#1's Weekly Email: Week #26

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.... *Not gonna happen over here*

Hello family and friends! Merry Christmas! Technically I could have been saying that since September... But oh well :)

How are you all? 

Everything's good over here in Lubao. We've been working hard and sharing the gospel every day just like we're supposed to :)

This week we've spent most of our time at the B. family house. They are new investigators and they're a family. Sister E.B. is 54 years old and her husband R.B. is 57. They're so sweet. They've been married for about 30 years and they're just such a cute little couple. They have 3 daughters. Their two oldest are married and each have a kid. Their youngest daughter, C.B., is 19 years old and lives at home with them. We've taught Brother R.B. 4 times this last week and Sister E.B. too. Sister C.B. we've taught twice and one time we taught Sister B, the second oldest. They are such a great family and they are so willing to receive the gospel into their lives. And they always feed us snacks haha

We've also taught Brother R this week too. It's so fun to teach him because he's so smart and always asks questions. He also always comes to church (probably helps that his girlfriend's a member haha)

This Saturday we had the branch Christmas party. That was super fun. We played "A trip to Jerusalem" which is musical chairs in English. And I won! Guess what my prize was.... Whitening lotion! bahahaha like I really need that :) Super funny. 

Yesterday we had church, of course, and that was good. We had gobs of less actives come to church and it was fun to see them again in church, wearing church clothes. 

Also, yesterday night, we got to watch the Christmas Devotional. It was so good and of course, it made me miss Christmas at home so much. There was snow! Man, weirdly enough, I miss being cold. 

The member that has worked with us the most this past week has been Brother K. He's a recent convert and he's super funny. He looks like Bruno Mars... No joke. So I call him Brother Bruno now and he went out and tried to find the celebrity that I look like and he decided on Kirsten Dunst. So he calls me Sister Dunst every once in a while now hahaha Man we all have such good times. I love missionary work. 

So yup. This week has been really good and successful. We're still working hard and trying our best to be obedient. I love this Gospel. I know that it saves souls and I'm so grateful for the chance to serve the people here. 

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts in my behalf. I love you all!

Mahal ko kayo

Until next week

-Sister Hess

#1's Weekly Email: Week #25

WOOP WOOP! Good morning everyone! How are you all? Everything's good over here in the Philippines. 

In case you haven't heard from my loverly mother, I was transferred this week. I am now assigned in Lubao (Lew-bow) which is super far south. After being assigned in Masinloc for 5 months, it's a pretty big change but I like it a lot here. 

My new companion is Sister C and she's pretty awesome. We've only been companions for 5 days but we're already best friends and we're always joking and laughing and teasing each other. It's so fun. Another cool thing is that we only talk to each other in Tagalog. You might say I'm fluent now... But I don't know. I still teach imaginary investigators in my sleep in Tagalog hahaha Last night I taught the Book of Mormon intro, complete with follow-up questions haha

The people here in Lubao are very rich and also very smart. But they're also very very humble. It's pretty amazing. Not sure how that works but it does here. I love them so much. Our investigators are awesome. They are so excited every lesson to learn new things. My favorite investigator here is Brother R. He's 21 and recently graduated as an engineer. He's so stinking smart. We taught him lesson 2 the other day and he was so excited to find out that there wasn't just a Heaven and Hell. And at the end of the lesson, he told me "Oh, there's so much to learn!" He's so excited. It makes us excited to teach him. This really is a gospel of good news and it really does change lives. 

Thank you for all the love and prayers. I love you all so much.

Mahal na mahal ko kayo

until next week!

-Sister Hess

We've Gotta Have Guts

I just can't get this out of my mind…..

Yesterday, a friend expressed some concerns about wanting to express an opinion but how she hated confrontation and just couldn't bring herself to say anything at all. I know that feeling. I try to remain silent, but the feelings just grow and grow until I have to get them out.

I tried to encourage her. I told her that those feelings are what make her unique. What good is it to be unique and yet not be able to express those very things that make you you?

Another friend said this, "I  know. I feel the same way. I console myself with the knowledge that very seldom does anybody's opinion actually influence the way somebody else thinks. So it's not like even if I DID have the guts to post, that anyone would thoughtfully consider it. Most people already have their mind made up. Maybe that doesn't help your situation at all, but it does help me."

