The good times just keep on coming

9.15.14

This week, we went to our far area and got punted from all the lessons we were planning to teach...so we wandered the area and tracked - hoping to accomplish something -

And one thing led to another

and we ended up in the caves.

It was cool!

There's a chapel in there ya know.  It's super creepy actually and there were one million bats inside,

but it was one of those moments that made me realize - Dang.  i'm in the Philippines.

We were in the midst of sorting out some church records and following up on previous baptisms, when President Rahlf calls our cell phone.  And guess what!  He called to tell me that Baby Bean was born!! (Bean has just become his name because I never know its gender, so I had to get creative in my prayers).  I was so excited.  I can't wait to meet little John Wallace.  Congrats to G, Kae, and Rae.  He looks so chubby! and adorable.  As I looked at pictures I had a handful of little Filipino school kids crowded behind my shoulder looking at the pics - just as excited as I was.

And then, there was a typhoon.  Named Louis.  All weekend we were getting updates from mission headquarters about it, and then Sunday morning they enforced lockdown after church.  (Meaning I still had to speak in Sacrament Meeting).  After church we were tucked away in our little home, until our Bishop called and insisted that we evacuate to the chapel before the storm got any worse.  We got our 72 hour kits and the Bishop relocated us to the chapel.  First, he bought us some Coke - so we would "enjoy our stay."  We got there and joined a few other families whose homes weren't safe to stay in.  

And we spent the night, but we didn't sleep.  We were safe.

This morning we came home and checked the damage.  Lots of power lines down.  Most of my cute little palm trees around the house had their tops missing.  Miles and miles and miles of crops that the farmers have worked all season on...completely destroyed.  My heart was so sad for them.

and all the power was out, so we had nothing to do but start our laundry....

I surprised myself because on Saturday when we were getting texts about the storm and to be alert of all the updates - my companion and I looked outside the window and took note of the still and very hot weather,  thinking, 'we'll be fine.'  The other two sisters in our house took some time to prepare their 72 hour kits and get everything ready for any kind of evacuation.  S and I went to work that day with some sarcasm up our sleeve about the fact that they take this so seriously.  As I was working, I realized how big of an idiot I am.  Like hello!  wasn't it just last month that I was teaching the parable to the G. family about the 10 virgins?  yea.  it was.  and now, in this moment, I was completely being a hypocrite.  So after a few appointments, I looked at S. and said, "Homie...I think we should get our 72 hour kits ready."  

I procrastinated the warning from my leaders.  I just assumed we would all be ok.
Spent some time looking back in my life and how in spiritual ways I've been slow sometimes to heed the warnings and council of my leaders.  Sometimes I'm guilty of justifying things - thinking - 'oh, that commandment is for other people...but it's ok for me because I can do it without actually falling into temptation.'

But that's totally not true.  Just like the typhoon warnings, there was no justification in me not preparing.  I was either ready or not.  I would either be safe, or not.  It was a humbling lesson for me.  Thought I'd share.

-Sister Frame

Pet Peeve of the week:  when Americans speak Tagalog to me.  like - come on people...we both speak english.

November 8, 2013

I'm grateful to have the opportunity to write...as in - I feel very very blessed that I am a missionary in an internet cafe with the ability to write home, and I'm not a missionary in the Tacloban mission where I'm either considered "missing" or haven't been heard from.  Sister L. and I were at an investigators house when they were watching the news of the typhoon.  It's unreal.  Remember that movie that we all went to see last winter about the Tsunami.. I can't remember the name, but it made all of us cry.  This news was just a replay of that.  I was sitting there on the floor with my eyes glued to the TV completely numb.  Watching these people and everything being destroyed, it makes me sick to my stomach.  As for me and the fellow missionaries in the Cauayan Mission, we are safe and sound.  Thankfully.  Please keep praying for those people in Leyte.

This week I really focused on the Spirit.  I feel like so many people expect that a mission is 18 months or two years of feeling the Spirit constantly and being on some floating cloud of glorious spiritual upliftment.  It's not.  Don't get me wrong - there are miracles and so many experiences that I have been privileged to be a part of that can't be expressed with words, but there are many hours of...not that.  Many hours of discouragement and frustration and pure pleading to Heavenly Father for help.  But this week - I tried to recognize the holiness of every day.  Life is busy.  Always.  Especially life outside of a mission.  Every day, each of us are faced with responsibilities and distractions, but how often do we take the time to sit back and look for the holiness in the simple things?

As I really tried to focus on it, I felt the Spirit so much stronger, and I'm able to recognize the hand of my Savior so much clearer in my everyday life.  Just walking down the street, even though it's hot, dirty, smelly, I see the beauty of my surroundings, the nature, the people in their holiness.

I'm very grateful to be a part of this Gospel.  It's real.  I know that with the entirety of my heart.

love and miss you all!

-Sister Frame

Jacob 5:23-24
                                     
     

the one where she describes the typhoon, not the earthquake

and A Trip to the Zoo

This week...there was a Typhoon (Mom, how did you know?  are you stalking me?  are you here?  if you are...stop hiding.  come hang with Sister L. and I).  The day before it hit was super windy and stormy...naturally.  All day we were receiving texts from the mission home for preparation and updates.  The town people were on the move to higher ground.  Sis. L was shocked I still suggested we work.  But it was so funny to work - like the wind made it fun to trudge through the streets.  Whenever anyone did anything, L. and I would look at each other and say, "ooooh.  The Typhoon, that's why."

not funny?  maybe ya had to be there.

We're still hearing typhoon excuses....two days later.

The funniest part is...the typhoon completely missed us.  I woke up Saturday morning, and the first thing I said to L. was, "uh...hello!  did we get skipped!?"  all the hype - for nothing?  But really it was a blessing.  Because a lot of the people (all of the people) here in Santiago can't afford a typhoon.  really. Typhoons ruin lives.  People don't come back from those.  So, we are truly blessed.  I don't know how the rest of the mission did, but my area is alive and well.

Also good:  the typhoon did not affect our ability to watch conference.

Conference was the best.  My favorite part of the week.

As for investigators - we have lots.  We're working on their progression...some right now are struggling in keeping commitments.  They are SO CLOSE to having so many blessings.  L. and I are prayerfully studying and working on the lessons to teach so that they can understand the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes complications come in with the whole "marriage" situation here.  There is no such thing as a normal divorce here in the Philippines.  One of our biggest set backs is people getting or being married. It's expensive.

But, Heavenly Father is in charge.  We'll figure it out.

I love you all, thanks for everything.  The Gospel is so real.  Count your blessings.  Write them down.  Read them when you're having a hard day.  Then thank Heavenly Father for them.

Fav Scriptures:
2 Nephi 2:8 and 26:33
Mosiah 2:36 and 4:9-10
Revelation 3:20-21

Our district went to the "zoo" last week.  How can I say this?  It was basically just all the animals I see wandering the streets everyday...behind a cage.

-Sister Frame