Week 32 - Our first official video call

[We were sitting in a meeting our church building  at about 7:15pm on Sunday night and, just to be safe, we checked to see if Brittany was online. She was! So, we quickly went and found a classroom at the church where we could video chat with Brittany on our iPad.  It was so amazing to talk to her and see her face.

So, no official letter today but she did upload a few pictures.]

So good to see her smiling face!

the ferris wheel was cute thats all

smiling after walking for 2 straight hours with no luck

WE MADE RANCH AND I FLIPPED I WAS SO EXCITED. I MISS RANCH SO MUCH.

Week 31 - I CAN'T CONTAIN MY JOY

YES!!! I HAVE BEEN DYINGGG TO TALK TO YALL ABOUT THE NEWS!!!! Since I knew that they sent it to all the bishops, I knew that y'all knew the minute that I did and I have just been DYING to talk to y'all about it. We found out as a household earlier than anyone else, and I thought it was a joke. I thought our district leader was just joking (even though he's not a joker) I just could not believe this big of a change would take place for missions. So we literally went around asking everyone if they had any concrete evidence, and finally we went straight to the Bishop's house and I took a picture of the email myself. It wasn't until I saw the email that I fully believed it and it's slowly sinking in!!! AHH!! So yes, I will be skyping y'all or video chatting y'all next week!! We are still trying to find a computer shop with cameras so hopefully we will be able to next week. I will find a way. And usually it will be at 10 am my time so I think 9pm your time. This morning was late, because the missionary email system just changed and the whole system was shut down. But it's working now. Anyways, I am over the moon happy. I have not been this dancy happy in forever. Spirits are very very high right now in the mission field.

As for my week, it was awesome!! I absolutely love my companion. Sister Gepulla. She doesn't know much of the language. So it has been super good to pick up the training where is left off. I absolutely adore her though. And I have loved getting close with the other two sisters in our apartment. Oh and I finally have had milk, butter, cereal, and all the things that were not in Sipalay. I'm living large here in Silay!! But honestly earlier, I chose to shop at the meat market and vegetable market rather than the grocery store where meat is refrigerated and clean- who have I become hahhaa. It has been a crazy adjustment but definitely good things. More resources here. Doesn't feel so far from home. ESP cause I get to talk to y'all as well!!!

The biggest, funniest thing that happened this week was me and my companion totally planted sugarcane this week like true natives!!! We OYM'ed (opened our mouth) to these 8 women all sitting outside and we shared a message with them and then they said they were about to go plant sugarcane and of course we offered to help because we are missionaries and thats what we do. They of course didn't think we were serious, but we were. So we followed them to the field and walked through fields of sugarcane to get to where we were going to plant (also we were totally in dresses not prepared for service but hey it was fun) and then while we were waiting for the tractor, we talked about our purpose as missionaries and they asked us a bunch of questions about why we are here. Then, we started skinning the sugarcane. We didn't have gloves and sugarcane has little tiny needles on them that we got all over our hands but we didn't complain because they were all worried enough about us hahha. Then, we planted. And didn't stop planting for 2 hours. I got super dirty and all the women were sooooo worried about me, as a little American getting dirty and sweaty in my dress. But I didn't care. I just kept working and working no matter how hot or sweaty I was. They kept coming over and wiping my sweat for me hahha they were so worried. I felt like a child, but it was such a fun opportunity to serve them. Me and my companion just loved it. We love to tell about that time when we planted sugarcane for 4 hours in our dresses. All the women kept trying to marry me off to every male that walked by. It was a good time. They were hilarious. I will add pictures.

Other than that, the major news is about the new change. I forgot what else happened in this week because I am just so dang excited to talk to y'all!!! We have zone conference this week where President Sumagpao will be giving guidelines, so I will know everything next week!!! I CANT WAIT!! I LOVE YALL SO MUCH!! My stomach jumps every time I think about it. There has been lots of screaming and jumping over in our apartment too!!! Seems like all our problems have gotten swept away at least for now. Life is happy. I am so excited. I love this work and I love studying about my Savior and about Joseph Smith in reading Saints. I always feel so close them as I teach about them and the wonderful things they did for us and this generation. We are so blessed to have a knowledge of the true gospel on the earth. What a time to rejoice!!!

The new rules for us don't start until next week so no chatting this week but I AM SO EXCITED OVER THE MOOOOON EXITED TO TALK TO Y'ALL EVERY WEEK WE HAVE HAD REJOICING IN THE LAND OVER HERE TOO TRUST ME AHHHH IM BAWLING TOO MOM NOT AN OVERREACTION AT ALL.

