Sunday, November 22, 2015

I cannot believe that Sister Leausa has been gone for four months today. She left for the MTC on July 22, 2015. I asked her about it today when we exchanged emails and she said "The time is flying by! I feel like I just entered the MTC last week.  haha!

She also mentioned that transfers were coming up tomorrow. If they are to be transferred, they will get a call tomorrow night so she does not know yet if she will stay or move to a new area. When I asked her if she wanted to transfer this is what she told me, "No, I want to stay in my area for one more transfer. I love my investigators!!"

She says that the work is hard but very rewarding. She loves what she is doing and knows that all of her hard work and dedication will pay off in the end.

Until next week....

"Sister Devi and I were walking to an appointment, and saw this guy getting mangoes out of the tree, so of course I wanted to try and.....I GOT 2!!!!"

"One of our investigators gave birth, Sister Rea Ylagan. We have all been waiting for this baby forever!  He is so cute!! Francis DeLan Ylagan"

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Another busy week for Sister Leausa and Sister Devi. Sister Leausa did not have enough time to write a weekly email but she was able to send these wonderful pictures.

"I made my first PI dish, sinigang! It's my favorite."

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Grabe! Malapit tayo sa December!

I can't believe its already November! :) I've seriously been slacking on my "weekly emails." MY BAD. So much has happened  in the last two weeks. So much that I can't remember it all. My days are all mashed together here. What I do know, though, is that the work is definitely hastening. And that's all that matters. I hope this email gets to all of you in the best of health and happiest of spirits.

So, the other night Sis. Devi and I were on our way home from our last appointment and we were talking about how stinky, sweaty and sticky we were (life in the PI). The next morning during personal study, I was thinking about always being stinky, sticky and sweaty and I related it to missionary life.

The 3 S's of Missionary Life:

Stinky: In one of our district meetings, our DL mentioned this quote, "our attitudes are the aroma of our hearts." Having a positive attitude changes EVERYTHING. Having a positive attitude about praying and reading the scriptures will create a love for them. As missionaries, we have to be positive and have an eternal perspective about everything. Our investigators might not progress the way WE want them to, but I am sure they are progressing in the way THE LORD wants them to. And, really, in the end, that is all that matters.  Everything happens in His time. We might not always smell so sweet (LOL) but our attitudes and the "aromas" of our hearts need to be.

Sticky: We want our investigators to "stick" to the gospel. We want them  to keep their commitments so that their relationship with Heavenly Father will strengthen; so that their desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized will increase.

Sweaty: If we are not sweating, we are not working hard enough! If we aren't sweating that means we are not getting to enough appointments; we are not giving our best to share the gospel with everyone we can in that day. And, those who are not hearing the gospel are not receiving the blessings that come from it, the blessings we know that they need. Everyone needs the gospel. If we are not getting to everyone that we need to, people are getting "left behind."

"Ohana means Family. Family means NOBODY gets left behind."

Being a missionary is by far my favorite thing in the world. Being stinky, sweaty and sticky before I came on my mission used to bug me like crazy. But, when looking at it as a missionary....it has a totally different meaning.

Navubuhay sina Jesucristo at Diyos! Mahal ko po ang ebanghelyo nila. Alam ko po ang simbahan ni Jesucrito mg mga banal sa mga huling araw ay totoo. Mahal na mahal ko kayong lahat at nagpapasalamat ako para sa inyong support at pagmamahal. :)

I love this work so much and am so blessed to be a servent of the Lord. I hope and pray that you will have an amazing week.

Sis. Leausa

So glad she received her package from home.

Sister Kathleen Leausa and Elder Esaia Soifua
Second cousins serving together in Quezon City. 

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Hi Mama,

This week has been a loooong, rough one. I don't think my body has ever been this tired. Whew!

Sister Devi and I visited Mama Lourdes yesterday and found out that she has fluid in her lungs and heart. This news totally broke my heart. I can only imagine the pain she is in. I remember the first night that we found out about how serious her health problems were I prayed so long and hard for her before I went to sleep. I cried soooo hard and prayed that she would get better and then in the middle of my prayer, I felt selfish. How could I ask my Heavenly Father  to keep her here when I know how much she is suffering?

Whenever I see Mama Lourdes, my day instantly becomes better and I was thinking to myself, how am I ever going to get through my rough days here if Heavenly Father takes her away from me? So now when I visit her I take every opportunity that I can to build a relationship with her and share the gospel with her. I know that she might not have time to accept the gospel here on earth, so I know I have to do all I can to prepare her for the missionaries on the other side.

Mom, I love this woman so much and I have no idea where this love has come from. All I know is that I love her and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to get to know her. She truly is a blessing.

I absolutely love being a missionary and all of the experiences that I am having. I know for a fact that if I wouldn't have come on my mission that I would have been another lost soul. My Heavenly Father's love for me amazes me. I am so extremely grateful for all the blessings He blesses me with.

I love and miss you guys so much. I can't wait to hear from you next week. 

Sister Leausa