My Monthly Lunch Date

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a program called Visiting Teaching. In it, you are assigned a woman or two or three or four to go visit once a month. I've heard people say that you're "assigned a friend." Umm...Okay. This has annoyed many people. As for me, I love it!

Over the years, I've gotten to know so many great women, and when you live under a rock, that's a HUGE deal. The support system is awesome!

I also have Visiting Teachers that visit me. I remember one day a number of years ago when I was swimming in clean, dry, unfolded laundry. During their visit, these two women came in and offered to help me fold the massive mountain that was my reality on that particular day. It was such a kind, charitable act, and although it may seem like a small thing, when you're dealing with nine people's laundry (that was before I hollered "Uncle"), it's a HUGE deal.

I have a companion and three women to visit. I love them all. We each have common points in our lives--I have more with some than with others, but it's always entertaining to go visit with them.

With one of these women, we have decided that each month we will go to lunch together. Today is the day! The first time we visited with her, it was in her home. For the second visit, we decided to do something a bit different. We opted to meet up at my favorite Mexican restaurant. She had never been there before.

While we were munching on our chimichangas, we decided that this was such a fun thing that we'd do it every month. So far we've had Mexican food, burgers at the best burger place in town, and today, we're going to have gyros. I look forward to our outing all month.

The gyro place is great, but the gyros are HUGE. I have only eaten one muffin this morning in anticipation of overdoing the WW points during lunch.

I wish I would've taken advantage of this kind of Visiting Teaching in the past. My friend and I have decided that even when I'm not her Visiting Teacher anymore, we're still going to lunch once a month.

Gyros, here we come! Hmm....Now, where to go next month?....

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #75

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming... Don't drown... Just gotta keep swimming.

So this week was an interesting one. Again. Every week is interesting here so that's a normal statement haha

Monday: A normal p-day but then for some reason we were super punted sa work. As in... No one was home. So we walked for a little bit and then ran into Nanay S. And she was not herself. Like she was going crazy because of worry. So we walked with her to where she was going and we comforted her the whole way and listened to her problems. And when we finally got her home, she was way happier. So even though we didn't get any actual appointments in, I still felt like we did some good. 

Tuesday: District meeting. And the AP's were there. So that was fun. After that, we went out and worked (of course...) and it turned out to be a good day. We got Brother L interviewed for his baptism and he was super excited :) And we also got to go adventuring in a part of our area that I hadn't been in yet. My area is so pretty :) I love it over here. 

Wednesday: Sister B's 22nd birthday! YAY! haha And we were super punted. So we visited some members in our area and shared with them. And then ended the day by going to visit V and Ry came with us. We tried to resolve his concerns but he doesn't want them to be resolved... So wala kaming magagawa... He either wants to be right or for us to be wrong. Sorry bud, it doesn't work like that... We had a mini birthday party for Sister B after we got home that night. That was fun.

Thursday: Weekly planning. Yay. Only 3 weeks left. Then we went out to work and got punted again. *sigh* But we still got 3 lessons in so I guess it's not that bad.

Friday: We didn't get punted :) hehe We got 4 appointments in and got 5 new investigators. And it just went smoothly. Like it was all planned out. I love days like that. We ended the day with an FHE and that was a lot of fun. 

Saturday: We had a baptism! YAY! My first and probably last here in San Mar. Brother L was baptized and he was sooooo happy. He told us that he couldn't even explain how happy he was :) We were pretty dang happy for him too :) We also had MCM and discussed the problems in the branch. And then had a fireside that was kind of an epic fail. Besides the missionaries (6 of us) and the branch mission leader (R) and the executive secretary (Ry) there was only 1 other member attended.... So it was a quick one. And after that, Ry went with us again to teach V. 

Sunday: Brother L was confirmed and interviewed to get the Aaronic Priesthood next week :) And church was fine. They had the primary program... After church, Sister C and Ry worked with us and we weren't punted, even with the Manny Pacquiao fight going on. Ha! We got in 4 appointments and ended the day by going to President S's house for a PEC meeting. That was fine too. 

And that was my week. It was a good one. And my mission is almost over. This is the only true church. And the only true gospel. Missionary work is the best. The Gospel changes lives BUT you have to let it :) 

Thank you for all of your love and support. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Ingat kayo palagi. Excited ako na makita kayo ulit :D

Love always,
Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #74

I am an old woman. 21 na ako... Time to go home :))))

This week was a good one too. Lots and lots and lots of walking. I think Sister B and I walked all the way around our area maybe 3 times this week.... And our area is huge... haha but that's ok. It was fun :)

So as you all know, Monday, we went to Manila. Got the fingerprinting done, ate at Army Navy and then went home. The end. And we didn't work because I was completely dead on my feet when we got back.

Tuesday: Birthday ko! YAY! haha we had district meeting and it was good. That's about all. We went and worked and we actually got 5 appointments and 2 new investigators. And one referral from R, a branch missionary who is awesome. Best birthday present ever. And the F family gave me a cute umbrella for my birthday :) (so that I can stay white daw) and J S gave me a watch. I swear that had revelation. Those were the two things that I actually needed haha SWEET :) And then we ended the day with a FHE at President S's house. That was a lot of fun. People were made members of booga-booga >:) hehe Happy Birthday to me :)

Wednesday: We had companion study in the morning (happens every morning now because of the training schedule) And then we went to lunch at the R's house. Then we went straight out to work. And I remembered why I do not like the training schedule. Work in the afternoon starts at 1 pm. And here in the Philippines, that just doesn't work. Because 1 pm is nap time. Patay.... So that was our first punted day. We still got 2 new investigators so that was good. But only got 4 appointments. Eh, ayos lang yan.

Thursday: Weekly planning. We went to  Rabanes to work. I officially love Rabanes. We've been doing some exploring there because the areas that are close to the plaza are just not progressing. So we found some new investigators. But yeah, and we walked and walked and walked.

Friday: Another day where we went out at 1.... urg. But we finally got to teach the F family. R and Roy tagged along. It was an entertaining lesson. And we shared with Brother L about the priesthood. He's really excited for his baptism next saturday. And he's stopped smoking too :) YAY!

