It's the Most Wonderful Time...

It's the Most Wonderful Time...

It's been an awesome week. The epic family home evening we had last week led to us teaching three of those that attended--Len, August, and Shei, (and hopefully softening and preparing the hearts of others). We've taught them twice and two of them came to church with Alice, the recent convert and host of the original FHE, and to the Christmas Devotional with Laarni, th daughter of the recent convert and daughter-in-law of the Elder's Quorum President. And Len in particular just looks like she's hungering and thirsting after righteousness in our lessons. She's so open to feeling the Spirit and learning more.

The less active father came to church again! And I know he will continue to do so. He has this different resolve in his countenance now. He's preparing to baptize his son, who turned 8 in September. And the husband and wife have said they'll work with us and introduce us to friends that are ready to hear the gospel and other less actives they know!!

We had this other really special lesson with the couple missionaries this past week. We had a plan and it didn't work out, so we followed the spirit and ended up teaching about temples, and then they opened up about their concern about tithing, and everyone shared powerful testimony and experiences about tithing. By the end the husband turned his wife and said, "Are we going to put our money together and pay a full tithe?" Not only did the wife commit to that, but she has bad eyes and piped up without us even asking, "And I'm going to start reading the Book of Mormon again even if I have to force myself!" And I know with God anything is possibly and if she has the faith, she will be able to read. Miracles did not stop in the time of Christ. They are still happening... everyday!

Ah! And one of my favorite experiences this week was when we went to teach one of my favorite less active families, but they weren't home. The father's sister was home at the house next door with her husband who is not a member. Usually he is closed off, but that evening he opened up so much and committed that when he knows the truthfulness of the gospel he'll be baptized. Their baby had just been blessed and we shared from Moroni 8: 8 and 10 why we don't baptize babies in the Church. He understood it well and had his own insights. The Spirit there was wonderful, and he took the Book of Mormon to read while he is working out of town... And this was all unexpected. Heavenly Father really does place us in the right place at the right time!

AND church yesterday was great because Sister Harston made a good a point that all the talks in sacrament mentioned things we'd been teaching to our investigators and less actives. She's so positive. I love it!

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Cope

Best Day Ever #937

Best Day Ever #937

That is a reference to Spongebob and childhood memories of walking home with Mary Fachet from school :)

But Sunday really was one of the best days ever because not only did we have an epic family home evening, but the less active father of one of my favorite families came for the second time in 8 years! I love their family and I love teaching them. They always have great comments and they really allow the Spirit into their hearts and it's just amazing. My mom and brother received more details in their e-mails, but I don't have enough time here and now... I have to write my mission president.

I just know that we can't ever give up on people. Everyone has the hope of changing through the gospel. We cannot hold on to old conceptions of people or else they can't change. Through the Atonement we can do anything and the rest of us have to accept what Jesus Christ can do for other people, not just ourselves.

One of my favorite Christmas-y scriptures... Mosiah 3.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Cope

1. So many of the people we visit have puppies!! Yay! This is the DeVillena family and the Jensens worked with us that evening. We had a good discussion about parents setting examples for kids and having family scripture study, and Marvin, their son came home toward the end of the lesson and we were just testifying to him about missionary work and encouraging him to go, especially Elder Jensen who took the picture.

2. We went to temple tour, even though the couple we were going to take cancelled on us. I ended up seeing members from my first area. These are people I haven't seen in 7 and a half months. I was so happy. Sister Patricio on my right worked with me and my companions in Antipolo Hills all the time and just always had such an enthusiasm about sharing her testimony. She's preparing to enter the temple and be sealed with her family by the end of this year or early next year. I'm praying that I'll be able to go with them before I go home!!

3. Sister Harston and I on the jeepney on the way back from temple tour with everyone sleeping around us. It's her first temple tour and about her fifth time on a jeepney :) Later this month we have the privilege of being the tour guides for the Christmas temple tour! December is so happy!!

4. We had an epic family home evening last night. This is the home of Alice Alonzo, she was baptized in June, I think, before I arrived to this area. She has a strong testimony and is trying to encourage all her relatives and the employees that work at her candle business to listen to us. She shared some nice closing remarks. Her daughter Laarni, who is married to a member that works abroad in China, will be baptized at the end of this month!!! She's pretty amazing and so is their family. Laarni's mother-in-law and sister-in-law came, too and helped out a lot with such a big group to handle :)

Away in a sabsaban in the Philippines...

I'm not sure where to start except that my new companion is great. Sister Harston is focused on her purpose and so willing to try new things. (In mission terms I just want to announce that Sister Siufanua now has a granddaughter and Sister Ball has a great-granddaughter :) She's so sincere and is trying to memorize everyone's name at the same time worrying about Tagalog (which she's way more fluent than I was when I reached the field). We had a fun bonding experience yesterday with fish and shrimp. We're both not huge fans of seafood, but were offered dinner by some of our new investigators. I was explaining to Sister Hurston that here a lot of people will feed us and not eat with us; she brought it up that maybe that was a good thing in this case... And it ended up tasting pretty good. (By the way, when traveling from U.S. to the Philippines, you skip a day; she ended up skipping her birthday!!)

