DECEMBER 4, 2016

MY LAST TRANSFER & Cat-Rats??

This week has been absolutely crazy and emotions up and down with goods and bads but Sunday always seems to be the best day and it brings all the blessings! :)

Well this week we became a trisome and we have been working together in both areas so that was fun! 

While we were visiting a less active in her small shop we were eating and then I saw a cat run across the floor then I realized... THATS NOT A CAT THAT IS A RAT!!! yeah I almost had a heart attack! They sure got some bit CATRATS here! hehe! 

This past week was our wards temple trip so Sunday as the meeting was staring our members started flooding into the chapel straight from the boat dock. To get to the temple they have to ride a boat for 13 hours to Cebu Philippines temple. So they were all exhausting and some just in sweats from traveling but they all made it to church and changed into their Sunday's best and when they all started coming in to the chapel the spirit just flooded in! The spirit from the temple was so strong. Many of them bore their testimonies about the temple and their family sealing and endowments! it was so amazing to hear their stories and conversions about the temple! I am so excited to go to the temple when I get home! :)

Also one of our less active members that we just started teaching came to church for the first time!!!!!! we were so excited when we saw them enter into the chapel!!!!

Also last night we got a call that I

am TRANSFERRING my last transfer! I am going to Guimaras!!! the small island in our mission! I am so excited because I have always wanted to go there so it will be an adventure!!! 

Thanks for all your love and support!!!

-Sister Thayn

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NOVEMBER 27,2016

MY FIRST TYPHOON!!


Typhoon clouds

Thanksgiving dinner

(Taco soup and Mashed potatoes)

Wow it has been a crazy week! The other day we woke up and got a phone call saying that work was cancelled for the day and we were not allowed to leave our house... well that's because a typhoon was headed our way. Oh man the rain was crazy and so strong! but nothing was hurt or ruined just lots of water and in other places of our areas it flooded but all is well now! :)

but it just happened to be the day I was doing my laundry that the typhoon came! And we don't have washing machines and dryers here we hand wash and hang dry... well ill just say my clothes didn't dry for like 3 days because there was so much rain.

We had a funny experience the other day. one of the Recent converts we are working with still has a problem with cigarettes and he was walking us down the street after buying us ice cream and then we asked him how many sticks he has smoked today and he said NONE! because he is sick but then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out one stick and says but I got this one for dinner!!! we tried to convince him to throw it away but he wouldn't then my companion says "Its either the ice cream or your cigarette which one do you want me to throw???" Before she even finished her sentence he had thrown the cigarette far away! Oh man we laughed so hard!

We have been rejected A LOT this week! sometimes it is frustrating but I know that heavenly father has a plan for all of his children and one day they will accept the gospel. but we had a lesson with the Cepeda family the other day! and we asked them if they have prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true and she said that she asked and had a dream that Jesus Christ told her that she needed to read the book and keep listening! Oh my goodness when she told us that we wanted to jump up and down we were so excited she had received her answer!!! she says that she feels Jesus so strongly around her since she started listening to us! She says how she loves what we have to say and wants to keep listening and wants to come to church! 

It was a good week! I hope all of you are doing good too!!! 

Love you all!!!

-Sister Thayn


 

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

OUR ADVENTURES


It has been another great week! To start out I have a funny story! Last Monday we were going home when I realized I forgot the key to our house. And to get into the gate to go inside you need a key and the fence is like 8 feet high or higher! We waited outside for like an hour because nobody was home to let us in. Then we realized we had to go out to work so we really needed to find a way in... So we had a genius idea and I lifted my companion to get up to the top of the fence and she got down on the other side and yay were able to get in! oh man that was a funny experience!!!

Christmas Lights

We have been having a challenging week with lots and lots of rejection but we had an amazing zone training where we learned about Miracles and prayer. I would encourage you all to read from the Bible Dictionary about Miracles and prayer. After learning about all that it really changed my mind set on missionary work and how I can be doing it better and more effectively! We are excited to put what we learned into action!!!  Also we had a dinner at a members house last week and she said something to me that really stood out! she was telling us of their life story and how the started with nothing and now they have a nice house and a car. She said "As long as you are worthy and living righteously god will give us blessings we need and want down to every detail if we just ask specifically in prayer." It just requires us to be worthy and living a righteous life! 

We had a funny experience we were talking to a little boy while we were out proselyting and we were speaking to him in English and we told him to say "we are friends right?" and his response was "We are French Fries!" oh man we got a good laugh out of that!