Saturday: I got to go sign up for college classes.... yikes. malapit na... Then we went out to R again. I seriously love that place. And then we had MCM and went out for pizza afterwards. That was fun too. Then we dragged Ry with us when we went to share with V. And Ry actually helped a lot I think. When we got home, I didn't have to erase my stress with nutella. Thank goodness. 

Sunday: Church and yup. haha We visited V N and J, our new investigators, and they listened to our first discussion. They were super receptive and I'm really excited for them :) Then we had a rescue caravan with the members and got to go visit the P family. Then we came back, reported and then went to the Fa's house for dinner. Happy day. 

And that was my week. Super duper long. But still a good one. 4 nalang.... hehe :)

Ok I'm out of here. Thank you for all of your love and support. This is the only true church. And the only true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Ingat kayo palagi!

Love always,

Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #73

Sorry, this is gonna be short.

So I'm here in Manila right now. We just got done getting fingerprints. So that means that it's almost time for me to come home! And this is going to be a very short email because we've got a long time of travel ahead of us. 

Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing fine. Life is good. I'm training and my trainee is Sister B. She's awesome and I love her. And that's about the whole story. 

I'll give more details next week I promise. But for now, don't forget that this is the only true church. And that the Gospel is true and that I love you all. Thank you for your prayers and support and all the birthday wishes. 

1 Month nalang :D See yah all in December.

Mahal na mahal ko kayo! 

Love,

Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #72

LAST TRANSFER BEGINS THIS WEEK. I am now on my last planner. This is WEIRD.

And this was the final week. Sister S is going home :'( but that's ok because she wasn't trunky (thank goodness)

And I just realized that I forgot my old planner so this is gonna be a short one... Sorry. Just the highlights I guess.

Tuesday was the last zone meeting. We took a bunch of pictures and had fun. Elder S wasn't there because he had to go to the hospital to get checked out. He's all good now. No worries :)

Wednesday was the usual work. Sister M had a t-shirt made for Sister S that had her face on it flipped upside down so Sister S could see it if she looked down. Hilarious. 

Thursday we did weekly planning and that was good. Afterwards, me and Sister D went on exchanges. It was a lot of fun. We were super punted but I still learned a lot. We got to go from house to house with people running from us hehe Sometimes I just like to laugh at the people who reject us.... Silly people.

Friday: We finished up the exchanges in the morning and then we went out and worked again in the afternoon. Me and Sister M were really punted again and walked around our area until 6 when we had MCM/Sister S's goodbye party/Elder C's birthday party. That was a lot of fun. We ate cake. Yum :) haha

Saturday: Day of the Dead. And surprisingly we got 8 new investigators. They were all super willing to listen to us before they headed to the cemetery. And then we spent the rest of the day being punted again. But that's ok. We went to a birthday party and ate our fill of filipino spaghetti while the natives sang videoke. Good times.

Sunday: Church! Got to play piano again and then they made me the closing prayer too.... We went out to work afterwards and got punted again. Worked until 5 and then went to San Antonio for a Philippines broadcast. It was super fun because Sister C and Sister E got to come to San Antonio as well instead of going to Olongapo. Best thing ever. 

And that was my week. or the shortened version of it. Sorry. next week more details, promise.

Thank you for everything. The church is true. If you don't believe me, go read D&C 1:30. Jesus Christ himself says that this the the ONLY true church. Booyah.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Ingat kayo!

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #71

This is being sent early due to the fact that "my grandparents are tired and they won't go to bed until I send a weekly email". Very well. here is the weekly email.

So this week was an interesting one. 

Monday: Went and visited the S family. We shared with them. They're fine. 

Tuesday: We went out and shared with people. The usual. Got a couple of new investigators. Nothing too special happened. Shared with my good buddy, V again. He's still confused. Part of the Iglesia ni Cristo's doctrine is that Heavenly Father is God and Jesus Christ is just a person. And for some reason that is the most important thing in the world to him and he cannot believe that Jesus is God as well. So I just confused him more and gave him an assignment. 3 Nephi 11:14. Look it up. We'll see what happens with that one…. 

Wednesday: Total adventure. And not necessarily a fun one. We finished up personal study and were getting ready to go out and work in the morning when Elder C called and told us that Elder S was having an attack. We were like wha? And sprinted over to their apartment. We get there and find Elder S in a lot of pain. Seems like all the muscles in his body were cramping simultaneously and he had no control over them. He was having a hard time breathing. So we called one of the members who had a car and rushed him to the hospital in Subic. That was a very long car ride. We said multiple prayers and Elder C gave him a blessing while the member sped us there, weaving in and out of traffic and honking his horn all the way. We got to the hospital and they rushed him inside. We waited maybe 15 minutes and Elder C came out and told us that he was sleeping and that he was doing a little better. They found out that he has virtually no potassium in his body. That's pretty scary. But then the D's showed up and we all (including Elder C and Elder S) went to the mission home and ate waffles. They took us home and we went out to work. We went and shared with the F family. They're doing well. 

Thursday: Weekly planning. Then we went and had lunch at the W's house. It was sooooo yummy :) (Elder C and S missed out because they were still at the mission home). Then we went and worked again. We shared with C R again. She's awesome. We gave her a Book of Mormon and taught her about the Plan of Salvation. Then she told us that she's moving back to Manila. Darnit. But that she would text us every time she's back in San Marcelino so we can share with her. Works for me :) 

Friday: Katy Perry's Birthday (this is not important for me but it is very important for Sister M, so I wrote it in my planner haha) We had mission president interviews. Nothing special. But both President D and Sister D acted like I'm going home soon. Um not that soon... I still have 7 more weeks... :P We then went home and worked again. Got to go to a baptism and then walked around and were quite punted.... But that's okay. 

 

Saturday: Worked in the morning and got a new family of investigators that were from AMERICA. That was really weird. We taught lesson 1 half in English and half in Tagalog. That was weird. But turns out they live in Kent, Washington. hey! I could go visit them when I go home. Cool :) They're super nice and seemed really interested. We're gonna go back to them tomorrow. After lunch, we had MCM and talked about how the heck we're gonna help this branch become more unified. Hope it all works out.

