WEEK 60: Tender Mercies

Hello to you all! Well, it's been one of the best weeks I've had here in Ligao....haha and then I found out I was transferring! So this will be short since we are pretty busy. But, I will update you all on my last few days here :) 

#1 - Well, this week was a testimony builder for me for sure.  The Lord was good to us. We saw SO MANY tender mercies in HIS work this week. Let's go through them real quick:

Tuesday, we received a referral from the members. We contacted it the next day when we went to that area. She was SO RECEPTIVE. To the point where she asked us how she can become a member of our church because of the way she said she feels when she goes to church. We taught baptism and she accepted for November 22nd! :)

#2 - After we taught her, we asked if she had any people that we could also share with to help them come feel the happiness she feels at church. She then gave us another referral! So we contacted that one, and it ended up being a family of TEN that are so so so incredibly receptive!!!!! It was the coolest thing. When we contacted the referral, all of them were home so we were able to teach them right then and there!!!! Some of them even came to church yesterday. It was SO GREAT! We have a return appointment with them later. 

#3 - I ate a peanut butter sandwich for the first time IN MY LIFE this week. Who would have thought I had to come all the way here to the Philippines to eat peanut butter? It was actually good!!

#4 - This week we ate dinner at the same families house like every other day. S/O to the Llanera's. THEY ARE AWESOME and will be blessed! It made our days go so much better because we didn't have to go all the way home to eat!

#5 - We had another super successful service with the evacuees! If you have heard, the Mayon hasn't erupted yet, so they are still there. This time we took a different approach on it and taught them by room. There are about 50-60 people in each room and they are stuck in there like all day. They aren't allowed to leave because the government doesn't want them to go back to the danger zone where their houses are. The teaching was awesome and even though there were so many of them, the Spirit was so strong. They were super receptive and anxious to learn more. I am sad I will miss it next time!

Well I could go on and on, but those were the highlights for the week. Being a missionary is awesome. I love it more and more every day! I know it's true when Nephi said:

But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

The Lord's tender mercies are really all over us. He loves us and shows His love in many different ways. I know that prayer is real. We have a way to communicate with our Heavenly Father! Isn't that awesome?!?!

Well, I will go to transfer point tomorrow and I'll find out where I go and who will be my companion! So, I'll update you all more next week :)

Hope you all are well. I challenge you all to always look for the tender mercies in our lives. They are there every day, sometimes we just don't recognize them.

LOVE YOU ALL!

Nagmamahal,

Sister Reategui

pictures:

our service with the evacuees!

 carabao selfie......yeah fail.

 

our investigator....he hasn't cut his hair since 2008!

WEEK 59: We have a LIVING PROPHET?!

Hello to another week! How are you all? I hope everyone is well. It's been an uplifting week full of good feelings. I am grateful to be a part of this work and I know that this is God's work. I feel of His help daily.

First off, CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING. I just feel so blessed to have a living prophet and apostles. It wasn't until I got here that I realized that I had always just taken that for granted. Being a missionary, I have seen the excitement that come into people's eyes when they hear, for the first time, that we have a living prophet. This week we spent almost every lesson talking about prophets. Let me just share some expressions I've gotten when telling them we have a LIVING prophet TODAY:

>"Wait, he is alive??? The 'living prophet' is ALIVE!!!!!" From a lady that has been a member for a good year. Haha then she hit her daughter and said "ANAK!" Or "Child!" There is a living prophet!!!!!! AWESOME!!!!" Hahahahaha 

>"We have a living prophet? Ah sister, THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! I FINALLY KNOW THE TRUTH!!!" - from our investigator of 2 weeks.

>Our less active that is around 80 years old: "There is a living prophet?" Me: "YES! Why do you think we have a living prophet?" Him: "Because God loves us? Me: "YES!!!!!" 

>"There is a living prophet?? I thought the last prophet was Moses!" From a lady that we just started teaching.

>"There is a prophet that is alive?? Wow, God DOES love us!!!" Said by our new investigator who was so excited to hear about our living prophet!!!!!!

Needless to say, we are blessed to have a prophet. What do you do to show your appreciation? I have an idea for you....watch Conference! Watch it and watch it and watch it again. Then watch it one more time for me.

