I could be a missionary forever!

Area: Mandama

Companion: Sister Lim

Sister Training Leader

Monday, November 3, 2014

Good Morning! 

Another week full of blessings and miracles. Missionary work just never gets old. At times I wish I could just do this forever. We are heading into my last transfer of my mission, cannot believe it. I'm still in denial that missions actually end. Sister Lim and I secretly hope that we will be able to just finish the work out strong together one more transfer here in Mandama. We have soo much going on this November, we can't afford for either of us to leave the area. However, I know God's plan is greater than our plan. So whatever happens this week is perfectly fine with me. :) 

I would like to highlight sister Nora Manalansan this week. We had some super awesome lessons with her and have seen the Spirit really change her.. It's amazing how so much can happen in one week. Nora, as all mothers, loves her daughter so much and will do anything for them. She said they are the main reason why she came to church last week. They kept begging her to go (go kids!) and so she did. Her kids were the key to getting her into the church, and then the Spirit was able to work on her and do the rest. She said she was changed at church. She couldn't explain why, but she was so happy. Sister Lim and I just smiled and nodded because we knew exactly why she was happy. It was the Spirit touching her heart. The following lessons after church she said whenever she saw us walking up to their house she would get so excited, and it was something she just couldn't explain. We taught her about the Word of Wisdom the other night and she about fell out of her chair when we told her she could no longer drink coffee anymore (she drinks 5-6 cups a day!). However, she agreed to slowly cut it out. Saturday night we felt prompted to text Nora and found out that she had a really high fever and was unsure if she could come to church on Sunday. We bore our testimonies to her, trying to help her have some faith and understand the importance of coming to church. She said Sunday morning her Spirit woke her up at 5 am and she couldn't fall back asleep. She figured this was the Spirit prompting her to go to church. So at 6 she reached over her drunk husband, and woke up her little girls. Her husband woke up and asked where they were going. She told him to church. He then laughed at her, but then to her surprise gave her some money to get them to church. He asked her why she was going to the Mormon church, and if she was actually going to become a member there. She told him that she feels happy there, and hopefully one day he would join their family there. Nora, although sick with a fever, brought her little ones to church and stayed all three hours. She shared this story in Sunday school--the Spirit was so strong. What an amazing example she is to both the members and her family of finding a way to follow God's commandment of attending church. She then closed by saying, "and for the first time, I drank Milo instead of coffee this morning. Now my husband really thinks I've lost it" She is changing so much. It's such a blessing to watch her grow. Ahh love it. Nora and two of her four daughters will be baptized this November 22. 

Tom Purgatorio is still doing awesome. He is seriously the smartest 16 year old I know. He literally has memorized the Book of Mormon. We teach three lessons with him in one sitting because he just GETS IT. He is involved in seminary, best friends with all the youth, and reads his scriptures daily. He will be getting baptized this November 22. 

Our recent convert Nancy Sanchez and her sister Josefine (not yet a member, 27) worked with us the other day. They're awesome fellowshippers for all of our investigators and such a blast to work with. We have tried multiple times to teach Josefine but she's always been scared of what her husband would say. But at the end of the day working with us she took us home and introduced us to her husband. Blessing! We are hoping to try teaching them this week :)

I'm so grateful for the past two transfers. I have learned more about myself and how revelation works than at any other time of my mission. Sister Lim has been so patient with me and ever so loving, she's the nicest person ever. I love her so much. We have felt such a strong passion for the work and have seen the truth that exact obedience truly does bring blessings. We will continue to do all we can to qualify for those blessings and save these souls. 

I testify that our Saviour lives. He knows us, and He loves us. This is His work. It will continue to press forward until it reaches all four corners of the earth. I love this gospel and will preach it for eternities.

Have a great week. 

God bless.

Mahal,

Sister Pilkington.

Recent Converts

Recent converts and their friends at church.

Sister Leeeeeemers!

Grand daughters!

Sister Dahl and Sister Mencias, my two grand daughters.
I'm getting old in the mission.  Yikes!

Nora and her daughters

Nora on the left with her three daughters (the oldest didn't make the picture, whoops!)
Edna is in the pink and Luz is in the brown top.

Obedience - protecting and revealing

Area: Manadama

Companion: Sister Lim

Sister Training Leader

Monday, October 27, 2014

HELLO ALL. 

"OBEDIENCE, the most protecting word, the most revealing word,--you obey and you CANNOT go wrong, you WILL be provided for." -President Packer.

The past three weeks Sister Lim and I have been struggling with getting our investigators progressing, including getting them to church.We did some re-evaluation and made some changes. I would just like to bear my own personal witness of the reality of the Atonement. This week, we used the Atonement everyday, repenting for anything and everything that we could have done better or did wrong. Sister Lim and I made lots of realizations about things we should be doing better to be more EXACTLY obedient in the work. They are those small things that are simple to let fly, but we decided we can't afford to let those things happen. As a companionship and individually we have been repenting, and I would just like to share some of the many blessings that we saw as a result in the work this week. 

First off I would like to start with church attendance. We had been averaging 1-2 investigators a week at church, and 1-2 progressing investigators (investigators that keep commitments like reading the scriptures, praying, going to church, etc.) This Sunday, we had 12 investigators attend church. We do not claim ANY of the glory in this amazing turn out, for we did nothing different in our teaching. It was all Him. Tears filled my eyes as I saw tricycles with our investigators inside, both excited and nervous to attend church yesterday morning. Obedience brings blessings, I cannot emphasize that enough. For any of you reading this that are currently serving, and wishing for more success, the best advice I can give is to repent, obey, and go to work. That is the recipe to success in life. The same for those at home. Repent, obey, and work hard in school, at work, in sports. He will not let you fail. 

