Week 9 (Binalbagan)

Maayong aga!

One week down sa field! It's been rough adjusting but I appreciate all your emails and prayers! I am not able to send replies but thank you all and know that you have lifted my spirits! I love you very much! 

This week Princess was baptized. I've only known her for a week and a half but I love her very much. She's 11 yrs old. Her best friends, Judy Ann and Junamea were baptized before I got here and they have become my current favorite people. They always make me feel loved and included and try to teach my how to speak. I taught them the first line of the melody of I am a Child of God (Ako Anak sang Dios) on the piano and they loved it! I well definitely be using my piano skills constantly as no one really plays the piano here. Princess told me she felt the Spirit after she was baptized and I'm so glad that she chose to follow her Savior and continues to walk in faith. We're trying to teach her parents and siblings so that they may strengthen each other in the gospel. Eksayted ako para sa ila! 

Something crazy that happened this week was Tita (Aunt) Onik's 68th birthday party. Never in my life have I seen such a extravagant party for a 68th birthday. The church gym had a red carpet, balloons on the ground and ceilings, giant white tree center pieces, a purple sparkly throne on the stage where Tita Onik sat in a sparkly purple dress. The primary sang and danced. The youth sang and danced (one of their songs was Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride and I was smiling the whole time). The children had contests. We ate so much food. And finally, Tita Onik gave presents to every single child. It was insane and I loved it. I aspire to have this kind of party when I am 68. 

I tried this thing called escramble and it was like milk and ice and pineapple flavoring or something and it WAS SO DELICIOUS NAMIT GID

Everyone here is very open hearted and willing to listen. I overheard my trainer telling our Zone Leader that we don't have to find new investigators because they just are drawn to me because I'm guapa (I still argue it's because I'm American). The hard part is keeping commitments, especially going to church. However, I know that if we endure to the end and go to church and renew our covenants, we will be strengthened in our trials. We must always maintain a hope in Christ and His Atonement. Alma 58:10-11 has guided me this week and hopefully you get a chance to look at it. I have learned that hope in the gospel is not uncertainty. It is a firm hope, an unshaken hope, that through the Savior we can change and be made better and one day return to the Kingdom of God with our families. I'm grateful for my afflictions because it teaches me to rely on the Savior more and to forget myself and go to work. 

I hope you guys are doing well! Thanks again for all your love prayers and support!
Palangga ta kamo!
Sister Bingham








Princess's Baptism

the 3 girls (L TO RIGHT  Junamea, Judy Ann, Princess) 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 80 (travel Manila to Home)

Image
Hello all! Maayong hapon!  I want to thank those of you who have read just one page to those of you who have followed my experiences over the course of my mission in Bacolod, Philippines. I hope that there was something on any day that was able to uplift your spirits and help to bring you closer to Christ, as that is the true purpose of this blog. Sister Hostetter, Sister Clarke, and Sister Burkhardt and I traveled to Manila together with the other missionaries who were going home. We were able to visit the Manila temple and to my surprise, my trainer, Sister Soriano, along with some other missionaries, including Sister Tamo and Sister Ignacio (past companion), were there waiting to welcome us! My trainer had even brought me some authentic Filipino snacks :) Walking into the temple felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders that I didn't realize I had been carrying. I felt so much peace and love to be able to walk into the House of the Lord. After the temple, we ...
Read more

Week 27 (Binalbagan)

Image
Maayong hapon! Time just flies so fast! So this week we had a baptism planned for Sister Jojo but she was really really busy with her children's graduation and their fiesta so we moved it to this Saturday. We visited them and got to see her oldest daughter, Nicole, in her graduation gown. She was the 1st princess in their school's program and another member was 4th princess so they had makeup and were super dressed up. Super cute!  I ate dinuguan this week. That basically means pig blood as a rice topping. It wasn't too bad.... Some kids threw rocks at me and my companion this week so that was cool too.  My favorite new investigator is a 15 year old boy named Joshua. He's a little shy, especially of me cause I'm the foreigner but is very kind and not a dungol. His friends are members and the first time we invited him to church he came and learned a lot and had a great experience. At our last lesson with him, I started to ask "sinn-o ang..." ...
Read more

Week 75 (Bacolod) 1 Month Left

Image
Maayong hapon!  So much happened this week! From the announcement about missionaries being allowed to call/text their parents to training in district council to exchanges and working with Elder and Sister Willis to Zone Conference (where we trained again) to a baptism and confirmation to extending a baptismal date for THIS Saturday?!?!! I love serving in Bacolod 2nd Ward and I love serving Heavenly Father and his children. I've never felt so happy or so fulfilled in my life. I'll attempt to explain in some detail what we did this week: We gave our first training of the transfer in district council. We trained about becoming a consecrated missionary (see talk by Tad R. Callister) or becoming the Fourth Missionary (see talk by Lawrence E. Corbridge). AWESOME talks to send if you have or know a missionary in the field. On Thursday, I went on exchanges to Sta. Fe with Sister Johnson and Sister Bise AND Elder and Sister Willis. What a wild day that was. My favorite appoint...
Read more