No Greater A Calling

Dear family,

Aller-aller-allergy!

     As I am writing this I am thoroughly amused at all that has happened this past week, especially with the FULL-SCALE RASH that covered my body! I have no idea what I am allergic to, but I am definitely allergic to SOMETHING, alright! I'm not quite sure what else I have not experienced here on this island (Lice? Heaven forbid!) but now I can add "full-body rash" on that list! This really brought me to a new level of humility - Heavenly Father is stripping me of all my pride, I swear - as I realized that I was now like the people in the Bible with leprosy/skin diseases that begged Christ to heal them and make them clean and whole.
     I freaked out because I thought I'd have the red splotches all over my body until 2016 and I was despairing that I'd return home like a zombie and I was not the happiest sister missionary...but thankfully I got a blessing, took Benadryl (that stuff knocks you out; I was out for two nights), and now you wouldn't be able to tell that I had the worst allergic reaction of my life this week! 

"You have learned what you needed to learn"

     We had interviews with President Ostler this week and...I love him. I love President Ostler. It was a much needed period of time for me to talk to him because I'd been feeling really down with the slow progress of our investigators, PLUS I got that rash and thought it was the end of the world...you know, just a bunch of factors combined. It was a hard week. And I was feeling really defeated. I struggled to remember why I wanted to come on a mission. I struggled to understand why I was even sent to Palawan. 
     But President - bless his heart. A minute into our conversation he said, "It's been hard, hasn't it? I'm sure you have experienced some trials recently. But you have grown. The minute you entered the room I could feel the maturity that you've undergone. I could sense the change in you from five months ago." And then he said, "I remember the first time we all met and had dinner at the mission home with your parents. I remember you being so young and so innocent then." And he continued, "But I know that you've really matured since. You've experienced alot of things since." 
     I cried; no surprise there. We cried together. And as our conversation went on, he said, "Before sending you over, I got on my knees in my office and prayed about where I should send you. And I felt very strongly that you needed to come to Palawan. But now...now I feel that you have learned all that you needed to learn here. 
     "You have learnt the lessons that Heavenly Father sent you here to learn." 
     Since leaving President's office I have not stopped thinking about all the things that I HAVE learned here. Of the hard things and the good things. Of the happy times and the sad. Five and a half months have gone by just like that. A missionary's first area is where they learn to be a missionary. Santa Monica, Palawan, will forever be sacred ground to me. 

Putting the city girl back into the city

     And so on that note...I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED BACK TO MANILA THIS WEEK!!! My new companion will be Sister Barrido, Filipina, two transfers my senior. I will be in BONIFACIO (rich people area), and Mom, I asked where that was and they said it's basically the area of SM Aura. No idea where that is and if we've been there together as a family, BUT AHHH! I AM GOING BACK INTO THE CITY! I couldn't fall sleep last night after President's phone call to me. 
     This will be SUCH a change! It makes me think of Sister Lockwood and how she had to make that transition as well twelve weeks ago, and now it is my turn! Back to tall buildings and city people and having to actually CARE-care about how I look like. It's different serving on an island and in an area of humble people where they're not money-minded/particular about how "fashionable" or how "presentable" you look. And now I'm going to enter that world! Mixed emotions, right and left. My first area and my second, upcoming area could not be more different! 

Leaving behind miracles

     Sister Lockwood and I experienced the miracles of re-activations when we were together and until now the families that we loved/still love so much...are still active! They still come to church! They are doing SO well! The light has returned! They are more beautiful than EVER! The Lopezs. The Segovias. Joy Custodio. Keep praying for them! I love them SO much and I cannot wait to come back and see them again! 
     MYETH AND JARWIN- Dad, thank you for your emails every week in which you remind me that planting is just as important as harvesting. Yesterday (Sunday) we had two YSAs come to church on their own and they are two of our new investigators from this past week. 
     Myeth is a miracle story all in itself and I am sad that I have to leave behind a new friend. She is so ready for the gospel, I KNOW she is. She really has a desire to find out for herself what the truth is and the greatest blessing of all was when we all walked into the sacrament hall and she spotted FIVE friends from school! She had NO idea that they would be there! But already she has immediate friends at church! I pray and pray and pray that Sister Quilicot and her new companion will continue to help her come to know the truth! 

Mother's Day Call!

     Saturday, May 9! I am not sure yet the exact time of when I will call but President has given us permission to check our emails again this week to confirm with our families when we will call...I'm thinking probably in the morning around 10 am or maybe noon? I'm not sure yet! I'll have to talk with Sister Barrido when I get to Bonifacio. But in the meantime, PREPARE YOUR SKYPE ACCOUNT BECAUSE A MISSIONARY IS GOING TO CALL HOME! 