We have this one awesome investigator. He is retired military and he always has his own little parables to explain his beliefs to us. The Spirit was so strong at the beginning of our third lesson with him, but by the end he said if we invite him to become a member he will ask us to not return. So first we have to help him feel of the truth of the message and then his heart will change...

Church was a miracle with people coming that I didn't expect to see because I've been in Morong for three months now and this one  family and another individual have never come since I've been here. But they did this Sunday! It just reiterates the power of always having hope and never giving up on certain less actives.

I've been stressed about the training thing because I was silly thinking it was all on me, but I've felt the Holy Ghost guiding the lessons so much more. We had this interesting experience yesterday where we I'm pretty sure Satan was trying to keep us from watching the Restoration DVD, but finally after trying three or four DVD players and two TVs, we shared with Nanay Nora and Nanay Juanita, and they are both now preparing for baptism in January.

The Church is true. I guess I've gotten used to be in the Philippines, but Sister Harston helped remind me how organized and perfect the Church is as she bore her testimony on her first Sunday here. The gospel is the same whether you're in California, Maryland, the Missionary Training Center, or the Philippines. This is Christ's Church on earth restored through the prophet Joseph Smith.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Cope

1. Thanksgiving last Wednseday with the Millers was delicious complete with homemade mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, chicken (because you can't get turkey here), and maraschino cherry sauce (because there are no cranberries). They also made brownies, banana cream pie, and chocolate cake (request of Sister Suarez).

2. With Sister Harston this morning at the temple! Her first time, of course, at the Manila temple <3

3. With my MTC companion (we're still kabahay!) on the way back from our Thanksgiving lunch and admiring the sunset in the province... Happy times <3

4. Saying goodbye to my kambal (twin) at transfer meeting. She went back to her old area. She was so happy because she's not being transferred to a completely new area for her last transfer, but with people she already knows and loves :)

Traveling alone...

Traveling alone...

So yesterday I got on a jeepney at 5:45 a.m. to travel to Quezon City... all by myself. I had to go to a meeting and had special permission, but on the ride there I ran into this one member who thought I was pasaway. On the way home I talked to this one lady who was very strict Roman Catholic, but when I showed her the quadruple scriptures (with the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price), she said, "Wow, completo." And we exchanged numbers and she gave her address and accepted a visit from the missionaries! Sweet!

Sister Roper will be transferring and I will be staying and training a new missionary. We were really hoping I'd be the one to kill her, but instead I am giving birth. That's the terminology we use in the mission for being someone's last companion and being someone's trainer... I'm going to miss her. She's so much fun, and the branch here loves her. But the Lord has more plans and different learning experiences for us.

We had an awesome last week and half together. Saturday we had two service projects. We went to the farm of our branch president and cleaned the pig pens and held piglets!!! And we planted kamoteng kahoy (cassava). The pictures are on Sister Roper's and Sister Biggs' cameras. Then because Sister Roper is a professional hair dresser, we had a "Parlor Day" with the Relief Society where she taught how to cut hair and gave lots of free haircuts. Everyone was really happy.

And some really great lessons with Laarni who will be baptized around Christmas. She's understanding it so well, and she's realized the gospel means change. Her testimony has grown so much because of the changes she's seen in herself.  And then with Chrisper who shared a piece of his testimony about how his baptism didn't feel complete until after his confirmation and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. The ordinances are soooooooooo real!

We also worked with the Jensens on Thursday and shared an article about gospel culture, and Elder Jensen shared the parable of the coyote. It was perfect.

I know that this gospel is also a gospel of happiness. It has the power to make us positive... IF we live it! I read this quote by Einstein that went something like... There are two ways to live. To see everything as miracle or to see nothing as a miracle. We choose to be happy through our perspective, and the gospel can help us change our perspective into an eternal and joyous one.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Cope

Pictures of the Week:

1. Bureros Family Home Evening :)

2. Fighting over the apple jacks!!! that the Lagnada family gave to us last week after our awesome family scripture study.

3. Temple tour with Ellen, new convert :)

4. Giant pizza that we ate last P-day with the Elders! "party" size... masarap.

5. With the San Juan Family. Love them to death!

6. Petting piglets at President Gica's farm <3

7. ( scope 008) I love my kambal!

8. ( scope 016) And I love these invesitgators... Ellen's cousin (Faye Ann), Ellen's mom (Nora), and Nora's apo :)

9. ( scope 019) Leading my companion off the steps of the Morong chapel for the last time. Parang engagement picture... Bahaha..

10. (scope 005) The lovely Pinoy CR (comfort room) of our apartment. Angsuwerte ni Sister Roper... maybe she'll be transferred somewhere with a toilet seat! :)

Ipis, Lamok, at Aso.. Oh my!

