An Early Christmas Present

Awkward? I think not.

The most awkward picture of the year goes to...
Sister Schimbeck, Enna and Inday!!
 Hahah just before we ate our sugar cane!!

Hello everyone!! So I've decided if you need a self confidence booster serve your mission in the Philippines. Like I'm a hideous monster and they still tell me I'm beautiful. Hahah like whenever we need a confidence booster we walk by this one mans house and he, without fail every time, gives us a compliment and it just makes our day(: and yeah it was very much needed this week too because this week has been kind of hard!

-Jain family home evening!
They're such strong RC's great examples for Stef who is working for baptism(:

We got punted a lot and our guy to be baptized didn't show up to church so he couldn't be baptized and yeah just kind of a week of disappointments!! Okay lang(: because I had some of the most powerful prayers of my life and have never felt the spirit so strong! Like oh I wish I could explain it to you guys!!

We taught lots of new investigators this week and we would show them the restoration video. I love that video! Its so powerful. What I noticed this week watching that video and teaching about families in gospel principles made me realize how important Joseph Smith's parents are. That's why I love the restoration video so much, it really shows the role Joseph Smiths parents played. I like to think it's because of them that he was chosen to restore this gospel. Its the parents responsibility to teach the gospel and they did, even if they didn't have the fullness of the gospel they still did their part and I bet they're so proud!!

-Josol family! They're just so cute

Yeah anyways(: I'm grateful for my parents and that they raised me in the gospel. "Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed" 3NE18:21  They're truly the reason I'm out here on my mission I've figured out. I love them and  I love being a missionary! BRB bye tanan mga tawo!

Sister Schimbeck

Jack fruit! It looks cool but it isn't that yummy.

And pig blood. Straight pig blood
with chunks of meat. Super yummy. 

My artistic tricycle mirror pic on the tricycle

Mango Float
The most delicious food I've made here so far(: 

My mango float. It is that yummy! Cream, condenser,
gramcrakers  and magos lang!! I'm good at taking pictures huh?

Sister Presentation!! She always sings for us when we visit her(:

Daily Schedule and Cock Fights!

Another beautiful week here in Sagay! Guys I love the Philippines. And I love being a missionary. Even if its the same thing everyday. Literally the same thing everyday. I can give you times and events that happen every morning.
6:27 The rooster goes off (literally everyday at that same time, we don't even set an alarm anymore)
6:30 we struggle to wake up and start companionship prayer.
6:35 I use the CR (pee)
6:36 personal prayer
6:45 I prepare to work out (this is now the hardest part of the day, its quite the battle with myself)
6:47 The school jimpney drives down our street honking the whole way (its the most annoying horn too)
6:50 The most dreaded time of the day, burpees (I end up just laying on the ground most of the time telling Sister Cruz I'm going to die) (I don't)
7:00 Bath/shower/bucket time (its getting colder here so showering still is an awful time)
7:10 Our neighbors start playing 80's music!
7:15 Christmas music!
7:25 Breakfast (usually pancakes or oatmeal, I'm not lying about the same routine everyday)
8:00 Studies

Yep that's my morning everyday! Luckily proselyting time a little more of a variety! Like this week that most exciting event of my mission happened (besides the baptisms of course) I FINALLY SAW A COCK FIGHT! Real life roosters fighting each other. It was a thrill.

We had three baptisms this week(: Sister Jemma Rose! We've been teaching her and her family and they were all scheduled to be baptized November 8 together but Jemma really wanted to go to this youth camp that only members can go to so she told us she was going to bet baptized, we didn't argue because she was so ready, been to church like 6 times and reads and prays, sagad sya!
Brother Roldan! We taught him clear back in August cause his daughter that is a recent convert would make him. He had the desire to learn but he had a word of wisdom problems so he was really shy and ashamed. He left for a couple weeks to work, got really sick and came back and asked us to teach him again. He said it was a sign from heaven that he needed to be taught by the missionaries again. He was still kinda shy though and would hide from us, until he went to church! He loved church so much!! After that he would wait for us to come teach him! He has a hard time reading but he reads everyday! His wife and other daughter are finally coming along and have a baptism date too(:
Brother Julan! This is the investigator that said YOLO when he was bearing testimony about the Book of Mormon haha. His whole family are recent converts. He would sometimes listen in on lessons but was never that interested. Until we taught him about Joseph Smith. He felt the spirit so strong and wanted it!! Hes been so great ever since! He understands the Book of Mormon so well!! He even reads it in English. He told us he wants to go on on mission! It melted my heart to hear that! Oh I love being a missionary! I can never say it enough haha its going to be so hard the day I have to take this name tag off. Well I love you all! Bye g2g!

Sister Schimbeck

Heres my house!! Cute huh 

Heres my cute district! 

We Thank thee,O God, For a Prophet...

This week was the longest week of my whole mission cuz GENERAL CONFERENCE!! It was just like Christmas but kind of better because general conference is two days(: I got everything I wanted for general conference. So glorious. So because it was general conference we moved our baptism to this week. Soo really I'm only gonna talk about general conference. It was such a different/amazing experience watching conference as a missionary (not just because I was in Sunday dress watching it at the chapel)

So I don't even know where to begin with conference. It was all so amazing. I did love the talks about the sacrament though! The sacrament is so over looked. It could be the most spiritual experience of our week if we make it that way. How cool!! Taking the sacrament is a testimony!! A testimony of the atonement, that we know we can receive forgiveness through it and be healed! So beautiful.

