It's more fun in the Philippines

I will be transferring to my third area tomorrow, and finding out where it is... tomorrow. The Lord blessed me with 7 months in Antipolo, but I guess I was only meant to be here in Quirino for 6 weeks. We have at least two baptisms coming up in this area, and there's lots more potential, but I'm excited for Sister Goud's new companion. She'll be training so a new missionary straight out of the MTC will have some really good experiences to start with here. So we had Sister Josefina's baptism this week!!! Those who spoke at the baptism shared some really powerful personal experiences. And several people attended, including one of the upcoming baptisms so he had the chance to see what he'll be doing in a couple weeks. The day of the baptism we went to the church earlier to fill up the font and set up chairs. We were in and out of the room, and had set our bags there. A random lady came and talked to us, said she was a member of our ward (she had probably read it on the bulletin board), and asked us if we were married (ibig sabihin, she wasn't a member). In short, my camera was stolen and Sister Goud's 2,000 pesos and temple recommend. I had two memory cards and a total of 6 GBs of mission memories. But that's life. Thankfully, I have e-mailed many of my pictures to my family, but not all. And that's not all, on the roller coast of mission life. We experienced some flooding this week. Most of our area is pretty high, but we were teaching down the way of this one skinita (kind of like alley), and it started raining hard, and then it didn't stop. It started coming into the house of our investigator and rising to calf level. We asked if she wanted any help, and then told her we should get going because it was getting higher and we needed to get to some appointments. The current was reallly strong and by that point we were up to our thighs in very dirty water. We realized we couldn't get to the street because there was this one part where it was too strong. We watched a couple kids playing in it, and then a refrigerator passed by us. And a wooden cart :) We said a little prayer and a lady invited us in. We waited until the rain stopped and the water had gone down. We helped scoop water out of her house, and then it was just a normal day. But I will never forget the ipis (cockroach) that I had to get out of my hair... Eek. Haha... So in spite of all these happenings, we've had 4 dinner appointments in the past three days, and I've had some good last lessons here. We got punted the other night, and Sister Goud felt prompted to go to one of our less actives. We were teaching according to one of his concerns, and it was amazing because he opened up about some completely different concerns. And so we can better meet his needs. I testify that the Lord is helping us in His work. I've seen it time and time again. We also received another great referral, and we were able to teach both an investigator and less active there. The investigator is receptive and the less active is ready to come back to church. Another day we got punted a ton and I've really been wanting to learn how to better tract. It's all about paying attention to who is around you, and having the courage to follow the spirit. We spotted this family (young grandparents taking care of their grandchildren). They mentioned how they had seen us pass by the other day. Their hearts were ready and they let us in. I've been studying in talks and scriptures and seeing it in my work, the Lord has really prepared specific people to receive the gospel at the right time. Pray to know if your friends are ready. The missionaries need your referrals!! It's a lot of work balancing less actives and investigators, but this week and last week have been some of the happiest this transfer because we've been busy. It's in stark contrast to when I was sick and I had to sit at home. And part of the reason we've been busy is the amazing referrals we've received. I also had the privilege of teaching Erina one last time. She's a Korean that I have had really special experiences while teaching her. It's in slow and simple English and the Spirit is abundant. We took a step back and instead of continuing with the lessons we tried to focus on who God was and helping her understand the relationship we can have with him. She had been praying to know He exists and the things we're teaching are true, but she didn't realize she could pray for other things like for help in school. We are so blessed to have such a loving Heavenly Father who cares about what we care about, and who will help us with everything--temporal and spiritual. Who knows where I'll be writing from next week, but it's comforting to know that God has prepared people there for me to meet. And I was so happy because I got a chance to bear my testimony in sacrament last week. It's hard with a ward so big and it really is time for the members, but I felt prompted to. There had been a lot of people testifying about the temple and getting your recommend. But I know some people have committed sins that make it hard to get there. But I testified, and testify, that the Atonement is real. Regardless of what we've done in our past, we can overcome it and become new and clean. It says at the end of "The Living Christ:" God be Thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son. I'm so grateful for the love that each member of the Godhead has for us. Mahal ko kayo, Sister Cope Pictures of the week (from Sister Goud's camera): 1. Brother Mike (a Recent Convert. He was baptized the week before I got here, and already had the privilege of using his priesthood!! So cool), Sister Josefina (baptizee; sobrang humble and full of faith), Sister Goud and I. 2. A supportive turn out for the baptism and building up of Zion in Quirino 1 :) 3. Quezon City South Zone... but not all of us because we had about 20 different camera that were on timers and yeah.... 4. My district :) 5. Yes, those chairs are upside down. 6. This is Pan de Amerikana, where Sister Goud and I ate our last companionship lunch together.. :( She's been a really masipag companion and I've learned a lot from her. She'll be going home in six weeks so I might not see her again, until I visit her in India :)

Fever......

