~From what we know this is Heather's last email that we are going to be getting.~
Dear family and friends,
Well this has been a crazy week. There was a pretty large hurricane here on Tuesday we don't have power and probably won't for a month so my dear friends this will be my last email until I come home . I am in manilla right now heading to the USA embassy to get cleared for my departure in month(aug 21). So you are lucky that you get this email.
So this week the hurricane hit is on Tuesday. We were perfectly safe in our apartment. But we watched homes destroyed and power lines topple. We traded our skirts in for t-shirts and shorts. We have been helped people clean up all week and just trying to cope with the disaster. Legaspi, sorsogon and bacon were hit the worst. We will continue the clean up into this week and maybe begin our prose letting later this week. Please keep all this people in your prayers.
Well I know this is short but I love you all thank you for everything. But I will see you all when I get home.
Sister Richins
Sunday, July 27, 2014
July 14
Dear Family and Friends,
Wow what another great week. I know that all of you have heard about the typhoon or tropical storm coming our way. As far as we know it is pretty weak storm and we should be okay.
I really can't believe how fast the time goes. I have five weeks left in my mission and I keep on hoping that time would just slow down for a second so that I can breathe. I just make to make every moment every day count. I am working hard up until the very last day.
Well as always this week was great. Our our exchanges got canceled because the sisters got sick, so it was just a normal week in Bacon. It was a really great week. On Saturday, we had what is called a One Day Mission. So all the members came and worked with us for a day. We all divided into four groups and then went to different areas. So it was kind of like an exchange because I was companions with one of the members, it was really fun. It was so great to have members because they could really relate and they know bicol (the native language here), I still struggle with that the 2nd language in Bacon. I am working on it though. I can understand a lot of it, just not the speaking yet. The language of Bicol is really funny because it is different in every city. In Bacon it is different than Bulan and if you go 30 minutes to Sorsogon it is different too. That is why it is so hard to understand the different dialects of Bicol. It is a good thing that everyone knows Tagalog. The members here are so great. I love and learn so much from them.
On Friday night we went were going to go to one of our investigators. We didn't have an appointment, but somehow felt maybe we should go there. While on the way we met a lady named Linda. She was going to get water for her house. But should invited us to her house. We went there and found out that her husband was a member of the church. Her husband is in Australia ( this is common for a lot of families here. The husband works abroad because there are more opportunities for work). We taught her a simple lesson and we have a return appointment tomorrow. The Lord truly does place people in our paths to teach. Obedience brings miracles of that I am so sure.
I know that this is God's work. I know that this is not my work or the work of people, but this is God's work and I am merely an instrument in his hands. I am so grateful so every minute here.
Well have a great week!
-Sister Richins
Wow what another great week. I know that all of you have heard about the typhoon or tropical storm coming our way. As far as we know it is pretty weak storm and we should be okay.
I really can't believe how fast the time goes. I have five weeks left in my mission and I keep on hoping that time would just slow down for a second so that I can breathe. I just make to make every moment every day count. I am working hard up until the very last day.
Well as always this week was great. Our our exchanges got canceled because the sisters got sick, so it was just a normal week in Bacon. It was a really great week. On Saturday, we had what is called a One Day Mission. So all the members came and worked with us for a day. We all divided into four groups and then went to different areas. So it was kind of like an exchange because I was companions with one of the members, it was really fun. It was so great to have members because they could really relate and they know bicol (the native language here), I still struggle with that the 2nd language in Bacon. I am working on it though. I can understand a lot of it, just not the speaking yet. The language of Bicol is really funny because it is different in every city. In Bacon it is different than Bulan and if you go 30 minutes to Sorsogon it is different too. That is why it is so hard to understand the different dialects of Bicol. It is a good thing that everyone knows Tagalog. The members here are so great. I love and learn so much from them.
On Friday night we went were going to go to one of our investigators. We didn't have an appointment, but somehow felt maybe we should go there. While on the way we met a lady named Linda. She was going to get water for her house. But should invited us to her house. We went there and found out that her husband was a member of the church. Her husband is in Australia ( this is common for a lot of families here. The husband works abroad because there are more opportunities for work). We taught her a simple lesson and we have a return appointment tomorrow. The Lord truly does place people in our paths to teach. Obedience brings miracles of that I am so sure.
I know that this is God's work. I know that this is not my work or the work of people, but this is God's work and I am merely an instrument in his hands. I am so grateful so every minute here.