Sunday: Brother L came to church again and he actually beat us there. YES! The S family seems to be thinking that they need to perfect their obedience to God's commandments. So A (one of the sons) wants us to teach him and K came to church. Everyone needs a good trial every now and then to keep them humble and to remember who's really in charge. 

Well that was my week. It was an interesting one for sure. But then again, every week in the mission is different. I know the church is true (Don't worry, Grandma, I'll explain to you why I say that when I come home). This is the ONLY true church on the face of the earth and that's why this is the fastest growing church right now. Because it's TRUE. You better believe it. 

Thank you for all of your love and support. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Ingat kayo palagi.

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #70

Mu-mus, bitter melon, Toron, mac'n cheese, chicken burgers, and Ilokano

Monday: We had FHE at the R's house. The missionaries in this area sometimes have 2 or 3 FHEs a week. It's super fun. The dinner afterwards was really good too. They had some kind of squid soup as an option... I refused to eat it and so they made me eat steamed bitter melon instead. That is a vegetable that they have here that is NASTY. It's called bitter melon for a reason. Brother R, our BML, made me eat it and I wasn't allowed to show on my face that it was gross. Totally accepted his challenge and succeeded. Boom! Sister D got it on video. That was fun :)

Tuesday: We had a district meeting and that was fun. The STLs did the workshop (I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore). Afterwards, we went all the way to Castellejos and ate at a yummy restaurant. We got back and met up with R, our investigator. We decided that we were all gonna fast together so that he could get Sunday's off. So we opened up our fast and then went out to work. That was a good day for work. We found 4 new investigators and got to adventure a little bit around our area. 

Wednesday: Wednesday morning was a low-bat morning. Because we had been fasting, I had no energy at all. We walked around and talked to everyone we could see. Then we finally went to the market and bought groceries for the week. We went home and told R to drop by the house at 12 so we could close our fast. He never came by. I was stuck cooking lunch while fasting. That is not a fun thing to do. But I made Bicol Express for the first time ever which is my favoritest thing ever in Filipino food. (Yes, family, I will cook it for you when I get home :)) So we broke the fast with just me and Sister M and then proceeded to stuff our faces with spicy goodness. We then went out to work and it was a good day. We taught the F family about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited them to be baptized. They accepted. So we'll see what happens with that. 

Thursday: Weekly planning. Sister S and Sister D sat in on it because we were gonna do exchanges. That was interesting. I've never had an STL sit in on our weekly planning before. But afterwards we ate lunch and then went out to work. Sister S was my companion. It was fun except that we were super punted. As in, there were no people in our area. It was super weird. We still got 3 appointments in but it was really sad. 

Friday: Went out in the morning and got 3 appointments. That's more like it. Came home and ate lunch and then went back out. I missed having Sister M as my companion. She's awesome at finding. So yeah. I'm grateful that Sister M is my comp. We had MCM and that was interesting because we just sat there with our BML and he told us all the problems in our branch. And there are tons... He said that no missionary truly experiences missionary work until they're assigned in San Marcelino branch. And yeah, I guess he's right. After that we went and taught the F family about the Word of Wisdom and they weren't very happy to hear about the stuff that they shouldn't put into their bodies. 

Saturday: Went finding in the morning. Found the Y family. They seem nice. And then we went and had an adventure in the market again on market day. That was super fun. We got mu-mus and just got to go exploring. Then we went home and ate lunch and then went back out to work. We visited the D L family who live out in the middle of nowhere and then went to the church for our fireside. It was a good one. We all presented about the Family pamphlet about family history and about the Temple pamphlet. Hopefully the members start getting more involved in things here. 

Sunday: We had 4 investigators come to church :))) And then went out to work. Got 3 new investigators. Had a Rescue Caravan where all the members go on splits with the missionaries and visit the less-active. Sister C F was my companion. She just got back from her mission the week that I got here. She's awesome. And we had a lot of fun. After that, Sister M and I went to visit V, a recent convert and I told him the story of the Nephites and the Lamanites and the Jaredites using pens as the groups of people and then explained a lot of US history. It was a lot of fun.

So that was my week. It was a good one. And a lot of fun. The Church is true. The Gospel is true. Missionary work is the best. I love the Filipino people. The end.

Have a great week!

Mahal ko kayo!

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #69

This was #1's email from back on Oct. 12th. Her reaction here on the Jeepney brings back a lot of memories for me…..I remember seeing people who were clearly not Japanese on my mission. It was a rare occurrence, but it was so strange when I realized that I wasn't quite sure how to respond to them. 


I have no ideas for a subject heading. The only thing I can think to say is that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the face of the Earth. No ifs, ands or buts.

So this week was a good one. Lots of funny things happened. And lots of things were learned. 

Monday: P-Day! Went to Olongapo and got some money. We went shopping and Sister M and I got facials (I feel like such a girl but it was actually really nice). Then we got home and went to an FHE at the P family's house. They're super nice and it was a lot of fun.

Tuesday: We had a zone meeting and that was a lot of fun. Then we went out and worked. We only got to work until 5 because we had to take Sister S to Subic and drop her off at the mission home. But we got to teach 2 lessons before that and got 4 new investigators. And then we went to Subic and on the way home we were all tired and I totally got a "Can I have yo numbah?" moment... Wait a sec, and I'll tell you…

We are on the jeepney and we just got into San Marcelino and the jeep stops to let some people on. And 3 BIG guys get on that look like literal African Americans. Both me and Sister M were shocked and we had no idea how to react to them. One sat down right next to me. So we just ride all the way to the bus stop and the two guys sitting across from us start talking about us. They read my nametag out loud but I didn't know how to react. We all get off at the bus stop and two of them walk away but one comes right up to me and says, in English, "Sister Hess, can I have your number?" 

