I hope you get this! Please check your junk mail mommy!
Ok well first I will catch you up a little on last week because email is... less than reliable.
I did initiatories for the first time since my first time and that was a really exciting experience. My TRC experience was wayyyyy better then 2nd time. I dont know if you guys know this but the MTC is nothing like what it use to be. They added a building so mail is in 11M now and they moved the bookstore and everything is just different and structured. Literally every 5 minutes is planned out and so I teach every single day. I currently have 3 investigators and so TRC is where we get to go and teach but we teach RM's as RM's not as fake investigators and it is a really cool experience. Our lessons are normally about 45 minutes long- we are working on shortening them up.
I had an experience last week where I got to me "Mom/teacher" to one of my teachers. He is younger than me and was having a rough day and so I just was able to talk to him and ... ahh! It was just such an amazing experience... the spirit was there and you could see this light come back into his eyes! I love the gospel!
Janice K Perry came and spoke to RS and the sisters in the MTC... we were the first ones to sing the lyrics she wrote to the song "SIsters In Zion".. it is incredibly powerful, tears were flowing everywhere that Sunday. I have the lyrics but I am sure you will see them soon. I listened to Holland's talk on making your mission your whole life and WOW! He just is incredibly, he changed my thoughts and I just want to be the best missionary ever! He said go out and ASTONISH people! You can not astonish people if you are not different! Use the power and authority that you have for this tiny amount of time! Man... I am sure it does not ring the same with you as it does for me... but just know that it Hit me, changed my life and I am going to go out and astonish some Philippinos with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I was walking up to the field the other day and going through the parking lot and I saw in the corner of my eye my CAR!!! hahahahahahhahaha I ran up to it and hugged it hahaha I love my car. Soo so happy!
Elder Nelson came and spoke to us last week and he said when people ask why you are the way you are ... four words.... "I Follow Jesus Christ". We used that in a fact investigator activity in class and those 4 words have so much power... I love it!
This week... was not too different. We watched the testaments sunday night and I was a wreck... I always am during that movie, but this time was just different. I love the knowledge that our Savior is coming again! We had lots of talks in class this week about all the joys I have to look forward to.... worms, rats and bedbugs, bolut, dolphin, eating fish with the eyes and everything still there... etc. Yea... .... please pray for me.
Beka!! You are going on another Cruise! That is crazy!! You are so lucky! I want to hear all about it! AKA you need to write me!
Susan- I do not have your address and want to talk to you AKA tell mom your address and I will write you. Hope you are doing well and are happy. Joe- I hope you know you won't find a stronger woman if you search the whole face of the earth.
Jessica- Thank you so much for your letters, they mean the world to me, keep them coming! I hope you are happy and feeling well. I am putting your letter in the mail in after I finish writing it.
Jon and Jenna- You two!! Where are you? You are supposed to talk to me. I love you! haha Jenna I hope you are doing well and your baby is doing well! Did you think of any names yet? Tell Katelyn I love her and give Nathan a squeeze for me!
Liz and Austin- Liz I miss talking to you on the phone.I hope you are doing well and Texas is maybe kind of growing on you. Update me on the kids! I want to know what is happening!!
Benjamin- I love you! And am so proud of you!
Samuel- Hey BUD! i MISS YOU!! I hope you are learning a lot at school, helping mom around the house and reading your scriptures and saying your prayers. I hear you are getting braces!! Exciting Good luck! Oh and tell me how you like the lady who is helping teach you at home. And how is karate going? Are you still swimming? I love you and miss you! Mehikookoo.!!
Mom, It is really fun to hear all your garden stories. They make me laugh.. I normally read them aloud to my roommates. I talk about you all the time and so my district really wants to meet you. They cant imagine someone so awesome! They have no idea!!! I would use WORD, but they do not have it mom...you are funny. All they have is this email, TALL and LDs.org. This place is STRICT, in every sense of the word.
I will work on that insurance stuff after I get off this computer. Next P-day is the last time I can write you before I leave. Can you believe that!???? I will be in the Philippines in less than 2 weeks!! Oh my goodness!!!!!!! I am freaking out! We get travel plans tonight! Ahh!
My itchiness has gone away but I know I am going to want more hydroc..whatever that anti- itch stuff is.
Lets see... this week has been good. I have really been working on trying to speak Cebuano all the time but it is soooo stinkin hard. especially when my sisters all do not support me in that. But it is coming along. I realize that when I get to the Philippines I will probably be asked to learn a different language,.. so I am just doing the best I can here. I am sunburnt (= . I love studying in the sun.
Lessons are ... man they are such learning experiences. We are teaching this lady now who is a single mom, has 3 kids, no education, and only works on Sunday selling rice to feed her kids! I have had opportunities to be a fake investigator... I pretended I was Kim Cosway one time and that was really an interesting experience. Could someone try to get a hold of her.. maybe through FB?
One day during gym I was playing against this guy who is pretty good at hitting in vball. But I blocked him like 25 times that night.... AKA I gained more respect. That was nice. Not all sisters missionaries are incapable of playing sports.....
I have had multiple experiences with my companion that have really helped me just step back and put things into perspective. It is not a perspective I was expecting to gain here, but I love it! I have had multiple one-on-one's with My branch president about that and other things and he just has so much faith in me,... its almost scary.
I feel bad this letter does not have much to it because a lot of the things I am learning are hard to explain or type without sounding... ridiculous. Something that I have learned I struggle with is asking the Lord specific questions and receiving an answer through Him in prayer. I really want to get better at that before I leave. I gave up worrying about the language because there is no point in that. I just want to be able to look back on my MTC experience and not have any regrets.
Mom and Dad.. I want to know more about your MTC experiences. Mom... did you think a lot about your kids while you were serving? I am taking care of my P-blessing. Mom.. I think I need to have money in my account for luggage just in case. I am not sure how we want to go about handling that or what I am supposed to do. I hope I will be able to call you in the airport, but I am not sure.
Oh family how I love you so much! Thank you for your examples and love!! I hope we have this email thing finally figured out.
Mom!! You lost 25 pds!! That is awesome!! Congrats! I am sooo soo soo proud of you and your diligence. You are such an incredible example to me! Keep those plants a blooming!
Love,
Sister Sarah Ralph
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