Well have a great week!
-Sister Richins
Sunday, July 13, 2014
July 7
Dear Family and Friends,
Well I am glad that everyone had a good 4th of July. We had an exciting 4th of July here. Well actually it turns out they don't celebrate it here, who would had thought? Anyway though it has been an interesting week.
So first off on Friday night we were walking home after our last appointment of the day, it was about 8:55 and we saw this lady walking down the street, it was funny because we almost know everyone that lives next to our apartment and have ended up teaching them one time or another, but I didn't recognize her. But she was kind of caught off guard because we were two foreigners walking in the night. But we stopped to talk to her and about the church. It came to turn out that her and her husband own a lot of the land next to our apartment, they live in Manila, but are here to harvest the coconuts. She was staying in one of the many resorts next to our apartment. We set a return appointment the next day. On Saturday we taught her and it was a really great lesson, it turns out that she was inside her guest room the night before and had been praying to know what to do to help her family. She then had gotten a little bored so she went for a little walk at 8:50 at night. And then she met us. She was like, I don't think it is a coincidence that we met last night. We were like no of course not it was not a coincidence. I am so thankful that we stopped to talk to her. She is leaving for Manila tomorrow, but we gave her a Book of Mormon and we will pass her contact information to the missionaries in Manila. What a miracle.
On Tuesday we also had MLC in Legazbi. It was great. We talked about how to help our investigators attend sacrament meeting, but working to get the members and missionaries on the same team. President was talking how in the weekly letters that he gets from missionaries, everyone's happiness is related to if their investigators attended sacrament meeting. "None of our investigators attended sacrament meeting, we are so sad." or " We had lots of investigators attend sacrament meeting, we are so happy." President was like what are we doing here, letting someone control our happiness. He was like, we have been sent to earth to be agents of our own selves, not to be acted upon. (2 Nephi 2:14, 27). He was like we have the power to change, we have control over IASM. We can carefully plan so that our investigators will attend sacrament meeting. It was a really good workshop and it got everyone fired up to increase our IASM.
In not so exciting news, this week one of our Less Active/Returning member that we had been teaching passed away. It is really unexpected, especially because we say him the night that he passed away and then in the morning we learned that he had had a heart attack and passed away. He had just started to become reactivated in the church. Brother Pedro Betichadio, he was 65 years old. So on Saturday, President Desuyo called a meeting for us to plan the funeral service. They decided that Sister Amato and I would be the speakers. I am not going to lie, I was really nervous to speak at the funeral service. It is hard to know what to say at a funeral. I just made and plan and prayed that the spirit would take over. We prepared and got ready and on Sunday night we had the service funeral service in Sorsogon. How blessed we are to know about the Plan of Salvation. The plan of salvation is such a perfect plan. I am really going to miss him, he lived really close to our apartment and we always saw him at least 5 times a day, he always had a smile and his face and was always "Hello Sisters! "
We also had exchanges with the other Sister's in Bacon. I was with Sister Erickson from Holliday, UT. It was fun, it was back to two white Americans. I love going on exchanges and getting to see the miracles that happen. Something really funny that happened on exchanges: We were going to one of their investigators they had been teaching the mom, but they had just started teaching the dad. The Mom was washing clothes and was busy at the moment so she told her husband to tell us to come back later that day. I guess was he really shy to talk to us, and later that day his wife told us. That he was so shy to talk to us because we were both Americans and that we didn't know Tagalog, He was like you just tell then, and she was like they know Tagalog, but I guess this dialog went back and forth and then he came out and did an action with his hands "Maglaba" (She is washing clothes) and "Mamaya" (Later). It was really funny.
Well another week, can't wait to see what it brings.
-Sister Richins
Well I am glad that everyone had a good 4th of July. We had an exciting 4th of July here. Well actually it turns out they don't celebrate it here, who would had thought? Anyway though it has been an interesting week.
So first off on Friday night we were walking home after our last appointment of the day, it was about 8:55 and we saw this lady walking down the street, it was funny because we almost know everyone that lives next to our apartment and have ended up teaching them one time or another, but I didn't recognize her. But she was kind of caught off guard because we were two foreigners walking in the night. But we stopped to talk to her and about the church. It came to turn out that her and her husband own a lot of the land next to our apartment, they live in Manila, but are here to harvest the coconuts. She was staying in one of the many resorts next to our apartment. We set a return appointment the next day. On Saturday we taught her and it was a really great lesson, it turns out that she was inside her guest room the night before and had been praying to know what to do to help her family. She then had gotten a little bored so she went for a little walk at 8:50 at night. And then she met us. She was like, I don't think it is a coincidence that we met last night. We were like no of course not it was not a coincidence. I am so thankful that we stopped to talk to her. She is leaving for Manila tomorrow, but we gave her a Book of Mormon and we will pass her contact information to the missionaries in Manila. What a miracle.
