Well, it's been a very stressful week! On Tuesday we moved to West Campus and it has been a hard adjustment. We are living in the Raintree apartments, I live with all the sisters in my district and 4 sisters from another district in our Zone. So it's 12 girls with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Yep. We are trying to adjust. The classrooms are tiny too.. they turned apartment rooms into classrooms with white boards and desks. It's just really weird because you walk in and there's a kitchen outside of your classroom. The walls are boring and white and it's just really hard to focus. The good news about West Campus is that the food is so much better. They don't fry anything, they bake it all so it's healthier which is good. Also we can go to Brighams Landing which is close to our apartments and they have food places and a few stores I think. I haven't been there yet but we are going today!The best news is that our district didn't get split! We are only split for classes, and I live with all the sisters in my disctrict so I get to see them! I was so happy about that.This email is really boring because it was sort of a boring week, but I will share some spiritual experiences I had.With the move, everyone was having a really hard time adjusting. Espacially the Sisters. On Wednesday we had a district meeting to see how everyone was doing and we all just started crying.I was just rough because it's our 3rd week ( HALFWAY DONE!) we are feeling homesick, and we are stressed about the language. We had like a mini counsling sesh and it was really good. The Elders in my district offered to give us blessings if we wanted. I got one along with 2 other sisters. It was 2 of the elders first time giving a blessing. They were so nervous but the spirit was so strong in that room. So strong. It was so powerful. I just love the priesthood so much, it is such a great blessing to have.Last night we had class from 6 to 9 and it was so long. We got a new teacher, Brother Cohen. He is really great, he got back from the Angeles mission 6 months ago and he goes to BYU. He is a really great teacher, and investigator. He is our new investigator and we taught him last night. Although it's hard to teach in all Tagalog, the spirit is still there and it's so strong. Our investigator's name is Kenneth and he is in a wheelchair. We taught him about prayer and how we have a loving Heavenly Father. The spirit was so strong, we somehow managed to bare our testimonys in Tagalog and my companion got emotional while sharing hers. It was such a great experience. After we were done teaching, we had such a rush! It was the best :) It's the best feeling ever when you taught a great lesson and the investigator is making progress. It was a great experience.At the end of the night last night we sang my favorite Hymn- Be Still my Soul as a class. I had goosebumps the whole time. The spirit can really touch me through music, especially Hymns. It was the perfect song to end such a hard week with. I love it so much, I want to share the lyrics. Also if you have a chance look up "Be Still my Soul" by BYU Vocal Point. It's the most beautiful arrangement I have heard of this song.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Hello!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Kumusta,
Kumusta,
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SO.. big news. My zone is moving to the West Campus on Tuesday. We will be living in the Wyview apartments!. It's going to be great, West Campus has it's advantages :) We get nicer rooms, and we also have more freedoms. We can go to food places that are super close to our apartments, I think there is a Jamba Juice and a hamburger place! So it will be fun. Except we found out last night that our district is getting SPLIT... :(. NOOO, we are all so sad. We have so much fun together. Everyone just about started crying when we found out, it was so sad. I guess we just have to do what we are asked, and we will still see each other at mealtimes and in between classes so maybe it's not the end of the world.
This week has gone by so fast! The days are long but short, and the next day I can barley remember what I did the day before. It's crazy. I am learning so much every day. The Tagalog is rocky but for how long I've been here I know quite a bit which I am excited about. I can pray in Tagalog!! It's a very short prayer but still all Tagalog.. Heck Yes! We taught our Investigator Joy twice this week and it didn't go as well as planned. But we still did it in mostly Tagalog. After we taught we found out that this was our last week teaching her and that she is going to be our teacher now! She taught us on Thursday and it was really good. She is a great teacher, I really like her. Brother Ward still teaches us too. They switch off teaching during the day. Starting next week we are going to be teaching Sister Sharp (JOY) AND brother Ward. Oh how fun that's going to be. Sister Sharp is going to play a new investigator.
