Wk 35- Happy Thanksgiving!! and Happy Anniversary last week! Sorry I forgot to tell you

At the ruins with my District!

With Barbie :)

Family!!!! :) I love you all so much!! I hope Mom and Dad had a wonderful Anniversary!! I love you both!! And I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I want to see pictures too :)

This week has been really good! It was really busy though too! So a few things that i can remember that happened... :) 

So Ernesto is still doing wonderful! His daughter is Princess and they are super cute!! Ernesto will be done smoking on the 28th! he's so happy :) He will be baptized December 28th and Princess will be baptized with him. We had to move her date, because she didn't come to church, but Ernesto still did! Our Recent Convert Rodolfo is their fellow shipper and Princess use to be the one going to his house at 8 in the morning ready for church saying when are we going. Last sunday it was ernesto at 8 30 saying ok lets go! Haha but Princess didn't come, because it was the primary program and she didn't want to come and not be a part of it. She forgot to go to the practices :( kind of sad, but she said she'd come next week! We just pray for them :) They are amazing!!

Then Saturday I am sitting in Personal Study and I keep getting the thought, we need to change our schedule and go to country homes. Which Country homes it's far, we usually have enough to do to not go far, we usually go to country homes and abkasa on sunday, but saturday i felt like we needed to go, so we changed our schedule and went out there. 

We first started trying to go to our referrals, which one we hadn't contacted yet.. but neither of them were home, so I said ok lets go check the less active we met last week! She wants to bless her baby in church. She tried to get her husband to listen too but he had too much to do and left town. Anyways, so we went to her little store and sat down to share with her and she calls over her daughter! She has a brand new baby and then she said this  is my daughter, she's 11 and hasn't been baptized, but has been to church with Girly (the less active's sister who is active). Girly is in YW's. So we ended up teaching her and then we met her niece who is less active! It was incredible! It's someone who is completely ready for the gospel. 

Then that night, we went to the back of pinetree, (super muddy) and taught the big group of people. After we were about to go home. I thought it was 8 but it was 9! AH! our cerfew is 9 o'clock well 8 30 no later than 9. But i felt like we needed to go to one more place and me thinking it's only 8 was like ok lets go! We went and taught a less active who hasn't wanted to come to church. We also taught Rohello, who's wife passed away a few weeks ago, and also their grandson christian. The less active, Efren's, wife had just recently went through the temple. She wants to be sealed. Efren does too, but he's shy of his word of wisdom problem. I'm pretty sure they were all drinking a little before we got there, so we had a little interesting lesson, but sister was there and i couldn't tell if they were drunk or not, but it was an interesting fast lesson when we realized it was 9. Anyways, i don't know what we said, but all of them actually promised and came to church on sunday! When they said they would, i didn't think they would, because it had happened before, but they showed up!! I was like wow! I'd been trying to get him to come to church since before i got here! It was amazing!! I was so happy! Then Ernesto is at church and it was a cute primary program! AH!!! I loved it so much!!

I hope it kind of makes sense, but it has been an amazing and exhausting week! But we keep going with the atonement! It's amazing!! :) I love this gospel and I love this work!! thank you for everything you all do for me!! :) Have a wonderful week! Love you!!

Love, Sister Smoot

Wk 34- This week...

Area: Bata
Companion: Sister Lisaca

 

This week... hmm.. It's been a good week! :) It's been an emotional one but a good one :)

Tuesday we had Mission President's training, which was really good! Before learning more about missionary work and we also invited our ward mission leaders to attend which was awesome and kind of funny because one of them wouldn't stop raising his hand and telling stories. It was really funny :) Had everyone laughing, but before we watched the video of what's going on in Tacloban. It was a very humbling experience. I guess I didn't realize how huge this storm really was. They lost a lot of lives and wow, I pray for them everyday and hope the best for them. 

