I'm in Naga!

Oh my gulay! How the week has flown. So this week I am in a new area--NAGA CITY--and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT here! Even though that doesn't mean I was any less sad to leave Goa.

I remember laying on my mattress Monday night before I left and my heart just hurt so bad for all the people there I was going to miss. I thought about all of our recent converts and all the investigators we had coming to church. I thought about their upcoming baptisms and was sad that I am going to miss them. We have one investigator that we have been teaching since Sister Villa and I were companions--I found him while we were on exchanges--and he got baptized this past Saturday, so I was definitely feeling a little sad to miss that, especially since I care about him SO MUCH!

On Monday night when I had my last opportunity to share with some of our investigators/recent converts I did my best to let them know how much I care for them and will miss them and left feeling grateful, that I had that opportunity to say goodbye.

So  on the ride to Naga City, I was SUPER NERVOUS!!! I was so mixed up with excitement, anticipation, a little sadness for my old area, and nervous to meet my new companion Sister Black. I was especially worried about how we were supposed to teach, since both of us are still learning Tagalog, but as soon as we got to Naga I soon found that everything would be fine.

 Sister Black is HILARIOUS!!! and SUPER HARD WORKING, we have had an AWESOME companionship so far and our investigators are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Also, I love our area and living in the city is a lot more fun that I expected... as me and Sister Stackhouse said last week, "I GET TO GO TO SM!!!!" Jkjk (we always joke about the SM here. It is just a mall in Naga, but apparently... everyone ALWAYS wants to go there. To be honest, it's really not that different from any other mall).

Anyways, there are people EVERYWHERE here! It is so different from my last area! For one, I am always feeling super turned around in our area because it is basically a maze of streets and people. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!! And they are all super nice, we have found tons of new people to teach this week and have a few progressing investigators so I think Sister Black and my biggest problem so far has been FINDING TIME to get everything done. But that is alright. We have a big vision for our area and Sister Black is willing to work really hard to get it done.

 SERIOUSLY! I thought I was a hard worker until I met Sister Black. Now I feel LAZY compared to her!

 So a little bit about Sister Black: She's from Utah, just turned 20 last week, is one transfer behind me and grew up in a RANCH! So she has a HORSE and goes riding all the time! I was so jealous when I heard that. I WANT A HORSE! But that's alright, I'll just go ride her's after my mission.

Additionally, she is an awesome teacher and really gets in to what she is saying. She is still learning Tagalog (like me) but that's alright because the people here are really drawn to her. They like listening to her because she is amazing at making everyone feel loved. I think there is a TON I am going to learn from her.

In addition, our teaching has been awesome! But let me start by saying, be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it... and Heavenly Father has a habit of answering prayers in "mysterious ways".

At the end of last transfer, the only thing I prayed for was that I would really be able to learn Tagalog this transfer. Well... Sister Black was an answer to that prayer. Being the Senior companion and having more practice with Tagalog has really forced me to always be listening and to use all the skills I have to teach! Just in the past week Sister Black and I have gotten so much better at Tagalog and at teaching, it is insane! Also, since we both treasure our language study time, we have been taking it a LOT more seriously than before.

So since I have been here, I've been trying to use some of the finding techniques I learned from Sister Satini and they seem to be working really well! For example, last Wednesday...

We were walking along and everyone was saying hi to us as usual in our area. We were close to the old railroad tracks and there were TONS of kids out playing, as usual. As we were walking, this guy said hi so we said hi back. I really wanted to share with him so I turned to Sister Black and said "we are going to share with him." 

We walked up and asked if we could have 10 minutes to share our message and weren't too surprised when he said that he was too busy. So I asked why? It looked like he was just standing to me! He said he has to watch a ton of kids, so I said "that's fine, we can just share with all of you!" So then I had him call all the kids and we all went up on the overpass by the old railroad.

When we got there, I immediately wondered if I had made a terrible error in judgement because there were about 30 of them (ages 8-16) just sitting up there waiting for us to share... and keep in mind: Sister Black and I aren't exactly what you would call "fluent".