So this has been an off week. I almost passed out my last P-day because I was dehydrated. And then later that night I woke up freezing. Then for the rest of the week I had a fever on and off. I didn't realize I was that sick so I tried to work like everything was fine, but I didn't realize, when you are really sick, it's hard to feel the Spirit. I've taught about the plan of salvation and the restoration hundreds of times, but I could not find the words to say. We were working with one of the traveling sisters on that particular day and she noticed something was wrong. She reached over to feel me and she's a nurse so she rushed us home and started patting my face down with a cool wash cloth. The first day home, the sister I caught whatever I have from was still at home, too. Our companions went on exchanges, but they were late getting home and there was one family that I knew we had to visit. So the two of us sick ones went to the Quiano family and taught them about receiving answers to their prayers and recognizing the Holy Ghost. It felt good to be out teaching after staying at home all day. Then when I was finally feeling a little better we had some more lessons at the end of the week. Let me just say, it does not feel right to be a missionary and to stay home sick. I am going to do my best to take better care of myself for the rest of my mission because I never want to experience that again. I learned, though, that the Spirit is with me more than I realized before. I always felt I had trouble recognizing it, but in comparison to when I was sick, the contrast is so big. I know that the Lord is guiding this work through the Holy Ghost. He does not leave His missionaries alone. We cannot teach without the power of the Holy Ghost to testify of our words. This gospel is real. The Church is true. I know I've said it a thousand times and I will say it a million times more. But it's so amazing. I feel so blessed to be a part of spreading the kingdom of God on the earth. We have a baptism this coming week; it's a beautiful privilege to see someone humble themselves and come unto Christ, and to share with her the wonderful promises that come from Heavenly Father as we keep our covenants. Mahal ko kayo, Sister Cope Pictures of the week: 1. Two Saturdays ago we had temple tour. To the left of me is a returning less active member from the ward I'm in, on my right is our investigator Sister Josefina who will be baptized this Saturday, and on the other side of my companion is our investigator Pol and his fellowshipper Mario. Pol has a baptismal date for later this month. He was a referral from his older brother who is our assistant ward mission leader. Referrals are the best. Give them to the missionaries in your area. You have friends that are ready for the gospel. Just prayerfully identify them. 2. Luigi, the son of one of our less actives. Sobrang cute siya. 3. After the temple this morning with my companion, Sister Goud <3 4, 5, and 6. Zone activity! We toured a TV station even though we're not even allowed to watch TV. Haha... The tour guide kept asking, have you seen this show? We tried to explain that we were missionaries... I don't think he really got how strict our missions were until the end when the other sisters were getting a picture with him after the tour and he couldn't even put his arms around them pala :)

Taglayin ang pangalan ni JesuCristo

Naubos ko ang mga oras sa e-mail sa mission president. But I will write a couple lines anyway.. :) We were punted a lot this week, but it seems Heavenly Father blessed us with lessons on our shortest days. Friday we had weekly planning and that takes a couple hours, but the lessons we had that day were just great. One of our investigators who has almost nothing wanted to start paying her tithing. We informed her that she doesn't need to until after her baptism. She asked us to save the money for her until then because she was worried she would spend it. We returned it to her and told her not to worry until she's made covenants with Heavenly Father, but it just shows how willing she is to put God first. Amazing talaga. We extended a baptismal date to one of our other investigators. He was referred to us by his brother who is pushing him to become a member, but he was sincere in his assignments and his questions. (note to friends who aren't members who may one day listen to missionaries: we love sincere questions! it makes the lessons so much better.) Although there is family influence, he is searching out for the answer himself, and again note to non-member friends: we don't force people to get baptized. We don't want to do that because if your heart is not converted than it doesn't really mean anything except that serious promises have been made without the person committing to seriously honor them. Ayaw namin yan. But the Church is true and sincere seekers of truth will find it! I continue to be blessed for having this gospel in my life. I know as I learn more about Jesus Christ, it helps me to be a better person. And I learn so much from the example of those around me--my companion, those I'm teaching, the leaders in my ward. My heart is full that I get to be a part of the Lord's work. Mahal ko kayo. Sister Cope