Ack! hahaha that was a funny one. I politely told him, in Tagalog, that I couldn't because I was a missionary. And he smoothly covered with ,"Oh well I just wanted to invite you to our basketball game on Thursday." I was a bit impressed with the guy. He totally did all of it by himself seeing as his "wingmen" ditched him. He walked away after finding out that we couldn't go to his basketball game on Thursday because it was in Iba but we still waved at him when we walked away. We walked home chuckling a bit and all amazed that he had done that. Filipinos are very courageous people, that's for sure. Oh and btw, they were probably all half African American and half Filipino. 

After that funny thing happened, we went and taught one more lesson to our next-door neighbors. They're very nice and actually know a lot about Mormons. They seem to be pretty interested actually. 

Wednesday: We were in a threesome and it was actually a really fun day. We got in a bunch of lessons with 2 new investigators. And we got to go teach Sister D's recent converts. They're super awesome. And Sister S didn't come home that night.

Thursday: We had weekly planning and about halfway through, Sister S finally came home and then we were all happy again :) Finished weekly planning and then went out to work. We got in some more lessons, of course. And walked a lot, of course again. 

Friday: Went out to work in the morning. Got in 3 lessons (that's a miracle) and 4 new investigators (a miracle again). Then we had MCM, which is a meeting with our Branch Mission Leader. Brother R is our BML and he is awesome. He's very good at his calling. And after MCM, he worked with us and we got to find some more new investigators. By the end of the day, we had 5. Booyah. 

Saturday: GENERAL CONFERENCE! Finally. I love this weekend. Best out of the whole year. And I learned a whole bunch and the Spirit was really strong. So yeah. After it, we went out to work and got in two appointments. Tried to encourage the S family to come to Conference the next day. 

Sunday: Both Nanay and Tatay S came :) YES! I love when people do what we tell them they should do. Makes me feel like they trust me. And conference was great again. Made me really happy and more excited to share the gospel. 

So this week was great and I liked it a lot. There's never a dull day in the life of a missionary. Thank goodness or I might go crazy. 

The church is true. It's the only true church because it has a living Prophet and Jesus Christ is it's head. Also we're the only church with the WHOLE TRUTH. Try to beat that. Oh, that's right, you can't :) I know this is the true church. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat. Maraming salamat po sa lahat na gingawa nyo para samin. Ingat kayo palagi!

Love always,

Sister Hess 

#1's Weekly Email: Week #68

I got my trunky letter.... It's official ladies and gentlemen... I'm coming home in December

I think I walked more this last week than I have the last two transfers. That's what happens when your area is flat and stretches out for about 5 km in every direction. But it's still fun.

So this week.....

Monday: We had a super chill p-day. it was really nice. And then we went and taught Tita W, a recent convert. She's been having some health problems but she's still strong. After than lesson with her, we were super punted. So we just walked and walked until it was time to go home. 

Tuesday: There wasn't a district meeting because there is MLC this week. But we got some good work done and taught a bunch of people. Got 4 new investigators and got to go to a FHE for Sister C F who just got home from her mission. That was a lot of fun.

Wednesday: Another good day. Got 2 more new investigators. Found a couple more less actives. And that was about it. 

Thursday: Weekly planning again. and then work. We went back and taught a couple of our new investigators. Hopefully, they'll start progressing. And we found 3 new ones. Whoop whoop! :)

Friday: District meeting. I think we have the craziest zone ever because our two zone leaders are two white kids. I think I might have said that last week too but it was just proven to me all over again this week. We tried our practice teaching in only English. ha! #epicfail. I can't teach in English anymore… 

The rest of the day was fine. We got really punted but we contacted a lot of people. We're really good at talking to everyone these days. The only thing is, they're always busy... But that's ok. We just go back and annoy them until they let us teach them :)

Saturday: Another epic fail. We tried to go out and watch the Women's General session of conference and they told us all to be there at 2. Well it actually started at 1... So we only got to see the last talk. Dangit. And then we went out and worked. We got in a couple of lessons and got a couple of new investigators. Surprisingly, it's easier for 2 white girls to get into the big houses than it is for 1 Filipino and 1 American. Who'da thunk?

Sunday: Fast and testimony meeting. Good times. I felt like I was back at youth conference where everyone makes faces at everyone else, telling them that they should go bear their testimonies. But that was okay. After church we went out and Sister C worked with us. She's awesome. And the rain came down and poured. There were immediate lakes all over the road... And we were immediately drenched. But that was ok. 

All in all it was an okay week. No complaints. I got my flight itinerary this week. That means I'm going home soon... Grand. Not sure how I feel about that. Kinda excited. Kinda scared. Not trunky yet :)

Ok that's about it. I know that this is the true Church. The Gospel is true and this is the ONLY church that has it in it's fullness. No questions asked. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat. Maraming salamat sa support nyo sakin at sa pagmamahal nyo. Ingat kayo palagi!

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #67

I transferred! i'm in San Marcelino

So yes, I've been transferred and I am no longer a Sister Training Leader, which surprisingly, I'm great with. Now I don't have to worry about anyone else, I can just be a normal missionary and help my new area out. My new companion is Sister M (my first white sister companion). She's from Kansas. And so far we've had a lot of fun. Our area is huge. It's Sister P and Sister R's old area. So that's pretty fun :)

So this is what happened this last week… 

Monday: P-Day. We went to Olongapo because we had a zone activity. We all hung out together and played games and had a good time before transfer day. And then we went and ate at the base. American pizza :) yummm We then went shopping and then went home. P-days in Olongapo are exhausting... So we then went to work. We visited the L kids. They're doing fine. 

Tuesday: Day before transfers. With President Q, they'd make us wait the whole day to find out who was transferring. Not that way with President D. They texted us at 2 pm and then we got to spend the rest of the day saying goodbye to our recent converts. I like it that way. So we knew that I was transferring to San Marcelino and Sister M was my new companion and Sister Ra would be replacing me in Matain. So we went around and said goodbye to everyone and said that I'd see them all in December. That made them all feel a little better.