I especially loved how much they stressed scripture study. I know that there is power in the scriptures. They scriptures are the guide to our crazy hectic lives. The Book of Mormon is true. Read it, ponder it, and pray to feel of it's truth. I know that Heavenly Father will answer you.

Well, in other news, this week I have been blessed to witness the mercy of the Lord. He is real. Honestly these past few weeks have been a tad bit challenging for me for different reasons. I felt like there was something missing in the work and found myself blaming everything...but myself. I started blaming my circumstances, my surroundings, everything, but hadn't looked inward for the solution. I quickly realized something my dad had said to me long ago was exactly what I needed to apply. He basically said, in short, "Sister Reategui, don't let other things keep you from being the best missionary you can possibly be." S/O to my Papi for his wise words.  So, I quickly realized that I need to change my attitude. I can testify to you all that Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. He knows us and just wants to help us. We must rely on Him.

Since I've been out here, one of my favorite scriptures has become Ether 12:27, which says:

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

HIS grace is sufficient for all. I have felt that as He has helped me make my weaknesses strong. We must come unto Him, as He teaches, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 

Well in other other news, we had a really great District Meeting/Interviews with President. In District Meeting, we focused on asking questions more when we teach. The Spirit was so strong in our District Meeting and was a testimony to me that we needed to really apply the things we learned. So, we did! In our lessons, we have been really trying to focus on the Spirit and ask questions that are from our Father in Heaven. I've really seen the power of this, as it helps those we teach really understand the things we share with them and apply it in their lives themselves. "People won't remember the things you say, but they will remember the way they felt." Tama talaga. NOt only in our teaching, but I have also seen the power of asking questions to myself as I study the scriptures. This is what Christ did as He taught, and He set the perfect example for all in all that He did. Well, we had the COOLEST lesson on Saturday when we fully relied on the Lord and only asked questions and testified!!!! We got there to the house of our investigator and planned to teach prophets. She hadn't really been progressing much, but had been slowly gaining a desire to read and come to church so we were still working with her. BUT, we got there and followed up on her reading and she was in 2nd Nephi chapter....31! Which is the amazing Doctrine of Christ. So we asked her about it and how she felt as she was reading it. She shared with us how much she loved it and we just kept asking questions about it. I don't even remember the exact questions we asked her because they really came from the Spirit, not my words at all. Then, all the sudden our investigator looked at us with tears in her eyes and said "Sisters, I really want to follow the example of being baptized. I think that will make me feel better about my life." OKAY PERFECT. So we extended baptism to her and she totally accepted! It was a really cool experience to say the least.

My interviews with President were really super great too. I know that our Mission President is inspired in all he does. As I told him of the things I was feeling, he said "Sister Reategui, I want you to continue to focus on being cleansed, purified, and changed by your mission. You will be used as a tool to help others time and time again. You are doing an outstanding job and I thank you for your service. I always feel safe no matter where I feel you need to be put here in the mission." AH. Exactly what I needed to hear. President Guanzon is great.

Ah, I wish I could share so much more with you all, but time is short. But here are some thoughts I loved from Conference:

--He suffered for us collectively, but also very, very individually.

--ALWAYS strengthen your conviction in Christ.

--Obedience brings us POWER

--What things does Christ's enabling power help me accomplish?

--Agency: God given gift to help us find our potential

--We must pray, then LISTEN

--Followers of Christ must be followers of His gospel

--Do the right things for the right reasons

--BE A SEEKER

--He who serves for something, is good for something. But he who serves for nothing, is good for nothing.

--Observe, then serve.

I hope you all know that you are each loved so much by our Heavenly Father. Do you feel that? Do you recognize Him in your lives? I pray that you all do. 

I love you all and hope all is well with each one of you.

Nagmamahal, 

Sister Reategui

pictures:

with my favorite tatay here, tatay Pablo. He is one spunky old man.

wahoo!!! one year in the field! the sisters totally surprised me with cake and carbonera pasta, my favorite!!!

WEEK 58....Service!!!!

Hello to you all!!! Well, I'm here again emailing and another week has passed. Time is just flying by!

