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!

Schimbeck Holiday

Hello everyone! So this week so wonderful. We had Zone Conference and Stake Conference so like my spirit was just so happy(: the trainings we have as missionaries really save me, I always learn new things and I'm always reminded of things I forget.

Like at zone conference we were combined with another zone so we had trainings from 4 STL's and 4 ZL's and our AP's. So powerful. They trained us on commandments and Christlike attributes. And like they go together so perfectly. We have commandments to develop those Christlike attributes! Cause like who doesn't want to be like Jesus? Yeah everyone does. And its so possible! Amat-amat we can become more like Him! (Oh amat-amat is gradually)

And Stake Conference was just the best. We had Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Philippines Area Presidency there to speak to us! Those quorum of the seventy members are so powerful!! He talked about so much but one thing that he brought up several times was Prophets. He really emphasized on following the Prophets council. I was also reading last night in the November issue of the Liahona, the General Conference issue and there were two talks in a row about sustaining the Prophet and amo man how important it is to follow their council!!! I've really gained a testimony of Prophets here on my mission. Like their words are straight from Heaven. Their words of caution are from someone who knows way more than we do! I was thinking and its just like a school teacher right? We have school teachers to help us pass our tests. We listen to and apply what they teach to pass the final test. Prophets are teaching us what we need to know so we can pass this test here on earth. Oh its so cool! And like in 2 Cor 4:18 "what we see will last only a short time but what we cannot see will last forever" our teachers are so good at helping us prepare for the future. Our Prophets doing that too, they are helping us to see past this short time here to what will last forever, after our test. I'm know there are great things in store for us if we just keep the commandments, follow the words of our Prophets and Apostles and develop Christlike attributes! And its available to us all(:K I love being a missionary and I love you and I love this gospel and I love Thomas S Monson. Stay Fresh!

Sister Schimbeck

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