I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Thank you for all your prayers. This week has been hard but it has also been one where I have come closer to the Lord. I love Him and I know that He has great things in plan for the people of Bonifacio that I will get to be a part of. 

With love,
Sister Teo

Another week here in Santa Monica!‏

Dear family, 

(P.S. No pictures this week because this computer is really laggy!) 

     This email will be somewhat sporadic and random with no specific stories to tell because this week has been a blur! I don't know where all the time goes and I feel like every morning I wake up to an alarm clock, roll out of bed, put on my exercise clothes, start my workout, and then before I know it, it is 10 pm at night and I am preparing to go to bed again. Time is the strangest concept on the mission. I have no doubt that this next week is going to fly by just like that, especially because I leave Palawan NEXT WEEK!

     Okay, so on that note- hold your horses, everyone. I'm not 100% sure that I'm leaving. But I've been here four transfers and I can just FEEL that I will be going off to Manila. Official word doesn't come out until next Monday...but we have interviews with President Ostler this Friday (he will be here on Palawan) and I feel like I will more or less get a greater hunch of my future! Hooray for the spirit of discernment!

     This last week has seen a lot of walking in the heat. Sister Quilicot and I have been trying to find new investigators to teach because we've dropped alot of our old investigators who haven't been progressing. It has been a challenge of our faith to leave the apartment, knowing that there could be a possibility that we might just be walking around and around trying to talk to people. I have had to humble myself and realize that this mission is about the Lord's will, not mine. Not easy; being pulled out of your comfort zone is never easy. But I know that the greater the trial, the greater the blessing. 

     I am so excited for our Mother's day call in less than two weeks! GET READY EVERYONE! Mom- yes, I am excited for you to see how my Tagalog has progressed (or not...haha, you'll be the judge). Get ready all you guys' questions! It'll be fun. I hope that if anything, you'll be able to see that I'm not the same person that I was when I left home. If anything, I hope to be better, to be more refined, to be a daughter/sister that you are more proud of than ever before. 

I love you all so much! Have a GREAT week! 

With love,
Sister Teo

Always a rainbow after the rain!

Dear family, 

     I am coming to realize that often times, God stretches us and it causes alot of discomfort, but He never leaves us alone. He tests us just enough, just until we feel like we can't do it anymore...and then He steps in and reminds us that He is always there. 

THE DOGS HERE HAVE CLASS

     First time this has happened to me since being here: It is night time, probably around 8:00 pm. Sister Quilicot and I get up and are ready to leave from a lesson that we have when I realize, "Wait a sec. Why do I only have one pair of my shoes?" It is dark and we can't really see so we whip out our flashlights and are hunting around for it...when we notice...yes, we notice the neighbor's dog in the distance. Chewing on something. MY POOR GEOX SHOES! MOM! HAHA. GEOX! Of all my shoes a dog could have bitten and chewed at, this dog chose to run away with my good pair of shoes. They definitely can smell good quality shoes. 

     Ending of the story: We savaged my poor shoe, it was disgusting putting my foot in with all that doggy saliva all over, but it made for a GREAT laugh! I remember just laughing my head off. Only here in the Philippines! Good thing the dog didn't run away with it! 

EXCHANGES 

     So if you guys didn't already know, we have what we call exchanges once a transfer cycle (once every six weeks), where the sister-training-leaders go on "exchanges" with each companion. This week I had the privilege of heading into Puerto Princessa city- where the STLs area is- and Sister Quilicot was left to lead our area of Santa Monica. I consider this past exchange a tender mercy of God, especially to be taken out of the area even just for a day, considering all that happened over that last week. It was spiritually refreshing. It was much needed. Nothing big happened; we did missionary work as usual. But the best part of it all was being able to be with Sister Dennis. She was my angel this week. It was good being able to talk with a missionary leader and hearing what words of counsel/advice she had. I am so, so grateful to God for continually blessing me with such good company. (Plus we had Halo-Halo at Chowking for lunch...so, can't get better than that!)

IF YOU PRAYED FOR IT TO RAIN ON PALAWAN...

     Then I LOVE YOU! Thank you! IT FINALLY RAINED! This past week! Just for an hour or two, but ahhh! The rain! It rained when I was over in the city, which made it all the more beautiful for me. I don't think I will ever take for granted the beauty of rain again. It hasn't rained again since but there are rain clouds in the sky and I am hopeful that God will be merciful towards this island! 

