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No email was received from Kayla.  Her blog will be updated once we hear from her.  In the meantime, enjoy these pictures from Sis Teo's blog.  They got to explore a cave last week.

Love Life!

This is the daughter of the lady who does our laundry.  So cute!

Sister Teo and I explored the jungle this week (: A lot of our area is actually pretty jungle-ey. Its so beautiful!! We were laughing this week that Heavenly Father really has a sense of humor of sending us both here.  

This is Benji- The awesome recent convert.  This is him pouring me some Bucol Juice, or coconut juice.  It is amazinggggg! He literally climbs the trees by his house to cut down coconuts before we come.

This is Joy- one of the less active members who has returned since we got here. I love her SOO much!!

Dear Family, 

Hello from Santa Monica!!! We are waiting to hear right now about transfers...So needless to say I'm a little anxious. But this week was soo awesome!! They say that the mission is full of ups and downs, and that is so true.  That's just true about life, but its through the downs that we really can appreciate the ups!

This week was definitely an up for sister Teo and I because...

 Jayson and Abigail came to church for the first time, and had a great experience!!

 Sister Teo and I finally reached our goal of 100 OYMS!! 101 actually (:

 Sister Parina gave me a suprise phone call because she goes home this week. (:

 The whole Cullumar family came to church for the first time in years! (They are less active.)

 We found some really solid new investigators.

 Elder Bowen came and talked to us! He is a member of the area Presidency. He talked a lot about obedience and the power of the priesthood. 

And way more fun things happen that are just a part of living in Santa Monica (: I have been the luckiest Sister Missionary in the whole world to serve here. The people, the area, the branch, my companions, ALL of it has been such a blessing and such a great experience for me! Now I just have to trust that Heavenly Father has something even greater in store for me!

Another really awesome thing this week...

Elder Zook, our zone leader, asked Sister Teo and I to speak in Zone meeting because he said that we are the best example of obedience in our entire zone! 

Sister Teo and I really have worked so hard to be exactly obedient every day.  I have gotten out of bed at 6:30 for almost 7 months now without missing a single day! For anyone who knows me, that is a miracle. Even though every day I totally have the temptation to sleep in, I remember that if I'm going to ask people to be obedient when its hard for them, I have to do it first. 

I'm learning so much here that I can totally see how you learned it on your mission! Like planning...we have to plan everything, and it always reminds me of your planner that you take with you everywhere. Believe it or not, I don't know if I'll be able to live without a planner now!! And going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday.  Its so awesome because during the day I'm not tired!! All of these little blessings that I learn  on the mission will really bless me forever. 

I love you so much mom! The longer I'm on my mission, the less I miss you guys, but I still feel so close to you everyday.  I feel the strength of your love and  your prayers, and its knowing the support system that I always have at home that really gives me that extra push when the days are hard. Thank you soooo much for everything!

This week we took the ward list and found ALL of the less actives in our area who were on our list! (there are A TON- so it was a week of miracles.) Most of them don't have exact addresses either so basically we just going around asking everyone "Do you know the Smith family? Or John smith?" Or the classic "Do any mormons live here?" Hahahaha, it sounds crazy but it really works!! Many of them aren't in a place in their lives yet to return, but many of them are, so it was really exciting.  And an adventure too!! 

This keyboard is really really hard to type on, so I'm sorry this email is short! I know that God lives and that as we are obedient to Him, He will give us so much more than we could ever make for ourselves! 

I love you all so much! I am doing great and totally loving life! I hope you are too!! Whether we are in an up, or in a down, God is always there and through his gospel we can always find the happiness He has to offer.

XOXOXO

Sister Lockwood

Well- the Zone Leader just called!!

I'm leaving Palawan!! 

I'm getting transferred to Makati 3B!!!

I leave here on Saturday!

MANILA HERE I COME!

I give unto men weakness

Zone Activity at the beach! We are the luckiest to be the missionaries on Palawan!

