Week 24

Hello everybody! This week was really great! Did some good work and Found new ways to open our Less Active members up and sharing reasons why they are less active or inactive. It's been a great experience! I hope that the work will continue and that we can continue to share with them the blessing s of the Gospel. W have transfers this week! I think I will still be here in Tanaunan, and I REALLY think I will be training, but who knows :) Hahah, I am loving it here, the heat is getting better too! LOVE YOU ALL!!! :)

This picture is from the hike from earlier today... this caribao was racist and hated me.... HATERS GONNA HATE!

Week 23

Hello era'body!!!!!!!!!

Hahah, this letter may be little bit small, haha, there is just never enough time! :) Someday I will be able to manage time better... just not today :)

So this week was pretty exciting and boring all at the same time. So They have things here called, Fiesta. It's usually a celebration for a barangay(neighborhood) or a city, kinda like Draper Days, Alpine Days, Pioneer Days, you get the picture. But they are much bigger! They are really fun! Plus, everybody will invite o\you to come and eat with them :) you best believe I love that part! Hahah, but it's sketch to just up and eat anywhere, so just at members houses! The bad side to Fiesta, no work. Too many drunk people and it's not safe at all. So we have to some home super early. Like 6 or 7 for three days. SO I was able to read some Liahona's and have our own little Fiesta at our apartment :)

Something this week that was really amazing to witness, was actually noticing that Lord's hand in helping his children. I have seen so many people regain the Light of Christ in their lives and gain a real smile. When I say "a real smile", that's truly what I mean. You can always tell when someone puts on a fake smile, and you can always tell a real smile. I have always been able to notice it and I always ask, "Why don't you smile?" Then sometime later after, when they give a real smile, I call em out and say," Now that's a real smile!" Hahaha, Such a great thing to witness someones life actually become happy and to grow even closer to true happiness.

This week I felt really down about everything in the ward. Still not a lot of help in the ward. There really is no unification and the ward has a lot of problems with the organizations. It's been kinda frustrating to realize that that is the real reason why they don't wan to come to church anymore. They just can't seem to let it be and go on. So this week I fasted, I prayed, I pondered, and listened for a way to help. Through that fast, I was actually able to receive so many other things. SO many other blessings :) Our church attendance.... 71! SEVENTY-ONE!!!!!! I was shocked seeing everybody there! SO many less active families, and members who were ready to receive that happiness back in their lives! Such a blessing!

Well, I love you all and hope that this week will be an amazing one for everyone! And that my little niece will be able to arrive here safely and enjoy being spoiled and held by everyone! hahah LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

SISTER BRAY  

Week 22

I hope that this week I will have more time....

WE have had such a great week, we spent I think roughly two days full of walking and looking for a place for our new Elders that will be here the first week of September, so we have been so tired this week. We found some ok places and then we found s place that was like a dream!! We were told it would be 2.4k in pesos, we went back to follow up about it..... 10k. Dream crushed! So we are going to the mission office after this to go and talk with the office Elders and maybe president on the places for these amazing guys.

WE also had Companion Exchanges this week, where you work with the Sister Training Leaders over your zone. I was with Sister Garcia again, she actually served in my area! And it was her first area too! She is amazing lemme tell you! I have worked with her for my first exchanges and she has literally helped me grow so much every time I see her! Her testimony and strength is phenom! Sister James was able to work with Sister Fina'i, who I actually graduated with like all her cousins:) and one is actually one of my good friends! It's a really small world! Especially in PTM I feel... We have two or three sets of cousins, I went to school with I believe 3 here, but I have only met 2 of them so far, and a bunch of other stuff too ! Crazy! It makes me super happy though to be here with all these amazing missionaries! And to have had the opportunity to gain all these friendships :) And especially our Zone Leader, Elder Moriss, he heads home this coming week and I could not be more grateful for him. His testimony and his constant skip in his step, such an awesome dude! :) 

We were able to witness such amazing growth in our members as well this week. Like I have said, we have many less active members, and it has finally picked up! We reached rough;y 50 this week in attendance!! :) Such a blessing! :)

Well, I love you all so much And I am so grateful again for you all!

