"...You Glow..."

Hi guys. This week we had Mission Tour! Elder Bowen from the seventy and the first counselor of the Philippines area came to train us. The power that is with those brethren will always amaze me. He had such a wonderful spirit. He gave us wonderful trainings on mission life and after the mission life. Sometimes I forget that there is life after the mission haha. But it was great(: This Sunday August 23 was the baptism of Mercy Grace(: my first baptism in the field! It feels like it wasn't that long ago but its been a year now.

The Arruz family showing of their CTR rings(: 

Grabe. I love reading from my past journal entries! I'm really funny guys. But I also wrote a lot about how hard it was, not knowing how to speak the language, not understanding anything, walking miles a day. And its still just as hard one year later. Different challenges of course. But isn't that just life? Yeah, life's crazy. Story time, so this week we got on the jeepney to head home and this mother got on with her child and she just stared at me. It used to bug me but now its not a huge deal. So I started a conversation with her because they love that and she was asking me all these questions about what make up I wear ( I don't wear any) what soap I use (safe guard) what vitamins or minerals I take (centrum) and then I was just like Sister why? And she says to me, "you look different than normal people, you glow and I can't figure out why." This lady melts my heart guys. I was sweaty and had some pimples on my face and she told me I was glowing. I know its because of the gospel(: its changed my life.

I want to share with you guys something I learned this week kay? Its cool. So I was reading in Luke 23. Pondering on the Atonement. Jesus shows so much love and obedience to me in this chapter."If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." He most certainly could've saved Himself. But He didn't.

Me and Sister Cansanay taking pictures
 cause she loves pictures, so much. Haha(:

He finished His mission for us. And then He promised those criminals a place in His fathers kingdom! Now this is the cool part that I'm still trying to understand, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." Men could not kill our Savior. He literally gave His spirit up to death. For us. Is that not just the most beautiful act of obedience and love? He loves us so much that I can never comprehend it. But I know He lives and because of Him we can return to our Father in Heaven and receive eternal life. I love being a missionary and teaching this truth to all that I meet! Yeah. Stay Fresh guys, bye.

Sister Schimbeck

"Open Your Mouth"

Guys, I've been in the Philippines for one year now (sang Friday). I was reading my journal this week, August 2014, when I first got to the mission field. Its so crazy how used to the Philippines I am now. Like remember when I wrote about washing my laundry by hand for like 3 hours? Or the chickens running around during lessons? Oh or about showering with a bucket? Or the noisy sacrament meetings? Yeah, those things don't even phase me anymore. But I'll never get over that we don't have microwaves here.

-We taught some police men! 

So in our mission we're really focusing on OYM (open your mouth). I've never been a fan of OYMing like I'll OYM if they approach me and stuff but usually I'm like nope I've got a schedule to stick to. How wrong was I. We have a purpose as missionaries "to invite others to come unto Christ" when I remembered that I was like Sister Schimbeck how are you going to invite others to come unto Christ if you don't open your mouth and talk with everyone!! That is what makes us a successful missionary, I don't care how many baptisms a person gets on their mission. What matters is we invite everyone to come unto Christ(: Like we have a investigator right now Sister Virgiana who we OYMed and she has been to church two times now and is keeping all her commitments! Heavenly Father is preparing His children for us to find everyday!

-We love mango and graham cracker ice cream!
Funfact: they pronounce graham as gray-ham hahaha(:

She tells us every visit how grateful she is that we found her because now she knows that she can see her husband again (he died). We have such a beautiful message of hope, how could we just keep that to ourselves? I'm so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father is always showing me that if we trust in Him He will guide us! "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.." I love this verse. It helps me remember that we have to forget about ourselves and trust in Him. We will always win if we do! I love being a missionary! Stay Fresh, bye.

Sister Schimbeck

-FHE with some YSA! They are crazy fools.

-Nilupak nga saging. Its banana that they mashed all up with sugar(:
delicious! I thought it was cute on its banana leaf plate(:

"Children of Light"

Hello! So I remembered way back in the day when I hated Mondays, like I never wanted Monday to come. But now its my favorite day. Funny huh? Yeah so nothing new this week. There was another typhoon, you know just like any other week. But this typhoon was the first typhoon ni Sister Cansanay on her mission. Typhoons are like super rough so I didn't know how it was going to be but she totally loved it. She was singing Master the Tempest is raging and wanted pictures in all the floods. Haha(:

-Picture taking during the typhoon! 

I'm so grateful for her. I hate working in typhoons but she made it so enjoyable(: Me and Sister Cansanay have a lot of fun together. This week in our training we watched these Preach My Gospel videos and they are just so cheesy. Haha we just make fun of them the whole time! Hahah we're like the same person.