I had some great experiences this week. For some reason I was super homesick. Super homesick. I was fine for the most part and then I got a Dear Elder from Jess and I just started bawling while reading it. I guess had a breakdown or something, it was so embarrassing. My district is so great, right away they were helping me and my district leader Elder Divver offered to give me a blessing of comfort. I got a blessing and I felt so peaceful afterwards. I love the Priesthood. I know that it is so powerful, I am so grateful for that. Then last night after we found out from brother Ward that we were going to get split we were all sort of angry and grumpy. We didn't start class for awhile and Brother Ward just counseled us on how we need to be obedient. We finally started class and we were learning about sentence structures. It was going great for a few hours and then towards the end we were all so confused and just not getting anything. Brother Ward decided that we needed to stop class and just have personal scripture study. He encouraged us to say a prayer before we read. I did and I just opened my scriptures to a random page and I came to D&C 84:87-88. It is literally talking to missionaries. It gave me so much comfort and it made me think why I am really here. It was such a great experience. The scriptures are the answer to everything! I know that for a fact. If you are struggling, then go to the scriptures. Trust me.
Other than that my week was just the same old schedule. Eat, have class, study, eat, have class, more studying, eat, more studying, sometimes gym, and more class!! Sound kinda horrible but it's really not that bad. The food isn't that bad either. It just depends on the day. Last night we got Pizza from Papa Johns! It was so good. Also I'm pretty sure I've gained a few pounds because they have BYU creamery ice cream with so many toppings. It's so good. They also have brownies that are to die for. I pork out when they have those.
Also everyone should make use of DearElder.com it's so great. You go to that website and you can write me a letter and they will print it off and give it to me the next day! I love getting letters.. (hint hint).
The sisters in my district are so funny. We were just messing around this morning and we came up with this song. It's not completely finished yet but it's to A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton.
Here it is. (Pito means 7, Ako means I, intindihan means understand)
Pito Miles
By Sister Romano, Sister Jensen, and Sister Chancellor
making my way to class
walking fast, faces pass
and I'm smiling
danananan nananananna .......
staring blankly ahead
at brother Ward
at brother Ward
drawin' a blank
dananananan nananannana......
danana nananana the food's gross
danana nanananan I really miss home
danana nananana and now I wonder...
If I can speak in Tagalog
do you think they
will intindihan
cause you know I'd fly
pito thousand miles
If I could just teach them
the truth
dananannn...... nanan....
ako, ako just wanna
let them know
ako, ako know that
God loves them
ako, ako won't ever
let them down
ako, ako won't.
Anyways... it's stupid but we were laughing so hard while writing it! Just thought I'd share :)
Oh yeah last Sunday we had a devotional and the speaker showed us some clips from the movie called Ephriam's Rescue. Go see it, it will change your life. It's like 17 Miracles so it's guaranteed that you will cry. I think he said that it comes out on DVD on the 24th or something. Go buy it!
Mahal Kita,
Sister Chancellor
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Sunday, September 15, 2013
Kamusta Pamilaya!
So, I survived my first week at the MTC! It was SO great. Seriously, I love the MTC so much. I never want to leave! haha, just kidding. When I got here right away I felt the spirit so strong, and when I put my name tag on it was the greatest feeling ever! All new missionaries get to have a big orange dot on their name tag on their first day. We call it the "dork dot" because everyone and their dog says hello and welcome and how can I help you?. It was great though, I felt so special and loved!
My companion is sister Vandiver she's 21 and she is from Washington. She is really nice, although we don't really have much in common. We don't really "click" but we still make it work. It's all good. I love my district, we have so much fun together. The elders are HILARIOUS! They always make our day. They will translate songs into Tagalog and then attempt to sing it. The first day of class they did Taylor Swift 22 and it was just a bunch of jibberish and then we hear twweenntyyy twwooo! In what we think was a filipino accent. So funny. All the sisters just about died laughing!
Tagalog is so hard! The first day our teacher spoke not one word of english and it was crazy. I feel like a little kid because my teacher will keep repeating things and we just give him a blank stare. It's great. My teacher is brother Ward and he is amazing. He served in Manila and got back 2 years ago. He is really good at explaining things to me because I never understand anything he says. I am starting to recognize words and my companion and I have made it a goal that by next Saturday we will be able to pray in Tagalog. It's hard but I know that we can do it. We have so much studying time during the day.. my brain literally hurts. haha. But seriously.