On Tuesday we also had MLC in Legazbi. It was great. We talked about how to help our investigators attend sacrament meeting, but working to get the members and missionaries on the same team. President was talking how in the weekly letters that he gets from missionaries, everyone's happiness is related to if their investigators attended sacrament meeting. "None of our investigators attended sacrament meeting, we are so sad." or " We had lots of investigators attend sacrament meeting, we are so happy." President was like what are we doing here, letting someone control our happiness. He was like, we have been sent to earth to be agents of our own selves, not to be acted upon. (2 Nephi 2:14, 27). He was like we have the power to change, we have control over IASM. We can carefully plan so that our investigators will attend sacrament meeting. It was a really good workshop and it got everyone fired up to increase our IASM.
In not so exciting news, this week one of our Less Active/Returning member that we had been teaching passed away. It is really unexpected, especially because we say him the night that he passed away and then in the morning we learned that he had had a heart attack and passed away. He had just started to become reactivated in the church. Brother Pedro Betichadio, he was 65 years old. So on Saturday, President Desuyo called a meeting for us to plan the funeral service. They decided that Sister Amato and I would be the speakers. I am not going to lie, I was really nervous to speak at the funeral service. It is hard to know what to say at a funeral. I just made and plan and prayed that the spirit would take over. We prepared and got ready and on Sunday night we had the service funeral service in Sorsogon. How blessed we are to know about the Plan of Salvation. The plan of salvation is such a perfect plan. I am really going to miss him, he lived really close to our apartment and we always saw him at least 5 times a day, he always had a smile and his face and was always "Hello Sisters! "
We also had exchanges with the other Sister's in Bacon. I was with Sister Erickson from Holliday, UT. It was fun, it was back to two white Americans. I love going on exchanges and getting to see the miracles that happen. Something really funny that happened on exchanges: We were going to one of their investigators they had been teaching the mom, but they had just started teaching the dad. The Mom was washing clothes and was busy at the moment so she told her husband to tell us to come back later that day. I guess was he really shy to talk to us, and later that day his wife told us. That he was so shy to talk to us because we were both Americans and that we didn't know Tagalog, He was like you just tell then, and she was like they know Tagalog, but I guess this dialog went back and forth and then he came out and did an action with his hands "Maglaba" (She is washing clothes) and "Mamaya" (Later). It was really funny.
Well another week, can't wait to see what it brings.
-Sister Richins
June 30
Dear Family and Friends,
We are moving into the first week of July! I can't believe that you all will be celebrating the fourth of July over there on Friday. I honestly feel that you all were just talking about the last 4th of July last year. This week has been quite adventurous for me here. I tried Octopus this week, ya I know that is crazy, but it wasn't so bad. Also it has started into the rainy season so it rains almost every afternoon with big thunder and lighting storms so that is kind of exciting. It is great because it is not as hot.
This week was a great week, we had exchanges with the Sorsogon Sisters. I was with the trainee of Sister Flake, Sister Natarte, she is really sweet. She is from Baguio, which is the only place in the Philippines to have Strawberries. We worked here in Bacon, it was pretty exciting. I love exchanges so much. It helps remind me of the excitement of missionary work. While on exchanges we were in one of our areas, where all of the houses are all the same and they all have tin roofs. It turns out when it rains really hard, you can't hear anything in houses with tin roofs. We were teaching a lesson and then it started pouring and it was pretty soon it was useless to continue.
We had a great week finding this week. On Tuesday we were working with some of the Branch Missionaries and our appointments fell through so we went tracting. It was funny because one of the Branch Missionaries really didn't want to tract in that area because he was from that area and all the people knew him. We would go to each house and he would say, oh they are not interested. But yet we continued until we got to the last house and they let us in. We taught Liro a 21 year old mom, with one little boy that has cancer and is blind. She was great and really wanted learn. Her question for us was when we were going to come back so that we could teach her more.