By the time we were up there though, it was too late to turn back so we shared our message, answered some questions and nearly got trampled as every single one of those kids wanted a pamphlet at the end (we made them share). So overall, I would call the lesson a success. In addition, we set a return appointment for last Friday which went equally well. More of the older kids showed up than the time before and this time, they all contributed to the lesson, it was awesome! In addition, we got 8 of them to commit to baptism at the end, which was cool.

The only scary thing about Friday was that we brought some small candies to pass out to everyone after the lesson and again, were nearly trampled to death under a mob of children. To be honest, I am surprised I am still alive! It's a good thing Sister Black and I are taller than all the Filipinos, or we would not have survived.

Anyways, besides that... I definitely miss Sister Jimenez's cooking here. As two white Americans who have no idea how to cook Filipino food, we've been feeling a little pitiful here with our canned foods. But that's alright! We told one of the families in our ward (the Isip family) about our dilemma and they invited us over to dinner Saturday night, where they taught us how to cook adobe (I forgot how to do it from our last area) so I wrote the recipe down and now we can officially cook one thing! WE ROCK!

They said we can come back next week and have snails for dinner if we want... I'm not sure whether to be EXCITED or SCARED about that...

So ya... I love my new area, my new companion and all the people here, even though I get lost ALL THE TIME! Oh well, I guess it's all a learning process so I'll just be grateful for all the blessings and not worry so much about the things I can't change. Ya, it's getting hot and people don't always understand us, but in the past week I have gotten so much better at the language, met so many new people, had lots of smiles, lots of laughs and more love than I thought was possible. So overall, I would call this week a success.

I wish you all the best! And hope you all have a great week full of blessings and love.

-Sincerely, Sister Matheny

My last week in Goa :'(

Wow what a blur! This was the last week of our transfer and I definitely think it was a good end to a great six weeks! This transfer we have had 5 baptisms, with lots more on the way next transfer and have met tons of new people we are excited to start teaching. The only sad part about it all, is that I won't be the one teaching them anymore :'( because this upcoming transfer I am moving to NAGA!!!! So I guess it is going to be a little bit bitter sweet. 

On the one hand, I am really REALLY going to miss all of our investigators here,

Sister Satini, 

and Sister Jimenez

 but on the other, I am excited to start a new journey in a new area. The other slightly-scary/slightly-exciting thing about my new area is that I will be companions with SISTER BLACK!!!! I am super excited to meet her but also a little nervous because she is an American foreigner just like me.  The only difference is that she is newer than me, which means we are going to have a TON of fun learning Tagalog together :P since I'll be the more experienced missionary in the language and to be honest, hindi ako marunong na magsalita ng Tagalog (I can't speak Tagalog)

Anyways, I guess I will take this time to speak about my AMAZING area in Goa one last time before I have to say goodbye tomorrow...

So pretty much every single day this week has had something special happen, we have seen miracles, 

eaten LOTS of good food, 

 and we also had two baptisms this week.

 To start, I want to talk about the MIRACLE. So I will just say, GOD REALLY DOES ANSWER PRAYERS and fasting really works. So this Monday, we had an FHE planned at our investigator Roberto's home. We invited several of our other investigators and were hoping to be able to have a couple fun activities and a lesson for them all there. I remember on Sunday, we dropped by one of our investigators--Brother Israel--and invited him to come the next day. He said he wasn't sure but that he would check his schedule. I remember I really REALLY wanted him to be able to attend, because I felt very strongly that it would be a HUGE turning point for him, but I didn't know what we should do to make it happen.

That night when we got home, I was thinking of EVERYTHING we could possibly do to help when I suddenly felt very prompted that I should fast. So before bed, I opened up a fast, praying that Brother Israel would be able to make it on Monday. 

