Normal? Week 56

Well I am very glad to say this week has been fairly normal! 'Normal' as in running water, electricity, no robbers, showering in my own house, and a happy companion. And a new camera (thank you mom and dad for sending me money!!!). I didn't know that those would be such great sources of joy, but after these last few weeks, I don't think I could ask for anything more. It's definitely more fun in the Philippines.

Monday night we had an F.H.E. with a cute little recent convert family from December and then we headed to Cabuyao for exchanges. Sometime in the night in Cabuyao the electricity came back and we woke up to the other sisters in the house screaming with excitement and turning all the lights on. Haha it was quite exciting. I guess that Monday night though the water and electricty came back on in Canlubang too, so I returned home Wednesday morning to a normal functioning house again. It was a huge blessing!!

This week was full of ups and downs in our work. We are really just turning our focus to members. That has brought some miracles and some trials, but we generally have great support from our ward. I think there has been a lot of stress from these last couple weeks. Plus, on Monday night we got some bad news that one of the member's houses was burned pretty much to the ground Sunday night. They said that one of their neighbors left a candle burning and then went out. They had locked their house. Within 5 minutes there were billows of smoke coming from the house and then the winds picked up and carried the fire 2 houses over to the members house. Everything they own was destroyed. Everything! During week the ward came together and started gathering toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, blankets, clothes, under clothes, etc. to give to this family. It was just heart breaking. 

We went over to the remains of their house and just swept up the charcole and tried to clean up the floors. they still have a foundation to their house and are talking of rebuilding there, so we just went and started to clean it up for them. 

They are living right now with their family of 8 and another family of 5 in the Barangay's senior citizen meeting house and they hate it. We are hoping the ward will be able to round up some supplies to help them rebuild their house.

I just can't believe all this destruction in just a small amount of time. I have noticed though that because it is affecting everyone, people are coming together more and more. People I feel are kinder and more open when we talk to them. In the midst of these trials, there are a lot of miracles coming I feel.

We had a great day at church yesterday and had 3 of our investigators there! Our ward did a great job of fellow shipping them and just talking to them and helping them feel welcome! One of those investigators  is about to turn 16 but already has an 'asawa'  (husband) but they definitely are not married. We visited her Saturday night and the lesson was great! She had read the pamphlet we left and had prayed and was so interested the whole time. At the end of the lesson I really wanted to invite her to be baptized, but we knew we needed to go over the law of chastity first, plus she is super young. We just invited her to church and she accepted!!

 The next day she came and volunteered to say the prayer in Sunday school and was commenting the whole time and just so involved. At the end of our meetings, she said she just loved church and loved how she felt! It was such a blessing.

We were able to meet with some members and share a message with them about missionary work. We decided that we just want to slowly help our members give referrals, so they feel more confident in sharing the gospel with their friends, and we really felt the spirit as we invited them to pray for their specific friends. It was a really good Sunday.

We are really doing good here. of course we are always looking for new investigators and are seeing the miracles with some and struggles with others, but we are confident in our efforts and are hoping for more miracles! 

This last Thursday we went to Cabuyao for Zone interviews and had time to introduce ourselves to president and just talk to him and sister Mangum. President Mangum said that with what is happening with the trials of my mission, he felt like I am kind of like Job, everything kind of fell apart around me and I felt like the last man standing. But he said that it was because Heavenly Father knew that I could stand up under this pressure no matter what came my way. He also said that these might have come in order for me to see what I really am capable of. 

I am grateful for these trials. I am sure there are many more to come, but I am ready for them!

Love,

Sister Mecham

P.S. I got a 'trunky' text yesterday. Trunky means that you are always thinking about home and just want to pack your trunks and go home. 

But any way, the office couple sent us a text and asked for all of our information for our NOVEMBER 19TH DEPARTURE DATE. I freaked out! I can't believe that time is going so fast. I refuse to be 'trunky' though.There is still SO MUCH TO BE DONE!!

Glenda Week 55

So last weekend was pangit (ugly). Then this week was just pinaka pangit (most ugly)

.

Tuesday Typhoon Glenda came to town and kept us up all night, shut off our power and did a lot of damage to pretty much all of Laguna.

We were up around 3 am because the wind was just going CRAZY outside.By 5:30 it eased up and we slept until  6:30. We then went out to see what happened. To our shock we found leaves and debris ALL OVER the place. We went out our gate (yes still in our pajamas) and looked around some more. There were tons of trees and branches all over the place and 2 of our neighbors huge trees were completely uprooted and blocking the street. It was a mess!

 There was no damage to our house, just a little flood in the other sister's room, but nothing bad. 