I also tried some crazy food! I at Chicken blood at a BBQ stand. Yeah grilled chicken blood. It was not that awful tasting but the idea of me eating blood freaked me out more than anything! HAHA

I love and miss you all! hope you all have a great week!

I know the gospel is true!!!!

Love, Sister Thayn

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

SURPRISE APOSTLE VISIT!!

We had a good week this week. Earlier this week we had exchanges with our STL's and had such a fun time! It was fun because one of our STL's is my first trainee so it was fun being with both of my trainees and then working together!

On our splits we went to this super yummy restaurant and we ate Oysters and Catfish! oh man that catfish is the best fish I have ever eaten in my whole life!!!! it is so yummy!!!

This week we did not have much success with our investigators we actually got quite rejected this week but we did have success with our Less Actives and it was so awesome seeing them come into church with their whole families. It was a great feeling having members return back to church! What a blessing! 

A funny story we were eating at an outdoor restaurant and the roof and building was made out of bamboo and while we were waiting for our food I felt something drop on me... but I looked around and nothing... then I heard the people behind me laughing so I turned around and come to find out that they were laughing at me!!! then they started pointing at me and I am not sure why they didn't tell me what was going on (probably they thought I didn't know how to speak their language) but then I come to find out that the thing that had fallen on me was a TIKI or a lizard. I guess it was crawling around my back but I couldn't find it to get it off but it ran down my skirt and finally jumped off!! that was a funny experience! 

Well yesterday after church we had an amazing experience where we all gathered all the missionaries in the mission and we were able to have Elder Quentin L. Cook come speak to us and shake our hands!! It was such an incredible experience! He is truly called of God and the things he testified about and spoke about were absolutely incredible and the blessings he bestowed on us all the the mission was so special! The spirit was so strong and my testimony grew stronger about my Savior! I know my Savior lives and I know that he loves us all! He knows us all personally and suffered for all our pains, sins, hurts and sorrows. I am so grateful to be his servant and wear his name everyday and be his representative. In the name of Jesus Christ amen!

Love you all have a great week!

Sister Thayn
 

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

2 NEW FAMILIES

Oh man it has been a crazy week! We had lots of slow and uneventful days but yesterday was such an incredible day full of success!

 

 

 

But first a funny story! On Saturday it was raining so hard and our area started to flood but that didn't stop us... so we just kept working and tried not to get wet but we found this short-cut to our next investigators house so we decided to take that but then we ended up in a rice field and the only way out was to walk through there were no pathways in the rice field that we could cross so we had to walk through the muddy rice fields. Then we decided to take another short-cut ( you would have thought we had learned out lesson by then but... NOPE!) well this short cut was very, very muddy and I was praying I wouldn't fall into the flooded muddy fields and then we got to this one part where we had to jump over this small dip in the ground and when I lifted up my one foot to cross the other slipped and BOOM I fell into the mud but luckily my hands and knees caught me and I my clothes were not muddy just all up my arms and knees down! That was quite the funny experience! now lesson learned don't do short cuts when it is raining!!! 

Yesterday we had appointments with families that we met this week and it was such an amazing experience!!! Yesterday we taught 4 whole families!!! It is such an amazing feeling when you get to teach complete families!!! We taught one family and they were so interested and said they will ask and pray to know if the message is true and if the Book of Mormon is true! and They said how they want to come to church and because they now know us they will come!!! then another family we taught and you could just see the change in their eyes while they were listening and the spirit come into their house! 

I love this gospel so much and the change and love it has brought into my life! 

It is so rewarding being a missionary!!!!

Also something weird I ate this week was Oysters! :)

Love and miss you all! See you soon!!!

-Sister Thayn

OCTOBER 30, 2016

THE WEEKS ARE FLYING BYE

Another week has past! My time here in the mission is going by so fast! I am loving the work as a missionary so much and am not excited for my time as a full time missionary to stop! I love the work of the lord so much!

This week we have contacted and met so many new people! We have 11 new investigators this week! Which consist of 2 families! we were able to teach them about the restoration and invite them to pray and know if our message is true! We are so happy to have taught these families and hope to see them progress and accept the gospel! 

Sorry for the short email but know that the church is true and heavenly father and Jesus Christ love us and will never leave us!!! Thanks for all the love and prayers!!! 

-Sister Thayn

*we found a VERY pregnant goat while proselyting! (HAD TO TAKE A PIC.)

