I LOVE the Philippines!

What a week! This past week has really flown by as Sister Black and I have worked our best to bring the gospel to all of Triangulo (our area) one Filipino at a time!

This week Sister Black and I really learned a lot about working together, especially on Tuesday.

So Tuesday, we had both been working really hard for the Holly Ghost to help us teach and it ended up working out great because he was REALLY there! As we went from house to house sharing with each of our investigators, we were surprised by how strong the spirit was in all the lessons and by how well we seemed to be working together. now don"t get me wrong, I LOVE Sister Black! And I feel like we work great together! Especially the better we get to know each other. But that day was different, it was like we were teaching "as one" instead of just together.

For example, we found ourselves naturally handing the lesson back and forth about every 30sec-1min. yet it all flowed so perfectly! We both got to say what we felt prompted to say and the spirit was SO STRONG! For me, it definitely strengthened my testimony on the need of a companion and how we need to work together. And in some ways, I feel like it was a much needed and very special spiritual experience for me, one I want to continue to strive for throughout the mission.

On Thursday night we had another very good experience when we had a family home evening at one of our investigators (the Balmes Family's) home. We had been working hard and praying lots to get everything together for the family home evening and it all ended up coming together really well, we were so happy!

Before, we had decided to teach about testimony (because many of the investigators there are just starting to gain one) and how it is not something that comes suddenly or unexpectedly, but develops gradually over time. We used a puzzle of Jesus Christ we had made before hand with each piece of the puzzle representing a part of our testimony to show how a testimony--like a puzzle--is gained over time, one piece at a time. And like a puzzle, we can't always tell what the final picture will be when we first start.  We then had some activities where we had each of them do or share something to help "build their testimony" and as they did, they got to add a piece to the puzzle. At the very end, the puzzle made a picture of Christ and we shared how our testimony will help lead us to Christ.

We finished by surprising our investigators with an "American Style treat": ROOT BEER FLOATS! And they LOVED them! Overall, it turned out to be an AWESOME FHE. We ended up with a total of 16 people (11 investigators, 3 members and 2 missionaries) and the spirit was SUPER STRONG. By the time the lesson was over, everyone had a big smile on their face and a root beer float in hand.

But for me, I think the best effect of the lesson was last Sunday. I remember sitting in Church feeling so depressed as I looked around to see only 3 of our investigators at the start of Sacrament meeting. As I sat, I remember asking myself why? I felt like we had worked so HARD! So why only 3? As I thought, all of the things that I could be doing better and all the ways I could start working harder started flooding my mind. There is always more we can do, we just have to resolve to try.

As I sat there at the start of Sacrament meeting, I remember looking back to see the entire Balmes family and a couple of other investigators standing just outside! I could hardly contain myself as I grabbed Sister Black's arm and "reverently" shouted "They're here! They're here!" I can;t explain the joy I felt as we quickly got up and found some chairs for them--especially since this is the first time that the ENTIRE Balmes family has come to church.

It ended up being an awesome day of church and we had a good evening too while we were out proselyting. We even got to see some of our members dressed up for a "pageant" they were doing in Triangulo, where all the guys were dressing up like girls for a "show off", it was actually pretty funny.

Speaking of which, I just have to say: I LOVE the culture in the Philippines!!!!! 

Everyone is just SOOO nice! And everyone looks after each other here. 

They are all so open and willing to share even when they have nothing, it is super nice!

For example, everyday if we walk by someone while is eating, they always shout out and invite us to come and eat, even if we have never met them before.

 As we walk through Triangulo, all of the kids run up to give us high fives and you can always here someone singing karaoke down the street, whether or not they can actually sing. There's just no shame here in the Philippines! Sing it loud and sing it proud! Also, everyone here is so trusting. You only have to talk to someone for a minute and the next thing you know, you're friends!

There are also a lot of things here you can say to people that you would never say in America. Like when I first got here, and I remember Sister Villa introducing herself to some random stranger by asking where they were going. Since then, I have learned that it is completely normal to ask a person where they are going or coming from, their full name, if they are married and other personal questions that would never fly in America. In addition, I have also learned that is it okay to introduce yourself to someone who is smoking by telling them "You shouldn't smoke! That cigarette is going to kill you... maybe tomorrow!" It's actually really fun.

Anyways, I really do love it here more and more everyday. The people here are so awesome and I just feel so lucky to know them. I'm grateful for this great opportunity to serve and for all the times I have seen the Lord help us through when we couldn't have possibly done it on our own. 

So just remember, no matter what the circumstances or time is like in your life, turn to the Lord. He loves you and He will help you.

I love you all and hope you have a great week :)

Sincerely, Sister Matheny

Missionary Work Rocks!

So it has been another great week here. We have been eating lots,

  loving more, and working hard to help get our investigators progressing.

