New Week, New Battles

Dear family,

SISTERS
     Over here on the mission we call our companions "Sis". Just "Sis". Not necessarily "Sister Teo" or "Sister Himarangan" in full, but "Sis". Sister H is truly becoming my SIS. I think that every trainee goes through their first couple o' days of discomfort when their trainer leaves them. I know that that was me for maybe the first two days or so. But over this past week, Sister H has become my friend. She is becoming my SIS. My sister. I am her tenth "sis", her tenth companion here on the field. Her tenth, and her last! I can't keep emphasizing how privileged I feel to be trusted to send her off! This is her first time on the island, on Palawan, and every morning I hope that I can make this a good experience for her! I love her. She helps me with my Tagalog. She is so patient. She is humble. She is loving. She is exactly what I need right now. 

HOUSE MOUSE
     Sooooo...the house mouse title fell on me when Sister Lockwood left. The house mouse is basically the person who has been in the apartment the longest and will be in charge of everything house-related. Paying bills. Making sure this and that is clean. OH MAN. Mom. How many times did I clean the kitchen back home? Or.........touch the bills? HAHA. Heavenly Father is wise. He is forcing me to learn all these things that I will need for when I become a wife and a mother! I am happy to say though that I LOVE IT! Ironically. I really do! Responsibility isn't always fun but now that I am house mouse I feel like the house is mine to make sure it looks top-notch all the time. And anyone that knows me knows that I can be a perfectionist sometimes. Clean counter-tops! Swept floors! Washed dishes! The only thing I still have to conquer is cleaning the bathroom. Hmmmmmm............when that happens I'll let you know ;) 

MICHAEL
     Take heed: he is 12. 12 years old. And guess who showed up to church for the first time ever...ALL BY HIMSELF?! Michael! BLESS HIS HEART! This wonderful kid. We haven't even taught him lesson one yet and already he is taking the initiative to come to church?! These are mercies of the Lord. He came in with about twenty minutes left in sacrament meeting and we hadn't even been expecting him. There I was, just sitting, listening to the talks, when someone taps me on my shoulder. I spin around. And there is Michael with the ward clerk. MICHAEL! Tender mercy. Tender mercy. Tender mercy. 

     Please pray for him. He is a future missionary. I know it. It'll be hard, the road ahead. We'll need his parents to be in this game as well for things to work out. As much as I love PLANTING SEEDS - can't tell you how many flowers I am expecting to see in twenty years from now - I want to HARVEST ALREADY! I have faith in Michael and his family. 

FROM THE PHILIPPINES TO CHINA
     Did you guys ever get my letters?! No one has said anything about getting any of my letters. I'm a little worried. By now I've sent two off now.........Please let me know! Postage isn't cheap as well! PHP300. 

THE ANTS GO MARCHING TWO BY TWO 
     So I have these random bites on my arm that itch a lot. They are kind of swollen too. At first I thought that the mosquitoes are really loving some half-Filipino blood, but then Sis H. told me that those are ant bites. SWEET! I never used to attract ants but I guess the Filipino ants are really digging some missionary blood! Any advice? Does repellent work the same way for ants as it does mosquitoes? 

A FRIEND FOR EVERYONE
     Now that I am a missionary I will never, ever go to Church the same way. Ever. Again. When you guys are at Church, please look around for those who need fellowshippers! I can't tell you how important it is to fellowship EVERYONE. Just do it. They are probably more scared than you are. And by the end of talking to them, there will be two happy people. Please do it. It helps the missionaries
so much. It helps the work move forward. I testify! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

     Auntie Fely! GAETANA WILSON! MIA LAU! ZOE LAU! 

Just four people that I love :) Auntie Fely and Mia and Zoe probably won't read this, but GAETANA! If you see this! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEXT WEEK! Just wanted to wish you happy birthday in advance! I LOVE YOU! 

PICTURES
     SO Krystal requested for more pictures of everything. The two for this week- I got my hair cut last P-day; in the other picture is Sister Falgui and Sister Himarangan! I will work on taking more pictures next week!

ZONE CONFERENCE
     President assigned Sister H and I to give trainings in the upcoming Zone conference on March 13.............................YAY! I am excited :) I love President. I love that he trusts me. President and Sister Ostler- two of my biggest role models. Fingers crossed that Sis and I will prepare well for this! 

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Here's to another great week! I love this work! Obviously it is hard to maintain a 110% happy attitude all the time but I am trying! This mission is all about self-mastery. At the end of the day I am accountable to God for what I did with the time he gave me. So far, so good! I love you all! Since being here I have come to love you guys so much more. Something about missions...it changes hearts. 


