Super Typhoon

Magandang hapon po! I am all safe and accounted for! This typhoon was kinda scary. There were really strong winds and rain all day. We couldn't work for 2 days. Everyone in our mission is safe. In the Tacloban mission 80 missionaries are missing. I feel blessed to be safe in San Pablo, as we pray for the other missionaries. Sister Burnham (my MTC kasama) got to stay with me at my new apt in Darasa! They could travel to their area bc the typoon hit in the middle of transfers. I loved to catch up with her! She is wonderful and a best friend of mine! Yes, I have been transfered to Darasa! Lipa zone, close to Batangas region. Darasa is actually a Barangi, pero it has so many members here! I love my new ward! I will miss the people of Los Banos. Our investigators will get baptized this month! Yay! Sister Kerr will take it away! We are replacing Elders here in Darasa. Lots of work for us to do! We are starting from the beginning! My companion got sick, so right now I am in a three sum with siter Malig, and sister cortez! My kasama is sister Malig din! She will arrive on NOv 20! I cant wait to meet her! I am excited to train a philipina! This will help my language skills :) Do you remember the earthquake that hit the Philippines last month? I heard a cool story about the Cebu temple. The angel Moroni at the top did a 180 turn. It is now facing the area which is moat effected from the earthquake. Like he is protecting them maybe? A girl took a picture of the temple after the quake. She could see something around the temple, protecting it. All around the temple everything was ruined. I stood still. As well as the chapels. The Catholic Churches and the Iglessia ni Cristo church all fell to the ground from the each quake. Evidence of the truthfulness of the fullness of the gospel. I love this work. I know that the church is true. What ever the Lord brings me, I say, bring it on! This is the time to focus everything on my Savior. I will be His defender of the faith. I strive to become one with Him and this work. Mahal Kita! Sister Reed

I can go the distance

Hello Pamilya! All is well here in Los Banos. This week has been hard bc we have had early curfew on Monday, Thursday and Friday for the holidays so our work was cut in half. They had saints day and Halloween and elections. There were lots of fireworks and people partying, so we go in early on those days. Things are great! I was walking in the rain with my kasama on the side of the highway to one of our appointments and a car pulls over and asks if we 'sisters' need a ride. I was so shocked. They were white! An american member family. They were so sweet and then we saw them again at church. I am so glad you got the video of me talking! She thought you would like it :) And i bore my testimony this Sunday all in Tagalog just free speech. The ward understood me! YAY! I really see a change in our ward. More people are coming to church and fellow-shipping our investigators. It is so beautiful. We have 2 baptisms for sure this month. The Pestano pamilya, Troi and Allan. They will become a completed family! This is the first step to take until they can make covenants with the lord in the temple! I am so excited for them to become a completed pamily. So they can be together forever. walang hangang. I find out tomorrow where I will be transferred or if I will stay in Los Banos. Everyone thinks that I will leave bc I have been here the longest. But, you never know! I read a really good talk. It is called mountains to climb. I think its my new favorite. It is by Elder Eyring. I would invite you to read it :) It was sad, Sister Agdon told us yesterday that her husband very much dislikes the church. She cannot join now she says. Sad, we are going to try to resolve her social concern. Also, Sister Ruths mother died. In the lessons she said that. I then asked her if she wanted to know where she went and what will happen to her. Never has she been so interested. I showed her how the book of Mormon can answer all her questions. We went to Alma 11. She wants to know about the temple and about family history. Big life events are when the peoples heart can be softened to the message of the one true and restored church upon the earth. We are teaching someone named Sister Pilipina. She feels the spirit every lessons and cries when we sing. Oh yah, we sing in tagalog in every lessons to or with our investigators. It always brings the spirit so strongly. They have alot of potential. I envision them all to be baptized and have wonderful callings :) I love this gospel. I know it is true. It is the complete picture. We have all the completed truths. It is whole and pure because it is restored through the power of God. We are continuing to fight the battle with Satan that started in the Pre-mortal existence here on earth. I will fight for the cause of Jesucristo who is my Savior, the Redeemer of my soul. I will go the distance for Him. Mahal Kita!! Sister Reed