Well, this week was mostly spent gaining trust with the members. We didn't have as many lessons as we usually do, but we worked hard every day and did a lot of service, so it was still time well spent :)

So I don't have much time today, but I just wanted to talk about a few of the big things that happened this week.

One day we had a HUGE service project at an elementary school with all the evacuees. These people had to evacuate their houses about a month ago because the Mayon is active. They are in the "danger zone" and live 6 kilometers away from the Mayon, so they ALL evacuated here. And I'm talking VILLAGES of whole families there staying in an elementary school. So, we were asked by our District President to go share some spiritual upliftment and play some games with them. Okay, this was the funnest project ever. They were SO grateful for us there and it felt so awesome. We played games with them and watched a movie about Christ. I even met the COOLEST little mute boy. He was the best and I felt so bad because all the little kids were making fun of him because he looks like he is just waving his hands around all the time. But, I started talking to him and found out that he can understand the things I say, and he responds by using little simple jesters since he doesn't know sign language. Hahaha so we became BFFS and I got him to go up to all the Elders there and tell them that they were smelly. We were laughing so hard. I'll send some pictures too. It was the best.

Another highlight of the week was the baptism of Fritzie! Which was also on her birthday. So it was a good day to say the least. Sister Lesa and I and the Llanera family, who were the reason she started coming to church, all sang at her baptism. By sang I mean we tried to sing as we all cried. The Spirit was so strong and I could just feel that Heavenly Father was so so happy for her and the decision she made. It was also awesome because she invited lots of her friends that aren't members and the room was super full!!! She is such a good example to me of being a missionary no matter what. Earlier, we also played basketball at the church, and she brought her whole family who aren't members! Oh man, I just love that girl.

Some other service we did:

-we helped our less active make 200 bags of popcorn!

-we washed clothes for a family of 5 by hand...no surprise there haha

-we cleaned the house of our investigators

-we swept a whole dirt yard for like an hour

Well, this week as every other, I have gained a stronger testimony of service. I know what the Lord says to us is true in Doctrine and Covenants 42:29, "If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments." He doesn't make service a commandment because He wants us to have a hard life and be forced to give everything to others, but He does it for us to simply show our love for Him.

One thing I've learned on my mission is that by losing myself in this great work, that's when I've really found myself. By doing my best to be completely focused on the people I get to serve, I have felt like the one who has really benefited. I have learned more than I ever imagined and have grown more in ways I never expected. As I have and will continue to love this work and these people, I feel like I have been the one that has felt the most love. Ah, being a missionary is just so great.

I came across the COOLEST scripture this morning that is one of my new favorites. It's found in 1 Corinthians 2:9. It says:

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."  

AH. I could just reread that and reread that. Our Heavenly Father is just so great. I know that He has a plan for us. And with our human bodies, we can't BEGIN to understand what great things He has in store for us. He has prepared so much for us. So in my scriptures by this verse I wrote the question, "what am I doing to be worthy of His plan for me?" May we all ask ourselves that question and really ponder it. Heavenly Father is just the best.

I know prayer is real. It works and our Heavenly Father is ever so mindful of us. I know He is just waiting for us to rely upon Him and trust Him in all that we do. This life may not always be easy, but He is with us every step of the way. He will never lead us.

I know that the scriptures are true. READ THEM! They bring me so much comfort in my life and I have found answers in them countless times.

This week we were also able to finally watch the Women's Broadcast. Guys it was so great so WATCH IT RIGHT NOW. I will write some of the things I liked from it here...

>Heavenly Father not only knows what is best for us, but He is anxiously waiting for us to choose what is best for us.

>God is always raining down blessings, but our sins, doubts, and fears sometimes act as umbrellas. Are we stopping blessings from reaching us?

>commandments = eternal truths. the world changes, but they don't change

>the why of obedience: love of God and fellow men, if we don't obey and serve this way, we miss out on the HEART of discipleship

>WE are HIS. And we forever will be. This brings us purpose in this life.

>Where much is required, much MORE is given.

>If you want to give your light to others, you have to glow yourself.

Well there's so much more I wish I could share, but my time is running short. 

