September 29, 2013

Family,

It's seriously the highlight of my p-day reading family letters. I love you all so much and miss you all, but I am so grateful to be a missionary right now. I find myself thinking all the time, even though I've been out for three months already, "How did I get here, is this real life?" It seriously feels like yesterday that they made the announcement, and I didn't even know if I wanted to go on a mission or not, but I seriously am so glad that I decided to serve. At least once a day, we'll just walking or I'll be in the jeepney, and my hand automatically goes to my chest, to feel my name tag. I feel so honored every day to wear Christ's name, to be a literal representative of him and a messenger of his gospel. Especially with Maddy already home, and my companion leaving in the next two months, I'm reminded how fast this time passes as a missionary. On our last day in the MTC, Sister Tamang shared her testimony, and she broke down explaining how she's no longer a missionary, how she no longer has the opportunity to wear that badge, and she tried to explain to us how great of a blessing and privilege it is to wear it. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and I love being a missionary, and I truly feel honored and privileged to wear my nametag every day.

This past week was "family week", which is a big deal here. They've had activities all week at the government building, and special ward activities, etc. Oh my, I do not want to see those pictures from Family Week at the government building. It was raining outside so they moved it inside.... definitely too many people in one building. The place was packed, it was so hot, and after waiting for maybe 45 minutes, they had us sing... so I'm sure I looked like a hot, sweaty mess. But it was definitely a cool experience. We sang "Love at Home" in Ilonggo with the missionaries in our zone. Even though I think it sounded terrible, everyone enjoyed it. 

We've had another good week here on the mission. It hasn't rained as much as last week which has been nice. We continue to teach, and to walk, and to teach, but I don't mean that in a bad way. I love what we do as missionaries. Before the mission, I was like "how can I do this for eighteen months, doing the same thing over and over again every day?" But really, it doesn't even feel like that. I love it. Yes, of course I have bad days where all I want to do is go to sleep, and start over again the next day. Especially when I get frustrated with myself or with our work. But overall, I love being a missionary. Especially when you have a lesson, where your investigator shares her testimony or you can feel the Spirit working with them, and you know that's why you are on a mission.That's why I'm here in the Philippines. That even if it's hard, it's worth it.

Okay, I'm running out of time...

1. Yesterday, I had Pizza Hut for lunch, and McDonald's for dinner. A member after church was like, I have pizza in my car, are you sisters hungry?.... so of course we ate pizza. And then last night the first counselor of the stake president who's in from Sister Van Slooten's ward brought us leftovers and with it he brought us McDonald's.... funniest thing ever.

2. I'm not sick, nor have any sort of boils under my arms.. thankfully. Although I do have a ton of mosquito bites.. but that's kind of inevitable.

3.Seriously, I need a diet plan too. Whoever thought I would lose weight in the Philippines is crazy. I've never eaten as much as I do now.

I love you all!

xoxo,

Sister Fitz

Family Week at the Bacolod Government Building

Missionaries Singing "Love at Home"

September 22, 2013

Family!!!

Seriously, I might be tearing up a little bit looking at the photos of Maddy coming home. I saw them and was like "She would wear that on the plane..." and then read that she changed before meeting mom and dad. That's so exciting. All day Wednesday, I was like, Maddy's on the plane right now heading home, and then all day Thursday, I was like, she's probably already home by now. I seriously can't believe she's home and how fast it has gone by. Don't go too crazy :) 

I'm so glad that Grandma's funeral was so beautiful and that so many came. I truly feel so blessed to have had her in my life and to know that she will be waiting for us on the other side. This life isn't the end, and being on a mission especially, it makes everything so much clearer, to realize the eternal perspective of everything, rather than getting caught up with the mundane, trivial aspects that control our lives. I think that will probably be the hardest part coming off the mission, and something that Maddy's probably dealing with right now.

This week has been both good and bad. 

Monday: Such a fun a P-Day. We went downtown and went shopping at all the secondhand stores and found some cute cheap clothes. We might have also bought pastries and doughnuts for later in the week.

