26 February 2014 -- Great Midweek Message!

The picture with me and my companion is our last drive together as companions on the way to Tacloban.

Ok so here is another update. I know it's not Monday but I got transferred and so we have this temporary p-day because everything is crazy and most of us have no idea what our area is or have any supplies etc., soooo p-day today and next Monday.

So last p-day we went to this zoo. It was not really a zoo it's just some rich guy who has a hobby of collecting exotic animals. So we literally just opened his front door and walked in and played with the monkey and petted the Lion, Liger and Tiger. It was so fun, but slightly scary, I thought the lion was going to eat me.

    We had fun though with the Lion trying to play with us through the bars. They live off of chicken heads. How sad is that.

This picture with the baby and the two sisters is Mary Pierce, she is a recent convert and her family is doing sooo much better and that is her new baby sister that I had never seen before.

Brother Mighty and the Alecha family, my last companion and Mary Pierce.

   Any way so after that I packed up my stuff and I got permission from my  president to go through Carigara to get my shoes. So I got to see the PEOPLE I LOVE SOOO much from Carigara. That place really is my home away from home. It looks pretty different but I could not stop smiling. I was soo happy! They helped me get my luggage and I grabbed a few things and gave the rest of it to them. I love Carigara with all my heart- those people are my angels! Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers- and He does take into consideration what we want... not just what we need.

Elder Quinco... he was in Carigara with me

 So Happy as I could be... we showed up in Tacloban and I got to see missionaries I thought I was never going to see again. I love these missionaries so much!

Elder Banks and me

  The picture of the elderly man is Elder Banks he is a general authority and I talked to him for a good two plus hours. He has lived his whole life at the feet of prophets and apostles and I loved just listening to him tell me his life story. He told me that when I get back to Utah he wants me to call head quarters and ask for him and he and his wife will take me and my parents or whoever out to dinner. He is wonderful.

Longest bridge in the whole Philippines that connects Leyte and Samar

The burger is my first meal in my new area and I just laughed when I saw it.
Can anyone count the number of french fries? hahahahahaha

Anyways soooo.... now I am in Borongan Zone in Borongan on the  Samar Island. I am switching languages again and going to Waray waray.... everyone says the waray here is different sooooo SUPER excited to start this process over again (=. Grateful the Lord is in charge and not me. My new companion is Sister Stoehr but it is pronounced as "steer". She is 19 and from Colorado and is the batch right after me in the field. She is quieter and sweet. I'm excited to work with her! I am living in an apt and tonight I hope we will be able to figure out where our area is. Umm.... yep, that about covers what I know. Hahaha

A small glimpse of what lots of the Samar still looks like. We went through some areas that were just completely desolate and I'm sorry I was still in awe when we were driving through so I didn't take pictures. But that's a small glimpse. I love Tacloban Mission!!

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a missionary. I just love everything about it. I love how much I feel empowered with my badge on. As if it gives me the right and authority to do silly things I mean... things that I would not normally do. Approach people I would not normally approach, or just whip out a message of salvation in the first 3 minutes I meet someone because I am wearing my badge. I LOVE THAT! This might be weird but I even sleep with it on because I just don't ever want to forget who I am and my purpose. I love the perspective you gain as a missionary. I was talking to my last companion about this and you know that silly question people always ask when you are an RM... "so how was your mission?" RM's always look at you with this look of what exactly are you wanting me to say to that? How can I possibly sum up all that in one answer and I'm figuring it out. The mission is the best and the hardest thing ever. Why? I get why it's the best, but why is it hard? You are a servant of the Lord, you have power and you know your purpose... why should your life be hard at all? I honestly believe that every second of being a missionary is a battle. There are forces that we are fighting that I never really experienced or realized before coming out here. It's not really possible to explain in words- but it's on a different level. Like PMG (Preach My Gospel) says, we are literally set apart from the world, from the crude and vulgar to a higher plain of thought, (something like that) and its true. We have this inner spiritual battle every minute, submitting our human will to the will of the Father. How great and marvelous is His work! How thrilled and blessed I am to be on the front lines of this spiritual battle. How grateful I am that my parents taught me my whole life HOW to put on my armor. I love my Savior with all my heart. I know He lives and He lives to do the will of the Father, as should we all. I love the Book of Mormon and know that as we strive to study it with real intent we will be given literal power to overcome the adversary- to have an eternal perspective- power to do the will of the Father. I love you all and pray for your happiness and safety. Please be Safe!

Love,

Sister Ralph