Maybe I'll tell you about investigators because I can't remember each day specifically. But Princess (9) and her dad Ernesto are the only 2 that live in their house. They are doing better! Princess has been coming to church and then right before sunday, she said I don't know if i'll come to church on sunday. I was like AH! WHY?! Anyways, Ernesto avoided us all last week, wouldn't join in on the lessons even after we waited for a half hour for him... We tried going back to get him and he wouldn't come night after night. Anyways, Princess said he was shy because he didn't come to church the sunday before, but guess what?! HE CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!! We walk into church, and we were running a little bit late so we didn't get there until like a few minutes before nine. (typical me) we are usually earlier, but we walked in and there weren't very many people there but Rodolfo was there with Princess and Ernesto!!! AH!!! It made me so happy! I was like yes!! He came! Even without us teaching him!! It was amazing! We went to follow up with him last night and we taught princess about the word of wisdom last week, so she taught him but we reviewed it last night. He has a problem with smoking, alcohol, and coffee. We gave him a chart for his smoking and coffee with a goal to stop in a couple weeks and his alcohol he doesn't do everyday so he said he could stop. It will just be hard with his friends. But he had a little alcohol in his house and we had him go outside and dump the rest of it out :) He actually did it! It was awesome! haha I am so excited for them! Princess was drinking coffee but she stopped after we taught her so we moved her date to December 7th and Ernesto for December 28th. We need to follow up but he was happy and he doesn't know that Joseph Smith is true yet, but we told him the the word of wisdom was revelation through the prophet Joseph Smith and it would help him to know. He's tried to stop before because he knows it's bad, and he said he did for a little bit he's going to amit amit have them disappear! :)

We also went to last night. Emotional night for me last night. We had some good lessons, but our  second to last lesson, Edwin (brother of a member) who has been our investigator, but they went home and he was just living with them for his work here in bata, but I just found out his wife passed away 2 weeks ago. They are older, but have two little kids. like 4 and 6 or something like that. I started crying, because i was there when his wife got a blessing. We taught both of them, she had a bad cough and when she walked around and the way she looked reminded me a lot of Emily, and those little children too. I about started crying in the house and when I left I said we'll pray for you and I started crying walking to a less actives house. But It just really hit me strong and it's so true we are so grateful for the knowledge that we have here in this gospel. I love it so much. I love being about to share that with people and help them the best that I can with the help of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for what he's done for us. 

We also had some miracles happen with getting new investigators. One we only taught once and following up on tuesday. Me and sister neis oym'd him and he has like his brother who lives in canada. But he was in my mind a lot the past couple weeks. And this past week we started to put him as a back up and finally i decided to move him up and make him a priority. I know now it was guided by the spirit. He doesn't believe in religion yet. He is catholic and says as long as your faithful it's ok, but he doesn't want to be converted.. but we'll work on that. But he said at the beginning of this week, he's started to pray for direction, to pray for help and then here we are in his house! Wow! His wife is Baptist and is an english teacher, he works in the government. It was crazy. I hope we can help him feel the truth of the gospel. I just pray and pray for things like this. That is just one of many that happened this week, we were guided like none other to new investigators. It was awesome!! :) 

Anyways, I'm running out of time, so i love you!! I hope you have a wonderful week and enjoy the pictures sister lisaca is so kind to send to you all!! :) I love you so much!! :) Keep going strong!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot :)

*Pictures taken during the typhoon: 

Candle lite dinner & yummy soup

Sister Lisaca cleaning!

carrying in water!

bucket shower anyone?

And Amy's flashlight baptism from last week: day after the typhoon (no electricity, AC, etc.) we guessed with the camera!

Wk 33- Typhoon this week!! :)

This week has been an interesting one!! haha Let just say Tuesday we had zone training and found out a huge typhoon was coming! Goodness gracious!! Haha we were told to make sure we had canned foods
 and water and what not- (which we didn't eat much of) and we shut our windows and that's about it to prepare.  So we got a flash light and some candles too! :) We just did our normal thing as missionaries. Then received a text this night to be in by 6 and don't leave until after the storm. So we did exactly that. Made sure we had load (for our phone) and went home. 

Thursday, we decided to do weekly planning because it was either that or Saturday. It was still bright and sunny outside but we couldn't go out because it was coming. I honestly felt a little weird, like ok, what do i do?? so of course we studied, did weekly planning and then we got caught up on some things and cleaned up a bit. Sister Lisaca, my companion is like busy hands, always doing something. But we sang some hymns and some primary songs. It was nice, then that night was just normal. We did our laundry then went to bed. It was just kind of like ok. Then friday we got up and it started raining. We started studies and were a little scared because we kept receiving text updates on exactly what this storm was and sister lisaca was like wow! this is big!!  She wasn't too scared because they don't ever hit bacolod very hard... but she realized it was bigger and we got a little scared... but not really. we were very safe and sound in our house! 

