MARCH 13, 2016

100% BELIEVER

This week has been quite the week lots of fun and lots of spiritual! We are still teaching that big family and not all of them are progressing but a few of them are and we are so excited for them! We were able to have quite a few lessons this week and really feel the spirit. This week we had District Conference (we aren't a stake we are a district) that was so good and i learned a few things from it. One thing that really stood out to me was when the member from the 70 said if Heavenly father asked you to read the Book of Mormon or your scriptures every day and you don't do it are you sinning??? YES. If Heavenly father asks you to be kind to everyone and you aren't are you sinning???? Yes! and he went on and on with different examples. He said everyday even though we know it is a commandment but it isn't very big we don't think we are sinning but that is wrong we are sinning and we need to stop and repent. But not just stop and repent STOP AND CHANGE OUR WAYS! That stood out to me so much!

Yesterday we also went to a Less active members house and watched the New Testament movie. I don't think i have ever seen it before but it was AMAZING!! if you haven't seen it watch it and if you have watch it again! I really changed my views of life! I really compared it to our time and day because we are the same as them we are waiting for Christ. There are worldly people and there are the believers! Who are you? are you a worldly person or are you a believer? I really asked myself that question after watching the movie and now i am striving my best to be 100% a believer whether it is convenient or not or popular or not i am a believer and i know Christ is real and is soon to come! 

Christ is my everything and without him I would be nothing. I am truly striving everyday to become more like him and come closer to him because only through him can we receive eternal life and be received into the celestial kingdom. I know the savior lives and loves each and everyone of us and through him we can become perfect.

Something funny that happened this week was we were out proselyting and we came back to the apartment for a minute and then we went out again to work and 5 minutes into our work i look down and realize that i still have my flip-flops on from the house and we were out to far so... I just proselyted in my flip-flops for the rest of the day!!! HAHA

Love you all and hope all is well at home! Keep doing what is right! 

-Sister Thayn

MARCH 6,2016

THE MONKEY SAYS NO LICE!
 

This has been such an amazing week we have had so many cool experiences and lots of fun! 

First of all it is like 6x as hot here in antique than it was in Iloilo city. I think it may just be that we are going into summer but it is like 98 degrees or above and so much humidity! other than the heat Antique is absolutely amazing!!!  Something funny that happened this week was we went to a less actives house and there was a monkey there and he was on a chain so he wouldn't run away. (he is their pet) we played with him and then we shared a message with sister then after she said how the monkey (his name is Barack... yes like Barack Obama) loves to pick the lice out of peoples hair so she stood underneath him and he jumped on her head and was picking through her hair to find lice. Then my companion did it then i did it. I first had my hair in a bun but he didn't like the bun and kept biting my bun so i took my hair out and he was running all over my head and picking through my hair but good thing NO LICE!!! It was so funny and we were laughing so hard then he climbed on my back and then bit my back it didn't really hurt it just scared me to death and well that was it of the monkey but we had lots of fun playing with Barack! 

One day this week we were just walking along the road in our farthest area and we started to talk to these people and then they said we could teach them so we did and as we were teaching them more and more people came to sit in and listen. Then after the lesson we asked all the other people where they live and then we went to one of the ladies house and met her family and she has 10 children who are all grown up and have there own families so this week we were able to teach them 3 lessons and every time there are about 13 of them... which is kind of scary and intimidating but they are so interested and it is so amazing! Every time we go to visit them there are more new people there wanting to listen! It is such an amazing experience! 

The work here in Antique is really progressing and we are so excited to help people come closer to Christ and help them know that they have a heavenly father who loves them so much and has a plan for them to return to him with their families forever! 

One more funny story... one night we were done working and we had just walked into the house and i had a bag of vegetables in my hand and i walked to the kitchen to open the door and when i did there was a giant TOKO (LIZARD) on the door and i screamed and as i did my companion was walking out of the bathroom and all she did was hear me scream and run and she runs after me and says you cant leave without me!!! then she slips and then pulls me down with her and the bag of vegetables goes flying everywhere! oh man we just laughed and laughed it was quite the ruckus but was so funny! I dont think i will ever get used to the animals and bugs here in the philippines! 

That was my week this week. Life is crazy as a missionary but it is all so worth it and so amazing. No other thing can bring this kind of happiness than missionary work! I LOVE IT! I love you all and would love to hear from you all! Have a good week! 

-Sister Thayn

FEBRUARY 28, 2016

NEW AREA...NEW LANGUAGE...NEW ADVENTURES!!

WOW! it has been quite the crazy week but so fun too! Monday I found out I was transferring and then Tuesday we worked and I packed all my things. Wednesday we had to wake up at 5am and have all our stuff ready to leave and be at the mission office at 7am. Then from 7-2pm we had a sisters conference which was all fun and spiritual and made all of us sisters feel united and important! Then I had to say bye to my companion and met my new companion. But I found out I am going to be the only STL (sister training leader) in my new area and after sisters conference we had another meeting for all the leaders in the mission. Then my new companion went to back to the area because she isn't a leader so i found out i would be traveling just with the elders to my new area. We had our leadership meeting until 8 that night then woke up at 4:30am because there were 8 sisters staying in 1 apartment with 1 bathroom! (You could say that was crazy!) Then we had more meetings until 3pm that day! Then I was on my way to ANTIQUE!!!!! my new area. I went with the elders and we got dropped off at the bus terminal and packed all our bags in and we got on the bus and headed for a 2.5 hour drive to Antique. Luckily i got the window seat because me and the 2 elders squished on 3 tiny seats and just our luck there was no A.C but we had the window open and wind blowing in our faces! But we survived and arrived in San Jose Antique that night. As we got off the bus we grabbed a tricycle and put all my giant suitcases on the trike and strapped them down and were on our way to the apartment! It is quite the adventure here in the Philippines!!!