We also taught the Dellosa Family, which is a new investigator this week too. We taught them on Saturday night. We had taught there daughter, Sailene, before and we were going back to teach her again, but this time her dad listened too and he was so excited, he felt the spirit as we taught about Joseph Smith and then we asked him how he felt and he said he felt so great inside.
I love finding, I know that the Lord's hand is in this work.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
-Sister Richins
June 23
Dear Family and Friends,
Well another week is over. I still can't believe it. We started off the new transfer. I love this area and I love my companion.
It was the first week of the transfer so we didn't have any exchanges. But it was just a week to work really hard in our area. We could really feel the power of obedience this week. How true that is. All that really matters is obedience, that is all that God is worried about in the end. We strive for exact obedience. If we strive to be exactly obedient, we can really see the miracles in the work.
This week was a great week. We were in daily planning last night and we were like wow this was a great week, we have investigators that are starting to progress and new investigators and investigators attending sacrament meeting. It is just an exciting time in the mission.
Of course we do have our challenges too, we have to help all those new investigators progress and resolve their concerns. We also are trying really hard to help the less actives here, but that is one of the things that make me the saddest to see the less active struggle, but they don't have the faith to make it through. We continue to help them though we just teach by the spirit and hopefully one day they will understand.
We were teaching Brother Don yesterday and it was really funny he was talking about his testimony of the church. He was talking about one of the talks in sacrament meeting about staying strong and the speaker talked about less active members. And brother Don, if someone got baptized and then left the church, then they don't understand the doctrine, they don't understand the church. We were like ya that is right. That is something that is really unique about brother don because understands the doctrine so well and I honestly feel that we have hardly done anything, he searches to find, and we are just there to answer questions.
I love being here. I really don't want this to end.
Well we are off to the start of a busy week. Exchanges start up again and it is just a long sprint to the finish.
-Sister Richins
June 16
Dear Family and Friends,
Wow, how the time passes. We just finished another transfer this past week. And I am staying in Bacon for another transfer, which makes me wonder if this will be my last area of the mission!!!! Hopefully, I love this area so much and am so happy to stay here with my companion.
So we had an good week. Besides the fact that we almost got attacked in our apartment by this moth/locust things. It was quite the experience. On Friday night we noticed all this flying things swarming around the light post close to our apartment. We went into our apartment and turned on the light and before you knew it they were all trying to get to the light inside our apartment. They found any little hole they could find. We were running to close all the windows, but they still found their way in. It was quite an experience, you could here them hitting the windows just trying to get in. But don't worry we did survive and we all was fine.
So this was the last week we had exchanges in Sorsogon. I was with Sister Lesa from Orem, UT. She is absolutely hillarious and we had so much fun together. It reminded me just how fun missionary work is. I love going on exchanges because you learn so many things, so that you can really learn how to become a great missionary! I got to work with Sister Lesa in her area and we taught a lot of less actives. Trying to help them build their faith to come back into the fold.
We also were able to work hard in our area this week. We were really able to see investigators start to progress. Which is so great. We had a special district conference saturday and yesterday and brother Don came to the Saturday session. Sister Gloria the one that I told you we met one day when she came home from work early without knowing why is really progressing. She is so funny she has a hard time seeing the words in the book of mormon, but she still reads. I am so happy to finally see some of all our finding efforts start to turn into progressing investigators.
We also had a lot of new investigators too! We did a lot of tracting and tracting. We also say well President Guanzon says we need 200 street contracts to get one baptism so we just keep going and keep on finding. That is our biggest chanllenge right now. We have a lot of new investigators, but we are struggling to help them become progressing investigators.
So for all you back home remember that missionaries live on refferals because that is the most successful way of missionary work. Don't forget to pray for a missionary experience today so that you can share you testimony to someone today. It may not be a non member at all, but maybe a less active that has strayed from the fold. We need them all back to the fold.
I mentioned eariler that we had a special district conference. It was a little different we started with the district president speaking here locally and then they had a live broadcast from Salt Lake City. Elder Cook spoke and Brother Davies of the presiding bishopbric as well as Sister McKonkie. I guess it was a special Northern Philippines Conference for all those in the Northern Philippines. They gave some really great talks about the family. Sister McKonkie talked about the significance of marriage and families. Which is actally really significant because here in the phlippines marriage is not a super important part of the culture. It is acceptable just to live in without getting married. She talked about incorrect tranditions and really strengthening families in the church in the philippines.