So friday studies were a little distracted by loud rain starting but we just continued. Then we just wrote and watched and listened to the rain when we were done. The big storm passed in the afternoon. it calmed down but was still windy. we had some flooding in our windows and under our front door but it's ok. it was really loud with our roof and everything. We didn't have electricity on friday night, but we still had water, which was good. :) So we had a candle light dinner and the pictures i sent was my favorite food i've tried here! i don't know why it was so good, but it was delicious! it had some rice, garlic, onion, chicken, soy sauce, water, and boiled egg... i'll figure out how to really make it. it's like a soup and i don't know if there was anything else in it but it was really good!! :) then saturday morning our electricity was back on but our water died, except for outside it was still running very slowly (which is where all the construction workers get water) so people were using it so we went out and filled up a couple buckets of water. which took about 10-15 minutes probably to fill, then we had some bucket showers and got ready for our csp. I dressed up in jeans (and yes i have gotten a little bigger... :/ my jeans were really tight!!) but it was ok i just wore a big t shirt and it was fine :) 

We went out and the first house we went to was roger. We helped him finish mopping his floor and getting it clean from the flood he had. Then we shared with them and it was the first time with their whole family!! He's the dad and he's the only one who's not a member... but hasn't wanted to listen to us lately, but amit amit (little by little) gid! We also went by some others and found out they were okay and shared with them and it was almost like it was a dream. It wasn't really shown, until we went to another area and saw a tree that fell over into someones house and pulled down a power line, but they had hooked up the power line again but the tree was still there. The tree that fell into our recent converts house was cut down all ready and he already fixed his house :) wow! we went there after lunch. Then we helped a member get her clothes unpacked from bags and back into the closet. 

After that, we ran home and got changed and went to our baptism! The church didn't  have power either and so we opened the windows. Guessed on the pictures (did pretty good i think) with the flash and had a flash light baptism :) It was cool! Sister Amy was so excited and happy! She was like are those people getting baptized too? and we were like, no! they're here for you!! She's 21 and super cute! She's new in the home of wycoco's as their house help. She was so happy. She's one that cried when we taught her about Joseph Smith and ah! She's amazing! i love her :) Anyways that was the baptism. 

Then sunday we had ward conference! Stake leaders were there and they showed the video about the family that shares the gospel and the song that plays is i'll go where you want me to go. It was amazing! We also got a new Bishop and we got asked to just sing with them in their ward choir, which was cool. :) Our Bishop was serving for 6 years and his councilor became our bishop. It was emotional and a cool experience. Reminded me of when dad got called. I can't really remember much when he got released. But our Bishop (now former) couldn't finish his testimony because he was crying. It was a cool and incredible experience! 

Well I love you all! hope you have a wonderful week!! :)

Love, Sister Smoot

Typhoon - Haiyan (international) or Yolonda (regional), Miracle

10 NOV 2013 7:16 AM - Huffington Post
Typhoon Haiyan Death Toll Tops 10,000, According To Official Estimates
One of the most powerful storms ever recorded killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines, a senior police official said on Sunday, with huge waves sweeping away coastal villages and devastating one of the main cities in the region.


5 NOV 2013 6:27 AM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez: 
TS Haiyan will gradually intensify within the next 24 to 48 hours as the system moves over the warm open waters of the Western Pacific Ocean...and could become a well-developed Typhoon on Tuesday. Advance Intensity Forecast (AIF) shows its 1-minute maximum sustained winds increasing to almost 200 km/hr on Wednesday afternoon.





6 NOV 2013 2:01 AM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

After all our Zone Training Meetings this morning, missionaries are instructed to buy food for at least three days, water, candles and load-up their cell phones. I’ve instructed those missionaries who live up in the mountain to come down and stay with the missionaries in the city- in case there is landslide and the road become impassable. Missionaries who are leaving their house are asked to secure their belongings left behind. Those near the shoreline are also moved inland. Sisters are well secured including our couples. Starting this evening at 6- all missionaries are expected to be home and remain indoor until after the storm. No one is allowed to go outside. I’ve instructed missionaries that we will assist only after the storm and not during the typhoon. I’ve also instructed our San Carlos District to cancel their temple trip to Cebu tomorrow. I have cancelled all interviews, appointments and visits until after the storm. Every companionship will report to their district leaders on their safety. District leaders will report to zone leaders and all zone leaders will update me tonight and on a regular basis. FYI.

