Don't go running in the fields...

March 30, 2014 Sarah’s email from Malolos

So i transferred to Malolos! which will hereafter be known as Malolz (ok it has an S but Z's are just so much more fun) cuz that was the sign on my desk when i got here.... love english as a second language. 

It's been an adventure getting to know a new area again and a new companion! but it's great! this area is soooo pretty. hands down the most beautiful area I've had. 

The other day we were walking and the sun was setting and we were passing all these rice fields. so pretty. sorry i still don't bring my camera around. you'll just have to imagine it. i'll take a picture one of these days.....

We were also teaching a family out in the middle of these beautiful rice fields and had a total "we're not in kansas anymore" moment. we were asking this lil kid what are some house rules his parents have for him and he was like "don't run in the field!!" and we were like cool, why do you think you're not allowed to run in the field? "cuz i'll get bit by a snake!!!" ohhh. first time a kid has told me that house rule but cool! (transitioned into an awesome lesson about commandments and sins being like snake bites) welcome to the province!!

anyway life is great! have a great week! don't go running in the fields cuz you'll get bit by a snake!!!

-sister jones

LAST transfer--Unexpected...

Dear errybody.
We are pleased to announce the transfers for this the last transfer of sister jones. 

as you might have guessed, sister...... pacinio will be transferring!!!!! 

oh wait. that's no fun. let's mix things up. 

As you most definitely did not guess, sister.... jones will be transferring!!!!! and that's a true story. 

I'm transferring to Malolos!!!! to have my first (and last) Pakistani companion!!!!!!! sister... ayub!!!! *insert gasps here*

Yeah we were all pretty surprised. luckily we're friends with the zone leaders so they let us know as soon as they knew (friday) so i could prepare myself lolz

my new comp and i!!!!

I'm thinking president just saw that i had had an even number of american and filipina companions on my mission (4 each) and didn't want to mess that even-ness up sooo he decided to throw me a wild card pakistani!!! sister ayub is pretty old in the mission.... she came in when sister chamberlain did. 

Oh i'm done being an STL by the by. but im going back to an area i went on exchanges with three times when i was in meycauayan so i've met some people there are am a lil familiar with the area. 

It's a nice area. the ward is doing really well there and they just got a new stake president that is really helping slash focusing on missionary work (stake presidents make a huge difference in the work!!! go dad go!!!) there are two other elders in the ward and we have two other sisters in our house. one is a filipina and one... is brand new so i don't know her but her name looks Polynesian... aka the most diverse house possible! 

So yep! that's what's happening over here in the good ol philippines! 

we had english class again. people are finally actually realizing it's happening and showing interest buuuut that might have been the last one cuz my kapalit (replacement) is sister cestona!!! (my 2nd comp in nova) so they will be an all filipina house slash ward... not so strong in the english area... that's ok though. they'll figure something else out. 

That's pretty much the whole of this week. luckily i get to slip out pretty quietly cuz we "didn't know" transfer announcements yet on sunday so we didn't say anything to the branch.... i like it so much better that way. 

We had a really good FHE with a family that's working to go through the temple. the son is preparing for a mission right now, the mom is already endowed but the dad has struggled with smoking for a loooooong time now. He's a member buuuut never been super active. we called him out on the smoking and we all did a special fast for him and then that night we had a ward FHE at their house. it was really great. the temple prep teacher came and gave the lesson on covenants and ordinances and the branch president was there and a bunch of other people to support them. 

The coolest part was when we were teaching about fasting a few days before that we asked the son if he had ever fasted before (the one preparing for a mission) and he shared a really amazing experience where he had fasted for his father to be able to pass a medical exam to work abroad and the next day his father passed the exam even though he had failed the previous four times. That was a huge testimony to the son of fasting but he never told his dad!!! until the other night. his dad had seen the blessings of that fast but had never known why. it was super amazing to see it all connect for him and to realize how much God is really involved in his life and also how much he means to his son. cool stuff all around.  

We're teaching this super cute lil family (the lil boy's name is Jawo) and we went there for the first time just a couple weeks ago, but they were former investigators of sister garcia (good work nay) and we go there and the munchkins requested I am a Child of God as the song and they had it all memorized! all these lil non member kids singing primary songs. coolest thing ever. then we finish the song and someone is still singing outside! (the oldest kid was pumping water outside the house and hadn't realized the song was over) we start teaching about prophets and the kid outside is like shouting back to us all the answers to our questions. so hilarious. we waited for him to come inside and continued the lesson but it was super cool cuz the kids just get it! they're like yay prophets! yeah of course we need one! yeah of course we have one! yeah we'll totes go to church!!! and we're like hey. parents of these munchkins. if they can get it, so can you!!!! come to church!!! listen to the prophet!!! follow the prophet!!!! but they still haven't come to church yet. lame. they'll come. next week. as soon as i leave haha

well that's all folks!!! as President Uchtdorf has taught us so beautifully: "You are stronger than you realize. You are more capable than you can imagine. You can do it now!" true that. 

-Sister Jones

water buffalo... the new car

I rode a Carabaw!!!! if that's how it's spelled...... basta. water buffalo!!!!!

this lil dude helped us get up on there.... not scared at all. lil champ. 

Exchanges--Hot, exhausting, but soooo cool! No Excuses...

This week was so fast and so long!!!! 

We went on exchanges in fairview!!! that is a hot city. like literally super hot there. montalban is like down the grade from fairvew (totally reminds me of driving into ventura from LA every time) which means it's like 10 degrees cooler always. 

