Week One in the Philippines

Dear Family and Friends

Well I made it! It has been a long week, but I made it.  So we got to Manila Tuesday night and stayed at a really nice hotel. the next morning we got up and caught our plane to Naga which is a little tiny airport. The mission president and a lot of missionaries where there to greet us and take us back to the mission home.  We stayed there and he talked to us.  Then we met our trainers.  My companion is Sister Maghanoy she is from the Philippines.  She is so sweet. This is her last area and she leaves for home in 6 weeks.   I am trying to send pictures, but I don't think it is working on this computer. 

We spent the night at the mission home because our assigned area is about 3 hours from the Mission home and we didn't have time to go there that night.  Also we found out what mission we will be in because the area we are in now we will be there for at least 12 weeks.  It looks like I will be in the Legasbi Mission starting in July.  The area I am in is called Ginonbaton, it is an hour from Legasbi, and we are actually opening a new area that has not had sisters in it before. That is exciting, but also means that we are starting from scratch.  Although there has been Elders here before so we are working with them and helping them out. We met with the ward council on Sunday and proposed a plan to get more people attending church and to find more people to teach, they were a little hesitant at first, but i think we got them excited.   I really don't understand anything that anyone is saying to me I just smile and laugh because filipinos love to laugh. A lot of them know english and they think it is so funny that my last name is Richins or 'Rich' 'ins".  And they always ask what are you rich in? These people come from such humble places, it is crazy.  On Saturday we went to Legaszbi for community service project of planting mangroves   All the members were so excited and they had a huge program before about how the environment needs our help and  they are so glad that we were all there to help.  The service project itself lasted about 30 minutes. It was good, but soooooo hot!!!!!!

On Sunday we wend to our ward and it was very nice they had 4 new missionaries speak(2 elders, 2 sisters).  I said 2  minutes in Tagalog and sat down, and they probably had no idea what I was talking about then another guy got up and gave a talk in Bicol which is another Dialect here so I couldn't understand even a little.   The language is frustrated and it is hard not being able to understand, but I am grateful for my patience companion who is helping me.  She says she will help me learn Tagalog if I help her improve her English. The language will come with patience.  It is just hard not to be able to say anything in lessons, but it will come.

-Sister Richins

Last Week at the MTC!!!

Family and Friends-

Its so weird I can't believe that that it is my last week in the MTC, the time just flys by. Well to start off this week has been a little rough, but still good. We now have 60min of email so that is good!!

Our Sunday Devotional the Director of Media from the Missionary Department came and talked to us a little about the Church's I am a mormon campaign.  He talked about the big I am a Mormon campaign in New York at Christmas time and the success stories that it had.  He talked about the increase of visits to the Mormon.org site during the campaign.  The church recently as in April 8 launced another campaign in London where the Book of Mormon Musical is playing.   According to studies done in Europe the church doesn't have the most postive views so to fix it they have put up all these I am a mormon campaign ads on Busses and train stations.  In one train station the tunnel is completely covered.  It is crazy, he showed us pictures.  He also talked about he they first launched it he was there and would just walk around and observe people reading the messages.  It was amazing the response and the fact that we was able to refer so many people to the Missionaries that day! This just affirms how true our church is and that it has the ability to touch everyone's heart. I don't know if there is pictures on the internet, but you should look for them.  The ones in London and New York.   The one in New York was a really simple message that Christmas is Christ.

Well lets see the highlight of the week was defiently getting our travel plans, but also it makes us a little nervous because there is still so much to learn. It is exciting though, until our teacher last night told us about all the cockroaches that are there.  I was a little freaked out, but I know that I don't need to have fear only faith. The lord trusts me and knows that I can handle it or he wouldn't have called me there.  We really only have three more days of classes because Thursday is our In field orientation all day.  It should be exciting though.  I saw Russel (my cousin) here last week during lunch one day, I was doing to get a picture, but didn't have me camera.  He seemed to be doing great and eager to leave for Arizona.