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

This week my spiritual experiences are things that I want to keep close to my heart and not have my mom post on the internet, but it has been a good week and I have learned, been uplifted, and felt the spirit. I know this Church is true. I know when people rely on Heavenly Father and act on their faith, miracles DO happen. I've witnessed it. I've heard about it in the testimonies of those I've taught. I had a really good birthday, too. I woke up to Ferrero Rochers(!!!) from my beloved companion, Sister Goud. I had the privilege of going on MTC exchanges (see pictures and descriptions below). One of the returning less actives we taught that day treated us to halo-halo. Since the temple is in my area, although we can't just go to it whenever we want, I did get to walk outside of it on my birthday. And my kabahay treated me to pancit (the birthday tradition here), Chooks-to-go chicken, and chocolate cake from Goldilocks (sosyal!). Haha... More about the MTC exchanges, though. We were doing evaluation afterward and I asked the two sisters I worked with when they felt the Spirit the most. "When we were teaching families" was their reply. We taught one sister who is preparing for baptism by herself, but then we taught a less active family (and it just so happened they were all together in spite of their busy schedules) and we taught a new family who Sister Goud and I had contacted a week ago. And I thought back and realized, it's true. That's why they ask us to find families to teach. The gospel is really all about families. It not only prepares us to be eternal families, but helps us with the trials we experience as families in this life. Anyway, the gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing, and true, and real. Yan lang. Simply lang. Mahal ko kayo, Sister Cope Pictures of the Week: 1. My kabahay(There are six of us in one house!): Sister DelaCalsada, Sister Ramilo, Sister Dulay, Me, Sister Goud, and Sister Sojor, with the mission president's wife, Sister DeLaMare on Zone Interview day. 2. On my birthday we did MTC exchanges! These two sisters will be serving in Thailand, but they are at the Philippines MTC for 19 days. The sister on the left is from Cambodia, the one on the right is from Thailand. I got to work with them and hear testimonies in Thai, the other translated into English for the people we taught. I spoke in Tagalog. It's amazing. The gospel really is going forth in every tongue. 3. My birthday feast courtesy of my kabahay. 4. Blowing out the candle. (Sister Goud is taking the picture.)

Mag-te-twenty-two!!

I'm going to be 22 years OLD this week!!!! But enough about me. Pinaka-awesome day this past week = Friday. We were able to do a service project and help a member family and an investigator that lives with them to move. (Service projects are always a welcomed relief from the daily schedule.) And they live closer, not farther! Hooray! Tapos we taught the Quiano family. They were recently found before I arrived in this area and we were reviewing whether they had read and prayed about the Plan of Salvation. I felt like I needed to describe our purpose a little bit. " We're not just Bible Study," I said. I explained how we give commitments to help people come closer to Christ and prepare for baptism so after baptism it's easier to keep the promises made. "Mahalaga ang work ninyo," sinabi ni Brother. And he wasn't being sarcastic. He really got it. It hit him why we were there. And in my mind after he said that, I thought, "Yes! Someone truly understands!" Background for those who did not serve here in the Philippines. There are a TON of religions here and a ton of missionaries. Born again, Saksi ni Jehovah, Iglesia ni Cristo, etc. Many of them go around just reading from the Bible and it's kind of like a time to hear the words of God, and when they leave that's it. They don't have to live by and act on their faith. We're trying to help people become spiritually self-reliant. So when the missionaries aren't there, they're still studying their scriptures, praying, serving others, etc. Then, because Sister Goud is Indian and she caught the attention of this other Indian woman in our area, we were invited to dinner at their house. It made Sister Goud so happy. It's the first time in 17 months that she's had Indian food. At least as an American, I have McDonald's. Haha. But it was delicious, and they spoke in Hindi and I just smiled. Thankfully, a Filipino neighbor came over for a visit so I had someone to talk to in Taglish. And I gave her a Restoration pamphlet and she said we could visit her at her home. So hooray! I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is real and true and it leads to happiness. Even though I'm literally on the other side of the world with a lot of rules to focus on the missionary work, I am happy because I see other people becoming more happy as they develop their hope in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father's plan for us. Mahal ko kayo, Sister Cope Pictures of the week (that are not actually from this week :) 1. Sister Polinar and I at one of our favorite places to teach with fresh hangin and shade. Not to mention it's hidden away from the main road so it's quiet, too :) AND it's where Nanay Evelyn and Sister Jessica live, and they were always just so receptive and willing to act. That's it for my old area. Pictures of/in my new area to come... P.S. Don't forget I have a new address... Sister Samantha Cope C/O Philippines Quezon City Mission Aurora Blvd. Corner JP Rizal Street Project 4, Cubao, Quezon City Metro Manila, Philippines