Other than that! had some good exchanges. this was an american week! i worked with both the american sisters over there. one of them is BRAND new and the other is like 5 months in.... actually she is literally one year behind me in the mission.... except she goes home in april.... haha it was so weird to see the difference one year makes.... 

Sometimes exchanges are exhausting because they take one area and try to make two day's worth of work in it... some areas you can do that, no prob. others.... we spend a lot of time tracting! and oyming!! but that's ok cuz it gives you a chance to talk to the sisters too and work out any concerns they're having. 

The brand new sister still kinda just feels like a sidekick so it was really nice to let her lead the area and show her she's making a difference and she actually is doing missionary work! one brand new tagalog word at a time :)

The other one is having a hard time with the language. she is actually doing very well. but she's rough on herself. It made me think a lot about the Atonement. sorry that was probs a jump for you. but we talked about the enabling power of the Atonement and how we can do hard things!!!!!! which she believes and teaches for others but hasn't gotten to the step yet of using it for herself. that's the hardest part right? Peter can walk on water, that's fine. but me? i could never do that!!! or so we think.....

I think that has been one of the most important and enlightening things i have learned on my mission. we can do hard things. we are not alone in that struggle every day. 

In other news. no one went to church again!!!! we literally walk our entire area always. there are no good excuses. pamasahe  [fare--as in a cab fare I think]  nah. you could walk if you really wanted to. lame. 

so!!

We took the AP's invitation in zone interviews to be bold very personally. Very personally. bold. 

it was amazing. we found out soooo many people's concerns!!!! just by asking the simple questions.

Do you know it's true? no? well kaya pala hindi kayo nagsimba {so  you do not go to shovel worship]!!

Nagdasal ka ba? [Do you pray?] hindi? [no or not]  kaya pala! [so shovel] 

Hindi mo alam!! [you do not know] 

Magdasal ka nga!!!!  [pray therefore]  

It was super cool. (maybe just google translate that... it's pretty simple, i bet google can do it)

[mom's note:  I tried google translate, and I get stuff about shovels...I don't think that's what she's talking about...]

Oh back to exchanges. sometimes they're exhausting. but sometimes they are soooo cool. for example. 

You're teaching someone you've literally never met before and you just learned their name a few hours earlier. but somehow, the words that need to be said just come. best thing ever. the right question. the right scripture. the Spirit is so amazing. probs the best part about serving a mission. feeling the Lord love people through you. so great. 

great week!

See you next Tuesday with transfer announcements for my last 6 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-sister jones

Rock Paper Scissors...

This week was much like other weeks. 

Fun facts:

It is possible pala [it turns out] to play rock, paper, scissors with yourself. as proven by the kid in front of me in sacrament meeting.... 

If you ever think your life is hard, remember that there is a man in Meycauayan making a living as a pedicab driver.... and he only has one leg. (pedicab is like a lil bike taxi... google it)

this is a giant and delicious hamburger....... 

We're going to start teaching an english class this sat.... so i need to remember how to speak english properly...... that'll be interesting. 

This week i was teaching gospel principles and the investigator somehow got tangent-ed from our discussion of prophets to how people don't eat cows in india because they think they're sacred... luckily!!! everything links together. thinking its bawal [forbidden]  to eat random things- what God has actually told us is bawal through... wait for it.... a prophet!!! go team. 

President Sperry talked to us this week about how if we want to do good things we must also be good people..... so the question remains: are you a good person? 

have a great week!

-sister jones

Mission Leadership Conference taken from a FB post:)

Mission Leadership Conference March 2014

Catching us up in Manggahan

Sorry for the silence last week! but hopefully this will be a more than satisfactory update for the past two weeks.

Last Sunday! we went to church and all that great stuff but did not have a single investigator there!!!! lame. and our less actives all peaced out. so the awesome lesson on prayer that i was so excited to teach had to wait another week. but that's ok i taught it this week! (teaching gospel essentials is waaaaay fun. i volunteered to do it erry week.) 

Then! we went to check on a less active cuz they didn't come to church and we expected them to. turns out sister was like waaaay sick. and they were debating to take her to the hospital. we talked to her for a few mins and were like umm sounds like appendicitis!! but we had no idea. never had it kasi!! [because]   so we called a sister missionary that was a nurse before her mish and got her on it. just to know if they needed to go to the hospital that night. verdict was.... appendicitis!!! so helped them pack up and get ready and get to the hospital. which they got to by pedicab. and then she was operated on and all that stuff. alls good now, they even came to church yesterday! cuz sister wanted to share her testimony. champ. 

This week was pakistani week! we went on exchanges on wed and thursday and both times i worked with a pakistani sister. that was interesting! lolz it was tight. weird though cuz one of them speaks almost all english and the other one speaks almost all tagalog and they've been out for almost the same amount of time. i got to find out a lot about arranged marriages!!! sounds like the ultimate blind date..... moral of the story. im down with referrals buuuuut i would like to meet the dude before rings are involved. 

This week we had two investigators at church!!! one of them was a munchkin. the other was a man!! he's super awesome!!! a member brought him with him to church! fellow-shipping ftw!!! and since the member was his ride he stayed for all three hours and participated and met a ton of people. definitely awesome. we're stoked on him. sana [only] we're teaching his wife too buuut she always has work. he used to be a soldier but then he had a stroke. but he's still pretty strong. he just can't work yet. i think that's a rough transition. from being the protector to the protected. but he reads and asks great questions!! stoked. 

This Sunday i also got to teach my prayer lesson sa wakas[finally] and we started a preach my gospel workshop for all the soon to be missionaries and fellow-shippers in the branch. i also got to teach that! good times. and we talked about setting up an english class starting next week! lots to do! 

one day at a time, the work goes on!!

peace out!