I love you all and I am SO grateful for you all in my life.

Kapayapaan at mga biyaya (peace and blessings),

Nagmamahal,

Sister Reategui

pictures:

baptism of Fritzie! and after party for her birthday!!!

this week we had zone training.....

zone training with the batchmates!

 Ligao zone!

 sister sorenson aka the tallest sister ever!

buko!!! fresh coconut!!! we contacted a referral and then the man just said "you sisters want some coconut?" haha then climbed a coconut tree and then got some for us! i love the pines hahaha.

sister sorenson spent the night at our house! remember her from the MTC? hehe love her. we made smores!!!

service with the evacuees!!!

we asked them "Who loves Jesus Christ?" They all got so excited and raised their hands hahaha.

they love pictures. hahaha

 

my mute friend!!!

 our investigators at church!!! they even wore dresses!!! hahaha if you knew them, it's a big deal.

earlier at basketball with Fritzie and her siblings!!

WEEK 57: The work IS working!

Hello to all! Another busy week to report on and I have to say, it's impossible to give you all a sufficient report on everything that happens through out the week. But I'll do my best to give a good report :)

Monday - We had two family home evenings this week with two of our investigator/part member families!!!! The first one was for a birthday, and the other was just for fun. We were actually able to teach the family of two of our recent converts. In all missionary history, this was the FIRST time missionaries were able to share with their WHOLE family!!!! Wahoo!!! Since the focus of the mission is really on families, and not to mention the GOSPEL is totally focused on families, we have been focusing all of our efforts on FAMILIES. So, this was a little tender mercy in our work this week. Usually the father is drunk, but little by little, as we have been holding family prayer with them every few nights when we go visit them before we go home, he hasn't been drunk as often! And, last Monday, he was totally there and participated in our family home evening! And, 3 of his sons also were there! So the whole family was complete for the family home evening! And oh man, the Spirit was so strong in there. I know that families are eternal and Heavenly Father is just there helping us spread His message of hope.

Tuesday - We had exchanges this day!!! I got to go with Sister Vi, who is one of my favorite sisters here in the mission. She is so humble and there is so much I learn from her every time we work together. And we live in the same house so we are pretty close. We went to their area and our work was just so happy. There will be pictures in the emails to come after this one haha. It was a good day and we taught a lot and I got to meet a lot of really incredible people in their area.

Wednesday - This day we only taught 3 lessons which is pretty low for us, but the lessons were so powerful and the Spirit was so present in each one of them. It's crazy as a missionary because if you're really in tune with the Spirit, you can literally feel the love that Heavenly Father has for His children that we get to teach. It was really cool to see that on this day, even though we didn't teach many lessons, we literally walked ALL over our area and were able to visit with lots of people and even received a few referrals of families!

Thursday - HAAY NAKU I hit my mark of 5 months left in the mission...craziness. I don't like how fast it's going haha. We had District Meeting and that is always good and uplifting. We were able to tract and teach a few lessons as well to new investigators so that was good. Then, we were given permission to actually go into the Branch 1 area to visit the family of our investigator who is getting baptized on Saturday!!! We went to ask her fathers permission if she could be baptized. He originally told Fritzie that he didn't want her to be baptized since they are very devoted Catholics...but after many MANY prayers, guess what he said.....HE SAID YES!! She can be baptized! You guys don't even know how awesome of a moment this was!!! We were totally expecting a no. They have a long  history with the missionaries and they were actually offended a while back. And he totes gave her permission to be baptized. WAHOO!!!! And I even think they will become investigators. We were able to share a little with them and it was a great night. Power of focusing on families = yes it's real. I love this work. 

Friday - We had planning, and then we worked! We went and taught lots and we even went to Marina, who is now very happy because she has her house again! See pictures attached. At night we had dinner with the members, they prepared mashed potatoes and brown gravy and Cordon Bleu! WAHOO for American food!!! It was delicious.

