One last photo this week!

Our Area in Manat.  Mostly water covered in Lillies.

Baptisms!!!

Hello and Merry Christmas!!! Every day it gets more and more Christmasy over here...

This week has been another wonderful wonderful week.  We started the week with going to hundred island sisters to study with them. There are so many cute new sisters in our zones. Sister Lao from Utah. Ssiter Gustaphson from New Hampshire. And sister Fronk from Utah.....They are all so so great! Of course some have culture shock but they are excited and ready to work! We have been traveling almost everyday this week to meet them all and study with them. We wake up early almost everyday.  I dont know how we do it!

We studied in hundred islands just to check and see how they are. They are so far away sometimes we don't have much contact. but we try to make it out to see them at least twice a transfer. They are all doing great. Their area is so beautiful! When we travel there we get to see the beach and the waves crashing on the rocks....I want to come back and vacation here.

We also studied with another new sister, Sister Roberts from Idaho. She is so amazing! She is a convert and the only member in her family. She is having some struggle adjusting but she is relying on the Lord. Working with the new sisters has given me much time to ponder on my first days in the mission. I have thought about how I felt then and how I feel now. I realized how much of a miracle it is that I made it through those first few transfers!!! I thought I was dead! It is so hard. I am so grateful I was able to experience that. I just remember feeling so alone in my own little world. I didn't feel like myself. I was questioning why I chose to come here in the first place...but I remember I knew one thing was sure and that was My testimony of this church and of Jesus Christ. I really have learned to rely and trust in the Lord. This would never be possible without his help. He is the reason me and all the missionaries are still here. He is my strength. 

This week ended with the baptism of sweet sister Glyzel. She really is the sweetest little girl I have ever met. Her parents were less active then returned and now their daughter was baptized. She said she felt so happy afterward and she is so excited for her older brothers to be baptized next. Even though she is only 11 years old, she really gets emotional and feels the spirit so strongly when she talks about her family being eternal one day. I know this is the start of great things for the Carrera family, this is the start of their journey to salvation.

 

 

Glyzel and her Sister

Next week naman there is another baptism! This is the baptism of sister Ronna! She was interviewed yesterday and found worthy for baptism. She is 22 and looking forward now to a temple marriage in the near future ;)

We have a great new investigator named sister Jonna. She comes to church regularly and wants to be baptized! She sells meals and snacks to tricycle drivers. We went last night to teach her and ended up helping her for her next day of business. We wrapped grated Kamote in banana leaves to be boiled....not sure what kamote is in english...it is a root crop. very yummy and healthy...I think! it is great to serve! Because of our service we were able to meet the husband of sister. Maybe next time we will be able to share with him! I love this work!!!

I have not gotten any letters from you yet mom. got one from rach. Can't wait to see the package! I usually just here from you and Rachel and grandma Stapp :) tell everyone that I love them!!! and I mean everyone....

thank you for taking care of Kara! I trust her in your care :) tell her I really love her and she is a strong woman! I think she should serve a mission...hmmmm :)))) I just think everyone should serve. We learn so so much while serving others and serving the Lord.

I am so happy to hear about your Halloween celebrations. For our Halloween which is nov 1 and 2 we had early curfew. We came home at 6 because the streets get pretty crazy! It is the Fiesta of the patay. or day of the dead. They party at the cemetery. we just partied at home....well we partied the way missionaries do and wrote in our journals!!! ha!!! I am really trying these last few months to be more diligent at my journal. 

I am so grateful to be here and to still have time to serve the Lord in his great and marvelous work. 

  I love you all!!!

Sister Stapp

 

Last Week!  Oct 28th.  Catching UP!!

Helloooooo!!!!

Hello everyone another week went by!!! goodness...how do we stop time. haha!

It is fast as lightning for real. Pero I am having such a great week. 

We had exchanges with some sisters in lingayen. It is awesome to be able to exchange so much and see new areas and learn new things. Recently me and sister velasco have just been learning about how to be a leader. We really are striving to be exactly obedient in all things and be an example to others. It is so important here to be obedient even in the little things like turning the lights off at 10:30 and waking up at 6:30. just the little things. if we are obedient I know miracles will happen. I have seen miracles happen!!!

