wow, it's hard to believe that I reached my 1-year mark this week! It's gone by like a dream. The other night I fell into an deep and unexpected mud swamp and lost my shoe, but then dug it out again. It was a really funny sight. Gotta be careful during rainy season--you never know what you'll step into! We had a two-day sisters training here in Urdaneta, with all of the sisters in the mission. It was great. President and Sister Jensen taught us a lot about the new "simplified curriculum" - helping us to be more effective teachers. We learned lots. And it was so wonderful to see all of the other sisters, especially sister Dolojan and Sister Dollente! Sister Broadhead and I went on splits that night in my area (it was my first time being companions with another American) and they slept over at our apartment. It was the first time all the sisters in the mission have been in the same place at the same time! What fun.

President Jay E. Jensen (president of the 70) and Elder Co (area 70) also came and gave a multi-zone conference on Thursday! They came to check possible sites where to build the temple here in Urdaneta. Wow, their talks were amazing. We learned the great importance and power of using the hymns and primary songs in our teaching, and how to "teach people, not lessons."

Sister Jerrene Manzanilla, 16, (my favorite investigator) is progressing really well! She is amazing. Her mom is a member, and used to be really active in the church, until, in a tragic accident, the other two of Jerrene's siblings drowned in the ocean (ages 6 and 7). As a result, she went completely inactive and returned to Catholism. But here's the neat part: In their home they had the children's book "Stories from the Book of Mormon" (the one with pictures) that the missionaries had given to her mom many years ago. And even though her family stopped going to church, Jerrene continued to read and cherish that book. And it was that book that kindled her testimony and helped her feel the spirit, and eventually led her back to church with the desire to be baptized. It is very worn-down and old now, but she still reads it, along with the Book of Mormon that we gave to her. She often brings it out to show us with excitement the pictures associated with the stories she has read in the Book of Mormon. It made me realize how little things can really make a big difference. Those missionaries who gave her mom that children's book probably had no idea the impact it would have on her daughter's conversion. Sister Jerrene is going to be a shining beacon and light to her family. She is so childlike and sweet, and valiant! I'm sure she will be an instrument in Heavenly Father's hands in helping her entire family receive the full blessings of the gospel someday. We are working with her mom to help her come back. She is a such a sweet sister -- she still has a lot of anger and bitterness that has built up inside over the years, but we sang hymns and comforted her. Hopefully we can help her come back and let the Savior heal the hurt. The gospel is the answer to every question and every problem. I know that's true.

I love you lots and lots!
Love Always,
Rebecca

Hallelujah!

2010-10-11T11:49:00.000-06:00

Hi!!! It makes me so happy to be able to email all of you today! Especially you :)

Wow, Alex is home! That is wonderful you all got to talk to him on the phone! Yay! How exciting!!!!!!! I got 3 emails from him already! *Thanks!* It will be super exciting to be able to email him directly now. Yippee!

This week has been splendid! Sister Young (my MTC companion) got transferred to Urdaneta! She is now companions with Sister Garma. It's funny. I killed her mom, and now she's going to kill my mom. I guess it's all one big family feud. Just kidding-->Mom means "trainer" in missionary language, and we always say "kill" to mean the one that "sends you home" (your last companion). I was sister Niebla's last companion, who was also Sister Young's trainer. I love Sister Young! I was so happy to see her after a long time of being in different zones! She and Sister Garma are getting along great. Sister Caras got transferred to the Agoo Zone with Sister Walker as her companion. My favorite investigator right now is Sister Jerrene. She is amazing. She loves studying the gospel and whenever we ask her what she learned from her reading assignment, she teaches us pretty much the whole lesson before we've even begun. Her baptism will be October 30th. She's elect!

General Conference was amazing, wasn't it?! We watched it Yesterday and Saturday! It was funny because none of us could really understand what President Monson said, when he said "Urdaneta" - and so it was a good thing that we all got the announcement beforehand, or else we may not have caught it. Hehe! One of my favorite talks was Elder Holland's. I also liked what Elder Gong said about how we can give children "roots and wings." I liked how a lot of the talks focused on purity and integrity. I loved the music too. My favorite hymn is now definitely "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd." I love missionary work. We have so much to be grateful for. This life is full of blessings, especially family and the restored gospel. I am so grateful for everything you have done for me throughout my whole life. I have the bestest family in the whole world. Be safe always!

I love you always! Mahal na mahal ko kayo! (I love you all very much!)
Ingat kayo palagi! (Take care always!)
Piliin ang tama! (Choose the right!)

Love, Rebecca

We're going to have a temple in Urdaneta!!!!!!

2010-10-04T17:16:00.001-06:00

Yippeee! I'm was so excited when President Jensen announced to us on Saturday morning that there will be a new temple built right here in Urdaneta!! I've heard rumors it's even going to be in Sister Almaquer's and I's area! yippee! How lucky can we get? I just wish I could be here when it happens! It is such a huge blessing! Yesterday in fast and testimony meeting, they extended the time because of how many wanted to bear their testimony and express gratitude for the new temple. I am so happy. In fact, it brings tears to my eyes when I think about the many investigators and members that we meet who simply can't afford to make the trip to the Manila temple. Sometimes, when we talk about the great blessings of being sealed in the temple and show them a picture of the temple, I feel their disappointment when they realize how far away it is. And now, it's going to be practically next door! I'm so happy!!!

On Wednesday, Sister Almaquer and I did a workshop for our district about "Finding." It was fun, and this week we found 16 quality new investigators! Happy! We also worked really hard to reach the mission standard of excellence, but were short by one lesson. But I'm happy because we did our best! Sister Mary Roces (recent convert) is so happy. Ever since her baptism, she has just radiated purity and is so excited about doing missionary work. She loves to talk about her baptism and loves to encourage her friends to be baptized. You can tell she is truly converted. Our new investigator, Jerrene, is great. She is 16, and is really really sweet. She reminds me a lot of Elisabeth Houghton. Anyways, she came to church on her own last week (we were delighted!) and said she wants to be baptized. And she is reading the Book of Mormon almost every night already. She loves the children's one with pictures :) Her mom is a member, but quit coming to church when 2 of her children died. We are hoping to be able to teach her with her whole family and help them eventually be sealed in the temple. I love the work here in Urdaneta. It has been very fruitful!

On Friday I had the blessing of going on an exchange with Sister Garma (so I got to return and visit the 2nd ward). It was wonderful to be able to work with her again. We work really well together. I'm sure going to miss her a lot. We visited Brother Laurel, a member who had been really really involved in missionary work when I left. He would always take us to appointment, give us referrals, and contributed a lot to the ward and to the church. Well, one week before I left, he got released from the bishopric - and by some oversight he was not informed of the release until the meeting. Well, turns out he was offended and quit attending that ward (he went to other wards). Well, about a week ago I felt to write him a 6-page letter and then we had the opportunity of having a really wonderful visit with him, and to make a long story short, he returned to his ward and triumphed over offense! It was a miracle!!! I'm happy! Sister Garma and I will be going on more exchanges in the future.

I love this work! I'm so happy! This morning we went to visit the 2nd largest dam in Asia, which was neat.

Welcome home Alex!!! I love you oodles! I can't wait to hear how you are doing! I can't believe it's October already! Give yourself a big hug from me!

Love always,
Rebecca

P.S. Happy Birthday Grandma! Happy Birthday Emma!
P.P.S. The other day a great big lizard flew and landed on my head. hehe!

Magandang Hapon!

2010-09-30T12:32:00.002-06:00

Kumusta Kayo? Happy day!

This week was wonderful. I love my companion, sister Almaquer. She is very cheerful and confident. Yesterday we did a lot of OYMing (opening your mouth) and finding new investigators. At one point in the day, there was a man who passed us by in a trycicle, and I felt that we needed to talk to him, but he drove away. Then passed by us again, and I felt bad about missing the opportunity and so I prayed in my heart that if Heavenly Father wanted us to talk to him, to please help him come back a 3rd time. He did, and we found out that he was ready to be taught and eagerly accepted the opportunity to learn about the restored gospel. I'm so happy. We are also teaching the Agustin family, a wonderful family with 6 children. Their father is a member, and he found us, and told us that he wants his whole family to be baptized. I am excited!

On Saturday we had a family week celebration for the Urdaneta stake! We put on a presentation about the plan of salvation. Afterwards, we held the baptism of Mark Arganda, which went wonderfully. Yesterday I spoke in sacrament meeting about the Savior's example of charity. Even though he was despised, ignored, and rejected, and people treated him with disrespect and ingratitude, he didn't let their actions cause him to become offended. He remained full of love and accomplished the atonement, providing hope and rescue, even for those who treated him so badly. He even forgave them on the cross.

I know that the Book of Mormon was written for our day. One wonderful thing as a missionary is when the spirit brings a scripture to your mind at the very moment that you need it, and you read it to an investigator, and it directly answers their question/concern. We would never succeed in teaching without the Book of Mormon. It's amazing how perfectly the gospel fits together. Heavenly Father loves us so much.

Have a wonderful week! Enjoy conference!
Love, your missionary,
Rebecca

P.S. I ate bamboo this week. I didn't know it was edible!

Hello from the Philippines!

2010-09-20T10:15:00.000-06:00

Dearest family whom I love so much!
This week has been wonderful! This morning, we met with our zone to play badminton and basketball for exercise. I enjoy zone activities because there are 4 sisters: Sister Caras, Sister Almaquer, Sister Garma, and myself - and All of us have been each other's companions before, so we all know each other real well. My companion really wants to taste frog, so perhaps that will happen soon.

On Saturday, we had the baptism of Sister Mary Roces, 52 yrs old. She is such a sweetheart! She has been eagerly preparing for the past few weeks, and finally entered the waters of baptism. Afterwards, she was so happy that she cried, and could hardly speak. It was a sweet day. It's amazing to think about how important of a landmark that baptism is. It opens the gate to the Celestial kingdom and marks the beginning of our journey home. Seeing her joy made me almost want to get baptized all over again. hehee, is that allowed? ;-)

My testimony has been strengthened that when we do our part, Heavenly Father places the right people in our path. When we have opened our mouths, it's amazing to see how many times the people we talk to happen to have a connection to the church, or have been taught previously. The Lord is behind this work. I'm enjoying this area. One thing that is nice is that we live right next door to our zone leaders, so it is very convenient when we need supplies or have questions. I'm excited for General Conference! Enjoy it for me next weekend! I have to wait because it's a week-delayed here.

Love you very much! especially you! (happy September 26!)
Sister Boekweg

Merry Christmas!

2010-09-13T14:26:00.000-06:00

Hello! Guess what, the Christmas season starts really early here. They are already playing Christmas music 24/7. It's pretty funny. Well, I'm in my 4th area now - Urdaneta 1st ward! My new companion is Sister Almaquer - she is 25, a nurse, and her native language is ilongo. I like her a lot. She and Sister Caras were MTC companions. I still think it's funny how there was a mix-up for two weeks, but actually I'm grateful, because I learned so much in those 2 short weeks, and I feel that Heavenly Father's hand must have been in it. Honestly, it was hard to leave, but now I am adjusted here in the 1st ward, and Sister Almaquer and I get along wonderfully. She is a great missionary! And she might be coming to Utah after her mission, so I might get to see her again. Yay!

Last week we had dinner at the bishop's house, and there was a roasted pig's head, with the apple in its mouth and everything. Haha! That's the first time I've seen something like that other than in the movies. The members here are so nice. They love to feed missionaries. We often get sent home with a bag of pansit, or bananas, or some kind of yummy ulam. It rained super hard one of the days this week - It was so loud that we couldn't even teach a lesson, even with shouting. I thought it was going to turn into a typhoon, but it settled down after a while and we were all safe :)

I know that Heavenly Father is watching over us. He knows us much more than we know ourselves. I'm so grateful for everything we are blessed with everyday. The Book of Mormon is true! The church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth, and families can be together forever through Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. I miss the temple. I love sharing about the blessings of the temple with investigators. Temple blessings are one of the highest, most wonderful blessings we can receive in this life. We're so blessed. I love you all! Especially you :)

Love, Rebecca

Oops! I'm being transferred again!

2010-09-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

What a shocker! This morning, I got a phone call from Elder Duncan (assistant to the president) and he informed me that there had been a big mistake with transfers. Apparently they accidently transferred me to the wrong area and with the wrong companion! I'm actually supposed to be in Urdaneta 1st ward (I'm in Urdaneta 2nd ward right now), as the follow-up trainer of Sister Albaquer, and Sister Garma is supposed to be the follow-up trainer of Sister Caras. So Sister Garma and I have to pack and switch places tonight. It came as a huge surprise. I've been here for almost 2 weeks, and so I don't know why they didn't catch it sooner, but President Jensen wants it fixed the way it was supposed to be. How funny. We shed a few tears this morning. I've loved working with Sister Caras, even though it was only for 2 weeks - we have so many of the same desires, and she and I get along so great. But I guess this is what is supposed to happen. It's kind of sad for me because we just found some golden investigators this week, and extended baptismal dates to 2 of them. It seems this week has been full of miracles. The member work here is wonderful, and Heavenly Father was just placing those who have been prepared for the gospel into our path every day.

Sister Jefferey Marata is one of our new investigators that will be baptized in October. She is amazing. Her eyes are really fuzzy, so she can't read, but still she always makes sure that she gets someone to read to her every Book of Mormon assignment that we give to her. She came to church with her children yesterday. She just soaks up the lessons and is so eager to be baptized.

Sister Mildred Tabajo is another miracle we met this week. She is 20 years old - her husband is working abroad, and she just recently returned home to live with her parents. She has had a really rough past - she was into pretty much every drug and bad thing, but recently felt a need to move back home, and a desire to change her life. And then we met her and felt she needed to be taught. She has already gained a testimony, and excitedly came to church yesterday and loved every minute of it. We'll extend an baptismal date to her on Wednesday. I'm sure going to miss her.

Well, I'll be moving out tonight. I'll let you know next week about my new area. It's been a good two weeks. crazy!

I love being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a privilege to be able to spend all day, every day, engaged in the most important work we could ever be doing - helping Heavenly Father's children to find the way back home. There are so many people who need help. Sometimes it's overwhelming because I want to help everyone, but time is so limited. I've gained a greater testimony of the great importance of every person doing all he/she can to help those within his/her personal influence or circle of friends. So much depends on our individual exertion. I love you all! (yes, especially you!) Time to go!

Love, Rebecca

Urdaneta!

2010-08-30T09:47:00.000-06:00

Surprise! On Friday I was transferred to Urdaneta! My new companion is Sister Caras, from Cavite (Philippines). I was assigned to be her follow-up trainer. Sister Caras is such a sweetheart. You know, I've really lucked out when it comes to companions. It seems every transfer Heavenly Father has paired me up with some of his very best, sweetest angels. Sister Caras is a recent convert. Her mother was the first to be taught by the missionaries - her mother works in California now. She's really cheerful, hard working, thoughtful, and kind of reminds me of Johannie Everett.

I was thinking I would stay in Caba for another transfer, so the transfer kind of came as a surprise. But I am happy. Sister Garma (my trainer) got transferred with me to Urdaneta as well. It was great to see her - we are both follow-up trainers. She has only 2 transfers left in the mission. Urdaneta is a larger city than Caba. There is lots of vegetation here and it's a lot more humid. It's more inland too - no ocean here. It's also a higher-class town, not quite as poor living conditions it seems. They speak Ilocano here as well, but they speak Tagalog at church a lot more than they did in my last area. I'm getting better at picking up what people are saying in Ilocano. It makes me happy. Sister Caras speaks it fluently, so it's also nice to have her for a reference.

Guess what? We found a frog that somehow hopped its way into our apartment. Here in Urdaneta, the apartment is way nicer - no rats or cocraches at all. yay!

That's great that Alex gets to stay in his area for his last transfer! Wow, crazy how time flies. Has it really been 2 years? Also, I'm not sure where I should start sending letters once he gets home. Wisconsin, Utah, or somewhere else? Anyone know? Thanks!

Inaro Taka! (I love you - Pangasinan)

Love, your missionary,
Rebecca

Email from August 23: Kumusta, minamahal kong pamilya!

2010-08-29T16:15:00.000-06:00

Kumusta, minamahal kong pamilya!

That is great to hear about Daddy being called as the ward mission leader! How wonderful! You will be the missionaries' best friend!

On Saturday we had a one-day mission in our branch. I am impressed with the enthusiasm and energy of the members of the branch to reach out and invite the less-active members back to church. Our elders quorum president, Brother Aglubat, is very active and diligent in his reactivation efforts and going out and visiting everyone he can. If every member in Caba and Aringay was fully active, we'd have a stake! Hopefully that time will come.

This week we taught Brother Dominar Garcia and his wife, Arlene. They are a very wonderful family who seem ready for the gospel. As we started to teach them about where we came from, they realized that they had no idea. It is always such a sweet experience to help others discover the answers to the great questions of the souls, and to help them see that these things "are truly manifested to us from Heaven." (D&C 123:13). We have the Book of Mormon, and we have living prophets, and we know who were are, why we are here, and where we are going. We need not be confused. Heavenly Father has given us knowledge concerning all of these things. I'm so grateful for the Plan of Salvation that has been revealed to prophets for us. There are many in the world who need help. So many people. If we could each just help one person find their way home, and if we could make that the object of our lives, how many of Heavenly Father's children would be brought back into the light of the gospel!