Saturday - We went to our far area and taught a few families! We were able to teach one of our super progressing families. The father was even there! We happened to show up when he was just getting home from Manila and was about to leave again in just a few hours! He only comes home around once a month so that was a tender mercy also. We taught them and I'm telling you, the father is so stinkin' prepared for this gospel. It's awesome to see! He is really a truth seeker. We taught prophets and told him we have a living prophet now in our time! He was so shocked and looked at me and said "Ay thank you thank you Sister I didn't even know we had a living prophet!" Hahaha it was the best. Then at night, we taught one of my favorite families, the Federico family. The mom and one of her daughters are a member, and they have people there in the house that aren't members yet but that are so receptive. The mother has 12 kids so there is so much potential in that home!!! Love it. We taught them and invited them to church (of course) and a few of them came!! Wahoo for families!!!

Sunday - Another good Sunday. I love Sundays. Best day of the week. I was a speaker and shared about real religion. I'll share some of my thought about that later. Haha but this day a really awesome couple worked with us. The Brother is the old Branch President, and the sister that worked with us is a returned missionary. They took us to a bunch of members that we hadn't met yet in our area so that was awesome. Our lessons were so powerful and I really felt the Spirit strongly. 

Well, I'll say it again, I love this work. The work is really working and I have seen so much progression in our area this week!

This week as I was preparing for my talk, I focused on religion. So I'll share some of my thoughts here :) Read it if you're cool.

Religion = the real definition is to tie back to God.

This is the question....where are we tied back to? Are we SECURELY tied back to God? How do we show that we are tied back to God? How do we show our religion? Do we just practice it once a week if we are at church? Or, is it a part of our lives every day?

I also shared in my talk Helaman 5:12, which says 

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

If we are tied back to God and Jesus Christ, that is our foundation "whereon if men build they cannot fall." I know this is so true!!!!

I also shared in my talk Doctrine and Covenants 132:22-24

For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.
But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.
This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

Read that scripture and ponder it and read it over and over again. Do we know Jesus Christ? The gate is straight and narrow is the path. Which means there is no confusion! There is safety in all things gospel related. I just love it!

I hope you all are well. You all are always in my prayers!

Nagmamahal,

Sister Reategui

pictures:

fritzie and her family!

 #carabaoselfie

 our investigators at church!

 #selfiesaturday

with marina!!!!! She's the one that's paralyzed. LOVE HER. She's in her new house that they finally fixed for her!!

 the Mayon......it's livelier than ever!

WEEK 56: The Mayon is angry.

Hello hello hello!!!!!! It's been another week and I am yet again emailing you all. How are you all doing? I hope everyone is just great.

Well I'm not sure if you've all heard or not, but I have gotten a few emails asking about the Mayon so I'll share what I know. Haha well, the Mayon is a volcano in our mission. It is actually one of the Seven Wonders of the World since it is so huge and they say the cone thing on it is perfect. Everyone here in the Philippines seem to freak out about it and how beautiful it is. Hahaha so I've grown to love it as well. 

Well, this week we got a text that (since it is active) the Mayon was going to erupt soon. Haha and they said there was a possible earthquake too. So, like the good missionaries we are, we immediately prepared everything we needed. We went out and worked that night and were talking with the members and they didn't seem to mind that the volcano would erupt. Haha we thought they were crazy. I remember going to sleep that night in nice comfy clothes, expecting the earthquake to come in our sleep and we would have to run outside to the nearest large area. Maybe we all were just unfamiliar with how volcanoes work because we woke up and I just looked at Sister Lesa and we both said "we're still alive!!!" Hahaha. We really thought the volcano would erupt right away....but it still hasn't even erupted yet. It is only spewing little bits of lava every once in a while right now but it is on level 3 or something they say. And they say it could stay like this for like up to 90 days. Hahaha so we will just wait and wait I guess...

Well other than that...this week was a little slow because Sister Lesa was sick again. We were able to work a few days and it was good. I've had a lot of time though for personal study and language and then personal study again...haha. But it's been good and I've definitely used the endless hours I have at our apartment to my advantage, even though I would rather be working...

Here are some things from my personal study that I loved:

>>Doctrine, once understood, changes lives. Do we let it change our lives??

>>"The gospel isn't just a weekly event every Sunday attending church and partaking of the Sacrament, but it should be a part of our everyday lives." - our district leader

>>Romans 1:16. I'm obsessed with this verse. We must internalize the gospel in our lives and NOT BE ASHAMED!