This is the Quisido family who is being reactivated!!! They are the best (: We had an FHE (Family Home Evening) with them and the other Sisters last Monday. 

Sister Teo and I treated ourselves to some cake at this cute bakery because we went into Bayan (aka civilization..) for interviews!

Dear Family,

I love you all so much! I hope that all is well in Ohio! It looks like y'all are having a ton of fun with all of the snow! 

This week was hard. Which is good! I think it would be really weird if every week I wrote you and never had a hard week. But despite the fact that it was hard, I am SO happy and am SO SO thankful for my Savior. 

Missions are really funny because we literally give all of ourselves to Heavenly Father and say "Alright, do what you will!" We give our time, our energy, sometimes it feels like even our agency haha, and all of our thoughts up to God.  In Ether 12:27 the Lord says, "And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness." As a missionary, because I myself have come unto Christ, He has showed me my weaknesses! And some days, it feels like He shows me them all at once.

In my interview with President Ostler, he said that Heavenly Father wants to change who we are, and He gives us promptings and direction on how to become who He wants us to be.  He encouraged me to not resist these promptings, because only by giving in and giving up our will for God's will, can we attain ALL of the blessings that our Heavenly Father wants for us.  This kinda freaked me out, because now I had to figure out what changes I was resisting! 

The scripture in Ether continues "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble." Well, lets just say as soon as I made the decision to hear and heed the promptings to change, Heavenly Father humbled me! From Friday to Saturday, it almost felt I couldn't do anything right. From just teaching in the lessons, or being late to a baptism, it was just rough.  Even on Sunday morning, we went to pick up our investigators for church and they were still sleeping. I was just so frustrated and I just felt overwhelmed with everything I needed to be better at! 

But I love that the scripture in Ether then says "and my grace is sufficient for all men...for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

As we sat in church, I felt defeated and had no idea how to overcome all of these weaknesses.  I found myself dwelling on the past, and past short comings that I've had.  But something amazing happened! Every week at church, we have the opportunity to take the sacrament.  Usually I try to make the sacrament meaningful, but until this Sunday, I have never desired the strength and enabling power of the Atonement from the Sacrament.  As we ate the bread and water, my thoughts were changed.  Rather than feeling angry or upset about the past week, I felt hopeful and excited about the week to come.  I really felt the love of my Savior who promises us that when we will come unto Him, He will give us rest. 

I am so thankful for this mission! I know that as I have the opportunity to teach others about the love Jesus Christ has for them, that I discover it for myself as well. I know with all my heart that Christ's grace is sufficient for all of us! He is the source of hope and of help that we all need every week to move FORWARD, and especially on the weeks when we feel that we have more weaknesses than we can overcome on our own. 

Not very many people came to church... so lame! But its okay because Brother Segovia moved back (he had left for work) and the whole family was at church! Also the Lopez's and Joy are still doing really really well. 

I love you tons and tons and tons!! 

XOXOXO

Sister Lockwood

Isa Pa ...means "one more"

This is Sister Falgui!  ...the Filipino in our apartment who I LOVE!

Also, here is a random picture of one of the houses we teach in! Thought you might find it fun to see. That's probably like the average house here, and most of the houses we teach in are like this one. 

POWER in the gospel!

At the Benjie's Farm 

On our way to the internet cafe this morning

Dear Family,

Hello again! It was another really really great week here in Santa Monica! Ah, I think I probably only have a little over 2 weeks left here so I am savoring EVERY moment! The trees, the air, the PEOPLE, the tricycles, the ocean, the apartment, ah, I feel like the luckiest missionary EVER to have served here on this beautiful island.  I'm still praying that President Ostler will decide to let me stay one more transfer... but probably not going to happen! Its okay though, because I am consciously making an effort to think of all the great things about Manila... like the temple and my old missionary friends from the MTC and more people to talk to!! (wayyyy more people, haha) and fast food again! Yay!! 