*Me and my sweet companion while searching for new investigators!

 

OCTOBER 23, 2016

TRANSFERS ALREADY

Wow this past transfer has gone by so fast! We got the call last night and I am not transferring everything is the same with my companion and I!

We had a good week this week! We found a new investigator her name is Angel. We had a great lesson with her and felt the spirit so strongly and she asked us if it was okay that she observed our religion! Wow that was a great question!! OF COURSE YOU CAN!!!! but too bad she didn't come to church this week but hopefully next week! 

This Saturday was my companions birthday so we had fun doing a little celebration for her! 

It has been so hot this week! Earlier in the week there was a huge typhoon in northern Philippines but we were not affected luckily just a little bit of rain! 

We went to a members house to eat this week and they served crab! so I got to eat crab for my first time! it was quite the experience! but crab is super yummy!!!

Yesterday was a little rough when in the morning while getting ready for church my mission president called and told me that Uncle Wade had passed away that was quite the surprise but I have great house mates and a great companion that really helped me! 

Love you all and hope you have a great week!!

-Sister Thayn

 

OCTOBER 16, 2016

Hello everyone!

It has been another good week. Not much exciting things going on just lots of heat and rain like usual! The only bad thing is that 2 of the 4 fans in our house broke so we are 2 people to 1 fan and you could say it is sooooo hot!!!! but hopefully we will get some new fans soon! 

Yesterday in sacrament meeting us four missionaries sang A Child's Prayer. It was such a great experience. 

We have a pretty new investigator her name is Charrito and she is in her 60's she is so receptive and we invited her to be baptized and she asked so many questions about baptism because she was already baptized into the Catholic church as a baby and we explained to her about infant baptisms and she recognized we need to be baptized at the age of accountability. She then asked the question what will happen to me if i am not baptized? It was such a great discussion and she says she is going to sincerely pray if baptism is the right pathway Heavenly Father wants for her! 

Also yesterday at church the new couple missionary "Elder Thayn and Sister Hunter" came to our church and so i had to get a picture with him because Elder Thayn and I are related! 

Hope you all are doing well at home! Love you all!

-Sister Thayn 

OCTOBER 9, 2016

Soaking Wet. . . . .AGAIN! 

 

 

This has been such an amazing week! We watched general conference and it was so inspired and I loved it so much!

We had lots of rain earlier in the week and we were teaching a lesson when all of a sudden we had a rain attack and out of nowhere it was raining like crazy and we only had 1 tiny umbrella! so we ran through the rain to find a tricycle but my companion was holding the umbrella and I am so much taller than her and we were running and I was standing behind her when her umbrella hit a plastic tarp and all the water on the tarp came pouring down on ME! haha it was so funny and I was soaking WET!!!

One night was quite the scary night my companion and I were planning and the other sisters were in their room asleep they came home early cause one of the sisters wasn't feeling well then all of a sudden during our planning the sister that wasn't feeling well came bursting in our room crying! She couldn't breathe and was having a panic attack! We realized she was having a allergy attack and so I called our mission presidents wife and she said to take her straight to the ER so that's what we did we were all in shock and found a taxi and went straight to the ER and they were able to calm her down and then our mission president showed up and we ended up staying in the ER until midnight! but we ended up going home that night and all was well and she is fine now it was just quite the panic and scary moment we had! 

We had some great lessons this week and have 4 new investigators one is a family! There lessons were so spiritual and it was such a miracle we had this week in our area! 

Also Today during my personal study I finished the Book of Mormon for the 2nd time here in my mission! I love the Book of Mormon and I know it is true with all my heart!!! 

Thanks for all the love support and prayers!!!

Have a great week!!

-Sister Thayn

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OCTOBER 2, 2016

Sorry not much time to write today but it was a great week! We are so so so busy trying to find everyone we have met and find and teach families! The members are also being so loving and supportive so it is so great!

We were able to watch the women's broadcast this Saturday and it was so awesome. I cant wait to watch general conference this coming week! it is broadcasted 1 week after it is done in America! 

We have had lots of rain and it has flooded a lot but all is good and we are safe! 

I was reading previous GC talks and loved these quotes:

Jeffery R Holland: Hold fast to what you already know and stay strong until additional knowledge comes!

Answers to sincere questions come when we earnestly seek and when we live the commandments. Faith can reach beyond the limits of current reason. 