Also I think i forgot to mention! I will be learning a new language in this area. It is very similar to Hiligaynon but slightly different they have a lot of R's and roll their R's much more. I am now speaking Karaya... well learning karaya! but when I got here I learned I not only would be learning karaya but also ASL (American Sign Language) There are a lot of deaf people here and they know ASL so i will be learning that too! Oh man lots of new things! 

But i absolutely love my new area! I have the beach and mountains and rice fields! It is absolutely beautiful here! The people here are so humble and generous! We have a few investigator and members houses that are probably a 10 by10 little hut. Things are so different but so amazing! 

Now I have a few funny things to say! Well when i first got to the new apartment of course i had to go to the bathroom and guess what... NO TOILET PAPER!!! haha oh man but like i said just more adventures!!! HAHA! 

And yesterday we went to a less actives house and they live in a little hut on a hill right over the ocean and it is the most beautiful view in the WORLD!!!! after we had a lesson they told their nephew to go get some coconuts and like 3 minutes later i look up and see the nephew in the tree cutting down coconuts. Then we drank the coconut water and then the inside. This was only my second time ever doing this and they were all making fun of me and laughing! But i would have to admit it was super funny! Mostly because my new companion Sister Halatokoua is from Tonga and oh man she ate 7 coconuts before i could even finish 1. We were all laughing so much and left full of coconuts! 

I am so excited for my new area and new adventures! Although things are so much different here i am so excited to learn. I know this gospel is true and our savior loves us and is always there for us! Have a good week! 

-Sister Thayn

FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Goodbyes

OUT IN THE COUNTRY

Wow this has been such and amazing week! Lots of things have happened this week we had so many amazing and spiritual lessons with new investigators, multi zone conference, exchanges, CSP (community service project) and much more. 

On Wednesday we had exchanges and I went to the STLs area and slept over then and worked in their area for the day! The have lots of farm lands and I saw a caribou for the first time there. We had so much fun!

Then in our own area we were able to have some really good lessons where people were actually listening to us and wanted to know what we had to say and they asked questions and really had a desire to pray to know what we were saying is true it was such an incredible experience. 

Tanlines!

We got to teach one of our members husband about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and when we told him we had a living prophet today on the earth his mind was blown! He had so many questions and was so excited to learn more and wanted to pray to know for himself if what we were saying is true. We can tell people all these things but unless they pray to know for themselves they will never really know! 

We also had another lesson where we were sitting in this little store teaching the owner and her niece. We taught them the restoration too and when we pulled out the Book of Mormon to show them and tell them about this boy came out from around the corner and was so excited to see it I guess he was listening to us the whole time but was too shy to come out but when we pulled out the Book of Mormon he was so excited to see it! It shows how powerful the Book of Mormon is! 

Then on Friday we had multi zone conference and got to see lots of our missionary friends! It was such an uplifting and inspiring conference! After we were so ready to get out and work our hardest! 

On Saturday we did a CSP and cleared out all the weeds and grass from a member in our wards land. It was fun we got to use machetes and it was so different pulling out weeds and plants that i have never seen before! We had lots of fun working hard and serving. Then we all ate and climbed the tree in the members backyard. 

It has been quite the week and we found out today that I will be transferring to Antique to be an STL (Sister Training Leader). I have only been in this new area for 3 weeks but we had this all of a sudden in the middle of a transfer transfers but I am excited for this new adventure. So on Thursday I will be transferring to antique on a bus for 2-3 hours. This new area has been my dream area and I cannot wait to get there! 

Cant wait for this coming week and I hope you are all well at home. I would love to get an update from you all! Love you so much! 

-Sister Thayn

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

First Sunday at Lapaz

Hello everyone! I hope all is well and you all had a happy Valentines Day! 

This week has been kinda crazy because it was transfer week! My companion and I did transfer... more like we just switched areas with the elders. We are now in the area right next to our old area. We still live in the same house we just work in a different area now. On Tuesday the elders took us to our new area LaPaz and showed us around and we met the members and investigators. Then on Wednesday we took them to our old area and showed them around. It was a couple fun but long days! 

We are now officially in our new area now and we are loving it! Our new area is about 3x the size of our old area and we have been walking the entire time to familiarize ourselves with the area. It has been so good because lots of members have been working with us and we have so much fun and have found new investigators too! 

Taking a break & some Frozen Lemonade

It is so incredible how much this ward is involved in missionary work! They are always helping us and feeding us and helping the investigators. Someone has an assignment every week to go pick up a certain investigator. 

This week we met sister Reajoy who is 15 years old and we were able to teach her and then Sunday we picked her up and she was ready! She was prepared and ready to go to church and it was so amazing! She came to church for the first time and really liked it and we have a return appointment with her on Tuesday! Miracles really happen when the ward and the missionaries are united and help one another.

On Wednesday when we were working with the elders it was so hot and we could not find any shade and we were dying of heat so we found a park and just decided to rest and have fun and play for a minute! Oh man i miss being a kid! 

Fun at the Playground

It has been a very hardworking and tiring week but so much fun and so rewarding! I love being a missionary although times are hard and dark it is all so worth it and the blessings are uncountable! I love my savior Jesus Christ and I know Heavenly Father lives. Thank you for all your love and support! 

-Sister Thayn