On Sunday I the branch president called on me to give a talk, so that was fun, but I know it was going to someone in our district because we are the oldest ones right now.

-Sister Richins  

Conference

Dear Family and Friends

It's so great to hear from you all! I hope you guys all enjoyed conference, it was so good, right! I can't believe another week has gone by, and we get travel plans on Thursday, it's exciting but also really scary. As I was in the temple this morning, I realized that that was the 2nd to last time that I will get to go for 18 months. I am going to miss it.   One of the sisters that left two weeks ago to the Philippines emailed us and said she has no idea what anyone is saying. (She can now email us because they made an announcement a few weeks ago that you can now email friends!) She says she loves it there, and that it is super pretty there.

Anyways though we did get to watch all of conference.  It was really great we didn't have class on those days and we just watched conference ate food, and watched conference so more. It was different not having soft couches to sit on.  We spent 13 hours all weekend siting in hard chairs! Not the best, but conference was still good.  In answer to your question mom, during priesthood all the sisters watched the YW general broadcast from last week. It sounds like though you had a great girls night, those I always so much fun. That's cool that Kevin and Dad got to go to priesthood.  I heard that it was all addressed to the YM on Missionary work.  Before you know it Kevin will be here!! On Sunday they even let a watch the special in between conferences, they didn't show the choir until the very end so I understand why you didn't see me, I didn't even see myself.  Also on Sunday we usually have a Sunday Night devotional, but I think they knew we were all tired of sitting all day listening to speakers, so they had BYUs vocal point (the Acapella group) come and sing to use.  That was really cool.

Class has been going pretty well, after Easter all about the atonement and Christ I feel like I kind of see the big picture of the church and how everything we teach is about the savior and his atonement.  I mean after all this is the church of Jesus Christ.  Anyway though, this has helped me a lot in lessons to make sure I always bring it back to Jesus Christ because that is when the spirit testifies. 

Yesterday, the MTC president from the Philippines MTC came to the MTC to observe teaching.  Of all the classes, ours was picked for him to sit in and observe.  That is a pretty cool experience. his name is Raul Ven...? and was made an area seventy in conference.  The attached picture is my district with him! Looks like I will be taller than all the Philippino people... And you thought I didn't eat my veggies!!  In two months they are going to start to send the english speaking missionaries going to the Manilla, Angeles, Quezon City and Quezon City North missions to the Philippines MTC!

This weekend was kind of re-commitment for me to make sure that I am not wasting a second of my time at the MTC! I need to work super hard for the next 2 weeks, because in 2 weeks I will be in the Philippines! Crazy. 

This week we are getting two new districts in our zone this week.  One has 6 sisters and 2 elders and the other 7 sisters and 2 elders! My how the times have changed.. so many sisters!

Sister Richins

EASTER!!!

Dear Family and Friends!

Easter is was WONDERFUL at the MTC.  It was fast Sunday though so all the Candy and treats we got, we couldn't eat until that night, but it was still so great! Also thank you so much for the Package! I loved it! I never realized how exciting it is for missionaries to get mail, until I am here, and mail time is such an exciting time!  Anyway for easter the presiding Bishop, Bishop Cause came and we had a Sacarment Meeting with all the missionaries at the MTC-that is over 3000!!!!! So incredible, something that I will never forget! Bishop Cause spoke about the Atonement and it was such a good reminder of our purpose as missionaries.  We are the Church of Jesus Christ and we are here to invite others to come unto Christ. He explained that the Atonement is the least understood thing in our church, and said that every transformation in our life, every time we change anything, it is by the atonement.  After Sacarment meeting, we had district meeting and fast and testimony meeting (just testimony meeting, because we took the Sacarment in the morning with everyone!) It is nice to be able to understand more when people talk in Tagalog and I was really exciting that I could understand most of what people said in their testimonies! Can you believe that in 3 weeks, it is a miracle! After testimony meeting we walked to the temple, it was such a nice day and we took pictures I sent one to you, I hope you got it! After dinner we had a fireside with Sister Sheri Dew and that was wonderful too!