Love you all and thanks for all the prayers!

-Sister Thayn

Sorry no pictures this week i will try next week! 

SEPTEMBER 25,2016

It has been another good week!

We have some really progressing investigators Joel and Johnrel and they should be getting baptized in the next few weeks if they continue to go to church! 

This week we were trying to find a referral and we were walking and walking and asking all these people to find our referral and we finally found her!!! When we walked up to the house they were all sitting outside and before they knew who we were they invited us in and then we realized they already knew who we were and they wanted us to teach them right away!!! so we taught them about the restoration and it was a great lesson and we have a return appointment with them this week! They are a family and we are so excited to have another family to teach! 

We also had the opportunity to teach a less active family we had set a specific time and date to visit then and when we showed up at their house that night they were cleaning the house in preparation for us! The family all sat down and we taught the restoration and showed them the video of joseph smiths first visit. While we were teaching we could see the change in the fathers eyes! it was such a spiritual lesson! Right as we were about to leave they asked when we could come back and we have another appointment with them this week!! Also yesterday at church 2 of their children came! we wish that the whole family came but I

remembered by small and simple things GREAT things will come to pass! I know that one day this family will be active again in the church! 

Also it rained a lot this week! 

That was my week!!! thanks for all the letters and love!!!

New batch of Missionaries

-Sister Thayn 

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT CRUZ

Dear Mr. /Mrs. Thayn,

 

It has been a delight for me and my wife, Sister Cruz, to serve in the Philippines Iloilo Mission alongside your daughter, Sister Kiera Thayn. During our first few months here in the mission, we have had the privilege to meet each missionary and to talk with them about the work we are engaged in. We know that there have been several wonderful educational and/or occupational opportunities that had to be sacrificed, yet your daughter chose to set these aside in order to serve our Master. Witnessing her desire and conviction to assist in this work has brought such joy and inspiration to us and to this mission.

 

Attached is a photo we have with your daughter, taken when last August, during our regular zone visits.

 

Thank you for raising such an excellent missionary. We know and promise that many will receive her words, and will be converted unto the Lord (see Mosiah 28:6-7). The Lord had promised that He will be with her and protect her wherever she may be (Joshua 1:5).

 

Please feel free to write to us. Sister Cruz and I are more happy to know how are you and how could we better assist you with your daughter.

 

Warmest Regards,

 

President Hermenegildo I. Cruz

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

Week Full of Miracles

This has been such an amazing week!!! First I 
 
 
 
found out that my 1st convert Tatay Eduardo from my first area now has the Melchizedek priesthood!!! I almost cried when i found that out I am so happy for him!!! 

Also I am a trainer!!! my Trainee's name is Sister Cobing from Bacolod she is so sweet! We also now have housemates who is also being trained so we are having so much fun!!! 

This week we did our first street display here in our area and it was absolutely incredible!!! Member's came and helped and did such amazing missionary work and we had so much fun! our trust was built so much with the ward and priesthood leaders!! it was so successful! also a miracle that happened was before we left our house to go do the display we prayed that it would not rain on our stand and..... well it down poured, but.... Nothing on our stand got wet! i think it rained everywhere else except where we were standing and where the display was! WHAT A MIRACLE!!! 

Also yesterday we had an amazing lesson with our investigator sister Harlyn and her sister Dharlyn they asked so many questions and because it was the first time we taught her sister we talked a lot about different things to answer her questions. Also sister Harlyn testified that she knew what we were saying is true! She told her sister that when we first taught her about the 3 kingdoms she didn't know it was true but know she knows it is true and she wants her sister to know! Lots of miracles happened this week!!!!

Thanks for all the love and prayers!!!

-Sister Thayn

 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

Week Full of Miracles

This has been such an amazing week!!! First I 
 
 
 
found out that my 1st convert Tatay Eduardo from my first area now has the Melchizedek priesthood!!! I almost cried when i found that out I am so happy for him!!! 

Also I am a trainer!!! my Trainee's name is Sister Cobing from Bacolod she is so sweet! We also now have housemates who is also being trained so we are having so much fun!!! 

This week we did our first street display here in our area and it was absolutely incredible!!! Member's came and helped and did such amazing missionary work and we had so much fun! our trust was built so much with the ward and priesthood leaders!! it was so successful! also a miracle that happened was before we left our house to go do the display we prayed that it would not rain on our stand and..... well it down poured, but.... Nothing on our stand got wet! i think it rained everywhere else except where we were standing and where the display was! WHAT A MIRACLE!!! 