     The rain- it was more like a really short, sudden storm- reminded me of one Friday last year. A Friday that I had with Sister Lockwood. It was probably my second Friday in the field and we were both feeling a little frustrated, for whatever reason. We were sitting out in our living room when it started THUNDERING and POURING RAIN outside. I recall her and I sitting on the little couch in our living room and listening to the audio versions of Mormon Messages I had brought with me on my iPod. I remember that being one of the first moments where I felt like Sis and I were truly united in this work, "bearing one another's burdens", that sort of a thing. 

     The rain this past week was reminiscent of that experience. As Sister Dennis and I sat by the window (where our study area was), we talked, it thundered, and I knew that that moment was a mercy of God. 

DAVID AND GOLIATHS

     Perhaps the biggest, most poignant memory of this past week was when Sis and I went over to the Godoy house. They are Ar's relatives and all live under the same roof. But this week we taught Ar's cousins instead, all of whom are less-actives. 

      Imagine this: Two young women- me, 19 years old, and Sister Quilicot, 23. And then in front of us are three men of different age groups. Jesse, 17. Richard, 25. Rolando, 30. And just as a preface, no missionaries have ever been able to get Richard and Rolando to sit down in a lesson in a LOOONG TIME. That was my first miracle. The fact that we got these two men to sit down with us...I don't even know where that came from. 

     So there we are, just two young women. These three boys/men, each with their own vices to conquer, are in front of us. Telling us that they want to change. To get rid of their vices. Rolando's is alcohol. Jesse lacks direction in his life. Richard...he just doesn't know what he wants to do. Two young women, like two little Davids, trying to conquer and calm down three Goliaths. I don't know how we got these men of vices to sit down and listen to us. To commit to keep learning with us. There was a special atmosphere, a special spirit, as we sat and we talked. As they listened. As we tried our best to discern how to help them. We were Davids and they were Goliaths. And their battles will be hard to fight. But at least we are on the first step of confrontation now! 


I know that there is more to life than waking up and eating and sleeping and then waking up again and eating and sleeping again. There is more to life than that. Everything that I am learning here...I would never exchange it for anything else. I want to come home a better person! More refined. Kinder. Better. More charitable. More humble.

So let's keep trying! All together. 

With love,
Sister Teo

Press Forward with Faith

Dear family,

I've never had to live without water... till now!

     There is a drought on Palawan right now! It figures; I cannot remember the last time that it rained here. Our water gets cut every morning and so we have to shower out of buckets. Mom, I'm doing what we did at Grandma's. I boil up a pot of hot water and then pour it into the OTHER bucket of freezing water, and BAM! That makes for a good shower.
     I don't know what else to say about this situation other than Heavenly Father is really using this opportunity to help me realize how blessed I have been my whole life. We really live lives of privilege, and being here in the Philippines has humbled me by about...1,000,000%. I don't think I can ever go back into the first-world society and see things the same.

WORDS FROM ON HIGH

     I hope that you guys enjoyed General Conference! So much was said about families! SO. MUCH. I have never been more grateful for the family that I was born into. I love you guys so much. I know that the family truly is ordained of God. Mom, Dad, I know it's hard raising teenage girls (ahem, Gladys) but keep doing what you are doing because I know that my sisters are growing into beautiful young women. The gospel helps. It really provides peace and happiness in the home. Love one another, and all will be alright. Also, I encourage EVERYONE to review the talks when they can! We only get to watch General Conference twice a year; for the rest of the time we should continue to treasure up the words that were said!

Meals

     Mom, this is in response to your question about how our meals are going. They say that you get fed alot more by the members on the mainland. Here, not so much. Our branch president gets all the missionaries to go over to his house once a month. In our area (Santa Monica C), we work with people who live in more humble circumstances, so dinner appointments are really rare. I definitely look forward to P-Day every week when we can go to the mall and eat what we want! But it's all good though. Sister Quilicot and Sister Almazan, the two Filipinos in the house, cook our lunch. They are kind souls. For dinners we usually bring with us a pack of cereal- okay, correction, I guess I should say that I bring my pack of cereal- OR we eat at roadside restaurants. That's about it! I'm still healthy and kicking, though, so no worries, Mom!

"TO BE LIKE MY FATHER"

     Dad! HAPPY (in-advanced) BIRTHDAY! I love you so much! I sent you a birthday letter a month ago and I'm not sure if you've received it yet...but look out for it in the mail! You are my role model. I have gained strength through your example. I cannot talk to my investigators about you or Mommy without tearing up. You are a good father. I hope you know that the work you have done in our home will reap its rewards in the forever that is to come. 
     Thank you for being a righteous example. Thank you for working hard. Thank you for loving Mommy. Thank you for loving my sisters and I. There is nothing that I can ever do that will be able to repay you for all that I have learnt from you and will continue to learn from you. Every day of this mission I hope to emulate your good example. More people look up to you than you know, Dad. You have touched so many lives. Thank you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! EAT YOUR HEART OUT! ANNOY GLADYS ALL YOU WANT! She'll let you, on the one day of the year- your birthday!