 

6 NOV 2013 10:06 AM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:
SUPERTYPHOON UPDATE: All missionaries are instructed to stay home. We are taking all precautions to keep our missionaries safe.

HAIYAN approaching Super Typhoon (STY) status as it rapidly gained strength due to the emergence of a pinhole-sized eye a few hours ago...now poses a serious threat to Eastern Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao. The initial potential landfall area of this typhoon remains along the Samar-Leyte Area on Friday morning, November 08.

This typhoon is similar in track and strength of Super Typhoon MIKE (RUPING) which passed across the Visayas in November of 1991 and devastated much of Metro Cebu. Residents living along the eastern seaboards of the Philippines from Northern Quezon...Bicol Region...down to Northeastern Mindanao should closely monitor the approach of this potentially destructive typhoon. Plans for emergency situations and/or disaster management planning must be implemented beginning today as the storm is only 3 days away from hitting land.

7 NOV 2013 6:15 PM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

We are still bracing for the big hit! All missionaries are staying home. Everyone is calm and studying and planning all day. Office staff staying in the mission office for emergency landline calls only. We appreciate all your prayers!

7 NOV 2013 9:55 PM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:
All missionaries are safe Thursday.

8 NOV 2013 8:51 AM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

Friday AM Update: All 234 missionaries are safe! They are well secured in their homes. Missionaries from the mountains and along shorelines were moved to safer missionary apartments since Wednesday. Members were evacuated and moved to our chapels. I cannot give any detailed information from other missions. We might loose power soon. I may not be able to respond to all your specific inquiries. I will keep everyone updated through my FB. Keep us in your prayers!

 

8 NOV 2013 12:28 PM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

Friday Noon Update: Most of the island has no power. I am using my cell for this update. We are still 2 hours from direct hit but the wind and rain are incredibly so strong! All zone leaders have reported to me that all 234 missionaries are safe. A few we have to move to another place because of flood and falling trees. Visibility due to rain is almost zero. Wind is still intensifying. I have submitted our noon report to our Area Presidency. We are on typhoon signal number 4 now.

8 NOV 2013 4:38 PM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

Typhoon Update as of 4:30 PM: we do not have electricity, cable and Internet. All 234 missionaries are safe. We are currently going through the other side of the eye wall and later on the tail of the typhoon. Rain is extremely heavy and wind is super strong! Members and non members are packed in all our chapels. They are collecting water from rain for drinking and food preparation. Our missionaries have sufficient water and food supply. Our branch presidents and bishops are also monitoring their safety. Everyone is calm and planning all night for our weekend community service. Our prayers are intense and our faith is full! 

8 NOV 2013 7:19 PM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

WE SURVIVED THE SUPERTYPHOON! All missionaries are accounted for and everyone is safe and in high spirit. We are preparing and planning for our community service tomorrow. Missionaries are staying home tonight- there is no electricity. They return to their homes and proselyting areas tomorrow morning. As soon as internet services become available, missionaries will email their families beginning Monday. Together with our couple missionaries, we will tour the entire mission tomorrow to check up on missionaries and members. We appreciate your prayers and your faith in us! Aloha! 

8 NOV 2013 8:21 PM - From Pres. Marlo Lopez:

Goodbye Yolanda!

  

9 NOV 2013 - From Pres. Lopez

Day after Typhoon, all missionaries are safe and doing community service.

Minimal Church damage

Caduha-an member's house next to missionaries house. (Lost complete roof)

Missionaries house (blue) was not damaged!

9 NOV 2013 4:06 PM - FROM 

















































Pres. Marlo Lopez
Report on Missionaries and Members Visit: All missionaries are safe. We had a mission-wide community service all day Saturday. Cadiz, Sagay, Escalante and San Carlos zones are the hardest hit. They do not have electricity- electric polls are all down. It will probably take a few days to a few weeks to restore power. Phone towers are also down in these areas. Couples assigned in these zones will make regular visits to deliver water and evaluate situations. Missionaries in these zones will not be able to email families- all internet services are down. We are having Mission Presidents Specialized Training this week in groups of 3-zones beginning Tuesday until Friday. These trainings will all be held in Bacolod City and will give our missionaries the opportunity to email their families. Living conditions will become more difficult ahead of us but our missionaries are powerful and dedicated servants of the Lord. We appreciate all your prayers!