Speaking of Tagalog, it's coming, slowly.. I still feel like though that I will never feel ready, I just have to keep working hard and learning words.  Our teachers challenged us to use Tagalog for  everything, dinner, talking to our district, with our companions. It helps and it helps us make our lessons run smoother.  There is still so much to learn... and not too much time, we get our travel plans NEXT Thursday! That's so crazy, I feel like that is when it will finally set in.  Maybe I am just getting a little excited, but the time goes so fast! The days are long, but the weeks fly by!

We are continuing to teach lessons to our 'investigators' (our teachers).  We are getting more comfortable teaching without notes. I don't know if our sentences make any sense, but they seem to understand.  Learning a language has taught me that even when we can't say anything  the spirit's language is universal!

-Sister Richins

Week Dalawa

Family and Friends,
Well here we are again another week, I cannot believe that it has already been another week! Luckliy I have finally been able to sleep at night. This week has been great as I have adjusted to Mission Life.  It is sometimes crazy, but so worth it.  So the first person we taught was our teacher, but she played an investigator. It was pretty hard because we wanted to say things, but we didn't know how to say anything in Tagalog.  The only thing we could do is to read senetances we have pulled out of Preach My Gospel and our missionary Language book. This week though we have started verb conjugations and starting to form our own sentences.  It is pretty hard to get the hang of, but it is coming slowly, but surely.  They ask us to Speak our Language in everything at the MTC so that we can practice, and learn new words everyday.
Our teachers tell us that the United States Millarty and other countries are really fascinated by the MTC and the quality of language of the speakers of the missionarys the Millitary has tried to figure out how the church does it and have come and toured the MTC, but its hard to tell them that it's the sprit makes it possilbe for us to learn.
Now that we now have two more 'progressing investigators' who are our teachers playing a role (usually they play someone from their mission). It's getting better and it is so nice that we are able to start to understand context of what they are saying.  At first my companion and I were not on the same page, but since we have been able to work really well together.  It has been an experience working with her, when she first came she didn't really think that the she had recieved any personal revelation, but I have been trying to point out times in the MTC when the spirit has worked through her.  I think she has definently been able to recognize the spirit more as we learn to teach my the spirit. There is a reason why we were put together as companions.
On Sunday we watched a film of a past devotional at the MTC by Elder Bendar.  It was so inspiring, he talked about the Character of Christ.  They explained that sometimes we are like the cookie monster saying 'I want cookie now' this he called is the 'natural man'.  The natural man is only concerned about theirself and getting what they want. As you study the life of Christ, however, you realize that when the natural man would turn inward, Christ turned outward.  Even on the cross, Christ was concerned about the welfare of others.  Never once did he stop and think about himself.  Ahh I don't know if I do this devotional justice, but it was just so inspiring for me to look at myself and find ways for me to turn outward to serve others rather than turning inward.
Yesterday two of the districts in our Zone left for the Philippines, it's so crazy! I am so excited for them they are great, and I have grown to love them so much.  Our branch now is pretty small, but tomorrow we get one district with 6 sisters and 4 elders! All the teachers are really excited as in more and more districts the sisters out number the Elders.  The MTC is so busy and bursting at the seems, but the work is moving foward.  It is so great that to see so many missionaries.
I met a sister yesterday Sister Hardoff who is going to Naga she is a convert of only one year.  She got baptized November 2011, got her mission call November 2012 and is now here one a mission.  It was so inspiring to here her story! Her parents are not members, and her dad is a athiest.  No one in her family is a member, and they don't support her going on a mission, but she made a way for it to work.  Just a year and a half ago she was searching for God in her life, her parents didn't teach her about God, so she decided to find out for herself.  She started going to all sorts of churches and one day asked her LDS friend if she could go to church with her.  Her friend was so excited and now look where she is now!!! Wow, she is so amazing!
-Sister Richins