Thursday we were able to meet our Branch president, President Anderson. He is a great man so full of the spirit and love for missionaries. He and his counselors spoke to us and they gave us great insight. Friday we had class and we taught our first lesson to our investigator. We were studying all day and planning what we were going to say and then brother Ward says we can't have any notes. Pierce to the heart. So pretty much it went horrible. The second we walked in I forgot EVERYTHING! It was so bad. We ended up just reading some scriptures and reading from the Plan of Salvation panphlet in very poor Tagalog. It was so embarrassing, but I know that it will just get better as I learn more Tagalog. Except for the fact that we are teaching her everyday except Sunday.
Saturday is my P-day so my district is going to the temple today and I am so excited. It was so nice to have P-day today because after 3 days I thought I was going to kill over. But I will "make it to Sunday". I actually haven't cried at all since I have been here. I think it's because I am so busy that I don't have time to sit around and mope about my old life. Which is a good thing because I absolutely LOVE being here. I have already learned so much and I am so grateful to be a missionary.
Sorry that this email is short and not very detailed, I can't really remember what I did the last few days because I am so tired. Now hopefully I can figure out how to upload pictures.
Love,
Sister Chancellor
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Farewell Talk
Good Morning
Everyone,
Just as
Brother Bentley just said, I have been called to serve in the Philippines
Urdaneta Mission, Tagalog speaking and I am very excited. Although my initial
reaction when I read my call was… OH CRAP! What have I got myself into?! But I
know that I have been called there for a reason, and today I am going to talk
to you about faith and missionary work.
So, what
exactly is missionary work? Missionary work means “to share the gospel of Jesus
Christ by word and by example”. The Lord has declared that missionary work is
the responsibility of all who follow him. Missionaries teach from the Preach My
Gospel book and I’d like to share some things that are mentioned from the book
to help us better understand missionary work. First of all it says that our
purpose as a missionary is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them
receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement,
repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the
end. Not only do we have a purpose, but we also have accountability as
missionaries to ourselves, Heavenly Father and the people who we are serving. Our ability to touch others with the voice of
truth is so powerful. There is no greater decision in life than to come unto
Christ and receive his covenants.
There is a
paragraph in Preach my Gospel that I love I think it helps us put into
perspective the eternal purpose of missionary work. It says “You are surrounded
by people. You pass them on the street, visit them in their homes, and travel
among them. All of them are children of God, your brothers and sisters. God
loves them just as much as he loves you. Many of these people are searching for
purpose in life. They are concerned for their families. They need the sense of
belonging that comes from the knowledge that they are children of God, members
of his eternal family. They want to feel secure in a world of changing values.
They want “peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come”. But they
are “kept from the truth because they know not where to find it”.”
There are so
many unhappy people that have not yet found the truthfulness of the gospel.
Some might be looking for it and are lost because they don’t know where to
look. That’s where we come in. Missionary work is so important, but it can be
very hard. I believe that it can be especially hard for those who aren’t actual
“missionaries”. I think that missionaries have somewhat of an advantage because
that is what they are devoted to, and it’s easier for them to go up to random
people and hand out a Book of Mormon and it’s completely normal. Whereas if a normal person did that people
might think that’s very weird. I know that I personally haven’t been the best
missionary that I know I can be. I have had several opportunities where I could
have shared my testimony of the gospel and I didn’t because I was too scared
and I was especially scared of what the outcome might be if it didn’t go well. I
am definitely not someone who will just go up to random people and start
talking, let alone my religious beliefs. So, I just tell myself that it’s weird
and no one does that anyways. YEAH, I’m gonna have to get over that real fast.
But I’ve
also come to realize that faith plays a huge part in missionary work. If we are
going to do missionary work, then we need to have faith in what we believe.
Alma 32:21 says “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore
if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true”. Having faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ
brings us knowledge of things which are true. We need to have faith in not only
missionary work, but in all things. If we do then we will be blessed. I think
one of the greatest examples of faith was Joseph Smith. As a young boy in 1820,
Joseph wanted to know which church he should join. His mother and father both
professed faith in God and Christ but participated in two different faiths.