8 NOV 2013 4:50 PM - From Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella

Bacolod spared (Miracle)

Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella said the city had been spared from greater damage that could have been caused by the storm.

He said it was “unexplainable” that Yolanda seemed to have split around Bacolod contrary to earlier forecasts, which showed that the city was on the path of the storm’s full force.

“We have to be thankful for what can be described only as a miracle,” Puentevella said as he pointed out that City Hall had been preparing for massive evacuations since this is the first time in recent years that Bacolod had been placed under Storm Signal No. 4.

The city government will be sponsoring mass tomorrow at the San Sebastian Cathedral as part of its thanksgiving, he added.

Wk 32- ELDER NEIL L. ANDERSON

my new companion :) Sister Lisaca!! she's awesome!!

This week has been interesting. It's been a wonderful and interesting week! :) 

Tuesday Sinema's brought us lunch at our house which was fun :) I love them and they help a lot, but sister siervo was still homesick, she needed someone she knew that spoke tagalog. Anytime we are having a rough time sinema's take us to lunch or bring us lunch :) They are amazing! I love them so much!! :)

Thursday morning, we started studies and Sister Siervo looked up at me and said, "sister, homesick" and then started crying. I gave her a hug and I talked a little and she wanted to text president. Anyways President was in meetings so she got a blessing from the elders and took a little nap. I have never seen someone that homesick. Once she woke up I was told to just take her out and work to try to get her mind off of it. It kind of worked when we were in lessons. But out of lessons, it was a little different. She then was ok that night talked to president on the phone and was a little happier. The next morning, the same thing happened. She was homesick again and just cried and didn't study. I didn't know what to do, so she just wanted to text president, so she did and next think I know we are going to President's house on Friday. She talked to him and had a lot of people call her. I did weekly planning while she was sleeping and talking on the phone. I also studied and then she just slept. I was struggling feeling like a failure so I got a blessing and felt the love of our Savior. I haven't felt his love so strong. It was incredible!! I knew this is God's plan. I was with her for a week for a reason. I know this was for a good reason. And with Sister Lisaca now i know God loves me and is watching out for me too. But friday we just stayed in all day. We were suppose to go to the cemetery for november 1st but it's ok maybe sometime in the future i'll experience that holiday here :) ok lang na!

Saturday, we got up and studied, but sister kind of slept because she didn't sleep well the night before after personal study. I made her some food because she hadn't really eaten and then we went to the conference! It was cool!! We were up in a room waiting to go to the chapel and i walked out and Sister Lisaca was thrown in with us and they said sister smoot! this is your new companion and i was like oh! ok! so i sat between sister siervo and sister lisaca for the conference :) It was really good! He told us about how they visited bahol and showed us some pictures. We had some 70's talk to us and i forgot my notebook i took notes in, but it was incredible! The think i remember most though was when he walked in and I just KNEW he was an apostle of God. He also wanted to shake all of our hands. It was amazing!! I loved it! It was an honor to meet him!! :) It flew by so fast though! They talked about Christ and the merit, mercy, and something i can't remember but it's in 2 Ne 2 and Lehi says it :) haha but the spirit was there really strong and I was just amazed that he was actually there. It honestly just felt a little fake. After the conference we went back to our apartment with sister siervo's 2 companions got her stuff ate dinner with us all while waiting for elder and sister anderson to come get them and then after we went out to some appointments. one being sister amy to help her be ready for her interview on sunday :)

Sunday, we also had the opportunity to listen to Elder Anderson speak because we are in the bacolod north stake :) and we had stake conference with him. It was amazing!! We were told some funny stories and some cool spiritual stories (I wish i could remember some of them but my brain is blank right now) but i absolutely enjoyed all of it. He talked a lot about patience and how sometimes answers to prayers don't come as fast as we'd like. It's important to keep staying strong, because if you don't, the blessings won't come. It was an incredible meeting and very fast!! But incredible! 

Time honestly just flies and I don't understand how. Sister Sanders will be coming home soon and I won't see her again until we are in Utah. WOW! This is an incredible work and I am so grateful for everything that I've learned here and for the opportunity to feel the love of my Savior. Thank you for everything you've done for me, for your love and support here. Even though it was a little different of a week, I am so grateful for the experiences I've had. This is an incredible work! I'm excited to keep going and to become better each and everyday! I love you!! :) 

Love, Sister Smoot