Week Dalawang-Pu (20)

Hello Po!

This week has been really good!  We have found a lot of people who are so prepared!  We have had wonderful experiences and benefits because of our hard work!  I love the Lord's work, that's for sure!  ON Tuesday, we went to this area that we haven't ever gone to before, because it is really malayo (far!). We were actually looking for a Less Active member...but it ended differently.  So we were going to different houses, and asking them if they knew this family.  Well, we came to this one house, and the lady didn't know the L.A, but she said, to come in.  We did, and were like rejoicing inside!  Anyways, she said that she had just seen us earlier that day in central.  She went on to say, that when she saw us, she wondered when the sisters would come back to her house... she prayed and asked when/if they (we) would go over to her house.  Well, just a few hours later we were at her door asking if she knew someone.  She must have been shocked and so excited!  

Well, I call that a miracle!  She had been taught by the missionaries in 2006, and then she moved, and she hasn't seen the missionaries since.  Well, she is so receptive, and her older daughter, who remembers the sisters from before, was sooooo excited!  This is such a blessing!  I know that it is because we were trying to follow the spirit, and we were at the right place, at the right time, God let us be an answer to Sister Delfin's prayers.  I am so happy that we found them! 

So the same little neighborhood that sister Delfin is in, there are so many preapred people. They are hungry for the truth!  This week has been wonderful!!  We will continue to strive to always be in the right place, at the right time!  I love the tender mercies that God gives all of us!

So we also found a family, who was progressing sooooo well in 2011 ish, and then the missionaries just stopped going to their house.  (Whoever did the area book, did not write the reasons why they decided to stop visiting them...so we decided to give them a try.)  This family is great!  I am excited to start teaching them again, and hopefully they can start going to church, reading and praying!  I absolutely LOVE missionary work!  

Well, I love you all!  I know that this gospel is true!  Please always do the simple things in the gospel!  I know that God has given us the way to return back to Him, and we need to follow it, by following the Gospel Principles.  Understand and live the SIMPLE things, before you try to become a deep doctrine person...the simple stuff is the most important!  I love the plain and precious truths of the gospel!  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is true!  I love the Lord's mission, that I am on!

Love, Sister Coleman

 

Our Tricy Ride!

 

My LARGEst buko Frio Experience. I drank the whole thing in like 20 minutes...yes, it might have been some kind of contest. :)

 

Yes, we love the volcano and taking pics!  This family is the Delfin family.  We walked out of their house, and they were all at the door waving goodbye.  We had to get a picture of them!  They're adorable!

 

Okay, this is sister Coleman for you!  The thing on my face is my face mask that I use sometimes..you know, when you need a little laughter.  Oh, so we had to get mug shots this week! No, the office just needs pic like that for something, so I just thought I would show you all the lovely pictures. :/ Man, it's hard not to smile!!  So, you know those balloon heart things that were in my package...well, I found something to hang them on! ;)

Week Labing-siyam (19)

Hello Po,

Magandag umaga, hapon, or gabi.  Kumusta po kayo lahat?? This week has been different and amazing!  To start the week, we went to Legaspi and i met my new companion, Sister Tou.  She is awesome!  She's a cook islander, from Australia/new zealand.  So, I guess I just need to learn something that the wonderful Polynesian people can offer. :)  Sister Tou is a wonderful example to me already, in the week I've known her.  She is very diligent and kind.  She is a fabulous missionary.  She has been out for 6 months, but very talented in Tagalog.  But, we will definitely have to do a lot of study and practice in the language, so we can survive. :)  I have learned a lot this past week, and said and done things I didn't think I could do or say, before.  It's a little scary to lead the area, but luckily so far, we have only had to turn around once. :)

 

I do though, miss my Nanay, Sister Siola'a.  It's not the same Tabaco city with out her, but I know that everything will be okay.  It was a wonderful 12 weeks of training, not i'm in the real thing!  I need to work harder and use the talents that God has given me, to the fullest!  I am sobrang excited for this transfer!  

 

So to end the week, Sister Labordo was baptized on Friday, the 14th of February.  It was a long awaited, so special day!  I felt the spirit so strongly.  I felt some of the love of God for sister Labordo.  It was an experience that I will never forget.  I love Sister Labordo and her family, and I hope that soon, Brother Labordo will be baptized.  I am very grateful for the baptismal covenants that I have made, and that I was able to see sister Labordo make.  It was just wonderful to see Sister so happy and ready to be baptized.  She wrote a song, and sang it to us in her testimony. It was so powerful, even though I didn't understand all of it, I still felt the spirit!  We were also able to sing a musical number, "I feel my Saviors Love" and "I know that my Redeemer lives."  I also felt the spirit as we sang that, my gratitude and love for the people here, and for Heavenly Father grew even more.  Ahhh!!  I just love being on my mission!