I've been thinking a lot about one of Daddy's poems - "The Trick" and how that is very much like missionary work. A lot of the time, we don't realize it, but we are like mirrors in our interactions with people. We are either the ones who merely imitate, or we are the ones who "set the mood" and others automatically will reflect back that same attitude. This is especially important when teaching the restored gospel and helping others make and keep commitments to apply it to their life. If they reflect a casual or uncommitted attitude, we need to be careful not to be mirrors and act casual about the gospel too. We need to follow Elder Holland's advice and realize that "much of the time we are just too casual about this. This is eternal life. ...They may not know that, but at least you do! So take control of the situation." I love that quote. At Zone Conference, Elder Co of the 70 came to speak to us, and he and President Jensen taught us about this principle. We need to be the ones that "set the stage" so that we can awaken our brothers and sisters to how important this really is. If the way we speak and act reflects the attitude that this is the most important thing in the world, others will see how it is and adjust accordingly. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only way to true and lasting happiness.

We went to Baguio for Zone Conference on Wednesday, and I got to see sister Dollente again :) I also met a new American sister, Sister Eldredge, who told me, "Sister Boekweg, I have a message for you!" and then gave me a big hug (from Lisa!) Aw thank you Lisa!!! That's neat to think that she saw you just recently in the MTC!

I love the parable of the sower in the New Testament. I think a really huge role in teaching the gospel is first trying to soften hearts and create a climate and environment that can foster the growth of testimony. We all need to receive the seed (gospel) into good soil. As missionaries, friends, neighbors - we are all "plowers" - helping to plow the ground, and prepare people's hearts to receive the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love Helaman 3:29-30. It didn't use to have much meaning for me, but recently it has become of my favorite scriptures because of seeing so much distraction, contention, and confusion in the world. There is only one way to find our way through life safely and triumph over "fiery darts of the adversary." We must hold to the iron rod/word of God. All other attempts will fail if we don't have a sure grasp on that one sure anchor.

I love being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sometimes it is overwhelming, and I know that I have many weaknesses and shortcomings, but I am grateful for this opportunity to be engaged in this work and do what I can to move this work along. I am learning so much. Thank you so much for everything - I think I'm pretty sure I was blessed with the sweetest happiest family in the world! I love you!

Happy Birthday to Grandma Gunn and also to Grandma Boekweg coming up!
I love you bunches! Especially *you!
Love, Rebecca

Here's an Alex quote of the day: "If you feel depressed, sad, or any negative emotion, do the following things: Pray, serve someone and make someone else happy, think of your blessings, and understand that you cannot bless others very well with a frown, and then make a conscious effort to turn it upside down." I love that. It is very true. Every time we feel any kind of negative feeling, it does not come from God, and we need to learn to recognize and acknowledge it's source.

P.S. Let me know if you have any insights/object lessons about sacrifice, mighty change of heart, or covenant keeping!

Hello from Caba!

2010-08-18T12:56:00.001-06:00

Greetings! Today is a great day! This week went by fast. On Tuesday I went to Aringay to work with Sister Caspe for a day. Sister Caspe is Filipino and very smiley and talkative. On Wednesday morning we went to a service project to help a member harvest corn, and it actually turned out to be more of an adventure than we expected. His corn field was at the top of the mountain, and we hiked up in flip-flops the steepest hike I've ever hiked. There wasn't even a trail, and so Brother Diaz took along a bamboo pole to make a foot hole so we wouldn't slide down. Looking back on it, it was kind of funny, because by the time we got to the top, it was just a tiny little plot of ground, and the actual harvesting took a lot less time than the hike.

I love teaching the gospel everyday. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I love the Tree of Life story. It describes the whole Book of Mormon story. We contacted Brother Juan again, and he was sober. He is very thin though-- he got really sick from drinking too much. but now he's stopped. He still has a testimony and the desire to continue to learn about the gospel.

It always makes me excited when investigators tell me that they gave their Book of Mormon to their pastor - because hopefully the pastor will read it, pray about it, and come to know that it is true too!

I love the story of the 10 virgins. It has a lot that we can learn about. it's interesting that all 10 virgins had a lamp, and all of them fully expected to be able to attend the "wedding feast." but only those with oil were admitted. So it is like us as members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We all hope and expect that we will be admitted. But In D&C 45 it talks about that parable, and how it is like those who have "taken the Holy Spirit to be their guide." That's how important getting and keeping the spirit is. One of the most important ways to keep the Spirit with us always is by partaking of the sacrament every week worthily.

I love you very very much!
Love, Rebecca

P.S.I ate chicken intestines on a stick this week! interesting.

Is is really August already?

2010-08-05T16:55:00.001-06:00

Wow, time seems to be flying on wings of lightning! I've learned that it is important when teaching investigators, to "Point them to the Savior" and make Him the focus, no matter what we are teaching. It is a sure way to invite the influence of the spirit and provides stronger motivation to apply His teachings and live the restored gospel.

The Reotorio family is a great example to me. Although they are extremely poor, they are absolutely faithful in attending church every single week. Even though Brother Lito (the father) has been out of work for an entire month. One sobering experience the other day -- because of a lack of food, they went to trade their dog for a chicken. But then, somehow, the chicken was stolen from them. Sister Merlene was so stressed and upset over it that she spent hours outside looking for it in the rain. Finally they found the remnants of it and evidence that whoever had stolen it had already eaten it. It was sobering to see them in that situation, and Brother Lito holding a plastic bag with the feathers only, and their 5 small children. But we testified to them that blessings follow obedience, and just a couple days ago, Brother Lito found work again, which is a huge blessing and proof that Heavenly Father really does take care of His children and delights to serve and honor those who put their trust in Him.

Sometimes I feel like a disney princess here with all the little children flocking to say "hello" and use whatever English they know. Filipino children are so cute.

Some sad experiences this week have been when we have taught to some investigators who have treated us and the message of the Restoration with spite and contempt. I feel sad especially when people choose to disregard the Book of Mormon, close their hearts to the message, and refuse to pray about the things we are teaching them. Many of these belong to Iglesia Ni Cristo - a very prominent church here, to which my companion belonged before she met the missionaries. It's interesting, because it's kind of like our "counterfeit" -- some of their doctrines/history are somewhat similar to ours, but they firmly believe that they are the only true church. But you can definitely tell a difference. I've heard lots of rumors that the founder was actually a former LDS member who apostatized. Anyways, during one such visit, I felt the spirit very strongly testify through me - I bore as fervent testimony as I could about the Book of Mormon and receiving answers to prayer through the power of the holy ghost. I love to share 3 Nephi 11:39 - about how contention is of the devil, and that the doctrine of Christ is for "such things to be done away." I love how one of the main purposes of the Book of Mormon is to confound false doctrine and do away with contention. One thing that really helps when it can be easy to get discouraged is to recite "The Standard of Truth." It is very comforting to know that no matter what happens, no matter how many people reject the message, the truth will go forward boldly, nobly, and independent. Truth will triumph! It will continue to roll forth until it has sounded in every ear and the work is accomplished!

Yesterday we went on splits because we had so many appointments. I went with Shiela Lorenzo, a member who works a lot with us. She becomes a really good friend and huge support to the work. She knows all of our investigators and it almost feels like she's a third companion. She will apply for a mission in 2 years from now.

What a joy it is to be serving as a Baguio missionary. Whenever there are challenges or big tasks to do, President Jensen always says, "All right! We can do it! We're Baguio missionaries!" This work is true! I'm so grateful for Heavenly Father's wonderful plan. It is perfect!
I love you! Thank you so much for being the best family in the world!
Love, Rebecca

P,S. If you know of any really good object lessons, I'd love to hear them. I'm trying to collect all the ideas I can.

It's a beautiful day!

2010-07-26T20:32:00.000-06:00

Hello! This week has been wonderful! Hehe, your calendar quote the other day was just perfect timing: "if you want to see a rainbow you have to stand a little rain" - because that just happened to on one very rainy day when we got home all muddy, soaked head to foot. Here in the Philippines, they don't have any iceskating, but I'm sure getting my share of mud-skating. The mud here is very very slippery! One of the cutest things in the world is when little 1 and 2 year olds run up to me and "nagmamano" (bless) my hand on their forehead. It's so cute! I love the Philippines. I'm excited for one of our investigators, Brother Espada, who is reading the Book of Mormon everyday - he says that is moves his heart and makes him want to repent. That's the power of the Book of Mormon! It makes me so grateful when I hear investigators express how the spirit is changing their hearts. This is truly Heavenly Father's work.

A few things I have learned/observed here on my mission recently:

-How important it is to keep the Sabbath day holy. Heavenly Father gives us commandments for our benefit. Sacrifice brings many blessings. Sacrificing our time, talents, possessions is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

-Commitment-keeping is a pattern of heaven. We live in a world where being un-committed is often viewed as acceptable, part of the culture, but it is not congruent with Heavenly Father's plan for His children. His plan is centered around covenant-keeping. We all committed to accept His plan before this life, and Jesus Christ committed to do His part so that we could all have the opportunity to return to His presence. We can fully access His atonement through exercising faith, repentance, baptism, and enduring to the end in keeping the commandments - all of which require us to make covenants and keep promises and commitments. It's the only way we can bring our lives in accordance with His will. He expects us to make and keep commitments throughout our lives.

-Being open-minded is a good thing, but it can also be a great stumbling block if we take it to the extreme. Especially if our open-mindedness leads us to the belief that there is no absolute right and wrong, that all truth is relative, that God's commandments are negotiable. That's one of Satan's most clever tactics.

-It is foolish, if we know our Heavenly Father's plan, to not live a gospel-centered life. We can't keep one foot in Babylon and one foot in Zion.

-Listening to the spirit is important. We must never crowd out the still small voice of the spirit with our own opinions.

I love you lots! (especially you!) This gospel is true! Keep plowing ahead! We are very blessed!
Love, your missionary,
Rebecca

Chicken Feet and Balut!

2010-07-13T17:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Day! How are you? Thanks for all your happy emails, they sure do brighten up my day! Wow, thank you so much for that exciting package you sent to me! I love the calendar you made - how delightfully creative! thank you so much! And the CDs too!
This week I've felt very buoyed up! Thank you so much for all your prayers. I sure have felt them. I love you! I absolutely love the Philippines. It's a pretty sobering & melancholy thought that someday I'm going to have to leave all of this behind. I feel I could keep doing this work for the rest of my life. Oooh one very very wonderful piece of news--I found out this week that sister Chona (one of my very favorite investigators from Dagupan) has finally gained a firm, unwavering testimony that the Book of Mormon/what we taught her is true. When I heard that, I nearly cried. It took a little while, but it's there now, and she's on her way home, and I am soooo happy for her!

Well it's the news you've been waiting for: I finally ate Balut. And guess what? I loved it! Sister Dolojan was craving it, and so we bought some that a lady was selling on the roadside and ate it right then and there. And yes, you do eat the whole sisiw (duck embryo). Hehe, it probably helped that it was at night, so I couldn't really see what I was eating. I also ate chicken feet adobe, which is interesting, but not as delicious as balut.

One new investigator we found this week while trying to find the house of a member - Arnel Espada. He met the missionaries when he was working in Africa, and saw the church building there too, but has never gone inside. We taught him the first lesson, and he was very intrigued and listened intently. We invited him to read the Introduction before our next appointment, but to our surprise, when we came back two days later, he had read all the way up to 1 Nephi 19! He even invited two of his neighbors to come to his home to listen to what we were teaching. It is great to see how people who are prepared for the gospel really are placed in our path.

Brother Juan Ordonez, 64, is having some challenges. A couple of weeks ago, he told his children we wanted to be baptized. They were angry with him and don't want him to leave their faith (Jehovah's Witnesses). Well, in the face of family persecution and depression, he started drinking. Every time we've gone to visit him, he has been drunk, so it's been really heart-breaking to see. because he is the purest, sweetest old man, and he has a testimony. We found out that after his wife died, he drank constantly (like he is now), but that during the couple of months that we've been teaching him, he completely stopped. He told us that he has had a wonderful feeling of warmth and lightness. He knows it's true. I hope that we can help rescue him again with the help of his member friends.

About a week ago, I lost my voice for a few days - needless to say, it was interesting trying to teach. My voice is now restored thanks to my companion's loving kindness in making me drink some nasty ginger-tea-mixture. :)

I love the people I am teaching so much. I love the Filipino people so much. Many of them are so poor that they don't know if they will have food the next day. But they are still faithful in paying their tithing. and they live off the bare necessities. And their family means everything to them. They are so happy. They really know what matters most. They teach me so much by their example. My companion, sister Dolojan, is such a wonderful sister to work with.

Well that's it for this week.
I love you!
Love, Rebecca

Pula na ako!

2010-06-29T12:49:00.000-06:00

Naimbag a bigat! Ilocano --> Good morning!

Hehe, on Friday I went rice planting with the Agoo Zone. It was a new adventure, squishing around in bear feet in a big rice field mud swamp almost up to our knees for several hours. It was fun to learn how Filipinos plant rice. Woweee, it was verrrrrry muddy and I got really sunburned for the first time since being here. But what fun. I'll try sending pictures next week -this computer doesn't seem to want to let me right now.

The branch here does something called a "1 Day Mission" every few months. I think it is such a great idea. It's where all the branch members meet at the church on a Saturday morning, and then split into groups and go visiting all day to inactive members. We had 4 missionaries there - and each of us split to go with a group of about 6 members. It was interesting because the missionary was asked to take the lead in the visiting/teaching, but a couple of the members we visited only spoke to us in ilocano, which I still don't know much of - but miraculously I was able to discern their needs and teach and it ended up being a really wonderful experience. It's situations like that when you really gotta just rely on the spirit and Heavenly Father's help.

Caba is an interesting little town. There are 17 Barangies (or villages/blocks) and 19 churches. And our church isn't even in Caba itself--it is in Aringay, the next town over. Needless to say, there is a lot of religious diversity here. One question that many people ask is "why are there so many churches??" and that's the question that we LOVE to hear because we know the answer! It's because of the great apostasy! Another really interesting thing I've discovered is that, although most everyone believes in Jesus Christ, they don't understand his atonement. They know that he died on the cross, but they don't understand that his crucifixion was only a part of it. They miss the whole point of him suffering for our sins. When we show them a picture of him in the Garden of Gethsemane, they don't understand what it is. Before coming on my mission, I kind of always assumed everyone understood that. I think that is one of the greatest blessings of the restored gospel, that Heavenly Father has restored a complete and correct understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ and how to access it.

All righty! gots 2 go, Ingat!
Life is happy! Thanks for being the bestest family ever! Minamahal ko kayo lahat!
Love, your missionary,
Rebecca

P.S. Happy Anniversary on the 29th! Thanks for being the wonderfullest parents ever!
P.P.S Did you know- there's a plant here that you can break in half and then blow bubbles through! Ha! It's amazing!

Mahal Kita! I love you!*

2010-06-22T16:34:00.001-06:00

Hello! It's been quite rainy this week and we had a few adventures slipping and getting stuck in the mud on the way to appointments. It's very slippery! Chilly too--we even warmed up some hot chocolate one day during a storm. I saw a tornado on the ocean the other day - luckily it wasn't very close. Yesterday the Orcales family was able to come to church. I am soooo excited for them. Brother Oliver, the dad, is yearning for the truth so much - you can see it in his eyes. It's so neat to be a missionary, and to have the opportunity to help others on their spiritual journey. I love the people here so much. Brother Juan is doing great. He told us that ever since we have started teaching him he has felt a feeling of lightness and relief. One thing that I've learned as a missionary is the important role of the Holy Ghost in missionary work. This week we've felt led by the Spirit in many ways while teaching in discerning needs and concerns, about which scriptures to share with them. Some of the neatest experiences have been when I've learned something new or gained a new insight from the scriptures right then and there while I am teaching! This gospel is true. I know that we're led by a living prophet.

I love you! got to go no!
Love, Rebecca

Magandang Hapon! Mahal Kita!

2010-06-14T20:21:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Jennifer and Jessica!! You're 11! Wow, I can't believe it! I was 11 when you were born! Here in the Philippines, the tradition for birthdays is to have spaghetti, pansit, or some kind of noodle dish. I like to cook spaghetti a lot, and my companion always asks me whose birthday it is. Thanks for the pictures! I hope you have a great birthday! Also, Happy Father's Day on Sunday!!

On Sunday I got to see the Cebu Temple Dedication! It was so wonderful. President Monson, President Eyring, and Elder Oaks were there! On Saturday, we attended a cutural event where there were a lot of native Filipino dances, where they danced in really colorful costumes and used bamboo sticks, coconut halves, balancing pots and candles. It was really neat. Oh how I love the Filipino culture.

