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
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
June 2
Dear Family and Friends,
Welcome to the month of June!
This week was challenging but rewarding. I think it is really funny. Because everything in missionary work leads up to Sunday. We teach and you teach and find, and then comes Sunday. Sometimes you go and pick up investigators and then you wait to see who will come to church. Sometimes those tense seconds on Sunday are the worst. This week during weekly planning session. I was like how can we help these precious souls progress. We were just struggling to help investigators attend church. We started our fast on Saturday and I was just fasting that we could help people attend church and progress. On Sunday, we waited and waited and then finally 15 minutes into sacrament meeting Brother Don shows up. I was so shocked. He had just expressed his concern to us about how he had studied to became a pastor in the catholic church and had started a small church where they live. But there was brother Don. It was really exciting, you could really see a difference in him, to experience church. After we asked how church was he said it was good and next week he was going to bring his whole family. Blessing.
Well that was the end of the week, but the other part of the week was great too. We had exchanges with the other sisters in Bacon. I was with Sister Estrada, she is from the part of the Philippines where the new temple is being built. She was really fun to work with and we had a great time. I worked in her area. We were walking maybe 8:30 at night and he started talking to this boy that was like 18 that was just sitting and smoking a cigarette on the street. But Sister Estrada was great and started talking to him. He wasn't really interesting, but he said his sister might. So we went to his house and taught his older sister. Sometimes when they don't look at all interested you never know, so that is why we talk to everyone!
We also had zone conference on Friday. It was really great, any time to learn from President Guanzon is really great. The workshop for zone conference was about companionship study, It was a little different kind of workshop, but it was really helpful, how we can make companionship study more effective and making our planning more effective. A good day really starts off with a good companionship study. It was a great conference and I learned so much. I am trying to sprint to the finish, strive to be exactly obedient and work hard.
This week should be exciting. We just realigned the areas in Bacon so that it was more equal in the areas closest to the chapel, so this week we are in a sense opening an area. We are also going to try to use the book of Mormon to really help our investigators progress.
I have talked so much about how great the branch leaders are in this branch because they really are. They strive to magnify their calling. We had a meeting with the branch presidency and we talked about something the Branch is working on to save the rising generation. They are tracking the Young adults and the Youth and making sure that no one gets left behind. The missionaries and the branch members are one in this. President Desuyo said we are a team to really help them become truly converted. Part of the plan is to have them work with the missionaries more, so they can share their testimony and thus be strengthened.
Well I hope everything is going well for all of you. I love being a missionary, I love it.
-Sister Richins
Welcome to the month of June!
This week was challenging but rewarding. I think it is really funny. Because everything in missionary work leads up to Sunday. We teach and you teach and find, and then comes Sunday. Sometimes you go and pick up investigators and then you wait to see who will come to church. Sometimes those tense seconds on Sunday are the worst. This week during weekly planning session. I was like how can we help these precious souls progress. We were just struggling to help investigators attend church. We started our fast on Saturday and I was just fasting that we could help people attend church and progress. On Sunday, we waited and waited and then finally 15 minutes into sacrament meeting Brother Don shows up. I was so shocked. He had just expressed his concern to us about how he had studied to became a pastor in the catholic church and had started a small church where they live. But there was brother Don. It was really exciting, you could really see a difference in him, to experience church. After we asked how church was he said it was good and next week he was going to bring his whole family. Blessing.
Well that was the end of the week, but the other part of the week was great too. We had exchanges with the other sisters in Bacon. I was with Sister Estrada, she is from the part of the Philippines where the new temple is being built. She was really fun to work with and we had a great time. I worked in her area. We were walking maybe 8:30 at night and he started talking to this boy that was like 18 that was just sitting and smoking a cigarette on the street. But Sister Estrada was great and started talking to him. He wasn't really interesting, but he said his sister might. So we went to his house and taught his older sister. Sometimes when they don't look at all interested you never know, so that is why we talk to everyone!
We also had zone conference on Friday. It was really great, any time to learn from President Guanzon is really great. The workshop for zone conference was about companionship study, It was a little different kind of workshop, but it was really helpful, how we can make companionship study more effective and making our planning more effective. A good day really starts off with a good companionship study. It was a great conference and I learned so much. I am trying to sprint to the finish, strive to be exactly obedient and work hard.
This week should be exciting. We just realigned the areas in Bacon so that it was more equal in the areas closest to the chapel, so this week we are in a sense opening an area. We are also going to try to use the book of Mormon to really help our investigators progress.