The investigators that came to church include Nora Manalansan and her four daughters. Then there is Luzviminda (Nora's older sister--she lives next door to Bishop). And then sister Edna Malit, Nora's next door neighbor, and then some referrals from our recent converts. I would like to expand a little bit on Luzviminda's story. We were tracting one afternoon and came upon the last house of this community. We decided to knock the door and there was Luz and her daughter Maan. They let us in and were very interested in our message. However the comment that Luz made really stuck out to me. She said one of the main reasons she was so excited that the "Mormon missionaries" were inside her house was because of the happiness she saw in the lives of her next door neighbors. Her next door neighbors happen to be our Bishop, first counselor in the bishopric, and the seminary teacher and her family. She said whenever she would walk by there's always members over singing, playing games, and having such a good time. She was very interested in why they are always happy even though life is so hard. Sister Lim and I just smiled, it's because they have the gospel. After church yesterday, Sister Lim asked Luz how church was, she responded, "It was great. I'll be back next week." Blessings.

I would also like to introduce you to Tom Purgatorio (16). He is what I like to refer to as a golden investigator, truly PREPARED by the Lord. He turns out to be a part member. His dad's whole immediate family are members, sealed in the temple, but the majority of them are unfortunately no longer active. Tom and his two younger siblings live with their cousins Cj (16) and Cesar (13). All of their parents are working in Manila, so they do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry on their own. Although Tom is only 16 he is very mature for his age. When we met Tom and invited him to learn, he was interested. Within two visits Tom had already memorized the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, attended church by himself, and extended a baptismal goal date to himself. He beat us to the punch and asked when he was going to be baptized. Blessing.

The Lord truly keeps his promises. "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say: but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." D&C 82:10. So many other blessings happened in the work this week, and above all we are HAPPY. Happiness is key in missionary work. The Atonement is Real. I am so excited to work as hard as I can these last 7 weeks of my mission. It is all going by too fast. But with the time I have left I will give Him my all.

Have a great week.

Mahal, Sister Pilkington

Loud intense games!

Good Morning.!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to miss Paigeyyy, Kasha, and Emily Cole! Love each of you and hope you have an amazing birthday <3.

Hands down of the most interesting weeks of my mission so far...no words can even explain, but for a lack of better words..only in the Philippines. Haha

The work is continuing to press along here in Mandama. Unfortunately although Sister Lim and

I do TONS of tracting and are averaging about 15 new investigators or more a week, we have

not been able to get these people progressing which can be discouraging. However, we are still

working hard and praying even harder to find those people that Heavenly Father has prepared for

us. 

We had 11 less actives come to church on Sunday which was awesome. We have been getting lots of less actives coming to church this past month, so now we are starting to focus on getting our investigators progressing. President Dahle has encouraged us to keep teaching our investigators and less actives more about the saving ordinances and the temples. It has been amazing to see the change in the people that we teach as we talk to them about being sealed as a family. The Ocampo family now has a date for September 2015 to be sealed. We are also working with the Ramirez Family (less active) to set a goal date hopefully before the end of the year. 

We had an awesome family home evening at Nancy Sanchez' home with her family and the Ocampo family. Sister Gemma taught an awesome lesson about the importance of members shining their light for all to see, that we may be an example to our friends and family members. As we do say, they will be attracted to that light, the gospel, and have a desire to know why we are always so happy. We then played a ton of games, well I thought I was competitive, but I think Nancy might have outdone me. During one of the games she was standing up jumping up and down screaming because she was so excited and didn't want to lose. Everyone was screaming so loud that all of a sudden a bunch of men ran to the house with concerned looks on their faces. Turns out the neighbors thought there was a fight going on because we were so loud and they ran to come break it up. Then they saw a bunch of kids and families playing games and were glad they had guessed wrong. We then invited them to join in on our fun haha. 

We had Mission President Interviews on Wednesday in Balanga. Interviews are always awesome. I always can so strongly feel the genuine love that President and Sister Dahle have for us. The chat with the two of them was just awesome. I felt like I was just sitting and talking with my aunt and uncle, it was great. I really want to pick their brains a little more though so next time I'm going to prepare some questions, haha. President is continuing to really expand his vision for our mission, and it is INCREDIBLE. I am soo excited to see where the establishment of the church is at when his three years are done.

Being that I only have eight weeks left as a missionary I am really trying to give this last homeward stretch all that I have. I want to work hard and preach repentance to all. Some of our investigators have been asking us not to come back and it has been really hard. Sometimes I wonder what more we need to do in order to let these people understand that this gospel is true. That waiting right in front of them is the best blessing they could ever accept into their life. But yet sometimes, they just don't see it. But then I remembered one of my favorite quotes from Elder Neil A. Anderson. It is simple, beautiful, and true. "Challenges will come to you, but as you trust in God they will strengthen your Faith." This set back has only made my testimony that much more sure and strong. I know that this church is true, and will continue to spread this message for the rest of my life and even on into the eternities.

I love you all. Have a great week.

Sister Pilkington