I am really happy because we have a lot of progressing investigators right now! 3 of our investigators, Trixie, Erica, and JC Supnet, accepted the invitation to be baptized on July 17th. They were "born again" before, but have received a witness that this church is true. Also sister Erna, another of our new investigators, has received a witness for herself that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. It's amazing to see the way people find out for themselves that all this is really true. We are also preparing Reynante Bucao for baptism - he is 15, but quite mature for his age, breadwinner of his family, and is really searching for the truth. It kind of reminds me of Joseph Smith. I love Caba. At night, we can see lights from Baguio (from all of the houses on the mountains). It's pretty. I love Sister Dolojan. Most nights we spend so much time talking and planning for our investigators that we only have 5 minutes before lights out to eat a quick snack. I admire her dedication and willingness to work hard.

Well, there's a little bit from my week this week. Thank you so much for your support and prayers. I love you very much! Have fun in Texas! Ingat!

Love, your missionary,
Rebecca

P.S. The other night walking home I saw a spider as big as my hand! I almost stepped on it, thinking it was a branch in the dark. --Also, one thing they eat here is baby chicken heads - the whole thing, BBQed on a kabob stick. I haven't tried it yet.
--Also, last night we discovered a big furry friend in our apartment - a rat the size of a rabbit... it was a little hard to sleep after that. But we are going to get some traps and poison today...thank goodness :)
--oh and did you know there is a monkey-eating eagle here in the Philippines?

Kumusta!

2010-06-07T19:10:00.001-06:00

Kumusta!
Thank you so much for your emails.

Guess what? I have a new companion again! Sister Dolojan. She is probably the sweetest person I've ever met! She is 25, Filipina, and everyone calls her sister Dollente's twin (because they look so much alike. They both also came from the same singles ward before coming on the mission). Also, sister Billones got transferred into the Agoo Zone, which makes me so exceedingly happy because we will now see each other every week at district meeting. Yay! While waiting for our companions, I got to work with Sister Lapana and Sister Broadhead, which was great :) I love them both very much. I heard that Sister Walker is in the Missionary Recovery Center in Manila because of an ulcer. yikes, I hope she is doing ok.

Let's see, what fun things do I have to tell you about this week....

We've been teaching The Orcales Family, and they are really progressing. It's kind of a funny story about how we came in contact with them. We were teaching their neighbor (who is a less-active member), when Oliver Orcales (The father - in his 30s) came over - he was drunk and wanted to join in on the lesson and kept saying "Please, can I listen to? I want to hear the words of the Lord.... I want to know how we can be saved." - although he was drunk, there was something about him that was really sincere. and so we set an appointment to return and teach his entire family. Well the first couple times we returned, he wasn't there, so we just taught his wife and children. But this week, we were able to catch him when he was at home, and we started teaching them all. At first, he was really quiet - I think because he was embarrassed about being drunk the first time we met him. But then he brought out several sincere questions about the gospel, how we can be saved, who Jesus Christ is, and what we need to do here on earth. It was really neat. He and his wife have both received a witness that Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and they are reading the Book of Mormon. They also accepted the invitation to prepare themselves to be baptized. Anyways, it's just interesting some of the ways that the Lord leads to the missionaries people who are prepared for the gospel ;)

We are working with helping Brother Juan abstain from tea and alcohol. At first he was nervous because his doctor told him that he needs to drink tea every morning for his heart, but we reassured him, telling him that Heavenly Father knows what is best and he promises to bless us if we obey this commandment. He is the ultimate physician.

Well, I am loving the Philippines. Sometimes it is quite hot indeed. It's fun sometimes to be teaching a lesson underneath a coconut tree, on a bamboo bench, overlooking the beach, to about a dozen little children who are crowded around to hear, with dogs, chickens, and goats running all around. Hehe...what fun.

Well, got to go now. I love you! This work is true!
Love, Rebecca

Did you know, one of the favorite past-times of Filipino children is tying big beetles to a string and flying them around - hehe, it's really funny to watch :)

I found out that the word lobo in Tagalog has two meanings - wolf and balloon :)

P.S. Daddy, the pictures you sent made me laugh :) Thanks!

Lots of love from your little missionary in Asia!

2010-06-01T16:41:00.001-06:00

Hello! Well, the rainy season is starting to kick in now! I like it. I love Caba. Tagalog is coming great. and I'm picking up a little Ilocano, which is fun!

This week, Sister Dollente and I taught a workshop about "Companionship Unity," which was a lot of fun. I enjoy working with Sister Dollente.

We extended a baptismal invitation to Sister Ruby. She believes it's true, but she really wants to wait until her whole family can join the church with her. So we are working on finding a time to be able to teach them all. Yay! She mentioned how impressed she is with the doctrines we are teaching her. She says that she doesn't feel content listening to any other religions because she doesn't understand their doctrine, but that every question that she raises, we are able to answer to her contentment, using the Book of Mormon. When she offered the prayer at the close of our lesson, it was cute to hear her tell Heavenly Father, "Nagpapasalamat po ako na contentong-contento ako sa mga bagay na itinuturo ng mga missionaries" (I am grateful that I am very content with the things that the missionaries are teaching). I love sister Ruby. She is a sweet humble lady.

One thing that is neat is that many of the people we teach, when we ask them how they feel when they read the Book of Mormon, they answer on a similar theme: it gives them a "light" feeling as if their burdens are being lifted and all problems dissolving. There's something about being a missionary that really gives you the desire to know the Book of Mormon like the back of your hand. The Book of Mormon has an answer for everything! It is the most powerful resource for teaching. One of our investigators, Reynante (16 years old - whom we set a baptismal date with this week) said that as he is reading the Book of Mormon, he is finding out "what God is like."

Some adventures of this week: we found 2 dead rats in our apartment, got drenched in the rain, had to shout while teaching (because the rain was so loud) and poor sister Dollente - all of her photos from way back to the beginning of her mission (she's been out 10 months) were deleted (when she lended her camera to a ward member). She is taking it very well however. I really admire her optimism, forgiveness, sense of humor, and eternal perspective. What a gal!

I found out that the Sudiacals (a family of 7 that I started teaching in Dagupan) are finally getting baptized on June 19th! The whole family. It makes me so happy! Also, Christine, another of my investigators from Dagupan, got baptized on Saturday!

We found a very sweet old lady this week: Lolita, 87 years old. After teaching, she asked how much the Book of Mormon cost, and when we gave it to her, she cried. How sweet. It was funny when we taught them the steps of prayer, because we wrote it out for her but she didn't realize that it was just a pattern, and so she simply said, "Heavenly Father, we thank thee.... we ask thee......in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. So we taught her that she could use her own words and add what she was thankful for and what blessing she desired, instead of just reading it.

Got to go! Time's up! I love you very much! The church is true! Lots of hugs and kisses!
Love, Rebecca

Magandang Tanghali!

2010-05-25T16:12:00.000-06:00

Hi! It's great to read all your lovely emails! Thanks, what a day brightener! Hey, today is Elyse's birthday! Wish her a happy birthday for me will ya? That's too bad about grandma's knee. I hope she feels better soon. Send her hugs from me! And send hugs to GrandmaBC too - it was great to get her letter this week :) I sure miss you all! I am doing very well here in Caba. I love it here. The rainy season is supposed to be starting soon. I'm excited. One thing I absolutely love about my area is that most of it is sort of uphill from the shore, and so we can see the ocean from most of the roads as we are proselyting. So pretty!

A couple highlights from this week was teaching Sister Ruby. We watched the restoration video with her (in Tagalog) and it really touched her. She teared up as she told us how she felt in her heart that it really was true. One thing I love about sister Ruby is that she always reads and really ponders every assignment from the Book of Mormon we give her. It is neat to come back and hear her insights.

One of our new investigator, brother Juan, is such pure, sweet old man. He lived in California for 2 years, and I started talking with him one day on the side of the road. When I showed him a picture of Christ ministering to the Nephites, he started crying because of his love for the Savior. It was really sweet. So I gave him the Book of Mormon and we told him we would come back and teach him more. Well after teaching him the first lesson, I decided to invite him to prepare himself to be baptized into the Lord's true church, and he accepted! We found out that Brother Arellano (from our branch) is really good friends with him already, and so we've been having him accompany us to lessons. It's really neat to see how effective it is when members really step in and get involved in missionary work.

Both Ruby and Juan have both repeatedly told us that they hope we always keep visiting them. Which is really nice that they want to learn!

As for Lisa's question...how is it different and similar to Dagupan? Caba is a much smaller town, more spread out, more fields, more mountains (actually, there weren't any mountains in Dagupan). The main product of Dagupan is Bongus fish, but here they grow a lot of tobacco and corn. :)

We've been having fun with the rats in our apartment. This week Sister Dollente found two big holes in her clothes that a rat had eaten through. One of my 50 peso bills got eaten too! luckily just at the corner though - it is still usable. hehe!

When teaching a lesson to a bunch of little children this week, we asked them to repeat what we had said, and one of them piped up "Bawal pagdurdura!" (don't spit) instead of "Bawal pagmurmura" (don't swear). hehe!

Guess what--there are blood-sucking lizards here! Yikes.

Well, gots to go! I love you very much! See you later!
Love, Rebecca

Hello!

2010-05-10T16:05:00.001-06:00

Hello! It was sooooo good to talk to you on the phone last night! Happy Mother's Day!!!
Well, on Wednesday I got to go to Baguio for Tri-Zone Conference! It was exciting. They took my fingerprints and did a bunch of paperwork for my visa (so that I can stay here for the next year), and it was great to see President and Sister Jensen. The conference got me all pumped up and excited about working with members in doing missionary work.

The buses here are scary! They are so big and go so fast and pass all the other cars - it's especially nerve-racking when you are riding a tiny little tricycle and you see this huge bus charging straight towards you. haha.

Today is Election Day in the Philippines. Heehee, elections here are very noisy :) . They have been advertising and campaigning for the past few months. And the way that they do it is by posting up a bazillion posters with the person's face all around town, and then driving trucks around with very loud and catchy songs, with the person's name as the lyrics. It's so funny and ridiculous. It makes me giggle, and I can't get some of the songs out of my head! We've been instructed by President Jensen to go home by 6:30 for the past few days to stay away from any danger related to the election.

We have a few rats, ants, and cockroaches in our apartment, but it's not too bad.

That's great that the twins were able to participate in the "Hope of America" performance. From the picture, it looks quite fun!
That's great that you were able to get another geo metro!
It was fun to see the map of Caba! Yep, I recognize that. The plaza in the west is where we buy groceries and email. I am emailing from there right now. I live on road where the plaza is, but way up towards the east (next to the ocean). In fact, if you are going from the ocean towards the west on that road, my apartment is right before you see fields on either side. The sign says "villa navarro beach resort." The hwy right next to the plaza that is going towards the north is where we take the bus every time we go to Agoo (for district meeting) or Aringay (for church). Anyways, just for fun. That's great you were able to look it up :)

Three of our investigators are getting baptized on Saturday :)
One of our investigators, Brother Lito, is such an example to me. His wife got baptized last week, and his son is going to get baptized this week, but he is not able to get baptized yet (because of a sensitive and some-what complicated circumstance in his life). But his humility and faithfulness astound me. He is so desirous to be baptized. From the very first lesson, he has known that this is the true church, and he attends church meetings every week his family, faithfully pays his tithing, and is even fellowshipping one of our other investigators. When we taught him about the Law of the Fast this week, he meekly asked us if it was allowed for him to participate in fasting and giving fast offerings even if he is not a member of the church yet. We told him that of course he could, and that no one is deprived of receiving the blessings of obeying Heavenly Father's commandments. It is amazing to me to see the faith he has in enduring to the end, even before baptism, even when he doesn't know when or how soon he will be able to qualify for that special blessing.

Out of time, got to go!
Love, Rebecca

2010-05-03T16:13:00.000-06:00

Happy in Caba!

2010-05-03T16:05:00.001-06:00

Hello! I love you! Not much time so real quick - life is great! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Me and Sister Dollente are doing great. I just love her. She is very animated and cheerful. We almost got attacked by a dogs this morning, but we are safe.

We went hiking this morning at 5 AM with our zone, which was fun.

I've noticed that Ilocanos roll their r's more and speak louder than the people in Dagupan.

I'm so grateful to be serving here in Caba. I love Alma 16:16 about Heavenly Father is preparing the hearts of people in every land to accept the gospel. I've seen that that is true. I know without a doubt that this is the true restored church of Jesus Christ and that we are truly led by a living prophet of God. Everyday my testimony of this grows stronger.

Out of time! Love you very much! Take care!

Love, Rebecca

Greetings from Caba!

2010-04-26T09:41:00.000-06:00

Hey hey hey! Yep, I got transferred! On Friday I arrived in my 2nd area: Caba. I'm really happy. I already really love this area. It is in the Agoo Zone (pronounce: ag-OH-oh) and right next to the ocean. There is also a small mountain in our area. It's kind of a smaller town than Dagupan (more rice fields). I am emailing you right now from Agoo (about 30 minutes away). And Caba is also a little less hot than Dagupan, I think. The biggest difference is that ilocano is the main language here. It's more widely spoken here than Pangasinan was used in Dagupan. (in Dagupan, even though Pangasinan was the main language, most everyone used Tagalog at church and other activities as their staple language) but here, Ilocano is more the staple language rather than Tagalog. At church, they used mostly Ilocano and only some English and Tagalog. Fortunately most people can still understand Tagalog, and most of our investigators can speak it. Also, English is used here a lot more than it was used in Dagupan. We had a branch activity on Saturday with LOTS of food. I love the members here! They are so nice. The people here are really surprised when they find out I can speak Tagalog. Sister Dollenes said that the American sisters assigned here previously haven't been able to speak the language, so it blows them away when they start speaking to me in English and I answer back in Tagalog. Hmm.. I'm hoping to be able to pick up some Ilocano too so that I can at least understand what people are saying a little better.

My companion is Sister Dollenes from Makati (near Manila). She is so sweet and very talkative. I especially like that she always talks to me in Tagalog only (my previous 2 companions preferred to practice their English rather than talk in Tagalog). I am her first "junior" and so we are able to help each other a lot, more like equal partners, which is nice. She is 27 and graduated in accounting.

I got to see Sister Young at transfers! I miss her! She got transferred to Dagupan - not the ward I was assigned in but another one. Oh, and I was actually able to say goodbye to most of my investigators in Dagupan (when I came home to pack for transfers), which was a blessing. I can also write to them for free through pouch - yay! Working with Sister Gungon for a couple days was a lot of fun. She is a sweetheart. I love seeing the different areas. The Philippines is so much fun! I love it here.

I'm happy for Alex that he gets to serve as a district leader in Trelew! Thank you for the letters/emails, Grandma Maria, Tuminezes, Balinskis - thank you so much!! I wish I had the time to respond to every letter, but at least you can forward the emails to everyone.

Ok, time's up. Thank you so much for all of your support and love. I know that this is Heavenly Father's work. I know that the church is true - It makes me so happy! I love you Jennifer and Jessica! Mommy and daddy dear! Lisa loo! Stay safe and happy always. (Especially *you!)

Love, Rebecca

Sorry I haven't sent many pictures recently - next week I'll try to send a few of some recent baptisms :)

Life is happy!

2010-04-19T11:21:00.001-06:00

Dearest family, I love you!

Sorry this is a little short this week - not much time!

My companion, Sister Niebla, will return home from her mission tomorrow! Wow, time flies. I will be working with Sister Gungon, another sister in my zone (Dagupan 4th ward), for the next few days. Transfer day is on Friday. They are closing one of the areas - and so they will be transferring 2 of the remaining 3 of us, but we won't know who gets to stay in Dagupan until Wednesday. So for the past few days I've been working with Sister Billones in her area, and Sister Walker has been working with Sister Niebla, in order for us all to be familiar with both of the areas, for whoever has to take over both of them. It's been fun and busy, and I've loved getting to know the other investigators. But it's also been kind of melancholy since I won't have a chance to say goodbye to my investigators (if I end up being transferred). But maybe I'll get lucky. We'll see what happens.

I will miss Sister Niebla. She is such a happy person and spreads sunshine wherever she goes. Also, working with Sister Billones has been so wonderful. She is such a hard working missionary, and we've grown to be very good friends. The other day she told me about how she grew up in very poor cirumstances with 7 siblings and no electricity in their home. Often they only had 2 cups of rice to share between all of them, and so their mom would add water and make it into a soup to stretch it. I've felt the spirit very strongly as we've been teaching together. It has been amazing. I love Dagupan! I love the people here. I love the culture. I wouldn't mind if I just served in this same area for my whole mission, but I know that I'll grow to love other areas too.

Ok, gots to go! I love you! (especially you!)
The Gospel is true! We are so blessed! Life is so wonderful!
Thank you for everything you do!
Wow, you're really in the Bahamas right now?! Oh jolly! Have fun!

Love,
Sister Boekweg/Rebeccca

Hello!

2010-04-12T10:56:00.001-06:00

Hey there! Happy Monday! Today is a great day! We went bowling as a zone today and ate lunch at McDonald's (yep they have it here).
Yesterday and Saturday we got to see General Conference! It was sooo good! We were able to bring 9 of our investigators with us. Sister Delores Balolong, and her 3 yound daughters, and Jordan and Veronica Decena. Several of our investigators don't really understand English, and so I was almost hesitant about inviting them to conference. But beforehand we counseled them to pray for the gift of discernment and promised them that if they came, they would feel the Holy Ghost manifest to them that President Monson is a true prophet. So they really manifested their faith by coming, and we tried to help them understand as best we could. There was a special feeling in the room.

