Hello family and friends!
First of all I just want to say I love you all, I really am so blessed to have you in my life :) I am just really feeling loving right now haha. This was an awesome week, I just can't get enough of this place and these people and the experiences I am having. I love this area so much, the people are so humble and ready for the gospel. I am so so so grateful to be a messenger of truth and a light to those in darkness. We found one lady last week while tracting and taught her about what the gospel really is and how the atonement is at the center. Well this week we went back to her and she started telling us how many blessings she has seen in her life since she has met us. She started crying and told us when we left last time she wanted to follow us and just be around us. It was so amazing. We committed her to baptism and she accepted and was just so excited! It was the coolest thing ever. The gospel is not taught, it is felt.
We have another investigator who loves the gospel so so much, she wants to be baptized but isn't married yet to the man she lives with. They really have no money and live far from the church so sometimes she goes out to the street and asks for money from people. When there is a will, there is a way.
So last week I promised some good quotes of my first few months in the field.....so here you are: Journal entries:
3 weeks in......"I don't know why I'm here, i don't know what the purpose is in me being in this area with this companion. It's just not working and I don't do anything. I don't want to be in this place anymore, i want these feelings to just go away..."
1 1/2 months in....."I really do need to treasure every moment because before I know it, I'm going to be back in the world faced with the hardships of real life-boys, school, work, family, friends, finding my place. Gosh, I'll take living in poverty with people that can't understand me and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost any day! This place doesn't sound too bad compared to what everyone else is dealing with." "The more I get to know and love these people, the more emotions flow through me-sorrow for them making wrong choices, joy when a commitment is kept, and the rest of the time I feel helpless like I don't know how to help them!"
3 months in.... "Yay, happy 5 month! Where did it even go?! I still don't know the language, I still think about home, I still doubt myself as a missionary-what's going on? Time is going by much too fast and I feel like I'm being left behind!"
Oh wow, how much I have grown haha, I crack myself up. I thought it fitting to review the past since I'm half way through now. Dad gum, Saturday marks 10 months! STOP!!! Okay, let's talk about how small the world is....the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency in this area served in Quezon City and guess who he was companions with...our cousin from snowflake, Peterson, can't remember his name though but I remember seeing him at Ariel's reception and hearing him speak Tagalog with Daniel. Smaaaaall world! His name is Marco Bulseco so pass the name on if you get the chance.
Such a funny culture, let me talk about how touchy-feely everyone is here.....all the filipina sisters want to be super close to you and holding your hand, its weird, but they all do it. It bugs me sometimes, I don't like to be touched by other girls I'm sorry. It's almost impossible to obey the rule of keeping a distance from the opposite sex cause when you ride a tricie or jeepney they squish as many people as they can in those things I feel like a pig being herded into a truck with about 100 other pigs. So everyone is like sitting on top of each other. The other day I had to sit next to the tricie driver and put my arm around him.....I'm sure he enjoyed it.
This morning we had quite the interesting experience. I was asked to play the piano at a funeral service, so we went and it was a lovely little service for a lady in the ward....then her oldest daughter stood up to say a FEW words about the mother which turned into almost an hour and a half of chastising her brothers and sisters for everything that went wrong in their life......half in English, half in ilocano. Needless to say, it was an experience that I wish not to repeat again. So that's all she wrote.....my testimony is in my Redeemer who has come to bring salvation to ALL who will accept Him through the way He has provided. If we will but only believe in His words and show just enough faith to act He will show forth His power in our lives and we will be healed and cleansed from all stain. His way is the sure way to the kingdom of our Father, the place of our eternal rest. I know this is the only true and living church on the face of the earth and through living the gospel we will be saved.
Love you all!!
Sister Carroll
2 Nephi 9:18
First of all I just want to say I love you all, I really am so blessed to have you in my life :) I am just really feeling loving right now haha. This was an awesome week, I just can't get enough of this place and these people and the experiences I am having. I love this area so much, the people are so humble and ready for the gospel. I am so so so grateful to be a messenger of truth and a light to those in darkness. We found one lady last week while tracting and taught her about what the gospel really is and how the atonement is at the center. Well this week we went back to her and she started telling us how many blessings she has seen in her life since she has met us. She started crying and told us when we left last time she wanted to follow us and just be around us. It was so amazing. We committed her to baptism and she accepted and was just so excited! It was the coolest thing ever. The gospel is not taught, it is felt.
We have another investigator who loves the gospel so so much, she wants to be baptized but isn't married yet to the man she lives with. They really have no money and live far from the church so sometimes she goes out to the street and asks for money from people. When there is a will, there is a way.
So last week I promised some good quotes of my first few months in the field.....so here you are: Journal entries:
3 weeks in......"I don't know why I'm here, i don't know what the purpose is in me being in this area with this companion. It's just not working and I don't do anything. I don't want to be in this place anymore, i want these feelings to just go away..."
1 1/2 months in....."I really do need to treasure every moment because before I know it, I'm going to be back in the world faced with the hardships of real life-boys, school, work, family, friends, finding my place. Gosh, I'll take living in poverty with people that can't understand me and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost any day! This place doesn't sound too bad compared to what everyone else is dealing with." "The more I get to know and love these people, the more emotions flow through me-sorrow for them making wrong choices, joy when a commitment is kept, and the rest of the time I feel helpless like I don't know how to help them!"
3 months in.... "Yay, happy 5 month! Where did it even go?! I still don't know the language, I still think about home, I still doubt myself as a missionary-what's going on? Time is going by much too fast and I feel like I'm being left behind!"
Oh wow, how much I have grown haha, I crack myself up. I thought it fitting to review the past since I'm half way through now. Dad gum, Saturday marks 10 months! STOP!!! Okay, let's talk about how small the world is....the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency in this area served in Quezon City and guess who he was companions with...our cousin from snowflake, Peterson, can't remember his name though but I remember seeing him at Ariel's reception and hearing him speak Tagalog with Daniel. Smaaaaall world! His name is Marco Bulseco so pass the name on if you get the chance.
Such a funny culture, let me talk about how touchy-feely everyone is here.....all the filipina sisters want to be super close to you and holding your hand, its weird, but they all do it. It bugs me sometimes, I don't like to be touched by other girls I'm sorry. It's almost impossible to obey the rule of keeping a distance from the opposite sex cause when you ride a tricie or jeepney they squish as many people as they can in those things I feel like a pig being herded into a truck with about 100 other pigs. So everyone is like sitting on top of each other. The other day I had to sit next to the tricie driver and put my arm around him.....I'm sure he enjoyed it.
This morning we had quite the interesting experience. I was asked to play the piano at a funeral service, so we went and it was a lovely little service for a lady in the ward....then her oldest daughter stood up to say a FEW words about the mother which turned into almost an hour and a half of chastising her brothers and sisters for everything that went wrong in their life......half in English, half in ilocano. Needless to say, it was an experience that I wish not to repeat again. So that's all she wrote.....my testimony is in my Redeemer who has come to bring salvation to ALL who will accept Him through the way He has provided. If we will but only believe in His words and show just enough faith to act He will show forth His power in our lives and we will be healed and cleansed from all stain. His way is the sure way to the kingdom of our Father, the place of our eternal rest. I know this is the only true and living church on the face of the earth and through living the gospel we will be saved.
Love you all!!
Sister Carroll
2 Nephi 9:18
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