Philippines Olongapo Mission: Gratitude

Area: Mandama

Companion: Sister Rossberg

Sister Training Leader

Monday, August 4, 2014

Hello Fam.

Definitely one of the more interesting weeks of the mission. Full of rejection, surprises, tears, laughter, gratitude, and promising new investigators. However, no matter what life brings us here in the mission, the work still moves on.

We are filtering through our investigators this week and figuring out who is really interested or not. We were dropped like four times in one day, made for a fun day haha. The rain still continues to pour buckets here. Sister Rossberg and I suit up our cute little rain boots. I've got some polka dot ones and she is rockin some sweet camo boots hahah (big feet problems). We got tons of referrals this week from members, and lots of them have potential! We also started teaching a family compound, guess whose family it is? Brother Fritz Llego's family! Score. Je Trajano is going to be baptized this August 23, he is stellar. His two sons, Awi and Likha are baptized, as well as his wife (they are seperated now though) are members. So we will be completing this family and are very excited. He is extremely smart and always has lots of deep questions for us. His church attendance continues, he hasn't missed a week. Please keep him in your prayers!

Nancy Sanchez and her family are doing awesome, we are looking to baptize her husband and her two daughters, twins, Jenny and Jo-Ann. Our only problem is her husband Arturo works in Manila and is only home every two weeks. We are going to contact the missionaries in Manila to teach him while he's home. Hoping to get all of that worked out so we can complete the Sanchez family. Brother Arturo's cousins are all members, and they are all inactive. So we're hoping if we can get Arturo baptized, we will bring all his cousins back to church too! (some of them are return missionaries!) Could be an awesome strength for the Mandama Ward.

Sister Rossberg and I have now approached her last week in the mission field. We were both a little teary about it yesterday during fast and testimony meeting. We have really grown to love this area of Mandama, and especially the journey of treking around the place together. We look forward to working extra hard this week, making sure she leaves it ALL out on the field. All out, all heart, one more, right?

Anyways, my theme for the week I would have to say is gratitude. Throughout my whole mission my testimony has been tried and strengthened over and over and over again. It is tried at the times when people reject, mock, and ridicule His message that we carry, and then been strengthened when time and time again we bear our soul-filled testimonies hoping to somehow soften their hearts. We had a lesson yesterday with a recent convert who unfortunately came across some mormon anti-literature this week. His testimony was a bit shaken, and he had lots of questions for us. He was also contacted by a return missionary, active member of 30 years that had apostasized..he couldn't figure out how a servant of God had fallen away from the church when he had spent two years proclaiming of its truthfulness. My heart began to burn and I was filled with the Spirit as I grabbed my scriptures opening up to the perfect passage for him. We opened our scriptures together and I gave him an assignment to read, then we turned on the talk by Elder Holland where he proclaims the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, and bears a simple and profound testimony to the world. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest as I bore my testimony to him that I know with every fiber in my being that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I told him that even if one of the twelve apostles were to fall away from the church I would not be shaken. Why? Because I don't base my testimony on others, I have rooted it deep enough that no matter what anyone says or does, they can NEVER take away the truths that I hold dear to my heart. I challenged him to do the same, to pray and find out for himself if this church is really true. And once he come to know that it is, to never, ever falter again. Sister Rossberg then came in bearing witness to what I said, and shared her loving testimony to him that our Savior lives, he loves us, and he knows us. That our Heavenly Father will answer our prayers, and will bear testimony to us of the truthfulness of His church. We then kneeled on their warm cement floor in a circle, and invited him to pray to know if this church was true. The spirit that filled that room was incredible, I was brought to tears as the spirit testified to each of us, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is indeed the only true church on the face of the earth.

I'm grateful for my opportunity to serve a mission for my Father in Heaven. Even more so to serve on the beautiful Philippines island to some of the most loving, hardworking, and passionate people I have ever met. They struggle to survive, to put food on their tables, but they are a happy and a loving people. I am grateful for my family, and for the knowledge I have that no matter what happens to us while here on this earth, we will be an eternal family as we continue to live the principles of the gospel. I am grateful for my testimony, that no man can ever take away from me. I know as we seek first the kingdom of God, all other things shall be added unto us. He will not forsake us. I love this gospel with all my heart. I love my calling as a missionary. I know these things are true, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love you all, have a great week.

God Bless!

Sister Pilkington.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET GRAMPS, hope you have a good one old man :)

Maldwin cleaning our shoes!

Elder Yardley! (AP) Goes home this transfer

Elder Siola'a -- poly lyfe (AP) Goes home this transfer

Elder Penano...he will be a mission president someday...best missionary in the mission

Pin, Gems, Me and Je - love them. (Je is our next door neighbor)

Je and Likha Trajano sporting their white polo's at church.
They're the BEST! & we're giants...haha

Our investigators "nice" way of telling us not to come back.
"Walang tao po dito" means "no people here"...
I love that the lock isn't even on the door...haha sad..