LETTER TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS: What's up family and friends?? This week was a pretty good one for me. Hopefully I can make this email semi exciting so you don't all fall asleep while reading it! So I'm still loving it here in the lovely land of Pilar, Bataan. I especially love the people here. We are currently teaching this family, the Lopez Family, and they are amazing. Yesterday Sister Regodos and I read Moroni 10:3-5 with them and then asked them directly "Do you believe that the Book of Mormon is true?" They all said yes. "Do you believe that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and restored the church?" A few said yes. A few were hesitant. We challenged them to pray with a sincere desire to know if Joseph Smith is a true prophet. They all agreed to do it and when we were bearing our testimonies of the things we were teaching, you could see in their faces that they knew it was true. It was a powerful lesson and I can't wait until our next lesson with them. That'll be all for now because I need to go! Please email me! I would love to hear from you all. Thank you for all you do for me. I love you all! Love Sister Hughes
LETTER TO DAD: Hey there dad! Sorry about the pictures, I don't know what happened. I tried putting them in a new folder. Let me know if it works. The pictures are all from Sister Regodos because my card reader wasn't working. But let me know if it works. But you are in Florida!! That is exciting. Go have a little bit of fun or something! Remember our adventure last year in Pennsylvania #goodtimes. I am so proud of you by the way. You are there because you are an amazing principal and people love you. GOOD JOB!! I will explain more of my week in my big email. Hopefully my pictures work this time! Thank you for the plagiarism too, it is always a big help! Love you Dad! LETTER TO MOM: Hi mom! Things have been going great :) We have a good amount of people on date for baptism but the big problem is nobody will come to church. It stresses us out but we can't go kidnap them or anything. That is the hard thing about agency because I kinda want to take it away from them and make them come to church (only because I care). We have one awesome family we're teaching. They have been to church a few times but haven't met the requirements for baptism and still need to work on gaining a testimony. We are working with them and hopefully they will pray and come to know it is true. They just need to exercise that faith! And the rain is bipolar. It isn't as bad as it was last week so that means the heat has returned. It's stressful. Oh well. Congrats on your new calling! I am glad that you have a new calling which hopefully is only the right amount of stressful. Hopefully it is better than doing everything on your own. And it is crazy to me that Max is home. Like you said hopefully he keeps that missionary spirit. It is easy out here but when you get back into the world I know that it'll be hard. Thank you for the pictures! If you have one of Jenny Hulet I would like that. I miss certain people's faces haha. Anyways, I love you mom! I will explain more from my week in my big email. Love Sister Hughes
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Hello everyone!! I hope everyone is doing well and staying dry. I am attempting to here in the Philippines where the sun shines sometimes. I prefer the rain over the heat though because the heat attempts to light you on fire.... Anyways that was a random.
This week was a pretty good one. On Tuesday we had a big Mission Conference. It was so fun to be there with all of the missionaries in the Philippines Olongapo Mission and to have an amazing speaker, Elder Uceda of the Seventy. He gave us a lot of good advice on reading and praying with investigators. He advised us all to do more with our investigators and talk less. Too often missionaries just take over the entire lesson by teaching. He said to just be quiet sometimes because "none of us are good at teaching anyways" haha! Totoo. Anyways, the best way to let the Holy Ghost teach them is to be quiet sometimes and also let the investigator do stuff. If they haven't read, read with them. The Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost will be the big converter when all is said and done. On Saturday I had the opportunity to go to a baptism in Orion (my last area). One of the little girls I started teaching with Sister Tafisi got baptized so it was so good to see that. It was such a happy experience. She had the BIGGEST smile on her face when she came out of the water and when she bore her testimony after she said she wanted to be baptized again hahah! She is the cutest! Anyways, that will be all from me for today! I want you all to know that I love serving. I love where I am and I don't ever want to come home... hahha!! I love you all and want to say thank you for everything :) Love Sister Hughes LETTER TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Hello everyone!! So this week has been an interesting one! I was totally surprised when I found out I would be transferring, considering the fact I was in Orion for only one transfer. I was even more surprised when I got transferred to the area (Pilar) right next to my last area!! It was only a 10 minute drive from my old apartment to the new one. I am grateful to be where I am though because last transfer was a struggle and my new area and companion are amazing already. I think I have the sweetest little Filipina as my companion, Sister Regodos. Rainy season is in full swing here! I haven't been dry in a while because it has been pouring rain. The rain makes work harder because not as many people are out now, but that doesn't stop us from going out haha! It makes things more entertaining when you are soaked everyday. I am very grateful to be here, even in the rain :) Funny story: we were eating lunch outside a couple of days ago and then a mini typhoon decided to come. The tarp that was above us blocking the rain fell on top of us and our plates and food were blowing everywhere but we just sat there laughing/continuing to eat. It's more fun in the Philippines for sure! Anyway, that's all from me. I am loving life right now and making the most of the rainy situation.