LOVE YOU

SISTER BRAY

Week 21

Hello Everybody!

 

I love you all so much!!!!! This email will be really short, I am out of time today! But I do have something that is really good!!

 

So, it's official! They are adding Elders to the Tanauan 2nd ward in 3 weeks! Hahah, It will definitely help with all the work and help the ward so much! I can't wait!!

 

Our investigator as of three months now, will hopefully be able to get her records within this month and next month she can FINALLY be baptized and her whole family will be sealed next year!!!!! I can't even tell you how happy I was when they told us the great news!

 

Well, I love you all so much and I am so continually grateful for you all! Have a wonderful week!

 

SISTER BRAY

Week 20

Hello Everybody!!! Sorry I really don't have any time today, but I will send you pictures! That is the easy part! Especially right now..... see, I had a run in with a metal electric fan... my ring finger on my right hand was gushing blood for like 4 days! But it is basically healed over now! Oh, the magic of super glue :)

1: Our relief society class. Hahah, lame!

2: Tanauan sisters waiting for the Jeepney this morning to go to Dodgeball

3: Me and some of the girls of San Roque at Bachelor. Mahusay hira hinuro!!!!!!!!!

Week 19

Kumusta kamo tanan!!!!!!!!

What a fun week! Well, I am not training!! I am pretty grateful bout that! But Sister Quijada is! :) and she is opening an area too! Her trainee, my "sister", is from a place by Payson that starts with an E, I forget what it is called. But I was able to meet her and she is super amazing! 

Which means I get a new companion...... Her name is Sister James and she is from Pakistan!! Far out right???!! :) She is super amazing and will totally help the ward. And she is the biggest joker! I love it! She is hilarious! 

Hahah, on transfer day, Sister Baylon, Tanauan 1st sister, and I went to the Burgos chapel downtown to pick up our new companions. I had mine, but her companion was still traveling down from Catarman. Well, long story short. We spent the rest of the day with the AP's looking for our lost sister in Tacloban! Hahah her name is Sister Gaono and she is from Samoa. So our house right now is culture central right now! Philipina, Pakistani, Samoan, and and American (1/4 Hawaiian reppin, yo!) Who wouldn't want to get baptized? :)

On Sunday, the stake president came to our ward, which is different. Then he asked to have a meeting with us..... Apparently, Tanauan 2nd is the biggest concern in the ward right now. Legit. We have 600+ members in our ward and only 45-60 active members, and 100 returned missionaries. And we also had a ward meeting about how we need unity in the ward. No one likes each other. And the members especially do not like the Bishop. He has been serving for 8 years and last Sunday he was the concluding speaker, more like the venting speaker though. he called the ward out a lot. It was kinda rough because he isn't doing anything to help it. The stake president, President Aban told us that he might be adding additional missionaries in our area as well. I told him PLEASE! It has truly gotten so hard this past three weeks, so hopefully with the additional coming in this next cycle it will be able to help! :)

Well, I love you all so much and I am so grateful again for all the blessings each and everyone of you are in my life! And remember who you are and what you stand for, don't talk to strangers, all that good stuff :)

Sister Bray

PIC: Sister Quijada and I's last night with the Solayao family

Week 18

Hi Hello!!!!

I finished my 12 weeks training this week!!! Haha, can you believe it?! :) Crazy! And the new batch of 17 sisters is coming in this week as well, and I very well could be training one of them! I don't feel ready at all for this big adventure, but if it is needed :) The big wave of missionaries is really starting to hit and most word on the street is that most of my batch, so 10 sisters, will be training! .... I can't even describe my emotions. Scared, nervous, excited, basically all wrapped into one :) I can barely even get by, so I am kinda hoping I will not be training. because then we will just be a bunch of lost girls here in the PI. Hahah, but I guess we will just see! :) But I am so grateful for all the learning that I have obtained through these 12 weeks, and how closer I have been able to became in trying to do the work. There are many days that I wish it were English, and I would fully feel like I was fulfilling my purpose, but I know that with relying on the Lord I will be able to!