 

On Saturday, a little girl who we've taught a few times, got got baptized.  She is the one in the picture.  That baptism was great!  That day, 5 people got baptized!  It was amazing as well!!  Oh, I just love seeing people, even as young as 8, make covenants with God.  How beautiful it is to be a missionary and to be an instrument in Gods hands!  I love it, and I never want to stop being a missionary!

 

I love all of you.  Please be a missionary.  Always be doing the things that will lead you to the people who need to have the joy of the gospel.  Help the missionaries.  Be a friend to the Less actives and investigators.  The lord will bless and prosper you, as you share His gospel and put Him first! I know that the Church is true!  How could it not be?  I love the gospel, I love the Lord, and I love being a missionary!

Love you all!

Love, Sister Coleman

Week Labing-Walo (18)

Hello Po! Magandang hapon sa lahat!

Well this week has been great!  It's been a sad one though.  It's been a week of "Lasts..." because sister Siola'a is being transferred bukas! (Tomorrow)  I am so sad, but excited!  I have learned so much from Sister Siola'a!  She has been a great ro-madel to me!  I love her, and I will miss her so much!  I wish we had at least 1 more transfer together, but I guess her sweet spirit and heart are needed elsewhere.  She is amazing, and is so magaling sa tagalog and the doctrine.  She is very sincere and loving!  I will miss her like crazy!  I hope that I can take care of the people in our area, and help it progress.  Over all, it's been an awesome training, and I am ready to keep working hard and doing my best!

 A thousand pics with SIster Siola'a and I! :)

Well, I have a miracle story (I think it's a miracle at least!)  Okay, so there is this in-active family, who hasn't come to church for a loooong time.  They are very musically inclined, and some of them play the piano.  Well, I felt like we should start singing hymns before and after their lessons.  The first lesson, they all joined in and sang.  The next lesson, they still joined in and sang, they were like waiting to sing the songs and listen.  Well, we invited them to church, and they said that they would come.  We were so excited, but at the same time, didn't want to get our hopes up too much...anyways, Sunday (Yesterday) came, and guess who came to church??  Yes, the Borillia family! I do have a strong testimony of music, and especially of the beautiful hymns of Zion!  I know that music, especially the music that praises God, softens hearts and brings about miracles!  We have definitely been trying to use music in our visits with people. Ahhhh!  

And then the picture where I'm wearing the yellow shirt, is Sister Buendia.  She's awesome and is the one with all the masarap food! (Octopus this last time)

I love the hymns!  I am so glad that I know most of them too, and that I have focused a lot of my piano playing or practice, on the hymns.  I am glad that as a Young Woman,  1 of my projects was to play ALL 341 hymns on the piano.  I didn't think it would be that "useful" of a project, but it was.  I'm so happy I know that hymns!  I love them, and I know that they have softened my heart!  Please, get to know the hymns.  They are plain and precious truths of the gospel!

Okay, so our investigator, Darren, is progressing soooo much!  He came to our branch today, and said it was "Maganda!" (Beautiful..or really really good!)  He even participated in the Gospel Essentials class.  He is a 14 year old boy, and is very smart and ready for the gospel!  His baptismal date it for the 8th of March!  I hope to see him get baptized.  Please give referrals to the missionaries, go with them and help them teach people.  Be the investigators and Less actives friends.  Go visit and fellowship the L.A's without the missionaries.  God will indeed bless you, if you do His work the best you can!  

The sisters in our branch, and Darren our investigator

Oh, so guess what?  I ate Octopus this week!  It was actually really good.  They were small octopus's, so I ate a whole octopus.  It was so weird, but really good actually.  Yes, I am progressing with eating crazy masarap pagkain! (Delicious food.)  We made lumpia rolls all by ourselves this week.  It was pretty good.  I want to keep on learning new ways to make the food here.  It is so good!  

The Calleja family

Well, I love all of you.  I know that the gospel is on the earth and was restored through a 14 year old boy, Joseph Smith.  The gospel is what can make us happy, if we just live it with all of our heart, mind, and strength!  I am so happy, because of the blessings of the gospel, and I know everyone else can have that happiness, through the gospel.  I love being on my mission!  It has been the best 4 months of my life so far!  I might not come home in April...sorry. ;)  I love serving the Lord 24/7!  How great is my calling!  I love it, and I want to make it the best!  I love you all!  Always keep doing missionary work, you don't need a badge to do so!  Keep reading your scriptures everyday, keep praying everyday, keep going to church, and keep enduring to the end! (2 Nephi 31:20)  I love you all!

Love, Johannah