Tuesday: We seriously walked, and walked, and walked, and nobody was home. Out of our seven hours of proselyting, we only had two lessons. It was exhausting. But that night, four sisters stayed at our house for conference the next day, so all eight of us had  pillow talk on the mattresses spread out on the floor. And they're having us a keep the extra mattresses until after the mission tour next month, so we stacked them, and made a couch for the next month.

Wednesday: We had zone conference, and it was really good. I saw all the missionaries from my batch which was really fun, but it was also really spiritually uplifting and inspiring. I think I might have said this once, but President Lopez is seriously the funniest person and such a snuggle bug. 

Thursday/Friday/Saturday: There was a huge storm that would come and go. It seriously sounded like I was at the base of a waterfall, when the rain was especially strong. We got caught out in it one night, and my clothes seriously got soaked. Front and back was completely drenched. I have a picture, but it takes forever to load, so I can't send it this week. I need to buy a new umbrella because it's on the smaller side.... the members always make fun of me because whether I have it or not, I'll get soaked either way.

I love you all and am so excited to think that all three of you are together for the next couple of months. I miss you all, but I'm more grateful than ever to be on a mission. This week especially, I've realized how much I need to grow and I've seen so many things that I can improve and work on as a person. I know more than ever, that I was meant to serve a mission and am grateful for this opportunity, even though it's hard, and it's only gonna get harder.

I love you all!

xoxoxo,

Sister Fitz

Pictures from Zone Conference

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September 15, 2013

Mom and Dad,

It's hard to know what to say because of what's happened this week with Grandma and Grandpa. But I'm so comforted to know that you were able to be there, by her side as she passed. President Lopez called me Friday morning and told me and explained how she was talking about her missionaries up until she passed. My heart is so full of love right now. It's hard being away and not being able to offer that support that I know our family needs right now, but I know that Heavenly Father is by your side, strengthening and comforting you. I'm sending all my love to both you, our family, and especially Grandpa. I'm write him a letter tonight and send in the mail as soon as I can. Please express to him how much I love him, and how grateful I am to have him as my grandpa, and for setting that example for me. I love you all, send my love to our whole family as well.

Other than that, our week has been pretty good. Yes, Sister Van Slooten is training, so we have a new sister in our apartment! Six girls from her batch are training after just completing their own training, so now it's stressing me out because that could easily be me in six weeks... and right now, I'm no where near being ready to train. But I can definitely see how I've progressed in the past six weeks. It's still hard for me to understand them, and half the time they might not understand me either, but I'm trying, and I know that eventually it will come.

On Tuesday I got a package from Maddy and is seriously made my whole week. I might have cried. Seriously, I love our family so much. Especially with Grandma passing this week as well, it makes me realize how lucky I am and how grateful I am to have been given such an amazing family. Your examples, faith, love, and support are the only reason I'm the person I am now. In the little book she made me, there's a picture of us as family, and she wrote, "Relax, we have eternity." The Plan of Salvation is real, and I'm so grateful that we do have eternity together as a family. I might be gone for the next year, but that's nothing compared to that.

Sister Bendoy and I continue to have so much fun together. She actually might be the funniest person I know. The past couple weeks, we sometimes watch The District at night, and one night we decided to make our own video. So the past three nights, we "document" our day, the same way they do. We talk about our day, what we did, how our lessons went... they're so awkward, yet so funny to watch.

This past week our teachings have been good, and we had some investigators come to church which is always exciting. I gave a talk yesterday in sacrament meeting, and being the person I am, I stressed out and gave mostly all of it in English... so I don't think they understood any of it. But I learned my lesson for next time, give it in Ilonggo, even if it's only two minutes long. We also got fed a lot this week, which never happens. On Friday, four out of five lessons, they fed us. Which is usually exciting, if I wasn't already so full. Also on birthdays, they always have spaghetti and cake... we had spaghetti three times this week. So much for losing weight in the Philippines...