This was very confusing to the 14 year old. As he searched the Bible for help,
he read “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men
liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him”. Acting on this
counsel, Joseph went into the woods near his home and offered up his most
fervent prayer. In his own words he describes, “I saw a pillar of light exactly
above my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until
it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose
brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of
them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, “This
is my Beloved Son, Hear Him.” When Joseph asked which church he should join,
the Savior told him to join none of the churches then in existence because they
were teaching incorrect doctrine. Through this experience and many others that
followed, the Lord chose Joseph to be His prophet and seer and to restore the
gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church to the earth. As Joseph Smith proved his
worthiness, he was given a divine mission as a prophet of God. Through him, the
Lord accomplished a great and marvelous work that included bringing forth the
Book of Mormon, restoring the holy priesthood, revealing precious gospel
truths, organizing the Church of Jesus Christ, and re-establishing temple work.
I know that Joseph Smith was a chosen prophet and called of God to restore the
gospel on the earth today. It took 117 years until 1947 for the church to grow
from the initial 6 to one million. Today we have 14,782,473 members worldwide,
29,014 congregations, 58,990 missionaries, 347 missions, most importantly,
there are 141 temples worldwide. What a
great success our church has had and still continues to have to this day. And
it all started with a man named Joseph Smith.
Now
missionary work does not mean that you have to go on a mission. The Lord needs
us to be missionaries every day in the things we are doing such as school,
places of employment, communities, and even families. Elder Neil L. Anderson says “If you are not a
full time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the
time to paint one on your heart”. I think regardless of age, experience or
stage in life, we are all missionaries. It’s not easy sharing the gospel. But when we
do, our faith is tested and I know that we become stronger. I would encourage everyone to try and start
with small and simple things and try to become the missionaries that we have
been called to be.
I have come
up with 3 categories to help us remember what we can be doing in our lives and
with missionary work. They are
1.) DO GOOD
2.) LOVE GOD
3.) SERVE HIM
Mosiah 2:16
says “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may
learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the
service of your God”.
When we
serve others we serve God. How sacred is
that.
There is a
talk about missionary work in the Philippines, given by Augusto A. Lim that I’d
like to share. It was quite a while ago, so the numbers might be off a little.
But I’d like to share a few things from it. He says “The restored gospel was
first introduced by Latter-day Saint servicemen and women while serving in the
Philippines near the end of World War II, but missionary work officially
started in the Philippines (from the records of the Southern Far East Mission)
on April 28, 1961, when Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the Council
of the Twelve Apostles, met with a small group of members at the American War
Memorial Cemetery in the suburbs of Manila to offer a prayer invoking the
blessing of the Lord on the missionary work in the Philippines. Before giving
his prayer, President Hinckley, in a brief talk, made this prophetic statement:
“What we begin here will affect the lives of thousands upon thousands of people
in this island republic, and its effects will go from generation to generation
for great and everlasting good.” A few days after that historic meeting, the
first four full-time missionaries arrived from the Southern Far East Mission
based in Hong Kong. From a handful of members in 1961, the Church in the
Philippines has since grown at a remarkable rate, now increasing by more than
two thousand members per month. As a result of close correlation by the
full-time missionaries and members, membership is now three hundred thousand
distributed in forty-eight stakes, sixty-five districts, and thirteen missions.
Five of the thirteen mission presidents and all the eight regional
representatives, all stake and district presidents are now native Latter-day Saints.
Sixty to 70 percent of the more than two thousand full-time missionaries now
laboring in the field are also native Latter-day Saints. And now, standing
majestically in an elevated grounds overlooking a valley where hundreds of
thousands live in the heart of Metro Manila, is the Manila Philippines Temple.”
I’d like to
point out that the Philippines now has 3 temples. The Cebu city temple was
built in 2010 and in October 2010 they announced that another temple was going
to be built in Urdaneta City. I am very excited about this news and hopefully I
will be able to be there for the groundbreaking of the Urdaneta temple. The
temple is a very special place. I know that they are the house of the Lord. I
am so grateful to have them here on the earth. It’s one of the closest places
we can be to our Heavenly Father.