I was reading the August Liahona. I was reading the first presidency's message by President Thomas S. Monson, ' Stand as a Light' and also the backside section for the youth 'Beacon of Light' (or something like that, I'm forgetful) but my point in why I'm telling you about these articles is because the pictures they used are of Filipino children(: Yeah when talking about children of light and being beacons of light they used pictures of the happiest people I know. Filipino children jumping out the back of a truck and at the Manila temple. Its true they are children of light. Their smiles just radiate light.

-RJ's contagious smile

They have every reason to be sad but are so full of joy. My view of life is changed forever because of these people and their contagious smiles(:

I want to share with you guys what I read in 2 Nephi 21 this morning. It was a beautiful personal study(: this chapter is about Jesus Christ and the house of Israel. And they are like super wicked right now and when the Lord could not bless them anymore because of their disobedience and stuff they were like the Lord hath forsaken and forgotten us. But the Lord was like no way, I'm aware of you guys! "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." That verse hit me so hard. I'd hate to admit it but I've had times in my mission where I've asked those same questions and felt the same way."Yea, they forget, yet will I not forget thee, o house of Israel" Its only us that forget. He knows each and every one of us. Our wants, our desires, our challenges, our concerns, and He will always be there waiting for us to find Him. I know He wears His love for us on His palms. Such a beautiful act of love that I'm still trying to understand fully. I love my Savior and I'm so grateful for the help He offers to us everyday. Yeah well I just love being a missionary with all my heart! Halong! Stay Fresh!

Sister Schimbeck like a diamond

"The Air is so Delicious!"

Hi guys. So super great week this week!! It went by so fast. All I remember that Heavenly Father loves us and blessed us with some new investigators that are prime(: I just got to tell you all that the restoration is the most perfect and correct doctrine. I love teaching about the restoration. We met a super hard headed iglesia ni cristo. He has so many arguments and questions that we were like hey brother, we have the answer for you if you'd give us some time to talk. So he stopped his talking about we taught him the beautiful message of the restoration and he was so touched, still hard headed but I know he felt the truth. Its the most perfect message.

Posing with a lamb in front of my favorite rice fields(:
 (I think its a lamb)(nope its a goat)

So the adventure of training never ends. They have this saying in Tagalog that Sister Cansanay always uses and I just didn't understand it. One day she used it again when we were riding a tricycle and when she uses this Tagalog expression it literally translates to "the air is so delicious!" so yeah I'm like Sister how is the air delicious? And she spend the rest of the day trying to explain this expression to me haha I still don't get it but I use it all the time "ah sarap ang hangin!" So I just want to tell you all about Sister Melissa. She is my most favorite ever. She is my best friend from the spirit world we decided. And she has struggled with prayer for a long time now! Haha its funny actually cause we'll review how to pray and she gives such a good prayer and then leaves it in the name of the holy ghost!! She's always like ah no thats wrong, again and then prays again. One day she started her prayer Heavenly Father, thank your fo.....oh sorry good evening first, thank you for this time.." hahah it died laughing!! She's just so funny. I love this place.

-Baptism of Drexs(:

This Sunday we had the baptism of Brother Drexs(: hes 18 years old just working at an auto shop next to a members home. When we first met Drexs he always had a cigarette in hand, earrings, and wouldn't smile. He was just a very hard person. It was such an awesome experience to watch him change over time. He struggled to overcome his smoking but found power in the Libro Ni Mormon to stop. He smiles and laughs now(: he has had a mighty change of heart. He about cried giving his testimony after his baptism. He was so grateful that he has a new start. I love this gospel so much. I know it is the only true gospel. I love being a missionary too! And yeah tapos na, bye stay fresh!!

Sister Schimbeck

-lets go to the beach-ech lets go getta away

-FHE with the Tenebro Family! it was Johns birthday(:
we made him a cover for his Book of Mormon cause hes
 been trying to make one but gave up cause he couldn't figure it out haha

Faith and Ronwell came to visit at church, sometimes I don't feel like
I left Santa Fe because I see them so much!
Haha they wanted to see how I was doing in training! haha 

Mangosten! Its nothing like mango but it was so so so delicious! So sweet! 

"ambot?" "I don't know"

Maaung gabi sa inyo!! So I realized that I always say Good Morning but its night time there so Good Evening! But we also don't say good evening in America so that was probably is just weird. Anyways, super great week this week! Sister Cansanay is killing it. Like she's training me, I'm not training her. She has so much knowledge of missionary work, from when she was ward missionary in her home ward, that she has brought to our ward! Like I didn't even know what a ward council was before my mission.

Riding a tricycle to our really far area! 

 So teaching her Hiligaynon is always an adventure like this week she asked me what 'ambot' means (Hiligaynon for I don't know) and I'd tell her I don't know and then she'd look at me like she was waiting for more but I thought I answered her question so I just continue doing my thing and then a little later she asks me "Sister whats ambot?" "I don't know" and this went on for the rest of the day until I finally figured out that she just thought I didn't know what ambot meant! She has so much patience with me hahaha!

Here's me with a cute little lamb or goat or something
I don't really know?