I love you all. I'm praying for you always, especially Grandpa right now. Send everyone my love.

xoxo,

Sister Fitz

p.s. HOW IS MADDY ALREADY COMING HOME THIS WEDNESDAY?! craziness.

Bacolod 2nd Ward Missionaries

September 8, 2013

Family,

Transfers are this week. The new batch from the MTC comes in this week. Where has the time gone?! Before I know it, I'll be Maddy with less than two weeks to go! Seriously, when I think of Maddy coming home, it blows my mind, I can't believe how fast her mission has gone by and the same thing is gonna happen to me now. 

We've had another good week here in Bacolod. It continues to be sunny, and then downpour, and then be sunny again, pretty much the weather is bipolar, but we use our umbrellas both when it's raining and shining, so it doesn't really matter. Yesterday, we were stranded at the church for two extra hours because it was downpouring and couldn't go outside without getting completely soaked, even with our umbrellas. We were fasting as well, and I could seriously feel myself getting weaker and weaker because I was so thirsty. But then we came home and feasted. Later that night, we went to go visit these two families, but then we came across this foot-deep puddle across the whole road with no way around it... so we turned around... that's how flooded it was. Usually there's rocks you can tiptoe across, but it was too deep for even that.

Also this week, at one of our recent converts house, two sisters from the YSA came with us and climbed the palm tree to get us coconuts! It was so funny, but they ended up getting five down, so we chopped them open and had coconut juice. It was delicious. Also, we visited Brother J, who is actually a returned missionary, but less active. But he's so nice, and his family makes Puto and sells them at the market. You bake them in banana leaves and they're delicious.  We call them rice cupcakes and he always gives us thirty every time we visit.

We haven't had exchanges yet, but this past week they called two new sister training leader's specifically for our zone, so once a transfer, we'll have transfers with them which should be fun, but also slightly terrifying because I still feel brand new to the whole mission thing. But I'm still surviving :) 

Also, please let Hannah know I got her two dear elder letters this past week! It was so fun to read them and that I'll try to write her back next week!

I still love the mission. On Saturday, the elders had a baptism and we were able to attend. It was my first experience of a baptism here in the mission, and it made me so excited at what's ahead regarding my personal missionary work. I love serving, I love teaching, I love the Philippines. Even though I miss you all, I know this is where I'm supposed to be. 

xoxox,

Sister Fitzgerald

September 1, 2013

Family!

It's September and Christmas Season has begun! Some people already have their Christmas trees up and decorated, we passed a by house covered in white twinkle lights, and yesterday for companionship study, Sister Bendoy and I sang all the Christmas hymns! I'm so excited for the next four months, my first Christmas in the Philippines!

The past week has overall been good. Granted we have our good days and bad days, but I'm focusing on the positive. We're having a hard time finding new investigators, but hopefully things will pick up this week. The girl I mentioned last week, C, she's practically a dream investigator. But we found out this past week that she's leaving for Iloilo this week to visit her dad who is sick, and she's not sure when she's coming back.... so that was a little depressing but she's definitely ready to accept the gospel, so whether it's by us, or by someone else, I think she'll continue meeting with the missionaries. 

The language is still difficult, but I'm trying not focus on it. Some days are more frustrating than others, but I just try to think of what I'll be like six months from now, and how much more I'll be able to understand and say. Also, have I mentioned that no one can say Fitzgerald. Seriously, I've gotten Sister Pit, Sister Switzerland, Sister Erald... that list continues. We also have a less active who calls Sister Bendoy and I, "elders" haha

Yesterday we had stake conference, and the church was packed! They had some RM's and those who have their mission calls, share their testimonies which was a really exciting. It was funny because when Sister A said she was heading to Temple Square everybody just gasped haha, it's pretty exciting news. I also found out that Sister Young was transferred into my district! It was so fun to see her and talk to her.

It's still hot, I'm still sweaty, but I'm still happy. Granted I can't speak the language, and everyone makes fun of my accent, but that's the joy of missionary work, right?- struggling, but growing and knowing you helping the work of the Lord progress.

I love you all!

xoxo,

Sister Fitzgerald