Wednesday: Transfer day! We all rented a jeep and headed down to Olongapo. We hung out there for a while until Sister M and Sister S got there. And then we ate at McDonald's and then headed to San Mar. We unpacked and got all settled in. Then went out to work. Not sure about all the places we went because it was kind of a blur. All I know is that our area is huge! and I really like it. So yup. haha

Thursday: Weekly planning. Same old same old. Except all in English (weird) and we got distracted a couple of times because we started talking about obscure American movies (even weirder). But that was still fun haha And then we had lunch and went out and worked. We were super punted. But we did get into some rich guy's house from "tao po"-ing. Just because we were white. He's really nice and we taught him. :) 

Friday: We had a zone meeting. Our zone is pretty crazy. Mainly because our zone leaders are two 19 year old American boys from Utah. But it's a lot of fun. After that we went out and worked again. And got punted again. And had a meeting with our branch mission leader. 

Saturday: We went finding the whole day :) And the people we were finding were less actives. We found the L compound who is a bunch of less actives and a bunch of people that aren't members yet either. So we taught them all. And got 5 new investigators. And next time we go back there will probably be even more. There was also a baptism. 

Sunday: We got to go to church and I had to bear my testimony because I was in a new area. That will be the last time I do that :) 

So yeah. That was my week. It was a good one and I'm excited for this week to see what we can do here. I know that the church is true and missionary work is the best thing I've ever done. Heavenly Father loves all of us. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I love you all

Mahal ko kayong lahat. Ingat kayo palagi!

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #66

Transfers again?! What's gonna happen....? Any guesses? :)

Hello everyone! How are you? How's life? Everything's good over here. Just getting ready for transfers. 

So this past week was same old same old. Missionary work parin. Masaya parin :)

Monday: went up the mountain and shared with the L kids. 

Tuesday: We went and taught the C family and then went finding. We got to explore some mountains. That was fun. The only problem is that not one person on those mountains is married.... Dangit. That really puts a damper on us wanting you to get baptized. But they were very receptive. We'll see what happens there. 

Wednesday: We got to go teach F who is 23 years old and we thought he was a part member investigator. Um... nope. Turns out he was baptized when he was 8.... We get to help him get his testimony back. Went and visited Nanay A again. She's doing ok. Still has a headache from all the drama that's still happening on the mountain. ey ey ey… 

The rest of the day we just taught people. Fun times. I love the people in my area. They're so nice.

Thursday: Weekly planning. And then work. Found out that J C, the 20 year old little brother of Ju C, went back to Bataan... Darn. But he took his Book of Mormon with him and told his nieces that he was in 2nd Nephi. Cool :) Referred him to the elders in Mariveles. 

Friday: Went out and taught a bunch of lessons. Climbed some mountains. stomped through some puddles. The usual :)

Saturday: We had an awesome fireside with the members, teaching them how to prepare for teaching. I hope they apply the things they've learned. And then we had the baptism right afterwards. S and L were baptized and they were so happy. Right after the baptism, L turned to us and asked, "Am I a member yet?" They're both 9 years old and so awesome. I'm so happy for them :)

Sunday: I got to play piano, like I do every sunday. And S and L got confirmed. Sister Co gave a really great talk about members fellowshipping new members. I hope the members apply that too. Then we went out and visited the people that didn't make it to church. The C family had gotten sick to they couldn't make it but they're doing great besides that. We also went and found C V and her mom who are less actives. C was so happy that we had found them and she told us to come back right away. So we said we would and went on our merry little way. I love when we go to someone's house and they say at the end, we'll be waiting for you to come back. Makes me feel so loved. 

Yup, so that was this week. Life is good. The mission is good. I'm excited to see what happens this week with transfers. I love you all. The church is true. 

Have a great week! Take care!

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #65

I'm still playing catch up. This was #1's email back on Sept. 14th. As much as possible, I'm trying to get two of her emails posted a day.



"Know who you are and act accordingly"

This week has been really awesome. I've learned so much and realized a lot of things about myself and my role here in the mission and in this life. Hopefully, when you read this email you'll realize somethings too :) So I'm gonna give a short play-by-play of what happened this week and then I'll tell you what I've learned :)

monday: p-day. nothing huge happened. Just hung out at home and got ready for the rest of the week. And then we went out and had an FHE with S and L and M. It was super fun and I taught them the cup game :) 

Tuesday: We got a lot done because the rest of the week was going to be super busy... So in the morning we went out and taught Tatay M and Nanay A. We found out that Nanay A had another faith testing experience. On Monday, when we didn't go up to their house, members from her old church came up the mountain and tried to convince her to come back to their old church. P A was there too but when he saw them coming, he knew what they were going to do and he didn't want to be a part of it so he went down the mountain and didn't come back up until they left (YES! That's my recent convert :)) And then the members of her old church stayed at their house from 10 am until 8 pm. They said they were waiting for us to show up so that they could let us know that Nanay A was not going to be coming back to the "Mormon" church. HA! You guys are funny. They also gave Nanay A a newspaper thingy for us to read to convince us that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are one person. Um good luck with that. That idea doesn't even make sense... So it turned out to be a good thing that we didn't go up that mountain on Monday. And Nay told us that she told them straight up that she wasn't going back to their church and that she just wanted them to respect her and to be friends. Apparently they didn't like that. And she told us that when they left she was so tired. Like she'd fought a war all by herself that day. But the good thing was, she was the winner :) She's so awesome.

In the afternoon, we climbed the mountain in Matain and shared with the C family. We got to teach J, the 20 year old little brother of J M C. He's awesome. He's so quiet but really smart. And we gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he was going to read it. 

Wednesday: On Wednesday, we went to Liozon for a leadership meeting with Elder Shayne M. Bowen. He's a general authority in case you didn't know and he's awesome. He taught us a lot about being leaders and I learned a lot. And then we all went home. Sister S and Sister D got to sleep over at our house and it was a lot of fun too. That's about all that happened.