>>"Perfect love casteth out all fear" Moroni 8:16

>>"Prayer is spiritual work preceded by mental and spiritual preparation."

>>"The Lord is easy to please and hard to satisfy" - Elder Ardern

>>1 Nephi 17:50...let us all have faith as Nephi did!

I love you all and I am grateful for all that you do for me. Stay strong and know that I love you all!!!!!

Nagmamahal, 

Sister Reategui

pictures....

district picture with the newbies!

 always prepared with masks

sorry po no carabao picture this week..

 

us with one of our less actives, sister Gema!

our investigators gave us some bubble gum so we had a bubble blowing competition at their house!

You know you're in the Philippines when the volcano could erupt any second, which could trigger an earthquake, which could lead to a tsunami since there is also a typhoon signal 1 hitting. Hahaha pray for me people....

in this picture I'm pointing to the Mayon but you can't see it because of the clouds...hahaha

this veggie picture is a shout out to my mom...LOOK i wasn't lying i really do eat vegetables!!!!

WEEK 55: Life is better when you are happy.

Hello to all!! It's been another good and extremely busy week. This week we definitely saw the Lord's hand in HIS work. I just feel so blessed to be a missionary. My goodness.

Well this was a busy week and I don't know where to start haha.

But, I do know that LIFE IS BETTER WHEN YOU'RE HAPPY!

That is something I have really learned here on my mission. I've learned that no matter what happens, we should be happy.  

"We can choose to have a positive attitude. We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. In other words, we can choose to be happy and positive, regardless of what comes our way." - President Thomas S. Monson

Here in the mission I have really learned that this life is meant to be happy. Even though we have trials and challenges in our lives, those are just tests for us. It's a test of our faith and our patience. So I have learned, no matter what happens, we need to be happy. Our Heavenly Father's plan for us is called THE Plan of Happiness! So does He want us to be happy now and for eternities? Syempre! Of course! His plan for us is centered on our happiness!

I have also learned the true meaning of happiness. What REAL happiness really is. If I think about before I left for my mission and now, there have been SO many changes in myself. Sorry, I probably annoy you all with talking about the changes in me in like all of my emails...hahaha but it's a part of being a missionary so just go with it. Before my mission, I thought happiness was going on a date with a cute guy or buying a new pair of jeans that fit well. But here in my mission I've learned what REAL happiness is.

Real happiness is this gospel we are so blessed to have restored here on the earth. And, real happiness is seeing that gospel working in other people's lives. 

Real happiness is feeling the love of our Heavenly Father. Real happiness is finding 6 new families that really have been prepared of the Lord and being able to teach them. Real happiness is being able to testify to them, with all my heart, that I know there is a God, that He is our Loving Heavenly Father and He wants us to be happy. Real happiness is seeing a family come through the church doors that haven't been seen at that those doors for years. Real happiness is finding answers to our prayers through our scripture reading. Real happiness is being let into a home that we walked to for one hour just to see if they would let us in. Real happiness is knowing that we are imperfect and knowing that God loves us anyways. And real happiness is learning from others every day.

"I just love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ a lot."

Let me tell you who this simple phrase came from. This came from Marina. She is one of my favorite people I have met so far on my mission. She is about 25 years old and paralyzed. She has been through her fair share of trials. Her mother died a few years ago and her father died just this year, shortly after they were all baptized. After the typhoon she was left with no house and moved into her sisters small house, where she is alone all day. Her sister can barely afford for her own little family, let alone sister Marina and her two siblings that usually live with her as well. They live off of a little bit of rice every day. As she was crying to us, telling us of the many trials in her life, she suddenly lit up, and through her tears she smiled and just said "I just love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ a lot." I don't think I've ever heard anything more precious come out of anyone s mouth. Through my tears, I thanked her for her example to me. In that moment, I realized just how blessed we really are. We have a loving Heavenly Father that knows us better than we know ourselves. He loves us though we aren't perfect. And He is just waiting for us to call upon Him for His divine help through our trials. 

This is real happiness. The gospel is real happiness. And how grateful I am to have that opportunity to share that happiness with others every single day.