This week an investigator we're teaching, Sister Melissa, shared with us how her BOM reading was in between our visits and she shared Moroni 7:29-31, "have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men...to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord." She got choked up after she read these verses to us and all she could get out was that we were her angels sent to minister to her and she was so thankful.

-FHE at the Melgar home!
They're basically Schimbeck's so I feel right at home(:

You can bet I cried, cause I'm an emotional baby. I know that Melissa is a 'choosen vessel' she has accepted our message and Jesus Christ in her life and now her life has been changed. Miracles do not cease, they'e so real. I love this opportunity to minister to these people, its such a joy! I know we are only instruments in the Lords hands as we witness His work. I'll cherish that beautiful moment forever. I love being a missionary!! Halong kmu! Stay Fresh!

-Sister Cansanay last pday when we were waiting at Ceneco. Its worse than the DMV. 

-Me and Justin showing of our swag.

This is Justin, he is my favorite ever!! 

Me and Justin.
He just reminds me so much of Orianna!! Hahah 

Heres a super bad picture of our family home evening with the Melgar Family!!
They remind me of Schimbeck's I love them(:

-Rule number 32 'enjoy the little things'. Angelika gets it.

'Anak'

Hi guys. So my new companion is Sister Cansanay from Laguna!! She's 23 years old and just the cutest thing. I love her so much already. Like I now get why when you're training the trainee is your 'anak' (or 'child' in English) because if I had a child I would love them like I love Sister Cansanay.

Me and Sister Cansanay(: 

She is straight Tagalog speaking and couldn't understand one word these people were speaking to her. Its actually really funny cause they talk to her and then she'll just look to me and I answer them, they're like what the heck the american is the one who understands? Its funny but you know I've been so blessed as a trainer because Sister Cansanay is the best trainee. She is learning the language so fast, is already great at teaching, and is such a hard worker! I can truly say that I love training, its hard but I still love it(: Its such an adventure. Like we came home Thursday and we didn't have power, no lights, no electric fan, yeah.. (until now we still don't have power, its a long story) We about burned our eye brows off cooking adobo chicken haha (neither of us really know how to cook) Sister Cansanay has such a bright, burning spirit and I know we are going to start seeing miracles here in Sum-ag.

Sister Camo my temporary companion while
I was waiting for Sister Cansanay! I really loved her. 

Yeah that's all I got for you this week. Just all about my new kaupod, haha sorry I promise the work is great here too, we're in the process of finding new investigators! And we'll have some baptisms this August(: I know they will happen too, we have faith(: I know anything is possible when we have faith in Christ. When we just put all our trust in Him, forget about what we want to happen and how we think we can make it happen, He will make it happen! I love being a missionary so much! Kbye halong kamo! Stay fresh!

My muddy feet!
Back when we were walking through floods everyday! 

Sister Tatireta a our last MLC! The burgers they had were so huge!! 

Me and Elder Kim! He's my batch and we're best friends.
 He's wearing my Sister Schimbeck nametag
in Hiligaynon because he wants to be me. 

Bacolod South Zone! The cutest zone in all of Bacolod. 

Guava! I thought it was going to be the most delicious fruit,
but I threw it after I took this picture.
 It doesn't taste as good as it smells is the soaps and perfumes.

Joevelyn Qumibo when she came to visit me!!! 

Our area has lots of rice fields(: my favorite 

A little Music Will Bring the Spirit

Why did the woman go outside with her purse open? Because she expected a change in the weather. Whats the difference between weather and climate? You can't weather a tree but you can climate. hehehe(: maaung udto!! So these are just some jokes a ward missionary told me when I received the call that I would be training this cycle. Yeah. I'm kinda nervous. The mission just never can be easy. Its always just getting harder and harder. I don't who I'm training yet so you'll get to find out next week(: yay!

So last week was possibly the hardest week of my mission. Me and Sister Tatireta just hit a slump. We had no idea what was wrong! We got punted all day everyday. No one wanted to listen to us, our investigators, recent converts, less actives, no one (like in the city people are always so busy). Usually people are like oh this white girl knows how to speak Hiligaynon I'll listen to what she has to say but this week Satan was really working against us. That guy. We also had our MLC and zone training. It was all about the spirit. It was so perfect. I now feel like it was preparing me for this step in becoming a trainer. I know its the spirit that will train this missionary, not me. I'm nothing without the spirit. Like this week for example, we met a less active. He was baptized in 2013 then moved to the Christian church in 2014 and is now the assistant to the preacher. And he didn't really want to listen to us, he wanted to argue with us. But I'm not about that life. So we just sang for him, the power house, I am a Child of God. I've never seen the spirit hit someone so strong. He got the chills and cried. He told us "this feeling is why I joined your church. But I don't feel it anymore." ah I know this church is true, with all my heart. The spirit is the love from God that brings so many people to the truth and I get to witness it everyday(: I love being a missionary so much!! Halong kmu! Stay Fresh.

Sister Schimbeck