Thursday: This was the day where all the cool learning of things happened. We went to Olongapo and got to be there for a zone conference with Elder Bowen again. He and Sister Bowen taught us and it was super inspirational and spiritual. And that is the stuff that I'll tell you once I'm done with all this weekly stuff. After the meeting, we went straight out and worked. We went back to the C family and shared with them about the Plan of Salvation. That was super cool and I realized that that is one of my favorite lessons to teach. Probably because their minds are blown every single time :) And then we went and taught S and L again and the P family.

Friday: We went out finding. We got to explore Matain, purok 5. We had never been down there before and we got to teach 4 new investigators, two families :) After that we went back and taught the C family again. We wanted to teach J but he had left. But they told us that he reads the Book of Mormon every night, even if his cell phone is low battery and he has to read by candlelight. That's what I'm talking about :) 

Saturday: We got to participate in a one day mission with the branch. Me and Sister E split up and had members work with us. I got to realize how much I love having a companion. I had to teach two lessons to less actives all by myself... that wasn't fun. But it was nice to see the members get involved. After that we went to the office and found out that we had packages coming from America! WOOHOO! There was a can of hot cocoa and a package for me full of mac n cheese and red vines :) And then a package for the other sisters that they absolutely loved. Yay for my mom! We then went out to work and got a lot done. Sister Q, a member, worked with us and we got the teach Brother L again. He's awesome and gonna make a great member someday. 

And then we went to a baptism. It was another good one and afterwards went home really quick to eat a box of mac n cheese :) (feeling American again) and went out to the P family. 

Sunday: We had 8, count em, 8 investigators come to church :) The C family invited their whole family on the mountain to go to church and they all came :D Booyah! Recent Converts are the greatest! And then we went out and worked, even though it seemed like a typhoon had come in. It was raining really hard and really really windy. We were soaked in seconds. And we were using umbrellas.... But we climbed the mountain anyways and taught the C family. J now has a baptismal goal date :D We were going to go visit the L's at the top of the mountain but we got the stairs and I all of the sudden felt like we should go home. The wind was super duper strong and so we said a prayer on the stairs that lead to their house and asked if we should climb the mountain or go home. As soon as we said "amen" we felt three gusts of super strong wind, stronger than before, and so we decided that that was the answer and went home. As soon as we got home, we got a text from the zone leaders that there was a typhoon and we were supposed to work near our apartments. Cool :) Heavenly Father protects his missionaries. 

So that was my week. Are you ready for the things that I learned?

So we learned a lot about the priesthood and how it is literally Heavenly Father's power. We are so blessed to have it here and the men that have it NEED to be worthy to use it all the time. 

We also learned about who we are. We are literally children of God. We have a promise given to us by Heavenly Father that if we only obey him then we will be blessed. We are always in His debt but it's ok because he wants to give us everything. He want to bless us. And if we knew who we really are then obedience would not be a problem. Temptations would not be a problem. If we could look beyond the veil and see who we really are then every time satan tried to mess with us we would just say to him, " Um excuse me... Do you know who I am? Do you really think some little thing like that is going to stop me from doing my best to get my blessings?" We would be unstoppable. When we are obedient, exactly obedient, we become powerful. And Heavenly Father smiles down on us and says, "Sure, I'll give you everything you want and need because I love you and you are doing your best to be obedient." I know this is true. We tested it this week and that is why we had  investigators at church and J accepted a baptismal goal date. And that is why I am very very happy today. I love my Heavenly Father and He loves all of us. 

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Sorry, this email is really long but I hope it helps you :)

Mahal ko kayong lahat. Ingat kayo!

-Sister Hess :))))

#1's Weekly Emails: Week #62

I was in the store today buying things for back to school, and suddenly #1 snagged in my heart. I suddenly realized that she'll be home in less than four months. Wow! I also realized how long it's been since I posted any of her emails.

I guess we can say, at this point, she's hit her stride. She's joyful in the work she's doing.

I'm learning that her funny titles all have meaning, but….only to her. Someday, when she's home, I'm going to sit down with her and specifically ask what they each mean. For this week, the title refers to the family she and her companion are teaching. They live at the top of a mountain. They visit this family often, and she loves them so much….Thus, the title.


And I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 more….

This week was another good one. It was quite fun :)

Monday: We just had a normal p-day. Nothing big happened. 

Tuesday: We went to Olongapo for our district meeting. It was super good. Elder W did a workshop on teaching and listening. It was super good. We applied it right after in our work. YAY! haha 

So this is my cool story for the week.... And it's kind of long so bear with me :)

We went to Matain, to the back of the only bar in our area to teach our investigator, H. She's 16 years old and is awesome. She lives with her 72 year old grandmother whose name is also H. When we got to their house, H the younger was at a birthday party. So we get to their house and no one is home except for H the older. So we walk in and ask if we can share with her, being the good little missionaries that we are. Her initial response was no, that's ok. I'm Catholic. So we said oh that's ok, this message is for everyone. So she sat down and told us to do so as well. And then she told us some stories about when she was younger. She told us about the time that she died for 24 hours and went to Heaven and saw God and he told her to go back and to serve Him. And then about her investigation in other churches when she was younger and stuff like that. And we just sat there and listened. And then asked if we could share with her again and she said yes we could. Sweet :) And so we started teaching her. And applying her past experiences to the Gospel and helping her see how the Gospel could help her. And as we were teaching her and watching her responses, we could literally see the Spirit working on her. Eventually she interrupted us and asked where our church was. And then asked what time it started. And we told her. She said she would try to come to church on Sunday but she wouldn't promise. We said ok, sounds good. And then we kept teaching until she randomly burst out and said, "Ok! I'll come to church on Sunday with my granddaughter." Whooooooa..... Wait a second.... Lets think about this for a second. At first, she said that she was Catholic. And now she's saying she'll come to church?! Awesome! The Spirit really really worked on her. It was super cool. Probably one of my favorite experiences in my whooooole mission. And the good news, she actually came to church :) 

And that's about all I want to share about my week. The C girls, C, Jo, and J, all got interviewed yesterday for their baptism and they're all ready :) That'll be this Saturday.

So yeah. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and He is preparing us to receive the Gospel. I love this work so much. I know this is the true church. Not a doubt in my mind. 