So the next morning (Monday), we texted him to give him all the details and let him know when we would come get him. I had this HUGE knot in my stomach all day just waiting for a reply and finally, in the afternoon we got one. Immediately, my heart lurched as I read the words "Sisters, I will not be able to make it tonight. I have things I need to do". In that moment, I felt so crushed. I didn't know what to do, say, or how to react. I felt that I had been doing everything I could to help him be able to come and yet... he wouldn't be able to come.

After that, Sister Satini and I asked about what he needed to do and how we could help and were more than a little surprised when out of the blue he texted us saying "The things I needed to do have been canceled". We were so excited! I almost jumped for joy inside the grocery store when we got that note. 

Anyways, long story short we hit a couple more little bumps in the road after that but in the end, everything ended up working out and we had an AMAZING family home evening at Roberto's home. It was a full house and I saw my prayers answered in more ways than one while we were there.

I saw the spirit working through and with our investigators throughout the whole night, and the air was thick with the spirit. After, on the way home, I felt so HAPPY. I felt we had been part of a miracle and was so grateful that my prayer has been answered.

For me, it ended up being another confirming experience that God really does love each of his children dearly and that when we ask with real intent and do everything we can, God will ALWAYS help us. He is always there, he is always listening... sometimes it just takes a little effort on our part to hear him ;) But I promise, that when we are willing to do that, it is all worth it in the end.

In addition to that experience, I definitely shed a couple tears at our RS anniversary when I ate a pepper that was so hot, I thought steam would come out of my ears! I had been eating a salad one of the members made and they didn't tell me I wasn't supposed to eat the peppers, let me just say... I don't think I have EVER had so much WATER in my life!

Additionally, we had a super AMAZING baptism this week for our investigators Sister Trisha and Brother Roberto. We had an awesome turn-out and the spirit was almost palpable. After the ordinance, I almost cried as Roberto stood up and shared his testimony about the gospel. As he was speaking, he had to stop a couple times because his eyes were getting teary and I could definitely feel the spirit as he spoke. It is at moments like those that I really remember why I am here and why I came on a mission in the first place.

 I remember when I came out on a mission, I just prayed that I would get to be a part of some people's conversions stories and get to see the gospel change lives. I have only been out for three transfers and already I have had that prayer answered time and time again.

The gospel really does change hearts and I am so grateful to have it in my life.

Finally, I am really going to miss Sister Satini in my new area.

 She will be training next transfer! I am super excited for her! And I know that our investigators will be in good hands with her. 

I really have learned so much from her about loving the people and not only working hard, but working smart as well. I feel like we had a good thing going and I will definitely miss her in Naga.

Anyways, I could talk FOREVER about all the amazing things we are so fortunate to experience every moment of every day here, but for now I will just finish saying that I am so grateful to be a missionary. I know I say that all the time, but it is because it is TRUE! I wouldn't trade my time here for anything in the world, it has been some of the best time of my life.

So for any of my friends and family back home who are thinking about serving, JUST DO IT! It will be worth it. And even though some days are sad, hard, happy and full of crazy new experiences, every moment is full of joy and I promise that you will NEVER forget it :)

I love you all and hope you have the best week ever!

Sincerely, Sister Matheny :D

I LOVE this work!

Oh my Gulay (oh my vegetable)! How the time has flown! 

This week has been super busy and so full of awesome experiences that I don't even know where to start.  I remember looking back on Friday and not being able to believe that it was almost P-day again. So the time really has gone by incredibly fast. This week, we had a district activity where we got to go to Port Alfred in San Jose, Philippines...

...and spend some fun time on the beach!

 It was so much fun!!!

Starting today is Sister Stackhouse's last week on the mission.  Sniff, sniff.

 It's so weird because I feel like she has been here since I got here! She is super smart, an awesome missionary and has also become a good friend as well. I have learned so much from her example and am really going to miss her when she goes home. She said that the time has gone by really fast and I believe her! For me, I can't believe that next week I'll have been on a mission for 6 months! Yet it only feels like it has been a few weeks, where has the time gone?!