UGH!!! We are squashed into silence by the vocal minority who are becoming more popular everyday.

We all have voices. Why can't we express our feelings? Why do we allow ourselves to be silenced out of the fear of being bullied?

And on the other hand, why are we all so easily offended by each other when we should be allowed to have our opinions and to express them freely and openly. I would venture to say that most of us have no intention of offending. We just want to express our opinions. It's when we share these things that we can see the viewpoints of others. We can instruct and be instructed. We can learn from each other and we can learn to appreciate each other for our similarities AS WELL AS our differences.

We weren't meant to be robots….All patterned after the same way of thinking.

We become offended when we think others are out to get us as individuals. I just don't think most people are out to do that. I just think we're all different. We weren't made to be the same.

And so, I share this again….





If you're offended? Get over yourself. It's not all about you. It's all about us as individuals and how we each feel. I'm pretty sure we don't all sit around thinking about how to offend the masses. These are the things that make us us. Give everyone a chance. We all have good to share even if part of it might not be just what you think.

If you're offended, ask for clarification. Share that it bothers you, but you might just learn something about that other person in the meantime….something you can value.

Let's Start with Spaghetti

Before you read the post below, read this.




Just before heading to the MTC, #1's friend had a family move in with them. It just so happens that that family was from the Philippines.

Random? Okay, yah, I agree.

Wait….It gets better.

They were living with this friend's family until they could find a place of their own, and they did….In our ward boundaries (for those who may not know, a "ward" is an LDS congregation. What ward you are in is determined by where you live). At one point, I had heard that our ward has the smallest geographical boundaries in the state of Oregon. Whether that's still true or not, I don't know, but for them to just happen to find a place in our small boundaries?….Yah, random.

Then, okay, maybe not so random….I am made the wife's visiting teacher (in the LDS church, a visiting teacher is assigned to each woman to check in and make sure everything's good for the family. It's kind of like an assignment to be someone's friend. Strange? Yah, okay, but you really do end up being friends, and it's a lovely thing). So, you kind of get the picture of what my assignment is here. Well, my assignment has turned into a joy.

I have to admit, the first time I visited with her, I was nervous. We had chatted back and forth on Facebook a few times, but I really didn't have any experience with her, and I had to take #7 with me.

From the moment she opened her door, it became SUCH a SWEET visit. She even embraced my lively and wiggly four-year-old in her kindness. I couldn't wait to go and be with her again. I am grateful that I was the one who was chosen for this assignment. She has become my good friend.

The other night was her birthday. I went to take her a little something. The Warden waited in the car while #6 and I ran it in to her.


This woman invited us in and sat us down and fed us spaghetti. Not like American spaghetti or Italian spaghetti, but Filipino spaghetti. It was SO DELICIOUS!

We left with a big bowl full for the Warden. She had to share.


Knowing what I know now, is it any wonder #1 loves who she serves?


Yesterday we got word that #1 has been transferred to a new city. I received a letter stating the facts of her transfer. I want to share a line from that letter.

We were told where she will be serving and that it is a wonderful place, and then it goes on to say this:

"…The people are loving and kind, and you will also find the people to be hospitable….The members there are supportive with regards to missionary work and they are always excited to work with the Missionaries and involve themselves to the work."

These are the kind of people my daughter rubs shoulders with, and these are the kind of people I now rub shoulders with as well.

Can you see how this is not random? This is a small part of a much bigger picture. This is my life now. It's so different from what it once was.


There is one more significant detail to this story…..

Before you send a child to a foreign country, people tell you about the culture, the food, other little details. You don't really know what to expect.

So, in my first email to #1 after she arrived in the Philippines, I asked her about the food. Her response?…


"Sister E made spaghetti for us! Oh it was the best spaghetti I've ever eaten. reminded me of home."


Funny our parallel lives on opposite sides of the globe. Best spaghetti I've ever eaten. Reminded me of her.


People said there would be great blessings for sending #1 on a mission. I just had no idea.

Maybe you begin to agree with me….None of this is random.