The Sudical family was able to come as well! They are such a wonderful family! The father, Joel, told us last night of his experience. He said that right when he entered the church building, he felt a feeling different than anything else he had ever experienced in any other churches that he had visited. He said that a warm peaceful feeling of relief and rest from all his anxieties swept over him. I love teaching them. Their 3 boys (ages 9, 11, 12) are really sharp little boys. They will be great future missionaries!

Our ward got a new bishop - Carl Trono. He is 29, and we just recently found out that he is really good friends with Chona Decena. It's neat because it seems that this could really help in the whole sheme of things. Unfortunately, she was not able to attend General Conference with us. But that's all right. Hopefully she'll still be able to view it on the internet. There are lots of distractions in her life right now that are making things difficult. I've noticed that whenever there is something is really important in Heavenly Father's plan, the adversary tries to hedge up the way by adding noise and distractions that can keep us from having the faith-building experiences he doesn't want us to have. I still feel very hopeful. I'm almost certain she will accept the gospel, whenever she's ready and willing to start applying it into her life.

The Book of Mormon is so true! I wish I could get every person in the world to just read it! I know this church is true. I have no doubt that this is Heavenly Father's work. Sometimes it's difficult to figure out how to present the message of the Restoration in such a way as to help others catch the essence of it and realize that this is really "the real thing," but thankfully we have the Preach My Gospel manuel to help us. Wow, we have sooooo many blessings as members of the church! So many people are looking for what we have, and we have the privilege of bringing it to them.

I agree with Alex. I was thinking about the same things during conference! ;) I love you!

I really liked how President Uchtdorf said "Every person is a VIP to our Heavenly Father"
and another speaker said "never let an earthly cirumstance disable you spiritually."

Love you,
Rebecca

P.S. Have fun in Florida! Thanks for the pictures! That's so fun!
PPS Aunt Marilee is expecting her 16th child??!! Wow. Hehe, what a lady. That's pretty much amazing! :)

Greetings!

2010-04-05T13:57:00.000-06:00

Hello! Life is great! I love it here in the Philippines. The longer I'm here, the more I think it's going to be hard to leave. Hehe, do I miss the snow... sometimes, with how hot it gets, yes! But I am loving it here.

This week has been full of little miracles. We are teaching a wonderful family with 5 children! The mom was taught by missionaries in 2002, but stopped investigating. Just recently, she has felt very desirous for her family to grow up in the gospel and asked her Mormon friend to please send the missionaries to them "as soon as possible." They are progressing and it seems they have really been prepared by the Lord.

Sister Chona is receiving answers to her prayers. As she read the pamphlet we gave her, she felt the spirit enlighten her mind about the truthfulness of Joseph Smith as a true prophet. She is still wanting to prove all things for herself, but she is progressing, and I'm so happy for her. Please pray for her. She is such a special daughter of Heavenly Father, and I want her to receive the gospel sooooo much. I feel that if she was the only person I came to the Philippines to help, the whole 18 months would be totally worth it.

We are also teaching sister Christine (8 years old). It is fun to teach children. She is picking up the lessons very quickly and excited to be baptized. yay!

On Wednesday, as we did a CSP clearing land, about 10 little girls, Jennifer and Jessica's age, crowded around me and wanted to help. It was cute. They asked all sorts of questions and wanted to touch my hair. I think it was the first time they'd seen a foreigner. I taught them the song "I am a Child of God." It was great fun.

Those are some great questions. As for General Conference, we're all in suspense here ...we have to wait a week. They will rebroadcast it on Saturday and Sunday (April 10 and 11) so everyone here can watch it at the Stake center. I'm excited! I look forward to General Conference like it's Christmas. We are really trying to persuade Chona to come. Oh I hope she'll be able to so much! I'm pretty sure that it is broadcast in English - perhaps when the Liahona comes out, there will be Tagalog translations available. At church, during Sunday school they use mostly Tagalog. Hehe, in our new-investigator class, Sister Velasquez, uses English, Tagalog, and Pangasinan (the native language of most people here), while she teaches, so it's kind of fun to hear the mix. In Sacrament meetings, usually they use about half and half (Tagalog and English). Sometimes mostly English. Most understand English to some extent but prefer Tagalog in normal daily conversation. Also, many of them prefer English scriptures at church, because the Tagalog translation has "deep" Tagalog words and is often harder to understand. We always teach the missionary lessons in Tagalog however. But it's funny because even the Tagalog is sometimes Taglish because some words are easier and they prefer the English. So by the time I come back, I'll be very fluent in Taglish! hehe. But actually, the language is coming along great. There are times I still feel really inadequate, but then I look back and see how far I've come, and I begin to realize how much Heavenly Father is helping me.

P.S. they have "cheese and corn" ice-cream here. I haven't tried it- it sounds weird ;) Hehe!

Sarah Dixon! Boston, that's awesome! She will be a great missionary :)
That's awesome Taylor is engaged!
Wow, have fun in Florida! How exciting! Enjoy the heat - think of me! hehe.

Greetings from Dagupan!

2010-03-29T11:47:00.001-06:00

Magandang Hapon! I can't believe it's almost April already.

I love being a Baguio missionary! This week we had a Tri-Zone Conference, and I got to see Sister Garma again! It was good to see her.
I know that President Jensen is called of God, and he has received this revelation to focus on reactivation during these two months. I am already seeing the fruits of that effort. This week we were blessed with many new investigators and referrals who seem to be ready to receive the gospel, most of whom we met through members.

This week we had a neat experience when we visited an inactive member, brother Elmer Cayabyab, in an effort to help strengthen his testimony and help him return to full activity in the church. His brother was there and joined in on our discussion about the Restoration, but raised a lot of questions and interrupted with objections to the things we were teaching. So we did our best to help his brother to understand the restored gospel, sharing scriptures from the Book of Mormon. After a while of this, something remarkable happened. When we brought up the need for priesthood authority in Christ's true church, brother Elmer's eyes lit up and he said "Yes! I really truly believe that! That's the thing that will answer all of this!" With tears welling up in his eyes, he bore his fervent testimony about the need for priesthood authority, and that "no matter how smart a person is, no matter how good-intentioned a church is, it is not Christ's true church unless it has priesthood authority to administer in the saving ordinances." It was really neat to see the light in his eyes as his testimony was re-awakened and he taught alongside with us. (Hehee--afterwards, Sister Niebla and I joked that we have found a new strategy in reclaiming less-active members: just bring along someone to protest against everything we believe, and then sit back and let the member rediscover his own testimony as he defends what he believes).

Lately I've been thinking about how everything that Heavenly Father does is for our eternal benefit. That's his whole purpose - He wants us to be perfectly happy, like He is. Every commandment is calculated to result in our eternal happiness. So if we truly understood his great plan for us, we would be asking him for more commandments, not complaining about the ones he has given us. In visiting these inactive members, I've also learned Satan is real. He is working hard to destroy people's faith. He is very good at convincing us that obeying small commandments doesn't matter. We've shared Alma 33:19-20 to a lot of people - because it shows that even small commandments, like praying, studying the scriptures, and partaking of the sacrament each week, truly has the ability to "heal us."

General Conference is soon! Yay! I love you! Thanks so much for everything!

Love, Rebecca

P.S. Moroni 10:27, 29 and 2 Nephi 33:10-11 are very powerful testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

Hey there!

2010-03-22T12:06:00.000-06:00

Wow, another week has flown by. It's great to hear from you! Haha, Jessica biting my letter. Jessica, you crazy little girl! Way to go Jennifer and Jessica at the science fair - soap monsters and milk fireworks, haha, that's awesome. How neat that you got to go to the church history museum.

Sister Walker has been not feeling well the past few days (her eyes are really irritated because of the heat), and so me and Sister Billones have been on splits doing double duty in both our areas. It's been busy! But good. It is getting very hot here now. I hear that it's supposed to get even hotter in April. The other night we had a "brown out" where the power went out from 12AM to 6 and it woke us all up because of how hot is was without the fans blowing :)

Ok, just a few tidbits:
- Our "Rescuing effort" (reclaiming less-actives) is challenging but rewarding.
- Sister Chona is growing in her testimony. I am so excited for her! She told us that every time she reads something in the Book of Mormon, and every time we teach her, it adds to her assurance that the things we are teaching her are true. But she really wants to search and prove all things for herself, which she is doing. I lent her the Restoration video and a triple combination with a reading assignment in JSH 1:1-26. She has such a strong and righteous desire to know and follow Heavenly Father's plan. We really want to get her excited about attending general conference with us, because I know she'll feel the spirit if she sees a true living prophet speaking the world. I'm soooo excited for General Conference!
- Lea Ceralde had her baby on the 18th! It's a boy, and he is so cute and tiny.
- I got to teach a lesson while sitting on a hammock, underneath a bamboo house, overlooking the ocean. It was quite fun.
- We had buko juice (from coconut) at the home of a recent convert this week. very very yummy!

I know that Heavenly Father sent me here to the Philippines for a reason. I am learning so much. The longer I am here the more I realize how spoiled we are back in America. Sometimes I don't feel worthy to be teaching such sweet and humble people. It is such a privilege to be here serving as a missionary. I know that Heavenly Father directs this work. This is truly His church. The Book of Mormon is true, and we really do have living prophets and apostles on the earth today. What a blessing!

I love you!
Take care!
Love, Rebecca

Lots of Love to My Favorite Family :)

2010-03-15T11:56:00.000-06:00

Magandang Umaga! (Good morning!)
Thank you for your emails! Guess what - Sister Garma was transferred on Friday! (We found this out on Wednesday) and I now have a new companion, Sister Niebla. She was Sister Young's trainer! She is from Bicol, Philippines, 23 years old, and goes home in 5 weeks. She is very cheerful and giggly :-) I just realized that I didn't really tell you much about Sister Garma, did I? Well, she was wonderful. She is from Isabella (close to the Baguio Mission) and her native language is Ilocano but she speaks Tagalog and English fluently. She was a soldier in the Armed Forces of the Philippines for 5 years before coming on a mission. Her parents were devoted Catholics before meeting the missionaries and joining the church (in fact, before being introduced to the gospel by her dad, her mom was preparing to become a nun). I learned so much from her, and I will miss her. Sister Tobias was also transferred, and Sister Walker (from my batch--the one from Mount Pleasant) is now Sister Billones' companion, and so we live together!

Hehee, so I finally gave in. Sister Billones taught me how to eat rice the true Filipino way: with my hands! Hehe, it was funny. They say it's an art, and I guess I shall learn to master it.
Also, on Thursday I learned how to peel coconut tree leaves (they use the spines in the middle of the leaf for making brooms). The brooms here are really cool looking. Not like the ones in America ;) Anyways, it was fun.

Well this week was great - it has been an adventure trying not to get lost without my navigator with me anymore, but it makes it fun :)

We had a family home evening with some recent converts on Monday, and taught an object lesson where you tie string around someone's hand - each strand of string represents one obstacle to becoming worthy to be sealed as a family in the temple) until the person is tied down with so many "excuses" that he can't break free himself. And then we talked about the Savior and how, despite all of these obstacles and our many weaknesses, we can overcome them through the power of His atonement. So we used "scissors" to represent Him - He can cut us free from the things that are holding us back, if we put put our trust in Him and seek him first in our lives. Object lessons make me happy!

Our investigator Sister Lea Ceralde is such a joy to teach. She is so desirous to be baptized! Her baby is due in one week. It's been so neat to see her grow in her testimony, and especially in her ability to pray sincerely from her heart. At first, when we taught her the steps of prayer, her prayers were very short and simple. And I've been able to see her progression. It's so cute and sweet because when she offers the prayer before we teach, she expresses simplly and honestly everything she feels in her heart. It reminds me of a little child. She truly understands her relationship with her Heavenly Father.

I am so happy because of being able to help Brother Solano, who has been sealed in the temple but had gone inactive for many years, return to church! And now he is here to stay. In our visit with him, he expressed his happiness in returning and his desire to remain active and stay true to his covenants. He is sad because his years of inactivity have affected his wayward teenage children. I shared with him about Alma the Younger, and the power of his father's prayers and example on his behalf. It really touched me how in Sacrament meeting, Brother Solano sat near the front and presented his young son to the congregation to be given a name and a blessing. What humility. I love how humble these Filipino people are. I learn so much from them. The most wonderful thing has been to see his countenance change - there is definitely a sense of peace and joy that wasn't there before. That's been worth everything :)

Hehe, I met an old man from Germany the other day. He didn't speak Tagalog and only spoke a wee bit of English, so it was fun trying to communicate with him.

I love you! Thank you so much for everything. There are still challenges, but I love it here. Thank you for your prayers!

Love, Rebecca

P.S. We fry everything in coconut oil here.
P.P.S. the visiting general authority at stake conference recognized my last name and asked if I'm related to Marilyn Boekweg who works for the church. Do you know her?

Hello! :)

2010-03-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hi!
Life is happy. I ate whole anchovies and squid heads this week. I said, "Don't think about it. Just eat it!" and I did. Hehe!
On Wednesday, we had Zone Interviews. I always feel better after my interviews. President Jensen always has the greatest scriptural insights. I love Sister Jensen. She is so happy all the time :)

This week we started teaching a sister, Chona Deceno - she is in her 20s. She's really sharp and open-minded, and very in tune with the spirit. It seems like she's already a Mormon-at-heart. I love her! It's so neat to see how Heavenly Father seems to have prepared her for receiving the restored gospel. Our first lesson with her, we even suggested to her the possibility of her serving a mission in the future. yippee.

Yesterday was our stake conference, and we received a new stake presidency. The bishop of my ward is now the 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency, and so next week we'll probably find out who our new bishop is. At stake conference, all the missionaries and youth in our stake sang in a "missionary" choir. I was so happy because two of our "returning members" came to church yesterday for the first time. One of whom we had been working with for quite some time.

So to answer a couple of your questions: How do I normally spend preparation day? We wake up at 6:30, exercise, have personal study 8-9, comp. study 9-10, language study 10-11, and then eat lunch, email, and go to Nepo Mall and the outdoor market to shop, and then return home to clean and straighten up the apartment, and out the door by to proselyte. Sundays: our church starts at 8:30. We usually have PEC or other meetings afterwards and then we go home, prepare/study, and go and proselyte for the rest of the day.

Got to go! Time's up! I love you!
Love, Rebecca

P.S. Yes I received 2 big bundles of Alex's letters on Feb 23. I'm glad he's getting mine :) Thanks for letting me know. I love *You!

Happy March!

2010-03-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hey! Thanks for the emails!! I enjoyed the pictures. I'm glad you both had great birthdays. Jennifer and Jessica, I got your letters last week, thank you! No I didn't hear about the big Earthquake in Chile - yikes. I'm pretty isolated here - not much news from the outside world. :) I also didn't hear anything about the tsunami warning for here in the Philippines. It hasn't rained at all since I've been here. We'll see I guess! That's scary about the storm/flooding in Comodoro. Stay safe!
I received 15 letters last Tuesday. Wowee what a surprise! I don't think I've ever had that much mail at once in my life! Thank you all :)

Well, it's March! Guess what. My Mission president has started a new mission plan for March and April. These are No Tracting months. We are focusing on reactivation. You'd be surprised at how many less-active member we run into when tracting. I am excited. Many members we run into no longer have a copy of the Book of Mormon because it was ruined in the recent typhoon. I am thinking about getting some ziploc bags to hand out with Books of Mormon, to keep them waterproof during rain :)

I love the elderly in this area. They are soooooooo sweet. And so hard-working. It's quite a sight to see little old ladies sitting cross-legged on bamboo benches or riding trike bikes. They always go out of their way to be hospitable and share what little they have, even when they themselves have so little. They are truly saints. I love them so much. One cultural custom that they do here, in respect for the elderly--you take their hand and raise it to touch your forehead. Whenever you do that, it's called "bless"ing them. I love it! I love the Philippines. I love being a missionary.

Not much time to write much else.
Talk to you next week!

P.S. I love you!
P.P.S. Especially *You!*

Hi!

2010-02-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy Birthday Lisa on Friday! You're almost 2 whole decades old! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Hehehe, I loved the birthday song recording - it felt like you all were right here. And Grandma and Grandpa's too - that made my day :) I love you! This morning, Sister Garma, Sister Bellones, Sister Tobias, and I went jogging along the beach. What fun. Guess what. I found real cheddar cheese in the store last week. Not the americanized sliced stuff. Real cheddar cheese in the block. Yes, it was a moment truly to be celebrated.

This week was great. I love the phrase in 1 Nephi 14:7 "knock and it shall be opened unto you." Often when Heavenly Father gives us commandments and we face obstacles or challenges, it can feel like we're up against a wall. But we don't realize that this "wall" is actually a door until we exercise the faith to "knock" (or to pray and ask Heavenly Father to open a way for us to pass through our difficulties). He can make walls into doors. But we have to have the faith to knock. And whenever He gives us a commandment, He will prepare a way for us to be able to accomplish the thing that He commands us to do. I was able to share that with Sister Vidal, who is facing some obstacles to returning to church. I love how little insights like that from personal study often are recalled just in the moment they are needed in order to help investigators. Also, I've found that when testifying that we have a living prophet, it is helpful to share some of the things he has counseled (i.e. food storage) in order for people to see how a living prophet has relevance for them.