~ Me, Sister Stackhouse, & Sister Jimenez in a tricy ~

~ Sister Satini, Me, Sister Stackhouse, & Sister Jimenez ~

Anyways, I feel like part of the reason Sister Satini and I had such a fast week was because we "worked smart" and got a lot done. 

We came up with some new ideas for our area that we decided to try out this week and they ended up working out really well! As we have been getting to know each other it has been getting easier and easier for us to work together and mix our awesome ideas together so we have the best plan possible. :)

Speaking of the best, one of the best things about this week was my mom. This week I got a ton of packages from her which my kabahays, companion, and I all loved! It was like Christmas all over again when I came home to a new box a couple of times this week. 

I was SOOOO excited to open them because my mom always sends the BEST stuff ;) And I think my kasama and kabahays love her too because they were just as thrilled as me when we opened up the packages and there was tons of good stuff inside.

 I know one of the best things my mom sent was a ton of different toys to give away to the kiddies. 

Since then, I have been carrying around bouncy balls every day to give away to the kids we teach and see playing outside. I think that two experiences that touched me the most were both times when I have never seen a kid so happy to get such a small gift.

The first experience, we were just getting out of a lesson when we saw this kid playing with part of a coconut shell and a cup. When we saw him, Sister Satini and I both immediately felt like we should give him a bouncy ball to play with. We handed it to him and his whole face lit up. As we were walking away, we watched him run over to his friend super excited to show her the new toy, it was adorable!

The second time, I gave a couple bouncy balls to these little kids who always say hi to us in one of our areas. When I gave the ball to the little boy, he literally started jumping and yelling "YAY! YAY! YAY!" It was just about the most adorable thing ever!

So I guess this is the part where I give a huge shout out to my mom. 

She really is amazing and has been a HUGE help to me, even though she is on the other side of the world. Growing up, that was always something that I noticed about my mom, she is just about the most selfless woman I have ever met! She is always doing everything she can to help me and the people around her, it's awesome!

"Matheny's always win" is our family motto. lol ;)

Anyways, this weekend was super busy as we tried to plan a baptism on Saturday. It seemed like everything kept going wrong super last minute so to be honest, I was definitely feeling a little stressed about it all, because we really did want to have a good baptism! But in the end, everything ended up coming together really well and the spirit was super strong!

The baptism was for our investigator, Nanay Asor, and it has been so cool to be able to see the change in her these past couple of weeks. When we first started teaching her, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be baptized and was always waiting for the perfect time. As we taught though, it was crazy to see her change. Now she has one of the strongest testimonies I have seen here and always tears up when she bears her testimony. At the baptism, when she had the opportunity to share her testimony, it brought tears to my eyes.

 That was definitely a highlight of an awesome week, but to make things even better, two of our investigators (Brother Roberto and Sister Trisha) also had their baptismal interviews this week, which went really well. I was especially excited for Brother Roberto because we have seen how much he has changed these past few weeks and how excited he is for his baptism.

I remember when we were at his house the other day helping him to prepare for the interview. We started asking him if he would be willing to keep different commandments after his baptism and he stopped us by saying that he is willing to follow any commandment God gives him. He just wants to do the right thing and follow the Lord's plan for him, it's incredible!

By the end of that lesson, the spirit was so strong and I was so happy. I feel like we put all this effort into teaching the restored gospel to our investigators and in the end, I feel like I always end up learning more from them than they do from us!

As missionaries, we are meant to teach repentance and baptize converts. 

Before, I had always understood what conversion was but I had never seen how real/effective/powerful it really is.

Every week we are so privileged to be a part of all these amazing people's conversion stories and see how powerful the gospel really can be at changing the hearts of men. Since I have been here, I have seen people stop smoking and drinking, overcome different challenges in life, and gain a new light and happiness that they didn't have before.

I know that the gospel is true and that it really does have the power to change people :) I know that it changes me more every day.

Anyways, I love you all and am so thankful for the emails I get each week. I wish I had more time to respond to them all!

 I hope y'all have a great week! :)

Sincerely, Sister Matheny