Here is a quote that I got sent this week that I really like: "When you place your hope in Jesus, you place your confidence in His promises that He will never leave you or forsake you—that He will do what is best for you. Even though you may be in the middle of a huge problem, hope enables you to be at peace, knowing that Jesus is with you every step of the way." I love you all! Till next week :) Love Sister Hughes LETTER TO MOM: How are you doing? So this week has been quite the adventure. I was totally caught off guard when I found I was transferring. I am in Pilar! It is the area right next to Orion so I took a ten minute drive from one area to the other. My companion is Sister Regodos :) I told you about her before. She is in a ton of my pictures too. She was my best friend here last transfer and now we get to be companions together here in Pilar :) She just got out of training so I am what you call a "follow-up trainer" right now. It hasn't been too bad though, she is awesome and it helps that she knows Tagalog haha! She is from Bacolod (or however you spell it). She is super giggly and smiley and loves hugging everyone. I just stand there and laugh at her as she hugs everyone. She is the biggest sweetheart you could ever meet though. Pretty selfless. She is also 23! She doesn't look that old but whateves. It was a total surprise to me though because I thought Sister Tafisi and her trainee would be somewhere else, but I'm not complaining. And now I have a kabahay (another set of sisters in the apartment). Sister Morales and the one and only Sister Panlilio!! The was another surprise when I found out she would be transferring to Pilar. So my area is called Pilar 1 and hers is Pilar 2. All 4 of us get along so well. Our personalities are all strange so we are always laughing and enjoying life. I am so happy to be where I am!! Happy late Birthday mom! Enjoy the german food for me :) It sounds like you have all had a good week! I am excited to hear about Bethany working on her papers! I keep waiting for people to email me and say they have their calls but I haven't heard anything from anyone... oh well! Anyway, that is all from me! I will try to stay dry but I have been soaked the past 4 days. Rainy season really came in with a bang! It is quite the adventure and makes the work harder, but I am still loving it! I love you lots mom! :) Have a good week!! Love Sister Hughes Hello everyone!! So these past couple of weeks have been a little rough but things are getting better! :) This week was an interesting week. On Thursday our whole Zone went to an area called Cabcaben to do a CSP (Community Service Project). We helped clean at an elementary school because unlike at home where everyone is out of school, everyone just started school! It was pretty fun and I enjoyed helping out there, even though is was at least 40 degrees Celsius which is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. My favorite part was being able to wear the yellow "Mormon Helping Hands " pennies. I felt cool wearing it but I know I looked absolutely ridiculous haha!
On Sunday we had a family come to church who haven't been to church in a really long time. The nanay wants to be baptized but the tatay has a smoking problem and just doesn't have the same desire that she does. But it was awesome to see them there after such a long time. My hope is that they will continue to come and that we can help them make their way to the waters of baptism. I think that would be pretty cool ;) Anyway, that's all from me. I just want to leave y'all with a scripture. Always remember that Heavenly Father is there for us and willing to give us comfort. Just be patient and do your part so he can do his!! I love you all, thank you for everything! "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." Alma 26:27 |