Luckily Tuesday we had come home in the afternoon because the rain was SO strong. We showered and I did my laundry too. because We had handled a trash bag that had a dead cat in it! That's another story I will have to tell you in person...

It turned out to be a huge blessing for me because we have no way to do laundry at this point... and that was also our last shower till Thursday night. That shower was at a member's house because they have running water. We have had to go there every night since then to shower. And then our phone was dead for a few days but by Saturday we heard that there was another member who had electricity. We finally got our phone charged at their home.

Honestly, these last few days have been a blur. I am amazed to see how well everyone in the city responded to this. There were HUGE lines of people waiting to get water from the water district place and from places that sell mineral water. And, literally all the candles are sold out! It is nuts! It really has caused the city to come together.   There are tons of people out on the streets now and everyone just hangs out outside now. It is a very unique experience for me. 

We helped a member family on Wednesday morning clean up their house. Their roof was not strong so they had a big flood.( We went without showers that day) Then on Saturday,  the house of a family who is being taught just totally toppled over.  We went and cleaned up some of the debris from the rubble of this house. 

For some strange reason in the middle of all this, we had Zone training meeting on Wednesday afternoon in the dark church, and then transfers  Thursday morning. Why? I think at this point missionary work is so ingrained into all of us, we just keep doing the normal missionary thing, even if it means doing it by candlelight and not showering.

   

I know that I was prepared for these challenges though. I read in Ether 6 last week how the Jaredite barges were ‘tight like unto a dish’ and I think that is what happened to me this last week because I kind of feel like I have been tossed onto the sea and I am just being tossed around. Everything is definitely falling apart around me . I kind of just feel alone almost. But I know Christ is the Jaredite barge holding me in safe with his light there and all the other provisions and sources of light (the scriptures, members, my family,etc.) in with me so that I don’t get tosses out to the sea alone. 

I am incredibly grateful for the overwhelming peace I have felt these last few days. I know it is Heavenly Father easing these burdens that are on my shoulders. I am so blessed for this strength and peace I am feeling right now. I am also very glad that I am here with sister Woodruff. My mission experience has prepared me to help her get adjusted to mission life in the Philippines. I know that in one year she will be helping another sister to stay strong.

This week has been crazy and it has been really hard on our investigators too. Somehow we have found a few new ones and I feel a lot of hope.  Some people we were teaching have dropped us. We now have some time to work with the members more and help them prepare their friends for the gospel.

I really don't know what this week will bring. they are telling us there is another typhoon on the way. Woot! We are ready for it.

I love you all so much. This is the only true church and all of these pangit trials are just to make us stronger and to help us be more prepared for the time when Christ will come. 

Have a good week! and don't forget; lock your doors, buy lots of candles, GET YOUR FOOD STORAGE, and make sure those huge blue things ACTUALLY HAVE WATER IN THEM. But really. You better believe when I go back home I( am going to have the best food and water storage EVER. 

I really love you all!! Ingat po kayo!(please use caution)

Love,

Sister Mecham

The man without the shirt owns this home that blew completely over during typhoon Glenda. Our roommates are teaching him .

Damage from Glenda to our street. Our apartment is the one with the turquoise gate. 

Your crown...Princess of BANG

The sisters I serve with in Canlubang

sister Bennion arrived last Thursday

Pagnanakaw (Robbed) ! Week 54

I can honestly say I don't know what's going on right now. The beginning of this week was wonderful. Stressful for sure as we tried to visit with members and plan for our fireside on Friday. We had great lessons all week and we were really seeing miracles and progress with our investigators. 

Tuesday we had 6 lessons pretty much back to back and it was so good going to each appointment and seeing all of the investigators progressing. We had a great lesson with a woman who we met a couple weeks ago. We taught her daughter first and she came in just for the last bit, but then we taught again on Tuesday and she was able to be there for the whole lesson. The Spirit was so strong the entire time and they were so excited to have the Book of Mormon! At the end of the lesson we had her, give the closing prayer and she was just crying and was expressing so much thanks and gratitude for us. It was so good. 

The other lessons were to investigators and they were all progressing and reading the book of Mormon. One lady we gave a Book of Mormon to on Thursday,  was already in 1 Nephi 9 by the following Tuesday!! 

In another family we are teaching a mom and two teenage kids  The one is Racquel (19) and John Mark (16). We gave them a book of Mormon stories book for their little nieces and cousins, but apparently John Mark read half of it and was able to recount the whole story of Alma and Alma the younger back to us before we shared Alma 36 and talked about the Atonement. It was really such a good day. 

