Week 70

Hello Everybody...

Well, I realized I haven't ever shared any real personal experiences with you guys. I have shared ways how me and my companion have been able to help others spiritually, but not really ever about myself and the spirit helping me spiritually.. so her it goes!

For the last month I have been getting serious feelings.... about extending. I knew already when I started my mission that I would want to extend, I would want to serve the Lord forever... and wear a name tag while doing it :) Well, about a month ago these feeling were becoming stronger. The more the branch and zone would bring up me dying and going home soon, the more I refused. The more I hated it. The more worried it made me feel as well. Was I really ready to go home? Go back to Babylon? Had I really become all that the Father wanted me to be? Have I done all that I could have done with the time He has given me? I was mixed... was it my own fear of going home or the spirit telling me I had more to do. Throughout the 4 weeks I prayed about it constantly, I fasted, seeked the guidance of the prophets, and then emails President Maurer the week of zone interviews telling him how I had been feeling the past 4 weeks. I would get mino impressions of what I should be doing. You should go home.. but then something would happen and I would say no! I need to stay. I mean you can take 2 days of getting punted either way! Hahah, so on the day of interviews I knew.. I would finally get my answer! I would know what to do. This was also our first time meeting our new President and his wife, but I knew without a doubt, he would give me the answer I needed! And sure enough I did. It started off with the APs training involving the talk by Elder Holland The Miracle of a Mission. (I invite you all to read it!) They gave us such great advice on how to truly become and do all we are meant to do (partially an answer). Then as they were closing... Elder Santiago from Hawaii who has been such a great friend since I first got here said something along the lines of this: "Near the end of your mission, in your last 2 cycles, you are allowed an extension. No one really knows this. You are allowed to extend up to 30days. Whether to see someone get baptized or you truly know you have work still to do. Think about this, you can extend. And maybe you can extend again, and again, and again, and again, We would ALL love that, we really would. To be a missionary for forever and not have to go back. But, eventually, you will need to go back.. Your parents will run out of money. Your niece and nephews you haven't met will miss you, Sooner or later you will have to stop. you will have to go home. Your time is up. If you have done all that you can to give your all to the Lord, in the time HE has given you, just go home. GO. HOME. Your time is up." BOOM! Answer! And not even the way I expected it, but I am so much grateful it did come this way! In my interview later with President it was even more reassured.. it is time to go home. As much as it still hurts, I know that I am needed to stop at some point. I can't wear a tag forever(but I can share the gospel forever! holler!) So I am gonna give it my all this last bi tI got! If I pass out at the airport.. hahah sorry :)

OK I only got a little bit of time to share one last story... His name is Tatay Bernardo! He is the best thing ever! He is a less active member that we have been teaching for 4 weeks and has progressed amazingly! I talked about him in an email like a month ago, Tatay Benny. Well in this last lesson with him.. the whole time he just bore testimony to us. The power and will of God for us to find him and bring him back. He admitted he was shy, that was the only reason he didn't go back. He was shy. He just needed someone to reach out to him. We both could not have felt any better after that lesson with him. This Sunday he would have been officially a returned member, but due to the fact we has a baguio (typhoon) he didn't make it to church. A lot of people didn't But, we still love him and know he will progress!

Sorry the weekly update is shorter rather than the personal story but I hope it helps y'all in some way! LOVE YOUS!

Sister Bray....... FOREVER

Here is a pic of Tatay Bernardo and our Zone with the new Mission President Maurer and his wife! They have the greatest accents!

Week 69

Well just like the subject to this email... this week was full of down and ups! WE had a lot of investigators drop us basically. Sister Ralph, my last companion, always would warn about that, the good and blessings will come and then wait for the trial, you'll see how much your faith has truly grown. Well.... We had a 2 full days of being punted and no one wanting us. Never has that happened in my whole mission. No lessons and no one wanting to listen, It was very humbling. Sometimes we foreigners feel celebrity with how many people want to talk to us. So understanding that missionary work is actually hard work was humbling and took me off my high horse.