Mountains to climb

Dearest pamilya! Hello po! Wow, this week has been so wonderful and busy! I think missionaries must loose a couple years of their life from their missions! But, it's good because that means that we can see Heavenly Father sooner :). I just got an email from my AP's. So apparently I am going to train this next transfer....AH!! So, it means I could be staying in Los Banos or moving to a different area...I will be so sad if I have to transfer, we have alot of baptisms set up for the next month and a half. Mountains to Climb. I am just finishing up my 12 weeks training and now will repeat it and train a new missionary. I am surprised that I am training bc there are only 3 new sisters coming in next week, my possibility of training was not high. The Lord likes to challenge me I see. Whenever some task looks to hard for me to do, He always helps me to accomplish those things. As I was reading in Moroni 9:25 I fell in love with this scripture. It says that Christ can lift us up. Because of the atonement. He can lift us up in our trails. What would happen to your problems if you spent more time in the presence of God. Being lifted up by HIM. We would be filled with love and confidence. Our fear would dissolve and evaporate. I know as I am lifted up in Christ, my trails don't become challenges but memories of joy. The Lord's Investigators: Brother Pestano, (PM family) is set on his baptism date for Nov 16. He is keeping all his commitments and has come to church every week with his family together. He said, I dont want to wait, handa ako, handa ako. He is ready. His son Brother Trio is right behind him, baptism date set 3 weeks after. Brother Pestano can baptize his son! Then they will become a completed family! I love eternal families! We planned an FHE with their family and the Chua family. Both was their fist time to have a FHE together. They just talked and talked, they will be a great fellowshipper, so help them create friendships. Brother Pestano is not a normal philipino, when he says he does something, he really does! Masaya :) Sister Rosel and Mary Jane, icing, althea, and others came to a baptism with us in Calamba! They got all dressed up in sunday clothes and we all went together, so happy! My district leader Elder Tolentino said that specific blessings comes to those who attend a baptismalservice. I hope they will be blessed spiritually and temporally. I hope they can have enough food so that they can make it to church. A small miracle happened. Bother Ronie coudnt read the BOM bc is glasses were broken. We were almost about to not see him very often and put him on back ups when he said, my mom bought me new glasses! I can read the book now! Money is such a such hindrance or trail of the people here. They have so much faith. You are always in my thoughts and my prayers. Mahal mahal ko Los Banos! Mahal ko lahat mga tao dito. Umlad ko araw araw. Talaga. Ito simbahan ay tototoo. Raramdaman ko espiritu santo malakasan. Alam ko na ito gawa ay pinikamahalaga para sa laugin dito! Climb up that mountain. Never look back. Look at what all lies ahead of you. The Lord always has something great. Mahal kita! Sister Reed

Hello po! Masaya po ko to inform you that I am safe and all is well in Los Banos! The work will always continue to go forth. I am learning how to cook philapina food! I make abodo for the sisters in our apartment. One of my favorite deserts here is halo halo, it like a mix mix and has all kinds of good stuff in it! This morning Sister Kerr and I ran up the Bundok! We ran 4 miles up a steep mountain! I love it. This week has been great. The sister training leaders came to work with us, so I learned so much from them. We taught maraming lessons ito linggo. We shared the Plan of Salvation with Sister Lesly. She has a childhood friend that comes to all our lessons to help us support her friend and with Tagalog. (I am not fluent yet :)) We has so many questions and it keeping commitments! YEA! She told us that her mother died a year ago. That last week she had a dream. In the dream her mother was talking to her and told her she was okay. It was so beautiful because I told her that her mother was receiving the same lessons she was with us in the Spirit World! She was okay bc she is accepting the message. The spirit was beautiful in that lesson. We taught Sister Lorna again this week. She is catholical, pero she is still searching. She said that she prayed to God and said if we came back, she would listen to us. She is looking for a feeling to tell her what is right. She said that she cannot understand us all the time, but she feels different with us. She feel so good inside. She feels the spirit. She cannot read or write, which will make reading the Book of Mormon difficult. Pero, she does have family that can read to her. Last night we taught Sister Von. She husband is less active and they have a son. Before she regretted our baptismal date. This time we focused on walang hangang mga pamilya. Forever Familes. She husband really wants it and she does too. We taught from 1 nephi 8 dahil, she didnt read and we connected the good fruit to the gospel which leads to having an eternal family. She committed to read the book of Mormon and pray again. Then, I asked her to be baptized. She paused for a really long time and started to cry. It is really hard for her to change from the religion she grew up, but she felt the spirit so strong. I am so excited for their family to be together forever. We are also working on completing another family. The Pestano's. The father came to church even when his wife was sick! He has a desire to do whats right for his family. We are planning an Fhe with their family and recently completed family converts. This area has a problem with retention of a lot of members. They have about 700 here in Los Banos, pero only about 100 come to church. We run into less actives all the time. We want to unite the ward and the people here. I love the members. They come and work with us and help us find places. There isnt really address and we go down the craziest pathways and alleys. We also teach people along the riles. The rail way without a train. They are very poor on the riles. On of our less actives Esperanza lives there. She just lost her job and they live in a cement box. I wish I could help them more, all i know is that I can help heal them spiritually. Once they begin becoming healed and turn to Christ, he will take care of them and help with their temporal needs. Always put Christ first and everything else in our life will fall in place. Once I was tracking in Bambang and we had a little extra time in between appointments. We were going for a while and I saw this lady washing clothes close to her house. I all of a sudden had this desire to go and talk with her. Come to find out that her sisters name was written in my planner. A less active member that I wanted to find this day. I love the espiritu santo. When I receive thoughts in my mind that are good and for others, i know it is inspiration from God. Alam ko na ito ebanghelyo na ulit ibalik sa mundo. Alam ko na Jesucristo plagi dito kasama ating. Maroon tayo mapagmahal mula sa Diyos at dahil mamahal, umulad ko araw araw. This mission has been one of the greatest experiences in my life! Mahal po kayo! Sister Reed