Stay Fresh!

We received this email and video from a member in Sister Schimbeck's Ward:

Good day, Brother Kirby Schimbeck, Sir. I am a member in Sister Schimbeck's current area, Santa Fe Ward. I just wanna send you a video I took during their Sacrament Meeting Presentation. Together with her were Sister Montemayor (on the piano), Sister Schultz, Sister Arviola, Sister Canimo (former missionary who visited us) and her fiance, Brother Sablan.

We love Sister Schimbeck here in Santa Fe and she is a very great missionary. We take good care of her here so there's no need to worry.God bless you and your family. Stay Fresh. (Haha! I got that line from her.)

Sincerely,
Ronwell Imperial

By his Grace

Hello everyone! So this week went by so fast! Time is crazy. The days are slow but the weeks are fast. Lots of tender mercies this week. Edwin and Rolly have stopped their vices and came to church and are really just having so much change in their hearts(: its beautiful to watch the gospel and knowledge of our Savior just melt their hearts!! I feel like its all because of this wonderful time of the year too.

#panadofamily  

Everyone here just has such strong belief in Jesus Christ. So last week I was obsessed with the enabling power of the atonement. This week it was grace. Grace is so cool. Its literally saves us. All we have to do is decide where we want to be when the time comes that we are judged. Its so amazing the love our Savior has for us. Its not even comprehensible. (I think thats that right word)

#santafesisters

Well I love this time to serve my Savior and show my love for Him through this work! I love being a missionary so much! Bye stay fresh.

#prettyrainbow

Nine Months

So I didn't write last week because I was a little brat. So I wrote in a few letters ago that right now is hard for me and it still is. But I made some very wonderful changes, my heart has had a mighty change by the enabling power of the atonement.

#9months

#SelfiesAndSunsets

So of course in all hard situations we pray to our Heavenly Father. But like I was so vain in my prayers, I was basically commanding Heavenly Father in my prayers; give me this, do this, why isn't this happening. I know, its awful. But I've studied a lot about our Savior this week and His atonement. It brings so much peace to my soul studying about Him. And it really amazes me just how wonderfully perfect the atonement is and that it literally can help us in every aspect of our lives. When we start to understand and use the enabling power of the atonement in our lives we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed. We will become people who act rather than objects that are acted upon (2 Nephi 2:14) We can't change everything as missionaries. I think we think that some times (or at least I did). We are endowed with power from God and we're helping people change and convert to the gospel and we feel invincable!!

just taking a break in a hammock(:

But like not every situation is that easy to change, we have to change. Change our attitude. Pray for strength to change the circumstance not for the circumstance to change. Why did it take me so long to realize that? After I realized this so much peace in my life. We can make it through anything with the enabling power of the atonement, I testify of it. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus love us so much I only wish I could understand but until then I'll just enjoy the love they are constantly making known to me through tender mercies(:

Our investigators Rolly and Edwin are freaken on fire right now. Brother Rolly smokes 2 packs of cigs everyday. Thats like 20+ cigs guys!! And he is so determined to stop he told us "I can do it, mind over matter" and he is now down to only 12 a day, enabling power of the atonement.

Our family home evening with the Malunes Family(:

Brother Edwin is a part member (his wife is a less active) and he's never had interest in the church but after we taught about the 3 kingdoms of glory and eternal families he cried and told us he knows that this is the most true thing he's heard and that he needs to be baptized so he can be with his family forever, enabling power of hte atonement. Have a wonderful week everyone!! I love you and I love this gospel and I love being a missionary! Stay fresh kay.

Sister Schimbeck

#iSchoolAtBowling

I just love Balabag so we took a picture with Balcezar with the beautiful view!

I love the sunsets here(:

Posing on the remains of a stair case that lead to a huge mansion that was destroyed in the war here! 

Posing on the remains of a stair case that lead to a huge mansion before it was destroyed in war! 

#Posing

A Little Q&A

This week for some reason Sister Schimbeck didn't send her normal weekly email, but she did answer some questions asked by her Mom and Dad.

Q:  So what is this area like that you're in?

A:  It is really different actually because it has lots of different types of areas.

Some areas like subdivision are very nice and its like real houses and then we have some areas that are very poor and just little shacks for homes. The area its self is really cool! Because its the city and then its not at the same time.

Q:  Do you get fed by families every night?

A:  Yes. We are basically fed dinner every night. My companion is very diligent in setting those appointments up. I'm getting so fat here.

Q: Do you have favorite families that you get to hang out with?

A:  We used to in our old area. All the time just hang out at their houses. It drove me nuts to be honest. I'm not here to 'hang out' its not fulfilling my purpose either. I really love these people here though don't get me wrong!

Q:  Do you have to speak very often in church?

A:  Yeah. Almost every other week we end up having to be one of the speakers either in the main ward or our special sacrament group.

Q:  Something really cool about that Philippines?

A:  Well I just think its the coolest thing that they are the happiest people in the world and they have like every reason not to be. I think its why they're so accepting to the gospel. Their faith in Jesus Christ in unbelievable. They inspire me. And also that they don't have traffic laws. Like literally every driver here is that one meat head driver who cuts you off that you just hate. Like I heard they are low in their accidents per year and stuff. Thats cool for me. Rice fields are cool!! Sunsets are cool! Stolen shots are cool! Loygoy is cool.

-Me and Sister Kumar. We were companions for 2 days this week! While she was waiting to get her new companion. She is Indian but raised in Fiji. She was the coolest person ever.

 I miss you like crazy, I straight up cried when I found this note from you in my sticky notes!

-I was so excited to finally see rice fields!! So pretty(:

More rice fields

Another Wedding and Baptism

Transfer week this week! I'm still in Santa Fe with Sister Arviola. The only changes are Sisters will split the area with us again! Yeah, I'm excited because Santa Fe is just way too big for one set of missionaries. The only down side is that they will take the area with all the progressing investigators. So my letters are really short lately and not that great because well this is a hard time for me and I don't want to write about the hard times but that's just life and its mission life for sure! It's not supposed to be easy. So yeah its hard right now, sometimes you won't have the best companionship, sometimes you won't be assigned to the greatest ward, sometimes you'll wonder if you'll ever be able to fully understand the language. But we just keeping going. We have faith in Jesus Christ and be believe in good things to come. I love the quote from Elder Jeffery R.Holland:

"Everyone of us has times when we need to know things will get better. My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until Heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." 

This quote brings so much peace to my racing mind. I'm serving this mission to invite others to come to Christ, I know I'm included in that group of people I will help come unto Christ during this short 18 months.

My life is changing right along with theirs and I know when we accept the gospel into our lives, meaning we start living the gospel we will have peace and we will see the Lord's hand in it! Sister Angela was married and baptized this week(:

Sister Angela and Family

She was so freaken prepared by the Lord so quick and willing to accept the gospel. She would always say to us "Sisters thank you, thank you for bringing the gospel into my life and to my family, we are changing" I love this gospel and I love to see that change it brings to lives! 

Sister Schimbeck

The Bridge is in Loygoy as super far area that I just got to go to for the first time

 Venjie Salmorin and Jboy and me waiting for the wedding of Angela

Angela's kids flower girls and ring bearers!

Photo's posted by Sister Cruz

Sister Cruz we love you so much!