But we did have two really good ups, one I forgot to include in last weeks that has carried over to this week. Tatay Cosme! He is one of our investigators and is amazing! He has completely changed his life. No more problems with the Word of Wisdom and has no made it consecutively to church! But it gets better... He is a missionary! He invites all his friends to listen to us! And it gets better... He shares with them what he learns from us!! Scriptures and all! So in honor of his valiant service we took my Elder name tag and had to take a picture to document him and his killer missionary skills!

The other big high light is the baptism of sister Wendelyn on Saturday! She is amazing! Her parents are both members, but went less active. Her mother is now a returning member and her dad is over in Saudi for work. Most pinoys go there for work, because they have more jobs there. Her brothers are usually all out and about, but we are starting to focus on them too, Lemwel, Sherwin, and Louie. Our lesson with Wendelyn before her baptism was great! I wasn't her first missionary, but from what Sister Stoehr has told me she was so shy at the begining. In the lesson she opened up and told us all the changes that have happened in her life since she had started coming to church and hearing the lessons. She smiles more and laughs more, she doesn't do chores or work at school grudgingly anymore, she is more patient and willing to sacrifice, she is more confident in herself and knowing she is a Daughter of God..... Gah, I love missionary work!!!! :)

I have gotten a lot more emails recently form people who have gotten their calls and others who have just shared their testimonies... thank you so much! You are all amazing and will LOVE the field! Your desire to serve Him will not go unnoticed and you will surely see His hand in the work. I love my mission and don't want it to end... It is really the greatest thing I have ever done and I am sure you will feel the same way about yours!

Sister Bray..... FOREVER!! 

Week 68

So I want to start off by sharing this really cool spiritual story and then I will share some super funny and weird ones that happened this week...

So we went by an investigators house that Sister Stoehr met while on splits, but sadly she wasn't there. But! Her younger brother Mike was. He is 18 and barkada as in! I don't know how to describe it but kinda like this: they hang out with close group of not so good guys, drink, and smoke, he joked that he could rap. SO kinda a wanna be thug, mixed with I 'm to lazy so I will pose about it. Basta, that's him! We asked him though if we could teach and he welcomed us in, very entertaining. As we started talking about the Godhead with him, we could see his face get very somber... Sis Stoehr asked him then how his relationship with God... "50/50.. it’s hard to explain." we then asked him and he opened up about he isn't sure if he really does love him or that he cares and that he will bless him. He couldn’t tell the difference between coincidences and His hand, or that he was really there for him. We then bore such amazing testimony of his love and his want for him to come back to His kingdom, but that it also depended on his actions which part of the kingdom he could go....This is the really cool part. He told us what he was picturing in his head as we had been testifying...... He said he facing this hall way that was straight and wide and got wider near the end as if it were on opening. He described what he saw once he got there as this: It started from a yellow light, to a white, and then to a dark black. Me and sister Stoehr were silent... Did he really know what he had just seen? We then asked him, "Which light did you go to?" He said we was just there and hadn't decided. "What one do you want to go to?" "Yellow." IT is amazing how revelation can happen!! We told him he was right and that we could talk more about it in the next lesson! It was so cool!!!!!!!

Now for the funny stories....

So we went by to go to our LA Analyn and to teach her Korean students on the 4th, but to get to there REALLY nice house, you have to go through this bukid area. Meaning it was forestry and there was some caribao and cows and lots of tall grass... we found out there was a beautiful street on the other side when we got there. Anyways, as we were walking through, I see this really small baby cow just standing there. "Sis Stoehr, look a baby cow! I'm gonna touch it!" .... Bad Idea. Mama cow was actually behind us a few yards and she came charging! Hahaha I just yelled, "RUN!!" and we booked it! I kept telling her too "High grass! Tall knees!" while we were running! Papa didn’t raise no fool! HAhah, plus there could have been stuff we would have tripped and face planted it on :) Haha when we got to the house though it was all good and the Koreans got a good crack out of it! They could hear us screaming :) Hahahah I attached a picture, the one next to me is Song Juheon, he is a member too and went home on sat. his 3 years here were up! It was a great 4th to say the least! Plus we had a delicious(baby size) watermelon! Cost us so much! But we needed a bit of AMERICA to make it feel real!

I love you all and hope y'all have a great week! LOVES!!!!

Week 67

SO my health is back to normal and we have recieved so many blessings. it is amazing to see the hand of the Lord in the work.