Thank you for all of your love and support. Mahal ko kayong lahat.

Ingat kayo!

-Sister Hess ;)

#1's Weekly Email: Week 41

In times like this, I'm glad my daughter knows just who's got her back. It's been a tough couple weeks. From everything I hear, though, she's heading in the right direction. This is a kid who doesn't get down, so now that she's facing that, she's got to learn how to barrel through and keep her chin on but not carry the load alone. I have no doubt that she'll make it through just fine and there will be big rewards on the other side of that hill.

Enjoy!

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

Honestly, this week has been the hardest week of my whole mission. And I thought the 12 week training was hard.... Nope. Apparently, Heavenly Father still thinks that I'm not humble enough and that I need to improve faster. I guess I didn't really tell anyone about my week 40 either. I'll just say it was good and that I learned a lot. If I say everything that happened this email will take me 3 hours to write.  So week 41.... it was super interesting.  Monday: So for March we had a goal of getting 200 baptisms or more in the whole mission for the whole month. We aimed high but we didn't hit 200. Instead we got our mission standard of excellence. We have 188 missionaries in this mission and we got 188 baptisms. Woohoo! So we all got to go the mission home. Every missionary here. It was so happy. We had a giant water fight and watched 17 Miracles and ate Lechon Baboy which is one of those giant pigs that they roasted on a spit. It was a lot of fun. And we didn't get home until 9:00 that night so we didn't work. Tuesday: This was technically our p-day. Kind of weird to have a p-day on a Tuesday but it was ok. We got everything done and went out to work. We got to teach J R, one of our recent converts. He's super funny and I honestly think of him as one of my little brothers. Then we went and taught B who is one of our recently returned less-actives. He's bi-polar I swear. He was feeling really stuck up that night so we just teased him the whole time. It was quite entertaining.  Wednesday: We had MLC finally. Got to meet up with everyone again at the mission home. And I learned a lot. It was a lot about recognizing our weaknesses and working harder than ever before because this is the work of Salvation and Heavenly Father is hastening his work so we need to work harder too. We then went home and got to go out and work again. We went and taught Sister J again. She's really funny and doesn't really realize that a lot of the things she says are really really rude but at least it's entertaining to teach her :) Then we went and taught C (one of our investigators). She's really really quiet but promising. She just has to realize that the Born Again church isn't the true one... Then we went to teach Brother D. This is where my week started going downhill. Brother D has recently been hanging out with a whole bunch of his friends that are skaters. Not sure what exactly has happened but he doesn't want us to teach him anymore. He says he's happy he met us but he says that it's probably not his time right now to become Mormon so he's going to return to how he used to be and wait until he's ready. WHAT?! Are you kidding me? Why did I just spend all this time caring about you and praying for you and fasting for you and teaching you, just to have to throw it all away? And then I got really sad and mad at the same time.  Thursday: Still pretty mad and steamed up. But I got through the day. We went and contacted a bunch of referrals from the zone leaders. They weren't actually home but we got to teach members of their families. They're all so awesome and so promising and I'm so excited to teach the actual referrals haha We also taught L and he's doing pretty good. He still has a coffee problem but we're working on that with him. Then we went and taught the Balintabog kids and played with them again.  Friday: We had a district meeting and this one was fun. And afterwards, we went to this burger place and got Yolanda burgers. Those things are HUGE. It's a three layer bun with hot dog, ham, two patties, cheese, lettuce, ketchup, egg, and a bunch of other stuff. The bun is maybe 6 inches across. And I finished that thing in 20 minutes :) hehe yessss it was so good. We went back out to work and contacted more referrals and had more fun. Saturday: We got to go watch the women's broadcast and it was really good. I learned a lot from that too. Then we went out to work but we were sooooooooooooo punted. We taught the S family and that was fun but now our area is nearing the finals of their basketball season so EVERYONE was at the plaza watching the game. So we wandered and tried to find.... Unsuccessfully. Sunday: I love sundays. Went to church and it was fine. Got to do a MCM afterwards. We then went out and actually got to contact one of the referrals. She just wants us to make her mormon right here and right now. YES. That's what Im' talking about haha so yeah. And then it started pouring rain. So yup. Completing my day in the best way :) (no that's not sarcasm).  That was my week. Now that I look back it wasn't that bad. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. I love you all. Keep smiling.  Mahal ko kayo -Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #39

Just keep swimming just keep swimming.... wait. I'm halfway done?! WHAAAA?!