The biggest challenges is that there are many other proselyting missionaries of other faiths in our area (Jehovah's Witnesses, Born Again, Baptist, Muslim, etc) and sometimes it's hard to help people see that we're not just one of the many, and that this is actually the true church of Jesus Chris restored in its fullness. I think the only way to do that is through the Book of Mormon and through the witness of the Holy Ghost. The Book of Mormon really speaks for itself.

Sister Lea Ceralde is progressing - she is such a golden investigator, and so humble and teachable and lovable. I love the soft hearts of Filipinos. They teach me so much. She loves the Book of Mormon and has many questions. We finished teaching her about the Plan of Salvation and she is very willing to be baptized. She still needs to work out things with her husband however, so we'll see what happens. Sister Lea is due for having a baby at the end of March :)

Well, I gots to go! Thanks for your love and prayers! I love you.
Love, Rebecca

P.S. Fun cultural note:
There are guys who ride trike bikes down the roads and holler "Baluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!" (selling balut)

I haven't been taking very many photos because we're not supposed to take cameras while proselyting, and I don't want to look like a tourist. There are many things I'd love to take pictures of, but I'm afraid it would be offensive to the people (especially those in very humble circumstances).

P.P.S. Thank you sister Balinski, Tuminezes, 3rd ward YW, Sister Height, for your letters! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

And happy birthday mommy tomorrow! I love you!
This week has been great. I recieved your valentines in the mail and they made me smile. Thanks!!

On Wednesday we had Zone conference. I looooove zone conferences! They are so much fun. And I love President and Sister Jensen! Here's a few hilghlights from this week. We started teaching a sister, Martina Dulay - she used to work in Hong Kong and some mormon brothers gave her a small book of mormon, but it was in English and she couldn't understand it - and so we gave her one in Tagalog, and she has been interestedly comparing it to the Bible and thinks it's really cool how there are cross-references between the two. She is a member of a born-again church that is still small and growing, and she's ghesitant to fully embrace the BofM because her pastor is counting on her to show her support and help the church grow. She's afraid to tell him about the Book of Mormon because of what He might think. She also goes to a "Bible Study class" every week. We were pretty bold. I told her that she should bring the Book of Mormon to her Bible class and share with all her friends as well as her pastor because it's the word of God, and Heavenly Father would want her to do that. I thought how fun it would be to offer to teach a workshop to her Bible class entitled, "How the Book of Mormon can enhance your Bible study!"
We also found a sweet sister, mother of 4. After we taught her about the restoration, we introduced the Book of Mormon to her and I bore my testimony about it's truthfulness, and shared how it is the most precious gift we had to give to her, and then she started to cry. It was a really special and such a neat experience to be able to participate in helping others feel the power of the Holy Ghost in their lives. Wow. I love this work!

The Moreno family referred us to their neighbor, a sister whom we had given a pamphlet to a while ago - she has been talking to the Moreno's about what we have been teaching them, and she really really wants to be taught as well. But she is a house-sitter and her landlord won't allow her have the missionaries over, and she's not allowed to leave the house. She cried as she explained to us how she had read the pamplet we gave her and really wanted to learn more. I pray that the landlord's heart will be softened. We left her with a Book of Mormon.

Fun side notes:
There are icecream trikes here!
Every morning I wake up to the sound of jeepney horns honking and roosters.
Sunrises and sunsets here are gorgeous.
There's been a chicken-pox break out in our mission recently.
The most frequently heard phrase at the dinner table is "Kain Pa!" (eat more!)
I love the Philippines!
Send my love to Alex! :)

Love, Rebecca

P.S. Bilobilo is yummy!

2010-02-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

I love the Philippines!

2010-02-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! What a happy week. Thanks for the picture and video! (yes, it did come through). It was fun to see and hear your voices :) Is Jenny feeling better from her fever last week? Guess what! I found a sea shell this morning in our backyard. I guess it got washed over here from the typhoon a few months ago. Cool huh? Yes, my apartment is on ground level, but it has two floors. our kitchen and "comfort room" (bathroom) are downstairs, and then there are 2 bedrooms upstairs, and each of us has a desk. We have a wooden couch/bench downstairs, toaster oven, refridgerator, stove, and a water filter that hooks up to our faucet. Now hot water, but who would want it anyways in this hot climate! ;)
The neighborhood is hard to describe. On the road, you see a lot of Jeepneys, cars, motorcycles, and trikes. (by the way, when you come to pick me up, you have to ride on a trike - I don't ride on them often - usually Jeepneys - but they are my favorite!) Almost at every corner, there are "sari sari stores" that sell basic stuff and snacks. And yes, they have outdoor street markets downtown - it's fun but very crowded and noisy. You can see all sorts of vegetables and fish/seafood laying out for sell (heads and all). I should take a picture of it sometime. We usually go to Nepo Mall to get groceries, but Sister Garma likes getting vegetables at the outdoor markets because it's cheaper. Nepo Mall is like a normal mall - and it has a KFC, where we usually eat on P-days :) Hehe, one funny thing--so, you know how in America, they have buscuits at KFC? Well, here they wrap up "rice" in a KFC wrapper, so it looks like a buscuit. I got excited thinking that they had buscuits, but no-it's rice :) Hehe, Filipinos don't like to eat anything without rice. I asked Sister Garma if she had ever gone an entire day without eating rice, and she gave me a funny look and said, "That would be miserable!" I love the culture here. It's so fun. Oh, and basketball is huge here. It's the sport everyone loves.
Sister Bellones is native. Most of the missionaries here are native. Now that Sister Parks is gone, I think I may be the only blonde sister in our mission!
Just a couple of highlights: We've been teaching a sweet young mother, Sister Lea, and her mother Violeta. They are both so humble and sweet and teachable. I love them! Yesterday we answered some of Sister Lea's questions about Nephites and Lamanites and read and explained the "introduction" to the Book of Mormon to her. She is very interested and it has been neat to see her countenace brighten as we have taught her how to pray from her heart. In our first lesson to her, we invited her to continue to learn more the gospel and to prepare to be baptized. Her husband, however, is not interested,which is unfortunate because families are so central to the gospel. But we encouraged her to continue to pray for him and to exercise faith in continuing to read the Book of Mormon. I love using gospel art pictures when teaching and also singing hymns with them. I love Lehi's vision of the tree of life! It is so full of meaning and symbolism that can apply to so many different principles of the gospel! Have you read "Our Search for Happiness"? Wow. That's got to be one of my all-time favorite books. It is amazing! It gives such a powerful testimony of the restored gospel. I wish I had a billion copies to distribute througout the world! It's amazing to think about all the blessings that have been restored, after being lost for centuries - temples, priesthood, gift of the Holy Ghost, etc! One nice thing about the area I am serving in is that just about everyone is religious and believes in Christ. It makes it so much easier when we all have that same starting ground. Even jeepneys and trikes often have religious decorations and things about Jesus painted on them.
Well, life is great. I'm loving every minute. Thanks for your emails. I love them. Be safe and take care! Thank you for your prayers!
Love, Rebecca

Thank you so much to the Beck and Rex Family for your Christmas greetings in the mail! It was great to hear from you! :)

P.S.I'm sorry if I've neglected to respond or answer questions from anybody! Sometimes it's hard to keep track of things in the rush of P-days! love you!

Happy Groundhog Day!

2010-02-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

(that's Feb 1st, right?)
Hello!
Guess what? Sister Broadhead got transferred out of Dagupan, and so did Sister Jover. I'm going to miss them. But I now have a new "roommate" - Sister Ballena. She is 25, short, jolly, spunky, and hard working :) Oh, and also I found out on Saturday that Sister Parks has to be reassigned to serve the rest of her mission in Minnesota (because I guess her stomach problems got worse). She's being shipped out tomorrow. I wish I could see her before she goes. It's sad, but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for her there. At least she's still able to serve stateside! I'm glad she we got to be companions in the MTC. Lisa, might you be able to look up the Minnesota mission address at the mailroom? Also the address for Katrina's mission in North Carolina. Thank you so much, that would be amazing!

Adventures this week:
I tried a yummy Filipino dessert called Bilobilo. It's made of a special kind of rice rolled up in balls on banana leaves and cooked in some kind of liquid with bananas and fruit. Kinda hard to describe, but tasty! Also today I tried "Halo halo" - another Filipino dessert - with ice, cream, flan, fruit, nuts, coconut. :)
On Tuesday, we had a CSP service activity as a district at an investigator's house, cutting/pruning banana trees. It was cool. I kind of felt like I was an amazon woman in the jungle with my machete knife.
This week, we started teaching the Moreno family. Sister Luna, the mom, is soooooo sweet, and I feel like their family really is prepared to receive the gospel. We were able to teach them about the restoration and felt we needed to emphasize the Book of Mormon, because that is the key in gaining a testimony of the restored gospel. We may not be the most eloquent teachers or "presenters of the message of the restoration, but if we can get people to latch onto the Book of Mormon, therein lies the power of conversion.

Yesterday, Sister Garma, Sister Tobias, Sister Balleno, and I sang a special musical number in Sacrament meeting "Love is Spoken Here" in Tagalog. We also sang it on Friday for a baptism in our ward. I'm so glad I have a Tagalog Primary songbook, because although we sing all the songs at church in English, the Filipinos love to use the Tagalog version for special events or programs.
Well, that's a little of what's been happening for this week. I've got to go now! I love you. Especially You :)
Love, Rebecca

Life is Wonderful!

2010-01-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hello dearest favorite Boekweg-acle choir! :)
I'm happy. Hehe Daddy, how did you know that last night I dreamt of balut? ;) Actually, I'm quite excited to try it someday maybe in the near future. Yep, from the picture you sent, that looks like where I live.

This week has been wonderful. On Tuesday we had zone interviews with President Jensen, and I felt so great after my interview with him. He and Sister Jensen alway tell us to "Be of Good cheer! You're doing great! Just relax and be happy!" and that really helps for them to remind us to work hard but also to not forget to "enjoy the journey." So I'm really happy to be here in the Philippines. Some blessings this week: We have been visiting Sister Vidal, a less-active, and I felt I should bring the picture of the Savior to give to her (one of the ones you sent me in your Christmas package, where Christ is lifting the child out of the water and it says "Be not Afraid"). It was really neat because when we talked to her and found out her fears about returning to church, it was exactly what she needed, and so I gave it to her and applied it to how Christ can lift us out of our trials (water) and comfort all our fears. Also, on Saturday, we taught the first lesson to a brother (Nelson Lorenzo) and I was able to share with him 2 Nephi 28:2-4, which I had studied just that morning, to help him understand why Heavenly Father prepared the Book of Mormon for our day. It was really cool because of how I felt I should study that particular chapter that morning. Also, this brother lived the same house as a family we had talked to once before last week and kept feeling impressed that we needed to return. It's amazing to recognize how much the Spirit aids in missionary work! It makes me so happy to trust that I don't have to rely on my own talents and "eloquence in Tagalog" in order to contribute to this work. Heavenly Father knows the needs of every single person, and He wants them to receive the gospel. He works through us, and we need to willing to just mold ourselves to His will and let Him work through us in His own way.

Last night we had a dinner appointment with the Maramba family. They feed us every Sunday and always make a lot of food. It was sweet because Sister Maramba cooked chicken cordon blue just for me because she found out it was my favorite food. (how sweet is that?) The Filipinos always go out of their way to be so hospitable and kind. I have made 2 very special friends in our ward: Ana Liza Mejia and her sister Jackie. Jackie is getting baptized on Friday, and Ana Liza has been a member for almost one year. They are sweet and always give me lots of hugs at church. Filipinos are very affectionate. It makes me feel very at home in our ward.

Guess what! There's a pizza hut here. We went there with our district last week! Oh bliss :)
Here's your new word of the day: Agi! (stress the last syllable). That's an expression they use here. I'm not sure if it's Tagalog or Pangasinan - it's equivalent to "Oh my!"

For groceries every week, I usually spend about 800-1000 pesos. Eating out (i.e.KFC) is usually around 100 pesos. I think the bus ride to Manila cost about $10 in American money.

Mommy dearest, Sister Tobias discovered your "Baptism" song in my folder, and she absolutely loves it. She has been singing it all the time around the apartment this whole week :)

I love you! Take care! Thank you for your prayers!
Love, Rebecca

2010-01-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hi!!! Life is happy :)

2010-01-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hello! Thanks for the photos! I loved them. Wow, no I didn't hear about the big earthquake in Haiti. That's scary. What a blessing that all of the missionaries there are ok. I heard that there was one in Manila last week, but I don't think it was very big (we didn't feel it at all here).

Guess what? While proselyting, we met a couple from Rexburg Idaho! Brother and Sister Larson. The husband is American and served in the Baguio mission many years ago, and his wife is Filipino! They just retired and bought a house in our area. They visit Utah often and he knows where Mount Pleasant is. Crazy, eh??! It was fun to be able to talk to another American :)

Last week on Monday my zone officially "initiated" me (and Sister Broadhead and Lapana) into the Dagupan Zone by doing this ridiculously funny "ritual" that they call "BoogaBooga!" It reminded me of that part in Finding Nemo where they do all the chanting. My zone can be quite silly sometimes. But it's fun. One thing I've learned is that Filipinos LOVE to play games and joke around. I thought I was goofy and full of energy before I came here, but sometimes they wear me out! ;)
Oh, just to straighten things out - the address I gave you last week was just for kicks and giggles - don't send mail there. I doubt you'd be able to find it on googleearth. And it's actually Bonuan Boquig (not Gueset--whoops).
Hehehe, here they have a superstition that if you have big ears, you'll live a long life. :)

We live very close to the ocean. On Wednesday after a service project (clearing land for a garden), we got to see the Ocean! It was windy. It's is in Sis. Tobias and Sister Jover's area (my roommates). Sister Tobias has been here a month longer than me and she is being trained by sister Jover as well. Sister Garma has been here for 8 months.

This week was great. It's still very hot, but some days it is cloudy and feels quite nice. Funny thing is that all the Filipinos think it is "Malamig" (cold). It's interesting to see the different circumstances in which the people live here. Some houses are cement, some just made of bamboo and sticks, and others are like those you'd find in America. Some neat experiences have been when I've felt the spirit testify through me in lessons. We've been visiting a less-active sister who is struggling in her testimony, and I felt to remind her of the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost that she received at baptism and how important it is to retain it through enduring to the end. My Tagalog is still a little rocky, and sometimes I feel like I'm trying to climb an impossible mountain, but I then I just think of how far I've come since entering the MTC and how much Heavenly Father has helped me already. Lately, I've grown in so much appreciation for the hymns. We have such beautiful enriching lyrics in the LDS hymnbook! It seems that when facing difficulties, singing those powerful lyrics really touch my heart and cause me to tear up, because I'm singing a testimony about my feelings about the Savior's Atonement, which we all need, and which I'm so grateful is available to us all. Without it, we'd be nothing.
I love you, and I love your emails! Thank you for your prayers!

Pictures from the Philippines

2010-01-14T09:00:00.001-07:00

Layover in Taiwan

2010-01-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

MTC Photos

2010-01-14T08:46:00.003-07:00

Hello wonderful family!

2010-01-14T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hello family! I tried to upload some pictures but they disappeared. I guess there's a time limit or something. I'll try again if I have time after writing this email :) Thanks for your updates on everything. I love hearing all the fun stories. I love you :)

This week was great. On Wednesday I got to go to the New Missionary Training in Baguio! It was very exciting to see all of my MTC batch mates again and to catch up with them! Also, on Wednesday I received dearelder letters from you and Sister Balinski! Thank you so much! Those made my day so happy. I am excited to have some new nephews/nieces when I return ;)

Wow, Christian is in the MTC already! That is cool that Emma is living in Wyview. If she has a bus pass, I wouldn't be surprised if she met her special someone this year! :) haha. Sister Garma tried to get me to eat Balut yesterday. I told her "Hindi pa! Hindi pa!" (not yet!) and so she is teasing me that she will cook it for me for my birthday dinner. We'll see about that ;)

Some fun facts:
Jeepney fare is 7 pesos per ride. We take the jeepney several times each day. My address is as follows: "Gueset next door to the Letty Aler Salon." Funny eh? Many of the people here are fascinated with Americans. When we are walking down the street I'll often hear little kids saying excitedly, "amerikano! amerikano!" Also, for some reason they all think I look like a barbie doll. Parents will summon their children and say "Come! look and see the barbie doll!" It makes me feel so silly! ;)

So I figured out why the language is so different than I expected. They don't speak pure Tagalog here - it's a different accent, like New York as opposed to the rest of America. And they also speak Pangasinan, another dialect. I had a cool experience this week. We were teaching a sister about the Book of Mormon and she had some concerns about how it related to the Bible. Well I couldn't understand hardly anything she was saying (the older people are really hard to understand when they speak) but I had an impression to turn to 2 Nephi 3 and find where Joseph in Egypt prophesies about the restoration. Well before I knew it, Sister Garma was reading those exact verses in answer to the sister's concern! It was so neat and reaffirmed my testimony that the Spirit truly knows what people need, even when we as missionaries may not know.