I love you all and I LOVE my mission. This is where I've really learned to BE HAPPY, and TRUST IN THE LORD.

"Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20

I know that He is the way to our happiness. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is there for us no matter what. 

Thank you all for everything! LOVE EACH ONE OF YOU!

Nagmamahal, 

Sister Reategui

PS- shout out to all the Young Women who wrote me letters...you are all the best!!!!! seriously made me so happy. 

pictures:

#selfiesaturday

sister Lesa got a package! aka...CANDY 4 DAYZ.

 hundreth carabao selfie...nothing new

one of my favorite families! we were all matching in floral....so basically I'm part of their family now. Hehehe

 the letters!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TIMES 100!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!

back to the jungle...

WEEK 54: Let us be faithful to Him.

Hello hello hello to all!!! How are you all doing??

This week was another good week. Unfortunately Sister Lesa was sick again, so we were only able to work two days this week. It was also her 22nd birthday, which was fun. She ordered a letchon which is like one of those huge pigs that they roast on coals for a whole day and then it's really yummy pork. So that was a good time.

Well onto the important stuff...although we weren't able to work as much as we would have liked, the time we did work ended up being really awesome. We have continued getting the help of the Branch and we also able to get referrals from them so that was awesome. Because of the referrals, we were able to teach a lot of new people that are extremely receptive as well. So I will say again, members are SO important in this work. We couldn't do it without them.

This week I started reading the Book of Mormon again. Let me tell you I LOVE this book and know it's true with everything in me. I challenge you all to pray and to really read it because I know there are answers just waiting for us every day.

I have read the scriptures many times in my life but as I started reading this time, I was really wanting to have a better understanding and really STUDY every word written.

One of my favorite chapters I read this week was Nephi chapter 7. I love the questions that Nephi asks his brothers as they were rebelling against the commands of the Lord. Nephi says to them,
"How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord? How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord? Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban,and also that we should obtain the record? Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.
I love the last part in red. I love that Nephi asks many times "How is it that ye have forgotten..." It really made me think of my life and if there were any times I have forgotten the great blessings the Lord has given me in my life. I also love the wording of "let us be faithful to him." Nephi doesn't say "we must" and he doesn't demand us. But, he reminds us. He reminds us in a way, like with his brothers, to help us realize all the Lord really does for us each day. He reminds us in a way that we will want to gain that desire to exercise faith in our Lord. Because we love Him. And because we are grateful for all that He has given us.

I am grateful for the Lord's hands in HIS work that I am blessed to be a part of. I am grateful for the amazing miracles I have seen in this work. I am grateful for the challenges and hard times I have seen on my mission, because those, as well, have been reminders for me of just how blessed I really am.

I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows us by name. His love for us is perfect and incomprehensible. He loves us. He is watching over us. And we are never alone. He loved us so much that He gave His only Begotten son, Jesus Christ, for us. DO we realize that sacrifice? Just for US. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He Atoned and felt what we feel each and every day. He knows us and knows how to help us become stronger. He lives. Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!

I know this gospel is true and I have a burning testimony of it's truthfulness. It is real. I love this work, where I have been able to first be converted to this gospel. 

My cute little sister Ava (S/O sista) sent me this quote today, it says:

"True conversion occurs as you continue to act upon the doctrines you know are true and keep the commandments, day after day, month after month."

It is so true. I am grateful that my 7 year old sister recognizes this at such a young age. Being blessed with the gospel, we must act upon it. Conversion is continuous. We must read and continually strive to follow the commandments our loving Heavenly Father has given to us, because the commandments are our guide here on earth to return back to Him. I know that to be true now more than ever.

So, I say to you all, as Nephi said to his siblings, 

"LET US BE FAITHFUL TO HIM!"

There is safety in this gospel. As we build our firm foundation, we will be strong through whatever happens.

I love you all and am so grateful for the love and support.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Reategui

pictures:

another daily pic with the caraboa

Sister Lesa's birthday...they made us all give a little speech for her haha
party party

the letchon!

members from Tabaco came and visited us here in Ligao! salamat talaga to the Brizuela Family!!! Mahal ko kayo!! :)

 
district picture :)