We'll start form the begining of the week....WE had exchanges this week with our Sister Training Leaders and I was with Sister Hogge, my companion form the MTC. It was amazing to catch up again on our lives, and especially to talk about what we have seen the Lord shape us into since we have been out. And more... what He still has planned. While we were working together-take in mind I have only been working in this area for 4 days- we went to find a less active that Sister Stoehr said was terrible. They barely got into the gate of the house and teach her. When we found her house, she let us right in. Welcomed us like none other, and. spoke pure English the entire time! It’s her profession we found out. She warmed up to us so easily. In my mind I was thinking maybe the sisters had the wrong LA :) she told us all her concerns, and I can honestly say..... the spirit led the whole time we were there. Meeting her, to the lesson, to the end... where she asked us to come back every Tuesday night and teach her, her daughter, and all her Korean foreigner exchange students! RIGHT ON! It was amazing. And I can't wait for tomorrow! She didn't make it to church though... but all her Korean students did!!!! Haven't even taught them yet! Missionary work is literally the best work!

We also experienced another blessing.... LA family coming to church. Mother is a member and the children aren't yet. Her daughter Wendelyn gets baptized on the 12th. We had a great lesson with the whole family this week and the youngest asked what he needed to wear to church. Mom told him and they were planning it all right then! And their 13 yr old son even asked if he could attend Seminary with Wendelyn! It was amazing! She hasn’t made it to church in over 3 years.... and she is making it back now and with her family!!

We also had 4 investigator ask us for baptism!!!! how amazing! First lesson with them and they all wanted it. Rhea and Haydelyne are my favorite, we taught them yesterday. They are sisters and 13 and 16. At the end of the lesson Rhea admitted saying she was confused.. she didn't know where the truth was. But we promised her the blessings she has from knowing that she can follow Joseph Smiths example and pray.... that she will find her answer and will not be confused.

We also had a cute experience with a LA tatay in our ward. It was our first time meeting him last Sunday and we had a great lesson and weren't sure if he was serious about being there when we would come back for the return appointment. But when we did... there he was sitting on his tiny porch reading his Book of Mormon that he hasn't opened since his wife passed away. We asked him last time if it would be ok if we went to the members house by the main road so it would be quieter. We asked him to put on a shirt before we went. We waiting for maybe 5-10min, he's old though and has just had an ulcer and surgery so we thought it was fine. He came out in his Sundays best for the lesson. I was shocked and awed at this man’s faith to come back and to start off right. We went to pick him up for church yesterday and walked with him to church because he wanted the exercise going up the hill that day. I love Tatay Benny already.

Like I said so many blessings this week. I am so grateful for what the Lord has planned for this part of his Vineyard and that I am able to be a part of it at this time.

We were also the last zone able to say goodbye to President Andaya seeing as he spoke at our District Conf yesterday... weird how it is their time to go... I love them so much. We opened our email and there was president Maurer's name... rather strange, but I know already with him being called to Tacloban, he is one of the most valiant servants of the Lord.

I love you all and have a great week

Sister Bray

Week 66

Sooooo this last week, like directly after emails, I got extremely sick! Like my back started freaking out and I couldn't walk, I was about to pass out too. And it happened so fast! One minute was at the computer laughing at some funny pictures my friend had sent me with the Elders and then the next I was at the clinic down the street and blood checked. It was crazy. We were there for most of the pday in the outside waiting area sleeping on Sister Ralphs lap with the ZL's constantly near by telling the AP's what was going on. Then I got a fever while we were there.... it was bad. So the AP's made the 3 hour drive to come down and get me so they could watch me up in Tacloban. That night I woke up three times every hour in either sweat, freezing, or pain and with a flat lined 102 temp. it was terrible. The next day we had to go to the ZTM to get meds and fruit form the AP's took the pill.... magic. Pain gone. and my temp went down to 96. Don't know what it was, but it was magic. We still had to spend the day up in Tacloban though to make sure all was well. So, a day in the Office with the Elders..... hilarious!!! Funniest things ever go on in there!