Well, I love you very much. Some days here are pretty tough but the only way we grow is by meeting resistance. I am happy. I will try to upload a couple pictures really quick and send it in another email. We'll see.

Love, Rebecca

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello! Thank you for all the emails! I'm just going to reply to them all in one big one. Hehe, I don't know if I'lll be able to answer all of your questions in one sitting, but I'll have a go at it! I love the Philippines! It's very different here in many ways, but I am learning to appreciate many of the differences. The things I've had to adjust to the most is probably bucket-showers and lack of American food available in the stores :) but I like the Filipino food. It's a good thing I like fish and rice. The mangos here are better than the ones in America. This week Sister Garma taught me how to cook Adobo. yum! At a member's house this week, they served us fried fish - they fry up the whole thing, head and all. The part I ate was just the middle part though :) It's funny, but it doesn't gross me out as much as I thought it would. We also ate Buko (coconut) after doing yard work at a member's house on Wednesday. It is sooo good! and the coconut juice is amazing! Hardest thing? not being able to understand what people are saying. And many of the people here speak English better than I speak Tagalog as of yet, and so it's kind of a weird challenge to force myself to speak the language. But everything keeps saying that it will come. I know I've been called to serve here for a reason, and as long as I'm working hard and being obedient, Heavenly Father will lend a hand. I'm so glad that smiles and hugs are not limited to langauge barriers - those are understood wherever we go in the world. Our area is newly opened and we have several investigators that we are teaching. However, we are going to be focusing on "finding" these next few weeks. We're focusing on finding fathers--because if the father is interested, we will likely be able to teach the whole family together. yay! Oh and get this: One of the main roads in my area is named "Boquig." I guess it must be inspired that sister "Boekweg" is serving here! ;)

thanks for sending the photos! I loved them! Hehe, Lisa, those look like some way comfy pajamas :) Cute! You have new sunbeams! I miss our little sunbeams :)

We have church at 8:30 AM - I like our church. It almost reminds me of a setup you'd see for a hotel in California. It has a court yard in the middle with palm trees and 2 stories. We get 7600 pesos per month. They gave us a visa card - we usually withdraw from it at the Nepo Mall and just use cash for everything. I still am figuring out how much everything costs here. But I'm sure that'll be sufficient for our needs.

Yes, I can get oil, butter, eggs, sugar, --I'm not sure about baking soda and flour yet, but I assume so. perhaps choc chips. they do have m&ms/chocolate/kitkats. (yay!) things not available: taco seasoning, chili, refried beans, most canned foods, beef jerky, chewy granola bars/healthy snacks, sour cream.

You can continue to email the ward newsletter to me - I usually just glace over it. but it's fun to hear what's going on. but if you ever are sending a package anyway, go ahead and just put the hard copy in there :)

Nope I haven't seen a lot of flood damage - well, probably because I don't know what everything looked like before I came here. But I heard that the big mall in Rosales was flooded to the second floor a few months ago. It's all up and running fine now though :)

I still don't know how to upload pictures or if the computuer has a memory card reader/USB port. I don't see one. We're running short on time today, so I'll have to ask someone maybe next week. If all else fails, I'll send it in the mail, though before I do that I'd want to make sure I find someway to make another copy. I think I'm going to talk to some of the other American missionaries to see what they do to send pictures home.

That's cool you got a laptop! Good luck in the singing! Once again, thank you so much for the wonderful Christmas packages from you! I am still enjoying those Andes Mints. Thank you! You know me very well!

Wow, that sounds like a scary drive throught the snowy canyon. I am so glad that you made it home safely! I'm so grateful we are being protected by Heavenly Father. Keep staying safe!
Got to go! I love you!
Love, Rebecca
P.S. your dearelder letter arrived to me on Saturday. Thanks!

Lots of hugs from me to you!

2009-12-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!!! Hehe, here in the Philippines, the polite holiday greeting is "Merry Christmas Po!" It makes me laugh to put the Po at the end, but that's how to address people with respect. It was so good to talk on the phone with you! Sounds like you had a great Christmas. It was a good Christmas here too, although it was really weird without snow! We sang Christmas carols and gave out Book of Mormons at the hospital, had a zone activity, and ward/stake Christmas parties. Hehe, here in the Philippines, they really love to dance. Everyone. And sing. The ward parties are much more lively than any I've seen before - they remind me of youth/EFY activities. It's so fun because all of the adults get really involved in the dancing and activities. I love the Filipino people - they are so sweet and warm and friendly. And they are always smiling. They love to give lots of hugs too. I love how colorful it is here. All of the houses are surrounded by all sorts of tropical green trees and bamboo. Most of the houses have bamboo roofs. Whenever we go to someone's house, instead of knocking, we yell "Tao Po!" (i.e. anyone home?) The roads are very busy - lots of Jeepneys and trikes. No stoplights and so we just have to cross wherever we get the chance. I think I'm getting used to it though.

Thank you so much for your wonderful emails! I love you all very much. Oh, did I tell you that I did meet Elder Anderson from Fairview, and Elder Titensor in Aunt Gracie's ward. That's wonderful that Sister Allred was able to contact you! She told me she would email you. She and President Allred took me and Sister Broadhead (the other American sister in my batch) out for lunch on Saturday and bought us a bunch of "American" groceries (which is good because neither of us have been eating very much lately). Today, they will be taking us both for most of our P-day to Rosales. I am looking forward to it a lot! There have been a lot of challenges this week, but I know that Heavenly Father will help me. This is His work. I appreciate your prayers. I know that this is His restored gospel. I'm so grateful to have it. So many people here don't understand what life is all about, and it's sad to see how different life can be without that knowledge.

I know Heavenly Father loves us! Life is happy!
Have a great week!
Love always, Rebecca

P.S. Send my love to my dearest sweetheart, Alex! I'm so proud of him for being such a dedicated hard-working missionary :)

Email From December 20

2009-12-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hello wonderful family! Thank you for your emails! Magandag Pasko/Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Daddy! I love to hear about what has been going on. Well I am here! I have been assigned to my first area, Dagupan! My trainer is Sister Garma (hehe, whenever I say her name it reminds me of "Sister Garmin" and how ironic it is because Sister Garma truly is my "navigator" and helps me find my way. I thought Daddy would get a few chuckles out of that. She has been here for 8 months. Yes, she is the one in the photo that President Jensen sent you. I'm so glad President Jensen sent you those pictures. How nice! Sister Garma is a native but she speaks some English. We live with 2 other sisters, Sister Jover and Sister Tobias (both also natives) in a two-story apartment. It has been interesting for sure. So many new things. Sometimes it's hard because I don't understand what they are saying - the people here talk so fast. I'm struggling to be able to understand when people speak. Please pray for me. Most people here speak some English but prefer speaking in Tagalog. It's funny to hear them switch back and forth between the two in the same conversation. I love their Filipino accents when speaking English--it's cute! Many Filipinos greet me with English greetings like "Hey Maam!" and "Good Evening Maam" and smile because I am a foreigner. The Filipinos are so sweet. I have been assigned to the Dagupan 3rd ward - it is a very strong ward. There were 4 baptisms on Saturday. On Sunday, they asked me last minute to play the piano for the Primary program in Sacrament meeting. I also got to bear my testimony is Sacrament meeting. I am enjoying getting to know the people. This morning Sister Garma taught me how to wash my laundry by hand. Hehe, it was funny to see the neighbors staring at me the entire time. I guess it's quite a sight to see a blonde white girl around here. I'm very tall compared to everyone (weird!) We use buckets to shower, wash clothes, etc. It fun to learn a new lifestyle and eat native Philippino food. The best thing I've tried so far is "Lumpia" - they are like little egg rolls, but better. yum! We ride in "Jeepneys" a lot - they are very colorful buses that cost 7 pesos for each ride. I'm still trying to understand how things work here. I feel very lost but I hope I will adjust quickly.

We arrived at President Jensen's at 11:30 PM on Wednesday. The bus ride was interesting. We had SO many solicitors! I think they had some sort of deal with the bus driver, because at street corners they would ask if there were Americans on board and then the bus driver would let them on board to walk down the isle selling their goods. I enjoyed contacting people on the way over here. In Los Angeles, I met a nice lady from the Philippines named Agnus. Sister Young, Sister Parks, and I shared with her our purpose as missionaries. Agnus had seen the Manila temple before but didn't know much about Mormons. I was able to give her a pass-along card with a picture of the temple. On the plane, I was able to talk with a Vietnamese man named Peter, who spoke very limited English. He is Catholic and has studied Theology at a university. We talked about the scriptures, and I was able to show him my standard works, including the Book of Mormon, which he had never heard of, so I shared with him what it was all about. He seemed intrigued. We also talked about families and I showed him a picture of our family. Next to it was a picture of the Manti Temple, and he asked about it. I shared with him about how the temple is a "very special place for families" and bore my testimony to him about how families can be together forever. Peter loves to read the scriptures online and so I gave him the church website so that he could get access to the Standard works online in Vietnamese. It was a neat experience to talk with him. I've noticed that many people see our nametags and ask about who we are. The first thing they see is the name "Jesus Christ." It is always a good reminder to me to always act in a way that represents Him.

For Christmas I will be able to talk to you for 1 hour! I'm not sure exactly when I will call but I'll try to make it a time when you are all awake.

I love you very much. I hope all is well. Please pray for me to adjust quickly and to learn the language. I really need your prayers right now.

I love you all,
Rebecca

Today is exciting!

2009-12-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi! How are you????? Magandang Pasko! (Merry Christmas) Today's the big day. I can't believe it's already here. I feel like we just got here. On Saturday, Sister Leatham and Brother Doria shared some special mission stories and photos from their own missions for our last day with them. Guess what? Elaine S. Dalton, YW General President, came to speak in Relief Society yesterday! It made me very happy because she is one of my favorite speakers. On Tuesday last week, Elder Costa from the 70 spoke to us, which was soooo good!On Wednesday I got to be a host again. I hosted 3 new sisters - one going to Georgia Atlanta, one to Hondurus, and another to Temple Square (she was from India and was soooooo sweet!). On Thursday, our whole district wore blue, just because. Even our teachers (well, Brother Doria fully intended to, but he forgot). On Friday, we went on another field trip for Sis. Parks. She is doing better - we are all going to the Philippines! We'll just hope and pray that things stay fine when she's down there. Also on Friday, Sister Leatham had us do a "Day in the field" where we prepared lessons for 7 different people, but only 3 of them end up being taught (teachers who pretend to be investigators) and then we do a half-hour of contacting. It wasn't as much as we would normally do in a day in the field, but it was fun to get a little taste. On Friday, the fire alarm went off in the sisters' residence hall in the middle of the night. We had to evacuate in our pajamas in the snow. It was actually quite fun :) After about 20 mintues, they let us back in.
Last night, the BYU Men's chorus came to sing at our fireside. It was great, although someone very special was missing! ;)

Well, I'm excited to talk to you on the phone! I'll probably try to call at 7:30 - the home phone. I've heard that I'll have 1 hour for emails in the field. Also, our teachers informed us that we will be doing all our laundry by hand, which will take up a chunk of our P-day. So I'm sorry if I don't have much time to write letters! I love you very much!

Ingat! Mahal Kita!
Love, Rebecca

I'm going to miss December 15th! :)

2009-12-08T08:59:00.001-07:00

Okay I got my flight plans, yippee! I'm leaving on Monday, not Tuesday! We leave the MTC at 4:30 PM, and then we will take the 8:25 flight to L.A. California. So I'll be able to call you either at the SLC airport or CA I think. At 11:30 PM, we'll leave Los Ang. and cross the international dateline, arriving in Taipe Taiwan at 6:10 AM on December 16th! So you all will have to let me know how the 15th was because I'll never experience December 15th, 2009! Crazy eh? :) We have a 3 hour layover in Taiwan and then we take the 9:30 AM flight to Manila! Yay! It's sure going to be an adventure. I can't wait! There are about 48 of us going to the Philippines - 12 are going to Baguio with me! So there you have it.

Well, this week has been wonderful. How did you like the 1st Presidency Christmas devotional last night? Wasn't it great? I loved it! Especially President Monson's message. The MTC taped it at 6 and then let us watch it at our weekly fireside. The MTC also has lots of Christmas lights up in the trees and a nativity set outside. And now that we have lots of snow, it feels so Christmasy! It will be weird to leave this winter wonderland and have my first warm tropical Christmas.

The reason my email is later today is because we had to go on another "field trip" to the doctor for Sister Parks. She is still having some stomach problems, and we will need to go back on Friday for a return appointment. She found out today that she may be facing the decision of whether to go to the Philippines or whether to stay and serve her mission stateside where better medical services are available. So needless to say, it's been a pretty emotionally difficult day. Please pray for her. She has worked so hard in learning Tagalog and we're all so excited. I hope everything will resolve itslef and that we will all be able to leave together. I love my companions!

Every Wednesday morning we have a service assignment cleaning the showers in the sisters' residence hall. So by the time we get out of here, we are going to be epxert shower cleaners! My companions and I like to sing Christmas songs and Primary songs together while we clean. Oh, I found out that Sister Young grew up on Brite music too! So occasionally we sing those together. hehe! Sister Young's parents are planning to pick her up after her mission too, and so you'll probably get to meet them! One highlight from this week was that Sister Cheryl C. Lant (the General Primary President) came to speak to us on Tuesday! And yesterday for Fast Sunday we had a big mission conference where the MTC presidency spoke to us. One of the talks was about the role of Mary as the mother of Jesus. It was so good. It made me really think about how courageous Mary must have been to accept that role. On Thursday at the TRC we taught the Plan of Salvation to Eliza, from the Philippines. We didn't understand everything she said, but we are improving. I'm nervous-excited for leaving! I don't feel completely ready, but I guess the Lord works with what He gets. I'm ready to work hard!Well I'm out of time. I love you very much! Thank you for all you do for me! I love this gospel. I'm so happy. I love sharing what makes me happy. Life is good! Take care!

P.S. thanks for the kindness from Grandma Maria and the Tuminez's that you've passed on! I hope sister Tuminez recovers well from her surgery.

I Love You!

2009-11-30T12:17:00.001-07:00

Hey!!! Happy December! (amost!) I love you!
How was Thanksgiving?! Thanks so much for the yummy pumpkin-chip cookies! We gobbled them right down :) Are Jennifer and Jessica done performing in the play? Oh, about the address - I think both are correct. One is just smaller than the other, but I'm pretty sure you can use either. Wow, what a week! Guess what! Elder Holland and his wife came to speak to us on Thanksgiving morning! It was cool because he answered some questions (which we all submitted beforehand) about sealings, investigators' questions, and other concerns. He shared a poem about following promptings and accepting callings, even when it takes us out of our comfort zone.

Here it is:
"Come to the edge," He said.
"No, I'll fall."
"Come to the edge."
"No I'll fall."
Come to the edge."
"No I'll fall."
So I came to the edge. He pushed me, and I flew!

I love it because it reminds me that when we hand our life over to Heavenly Father, he makes more out of it than we can alone.
Elder Oaks and his wife also came to speak (on Tuesday)! It was a privilege. He talked a lot about the mantle and responsibility we have as missionaries and about the sacred nature of missionary work. It was really inspiring, and made me want to always conduct myself in a way to give reverence to this call of representing the Savior. Sister Oaks said, "Missions aren't stepping stones to greater things, they're cornerstones for our lives." I thought that was neat.

Guess what! I got called to give my talk on obedience (in Tagalog) yesterday at church! It was fun. I like our branch. There are 3 districts. Yesterday I accompanied two elder in my district on the piano while they sang a musical number. I love playing piano for sacrament meeting. It's kinda funny because we sing the hymns in Tagalog, but I use the English hymnbook to play, and so sometimes I lose track of where they are singing and I have to quickly translate what I'm hearing in my head. Hehe. I love Sister Parks and Sister Young so much. I'm so glad that they both have strong desires to be exactly obedient! We really have had such a good time together and had a lot of fun this week. We learned how to sing "Do as I'm doing" in Tagalog, and also this other song to the tune of "Do your ears hang low" to help us remember directions in Tagalog. I wish I had access to a Tagalog Primary Songbook, but they don't sell them at the MTC bookstore. I really want to learn "I am a child of God" so I can teach it to the children in the Philippines. Tagalog is lots of fun. I learned that it's basically a mix of Tongan and Mandarin Chinese crushed together over thousands of years, with some Spanish influence splashed in. Sometimes I feel like I'm a little kid when I try to speak it because of some of the sounds :)

Mahal Kita! I love you so much!
Love, Rebecca

P.S. This morning I recieved a happy Christmas stocking stuffed with goodies from Alex's parents--oh jolly!! (if you are reading this, thank you so much! )

P.S.2 Thanks for sending on the encouragement from the Tuminez's :) They're so nice!

P.S.again. Doctrine and Covenants 128:23 and 2 Nephi 2:24 are amazing! Also, have you ever heard the song, "My kindness shall not depart from thee" ? Someone sang it here at a devotional, and I think it's become one of my favorite songs! It's based on D&C 121:33 :)

One more P.S.! Guess what! We're going to get our flight plans on Thursday! I'm so excited! I can't believe that we're already that close to leaving!

Only 3 weeks left!