This week, we also had Mission Tour. Elder Teh of the Seventy spoke to us and gave such inspiring words! He gave us all notice and asked us to prepare 2 minute talks on the following: Preparing to teach with the Spirit, Having the Faith to Find, and Using the Lords Time Wisely. SO all the missionaries he had chosen were called out on the spot, all surprised and nervous, because well, he is a seventy, and worried if they were prepared. So he had said all three topics and who would be speaking on them. So I thought I was for sure off the hook.... Nope, He chose Four. And I was asked to talk on having faith to find. Hahah, I started freaking out! I had everything prepared and was ready to give a talk, but still I was so nervous! Hahah, but I was still ready! So I start walking up there, and in my mind I'm thinking, "Don't trip! Don't fall! Don't throw your scriptures if you do fall!" Hahaha, so i get up to the pulpit and confirm that I had heard right that I was supposed to talk and I was to talk on faith. Haha, then I turn around and set my scriptures on the pulpit and say, "Maupay na Aga!... Oh my gosh!...... I just totally broke my scriptures!" MY scriptures broke right as I had set them on the pulpit! They paper fell right off the binding "Well, this totally blows!" Hahah, everyone was asking how my scriptures were after the meeting and quoting me being a dork. Great impression, right? Not to mention that I said crap over the pulpit as well... What do you do? :) 

But it truly was a great experience! And I loved being able to speak to the missionaries of the faith that we need in our finding efforts. Finding in Tanauan is hard. Really hard. And I have had to have that faith constantly. Elder Murdock, who spoke on Having the Faith to Find as well, said something really provoking. His best friend is not a member. And he loves him so much, as we all love our best friends as well. He wants for his best friend to receive the best happiness in the world, this gospel, so badly!.... And if we want that for someone we love, we should want that for everyone! And work towards it! Love everyone and WANT for them to receive this! I can truly testify that there is no greater work. And there is no other work with a greater income than this. I know that to be true! 

Well I love you all so much and I am so very grateful again for all of you and for this amazing opportunity! Please, go and help the missionaries and give referrals, they will appreciate it so much and it helps the work so much!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Sister Bray 

Pic 1: the scriptures

Pic 2: Patrick, Ninya, and Jpoy; Sister Myrna Alfon and Brothe Solayao's cute kids

Week 17

Hello Everybody!!!!!!

This week has been really funny! Especially the weather! One day it is super blazing hot and there is ABSOLUTELY nothing you can do about it, the next it will rain all day! Hahah, I don't get it! But I found out that rain season picks up in August :) couldn't be happier right now as I am sweating my butt off whiling typing! Hahah :)

We found out that our average attendance is 42...  yep. And with the recent broadcast we deciding that really needed to change. The Canete Family(ps there should be a squiggle above the N) is mostly active. There son is the wards first counselor in the bishopric, but with school he isn't able to make it as much. And his sister has recently been called to be one of the ward missionaries. Their parents have started to go less active so we decided to go and visit them. 

Before we started anything, Nanay Canete left the room and went into their kitchen. She didn't realize I was in the right position to see her in the mirror on their wall as she started to cry... She came back a little later and we began watching a little church film from the 80s about families called, Together Forever. It's pretty cheesy, but the message all through out it is one of love and testimony of the gospel. Nay was crying for most of the film and Tatay too. All of us, Me and Sister Quijada, and Brother and Sister Canete bore our testimonies.... The Spirit that was felt was amazing, and something that I had been missing so much since being here. Nanay and Tay bore their testimonies as well and told us that we needed to come over every Tuesday and visit with them. They made it to church on Sunday.

It's these little beautiful things that make me so happy to be here. I wish everyday and every lesson could be like this and that everyone could realize their Heavenly Fathers love for them. But that is why it's called work I guess :) Hahah, I am so grateful for this experience and hope that this Tuesday will be the same! 

I love you all and pray for you all as well! Please pray for rain :) Hahah. it is much needed right now! :)

Sister Bray