With love,
Sister Teo

To Love

Dear family, 

A goodbye
     Saying goodbye to Sister Lockwood was the hardest thing I've had to do in these last twelve weeks. I love her so much and I learnt how to be a missionary - all from her. Twelve weeks, 24/7, side by side with my sister. My sister in life and my sister in the gospel. Words cannot describe the respect I have for her! This is almost like a tribute email to her - although I know she won't even be reading this (but maybe her Mom will! Hi Sister Lockwood!)- but I can't help it. I have to tell you guys how great she is. The goodbye was ironic because it wasn't really a goodbye. I know that I'll be seeing her again at BYU. But we went through a good bit of the mission together and rightly so I felt sentimental sending her away to Manila. As the van pulled her away and I stood on the sidewalk with two other sisters - their companions were being transferred to Manila as well - one of them began crying. And then I did too. I though it would stop but...no. Haha. It didn't stop. It was a little hard to refocus my thoughts and for the rest of that night I was a little shaken...but. Guess what! Heavenly Father stretches us this way. He makes us do things that was feel uncomfortable doing - like saying goodbyes - so that we can grow. I love Sister Lockwood and I will carry on every thing that she has taught me! Hopefully I'll get to see her on the mainland! 


A hello
     Sister Himarangan arrived a little after 7 pm. We all went to the airport to pick up our new companions. Won't lie- I was still shaken. Still a little scarred from saying goodbye to Sister Lockwood. It was a little hard. I remember praying non-stop that God would help me learn to love Sister Himarangan. To learn to love this new companion He has trusted me with. Cooler fun fact: This is Sister Himarangan's LAST transfer! She GOES HOME! After six weeks! Her 18 months is almost over! What! I went from the youngest trainer in the world -Sister Lockwood - to Sister Himarangan, the oldest companion (in-the-field) that I could get! Heavenly Father is funny. I feel so privileged, though. Heavenly Father trusts me enough that He is allowing me to be the last companion that Sister Himarangan will have. And guess what again! I LOVE HER ALREADY! We are so alike, it is crazy. And by "alike" I mean in reference to our mannerisms. We are more alike than we think. It's great. She is Filipino and from Mindanao. Her native language is Bisayan. Bisaya? Bisayan? Mom, you know what I mean. SHE IS THE BEST! I love her. 


"BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS CHARITY"
     I just realized that I've used the word "love" a lot in this email. Charity. Love. The pure love of Christ. I cannot tell you how much I've prayed for this gift- the gift of charity. Charity is a MUST on the mission. You HAVE to love these people or the work will NOT move forward. I HAVE to love my investigators. I HAVE to love my branch and the members in it. I HAVE to love my companions. If I don't, I'll only be miserable. And God KNOWS I will NOT live my mission that way. I chose to be here. I have to make the best of my time here! So I love. I love and I love and I love. I try my best to love. The scriptures say that charity is the greatest gift of all, even above faith and hope. I pray everyday for this gift and I hope that you guys pray for it too. Life is so much more beautiful when you are able to love those around you the way that Christ did. 

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     I will keep you guys posted on the rest of my adventures with Sister Himarangan over these next six weeks! I am looking forward to all that I will learn from her. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures! There are a bunch that I have for you guys this week.We visited a cave on P-Day last week (hence the helmets) and it was.......a little strange.....but....you know! It's more fun in the Philippines, no matter what it is! :)

     I love you all so much! Thank you for your kind emails and your prayers. I feel strengthened. I feel loved. I miss you all. I pray for you always.

With love,
Sister Teo

If You Want The Rainbow, You've Got To Wait Through The Rain

Dear family,

     TWELVE WEEKS! Twelve weeks. I am officially out of my training. Bye-bye to the twelve-week program! I am no longer a "trainee"! These twelve weeks have been the most beautiful roller coaster of my life. The ups and the downs have scared me and at times I have wanted to get off of this ride - but I have stayed, and I know that I will stay on, and hold on, because it is the only sensible thing to do. Face your fears, isn't that what they tell you? Everyday I wake up at 6:30 a.m. and beg Heavenly Father to help me do this. To give me strength beyond my own. And I testify that that is exactly what He has done for me over these first twelve weeks on the field. I love my Heavenly Father.

