Stay positive, work hard, and don't forget to pray.

This week I saw a lot of miracles as Sister Raneses and I worked our way to a great ending.

 I feel like we both put in our best effort and really saw our work pay off, even if every day was not the easiest ever. Especially Monday.

So last Monday, we were cleaning the house when we received a text from one of our part-member families saying that their mom had just died that morning. I remember just feeling so shocked and sad as I thought about this family who I have grown so close to since I started here in Naga.

Since I have gotten here to Naga, Nanay's health has gradually started to decline. She started getting thinner and thinner, and it has been really hard to watch. Especially since the doctors were having trouble figuring out what the problem was. I remember when I got the news last Monday, I literally had no idea of how to help them. MY only thought was "if only Sister Black were here. She could help them."

Well, my silent prayer was answered when later that day I showed up at the mission office only to find that Sister Black was in fact there! Along with her new companion: Sister Sorenson. It turns out they had come into town for their trainer's and trainee's meeting the next day. 

Of course I was so thrilled and excited to see Sister Black again! And to meet her new companion, Sister Sorenson. So Sister Sorenson is really pretty, super nice, and AWESOME at Tagalog, even though she just got here! I had the opportunity to work with her later Monday night, and we had a lot of fun.

Anyways, more than anything, when I saw Sister Black I was super relieved and immediately told her what happened to the Lalas family.

I am so grateful that Sister Black was here, because later that night,she and Sister Raneses were able to go over to the Lalas family and give them exactly what they needed to hear. After that, when we went to visit the Lalas family the following days, I saw a new strength and hope in their faces that wasn't there before. I could see that they were still really sad (especially since Nanay left 4 kids ages 4, 10, 15, and 18 for their father to care for on his own), but more than anything I could see that they had faith. Faith that their mother will be alright and that they will see her again one-day. Later that week, at nanay's funeral service, I had to hold back the tears as tay gave a tearful talk about His wife and even more so as his eldest daughter gave the most sincere prayer at the end of the funeral, thanking God for letting them know their mother, for the time they had with her, and asking Him to take care of her now. 

The experience was really sad, but more than anything, it really strengthened my testimony about the power of the atonement to heal and to mend us, especially in the times of our greatest trials.

Besides that, we experienced a lot more heartbreaks and trials throughout the week that definitely left me praying hard for all of the people here. So by the time Sunday came around, I was tired.

I just remember feeling a little discouraged as we walked around from house to house for 2 hours trying to get all our investigators to church only to be turned down at every one. I remember thinking "why? Why Heavenly Father? We are working as hard as we can here! And doing as much as we can. Only to walk around from house to house--thirsty, tired, feet aching, and sweating--and be turned down again and again."

So by the time we got to church, I was definitely in a state of "bitter despair", only to find myself repenting of all those negative thoughts a moment later when we entered the chapel to find that 9 of our investigators were already at the church! 

For me, I think I learned an important lesson from this experience: have faith, be positive, because Heavenly Father always pulls through. He did for the Lalas family when their problems were much worse than mine and he will for each of us. He makes the difference every single time so that if we just do our best, He will provide for all of our faults and anything we might lack.

Sometimes, I think I have a habit of trying to take on the world. I want to do everything on my own, forgetting that Heavenly Father is right here to help us in every moment and instant of our life.

 So looking back at all our experiences from this past week, the good and the bad, I am just so grateful for the lessons I have learned, and for the never-ceasing help of my Father in Heaven.  This week, as all the others, He really did pull through. 

Just as I know he does for each of us every day.  So just stay positive, work hard and don't forget to pray. Because he will hear you. And like they always say:

"IT WON'T BE EASY, BUT IT WILL DEFINITELY BE WORTH IT IN THE END".

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week,

Sincerely,

Sister Matheny

P.S.  This is a weird fruit here in the Philippines, but it is super tasty!!!  Like a big grape.

 And look what we made...

YUM!

An AWESOME week!

Wow! What an awesome week! To be honest, this is probably one of the best I have had as Sister Raneses have done our best to work hard and be exactly obedient this week. Over the past few weeks, especially this one, I have seen a huge change in Sister Raneses and our companionship and have been so grateful to have her as a companion. Let me just say, we have definitely had a lot of fun experiences together here in Naga and have definitely grown closer and closer over these past 2 months.

This week has definitely been a roller-coaster of a week as we have experienced ups and downs, good and bad, but overall, it has definitely ended on a high note. Leaving us refreshed and ready to go for another round of a week.