I also loved how they had those men give their talks in their native language! I really thought that was so cool! Because no matter what language we all understand through the spirit (or the translation but its whatever) Eduardo Something that spoke in Spanish or something was one of my favorites of those translated talks. "Come follow me" the most beautiful invitation to change and become Christ-like! As we come to know His voice for ourselves we can not only follow Him but walk with Him!! Become one and do His will!!

Several times through out conference they talked about how Gods arm is stretched out to us, its always stretched out! We just need to take hold of it. Okay last thing I want to share is from David A Bednar's talk. I really love him! I loved how he talked about how we are only inviting people to deepen and enrich their belief in Christ, to just find the truth for themselves. And how its not weird to share what we love, how true right? We should want to share what brings us joy! Oh that talk just made my spirit so happy! I'll be done now haha I love our prophet Thomas S Monson and his apostles. I know when we follow their counsels we are being led to salvation. There are 88,000 full time missionaries right now and I'm grateful I get to be one of them! I love being a missionary! I love you all and have a wonderful week! (:

Sister Schimbeck

Parts of other letters this week...

To Michelle (mom): ...Grandma is such a powerful woman. Her letters she sends me are so amazing! I love her and her strong testimony! I have some really great examples in my life! Thank you for yours momma!!!

To Mom and Dad:

My dearest most wonderful parents,

So Tad R Callister talked about families and being a parent, and how its their calling to teach the gospel in the home and teach them how to live it and then I can't remember exact words but I just remember hearing "one day they will understand" so I just wanted to tell you I understand now. And I'm so sososososo so so sososo I can't even say it enough so blessed and grateful to have you as parents thank you for doing everything you do and did because without your examples and teachings I wouldn't be here so thank you for changing my life and making me better I love you both so much.


The picture is a pancake sister cruz made for me but it says i love you so i'm sharing it (: <3


To Dad:

Lalaine is a recent convert!! She is so amazing. She has every scripture memorized that has to do with all those young womens' attributes! She's the one who started "Sister Taylor Swift Schimbeck" haha she is obsessed with Taylor Swift and can't even look at me with out laughing and saying Ah Taylor Swift haha. Thats so cool! I wish I knew Isaiah, we met a man that has every verse in Isaiah memorized and just bible bashed us the whole time, it was so scary. Haha I can feel the power from your prayers dad! Thank you so much! I'm hard on myself, but my language is slowly coming along. I love that you you're obsessed with my mission!! It makes me so happy! This is the best choice I could've ever made for my life and you all!! I wish I could do wolf Wednesday with you!! Oh I love you dad!!

Rumboton (I don't know how to spell it) but they are the most delicious fruit here next to mangos!!  

 My first convert Mercy! She loves coming to teach with us! 

Motorcycles Own the Roads!

Hey ya'll! So this week was follow up training week! Time is flying by and I'm not going with it. Frustrating as it was theTraining was cool though, my mission president is so wise! I love hearing from him! But yeah so for training we had to travel to Bacolod and its about two hours away and we had to travel by bus. Since they don't have traffic laws their driving is really crazy and l got so car sick:-)
 But I also realized from their driving that I want a motorcycle. Motorcycles own the roads here (mostly because they don't have cops here, like I've only seen one police man the whole time I've been here) also Americans are not using motorcycles to their full potential, like you can fit more than two people on one. We had lots of brown outs here this week (its just like a black out but its brown here I guess) but yeah its just so hot when it happens, like I thought I was going to die. The relief society meeting was off the chain!! I only got to see the last talk from Uchtdorf but it was so good! I love those men. When they speak you can really feel that it is God speaking to you. So testimony meeting here is just so amazing. They love to bear testimony in English, its so cute "I'm so very much grateful for.." (: They have the strongest testimonies too. And I love when they thank us in their testimonies! It melts my heart!! 

This weeks baptism was Kresha! She is eight and sagad! She always wants to say the opening and closing prayer when we would teach her and she loves church like she is such a funny eight year old! So mature. She really just got our lessons too. Heavenly Father was truly preparing her! She is a great missionary too! She is always trying to share the gospel with her friends! Oh I just love her! I

love this work, no matter how hard it gets its the little moments that make it so worth it! In my personal study the other day I was reading Enos. I love that chapter or book or whatever you would call it. His conversion is so amazing to see! I really just love the last verse too, "...then shall I see his face with pleasure, and He will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared fro you in the mansions of my Father."  I can't wait for this day! This verse changed my work ethic! I want my work to be worthy of this verse, I want my investigators to have this! Oh I love the gospel and all it has to offer! I love being a missionary and I love you all! Kbye. 

Sister Taylor Swift Schimbeck

 Yummiest food that I can't remember what its called but its so yummy! 

 This is the Philippines in one picture! Sugar canes and workers and of course the Filipino swat! haha 

 On the way to Bacolod traveling by the bumpiest bus ever! 

That lizard thing is a tuko and they make that noise too! Its so loud and annoying.

August Arrivals Follow Up Training

Follow up training for the missionaries that arrived in August.

 Back together again Sister Schimbeck's District from the MTC.

 Full Group