I’d like to
share one last quote from Brother Lim’s talk. He says…
“We are also
witnessing the literal fulfillment of the prayers and blessings for the people
of our land given by President Hinckley that lovely April morning in 1961. Many
thousands have been touched by the Spirit as the gospel message is brought to
many homes by committed missionaries, with the help of members who willingly
share the blessings of their Church membership. We are often asked the reasons
behind this phenomenal growth in membership. After three years of working
closely as mission president with these young, devoted, upright, and virtuous
missionaries, I am humbled and grateful for the good they do. These young ambassadors
of the Lord leave the comfort of home and the companionship of loved ones and
go to foreign lands or places far from home, bearing strong testimonies of the
Savior, teaching the gospel with faith and sure knowledge of its truthfulness.
My testimony has been strengthened as I see the great effort of missionaries
to, among others, overcome homesickness, adapt to new environment, new customs,
new languages, which they must learn, and food so different from Mother’s
home-cooked meal, in their noble desire to proclaim the gospel to the world.”
I know that
missionary work is real. It’s our duty to share the gospel with others and to
bring them unto Christ. And although going on a mission is a great blessing to
others, we can be missionaries every day. We don’t need to go to a foreign
country to share the gospel. We can do it right now, and share it to those who
are desperately seeking the truth.
In closing, I
would like to share a poem called “So You’re Going on A Mission” it expresses
very much how I feel. It goes like this…
So you’re
going on a mission?
Seems pretty
odd to me.
What about
school and dating?
Won’t you
miss your family?
I have
chosen to serve a mission,
Not an easy
thing to do...
But I want
to share the happiness I feel
Because I
know this gospel is true.
That’s a
pretty big decision,
How did you
decide that you should go?
Studying the
scriptures, fasting, and prayer to my Heavenly Father
That is how
I came to know.
You must
have been pretty nervous
Not knowing
where you’d be sent.
I put my
faith in God,
I knew I
would be serving wherever I was meant.
The feeling
I got when I read my call is something that won’t be forgot,
I can’t wait
to be in the Philippines, I know I’m needed there….a lot!
Eighteen
months is so long and you’re so young….isn't there something that you’d rather
do?
No, I’d
rather help others understand eternal life… this knowledge I highly value.
How will you
teach? There is so much to know!
This is
sounding hard, Tagalog (ta-gol-ic) is pretty tough.
I’m sure it
won’t be easy….being a missionary can be rough,
But I’ll
start with my testimony and desire to serve, and I think that that’s enough!
But no
swimming or skiing?
What a
sacrifice to make!
There are
many who gave much more than this,
My savior
made the ultimate sacrifice giving his life for my sake.
I am so
grateful for his selflessness,
and strive
to be more like he.
I am honored
that to help bring others unto Christ
My father
has enlisted me.
I think I
understand now,
why a
mission you’re choosing to serve....
Knowledge of
Christ, his atonement, and our father above
Is something
everyone does deserve!
I want to be
a part of this,
I want to
help others too!
Where do I
start? How can I share?
What do I
need to do?
You do not
need to wear a name tag to serve our God above,
The best way
to serve his children is to show them Christ like love!
I want to
end by sharing my testimony that I know this church is true with all my heart. I
am so grateful for the gospel and the blessings it has had in my life. I know
that it was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith so that we could have it
on the earth today. I know that Heavenly Father knows each one of
us and he has a plan for us. I know that he died for our sins so that we could
have the atonement in our lives. I know that we have a prophet on the earth
today who leads and guides our church and receives revelation for us. I am so
grateful for the happiness that being a member of this church has brought me. I
know that missionaries are called of God to the place where they are needed,
and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to serve and share my love for
the gospel to the people of the Philippines. I am also so grateful for my
family and the support and love they show me every day. I love them so much and
I am going to miss them terribly. But I know that I will be blessed for my
service. I’m especially grateful for my brother who was the best example I
could have had for a missionary. I’m so grateful for his service. I love him so
much. I know this gospel is true and I am so grateful to be a member of this
church. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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