Also yesterday we had an amazing lesson with our investigator sister Harlyn and her sister Dharlyn they asked so many questions and because it was the first time we taught her sister we talked a lot about different things to answer her questions. Also sister Harlyn testified that she knew what we were saying is true! She told her sister that when we first taught her about the 3 kingdoms she didn't know it was true but know she knows it is true and she wants her sister to know! Lots of miracles happened this week!!!!

Thanks for all the love and prayers!!!

-Sister Thayn

 

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

Great Week!

Sorry I don't have much time to write today but this week has been such a great week! I am doing good and my companion and are a great!!! She is preparing to go home next week so that will be a sad day but her 18 months are up and its time for her to go home!

Well a funny story this week was we were running low on food at the house so we made some weird concoction and I was pouring flour into the mixture when the mixture started to foam up and I was so confused when I realized I put in baking powder not flour!!! HAHA they have the same bag and look very similar!! WHOOPS!!! well we still made it and tried the food and YES IT WAS TERRIBLE!!!! haha well I wont ever make that mistake again!!! 

Our work in our area is very slow right now we are doing our best to make it progressing and i know it will be one day we are just striving our best to do our part! 

We had a fun p-day today and as a district went indoor rock climbing! that was so fun! 

well that was my week! hope all you are well!!!

-Sister Thayn 

AUGUST 29, 2016

Sister Missionaries=RAT CATCHERS 

 
It was a good week this week but a little slow. My companion was sick for a few days this week so we just stayed home but other than that it was good.

On Saturday we had quite the adventure!!! I was asleep when i woke up to my companion yelling I SAW IT I SAW THE RAT!!!!  Well we have been having rat problems in our apartment! they seem to only come out when we are not home and eat our food... But this time i came out when we were home!!! We spent the next 2 hours trying to get it out of our room and out of the apartment!!! Well the hard thing is, is that we were both so terrified of the rat so it took FOREVER!!! We found it behind our dressers so we stood on our beds or on chairs and got long poles and started poking the dresser so the rat would run out... well that didnt work so we finally got the courage to pull the dresser away from the wall and well there it was!!!! It ran across the floor on to the bars on our windows and squeezed through a crack between the screen of the window and ran outside!!! Oh man after a lot of Screaming, jumping up and down and laughing it was finally OUT!!! we then immediately closed the windows and haven't opened it since!!! 

While i have been in this area we have been trying to visit this Less active family and every time we go there we get rejected or they dont want us there but 2 weeks ago we were able to teach them and it was a great experience and this past week we went to them again and the mother was so excited to see us she went and bought us snacks and drinks and sat us down to talk to us!!! wow that was quite the change we experienced!!! We are so excited to continue to teach them and have the return to the church!!! 

Hope you all had a great week!!! I would love to hear from you all this next week!!!

-Sister Thayn

JULY 25, 2016

YAY!  A BAPTISM!!
(note from Mom: This post is out of order, better late than never!)

This was such a great week!!! we were able to see one of our investigators Tatay Rogelio enter into the waters of baptism! He was interviewed on Tuesday then was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday!!! it was so awesome!!!

Tatay Rogelio's story is the most amazing ever though!!!! He had been taught by missionaries for a few months and when he started he had a huge smoking problem! he has been smoking 2 packs a day since he was 16 years old and he is 73 years old now. So he was very addicted! Then when the sisters committed him to stop of course it wasn't all at once but he went from 2 packs to 20 sticks a day then to 15 then to 10 then 6 then 5 then 4 then 3 then 2 then 1 then 0!!!! and now he is not smoking anymore!!! it is so amazing!!!!!

One night we came home after a HUGE rain storm and found our apartment flooded only like a half and inch or less of water but we are on the second floor but then we realized we left the windows open and my companions bed was soaking wet!!! luckily i had to mattresses on my bed so she had a dry bed to sleep on!!! We spent that night cleaning and drying our wet house!!!!

We have such a progressing investigator which is sister Harlyn! she is 20 years old and she is amazing! she came to church this week! The spirit is so strong in her lessons and she is truly prepared by heavenly father!!!

Also it is so stinking hot here now it feels like it is always about to rain so it is so humid and hot and then either rains so much or not at all and you just sweat to death!!! haha!!!

This was an amazing week!!!

Hope you all have a great week this week!!!

-Sister Thayn