Week 11

This email will be very short. I really don't have any time today, the sever is slow and we have a bust day!

BUT, I had my first and last balut this week! It is the most disgusting thing I have ever had! I wish I could send the video, but it exceeds the size! I didn't toss my breakfast thought, thank goodness! And I didn't get sick either, but it was disgusting and a little crunchy. It had feathers too. Don't eat balut. Words to the wise!

The week has been good! And I have loved every bit of it!  I am improving more and more in the language and have learned so much this week. Especially from Sister Quijada. I becoming more comfortable with sharing my simple testimony. Which I never really have enjoyed, because I have felt that It doesn't really give my full feelings about it, butI have become more and more comfortable with saying my simple, "Maaram Ak...(I know....)"

I love you all and I am so grateful for all of you and forever keep you all in my prayers! And I hope the picture doesn't make any of you sick :)

Until next week :) 

Sister Bray  

Week 10

Hello everyone!!!!!!

This week has been so awesome! I want to share everything about it but again just the highlights :) 

This week we had companion exchanges! I was with our AA Sister, Sister Garcia! I just have to say, she is so awesome! She has the strongest testimony ever! Only her and her mother are members and she has had to go through many hard times with family members because of it. And she has never let that hinder her! WE had such a fantastic time together and she shared so many testimonies with me all throughout the day. She knows it's true! :) She shared something with me while we had our companionship study. IT was about prayer and missionary work. I have heard over and over "a missionary in the hands of the Lord" and things similar. And I know how big of an impact the Lord has on us as missionaries and how close we are to the spirit. But she held out her hand and pointed to the center of her palm, and said, "You are right here." The lord carries us all throughout this service and is literally guiding as where we are needed to go, what we are needed to do, and what is that we are needed to say! Such an profound thought that I had simply gone over! IT made me so happy to know and actually feel the presence of the Lords hand in the work.

The Salayao family are still progressing! The record system in the Philippines is a mess... SO they can't get married for a while. They need to get records that say that Sister Mierna is Sister Mierna. Then they can get more paper work, and more paper work, and more, and then they can get a marriage license and get married! And then Sister Mierna can get baptized, because she REALLY wants to! And Says that every time and always shares her spiritual insights about it! I really want to see Brother Jim be the one to baptize her, but I'm not entirely sure how that will all work out, but still it's a hope that all of us in the ward have for them :)

The language this week has really progressed and I can speak very broken Waray and can understand a little in conversation. When we are in quiet lessons, I am able to think clearly of what it is I need to say and how to say it. I say 'Quiet Lessons" because here, it is never quiet! There is always kids coming in and disrupting the lessons, major distractions outside and inside, everything possible that could distract and disrupt, usually does! But, when we have a semi quieter setting and are able to converse and be understood and have the spirit in the lesson, it makes it all that much more better :)

Well, I love you all and wish you all the best of weeks! It's crazy to think that this week, I will have been here in the PI for ONE MONTH!!!!!!!! Crazy!! It is going by so fast! And to think that the next set of missionaries (which 18 are sisters and 4 are elders) will be coming in a short amount of weeks, is insane! The time really is flying by! And I am making sure that I love each moment of it that I can!

Once again, I Love you all!!!!!!! And I am so grateful to have each of you in my lives!! Have an amazing week! And hey, you're awesome!

Sister Bray :)

Pictures!

1. Bridge in Caboynan

2.The road to Socme

3. Sister Quijada and I with the kids in San Roque. They beg for pictures everytime we are there!

4. and 5. Carlo Villegas birthday

6. Sister Quijada and I got to sit shotgun in a Jeepney

7. Bachelor beach

Week 9

Hello Everybody!!!!!! And a Happy Mother's day!!! Although, I am writing this email on Monday afternoon and most of you are getting it on Monday at 1am :) but none the less I wish you all the happiest of Mother's day's!!

While in the MTC one of my teachers gave me a talks he had gotten from the devotional he had been to the night before, all about motherhood and being a woman in Zion. Regretfully, I did not bring them with me to the Jokap(internet cafe). I finally got around to reading them, and what better day than mother's day? :) It made me so happy to have a mother! And to sometime later in my life, to have that opportunity as well! Hopefully that won't happen for a while though, because I don't think I could raise a baby right now :) so that's far down the line. But I am so grateful for the powerful roles mothers play in all of our lives! I have no doubt that all that my mom did in raising me was to get me to this point in my life. And I am so grateful for that! And for her amazing example of spirituality(hippie-ness and all). Just like the story in Alma of the stripling warriors, they knew because their mothers knew. We all learn by example and through teachings, and my mother taught me A LOT! And I couldn't be more thankful!

I feel my emails are getting shorter and shorter as I get further into my mission! But always know that all is well! That the giant rat outside my house, that is the size of a fat wiener dog, will not scare me away :) The language is coming better! I am able to understand better what people are saying, but the responding back in waray-waray is what gets hard. Bu I know that in due time and through trials, we become greater people. We just have to allow ourselves to be!

I had my first baptism this week! Shera Mei Quintana! A 14-year-old that is lit with Christ all in her life. She is the biggest example to her family of that too! Her two younger sisters have even started coming to church with her! I have no doubt that this girl will go forth and accomplish so much in her life! Her happiness and smile have helped me so much this week. She could tell I wasn't at my happiest and tried her hardest to speak English and crack a good joke at me! I love her to pieces! She came to her baptism service about an hour late, which Filipino time is far worse than Hawaii time. So I will not be learning how to manage my time better on my mission :) even church starts late! But she came ready to receive something she longed so much for! She was baptized on Friday and had to wait till Sunday to be confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, but you could tell, the minute she came out of the water, how happy she was!

Well, the computer is about to kick me off, but know how much I love each and every single one of you! And I am so grateful that I was able to skype with my family today, and to see my beautiful sisters belly! That little growing girl is definitely my motivation! I love you all and wish you all the best of weeks as well!

1Nephi 3:15 -"As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down....until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us."

Week 8

I'm so sorry! I once again do not have time to write to you all!!!! I wish I could and tell you all of the amazing things here! But we only have about an hour to do so! 

The week went well! We have an investigating family, the Solayao family, they contacted us on Monday and want to be baptized!! We have FHE with them tonight! And a 14 year old girl named, Shera is getting baptized on Saturday! She is amazing and has such a testimony of the gospel!

My emotions this week could have been better.... I have always wanted to serve and to share the gospel and being so happy, but I have had such a hard time being happy here. I am still trying to adjust to everything and to feel of the love of my heavenly father, it's just so hard. I have never felt farther away from the spirit. Please pray and help me! 16 months! I just need to make it! and return with honor! I don't wan to quit! I love you all and wish that I could share more! 

I love you all so much and wish for the best of each of you!

Sister Bray