The Highlights

It's been a good week.

This is what happened:

 

Robert San Jose got baptized.

 

We met Cherry, a mother of two young children,  who was totally excited to find out that there is another book of scripture and is way excited to study it.

 

I gained a new perspective on red lights. (It used to annoy me to have to stop and wait for a red light in traffic, but now I've realized what a great opportunity it is to have that time to share the gospel with our tricycle driver)

 

We went to Roxas this week for exchanges, it's neat how much you LEARN by teaching.

 

Played some volleyball and basketball. (Just this morning)

 

I got Grandma Halladays letter with 10 dollars in it! Woohoo! (Thanks grandma)

 

Well I guess those were the highlights.

 

The family we are teaching is giving us a hard time. They don't like coming to church yet very much, and sometimes aren't very good about reading the book of mormon. But I know they'll come around.

Keep praying for us.

Thank you all so much!

 

The church is true!

This is a great and marvelous work!

 

Keep fighting

I love you

sister webre

Merry Christmas!

guess what?!?! You know the ward I just came from in my old area-- the Rizal ward that I LOVE? Rizal ward is part of Santiago stake and they had their stake conference yesterday. The stake was divided and they created Santiago 2nd stake because there were 10 priesthood that were advanced to the Melchizedek priesthood from the Rizal ward that were all converted while I was serving there. Isn't that INCREDIBLE?!?!? Oh my heavens, I wish I could have been there to see them all stand up and be sustained.

Because they created a new stake in Santiago, two Elders from the 1st quorom of the seventy came here to our mission this week. Elder Brent Nielson and Elder Ian Ardern. Elder Ardern is the one with the sweet accent that just spoke in conference about how we use our time. He is from New Zealand.

Anyway, they came and taught us on Friday night and it was AMAZING. Everything they taught us was SO inspired, we all learned a ton. One of their topics was how we all must CHANGE. Read Mosiah 27:25.  It isn't enough to read the scriptures, to pray every day and go to church every week if we keep doing the same things we've always done and we don't learn to act and to change.

They started playing christmas music and putting up christmas lights last month, so it makes me feel like I'm coming home soon.

I have now done two different exchanges with the sister missionaries. The first one was in an area called maddela and the travel is 4 hours one way. I totally don't feel like I should be training these sisters because I still feel so new. I felt pretty nervous about that first exchange because I didn't really know what I was doing and how I could help the sister I was with, but I found that I really was able to give her some new ideas and help her identify some places she could improve. It was fun.

Last week we split in an area only an hour away and it also went well. I think I'm really going to like this because I get to share all the things I have learned throughout my mission with other sisters! And I get to visit all the areas in the mission that I wasn't assigned to! Yeah!

Well, I guess that is all I have time for now. Love you all so much! 

Love, sister webre

We're running low on support money so we had to go with the "budget cookies" this morning.

HAHA! Isn't it great? They have budget cookies here!

Conference

Another week has passed.

The highlight of the week was definitley conference.
I am always amazed at how we always hear talks about prayer and scripture study, such simple and basic topics, and even after my 22 years of hearing those messages over and over, I have still not been able to perfect myself in those areas. I know that they are THAT important and that is why we hear it over and over.

All of the messages were absolutely marvelous but I especially liked Pres. Eyrings talk (always a favorite) and also the messages by Ian S. Arden  (that delicious accent might have something to do with it, but I really did love his message about how we spend our time. I think that subject is incresingly important to us. -"we should be as quick to kneel as we are to text") and Carl B. Cook. The message to "look up" is so simple but profound. We tend to worry or think negatively when we are experiening problems, and in the proccess we forget that we should be looking to the one who can and will always help us.

That's what I feel about the work here much of the time. Many people here truly are very poor and they experience so much trial and hardship. It is so amazing that we are able to offer them the gospel, which is truly the only thing that can help them. It is the only solution, the only way that they can still experience peace and happiness and recieve God's blessings even while experiencing such hardship.
It makes me so sad when people don't accept the gospel because as a result they are not able to recieve those blessings. I wish I could impress upon each of them, that they would understand that they could have a much happier life if they would only come unto Christ and follow His teachings.

In our visits to less-active members, we hear many excuses why they are not coming to church, praying, or reading their scriptures. No matter what the excuse, we lovingly tell them that there is simply NO excuse that is good enough for the Lord. And not only that, but when they explain that they haven't been coming to church because of financial or other problems, I feel so sad that they have given up the thing that would have help cure their problems.

I wish they could understand that the quitting of paying of tithing and church attendance it is like putting salt in their own wounds. The commandments are, as president monson said, not suggestions but they are commandments. And they are not to hinder or restrict us, but to protect and heal us.

How great is our God, He truly does have all wisdom and His plan is perfect in every way. Yet how often do we think we know better and try to do things our own way? This was also mentioned in conference. I hope and pray that I can better align my will with the Father and be more humble so that I don't get in the way of becoming who He would have me be.