Last Monday, I got to call home for Mother’s Day and it was super nice! I guess I hadn’t realized how much I miss my family! I loved getting to hear from and to talk to them, even though I have to admit… I think my English is definitely getting worse because I had just a little bit of trouble speaking to them in English J Sorry mom! I love you!

Anyways, this week we ended up having splits with the STL’s! At first I was kind of dreading it to be honest (I don’t like to be away from my companion), but it ended up going really well! By the end of the day, I remembered why I love splits so much in the first place: There is SO much you can learn from working with other missionaries, especially when you’re with the STL’s! I learned a TON from Sister Fevaleaki  and we had a TON of FUN working together. We met TONS of NEW PEOPLE too! Who all seem to have LOTS of potential to progress: like Jorge for example. He is a massage therapist who recently changed religions. He has read the entire Bible and knows it front to back. He also has tons of questions: like why we have the Book of Mormon, and who helped God create the world? (Because it says “Let US create man” in Genesis, meaning there is more than one person involved in the creation J) It was lots of fun getting to answer his questions and now we are excited to go back and share again later this afternoon!

The best part about splits though (as usual) was getting a ton of good advice from Sister Fevelaki about things Sister Black and I can do to find more success in our area, and things I could work on which I have been trying to use throughout the rest of the week.

Everyday, Sister Black and I have been coming home from work SUPER TIRED, which I guess is a good thing because it means we have been working hard! It's also nice because it means I have been sleeping AWESOME! Which makes the days SO MUCH better. In addition, with summer in full swing, I have been eating lots of HOMEMADE street ice cream! Which is SO good! One of the members in our area sells ice cream for his hob and always gives us free ice cream when we come over to teach his family. His Ice cream is THE BEST! Only in the Philippines can you mix cookies & cream, mango, and cheese flavored ice cream and it will still taste good! I LOVE it here! The only thing I haven't quite gotten used to is the bugs...

I feel like with most bugs, the more you see them, the more you get used to them. Like with spiders for example. When I first got here, I HATED that we had spiders living all over our house. But now, it's just kind of like "Oh well!" They don't ever move or do anything to us, all they do is sit there... so it's fine! I have also come to feel the same way about ants, lizards, and other bugs; that is, the more I see them, the more normal they seem.

 The only bug that hasn't worked with is cockroaches (ad rats... but rats aren't bugs. They are more like monsters from the fiery depths). It just seems like the more cockroaches I see, the more they gross me out. Especially the huge flying ones! They are so fast! And always seem to land on ME right in the middle of some of our lessons, it's like they know that I'm freaked out by them!

For example, we were on our way home from a long day of missionary work on Thursday when I saw this giant swarm of cockroaches running in and out of the ditch we were passing by. I kept almost stepping on them which freaked me out so bad!

In addition, this week we also had interviews with the mission President, which are always nice because we have a chance to get some good advice from him. To be honest though, I feel like I have a tenancy to ramble whenever I am nervous, so I generally tend to ramble a lot when I am in interviews with President. So I guess I need to learn to work on that. I don't know why, but whenever I get nervous I just kind of blank out and am not quite sure what to say. Oh well, I guess nobody's perfect... I'll just need to work on that :). I know I'll get there eventually!

Besides that, we ended up getting to go to Diana's wedding this week, which was SO fun! She was super pretty and it was super fun to get to be a part of it all. Her and her husband Bernard are SO CUTE together! Everyone was so happy at the wedding and the spirit was really strong.

And now, Diana is looking forward to her baptism next week. She has done a lot to make it all happen and is really looking forward to to it, I CAN'T WAIT!

Finally, this Sunday church ended up being really nice. We had a couple of new investigators at church and some really good talks, it was nice to just be able to sit and listen in a nice relatively cool (compared to the outside) room for a few hours. In addition, I remember being surprised when just a few minutes before they passed the sacrament, I looked back to see one of our investigators standing in the back. He had just shown up and was looking for a place to sit. His name is Salvador and he is just about the cutest little old man ever! He has no teeth but always has this huge smile on his face! He is just so happy! And Sister Black and I were both so happy to see him at church.

For me, I think that is something I gained a testimony on this week: keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Before, I had never quite understood the significance of this holy day. But now I can testify that I know that if we just keep the Lord's Day holy, that all will be well with us. In six days, God created the heavens and the earth and on the seventh, he rested. If our God has need to rest on the seventh day, then how much greater is our need?

I know that if we utilize the Sabbath by attending our church meetings, serving those in need, and taking the time to draw nearer to our Savior and Redeemer: Jesus Christ, then He will draw closer to us. He will strengthen us in our trials, bring joy and peace in times of affliction, and lift/carry us through all the times in life--whether they be good or bad. In D&C 59:16-24 God has promised that to those who keep the Sabbath Day holy by setting aside all other work in order to do the work of the Lord, "the fullness of the earth is yours". As God has promised, I know that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come." How great a blessing given at such a low cost?!