Wednesday and Thursday were good too.We were able to finally meet with our ward mission leader. He hasn't been able to help us much because of his job. But, he was so grateful for us and sent us a text later and said "thank you for being a blessing". 

Then Friday happened!

 It was actually really wonderful till about 4:30 pm after having found new wonderful investigators and lots of OYM's.

 We got home to get our things to take to the fireside and we realized we had been robbed!!!! They got like 20,000 pesos, which is 3 of our support for this month, plus 5,000 pesos of sister Woodruff's personal money.

The very worst is my camera.

 I think we just didn't check our other door to make sure it was locked. They probably just walked right in, got our money and my camera. It has broken my heart and I am so distracted by it. But at the same time, I have an incredible strong sense of calmness. It is very strange. I don't know why I feel so calm.

 Sister Woodruff has been stressed adjusting here and I think that getting robbed kind of put her over the top. She is doing a lot better now and was able to take a break Saturday and just stay home.

 The Sister Training Leaders and President and the Zone leaders came over and gave us a really great blessing and brought us delicious bread and NUTELLA!!! So that has helped a lot.

I am really upset still with all this other stuff. I feel like I am a  mess . But I have this huge sense of peace in my heart. I really feel like God is holding my heart in his hands and keeping the shattered mess that it is from falling all over and keeping me from totally shutting down.

In the premortal life, we accepted everything that would happen to us on this earth and we were prepared there to handle it. Why did I say yes to these ones? I don't know. But here I am.

 Sister Woodruff said that the Lord will take care of my camera and all my memories. And I believe that.  Now I need to learn to forgive the people who robbed us and keep my calm and not be so suspicious of all our neighbors.  

Elder Malit gave both of us blessings. 

 I know we have done all we can and now it is just going to take time to let the atonement heal us and to strengthen us.

 We will probably be taking a lot of extra time this week to study the scriptures and our patriarchal blessings.

I know that we are being watched over and that just like Preach my Gospel says, "all that is unfair in life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

Saturday night we were freaked out and thought they were coming again to rob us because there were men outside our gate across the street and so we thought they were planning to strike again. We stayed up anxiously holding our kitchen knives in our hands till midnight watching them get drunk. No one robbed us.

Since then I really haven't slept much. I still feel really peaceful and I know everything will work out. Sister Cassinet says there is definitely a special punishment for people who steal from the missionaries.;) 

In other news though, our fireside on Friday was amazing and our ward was so willing to participate and help each other.  Yesterday we had a good ward council. The ward is great! We have some nanay's  that are really like our moms here and we are so grateful for them!

I love you all. We will be fine.

Lock your doors:)

Sister Mecham  

1 Year in the Field?!!! Week 53 Philipinnes

"Faith in Jesus Christ can move mountains, but don't be surprised if he hands you a shovel to do it."

This is what President Mangum shared with us this past week at our zone conference with him on Friday! It was so fun to finally be able to meet him and Sister Mangum. I feel like they already fit in. He fills in the role of Mission president very nicely. I definitely like them :) I would like to send you some pictures of them, but for some reason I can't see any of my pictures when I load them onto the computer. They at least still show up on my camera. Oh the great joys of Internet shops.

Anyway. This week has been great. We had a really normal week and  normal days. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then Friday we had zone con in San Pablo again.

Sister Woodruff and I feel like we are at a mountain right now and it is huge. When President Mangum said that quote last Friday, he also said that sometimes to move that mountain, it feels like sometimes we only get a spoon to help us move it. Well I think Heavenly Father has definitely given us spoons.

 We work like crazy all day long but for some reason we are having a hard time with these investigators. 

 I know that we are getting close to finding those golden investigators. We come home totally exhausted everyday, but it feels SO GOOD!!! I love missionary work.

This transfer we have a lot of goals and are doing everything we can to get our investigators and less active members a true testimony of the book of Mormon. Sometimes this means taking a few extra lessons to read the book of Mormon and explain it, but I know it is definitely setting a more solid foundation.

It's been pretty rainy which means it gets SUPER hot then it pours and cools everything down. So that is nice. I think my sweat glands are pretty much on overdrive all the time. 

 Friday at zone conference we enjoyed the sweet air conditioning and just got to know president and sister Magnum better.

Today we also had zone pday and went to los banos and played at the university of Philippines field for a while. It was super pretty as well and I got to do more handstands, cartwheels, and back handsprings. It was fantastic! I am not looking forward to being sore tomorrow...

This week is going to be good. We are planning to work with members this week and to have a fireside to help unify us with them and them with themselves, so wish us luck!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Mecham