We also had transfers this week.... I moved beds! Hahah, Sister Ralph was transferred to Ormoc and Sister Sorronda my batch became STL.... leaving behind me and....... SISTER STOEHR(steer). We are assigned in their area right now and its great! They have so many professionals in their area! We went finding them yesterday and it was a success!!!! Best finding I think I have ever done in my life! Well, other than the cookie aisle at the grocery store :0 but that could just be me :)

But ya, it has been a good week and we witnessed such a great miracle.... Our investigator prayed! I know it seems like a baby step, but with his religion... its a big step! Our investigator Raquel is a member of Iglesia, this church that was founded by an apostatized member and is popular in the phils. It is also very stupid how anyone could believe it.like it is obvious it is not gods true church. Basta they don't like Mormon's really and think Christ was just a man not lord. Soooo this was our second lesson with him and he usually will have questions and is shy for most of it and stuff, but when we invited him to pray and he was so hesitant and shy and it took us like 10min to get him to pray.... he didn't just give a mediocre prayer..... he gave thanks for being introduced to us. for understanding the apostasy and the restoration. He asked for help to know if it was true! Which none of us expected! Like there has never been any progression with any Iglesian member ever. Well rarely. IT was so sick! We go back to him later this week and we are so excited!

Well, I love you all so much! Have a great week!

SISTER BRAY

Week 65

This week was pretty great! We worked a lot more with our Less Active Members We went back to the Ruiz Family-The one that was like the weirdest lesson ever but still the most spiritual. We went back and weren't even sure what to teach... but it became again the Book of Mormon. She doesn't believe in the Restoration really anymore. and again, you can just tell how much Heavenly Father wants her back. No mater how hard she would fight it, the spirit spoke so profoundly to her! It was amazing.

We had 3 others that we focused on this week and one made it to church!!!! Sister Marlyn! Waooooo hoooooooo!!! And it gets better!

We taught another Sister with a former investigator and she was at the hospital this last last sunday and wasn't able to make it because her baby was the one that was sick. We went back to her once she was out though and taught her again, but it really seemed lack. Like she was just saying words. Buuuuuuuut, she made it too!!!! And it turns our her and Marlyn are cousins or something!!! It was amazing!

We also contacted another referral on Saturday, and to be honest the Daughter seemed more likely than the Nanay, but when we went to pick them up and they weren't ready, our hearts were pretty broken. Having experienced this a million times before. They said they would follow us- again heard that before. We go and wait adn have a big prayer in our hearts while at the church. Then we needed to start so, we were pretty well set with the people we had. Then Half way through the first hour, in comes sister with her Baby boy into Rs and with her daughter and other son in YM/YW...... BLESSINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was amazing! and it was totally needed. These are super great investigators too and a great LA, and more wonderful that Johnadee(the first investigator I told you about) has a great fellowshipper!

Yup, that was the week basically! Glad y'all are doing good and thanks for all the updates :) LOVES YOUS

1 gotta get that shade.... it be hot!

2 In honor of the World Cup.... The Wizard Elder Burton

Week 64

Hello Everybody! This week will most likely be just a week of pictures and such but I will give you all a  little sharing too! 

I love you all a bunch!!!!!! :) Sorry wa'y ko tyme...

1. We had a bunch of time when we got to Tacloban... so we got pedicures! Most sketchy thing ever! Bleached, blushed pink, and a bunch of other stuff :)

2. Sogod Zone at McArthur Park :) ready for CSP

3. The Elders doing a goodbye Haka for President and Sister Andaya

4. Bro Pasikala is here on service with a bunch of other Rm's so we all gotta get a picture with him! It was super great seeing him again

5. Last picture with the Andaya Family

6. Sister Daylins and Brother Amerilia's wedding :)

7. They didn't have enough money for rings so we got them ring pops :)

8. Daylin ready for her baptism... props to Elder Quinco as well for getting this amazing shot. He's a photographic genius!

9. Our BML Pating(shark) caught the bouquet :) 

10. We rode the hobble hobble today to the beginning of the hike.... it also crashed going up the hill...... But it's ok, totally got it on video and we all made it alive! :)

11. whole zone at the top of the hike :) ISNAG LUBI!!!!!! (One coconut tree)

12. My Hawaiian skills of coconut tree climbing are slacking.... but, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER :)