The Plan of Salvation

Hey hi. This week was so great! We had so much work(: probably because our area tripled in size. But yeah its great, so many great new investigators! I really feel like the work is going to start to bloom here in Santa Fe!

-This little girl is Madison. Like the Filipina version. 

This week I went on exchanges with Sister Read, shes american! My first american companion in the field! hahah we visited Sister Ana (the cute little old lady picture) she is 89 years old and got baptized last year in July. We reviewed the plan of salvation with her haha all she cares about the plan of salvation is that she knows she can see her husband again!

Sister Ana

Like she tells us "Sisters, I just want to die right now, I did that baptism thing now I just need to die" oh Ana(: But I really do just love the plan of salvation. How wonderful that we all have the possibility to live as ang isa ka family with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and even to live the same lives as them!

So our lesson in gospel principles class was on prayer. It was such a great lesson I was reminded (kind of chastised too) of so many simple things about prayer that I guess I forgot... But yeah like that there are three potential answers to our prayers. Yes. No. And wait. I forgot that sometimes we need to wait for answers to our prayers! What a great thing to remember right? After I was reminded of that I realized how vain my prayers had been. I've been asking for so many things and then just kind of expecting an answer dayon! Like no Sister Schimbeck thats not how it works. A prayer without works is so vain! I was praying for something thing and then not doing any work to be worthy of an answer! I testify that we have a loving Heavenly Father that listens to and answers every single prayer of ours. I'm so grateful I have prayer to talk with my Father in Heaven and truly come to know Him for myself! Yeah, well I just love being a missionary! bye stay fresh!

Sister Swift Schimbeck

-Some recent converts we inherited from the Elders! So sweet(:

Brother Elmer a ward missionary that reminds me of Joshy 

Dinner appointments. helping me to love fish. haha

Valentines, Wedding & a Baptism

Heya! So this week was a roller coaster ride. The Elders in our ward got pulled out this week (meaning that they both got transferred and their area is now ours too)

yeah so all of Santa Fe is our area. And its SO huge! So yeah that was the real stressful part of my week. And then our BAPTISM AND WEDDING (still stressful but so many good feelings)

Baptism service(:

Guys, and it was so off the chain.President and Sister Ferrin even came to it, so basically it was a big deal. The Lord had 4 baptisms this week and one marriage that will become eternal in a year(: Sister Mariechell who was married and baptized was looking like she was going to be an eternal investigator when she first started being taught by missionaries last year because she was keeping all her commitments and going to church the only thing was, she wasn't married nor did she want to get married, yeah. So at one time she was our only progressing investigator so we were like Sister Mariechell you need to get married girl! (kind of chastised her but its okay, the spirit testified) And she was like yeah I do need to get married and four weeks later, BAM! Wedding(:

Sister Mariechell and Brother Marlon kissing!

and her husband has a baptism date for March 7(: Sister Josephine, Maria Cristia and Jermin are just the sweetest sisters you will ever meet! And Sister Josephine's baptism was such a beautiful thing to witness because she has had such a dark and hard past. This gospel changes lives! Ah I love it!

With Sister Pattillo

So this week in my personal study I was reading in Matthew "And the graves were opened; and bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after the resurrection.." yep, zombie apocalypse. Hahah just kidding but really its gonna happen, the scriptures do not lie. I know the scriptures are true and I know this gospel is true and I know being a missionary is the best. I love being a missionary! bye stay fresh!

Sister Taylor Swift

Helping out investigator Sister Leah with some laundry! 

And the youth of Santa Fe! They are so fun! They all remind me of Josh and Madi

Special sacrament service! 

The national flower! I can't remember its name though..

My best friend Sister Ariel! Shes so cute! 

 Tiny tooth paste! That was like a one use deal.

 The sink Sister Arviola broke!

And a scenery picture because its been a long time(:

THE LORD IS MY LIGHT

So I always forget everything I want to say right when I start typing. Its so annoying. But did you guys see the moon this week?! Like we didn't even need a flash light walking through the sugar canes! THE LORD IS MY LIGHT. Oh so this week we got to meet President Ferrin! He's so cool and will be such a powerful leader for us here oh and his wife is my favorite, she's so funny and spiritual and I want to be her when I'm an old lady. He was born in Texas and she was born in Utah and they have lived just about everywhere in the world. But of course their favorite is the Philippines, they said its where they've gained most of their testimonies and grown the most spiritually. So yeah I'm serving in the best place in the world kay.

So this week we meet a lady that just had her 3 year old son pass away. She cried and cried to us and was in so much pain. So we sang for her and the ward missionary working with us gave her a blessing and I've never felt the spirit so strong. I know we have angels looking over us and I know that her son is one of those angels and he was comforting his mother at that time. I know our Savoir lives and little Mark will too. We shared our testimonies with her about the plan of salvation and atonement and just watched the gospel start to melt her heart. This work is the Lords work and I love getting to be apart of it and witnessing so many miracles everyday. I can never express how grateful I am for this gospel. Its perfect. And it changes lives. ah I love being a missionary! Stay Fresh!

Sister Schimbeck

Christ Like Love

Heya! So this week was cool I guess, I got sick. But I'm okay now!! Because I the members here are so very wonderful(: they are the most loving people! I just had a cold and they treated me like a princess. The relief society sisters gave me massages and made me soup and stuck leaves to me forehead (herbal healing I guess) and then one of our ward missionaries, Brother Lester, bought me krispy kreme donuts!

MmmmMmmm

They have such Christ like love! So inspiring for me. They are the funnest people here too. Like one of our areas had a huge festival this weekend and they had a huge dance and paint fight!! They got me with some paint when we were driving by! Haha wow I love the Philippines.

Paint in the face

We got our temporary mission president this week! I haven't met him but his name is President Ferrin. I don't know if he's Filipino or American, his name is like uni-race. But yeah its helped the work get along here! So I've been reading about the missions of the sons of Mosiah this week. I just love reading about Book of Mormon missionaries because it gets me so pumped cause I'm like hey that's me! I'm a missionary too! Like its the best guys, seriously. I pretty much wear my name tag 24/7 I never take it off! It's such a beautiful privilege to wear that badge! "...show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." I love that. Being members of this church means that we are representatives of Jesus Christ!! What a crazy big privilege that is for us! And I know that as we become those good examples of Jesus Christ we will always be instruments in His hands. I love that saying. And I love being a part of His work, being an instrument in His hands and witnessing such beautiful experiences everyday. I love my Savior and I love being a missionary!! Bye, stay fresh!!

One of my favorite relief society sisters!