Elder Cook talked about not living on borrowed light which was really interesting. He talked about the celestial kingdom is compared to a sun because it produces its own light the terrestial kingdom is compared to a moon becuase it lives on borrowed light from the sun. He was pretty bold that we can't live on borrowed light we need to constantly strengthen our testimonies of the gospel.
Well it has been a great week. The time is going way to fast.... I was like this past transfer has been the fastest transfer ever.
Well have a great day and week!
-Sister Richins
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
June 9
Dear Family and Friends,
Well this week has been so busy I hardly had time to breath!
We started off the week on Tuesday at MLC in Legazbi. It is always so great to help the mission. We talked a lot about mission rules and really tracking the progress of each companionship. We talked about working with the leaders in our wards and branches too. It was as always very inspiring.
And in no time we put all those things into effect because on Wednesday we had exchanges with Sister Flake and Sister Nortarte. I got to be companions with Sister Flake again! It was so exciting. We had such a great time thinking about all the fun times we had together when we were companions. We worked in my area while her trainee and Sister Amato worked in her area. It was crazy, Sister Flake is now training so it was like now you are training. It was really great. She is so great. We talking about what it is like being a trainer and things.
On Friday we had zone training and then we went to Gubat to have exchanges there. In case you wanted to know Gubat means forest, so we went to the forest to have exchanges! I was with Sister Hafoka from Tonga. It was good too. You learn so much in exchanges.
We got back on Saturday with enough time to do weekly planning and teach a few appointments and then it was Sunday again! In total we only worked in our area 3 days, but we worked hard. That is the sacrifice of being a leader, but it is so great to be able to help others reach their potential and to learn from them. It is really great to see the blessings that are coming to our area because we are striving to be obedient.
When Sister Flake and I were on exchanges we went to Sister Gloria's house, she was the one that we taught two weeks ago, who had come home from work because she felt that someone would come and visit. That first visit we had given her a Book of Mormon. When we taught her this week, she had read the chapter we gave her in the Book of Mormon and said even though she has a hard time seeing the pages because she really needs reading glasses she wants to read the Book of Mormon. I showed her how she can use a small glass drinking cup and a little water as a magnifying glass so that she can read the Book of Mormon. She was so excited- that is true faith there, and the power of the Book of Mormon. She promised that she would come to church, but something came up unexpectedly, but hopefully next week!
Well I can't think that everything is going way to fast. Before you know it I will just be telling stories about the times I have here in the Philippines.
Well take care!
Sister Richins
Well this week has been so busy I hardly had time to breath!
We started off the week on Tuesday at MLC in Legazbi. It is always so great to help the mission. We talked a lot about mission rules and really tracking the progress of each companionship. We talked about working with the leaders in our wards and branches too. It was as always very inspiring.
And in no time we put all those things into effect because on Wednesday we had exchanges with Sister Flake and Sister Nortarte. I got to be companions with Sister Flake again! It was so exciting. We had such a great time thinking about all the fun times we had together when we were companions. We worked in my area while her trainee and Sister Amato worked in her area. It was crazy, Sister Flake is now training so it was like now you are training. It was really great. She is so great. We talking about what it is like being a trainer and things.
On Friday we had zone training and then we went to Gubat to have exchanges there. In case you wanted to know Gubat means forest, so we went to the forest to have exchanges! I was with Sister Hafoka from Tonga. It was good too. You learn so much in exchanges.
We got back on Saturday with enough time to do weekly planning and teach a few appointments and then it was Sunday again! In total we only worked in our area 3 days, but we worked hard. That is the sacrifice of being a leader, but it is so great to be able to help others reach their potential and to learn from them. It is really great to see the blessings that are coming to our area because we are striving to be obedient.
When Sister Flake and I were on exchanges we went to Sister Gloria's house, she was the one that we taught two weeks ago, who had come home from work because she felt that someone would come and visit. That first visit we had given her a Book of Mormon. When we taught her this week, she had read the chapter we gave her in the Book of Mormon and said even though she has a hard time seeing the pages because she really needs reading glasses she wants to read the Book of Mormon. I showed her how she can use a small glass drinking cup and a little water as a magnifying glass so that she can read the Book of Mormon. She was so excited- that is true faith there, and the power of the Book of Mormon. She promised that she would come to church, but something came up unexpectedly, but hopefully next week!
Well I can't think that everything is going way to fast. Before you know it I will just be telling stories about the times I have here in the Philippines.
Well take care!
Sister Richins
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