This is sister chua! She is one of our recently reactivated members. She's such a sweet heart, and we helped clean her yard this week (: We also did a CSP for Sister Chua this week. Our CSP (community service projects) always seem to include burning stuff these days, hahaha. Actually, when we were teaching Kimberly (our new American friend who lives here on Palawan who is the GREATEST) Tagalog, she told us that its illegal to burn things. Whoops! I don't think any laws actually get enforced here in the Philippines.
We made popcorn!!! Ah- I was SO HAPPY, as you could imagine, when I found out we could buy it and make it on the stove here. AH, best day! - This is Sister Falgui with me. She's the one who's training Sister Vaka. I love her (: (: She thinks it's really funny living with 3 "American" girls- even though sister Teo and Sister Vaka aren't American. Haha! We were all freaking out about the popcorn and saying things like "this is the best day of my life!!" and she was just laughing. hahaha
Sister Teo made this for my 6 month mark. Isn't she sweet?
Freaking out over the popcorn! (My favorite snack!)
I took this picture last week when we were leaving the internet shop and thought it was funny. Animals are always just everywhere here. That's just a dog sleep behind where we emailed!
District photo from the Christmas party taken from the mission blog.
Me with President and Sister Ostler dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus
Hello Family!!!
This week was such a sweet week for me!! I say this often, but I think this was the best week of my mission yet!
A very significant experience that I had this week was realizing and recognizing the Lord's hand in picking Sister Teo and I's companionship. Over the past 9 weeks of training, I have often wondered "why me?" Why did Heavenly Father want me to train this amazing missionary? I can't speak the language very well, I'm not an amazing teacher. Why didn't He call someone who could really help her with the language, or could teach her from their months of experience? I struggled a lot trying to figure out why on earth Heavenly Father asked ME to do this. Some days when the language was difficult, or when the investigators continued to hide, I wondered if I was fulfilling this great responsibility to train that the Lord had given me.
This week, however, I realized that as much as Heavenly Father loves Sister Teo and I, He didn't put us together for us. He put us together because He knew that the 2 of us could help his children here in Santa Monica C. He put us together for Sister Chua, and Sonia Segovia, and the Lopez family, and Eva and Jethro and Joy. He put us together because He knew that these people didn't need master teachers, or master language speakers, but they needed 2 humble 19 and 20 year old foreigners, telling them that they loved them, and that they had a Heavenly Father who loved them and needed them to come to church.
At the beginning of our time together, Sister Teo and I had 0 people coming to church. And yesterday, my 6 month mark in the mission, we experienced the joy of seeing our reactivated members and families all at church, AND new INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH!!!!! Seriously, there were so many people we could barely handle them all and still stay together! Luckily, the branch is so awesome though, and I think everyone had a really great experience. THAT is why I was called to train Sister Teo. The joy and satisfaction that I can now feel is so amazing.
I have a testimony that God loves us all so individually. He knows exactly what we need. He knows exactly what our investigators and less actives need, and if we give Him all of our weaknesses, He really can make weak things become strong.
A very significant experience that I had this week was realizing and recognizing the Lord's hand in picking Sister Teo and I's companionship. Over the past 9 weeks of training, I have often wondered "why me?" Why did Heavenly Father want me to train this amazing missionary? I can't speak the language very well, I'm not an amazing teacher. Why didn't He call someone who could really help her with the language, or could teach her from their months of experience? I struggled a lot trying to figure out why on earth Heavenly Father asked ME to do this. Some days when the language was difficult, or when the investigators continued to hide, I wondered if I was fulfilling this great responsibility to train that the Lord had given me.
This week, however, I realized that as much as Heavenly Father loves Sister Teo and I, He didn't put us together for us. He put us together because He knew that the 2 of us could help his children here in Santa Monica C. He put us together for Sister Chua, and Sonia Segovia, and the Lopez family, and Eva and Jethro and Joy. He put us together because He knew that these people didn't need master teachers, or master language speakers, but they needed 2 humble 19 and 20 year old foreigners, telling them that they loved them, and that they had a Heavenly Father who loved them and needed them to come to church.
At the beginning of our time together, Sister Teo and I had 0 people coming to church. And yesterday, my 6 month mark in the mission, we experienced the joy of seeing our reactivated members and families all at church, AND new INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH!!!!! Seriously, there were so many people we could barely handle them all and still stay together! Luckily, the branch is so awesome though, and I think everyone had a really great experience. THAT is why I was called to train Sister Teo. The joy and satisfaction that I can now feel is so amazing.
I have a testimony that God loves us all so individually. He knows exactly what we need. He knows exactly what our investigators and less actives need, and if we give Him all of our weaknesses, He really can make weak things become strong.
I love you all so much! I know that God is so involved in each of your lives, and if you just look, you will find people who He has put in your path because He knew they needed your love.
I love you!! xoxo
Sister Lockwood
ps. MUSIC IS NOW ALLOWED!!!! We had zone meeting this week and we can now have a "counsel" in our apartments and decide what is okay!! Yayyy!!! So we've been listening to our ipods this week and its been THE BEST!
This week, interviews got moved. Something happened with the flights to Palawan and so President will come next week hopefully. We have interviews every other transfer and usually zone conference on the opposite transfers, but last month we had our Christmas party so no zone conference.
We do have a new couple! They are the Newsons. We've worked with them a few times to show mormon messages (videos) in our lessons. They are so sweet, and they are just in our branch. The Hiatts are still here, they're just in Puerto, not here in Santa Monica. Sister Hiatt is still our nurse here, and so this week when she called and heard that I had lost my voice she brought me herbal tea! My voice is all better now (: She's the sweetest!
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