I am now in the Quezon City South Zone, Quirino 1st Ward. It's sooo different. But I'm loving it. I've had some amazing experiences here already. One of my first nights here I taught to Erina, a Korean girl studying English here. We have to teach her really slowly and simply. It's amazing, though, the spirit that is present as you teach like that. She didn't know who God was and we had the privilege of teaching her that there is someone who knows us perfectly, who created a plan for us to be happy, and who loves us. I had a similar experience two night ago when we taught the Kwan family. The wife is from here, but the husband is from Singapore. We had English, Tagalog, and Mandarin Books of Mormon out, and as Brother Kwan translated the Chinese into English, slowly and simply, it was just really beautiful how clear the principles the gospel are. And the returning member that we had with us, Sister Lou, shared a testimony that was exactly what Sister Kwan needed to hear. And their daughter did the reading assignment and has been praying about it, and she's only 12! My new companion is Sister Goud (from India!), and she invites the Holy Ghost into each lesson as she shares her testimony and personal experiences. Yesterday we worked with two Sisters from the ward who are preparing to serve missions. One is recently activated, the other is a convert of 3 years. The second is the only member in her family, and they don't want her to go, but she is relying on Heavenly Father to make the right decisions. Oh my goodness. The faith of the people I meet everyday is inspiring. I know this gospel has blessed my life and their lives. I know it will bless the lives of those who choose to come back to church or investigate the Church and come unto Christ through baptism. AND... the temple is in my area! It's like a 30 minute walk! But we can't go until our designated day. But there are perks to being in the city. We meet at the same chapel that the mission office is in, and this morning before district meeting, we got cookies from one of the senior couples. Oh yeah! And one more thing... The other night we came home and our gate, front door, and back door were open. The other sisters, who were the last to leave that morning, said they locked it. So we got to sleep over at the mission home with air con for a night before they replaced our locks! It was pretty sweet... and weird seeing our mission president in a t-shirt the next morning. Haha.. It's hotter here in the city and I miss Antipolo sobra, but I know this is where the Lord needs me at this time. Revelation is real! Mahal ko kayo, Sister Cope Pictures of the Week: 1. Saying goodbye to the DeJesus Family (minus Erroll, plus Kristin). Grabei. I love them a lot. 2. My new companion, Sister Goud, and I at the internet shop, right now! Hala! :) 3. My recent converts in Antipolo--the San Agustins <3 4. An epic Family Home Evening, complete with ooga booga and pulbo. 5. My other second family in Antipolo--The Franciscos (minus Brother). 6. On the way to transfer meeting with my kabahay and friends... S. Schmidt, me, S. Polinar, and S. Iosefa.

Mosiah 2:21-24 & 41

And the roller coaster continues... I had a really good week this week. As usual I learned a ton. But I just found out I'm finally being transferred. I've been in Antipolo for 7 months. I love these people with my whole soul. And this area is all I know. I feel so unready, but I know Heavenly Father takes us out of our comfort zones (katulad ng sinabi ng guro ko sa e-mail niya :) to help us to stretch and grow and become more like Him and live up to our potential. Pero grabei. Mahirap. I don't even know what to expect. I feel like I'm starting the mission all over again. But I'll roll with the punches... In one of our lessons, wow. Heavenly Father helped me to think twice before I pass judgment. We were heading to this one less active, and I wasn't very excited about it because she hasn't really been interested and halos walang progression. As we taught I was thinking, does she even care? And then all of a sudden she started crying. She testified that life wasn't this hard when she was going to church every week. She knows the Church has blessed her life. It's hard to explain how. But Heavenly Father just pours out more blessings upon us as we obey His commandments. That's just how it works. He provides for us spiritually and temporally--He keeps His promises as we keep ours. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only real thing that will help us now and in the eternities (not just now and not just in the eternities, but both)! At the end of last week we taught a lesson to someone in the midst of affliction. I thought how can words from the scriptures help? I had a lack of faith in the power of the word of God, but the next day in personal study, it was restored. I read about the wars among the Nephites and Lamanites and how part of the Nephite preparations were preparing themselves spiritually with the word of God, while the Lamanites prepared using fraud and deceit. (Alma 48:7, 61:21) And guess who won? Those who prepared spiritually. They had built up their faith that God would deliver them by giving them strength through the enabling power of the Atonement. The gospel of Jesus Christ works... for real problems. I know I'm not wasting 18 months by preaching to people. I know that what I'm sharing is true and real, and if we apply it we'll see the fruits of the gospel in our lives--peace, happiness, strength, the love of God. We can't just study the words we have to live them. Easier said than done, but thankfully Heavenly Father has infinite patience with us. Mahal ko kayo, Sister Cope Pictures of the Week: 1. Zone Conference at the mission home! 2. Kay Naog/Santana sunsets <3 3. Enjoying mango with Sister Contaoi, a returning member, and her neighbor and best friend, Sister Jessica. 4. I'm going to miss them. Malakas ang pananampalataya nila. Amazing examples to me of what God will bless us with if we put our trust in Him. 5. Family Home Evening with the Tidors. Lots of powder and a couple tears, but masaya... :) 6. Goodbye Antipolo Zone...