2009-11-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hello! Haha, whoopsie! Sorry you got 27 copies of my last email - haha that makes me laugh so much. I really didn't think it was sending and so I just kept hitting the button. Haha, well I'm glad you got it. Thanks for the clementines! My companions and roommates officially love you for that! Guess what?! On Thursday we taught the Restoration in pure Tagalog! We probably butchered the grammar somewhat, but the spirit was there because we were trying our best. It's amazing to think that we can actually teach an entire lesson in Tagalog after only a month! We memorized the First Vision in Tagalog too. That makes me happy. One thing that's good about learning a new language is that we are forced to teach the basic doctrines (which are the most important things anyways). The church is true!

Guess what! On Friday, we got to go on a field trip outside the MTC! (because Sister Parks needed to have a doctor's visit for some stomach problems - don't worry, all is well). But it was an adventure. We armed ourselves with pass-along cards and cameras. As we were sitting in the waiting room, I thought, "Hey, I'm a missionary. I should do what missionaries do!" but then I looked around and everyone in the waiting room was buried in their respective magazines. And then I had an idea: I looked inside my bag and I had 8 andes mints ("travel" treats!) and I counted everyone in the room, and there were exactly 8! I thought it must be fate and so I went and gave one to each person in the room. Hehe, I felt kinda cheesy but it was sure fun. Then it was cool to see how all the sudden everyone opened up to conversation and we got to talk to them about missions, etc. Hmmm...maybe I should bring some andes mints to the Philippines.

On Saturday at the Referral Center, I had a really neat experience where I talked to an older man on the phone for about 15 minutes. He had ordered a "Joy to the World" DVD. I asked him about it and then asked if he had ever hear of the Book of Mormon. He said that he actually had one that some missionaries had given him a long time ago, but that he hadn't read it much. But he said that he thought it was very similar to the Bible. He said he didn't have time to meet with the missionaries because life was too busy. I encouraged him to make time in the near future and bore my testimony to him that it was the most important thing he could do and that it would bless him so much. He told me that he was intrigued that "someone so young" would have such strong convictions, and it was then that he felt prompted to ask if there was a website where he could find out more. He talked for a while about his concerns that the youth today do not have good morals and that it is at the heart of many of society's problems. After talking for a while with him, I committed him to read Moroni's promise and to really ponder and pray about it. He seemed much more receptive to the idea then he had previously, and he promised that he would do it that evening. It was really cool. I felt like I had been pretty bold, but I also felt the spirit and I know that he felt something too. Yay! The Book of Mormon is amazing!

Guess what! My favorite game that we play as a class is where Sister Leatham starts reading a random verse in the Tagalog Book of Mormon and then we all have a scripture chase to find where she is reading and the first one who gets there starts reading along with her. Hehe, it is fun.

I love my companions. Sister Parks and I had a huge uncontrollable giggling fit the other day because of trying to talk in Tagalog, and Sister Parks said "Please pass the butter" and then added that she didn't want any bread. She wanted to eat ONLY the butter. I don't even know why it was so funny but we couldn't stop laughing and when we got back to class, Sister Leatham asked what was the matter because we were crying from laughing so much. Sister Young is so much fun too. She loves to randomly sing and link arms and skip down the sidewalk.

Oh guess what! On Wednesday, I got to be a "Host missionary!" I hosted two new sisters, one going to Washington Kennewick, and the other going to Philippines Angeles!
Life is good!
I want to share with you the lyrics to one of my favorite songs that we sang in choir:
I marvel at the miracle of God's great love for me. I try but cannot comprehend and ask how this could be. For I had left behind my God, and lost my way thru sin, Still God loved me and sent his son. To lead me back to Him. I wearied of my weaknesses, and trials filled my days. I cried out, Lord, my burden's hard, is there no other way? He He said, I give men weaknesses, and if they come to me. I give them strength to overcome, and I will make them free. I pled with God to shed His grace and take away my sin. He did, and yet I turned away and stumbled once again. At last I knelt before His throne and offered him my could, He wept, then gave it back to me, Renewed and washed and whole.

I love that song. The atonement is central to everything. If we truly understand it, everything makes sense.

I love you! Thank you for being the bestest family ever!!!
Good luck Jennifer and Jessica on the play! You're amazing! Hugs and loves!

Love, Rebecca

Life is Good!

2009-11-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

Dearest Family,
Wow! I can't believe I'm more than half done with the MTC! Seriously, it's like a time warp here - time goes by soooo fast! We're really getting a new church building?! Oh boy I'm really excited! But it's kinda melancholy knowing that I'll be coming home to a different ward. Wow. That is also cool about the new residence halls to replace DT. (Does that mean Wyview will switch back to married housing?? hehee). Wow, so much to say. Thank you Mommy dearest for the card in Tagalog! I acutlaly understood it! Yippee! I got a big packet of letters from the Everetts this week! Oh boy how exciting! Thank you all so much. That sure brightened up my day :)

Yesterday Elder Dallin H. Oaks' wife spoke to us in Relief Society! She gave each of us a "testimony glove" and spoke about the importance of having the basic foundations of testimony. One thing I love is that every Sunday, they have a sister missionary who is a convert share her conversion story in R.S. This week, a sweet sister from China spoke about the example of friends who encouraged her to come to Cambodia so that she could recieve the gospel. Last night, Sheri Dew came to speak as well. She is amazing One of my favorite things that we do at the MTC is that we always sing 3-4 hymns all together in the big auditorium before every Fireside and Devotional. It really invites the spirit into the meeting and gives me a greater love for the lyrics of the "Hymns of Zion"!! I also love singing "Called to Serve" every Tuesday. Wow--what enthusiasm and energy and excitement we all have when we sing that song. I love going to Choir practice every Sunday and Tuesday. The directors are amazing and they always give us a special spiritual thought to go along with the song we are singing and to apply the lyrics to our missions. Last week we sang a beautiful song called "I marvel at the Miracle."

Guess what! On Saturday I got to chat with a 27 yr old girl from Leeds England, who was interested in the church and was looking for a place where she could have stronger relationships with her family and to find happiness. She really liked the idea of absinence before marraige. It was so neat to be able to bear my testimony to her about the gospel. I arranged to have the missionaries visit her and gave her the directions to the nearest church building in her area. She also gave me her email address and so I may continue contact with her while at the MTC (the MTC allows us to do that through the RC email system). It was so neat! As a companionship, Sis. Young, Sis. Parks and I have been praying for Carrie to recieve the gospel. I know that it will make her happy.

Want to know a funny story? Last week I taught at our teaching appointment and showed them a picture of my family and said "Ito ang pamilya mo!" (This is your family!) instead of "Ito ang pamilya ko!" (This is my family!) and the girl started giggling and said, "Tagala?" (Really??!) Sister Parks also told the girl (Brittany) that her mom is really sweet - but used the word that is only meant to describe food, and Brittany was like, "mmmm!" Hehe, it's fun to make mistakes sometimes--I'm just glad it's here and not out there! This week we've tried to speak all Tagalog. It's fun but sometimes hard to remember to speak it instead of English! My favorite thing to do in class is the Jeapordy review game. Learning is fun!

Last night was the most amazing night! We watched "Mountain of the Lord" about the building of the Salt Lake temple and it was amazing to think about the great sacrifices that went into that and how important temples are. Afterwards I felt so giddy and happy--me and my companions started skipping and singing back to our residence hall and expressing our excitement about the gospel. We are missionaries! The church is true! It is real! There is nothing more important. It's so amazing when you think about it.

I love you very much. Thanks for letting me be a missionary! It's so great. Gotta go!!!

Love, Rebecca

The shoes are comfy! but I think 1/2 size smaller would be better. is that possible? Thanks!!!!

Life is Happy!

2009-11-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Pamilya! I'm excited. Today is a good day. Thank you for the shoes! I didn't get them until today because the mailroom was closed on Saturday when I recieved the package slip. But I think we may have found a winner :) Oh happy day. Thanks for the Halloween pictures, ward newsletter, etc! And thank you for your letters! They make my days so happy! Heehee, I love having litte sisters.

Well, to sum up some of the happenings of this week... Yesterday was a Fantastic day! My companion Sister Parks got called upon to speak in Sacrament Meeting about patience (every week we all prepare a talk on a given subject and we don't find out who gets to speak until they call us up). Next week, we will have to prepare our talks in Tagalog. Yikes! In fact, this Friday is the day when we will be expected to speak only Tagalog in and out of class. To be honest, I'm a little nervous because I don't feel like I know enough to say EVERYTHING I want to, but I know that we will be blessed for trying with the knowledge that we have. OIh boy, this is an adventure! I know you've heard me say this every week, but I really love my companions. They are so fun. I'm glad we are a threesome! Yesterday Katrina sat right behind me at Choir practice, and it was so fun to talk to her! This week she sent me a letter sealed with duct tape. It made me laugh because that's exactly her personality.

Oh yes, so Jayme Walker is the other sister who arrived the same day as me and is going to the same mission as me too and is from Mount Pleasant, Utah! How uncanny is that? I talked to her and the reason I don't know her is because she didn't go to North Sanpete High school but just moved there with her parents. But it's still pretty cool. She is in the other district but right next to ours so we see them a lot. I like my district. They are fun. I love my teachers. I especially like it when we can go outside for class and walk around. Something at the MTC puzzles me. Many of the missionaries complain about the MTC food. Hehehe, I don't really understand it because they take good care of us here. Sister Stadler and Sister Ball (in the classroom right next to ours) got the swine flu this week and had to be put into Quarantine. Sister Stadler is out now, but Sister Ball is still sick.

Oh that is so neat that Alex is being transferred to Comodoro Riveria (or however it's spelt) and gets to serve as a zone leader!! I'm so excited for him and that new responsibility. I can't wait to hear about his new area/companions/etc. Guess what was the sweetest thing ever? Alex sent me a letter this week and included a cute handmade doll made by a lady who lives in Alex's branch in Plottier. She made it just for me and gave it to Alex. I'll send you a picture.

I've had some good teaching experiences this week. This Thursday is the last Thursday we will get to teach in English. On Saturday I spoke to a man at the RC who called in for a free Bible. He was so grateful that we would provide them for free, I I think it really opened him up to want to learn more about the church. I love Saturday mornings at the RC because that is the time when we get to call a lot of people from the East states, and I get to hear a lot of really cool accents :) Sometimes it's even hard to tell what they are saying, but it is so fun.

I miss you very much. I LOVE getting your letters telling me about everything. Thank you, Mommy/Daddy for your letters! They make me happy. Um, I'm going blank as to what else to say. But I love you Daddy, Mommy, Lisa, Jenny, Jessy-- very much! (and thanks to everyone else too!)

Ingat!
Love, Rebecca (Sister Boekweg!)

Life is Kahanga-hanga! (wonderful!)

Letter from November 2, 2009

2009-11-09T13:34:00.001-07:00

Howdy!

Here’s my attempt to summarize all that’s been happening this week! Whoa that’s crazy that it has been snowing in Mount Pleasant! It has snowed only a little here and didn’t stick. Today was actually quite bright and sunshiny! This morning we went to the temple. Great way to start off the day.

It was great to see you on Monday, Lisa! I wish I could see you every Monday – but I probably won’t be there after 3:30 (which is when we go back to our rooms). After I saw you, I told my teacher: “Nakita ako ni Lisa, Kapatid ko! Nagtratrabaho siya sa mailroom. Binigay ko ang yakap sa kaniya!” (which being interpreted, is “I saw Lisa, my sister! She works at the mailroom. I gave her a hug!” I got letters from the Balinskis, Katie, my old roommate. Thank You!!! Oh, and thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Chipman. Also thanks for sending me the newspaper thing about Katrina! You all are wonderful. You sure know how to brighten my day.

Guess what! Elder Perry came to speak to us on Tuesday! It was a total surprise – They didn’t announce it beforehand – a lot of missionaries were suspecting it might be an apostle because of that very fact.

He spoke about the Book of Mormon and other scriptures, and how we should prepare and teach by the spirit – using the scriptures. Have you ever read the introduction to the D&C? It’s amazing! Wow, it’s amazing how much we use the scriptures in the MTC. I’m so thankful for the scripture masteries! It helps immensely to be able to know where a scripture passage is off the top of your head, and to know/be familiar with scripture stories and contexts. One of my favorite things we do is find scriptures to go with each principle of the lessons we are preparing to teach. It’s fun! Brother Doria had us do an activity where we teach someone else in our district the first two principles of a lesson – we back up the scriptures instead of using the scriptures to back up our own words. It’s SO much easier that way, so much more effective, and that’s how it’s meant to be. The MTC has really motivated me to study the scriptures even more than I have. I’m so grateful for family scripture reading! And for Alex’s example to me of marking them so much! He’s so awesome.

Sister Leatham, my other teacher, is such an inspiration to me. She has a very strong testimony and whenever she gets excited, she’ll make these way motivating “pep” talks. She talked to us about having enthusiasm for the gospel. Hey, so I found out that John Bytheway went to my same mission – Baguio! And he and his companion would walk so fast and enthusiastically, on their way to appointments, that Filipinos would stop them and ask them where they were going and what was so important, and they would say “Something AMAZING has happened! And we’re trying to tell as many people as possible! We’re on our way to someone’s house right now, but we’d love to come share our message with you too—what’s your address?” Isn’t that awesome? Really, the gospel is an amazing message. The Restoration and the Book of Mormon are indeed *miracles* to tell everyone! It’s true!

Guess what! On Saturday morning I got to work at the Referral Center, doing outbound calls (to confirm if people received Bibles/DVDs they asked for, and to offer them an opportunity to meet with the missionaries and learn about the Book of Mormon). I spoke with two people who accepted the missionaries to come to them and teach them! One was an older guy who had never heard of the Book of Mormon but knew a little about the Bible. The other was a cute southern lady who seemed open-minded to the idea and was curious to learn more. Oh boy, it was so neat to share my feelings over the phone and to have my first “real” finding opportunity as a missionary! It put me on a high. I also talked with another man who thought I wanted “$100 million dollars” from him for the Joy to the World free DVD we sent him. He went off in a mad rage over the phone – my first experience of literally being yelled at over the phone – and he wouldn’t even let me put a word in edgewise. It was pretty ridiculous—kinda funny, but sad when you think about the lost opportunity. Finally he asked, “who are you?” andI bore my testimony before he hung up. It was interesting, but really weird.

Wanna know how to say “joke” in Tagalog? It sounds just the same as English, but spelled “Diyok.” Hehe! OK – what else . . . Oh, every week on Thursday night we have a “teaching appointment.” The last two weeks we’ve taught the restoration story – in English. (We do 15 minutes of Tagalog – get-to-know you beforehand). This week we are preparing to teach the Plan of Salvation (or Plano ng Kaligtasan). Pretty soon it will have to be in Tagalog – yikes!

Funny story: On Thursday, we were particularly stressed – getting ready for our teaching appointment and Sister Parks gave Sister Young and I a Dove chocolate (with the fortunes inside on the wrappers). We all opened ours, and all three of them were the same fortune: “Don’t stress. This too shall pass.” Wouldn’t it be awesome to design fortunes that said: “The Book of Mormon is True” or “Invite the Mormon missionaries over today!” Hehee! I love being goofy!!

We have a big district: there are 12 of us. Me, Sister Young, Sister Parks, and Elders Ball, Gilles, Stevens, Hales, Page, Leavitt, Latu, Schneider, and Grow. I love singing hymns in Tagalog. I feel like I’m singing in some sort of baby babbling “Gag a” “Ba ba” “Pup u” etc. It’s so much fun. It is also very beautiful too!

Wanna hear more about my companions??? I can’t remember what all I’ve told you already – but one thing is creepy cool: Sister Young reminds me so much of a mix between Elyse and Katrina – two of my bestest friends! (I’ve seen Katrina several times – she came in on Wednesday. Yah! So happy!) Sister Young’s Katrina similarities: She loves the outdoors/animals, never gets cold, knows ASL, same birthday: Aug 31, always has a “toolbelt,” very physically active, and loves playing leaves and being kid-like, and sews. Sister Young’s Elyse similarities: LOTS of the same type of personality, and sense of humor, talks kinda like Elyse, short brown hair, & loves Eyeore. Sister Parks is so awesome – I love her example to me. I love my companions SO much! Sister Lapana left for Baguio this morning! She is another Sister here at the MTC. She is really nice!

Wow, this is a LONG letter! Well, I hope you’re doing great. Is there anything you want to know about still? Sometimes I don’t remember to answer all your questions! The MTC is wonderful. I have been very happy. I sure miss you all! Sometimes it has been hard to not have people to hug – I’d hug my companions, but the MTC policy won’t allow us to shake hands or hug because of the colds going around and Flu season. I guess it’s just weird for me to suddenly go from lots of hugs at home to none here. But that’s ok!

Thanks so much for everything. I love you!

Mahal kita! (I love you!)
Ingat! (Take care!)

Love, Sister Rebecca Marie Boekweg

P.S. I LOVE ALEX! Surprise! Heehee.

Hello!!!

2009-10-26T21:09:00.001-06:00

Hey! It's P-day again! Thank you so much for all of your letters/emails! Thank you Lisa for the adorable package with the tangelos with faces on them. Hehehe! that made me crack up so much :) ooh and also thank you for the banana bread and treats and everything! I feel spoiled! This week I also got a letter from Alex, the Balinskis, Allen, Grandma and Grandpa Chipman, and Elyse! (Thank you so much!!) Getting letters really does brighten up my whole day. Well, let me tell you something: P-days at the MTC are definitely NOT a day of rest :) in fact, they can be quite stressful trying to get everything done, but oh well, that's okay! I hope I can get to writing all the letters I would like to--if not, know that they will soon be coming.

This week was great! I love Tagalog. Everytime we speak it, it makes me giggle because it's such a fun language! Want to learn a sentence? Bababa ba? That means "are you getting down?" Isn't that awesome? Hehe! "Mag-CR" is how they say "go to the bathroom" - CR is short for "comfort room." We are supposed to be SYLing (Speak your language) as much as possible in and out of class. We are learning how to conjugate verbs now, which involves a lot of repeating of the root--which is part of the reason it's so fun! I love my companions! Sister Young has been sick with the cold this week but she has a good attitude. Sister Parks found out this week that her sweetheart on a mission has to come home for colon surgery (apparently it's pretty serious), so that has been really hard on her and we are praying for her. Hopefully he'll be able to go back to the mission field in a couple of months.

I have really enjoyed a lot of the meetings and firesides this week. In one meeting, the speaker talked about our purpose as missionaries. We are not here to simply help people live better lives. You don't have to be set apart to do that. Anyone can do that. We are not here simply to help others come unto Christ either --Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith, repentance, baptism, recieiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our ulimate focus should be to help our brothers and sisters make sacred covenants through baptism. I love this gospel! One thing he pointed out was that the scriptures do NOT say "The field is brown and all ready to plant seeds." It says, "The field is white and all ready to harvest!" Everywhere we go, there are people who are ready and prepared to recieve the restored gospel. We can plant seeds in people's hearts too, but that is not our main purpose. Anyways, that just made me excited. I'm so grateful to have this experience of serving a mission. I know that there isn't anything else in this world that can bring people more happiness than by living the gospel. This week my teachers have had us practice teaching the first lesson A LOT. The more I teach, the more comforable it gets. Yay!

Okay so I only have 7 minutes but I'll try to give you an idea of my schedule since you've been asking for it. It changes everyday, but a typical day is like this: 5:45 get up, 6:00 exercise class (sisters only). 7:00 breakfast, 7:30 personal study, 8:30 Companionship study, 9:30 Wika study (language), 10:30 MDT (missionary directed time) where we can study whatever we feel we need to, 11:30 lunch, 12:15 Class (learning the language), 4:30 Dinner, 5:15 -9:00 Class (part language, part doctrine), 9-9:25 daily planning and then go back to your apartment and get ready for the next day. 10:30 lights out!!

Well, my time is up! I love you and miss you. I hope you are having a great day today. Thanks for the emails! Also please continue to send most of the letters in dearelder because I can only be logged on for 30 minutes, including reading emails.

Take care! Love, Rebecca
P.S. Thank you for sending me a copy of Alex's email!!!

I love the MTC!

2009-10-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

Dearest Mommy, Daddy, Lisa, Jennifer, and Jessica - Hello Family!!! I love you! I am writing this email while doing laundry. Today is my P-day! Ok, I only have 30 minutes so I'm going to just cut to the quick and give you all the info-- here we go. I love my two companions, Sister Young and Sister Parks! They are sweethearts! I am feeling very blessed because I've found out that I have some unique things in common with them both. Sister Young is from Georgia and was homeschooled all the way up until College. She loves horsebackriding, ASL, writing, and reading. She has a fun personality and is very talkative. Sister Parks is 25, and guess what -- she and I are in the same situation--we are both waiting for our missionaries who are currently serving. He is serving in Wash. DC and they are planning to get married when they both get back. How cool is that? I really feel like this companionship was inspired. I've learned so much from both of them already. Okay, moving on-- Oh! THANK YOU SOOOOO much for the flowers and chocolate! What a surprise! How did you manage to get them into my room. That brightened my day.

Ever since I got here, it has been go-go-go busy. But it's so much fun. I can now bear my testimony, introduce myself, and pray in Tagalog. One fun exercise me and my companions like to do in "Nga, Nge, Ngi, Ngo, Ngu" -- it makes us laugh at how funny we sound. In class, we are learning to "speak like Yoda" because that is how Tagalog sentences are formed. Instead of we are happy, it's happy are we--Masaya Tayo! My teachers, Brother Doria and Sister Leatham, are amazing. Brother Doria is Filipino but was born/raised in the US (He is also abnormally tall for a Filipino. And he served in Baguio! Sister Laetham is so sweet--she is very good at teachign concepts and getting us involved in our learning. Our district has a goal to bear our testimony is Tagalog to 2 random people every day. My companions and I are trying to pray in Tagalog every time we pray. It is hard, but I know that the Lord is happy that we are trying and he will help us more if we show him our efforts. I feel so grateful because I've really been able to understand what we have learned so far. While a lot of those in my district are feeling overwhelmed and confused, the language is coming pretty easy for me so far. I think all the studying beforehand really has paid off. I hope I can continue to be blessed in that regard and be able to help my companions more with that too. Thanks for sending up the CD and speakers. Unfortunately there's a NO MUSIC rule here at the MTC, so I'll just save it for when I get out in the field. I've seen James Lambson here several times, usually in the cafeteria--which, speaking of-the food is so yummy! But poor Sister Parks has some stomach problems and needs a special diet. Luckily we talked to the dietician today and they are going to make special sack lunches for her from now on. Oh yes another thing-- We share a room with another set of sisters, Sister Woodward and Sister Adams - they are going to the Philippines and have been here 3 weeks. Yikes, I think I'm out of time. I love you all so much. I'll try to finish up in a letter!

Oh never mind, I guess I had a couple more minutes.

That's awesome about Christian's mission call. I met a sister the other day who is going to Fresno, Spanish speaking as well!

Yesterday I got a calling in my branch as the music coordinator. I am excited because I get to choose the hymns and arrange for special numbers and so on. Yay! I'm also the senior companion for the first few weeks--we'll switch off every few weeks. Oh and another thing--I LOVE companionship study! It is so awesome! Oh and I got a Tagalog Hymnbook!

I love you all. I hope you're having a happy day. I miss you, but know that I am being good and staying busy in Heavenly Father's work. I'm so joyful today! I love this gospel!

Love, Sister Rebecca Boekweg

"A Window to His Love" by Julie de Azevedo

2009-10-13T10:18:00.005-06:00

I want to be a window to His love,
so when you look at me you will see Him.
I want to be so pure and clear that you won't even know I'm here,
'cause His love will shine brightly through me.

I want to be a doorway to the truth,
so when you walk beyond you will find Him.
I want to stand so straight and tall, that you won't notice me at all.
But through my open door He will be seen.

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.
'Till only He can be seen, And I become a window to His love.

I want to be a window to His love,
so you can look through me and you'll see Him.
And some day shining through my face, you'll see His loving countenance,
'cause I will have become like He is

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away,
'Till only He can be seen, And I've become a window to His love.

Additional Mailing Information

2009-09-05T13:29:00.005-06:00

The church provides a "pouch service" to certain areas in the world where the country's mail system may not be as reliable. This is how it works: letters are sent to the missionary department in Salt Lake City, who then take the letters to the country (I think general authorities or
traveling representatives often bring the letters into
the country with them). The pouch address is:

Sister Rebecca Marie Boekweg*
Philippines Baguio Mission**
P.O. Box 30105
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

*This is the same address where dearelder.com letters are delivered (free--highly reccommended!) The church has a deal with certain countries to allow this service on certan conditions: LETTERS ONLY. You can send postcards here, but the rules for letters are very strict: it must be a single-sheet of paper, folded in thirds and taped at the top, and NO envelope. Please follow guidelines so that this service can continue to be available. You only have to pay for the postage to Salt Lake City.
**Don't forget to write the name of the mission because many other missions use this pouch address as well.

Packages (or anything that doesn't fit under the above conditions) must be sent to the regular address:

Sister Rebecca Marie Boekweg
Philippines Baguio Mission
46 Kisad Rd
Montinola Subd, Baguio City
2600 Benguet
Philippines

"Miracle from Heaven"

2009-08-15T09:44:00.004-06:00

Baguio Mission Boundaries

2009-08-08T12:53:00.001-06:00

About my mission!

2009-07-26T20:11:00.008-06:00

Here's some information I've gathered about the Philippines Baguio mission (Of course it's all second-hand information as of yet, but I've been trying to do my research so I'll have a little bit of an idea of what I'll be hopping into in a few months!)

In Asia, the Philippines is known as "the Pearl of the Orient." Baguio city is located in the Northern Luzon (the main island of the Philippines). It is very different from the rest of the Philippines because it is high in elevation, up in the mountains. The altitude is approximately 5100 ft above sea level (so not too much different from Mt. Pleasant). Baguio is nicknamed the "Summer Capital of the Philippines" because it's where everyone likes to go to get a break from the heat in other parts of the Philippines. Baguio is 8 degrees cooler on the average than any place in lowlands. Perpetual springtime! I'm definitely a fan of that. Needless to say, tourism is one of Baguio's main industries. The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw (in Ibaloi) which means 'moss'. Baguio is called "The City of the Pines" and is located in a moist tropical pine forest conducive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids. I also found out that the word bagyo in Tagalog means 'typhoon'- which is fitting because it is extremely rainy there. Baguio gets the largest amount of rainfall in the country. (it's a good thing I loooove rain!) However from November to May (dry season) the climate in Baguio is a tropical paradise. Woweee! sign me up, I'm sooooo ready to go!

Okay now for the food: They grow lots of fruits and vegetables there. Baguio is known for being the main vegetable supplier in Luzon area. Lots of bananas, coconuts, mangoes and strawberries year-round. I've also heard they eat such things as fried beetles, fish heads, balut (duck embryo) and dog meat. And they eat lots of seafood and rice. Yum!

The language: Surprisingly, I heard that Ilocano--not Tagalog--is the predominant language in the city, so I'll probably get to pick up some of that in addition to Tagalog. But the national language, Filipino (Tagalog) is spoken by the majority. English is also widely spoken and understood by many, which is a nice little perk too :) Tagalog has a lot of similar words to Spanish (20%) due to several hundred years of Spanish rule in the country's history. But the language also has a lot of long repetitive words that sound Polynesian to me -- and it also seems to have some oriental sounds to it. One of my favorite words so far is the word for twenty: Dalawampu! And faith: Pananamapaya!

I've heard from other missionaries who served in the Philippines that I will probably be doing everything--showering, washing clothes etc. in a bucket. There also may be no electricity in some areas, especially during storms. I've heard that they sometimes have to study and teach lessons by candlelight. Yay, how adventurous is that! I always love it when the power goes out during storms at home. Oh boy!

The people are very sweet and humble and live simply. There are bamboo huts I think. I've heard that the culture is really big into Karaoke. The most dominant religion is Roman Catholic (80.4 percent). The city has a very young age structure with 65.5 percent of its total population younger than 30. The average number of children is 7.7, so I'll probably be teaching a lot of young children and families. Yay for that!

The time difference is 14 hours ahead of Utah time. So right now as I am typing this, it is already tomorrow in Baguio. Crazy!

Other fun facts:
--In the Philippines, over 70 languages are spoken.
--Filipinos know bananas. There are over 70 different varieties there, green, red, yellow, brown, and all shapes and sizes. So we from North America are probably banana deprived.
--The Filipinos use pesos and centavos for money. One American dollar = about 48 pesos.
--The yo-yo was invented in the Philippines!
--The Philippines is the world's third largest English-speaking nation. English was brought to the Islands by the British in 1762.
--Burping is a polite way to let people know you are full and satisfied with their cooking. (haha--just like in "The Other Side of Heaven" movie)

The Tongue of Angels

2008-12-26T11:25:00.006-07:00

You know those times when you hear a talk at General Conference, and you come away from it with a renewed desire to be better? Well, this is one those talks for me. It was given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in April 2007. I love the ideas that he talks about, especially the idea that the speech we use is very powerful and ought to be uplifting and build others up and point others to Christ. It's such a small and simple thing, and sometimes we don't realize the power in our words, for good or for evil. There's no way I could do justice to an Apostle words through any remarks of my own, and so I wanted to share a few excerpts from his talk. The entire is available at http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-690-7,00.html.

" Like all gifts "which cometh from above, "words are "sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit." It is with this realization of the power and sanctity of words that I wish to caution us, if caution is needed, regarding how we speak to each other and how we speak of ourselves.

There is a line from the Apocrypha which puts the seriousness of this issue better than I can. It reads, "The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones." With that stinging image in mind, I was particularly impressed to read in the book of James that there was a way I could be "a perfect man." Said James: "For in many things we offend all. [But] if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." Continuing the imagery of the bridle, he writes: "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. "Behold also . . . ships, which though they be . . . great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm." Then James makes his point: "The tongue is [also] a little member. . . [But] behold, how great a [forest] a little fire [can burn]." . . . So is the tongue [a fire] among our members, . . . it defileth the whole body, . . . it is set on fire of hell. "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, . . . hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." Well, that is pretty straightforward! Obviously James doesn't mean our tongues are always iniquitous, nor that everything we say is "full of deadly poison." But he clearly means that at least some things we say can be destructive, even venomous—and that is a chilling indictment for a Latter-day Saint! The voice that bears profound testimony, utters fervent prayer, and sings the hymns of Zion can be the same voice that berates and criticizes, embarrasses and demeans, inflicts pain and destroys the spirit of oneself and of others in the process. "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing," James grieves. "My brethren [and sisters], these things ought not so to be."

Is this something we could all work on just a little? Is this an area in which we could each try to be a little more like a "perfect" man or woman?

In all of this, I suppose it goes without saying that negative speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves. We see our own faults, we speak—or at least think—critically of ourselves, and before long that is how we see everyone and everything. No sunshine, no roses, no promise of hope or happiness. Before long we and everybody around us are miserable. I love what Elder Orson F. Whitney once said: "The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience." We should honor the Savior's declaration to "be of good cheer." (Indeed, it seems to me we may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any other!) Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. As someone once said, "Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly grumbled that everything looked too yellow."

Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland's maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse.

Paul put it candidly, but very hopefully. He said to all of us: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but [only] that which is good . . . [and] edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God. . . . Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you. . . . And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

In his deeply moving final testimony, Nephi calls us to "follow the Son [of God], with full purpose of heart," promising that "after ye have . . . received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, [ye] can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels. . . . And . . . how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ." Indeed, Christ was and is "the Word," according to John the Beloved, full of grace and truth, full of mercy and compassion.

So, brothers and sisters, in this long eternal quest to be more like our Savior, may we try to be "perfect" men and women in at least this one way now—by offending not in word, or more positively put, by speaking with a new tongue, the tongue of angels. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail. I pray that my words, even on this challenging subject, will be encouraging to you, not discouraging, that you can hear in my voice that I love you, because I do. More importantly, please know that your Father in Heaven loves you and so does His Only Begotten Son. When They speak to you—and They will—it will not be in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but it will be with a voice still and small, a voice tender and kind. It will be with the tongue of angels. May we all rejoice in the thought that when we say edifying, encouraging things unto the least of these, our brethren and sisters and little ones, we say it unto God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. "

Isn't that a neat talk? I love it! It makes me so thankful to have the gospel and inspired leaders who can help us pinpoint ways to live happier lives. I'm glad that the gospel is so optimistic. Life is good! Here's a few more delectable tidbits I've come across for your delight and enjoyment :)

"Live so that those who know you, but not Jesus, will want to know Jesus because they know you." (unknown)

"Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is." (Publilius Syrus)

"By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach." (Winston Churchill)

"If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it." (Earl Wilson)

"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."(Colossians 4:6)

"They may not remember what you said, but they'll always remember how you made them feel." (unknown)

Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget,
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You've disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on.
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go,
And there is no way to stop them, once you've started them to flow.

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget;
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you've stirred,
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Till you wouldn't believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget;
But there's gladness still a-swelling, and there's joy circling yet,
And you've rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.
(Author James William Foley)

Au Revoir!

What I Believe

2008-12-26T09:49:00.004-07:00

I believe that we are all children of a very loving Heavenly Father who knows each of us perfectly.I know that He is mindful of us. He knows perfectly our hearts, our hopes, our disappointments, and our sorrows. He knows how to help us. He has created a wonderful plan for us to learn and grow here on Earth. I know that this life has a great purpose, and that we can return home to live with Him someday, having learned what we need to learn in mortality. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers. When I live in accordance with the gospel, I am filled with so much joy and happiness! When I don't, I recognize the withdrawal of the spirit, and I feel empty inside. I am certain that living the gospel brings more happiness and fulfillment than anything else in this world.

I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are true. They strengthen and confirm each other and go hand in hand. I know that essential parts of Christ's original gospel that were lost through apostasy have been restored to Earth once again! I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. I know that families can be together forever because of the priesthood and sealing power that is again on the Earth. Most importantly, I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed from sin and receive a fulness of joy. The Atonement is central to Heavenly Father's plan and is the greatest manifestation of His love for us. He wants us to be happy. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.