This Nov.2 a miracle will happen. Little Glyzel (11) will be baptized. She is so so cute. She is the daughter of Bony and Gloria Carrera. They had been inactive for more then 17 years. Now they are so active!!! they are seeing the Blessings from church attendance and reading the scriptures. Sister Glyzel even though she is so young she gets teary eyed when she thinks of her family one day being eternal. She is so happy her parents have returned to church and that she can now be baptized. Sister Glyzel will be an example to her older Brothers who are not yet members. 

So if your wondering.......No I am not transferred!!! yess I am now starting 6th transfer in this area!! haha! it is a long time but I am so so so sooooooooo happy. I just love this area it is my home just like my first area was. I know I am supposed to be here still. Everyone was surprised. I gave a farewell talk in sacrament and everything. But the members are happy also that I stayed. They are all so sweet I wish you could meet them. speaking of speaking in church, to answer moms question. I have spoken so far three times since i have been in Manat Branch and not sang yet. I want to sing but I dont know how to bring it up. I feel boastful. haha! I cant really sing anyway I have had a cough for a while. it is going away not though so dont worry. I think me and sister adasme will sing at sister Glyzels baptism :) 

We have a new house mate! My dear sitster baluyot that has been my housemate for 7 months was transferred. Now we have sister Davidson! She is from Australia and so so cute. excited kami na get to know her better this transfer.  

Also to answer your questions again, sister velasco is younger than me in the mission. She goes home in April. Basically no one is older than me in the mission now and they all remind me everyday! I have a feeling me and sister Velasco might be together forever...I am OK with that! she is a blessing to me really. She is very organized and thinks of the details which I still struggle with. She helps me to improve each day and be more Christ like. 

Today I read in my personal study in Jacob 4:10 it says there "seek not to counsel the lord, but to take counsel from his hand." I thin this is something we can strive to better each day in our personal prayers day and night. Sometimes I find myself just asking and asking for things to go my way. we really need to pause and think and listen to what the Lord is saying to us through his holy spirit. I know he is just waiting to counsel us. he knows what is best, we don't always know what is best. If we show our humility and fill our prayers with thanksgiving we will be led by the spirit to know what to ask for. 

Well that is about it!!! Sorry my emails are short but I just love you all I love missionary work! I love the Phils!! I love Jesus Christ! I know he lives and I know he is our savior!

Mahal ko kayong lahat at pinagdadasal din ko kayo araw araw! 

Ingat kayo lagi!!!

Sister Stapp

From Oct. 21st!


Hello one and all! This p-day is the best!!! we had a zone activity where we made burgers! Well....elder hanneman did. His family owns a restaurant in Hawaii and he made the best biggest yummiest burgers! They kind of took a long time but is was soo so worth it. I am hoping to send you a pic but it might have to wait till next week :(

 

 

This week was so great! Best week ever!!! I got to see my anak sister stokes and sister palmer!!!! my mtc companion! it has been over a year since I have seen her!!! We foreigners all went to Urdaneta to get fingerprinted. me and sister palmer talked and talked and talked. We are excited to continue talking on the plane ride home.

We had the privilege of working with many members. The members in our branch are catching the wave one by one. Each week it seems that we have one more member that is ready and willing to work. This week we worked with members that introduced us to some of their closest friends. It was really amazing to see the difference between finding a new investigator from a street contact and finding one through a member. Members make all the difference! The people we met have really been prepared and feel the Love  they already have support from the members. We had 19 new investigators this week I wish I had time to tell you about every one! I will update you on those that progress. 

This week I hit my 15 month mark and i cannot believe it! But despite the time moving fast I am not getting trunky! I will work harder until the end! Sister Velasco and I are really stretching ourselves these past few weeks and we have been worn out!  We love it though. We find so much joy in this work. I know we are companions for a reason and I know I am here on a mission for a reason. Today we had a zone devotional and one elder spoke about what we can offer to the Lord. He talked about how we all need to offer our whole soul to the Lord and also we all have different talents and abilities to offer. Sometimes we might think we are inadequate or not qualified. sometimes we might compare ourselves to others and think they can do it better. But we really should not do that! It is impossible to compare ourselves to others because we are all individuals that are so different from each other! Our heavenly father loves us for who we are and for what we can offer. So let us offer him everything we have. Let us be humble and not selfish. Let us not hold back from the lord becuse we think we are unable or we think we are weak. We are all strong and powerful!

I love you all sorry this is short!!!

Sister Stapp