I know that sometimes it is hard to keep the Sabbath Day holy: whether because of work, school or other activities. But I know that if we give this one day to the Lord, he will give so much more to us. As we tell all our investigators: it will be worth it. And I know that we will never regret following the commandments of the Lord. 

I hope you all have a great week! I love you a ton!

Sincerely, Sister Matheny

Happy Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!! This week it was super nice to get to talk to my family back home. I  LOVE and MISS them SOOOOO much and it is crazy to see them all again. :) I am so grateful for my mom and everything she has done for me. So here's a big shout out to all the moms out there! I love you all and wish you the best week ever!

Jay's baptism ended up being a HUGE success, he had the BIGGEST smile on his face and the spirit was so strong. I have watched him change so much these past few weeks and make so many sacrifices in order to be baptized. But when we asked him how he was after the baptism, he just had this huge smile on his face and with a big thumbs up told us he was supper happy, I have never seen him so happy before.

 To be honest, sometimes I think of the movies, the AC, the nice bed, and my family back home and it all seems so far away. But every time I experience a moment like this, it reminds me why I am here. The gospel can help and change people so much and it really does bless lives in a way nothing else can. As President Hinkley said in one of the stories he shared: "It's true isn't it? So what else matters."

I know that it is true and that if we are willing to give it our all in living the gospel, just like Jay is doing, than one day we will look back with a huge smile on our face and be grateful for every hard moment, every trial, and every moment of doubt and fear which helped us to grow, improve, change, and develop true happiness and a testimony. But more than that, we will be so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ who made it all possible through his love, atonement, death and life for us. Because of the great sacrifice for us (just like the great sacrifices I know each of our mothers make to raise us), we now have more blessings than would ever be possible otherwise :) 

I don't have much time to write this week as I spent my time getting to Skype my family!  

So, I will just share some of the highlights of my week in pictures...

Jay seemed to forget that he was at the church for a BAPTISM, not to become a NINJA ;) I guess the baptismal cloths do kind of look like ninja cloths... I guess that makes it even better! For your special day of being baptized, you get to be a NINJA!!!

So Taho (this food) is probably my FAVORITE breakfast here in the Philippines.

 It is SUPER sweet and almost impossible to describe. It is almost like flan (I think the white stuff is condensed soy milk) mixed with a toffee or caramel like liquid (I think it is liquidized sugar) and rice balls, it is SOOOO tasty!

No KFC in the Philippines would be complete without SPAGHETTI!!!! We had KFC for lunch for the first time this week and it was a little bit spicier than I expected! Also, I'm not sure which part of the chicken I was eating, but it was tasty :)

Our investigators are AWESOME!  I love this work so much!

There's nothing like watching a train in the Philippines, 

as it goes two miles an hour down the tracks trying to get everyone to get off the railroad while there is a parade going on the other side of the tracks :)

Sister Jimenez is SO SWEET!!!! She came to spend the night at our apartment and gave me a new STAR WARS CUP!

 Every time I use it, I think "Ah, so nice! Just a little taste of home..." It's crazy how much the little things can make a difference!

We had family home evening at the bishops house and it was awesome! Sister Black and I had to give the lesson last minute and after we played some games and ate some chicken accompanied by rice.

Nothing like ice cream for breakfast! What makes it better... it had HALO-HALO toppings!

No breakfast would be complete without a PANCAKE sandwich! We should have those in AMERICA :)

I hope you all have an amazing week!  I LOVE you all!

Sister Matheny 

Crazy, Busy Week!

This week was the first of a new transfer and things are really pumping up here in Naga. We have been working hard, doing our best and having fun in the Philippines! 

So at the beginning of this week, Sister Sosoter transferred to GOA! My last area... except she's going to Goa 1st ward (I was in Goa 2nd) and became an STL, I was super happy for her! I know she will LOVE it there! It's crazy though because if feels like she transferred FOREVER ago, yet it has only been one week. It's crazy how the time flies!

For Sister Sosoter's going away party on Monday, we had a big breakfast party for her! We ate egg, hot dog, watermelon, pancakes and rice (which I cooked... so it turned out just a little bit crispy) and it was delicious! By the time all the food was gone, I was STUFFED and not looking forward to a HUGE pile of laundry I had to do... I had twice as much as normal because I hadn't had time to do any the week before.

Anyways, everything eventually got done and we ended up having a great rest of the P-day, I even got to see Sister Jimenez that night when she came over to get Sister Sosoter (her new companion) and we got to have dinner with the San Pasqual family which was awesome because Sister San Pasqual is an AMAZING cook! So by the time P-day was over, I was all refreshed and ready to go for a new week.

