Area: San Marcelino
Companion: Sister Rowley
Monday, October 28, 2013
Hello po Friends & Family!
First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SIS RACHEL
JEAN THIS WEEK! 11 years old, when did you get so big! I love you sweetie girl!
xoxo
This week has been a whirlwind to say the least! I went from
being a little greenie to a Nanay (mom) training a new FOREIGNER! It would be
fair to say that this was my worst nightmare (mainly worried about teaching the
language), but has turned out to be the BIGGEST blessing.
Transfers: So transfers have officially come and gone. My
nanay was transferred North to Liozon and I stayed here in San Marcelino. My
new companion is Sister Rowley from West Jordan, Utah! She is absolutely
adorable, the Filipino's absolutely ADORE her dimples! She is exactly 3 days
older than me, (fun fact: both my companions here in the Philippines have been
WHITE & their birthdays are in July just like mine!) I'm pretty much
breaking the record for the most foreigner companions here I'm pretty sure. Ha!
It's interesting though because the night before we met our companions I had
this HUGE feeling that I would be training an American. I'm not quite sure why,
but I just got a feeling that I should mentally prepare myself for an American.
Sure enough, transfers came and I got myself a brand new trainee from the Provo
MTC! I never realized how much my Nanay did for me until now (pretty applicable
to real life too!, you never realize how much they do for you until you become
one!)
Baptisms: So the Sevillaga's have been very up and down with
their desire to be baptized. But this week, Sister Rowley and I went to visit
them and they all without us even having to ask said they wanted to be
baptized! We gave Nanay Sevillaga and Jenny Sevillaga baptismal goal dates for
December 14. Then we gave Aunt Wilma (46), JM (18) JL (16) Lloyd (12) and
Clarence (10) baptismal goal dates for November 23. Wilma hasn't really had a
desire, but she watched the Joseph Smith movie and said she KNEW it was true,
the hairs on her arms stood up when she watched it and she had never felt that
way before. Wilma only works on Sundays and Thursdays because she sells
vegetables in the markets, those are the ONLY days open for her to sell. She
decided to quit working on Sundays so that she can go to church (you have to go
to church 4 consecutive times to be baptized). What faith and will power that
takes to quit your job and only work once a week in hopes that the Lord will
bless you for keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. She is AMAZING!
Gift of Tongues: Sister Rowley and I went hunting for some of
the referrals we have received out in Rabanes. We stumbled upon Sister
Carmelita Bedonia at the house that she is a care taker for. She happily let us
in. This day we didn't have any branch missionaries working with us, so it was
just me and Sister Rowley. I can't even tell you how many prayers I said so
that I would be able to understand what she was saying to me. I UNDERSTOOD
EVERY SINGLE WORD THAT CAME OUT OF HER MOUTH...we talked for an HOUR. I shared
scriptures with her and asked if we could come back and she was more than happy
to say yes. When we walked away from that appointment, I was telling Sister
Rowley what she had been saying. Turns out she has breast cancer that is now
spreading to her brain. She did chemo for a week and lost ALL of her hair &
it was making her really sick to her stomach so she didn't eat for a week and
was getting really thin. She said she said a prayer that Heavenly Father would
help her to feel better. She stopped taking her medicine and her doctor said if
she stopped taking her medicine she would die. She has a seven year old
daughter and a drunkard of a husband. This poor lady has SO MUCH FAITH it is
incredible, she said that the Lord is her medicine and she has felt him healing
her. I shared with her about prayer and faith, it was an incredible lesson. The
best part, everything she was saying to me was medical terms and I SOMEHOW
understood it. What a blessing.
Marjane: A few weeks ago Sister Hynes, and our branch
missionary Kristine and I were walking back and forth up and down the streets
looking for less actives. We were by this little bakery when this girl grabs
Kristine and asks if we are Mormons. Of course Kristine said yes, then it began
pouring rain so we took shelter under the bakery roof and began talking with
this girl. Her name is Marjane, she is 22. Turns out she has a Book of Mormon
and has already read about a 100 pages of it. She has been to shy to ask the
Elders previously to teach her and had been praying that sisters would get
transferred to this area so she could ask them to teach her. She said that when
she saw us she knew it was an answer to her prayers and immediately had to
seize the opportunity! We have had three lessons with her so far, each of them
we all end up crying because the spirit is SO STRONG. She is soo prepared, she
takes notes every lesson and comes with lists of questions for us. I have never
seen someone soo desirous. We gave her a baptismal goal date for November 16,
she is SO EXCITED! Golden. Totally golden and prepared.
Randoms: Congratulations to Sister Kristine going to the Naga
Mission! So excited for you! This week the Sevillaga's were absolutely STUNNED
when they saw me leading the lessons, they said I speak the most straight
forward and clear Tagalog. This has been the perfect opportunity to bear my
testimony of how much the Lord really blesses his missionaries, I know that it
is not me that's good at Tagalog, it's the Lord blessing me so that I have the
ability to teach His children.
I have never felt so loved and blessed in my whole life. I
have seen more miracles this week than ever before. Heavenly Father is soo good
to me, so soo good. May we all take the opportunity to look for the blessings
and miracles in our lives no matter how big or small. He loves you &
blesses you more than you think.
I love you all! The Philippines Olongapo Mission is the BEST
MISSION IN THE WORLD!
God Bless.
Mahal Kita!
Sister Pilkington
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