AN 18-MONTH HIKE:
     Before the mission I loved the times that I would be able to go hiking with my best friend. The Utah terrain is beautiful beyond words and there is still so much exploring left to do in that state. But this past week Sister Lockwood and I realized that our mission here in the Philippines...is an 18-month hike. We don't have the luxury of driving cars. We aren't serving in the Visitors' Centers. We walk. We walk. And we walk. Basically, we hike. And if we had ever complained about hiking before the mission...well, seems like we will be professional hikers with excellent stamina by the time we get home! Sis and I like to joke that we will climb up Y-mountain (by BYU) faster than the boys will.


THE ANASIS':
     Brian and Fatima. They were the couple that came to Church three weeks ago with their two children. I love them. I think that I can safely say that they are the first investigator family that I fell in love with. And am still in love with. You meet these people, you pour our your heart in prayer for them, you talk about them all day with your companion, and you just love them. You love them more than you thought you would be able to. They become people you want to help. You know that things can be better for them. You WANT it for them. I love the Anasis'.

     And yet this week was also the first time since being here that I truly felt my heart break. My heart broke, for them. For these people that I have come to love so, so much. Words cannot describe the sinking feeling in my stomach as Sis and I walked away from their house.

     "Wait...so when you invited us to be baptized, it meant being becoming a Mormon? Wait a minute...we're fine being Catholic! We're Catholic, for SURE."

     What do we say to that? Well. We didn't. We didn't really say anything. Because at first we started laughing, both Sister Lockwood and I, and then we just started crying. Tears of laughter turned into tears. Actual tears. Sis and I think that we must have just weirded them out completely. Two foreigner girls, sitting in front of them, crying. We just didn't know what to say except to tell them how much we love them. And I kept thinking, "Why isn't my Tagalog better? Why can't I tell them everything they need to know and tell them perfectly?" I remember thinking it was my fault for not helping them understand better.

     But I have come to know that maybe it just isn't their time yet. Maybe they still have to wait. And maybe we still have to work on them, slowly. Little by little. There has to be SOMETHING about the gospel that they like. There has to be SOMETHING.

     Walking away from them that day was hard. But I knew deep inside me that Sister Lockwood and I had touched their hearts that day, different from any of the other lessons that we had had with them previously. The Spirit was there. We had testified to them, through our tears, everything that we knew. And what surprised me was that the words came forth from us, in that moment. Right when we needed it, they came out of us. I know there is something for the Anasis'. We will keep trusting in God's plan for them.


ATE TESS:
(Preface: "Ate" is a respect word for "sister"/addressing someone older than you.)
     TESS! Oh, Tess. 12 weeks I've been here. AND TESS WAS THE FIRST ONE TO ACCEPT MY BAPTISMAL INVITATION! The first time that I extended the invitation perfectly, and the first time someone said YES...without any struggle! I know I speak about the Spirit alot, and maybe before the mission I would've been one of those kids who thought, "Why are these missionaries so...religious? So into this 'Spirit' thing?" and maybe some of your reading this on the blog are thinking this too. But it's true. The Spirit drives this work. And I know that the Spirit testified to me in that moment that Tess said "Yes," that this work is moving forward. It won't stop. It'll go on forever.


NANAY AND HER FAITH:
     Yesterday in Gospel Doctrine's class (where all the recent converts/ investigators attend during second hour), a Nanay shared her testimony about Heavenly Father answering prayers. I thought that her experience was really cool and just wanted to share it with y'all.

     That morning before Church she'd had zero money on her to get to church. She had no money for fare. She was sad that she wouldn't be able to attend. And then as she said a prayer in her heart, all of a sudden her grandchild came into the room.

     "Nanay! The jackfruit is ripe!"

     They cut it open. Took a bite. It was so sweet. So good. Nanay knew that they could sell what little they had- ONE JACKFRUIT- to get the money she needed to come to church. And that's what she did. She sold a jackfruit. Sunday morning. A jackfruit that, out of nowhere, had ripened perfectly that morning to help her get to Church. Miracle? I think yes. These people teach me every day about what it means to be humble and to trust in our Savior.


J & A:
     At the start of this email I told you guys how great these last 12 weeks have been. I would not trade any of the hard times for what it all boiled down to last night. Our two investigators at Church. J. And A. (For confidentiality's sake I'll just stick to initials.) "Husband and wife", though not legally married. Technically we would call that cohabitating before marriage. But here in the Philippines if they decide that they're going to live with each other they just go ahead and call each other husband and wife.