I have talked so much about how great the branch leaders are in this branch because they really are. They strive to magnify their calling. We had a meeting with the branch presidency and we talked about something the Branch is working on to save the rising generation. They are tracking the Young adults and the Youth and making sure that no one gets left behind. The missionaries and the branch members are one in this. President Desuyo said we are a team to really help them become truly converted. Part of the plan is to have them work with the missionaries more, so they can share their testimony and thus be strengthened.
Well I hope everything is going well for all of you. I love being a missionary, I love it.
-Sister Richins
May 26
Dear Family and Friends,
Well we are approaching the last week of May. The time goes so fast. It is hard to think of buy as school comes to a close over there, Everyone is getting ready to go back to school this week.
Not going to lie it was a little difficult week, we had to drop a lot of investigators. Sometimes the outside influences of family members and friends is really hard for people. Sometimes it is just a hard part of missionary work, even when people have really great experiences and they just can't withstand some social temptations. It just reminds me of the quote from Elder Jeffery R Holland that said that of course missionary work is not easy, it was never easy for the author of Salvation, even our savior Jesus Christ. He also said that Missionaries and investigators will have to feel a little of what the Savior felt. That is how we come to know our savior.
But other than a few disappointments we did have a good week in Bacon. We had one investigator sister Rose Ann. We have been teaching her for a while. She was a referral from Sister Alma Carrido when she was an investigator. She knows that Book of Mormon is true and loves reading it, but has just been so shy to come to church. She lives really close to our apartment so we have tried 3 times to pick her up for church, but is is says next time, next time. So on Saturday they branch has a picnic dinner really close to her house. We decided to see if she would come to the picnic with us. We went to get her, but she said she was too shy because she wasn't a member yet. We we went to the picnic and enlisted the help of the members. Sister Alma volunteered so Sister Alma and three of the Relief society sisters went to Rose Ann's house to get her. She was still shy so she she sent her kids instead, when they got to the picnic her little daughter decided that she didn't want to come, so sister Alma walked her back to her house and then when she came back we saw Rose Ann with her kids and Sister Alma. It was so great. The Branch was so quick to fellowship and was like okay I can come to church. This is why we need members!
We also found this investigator this week that was really prepared by the Lord, she has a lot of trials in her life and has been having a really hard time, she was suppose to be at work, but for some reason she felt that she should stay home and they we came and she said it was like and answer to prayers. She was so happy, we gave her a book of Mormon and taught her to pray. She was like I didn't know how to pray sister. She was so happy. It is these moments that make me so glad that I get to be an instrument in God's hands.
-Sister Richins
Well we are approaching the last week of May. The time goes so fast. It is hard to think of buy as school comes to a close over there, Everyone is getting ready to go back to school this week.
Not going to lie it was a little difficult week, we had to drop a lot of investigators. Sometimes the outside influences of family members and friends is really hard for people. Sometimes it is just a hard part of missionary work, even when people have really great experiences and they just can't withstand some social temptations. It just reminds me of the quote from Elder Jeffery R Holland that said that of course missionary work is not easy, it was never easy for the author of Salvation, even our savior Jesus Christ. He also said that Missionaries and investigators will have to feel a little of what the Savior felt. That is how we come to know our savior.
But other than a few disappointments we did have a good week in Bacon. We had one investigator sister Rose Ann. We have been teaching her for a while. She was a referral from Sister Alma Carrido when she was an investigator. She knows that Book of Mormon is true and loves reading it, but has just been so shy to come to church. She lives really close to our apartment so we have tried 3 times to pick her up for church, but is is says next time, next time. So on Saturday they branch has a picnic dinner really close to her house. We decided to see if she would come to the picnic with us. We went to get her, but she said she was too shy because she wasn't a member yet. We we went to the picnic and enlisted the help of the members. Sister Alma volunteered so Sister Alma and three of the Relief society sisters went to Rose Ann's house to get her. She was still shy so she she sent her kids instead, when they got to the picnic her little daughter decided that she didn't want to come, so sister Alma walked her back to her house and then when she came back we saw Rose Ann with her kids and Sister Alma. It was so great. The Branch was so quick to fellowship and was like okay I can come to church. This is why we need members!
We also found this investigator this week that was really prepared by the Lord, she has a lot of trials in her life and has been having a really hard time, she was suppose to be at work, but for some reason she felt that she should stay home and they we came and she said it was like and answer to prayers. She was so happy, we gave her a book of Mormon and taught her to pray. She was like I didn't know how to pray sister. She was so happy. It is these moments that make me so glad that I get to be an instrument in God's hands.
-Sister Richins
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)