I love you all so much; let's all press forward with faith.

With love,
Sister Teo

P.S.

Picture #1: The children came with us to church last week!

Picture #2: The entire clan of Saquing/Parilla children. They all attended church last week!

Picture #3: Jollibee models...haha, just kidding. Eating our fast food in between Conference break!

Picture #4: Sister Quilicot and I! I LOVE her! She is a BALL of fire!

Picture #5: Two daughters of one of our (former?) investigators!

Not Our Credits To Claim

Dear family, 

(This computer won't send pictures :( Sorry!)

NOT OUR CREDIT TO CLAIM
     Remember the Lopez family that I told you guys about at the start of the mission? The less-active family that Sister Lockwood and I worked REALLY hard with to get them back to church? This last week, Sister Quilicot and I had an amazing FHE with them where we showed them Easter videos and talked about the Atonement. It was a powerful lesson and we all felt the spirit. 

     They are doing so well and I am so proud of Brother Lopez for really stepping up his game and making sure that he and his family are active in church. Something that he said in that hour really caught my attention, though, and it was something that I will never forget. I pondered on his words for a long time. 

     As he was reflecting on how the Atonement has helped him and his family in the past year, he said, "I am so thankful for the missionaries that kept coming back to us, time and time again. But I am especially thankful to you, Sister Teo, as well as to Sister Lockwood, for bringing us back to church, for reactivating us." 

     I never thought I could feel so swell with joy. How sweet were his words, how comforting was the compliment. But I knew, in that moment, that this credit wasn't ours to claim. Sister Lockwood and I didn't bring them back. The Savior did. We just helped them understand what to do. We were just instruments in the hands of God. Christ did everything. He broke their hearts. And then he healed them. I will forever be grateful that Sister Lockwood and I had the opportunity to bring back four souls to Christ, but I know, without a doubt, that Christ had everything to do with this. 


WORKING WITH A FRIEND
     Sister Quilicot is THE BEST! What I would give for all of you to meet all of my companions one day. I am so blessed. These sisters are all so patient with me and my weaknesses and I have never had to be so humble. God knows best. 


GENERAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
     I urge all of you to watch the womens' conference because IT WAS THE BOMB! It was SO good. I won't ruin it for ya if you haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet, but they showed two videos that were just...beautiful. Check it out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx4yGDidpVU), spread the word, talk about it in FHE at home, live the principles taught. It will uplift your week. Watching it really made me miss home. It made me miss you guys, my family. I am thankful for the family that I DO have and I am so thankful especially, for you, Mom and Dad. 


AR
     This week was a bit of a whirlwind with Ar. We had taught him the Word of Wisdom the week before and committed him to live it. I remember being so confident that it would be somewhat of a breeze for him. But then came Tuesday and we went back to him and he told us that he had given in. I can't tell you when the tears started but all I know is that there were tears that entire hour that we were teaching him. I'm not quite sure why I am so devastated- well, I mean, I DO know- but I was just so sad. I really believe in him and I know that he can change his life. I know that it will be so hard. I know that it IS so hard. But I know that he can do it. 

     So long story short, that entire lesson I barely spoke more than two minutes because I just couldn't talk and I was just in tears and it was probably really awkward for the poor kid. 

But things have been better sine then. He has gone from seven sticks of cigarettes a day (maybe even more) to just two, as of yesterday. We committed him to just one for today. He's been coming to church and reading his assignments and he has been praying. I know that with the Lord's help, he can start anew. 


     There are so many things that happen on this mission that I hold so near and dear to my heart. My weekly emails home do not justice to the many miracles that I see and witness each week. On Good Friday, we weren't able to teach many lessons and that frustrated me, but God blessed me with the tender mercy of seeing the elders bless a sick family. On Easter Sunday, we had six children come to church and I remember walking out to the road, freaking out, wondering how on earth we were going to walk to church with SIX CHILDREN - okay, don't worry, I've realized that that's actually TOTALLY against the rules and that won't happen again - when out of no where, a member drives by in his tricycle and just puts all the kids in it and off he rides. That was a miracle that fell right into my lap.

Keep loving all, keep praying, and be happy. The gospel isn't hard, life is!

Can't wait for General Conference!

With love,
Sister Teo