Starting last Monday, I was a little stressed because the previous night (Sunday) after a long couple of months of effort, one of our investigators was FINALLY ready for baptism, only to come out of the interview not sure if she was ready for baptism yet. I remember feeling so stressed as we told her (Joyce) that it was up to her, but that she should definitely pray about it before making a decision.

So naturally, throughout the whole Monday, I was feeling a little anxious as we waited to head out and ask Joyce about her prayer. When we first got to her house, she was a little shy to tell us the answer she had received, but by the end of the lesson, tears in her eyes, she testified to us that she knows this message is true and was ready to be baptized.

I have never seen Joyce open up so much as she did in that moment, and was even more surprised when during her closing prayer, she cried! To be honest, I had trouble holding back a few tears myself because the spirit was SOOOOO strong! Leaving their house, I remembered why I am here doing this work and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as I thought about all the change we have seen in Joyce and her family since we have started teaching them.

So of course, after such a spiritually powerful lesson, we were left in even more shock and confusion when upon arriving at our next appointment with Brother Junner, he suddenly and unexpectedly decided that he does not want to listen to us anymore. I was surprised by how hard the news hit me, especially when after we left, I turned back to see Junner sitting in his house all by himself, crying. For me, walking away from that home was probably one of the hardest moments I have experienced since I have started the mission. Especially since we have really come to care about Junner over these past few weeks. We have seen him change so much and have watched his potential grow. I know he's had a rough life, and we are still not 100% sure what happened, but I know that God will always be there to help him, like He is for all of us.

So this week heading up to Joyce's baptism, we had a lot more cool experiences. Like when we went to teach Francaise at his work place. As we started teaching him and his two friends/workmates (who he had convinced to listen), his other workmates kept passing by, so Francais started shouting out to them to come and listen too! By the end of the lesson, we went from a total of 5 of us, to about 15 of Francais's friends all sitting around, on the edge of their tricey and overturned buckets, as Sister Raneses and I taught them about the Restoration. At the end, they were all super involved and ready to hear the Joseph Smith story. It was really cool, a lot of fun, and we even had a bit of a laugh!

Anyways, Saturday (the day of Joyce's baptism) finally came around and it almost felt surreal as we headed to the chapel to watch as she entered the waters of baptism. For me, I think this is one of the most special baptisms I have seen since the start of my mission, just because of how much it took to help Joyce get to this point and because of how much I have seen her change over the past few months.

 After the baptism, and especially her confirmation the following day, I saw a new light shining around Joyce that hadn't been there before. I was so happy for her! Especially to get to be a part of her conversion story and see how happy she was after her baptism. I really do think this will be the start of a new and awesome life for Joyce.

Anyways, besides that I have one more awesome experience from yesterday that I really want to share. After church, we were walking in our area on the way to an appointment when suddenly, a guy called out to us. I turned and was surprised when I recognized the face. It was Jay!

So I met Jay about 2 months ago when Sister Black and I were still companions. We had been walking down that same road when he had suddenly called out, requesting a Book of Mormon. We had never met him before, but quickly complied to his request and handed him one, but after that we were not able to find him again. 

Well, yesterday he was there! And when he saw us, he called out saying "I read the Book you gave me!" Shocked, Sister Raneses and I waited as he rushed inside, got his Book of Mormon (now a little battered looking) and came out, showing us that he had in fact read all the way to Alma 56! After that, he testified to us that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and that he wants to be baptized!

For me, that was definitely a first and the cherry on top of a great week. As Sister Raneses and I were heading home later that night, reflecting on our awesome week as we jumped from track to track along the railroad, we couldn't help but ask in wonder and amazement "what just happened? What did we do different?" How is it that out of all the weeks, this was the one we managed to return home Sunday night still full of energy and with a total of 25 solid new investigators for the week?

One thing we could definitely agree on was obedience. This week, Sister Raneses and I had made a special effort to be EXACTLY OBEDIENT in doing the work of the Lord.

For me, I know that as all of us continue working hard and being obedient to the commandments of the Lord (even if they seem hard), then even after our bitterest trials, we will always find success.

For me, this week was a success.  And now, I am pumped for the week to come! But for now, I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the awesome emails and support I have gotten each week (especially from my mom). They have definitely helped to fuel me through all these months.

So I wish you all the best, success (especially all those other missionaries out there) and the happiest week ever!

Sincerely,

Sister Matheny

Be grateful, smile, & enjoy the ride!

So it has been another great week here in Naga! 

We've met lots of new people, had lots of great experiences and Sister Raneses and I are getting closer and closer every day. It's hard to believe that her training is already 2/3 over! It feels like only about a week! But then again, that is how the whole mission has been.  