The two talks toward the end also really inspired me, the talks about teaching by the spirit and the message that was specifically for missionaries. Teaching IS so much more than talking or telling, if there is one thing I have learned here, it is that.
The messages from conference will be a guide to all of us for the next six months and the rest of our lives. I know that all of us have weaknesses and we can always improve. Isn't that beautiful? I am thrilled at the thought that my progression will never end, even in the next life. I think it is super exciting.

Lets have an AMAZING new week with the spiritual armor we have been given
yours truly
sister webre

p.s. In the picture, the american on my left is sister Pence and this is her very First time eating pizza here in the PHILS. (She has been here for a year now, so thats kindof a big deal)

Happy Conference Time

 

 

CONFERENCE!!

Yeah.... I haven't watched it yet...

But we will be watching the broadcast this weekend and I am SO EXCITED!!!

 

Hey now, don't get too excited yet about making plans for our reunion. But don't worry, you will each have sufficient time to spend with me, no need to fight. I wont be looking for a job until after the holidays are over. :)

 

So now for the good stuff.

Transfers came and went. My new companion is Sister Certicio. She has been about 5 months in the mission. This is her second area. She is quiet, but from what I can tell so far she will be a good missionary. We played volleyball this morning and she rocked it.

Sister Eveland was hanging out with us ever since transfers on friday because her parents couldn't get here until this morning. But now she is with them and I know they have plans to go visit her old areas and Banaue Rice Terraces and if the weather stays good, even go to the CEBU temple. Pretty sweet right. I'm jealous. I want to go to the temple. Any temple.

 

There were two really bad storms this last week that took out our power for the majority of the week. Word is, there is another storm coming this wednesday. Fun stuff! They always have a good heads-up about the storms, so we just wait it out, safe in our apartment.

 

So now I am the new sister's trainer, and the other sister's trainer is in a different area. We get together every week and do splits with the sister missionaries in the whole mission, depending on who needs us the most. We help to train them and make sure that they are doing good. It will be a fun twist to the normal missionary work because I'll get to visit a bunch of different areas, even if just for a day.

 

We are teaching a handful of young men ages 17-19 in various places and situations. They are all showing a ton of potential and really progressing. It makes me so excited because I can already see them in a white shirt and tie and a name tag. Future missionaries!! It is so fun watching them progress, gain a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and make changes in their lives.

 

I will try and send a picture of the family we are teaching. Dad and Mom are still being stubborn about coming to church, but I am determined to witness their baptism before I go home. This is the Carig Family. Ricky, Mina, Rizza(19), Raissa(16), RJ(15), Rose Ann(10), Richmond(6)

 

I LOVE THIS WORK

I LOVE YOU

Let us all walk the talk this week and show Heavenly Father that he can trust us

Jesus Christ lives, and He never stops reaching out His hands to save us and help us

 

sister webre

 

The Weekly

 Hello there!
We had zone conference this week and it was GREAT! The focus was on becoming a preach my gospel missionary, which means, teaching by the spirit among many other things.
One thing we focused on was that teaching is more than just talking or telling. We practiced doing some role plays where we really had to observe the investigator, listen to them, and discern what it really was that they needed to hear, or what their need or concern was.
It was a good reminder to me, that I need to be more careful about not getting caught up in the delivery of the message--but make sure that I am really teaching PEOPLE and not just teaching LESSONS. I am really striving to become more and more proficient in the language of the spirit and develop my listening skills!!!

We got an early Christmas present!
Each companionship now has their own dvd player and the Preach My Gospel DVD's. Can you believe it? I couldn't believe it! Its so awesome! Is that a world-wide thing? Anyway, its too bad that I'm nearing the end of my mission...I only get to use it for a few months.
OhYEAH, I forgot to tell you that I got your package last week. Thank you! I have been slowly working on the M&Ms and have almost finished off the fiber one bars! And I have plenty to share!

On saturday we made another trip to the "bukid" or rice fields. This time we got to see their machine that separates the actual rice from its stalk (I'm calling it a stalk, for lack of a better word) We even dressed up like the Filipinos do when they work in the rice fields. It was great fun and REALLY muddy.
So...yeah.

The work is going just fine, we are still teaching that one family I told you about. Dad is being kind of difficult, but I fully believe he will change if we are patient and have FAITH!  This family is our focus right now. It have really been focusing on sharing my testimony about how the gospel strengthens and blesses families. I never understood how much the gospel plays a role in family happiness and unity until I came here and saw so many families without the gospel, and how different their lives are. Only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints do we see families pray together read scriptures together, all go to church together, set aside one night a week to be together, and help each other to live the high standards that we uphold. It is such a testimony builder to me to realize that all of those things are the foundation of what our family is and why we have so much happiness and so many blessings. Even though we still have problems and trials, the gospel makes it so much easier to cope and gives us hope in all times that we can always find a solution.
WE ARE SO BLESSED!! We have what everyone needs! We need to share this gospel!

My companion is going home in two days. Actually she isn't going home in two days because her parents are coming here to pick her up... but I am getting a new companion on Thursday!
So you'll hear all about that next week.

Love you all so much, HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
Remember your covenants!

sister webre