But the miracle of this week was definitely Tatay Angelito! He is Yen Yen's Dad, the husband and Father of 2 of our recent converts.  His son, Jay and his wife Elvie were baptized last summer, but he was not.  He is such an amazing man.  Yen Yen, as you know, has CSP, and so he works A TON to help pay for her medication and doctors appointments.  The church has been a huge help, but since I've been here, he has worked many jobs trying to provide for his family.  He is always so kind to us, and always listens to our messages, but hasn't really been too interested in coming to church and progressing.  BUT-this week a miracle happened! Baby Yen Yen was sick last weekend with a high fever, and when we went back on Wednesday, she was still really sick.  So we called a member of the bishopric to come and give her a Priesthood blessing.  Uncoincidentally, we had just taught Elvie and Angelito about the Priesthood the week before.  We told him that it was literally the power of God on the earth today.  That the power that Jesus Christ had given to his apostles to heal the sick, He had given to men in our day! Angelito was so amazed by this.  We had taught him many times, but he never really seemed too interested, until this lesson.  THEN, we had an opportunity to literally show him the priesthood in action! Being a missionary and having the spirit tell you to teach on the Preisthood, and then having an experience like this is just such a testament to me that Heavenly Father is always involved in the details of our every day lives. The spirit was so strong as Brother Estreilla blessed Yen Yen. Angelito was so reverent and so thankful for this blessing.  When we came back on Friday, Yen Yen's fever was gone and they had said that she was healed.  So, guess who was at church yesterday! ANGELITO! Ah, seriously the joy that fills a missionary up when they see a whole beautiful family walk into church.  It was such a miracle, and the day that Angelito will be baptized and their whole family will be able to be sealed in the temple is now in sight! Ah!! I love being a missionary! 

Another really neat experience we had this week was with a security guard at this boys boarding school that Sister Teo and I walk by everyday. We never really notice the security guards (who always carry HUGE guns, by the way), but on Thursday, this security guard called out to us and asked us if we could give him a pamphlet. We were both way suprised at this manly guy asking us for something to read about Jesus Christ, but we gave it to him and set a return appointment at his house!   His name is Jayson, and we found his house Friday afternoon (finding people's houses is the biggest adventure/miracle because people dont have addresses). He told us that when we walked by on Thursday, a voice came into his mind that said "ask them for something to read". He then went on to tell us that he and his wife just lost their 6 month old son this past year, and that they have really been struggling to find the truth. It was such a powerful lesson, and I am so so so excited and thankful for the opportunity to teach them.

I love being a missionary so much! As Sister Teo and I are striving to be exactly obedient, the Lord is blessing us with more and more people who are ready to hear the gospel.  Our less active members are doing so well! The Lopez Family and the Segovia family and Joy are active and thriving with new callings! We have such a special bond with them.  We are continuing to find and teach people who are actually coming to church and experiencing the blessings of the gospel!! I am the LUCKIEST missionary to work in this area with these amazing people. 

People to pray for this week!! The Anasis Family, Jayson and Abigail, Eva, Tess, and Angelito. 

 Today we have a zone activity!! We're going to the beach again! (: Yay!! We also have interviews this Wednesday with President. 

Well I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! 

Have a great week! There is real power and real joy that comes with living this restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ lives, He is a part of our lives every day. 

Love, Sister Lockwood

Best Week!

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. 

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! 

A week of MIRACLES!

With Sister Alfeche in the city of Puerto Princesa (on exchanges in her area, not mine), reminds me how lucky I am to be in the jungle of Santa Monica! 