     ANYWAYS. They came to Church. BY THEMSELVES! AND J! The brethren were SO impressed with him! After Church some of the brothers came up to Sis and I and told us that J had LED the discussion in Elders' Quorom! What! And he had done so too in Gospel Doctrine's class! WE LOVE when investigators PARTICIPATE. It makes Church SUCH a better experience for them.

     Later that evening they'd also gone to an FHE with us. FHE at the Magbanua's. They were members. It was SO great that J&A were able to come. Once again they fit right into the scene and J was talking to everyone and before we left he said, "Mamaya na!", or in English, "Let's leave later!" He didn't want to go! I know that God has prepared these people to receive the gospel. There is still a ways ahead for the two of them but I know that they can get there. I don't want to jinx myself either, but I KNOW that J and A are prepared. We will keep working with them and family it'd be great if you could keep them in our prayers. They are definitely our friends.

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     SO! WOW! Long email today. Better wrap up. Transfer day is this Wednesday and we still have NO idea what is going to happen. No word from the Zone Leader yet so I'm not sure if I will stay or not. Either way! The work is great. Heavenly Father is watching over us. And you guys too. Trust in Him. His timing and will is the only correct way to go. Things go so much better when we don't fight against Him.

I LOVE YOU ALL! I am so happy! Tired, but happy. Greatest paradox in the world. Who knew that work could be so much fun?

With love,
Sister Teo

P.S. Shout-out to Krystal! So proud of you and your performance in GREASE!

P.P.S JUST GOT WORD THAT SISTER LOCKWOOD IS LEAVING! I WILL HAVE A NEW COMPANION THIS WEEK! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!! Sister Tee-mah-rah-gan. That's how you pronounce her name! Not sure how you spell it yet. BUT....I'M GOING TO HAVE A NEW COMPANION!

Just Keep Swimming!

Dear Family,

Right as I sat down at the computer I realized I left my planner at home with all the notes I had taken down to tell you guys about! Bummer. I will have to rely on my memory! (Good thing I brought my camera...so, pictures for y'all this week!)

I guess the biggest thing that I took away from this week was from INTERVIEWS with President Ostler. He was not able to fly over to Palawan so we Skyped him in the chapel. I love President Ostler and Sister Ostler. They are like my second parents here on the mission. I trust them and I know that they will love us and help us for the entire time that we are here.

I also know that he is a man of God. It was kind of like going in for a patriarchal blessing. Kind of. I had some questions and thoughts in my head, some bigger than others. And the minute I sat down, President said everything that I needed to hear. That I know was not just of him but of God.

"I love you so much!"
"I want you to know that you are beautiful."

There is a fatherly love that a mission president demonstrates over his "children", over the missionaries. The minute he said those first two sentences I could feel of Heavenly Father's love for me. The mission is not an easy thing. I wish I knew one year ago, two years ago, even four months ago, what a mission would be like. But it is so true that you really never know. You never know until you have served a mission. You will never know until you go on one. And President Ostler's love and remarks were exactly what I needed to hear.

President counseled me to have greater faith and trust in the Lord. And his counsel makes sense. This work that I am doing- it isn't mine's. It isn't Sister Lockwood's either. It is the Lord's. I am learning to trust Him. To trust in His timing for His children. As humans we always want everything to turn out our way. We want things to happen in our time. But the truth of life is that Heavenly Father knows best. And I have confidence that even though I may not be harvesting, I am planting good seeds. I am so thankful to have a wise mission president over the Philippines Manila Mission!

Beach Day!!!
So alot of the pictures from this week were taken at the BEACH last week! We had a zone activity in the afternoon and it was such a breath of fresh air! Literally! It is so beautiful on the beach. Where I'm at, Santa Monica, doesn't really have a ton of those tourist-y beaches that everyone hears about. Those are up north a little or somewhere else on this island. So this beach- this ACTUAL beach- was the first "beach" I have seen since being here. SO BEAUTIFUL! Palm trees, sand, saltwater. I have decided that when I am older I will be visiting the beach alot!

Here is a quote by Elder Richard G. Scott that I love and wanted to share with you guys:
"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires alot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

JUST KEEP SWIMMING, GUYS! Life is tough but it doesn't have to be. It can be fun at the same time :) "Your future is as bright as your faith," President Monson has said. I have a bright hope for my bright future! And I have bright hopes for all of yours too!


Love you all so much!
With love,
Sister Teo

P.P.S. Shout-out to all the February birthdays! That's YOU- HELENA, JOWELLE, AND VALERINA! Birthday cards coming your way soon! XO