---

Well... This week has been very interesting. As I've started to realize every week is in San Agustin.  Monday: As you all know, we got the chance to go to Mt. Samat which was awesome. Tuesday: We had our half kind of p-day and then got to go out and work. We went out and were soooooo punted. We only got to teach one appointment to D and that was fun and then we went and visited Brother D. And guess what?! He had stopped smoking on Saturday and hadn't smoked since! YES! He learned that if you really want to do something, it's not that hard to do it. And so yes, he is going to be baptized on the 29th.  Wednesday: We decided that if we were going to be punted we were going to contact all the referrals we had received the week before (and there were lots of them). We first we contacted was Sister R and her friend E and E's 14 year old daughter M(1). They're awesome. We just did how to begin teaching to them and set up a return appointment and they were very receptive and I'm very excited to go back and teach them. After that we went and visited the S family and they're still doing good. They have 3 little orange kittens. The littlest one is like my best friend and I call her my baby. She sits on my lap during the lessons and just purrs :) After that lesson we went and contacted our other referral and she's awesome too. Her name is M(2) and she actually was taught by the elders back when she was 17 years old. She is now 29 and she really wants to find the truth. Good thing we're there, because we've got it :) Then we went to Balintabog and taught all the little kids there and then played some games with them. I love all those kids. They're all recent converts and they're all so strong in the church even though they're only 11-14 years old. They are the future of the church.  Thursday: We had our cooking demo and mission president interviews. The cooking demo was good and fun and we got to do interviews with President Q and with Elder and Sister D. My first interview was with the D's and they asked a lot of really good questions and it was super cool because I got to see how much I've grown here in the mission. I've been out for 9 months and I'm now halfway done and even though that is such a short amount of time, it's amazing to see the improvement. My interview with President was good too. He just basically encouraged me to keep it up and keep doing my best.He's such a great guy. After that was over we went out and worked again. We were punted again though.... So we went and taught D about LOC. That was fun haha because we're 20 year old girls and he is only a 14 year old boy that is very shy haha And then we visited the Su girls who are less-active. They're coming back to church though so that's great :) They're sooooo funny. I love them and love visiting them. Friday: We went and visited the S family again and I almost got to take my baby kitten home with me (it's not allowed... Dangit). Then we went and taught Sister M(2) again. She's so amazing and prepared. I extended a baptismal date to her and she accepted, no questions asked. And then we went and taught Brother D lesson 3. We ended up I2L-ing his older brother who likes to talk to us all the time and then we got him to let us set a return appointment to actually teach him. Woohoo! We're just convert their whole family, I think :) Saturday: We went to the Adult Session of District conference which was awesome. One of the members of the quorum of the 70s was there and he spoke. It was great and we learned a lot. Afterwards we all went back out to work but our stomachs hurt really badly so we stayed at home for a little bit and then went back out. We taught Brother D's older brother JC and it was a lot of fun. I really like that family because they make me feel like I'm at home. They're all quirky and weird and hilarious.  Sunday: We went to Liozon for District Conference. It was a lot of fun and all the youth in our branch had gotten a choir together. They were really good but they refused to smile because they were told to focus on the music. They looked so bored and even angry and because we were sitting in the front row, I spent the whole time trying to get them to smile. It was really fun and I succeeded with a few. YES. haha And then we went home, ate dinner and took a super quick nap and then went back out to work. We taught Sister B and she's fine. Happy like she always is and a little bit shy but she's warming up to us. And then we went and taught the Balintabog kids again. We also got to teach three of their little friends. Super fun. After that we went to Brother W's house and got to eat dinner. His mom is an amazing cook. I love Filipino food.  So yeah. That was this week. Fun and successful and just fun.  And now I would like to announce that I am officially halfway done with my mission. It's gone by so fast and I'm still super happy here. I love you all. Thank you for all your love and support and prayers. Have a great week! Ingat kayo! Mahal ko kayo! -Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #36

Sounds like it was an interesting week. The fascinating thing is that the Thursday experience she had teaching R is identical to one I had nearly 25 years ago. Crazy that her response mirrors mine. It was how I learned what the gift of tongues really means. What an experience! Enjoy!

Well, this week was very very very interesting. Lets just say that I had two people try to convince me that the LDS church isn't true. Good luck with that…. But yeah, lots of fun times this week but my testimony is stronger than ever. So Monday: It was a normal p-day and then at night we had a FHE and it was super super fun. We made some more people members of booga booga and then we had a hair fight (we'll play that when I get home) and then played the needle game (Sister C knows what that is... hehe). Tuesday: We were really really punted. We went from appointment to appointment and no one was home. But we still got some lessons in anyways. We taught L and D to help them prepare for their baptism and then went and taught De again. He was smoking 8 cigarettes a day and then he dropped down to 7. Wednesday: Today was one of the interesting ones... We went and taught the S family (recent converts) and then taught N (one of our investigators) and then we taught brother De again (only 6 sticks today!) And then went back to the Methodist lady's house. She wanted to feed us and she had ordered my favorite Filippino food (Bicol Express). But there was a catch to that meeting... Someone had given her an Anti-Mormon magazine. I asked her about it, and she said she didn't want to talk about it because it might "ruin our friendship" and then we were like ok fine with us. But then she proceeded to tell us things about it and read us things out of it that were possibly the most ridiculous things I've ever heard about the Mormon church. We told her that they weren't true. Even though we kept telling her that it wasn't true and that it wasn't even written by Mormons, she said that she didn't know. Well, alrighty then. And then she proceeded to lecture us again about being "inclusive and not exclusive". Hmmm ok. Yup. That was the first interesting lesson that I got to be a part of this week. The good thing was the food was delicious :) Thursday: Thursday was another punted day. We went and contacted the referral of one of our recent converts, and she's awesome. She really, really wants to go to church. The only problem is that they're really far away from the church, and they don't have any money to ride to church. So we'll see if we can fix that. Then we got to the other interesting lesson. This one was to one of our less-actives that I had actually never taught yet. His name is R and he has actually been taught by another religion and they gave him a bible of theirs, and he's been studying it religiously. We went to teach him and we answered all his questions but he didn't accept them as answers because they're built on faith and not on fact. Let's just say that he made me really mad and yup. But the one thing I actually like about the hard lessons like that is that they solidify my testimony. There is no way they're going to convert me to their religion because I know that mine is true. Don't bother trying to convince me because I'm just as stubborn as you are... Ugh. So that was fun.  Friday: This day was a lot better because I got to go on exchanges with Sister T. We went around her area and taught a bunch of people. I tried to help her resolve some of her concerns. We taught one less-active who says I look like Taylor Swift (when she came to church on Sunday that's what she called me and hugged me) and taught some more investigators and it was fun because it was two white girls walking around speaking English and everyone was pretty amazed haha Saturday! Baptism day of Tatay and Nanay M and L and D. It was great, and they were all so happy because of it. Then we went to visit the O family (recent converts), and I got to play with their three little girls and their son. Man it made me miss my siblings so much. But it was fun. I felt like I was home.   Sunday: This day was good too. I got to be the pianist at church, and I also got to give a talk about our Missionary duty. I forgot how much I love giving talks. We also got one more of our investigators interviewed for baptism. Then we went and taught the O family again about missionary work and then went and contacted another referral and then went and taught Brother De again. He's down to two cigarettes :) His goal is to be completely off them by March 1st. I love this Gospel and seeing it change the lives of people.  I'm so grateful for the chance to be a missionary. I know this is the true church. Not a doubt in my mind. Thank you for all the love and support that you give me.  Mahal ko kayo! Have a great week! Until next time. Sister Hess