Making brownies in the toaster oven with Sister Vaka

Me in a tricycle

This week was a week of miracles... real experiences that have helped both Sister Teo and I, and our investigators and less active members to recognize the hand of God in our lives. 
The experience I want to share with you today is about the Lopez family! They have been a less active family we have worked with since I first arrived here in Santa Monica. Brother and Sister Lopez are endowed in the temple and they have 4 children, but when Brother Lopez quit his job to keep the sabbath day holy, they had no money and therefore had gone less active for the past year or so. I cannot tell you how many lessons we taught to the Lopez family about the principle of faith. We told them again and again that faith requires action, and in order for Heavenly Father to bless them, they had to act first. We encouraged them week after week to put church first, and then everything else would fall into place. And finally- they did! The last 2 weeks in December, they came to church with their whole family. I know it was a big sacrifice for them to come, I don't know all the details of how they did it, but they put their faith in God and came to church! With the goal to return to the temple, their family was so beautiful all together in their Sunday best. This week- guess who picked us up as our trike drive one day?!! Brother Lopez!!! He told us that after the 2nd Sunday of their whole family at church, he found a job. The job that Heavenly Father had been waiting to give them as soon as they were ready to act and show their faith. Their whole family was again at church yesterday, and the light and spirit that surrounds all of them is so real.  They were officially reactivated yesterday!! YAY!!!!

Our other Less Active members are continuing to do so great as well! Joy and the Segovia family were both at church again too!! 

Another miracle we saw this week was with Sister Eva.  She is less active and we have been trying to meet with her FOREVER! Her daughter is a recent convert, and hadn't been to church in months and so we knew we really needed to help them but we weren't really sure how! The month of December, we went back and back just trying to catch Eva to teach her.  The first fast Sunday in January we decided to fast for her.  We were impressed to just show her that we love her, and so that's what we did! Though we hadn't caught her, we left notes and cookies for her.  Finally, last week, she was home!! And she let us teach!!! And since then, we were able to go back 4 times!! And guess what! She came to church yesterday!! Seriously, when Sister Teo and I saw her with her girls walk in to sacrament (everyone comes late hahaha) we could have squealed! Such a miracle. I know 2 things- 1. fasting and prayer works. 2. LOVE is ALWAYS the answer! People only change when they feel understood and loved. 

Other really awesome miracles from this week- Arnell! He is from a part member family we have recently started teaching but he works on Sundays.  Every time we teach he says the same things "I have to work on Sundays, sorry." This week we really prayed for him to gain a testimony of the Restoration and want to make changes in his life.  After showing him the Restoration DVD he said "I'm gonna start looking for a new job!" Ahhh- when you're a missionary those words are like a dream! We are so happy!!! 

I am so thankful to be a missionary and really be able to see and recognize the miracles that happen in my own life and in the lives of those we work with here in the Philippines.  I LOVE this church. I know with all my heart it is true and Heavenly Father gave it to us because he WANTS to be a part of our lives. He WANTS and is WAITING to perform miracles for each one of us, we just have to have faith in him and be obedient first. 

Other fun things from the week- So here in the Philippines, its pretty much just understood that they're are ants everywhere. You can't leave any food out for longer than an hour before ants will be all over it. So, yesterday, I dropped a pen behind the couch and when i moved the couch to get it, there were ANT HILLS- like 6 ant hills in our house right there on the tile under the couch. Haha, I didn't even know that was possible! But hey we found the root of our ant problem! 

Another hilarious thing that happened was we were riding in a trike to a part of our area, and here in the Philippines there are always dogs everywhere all over the road, and sometimes trikes hit them, and me and Sister Teo freak out.  So this day, this trike driver looked like he was about to hit a dog, and we both like bowed our heads and closed our eyes so we wouldn't see, and when we past it and didn't hit it we both looked up at the same time, and the trike driver did the sign of the cross to end a prayer! Hahahaha, I think he thought that the 2 missionaries were praying in his tricycle. Hahaha, too funny. 

Well I hope you are happy!! I am SO happy! I love being a missionary so much! I love all of the people here in Santa Monica and I love knowing that the Lord put me and Sister Teo here just for them (: 

XOXOXO

Sister Lockwood

Pagmamahal ng Diyos

Dear Family!