I am constantly amazed by how fast the time seems to be slipping through my fingers! It's crazy! And it only seems like the harder we work, the faster it goes. This week was a very fast-paced one.  We had a great Family Home Evening last Thursday night...

 And last Wednesday we had exchanges. This week for exchanges, Sister Raneses went to the area of the STL's to work with Sister Pombo and I went with Sister Jimenez in our area. For me, being able to work with Sister Jimenez again was a huge answer to my prayers that I would get to see her again before she goes home at the end of this transfer.  I will really miss her when she leaves and hope we can stay friends forever!

Sister Jimenez is awesome! While we were out working, I learned so much from her example that I hope to carry with me throughout the rest of my mission. One thing that definitely stood out to me was her example as a leader. Being around her made me want to work harder, be more diligent, smile, help more people and do my best. I know that I am nowhere near perfect, and have tons of flaws, so seeing her example of leadership helped give me a better idea of how to better lead our area and the people here, as well as gave me a better idea of how to better help the people here.

In addition, seeing Sister Jimenez again reminded me of all our good times back in Goa. Those days when Sister Jimenez was always cooking tasty food for me and Sister Stackhouse and I were constantly laughing and joking around. It was so fun to think back on those good times, but on the other hand, I am super happy to be here in Naga now, and just want to do my best to help the people here with the time I have left.

Over the following days, I have been trying my best to apply the things I learned from Sister Jimenez and have definitely seen improvement in our work. For one, as Sister Raneses has started to really learn/know our area, it has been easier to pass off the lead to her. Since I know I won't be here forever. 

In addition to exchanges, we have seen a lot of unexpected miracles here in our work over the past couple of days. A few weeks ago, I remember feeling a little discouraged when out of the blue, all of our progressing investigators started moving. I wasn't sure what to do and felt hopeless as I watched the progress in our area start to slow down. But just this past week, I have noticed that as we have put in our all, the Lord really will do the rest. I saw that happen time and time again as people I had thought were gone suddenly moved back into town or started progressing again. It really helped me to realize that as we are doing our best, the Lord really will provide us with the people to teach.

I think out of everything that has happened this week--good and bad--that is what I want to testify of. I know that God is here. He loves us, will answer our prayers and will never leave us. All of us will have times in life where our situation seems hopeless or we might feel like a "lost cause", but I can promise that if we do everything we can to work hard, choose the right, and follow God, he will always provide the way for everything to work out.

Just be grateful, smile and enjoy the ride while it lasts. Because every second is a blessing and every moment a gift from God.

(This is called a skate.  they send these things shooting down the railroad with about 30 people crammed on one.  They are powered by what appears to be a "lawn-mower" engine.  I'm not sure how safe they are...)

For me, I think we all have good moments and bad, and I think that within each moment there is good and bad. But as the saying goes: "you can either choose to see the cup as half-empty, or half-full", and it is always happier to be optimistic and choose the latter. God puts people in our life for a reason. Whether we love them to the ends of the earth, or experience only heartbreak and pain, there are no accidents. Everyone around us is in our life for a reason, and there is something we can learn from each one of them. 

I have seen that in each of my companion here as I have striven to do my best and learn from each of them. Because of Sister Villa, I can now say that I value choosing the right and being exactly obedient. I have seen the blessings that come from obedience and because of her, have been striving to gain those blessings throughout my mission.

 ~ Sister Villa~

Because of Sister Satini, I can now say that I have a little bit more humility. I am better at letting things go, apologizing and admitting when others are right. I can more easily recognize my own flaws and accept advice on how to fix them.

~ Sister Satini ~

From Sister Black, I really learned my purpose as a missionary. I learned to be more hard working, to love and to focus on the things that really matter. Because of her, I can now keep going and working hard with a smile on my face even when I am not feeling well or things seem hard.

~ Sister Black with a cute little Filipino ~

And now, I am so blessed to have Sister Raneses as my companion. Since we are still learning from each other, I am not quite sure how to define the things I am learning from her in a single attribute yet, but so far, I think what stands out the most from her is how to be more patient and loving. How to trust that God will really be there to help us and to be willing to work hard as we wait for the blessings. From her, I have learned to be more optimistic and kind and for that, I will forever be grateful that she has been a part of my life.

~ Sister Raneses ~

So overall, I would say that things are going pretty good here.  I love the people, my companion and the Philippines in general. Now I just have to keep working hard and pressing forward, because I know that as we do that, everything will work out in the end.

I hope you all have a great week,

Sincerely,

Sister Matheny