This has been an amazing week. Just witnessing people grow closer to coming back. With one less active family, we helped them start their family scripture study. I'd never done it before except once with my brother when we were both living in Utah and joining the family of one of my friends back in Maryland. As I testified of it's importance, I really felt the Spirit. It's something I know makes a difference and I yearn to do with my own family when I get home.

We brought Ellen, who was baptized in September, to the temple for the first time. She was excited and really enjoyed herself. It's always special to go there. We also had the privilege of attending the baptism of an investigator in the other area of Morong and there were some serious complications, but the testimony he bore was powerful, and I could just feel that he was truly converted. Tapos we had an awesome family home evening about missionary with one of the more active families in the branch (who  has 3 kids that are mission age) and we invited one of the recent converts who is 22 and less active already and his investigator brother who is 18. The Spirit was definitely there and almost everyone participated.

One of my favorite lessons this week was this man we taught named Brother Perez. We were searching for a referral, and decided to ask directions from him. He invited us in and I just loved his attitude to learn and find out the truth. He had great questions. And told us a story from grade school where his teacher asked him a question and his classmate answered "I don't know." The teacher replied, "Don't say I don't know because there is a period and nothing happens. A better answer is, 'I will find out.' " So we applied this when we invited him to pray about the message we shared with him.

I know Heavenly Father does help us to find things out, if we ask in sincere prayer. Many times He has answered me so personally. Nandiyan Siya palagi and He loves us sooo much.

Mahal din ko kayo,

Sister Cope

P.S. I had tons of great pictures from our two family home evenings, temple tour, and pictures of this horrific cockroach bite I have. But I left my camera cord at home. I also got bit by a dog this week. But it was small and I'm taking antibiotics just in case. (that part is for my mom :)

mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord...

From 11/05/12

I just received an e-mail from one of my good friends and Relief Society president of Pateros! She let me know that one of the daughters of a previously less active family (but now active na active!) is processing her papers. Her boyfriend was baptized a couple weeks after I left the area!!!! ahh! It's so amazing and happy and I am just excited!

We just returned from a zone activity to Daranack Falls. It was beautiful still, but off season so there wasn't as many people and the senior couples cooked for us! I also received mail that one of my friends is having a baby and another got her mission call to D.C. North. For friends who aren't from Maryland, that's the mission my home ward is in! Heavenly Father keeps moving his work forward each family and each missionary at a time! No unhallowed hand can stop the work, di ba?!

Our mission president encouraged us to go finding in the cemetery on All Saint's Day. One of the grandchildren of our less active passed away two weeks ago at just three months old and we visited the grave site  where we were able to introduce the plan of salvation to the mom and make plans to share more.

We also had a new Elder's Quorum President called!! We've been without one for about two months. It's interesting because I was just reading President Monson's talk about 'Seeing People As They Can Become' or something like that and the new EQP is still working on coming back to church and bam! Now he has a calling and it's amazing how Heavenly Father works to help us reach our potential.

He loves us so much and is listening to each prayer, and answers when we pray sincerely and with faith. We just need to open our mouth and have a heart-to-heart with Him. It's amazing the answers we receive.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Cope

Pictures of the week:

1. First Family Home Evening of the week with the Bolire Family!! Good night with good news! They started doing family prayer! Tatay was so proud to tell me. He was like, "Sister, you haven't asked yet if we had family prayer." I was beaming at them :D

2. At home making yema. There was some complications and it ended up looking like 'tae'... I'll let you figure out what that means in Tagalog :)

3. Halloween... Us Americanas had to stop by the nearest Save More and buy some candy for ourselves.

4. At the cemetery with the Castillo family. I asked permission first if it was respectful to take pictures. She asked for copies and the kids went around taking some pictures of their own, too.

5 - The second family home evening of the week with San Juan!!! Love them.

6 - Kabahay shot at Daranack <3

7. Sister Miller prepared barbeque chicken sandwiches and brought us chips and salsa!!! it's been too long. yummm.

8. The falls

9. 340 steps (round 2). I walked them back in March. Never thought I'd do it again!! Hala!! And this time I did it barefoot.

Happy Halloween!!

From 10/29/12

Except there is no Halloween here. There is something on November 1st, though, where everyone goes to the cemeteries and they have picnics at the grave sites of their loved ones. It's called All Saint's/Soul's Day.

Earlier this week, one of our members needed a blessing. Her husband is less active, and so Elder Jensen ended up giving the blessing with two other elders close to our area. On Sunday we talked to the wife, and her husband said, "I'm coming back to church. I should've been the one to give that blessing." Not to mention, she was feeling a lot better. It's powerful motivation to stay worthy of the priesthood authority. It's God's restored power here on the earth to act in Christ's name! 

1 Nephi 1: 20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had ^acastout, and stoned, and slain; and they also ^bsought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender ^cmercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of ^ddeliverance.

I just wanted to include this scripture because Heavenly Father always blesses me with tender mercies when I need it most. Even when Satan is doing everything to combine against us and bring us down, Christ's Atonement is there to lift us up and Heavenly Father is there to shower us with blessing. It is a great testimony to me of Their love for each of us.  

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Cope