Hello from Santa Monica!! 

It was another really really great week! Our less active members are continuing to do SO well! The Segovias especially (: They all came to church again, and Sister Segovia bore her testimony and thanked Sister Teo and I for helping her family get back on track to go to the temple.  She also showed us her facebook, and the picture of us and her family is her new cover photo (:  Joy also came to church! She is doing so well, and we think she is gaining the desire to serve a mission!! We LOVE her!!! The Lopez family was also all at church.  We have SO much fun visiting them every week and playing games with their family.  It is always the BEST week when people come to church (: (: 

One really neat experience I had this week was with Sister Bascongada, the one with baby Yen Yen who has CP.  Well the therapy that the church has been helping Yen Yen to get is really really helping her! She is getting so much stronger, and just looks more relaxed and happy.  Every time we go over there, when we sing an opening song Yen Yen smiles so big and makes loud noises, and we always know that she's happy we are there (: But anyways- this week we had the impression to teach/talk to Sister Bascongada about fasting! When we began to teach, Sister told us that she had never fasted before, but that she was planning on fasting tomorrow.  She told us that she was fasting that Yen Yen would learn to walk. My heart literally melted when she told us with such faith that she knew that Heavenly Father could help her daughter.  It really is a situation that NEEDS God's help.  The Philippines is NOT a handicap friendly place. Our chapel is even up steep stairs, and their home is not wheel chair accessible.  If Yen Yen can't walk, she really will end up being home bound.  As of right now, Sister Bascongada carries her everywhere, but we know she can't do that forever.  ):  So, Sister Teo and I also fasted for baby Yen Yen.  I don't know if it will be the Lord's will for Yen Yen to walk, but I do know that the faith of Sister Bascongada can bring miracles.  Heavenly Father is so involved in each of our lives, and I know that if we have faith in Him, He really can bring to pass miracles everyday of our lives.  

This week was also New Years! We had to come in at 6 because...drunk people. But it was fun! Sister Teo and I played some games together and we just laughed in the apartment!

We got a new kabahay this week!! Sister Falgui is training! So we now have 2 trainers and 2 trainees in the house.  The new Sister, Sister Vaka, is AWESOME. She's from Canada, and Canadians are officially my favorite people right next to Philippinos and Polynesians.  But she's part Tongan too.  Its been so fun having her and we are already really good friends! 

I remember when President Talley set me apart, he talked a lot about other missionaries, and the impact they would have on me, and I on them.  As Sister Delaitubuna left this week, it was really hard to say goodbye again to someone who has been an angel to me! But now that Sister Vaka is here, and I'm becoming bffs with her too, it just reminds me that we are all sisters! And we will be forever! I am SO thankful for the divine attribute of LOVE that Heavenly Father has given each of us.  Sometimes, at a specific stage of my life, I think "Man, I am with the greatest people in the whole world right now, there's no way I'm gonna love anyone else this much!" But then, when a new stage of life comes, I love the new people just as much!! As children of God, we have inherited His divine attribute of loving other people.  And the best part about love is, is that we don't have a limited amount inside of us that can run out, but we can ALWAYS love more and more people.  

I am so thankful for this wonderful opportunity I have to learn how to love.  I am so in love with all of the people here. Sister Teo, our investigators, the members, our kabahays, the random people we talk to on the street.  Love truly is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite quotes that I read this week says "Every day, we have the opportunity to increase the sum total of the world's happiness." Every day we can show our love to everyone around us! We are so lucky to have eachother and learn how to love eachother while here on the Earth.

AND I LOVE YOU!! I love you all SOOO much! I feel so lucky every week when I get on the computer and am reminded of the love that surrounds me from all of you. 

Have a great week!!! 

Sister Lockwood

ps. pagmamahal ng Diyos means Love of God

pps. i'm sorry this computer wont let me send pictures for some reason! Its okay though, I didn't really take many this week anyways.