Another Week in Paradise


 February 12, 2012

Oh Hi Family! :)
First of all don't worry, I have not been affected at all by
the earthquakes- although Sis. Fajardo is from Manilla
and her family was in the Earthquake they had- which
Manilla is about a 5 hour jeepneyride from here...
150 miles I think. Anyways, we're safe and functioning!
As far as cell phones go Mom...Yes we have a cell phone
and we text all the time haha every night when we get
home we have to text our district leader if we made it
home safe- and if they dont get a reply from us they text
us- we're lucky because the Zone Leaders just live down 
the street from us- we're on the border of 2 areas so if
something happens they are really close by to help us.
If we're sick we're instructed to text Sis. Jensen- and 
she will call us or text us back- or if it is an emergency
go to the hospital then text them asap. The way we do
our call in reports now are all through text messaging-
its so different I'm sure than kenna and all the Bro in laws'
missions where they had to verbally call it over.  As far as
Pres and Sis Jensen I don't see them hardly ever- about
once every quarter we have a "Tri Zone Conference"
which actually happens to be this Wednesday- so we
travel to Aguilar- which is about a 1 1/2 hr bus ride- so I
will get to see them this week! We have a District meeting
every tuesday though, so I see my DL every week- and then
we have a Zone activity every transfer.  A transfer is
every 6 weeks. Which is the activity we had last monday-
also...we have Zone Interviews once every quarter too-
so...we'll probably have that in a month or two...
hindi ko alam. Anyways, so we're in contact with our local
leaders in the mission very frequently. This Friday night
we also went to the Worldwide Leadership Broadcast 
though! So..we saw our zone leaders and they gave me
my Valentines Day Package that arrived! I was not
expecting that...that was a nice surprise! Thank you so
much for the letters, and thank Sis. Shattuck for me too!
I loved hearing from you, and the wallet was awesome,
thank you! I will use it! So the package here it says you
sent it Jan 17th. it arrived here the 27th!
So it only took 10 days! So...Not sure- I guess it just
depends on maybe the time of year- maybe it took so
long to get the christmas package because it was
december...dunno! I have not received an M&M ball
yet though Dad haha I will let you know, but no they
do not have m&ms here! Mom- I dont think I need the
dryer sheets- thank you though...if you've already sent
them..thanks haha but if not dont worry about it. I
found this deet lotion- plus with the deet and the
permatox spray every day I think I've about got a
system worked out...I think! :) Oh, and sorry I scared
you with the drunk man situation- I just wanted to tell
you what memorable event happened that week...cuz
it will be memorable haha but I didn't mean to scare
you. I know you already know this- but I really am taken
care of- I'm not worried. As long as we're being smart-
which we are- the Lord is around us. I know that,
we're good :)
Funny that you mentioned the quote D&C 84:106 from
the leadership broadcast Mom- I was thinking about
you guys the whole time too
thinking...wow...My parents are close to SLC...they're
probably watching this too! haha The stories were
very motivaional. I still remember when the LA Man
that returned said "AS long as I'm breathing, I will be
there at church". I thought wow, what dedication...
and how perfectly said. The story of the Quorum
president was inspiring too...and I'm glad to know
you guys were crying too on the other side of the
world- because I was the only one bawling! haha
We had ZERO leaders from our ward show up to the
broadcast. Don't worry...I brought it up in PEC mtg
on sunday- I said "Well...which of you attended the
broadcast sa friday?" Syempre they said...none of us.
haha Then we talked about what was said and told
them the focuses for the entire church are similar to
our mission focus and area focus goals. ones of rescue!
The quote that one of them also said about the temple
was so true "we go to the temple to make covenants,
we go home to keep them." that is what they have
forgotten here. Several several several endowed
members are inactive- but the thing is, they went to
the temple way too prematurely...they dont even know
what covenants they're breaking...they just DONT KNOW.
People were way too overzealous to get these people
to make covenants without making sure they had a real
testimony and understanding of the concepts. Well,
we're trying to help them realize. This week we had
Brother Tommy's baptism! Yay!!! He is sooo great! I
just Love them! Pero, because we had the binyag and
leadership training it took away from proscelyting hrs....
which affected our sacrament attendance- which makes
me really sad to think about if we dont visit these la's
for one week they dont come to church. What is missing?
I can't figure it out. They have to find their own
testimonies so they can stop relying on us to teach them
weekly...I dont know whats missing- we're workng on it...
I need to figure it out soon though, because we're not
going to be here forever. I probably have one more
transfer left here then another area...probably! I'm
nervous because I have 1 1/2 more weeks left with
Sis. Fajarado and then I will get assigned to a different
follow up trainer...sooo nervous for that!
So we opened up ANOTHER area this week...this one is
small- we have about 7 different areas that we visit
every week- and we just focus our work on those 7 areas.
We had to travel to Malawa- for this one LA High council
man- the reason why he stopped going to church was
because he wanted to see how bad life really was
without the gospel. I about died when he told me that
was his reason. How stupid is that!
Anyways...he is a great man actually, very very
knowledgeable in the gospel...and he would be a great
leader. He told us he would come back to church if he
didn't have a calling. He just wanted to be an ordinary
member. I immediatly thought of Dad and how he said
he would join the church if it meant he didn't have to
give prayers or talks or really hold a calling. haha
I just told Bro Manuelito...Brother...an oridnary member
is an active member one that holds a calling.
Especially the most important calling, a VT/HT. He said
he would do that- but nothing else. haha it's a step-
actually he came to church and he was the first one there
on sunday- and then he said he wanted to help us find
a few of these other LA members too...so not only has
he returned- but he is helping us rescue others! :)
Oh...and we FINALLY got a new Ward Mission Leader
and Assistant!!! Yay we were so excited b/c our ward
mission leader date was an inactive member haha...a
23 year old boy who had no desire to even serve a mission
haha...Now Brother Mardane is the leader! He is SOOOO
great...he is also our ward clerk, pianist, and he pretty
much does the bishops job...seriously he spends all his
hours at the chuch. He's a 24 recently returned missionary
- he is awesome...and hilarious! His uncle is actually the
inactive- brother Juan Delacruz- that Sis. Fajardo and
I challenged to stop drinking and smoking that has
returned to church- they were the reason why brother
Mardane even joined the church in the first place.
Anyways, the assistant ward misison leader is brother
Ali Reyes- our Recent Convert- the Reyes family!!!!
He already goes with us all the time to visit others-
and he already brought 3 investigators since his
baptism that we've been teaching at their house and
they all have a scheduled baptisimal date so pretty
much he's already been doing his calling without
actually having the calling! Sorry...I really hope these
emails make sense to you and that I'm giving you enough
background for you to understand! haha Anyways,
we're really excited about that because that means
more support from the ward!
Lets see...we really do see many many tender mercies
from the Lord every day...seriously the Gospel is
soo true. I was reading my Patriarchal blessing earlier
today for personal study- and I just though about
how different life would be if we didn't have the
gospel. I just kept thinking of the quote "Everything
you are doing today is preparing you for something
else." It's soo true- everything we do now prepares
us for something else, whether its being a good mom,
going to school as a kid- or being a missionary- we
need to make sure we live each day as best as we can-
because it will impact our future.
I love you all and wish I had more time to write once again
xoxoxoxoxoxo
oh and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! I can't even believe
how terrible v day was for me 2 years ago- and now to
think where I am for this V day...sharing it with...
Sister Fajardo hahahahaha :) Oh well, I love
you all dearly!
xoxoxo