As I said, this week flew by because Sister Black and I were really putting in our best effort trying to get our area pumping. It felt like we never stopped moving or slowed down this whole week! 

But it really ended up paying off at the end of the week when we had 10 investigators show up to sacrament meeting and another 3 come for the last hour, making a total of 13 investigators at church! That was definitely a record for Sister Black and I, even though it didn't quite reach our goal. 

I remember sitting downstairs eating dinner with Sister Black Saturday night, exhausted from a day of hard work when a thought popped into my head: "I bet we can get 20 investigators at church!" To be honest, I think we can really do it! So this week, I want to work twice as hard to make it happen!

Not that it will be hard with Sister Black as a companion: She is an extremely hard worker, so good at talking to people and an amazing companion/friend. She has helped me so much since I have gotten here and I appreciate her a ton! Like for example, when we went out to work the other day and her stomach wasn't feeling good but she still took the time to stop and talk to everyone! Even when we were both super tired and ready to go home. Or like last night when on the way home we were both STARVING! My natural instinct was just to rush home and get some food but Sister Black didn't do hat, and we still met and talked to tons of people on the way home. To be honest, I think it is that quality of Sister Black that has helped our area so much! So I am determined to learn from her this transfer!

So anyways, this week has been full of TONS of awesome experiences, like on Wednesday night when we surprised Jay with a cake for his b-day. 

 Jay is AMAZING! He has a baptismal date coming up this Saturday and has made so many sacrifices to reach that baptismal date. To be honest, I don't know if I could handle half of what he has been through just to get to baptism, yet when you ask him if he believes this church is true, he will always tell you confidently and with a big smile on his face that he KNOWS it is true, and is just so grateful to be a part of it... it's AMAZING!

Anyways, on wendsday night we brough the cake over to his neighbors (The Balmes family) who also have an upcoming baptismal and is an absolutels GOLDEN family! When Jay got off of work, we texted him to come over and he did, just expecting us to teach. 

He was not expecting the cake at all and was so surprised when his sister, Angelene, brought it out for him and we all started to sing happy birthday.

 I think the best part of that night was seeing the big smiles on everyone's face as they all ate cake for the first time in their lives--it was especially cute to watch Jason (the Balmes family's down-syndrome child) so excited to eat his first piece of cake! That definitely made my night.

Speaking of food... this week I got to try SNAIL!!! 

We went over to the Isip family for dinner on Friday night with the intent of cooking adobe for them (since they are always cooking for us) 

only to find a big pot of snails ready and waiting for us.

 I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous to try, especially because to eat snail you have to literally suck it out of the shell! 

So I was surprised to find that it was actually pretty good! I would definitely eat it again.

We also had an awesome service project this week...

And we caught this giant rat!  YUCK!

Besides that, Sister Black and I almost jumped for joy Thursday afternoon when we showed up to our part-member Dianna's home and she gave us an invitation for her upcoming wedding on the 20th. We are so excited for her and her soon-to-be husband, and I know she is really looking forward to it as well. They have been working really hard to make it all happen these past few weeks and it is nice that everything is finally coming together.

Also, this Tuesday we spent our lunch hour camped out at our investigator Mark's house, waiting for him to get home for his lunch break. He has SO MUCH POTENTIAL! The only problem is that HE IS ALWAYS WORKING!! It's CRAZY! but we managed to come at exactly the right time and set a return appointment for the following day, where he came with us to the Balilo family and we taught them all together.

At the end of the lesson, we extended a baptismal date to all of them for June 17 but s we went around asking each member of the family, they each said they would need more time to think about it until we got to Mark. When we asked Mark if he would be baptized on the 17th if he knew the message was true he said "OF COURSE I will if it is true! Who wouldn't be? But if it's not true, I won't" after that, he went on to explain the importance of baptism and his determination to find out if this message is true. His firm resolve helped the rest of the Balilo family and they all agreed to the baptismal date, meaning that because of Mark, we now have 5 new investigators with a baptismal date!

On the way home, Mark told us that he has been struggling with insomnia and has tried everything to be able to sleep! He said that the only thing that has been able to help him though, is the Book of Mormon. His testimony of the power of that book as he shared how it has blessed his life really helped to strengthen my own testimony.

I know the Book of Mormon is true, it has blessed my life so much and I am so grateful to have it. I wish I could describe jow much the Book of Mormon can bless, bring peace and comfort to a life. But there are no words, no way to describe it. The only way to know is just to read it for yourself and I promise, it will bless and change your life.

I love you all and hope you have the best week ever! Thank you for all your emails and support every week, they really keep me going! I really appreciate them all. I am sorry I don't have time to respond to everyone, but I promise I read them all.  Take care!

Sister Matheny