Sister Robertson


The video below is us walking through the filed to get to planting sugar cane!! HARD WORKERS!!!

This is the aftermath of 4 hours. Very dirty haha!!

Here is a couple of the cute women we planted with

My cute companion gave me a flower so we took a picture of me looking like an islander

We had a ward Valentines party and haha we were sad we didn't have love but we had each other!!

An Exciting Announcement from the First Presidency

We woke up today to an amazing, exciting announcement...that we can now chat or Skype Brittany every week and all major holidays.  We are over the moon and can't with to hear from Brittany to learn the guidelines for her mission.  Here's the official announcement:

Week 30 - Sipalay to Silay

Wow what an eventful week! As in- super busy this week was. That sounded like Yoda sorry Im still figuring out how to talk in english hahha.

This week- totally sad. My heart is aching so so bad after leaving my best friend, Sister Tagpuno. As in- we are super super close and these past six weeks have been some of the best weeks of my entire mission. I am sure going to miss her. Another totally sad and heartbreaking thing that happened this week, is one of our investigators died. She had stage four cancer and suddenly died one night in her sleep. Her husband was living in Manila and came back and I could barely look into his eyes they were so sad and it broke my heart. It was the first time I had to think about whether I did enough for her in sharing the gospel. If she gets up to spirit world, will she accept the gospel finally or not? Did I do enough as a missionary to help her understand the importance of the gospel or is her not accepting it while on the earth partly my fault? Crazy how death really gives you an eternal perspective. But I also think her death will be what finally brings her husband to get baptized and her children to be reactivated which would be so neat. Hopefully they can someday get sealed as a family.

And of course, right when that happened, I got transferred so I don't even get to be there to console them or teach them in this hard time in their life. So yeah transferring after being in an area for six months is HARD. I cried lots and most of the members cried too. It broke my heart. I will miss Sipalay more than words can describe. Even though the work was hard, I loved it so much and it feels like a home away from home. Change is weird. Especially having served there my whole mission. It doesn't feel real that I won't go back after emailing.

But yes, I got transferred. So did Sister Tagpuno. They pulled sisters out of Sipalay and put elders in instead. So now there are four elders there in Sipalay. Which is crazy. TONS of changes have been happening. The revelation of President Sumagpao is crazy. He's awesome. So my new area- Silay. Just take away a p and an a and you get my new area hahah. Its up here in the north though, so I went from super province to city. Weird. Idk how to do life here. The house is nice and safe and just everything is different. There is real grocery stores here. Weird. Definitely more complete but I will miss the more simple life for sure. Crazy crazy.

Oh! Also- for anyone who knows me super well knows this news will be wild , but I got a haircut last P-day! Wow! First time ever that I voluntarily wanted to get a haircut, and in the Philippines no less where the system is very different and they kind of do whatever they want with your hair. BUT it turned out to be a success and I didn't cry! It was just a trim, but like I cut 3 inches off in a straight cut. It looks a lot better. It was past my waist and it just felt too long, so I cut it. Im a big girl!! It was $1 also so thats also a plus. Thats all I'm willing to pay for people to cut my hair;) Joke but it made it easier.

But yeah its my first time traveling north of Bacolod so thats exciting! Also I am follow up training, so my companion was batch with Sister Tagpuno which is fun. So even though she is leading the area, I still have lots of responsibility as a companion. But Im excited! She's gwapa and super nice! Oh and funny story- my first lunch here, our waiter asked for my facebook hahha. But of course I said no and maybe I'll give him the gospel instead. Hahaha. Thats the mindset of a missionary. Love this life.

But yeah thats it for this week. Today is officially 7 months in the field which is just too fast. Life is too fast. I need it to slow down. I love my mission and know in the blink of an eye, it's going to be over. I want to make the most out of the rest of my mission and really change through Christ. I want to come home different than when I came and I know that will happen if I consecrate my whole self to God and give up all my wills for His. I love y'all so much!! Im totally going to miss my district in Sipalay and the branch there- seriously they are both like families to me. Change is hard but so rewarding!! I miss y'all tons and I know that it will be very short time until we see each other again(: Until then, Halong pirme!!

Sister Robertson

Sister Tagpuno and I with our new companions!! The one by my side on the very left is my new companion.

Last breakfast as a district :(((

Transfer day :( I will miss my child LOTS.

Aw. My second family here in the Philippines that took such good care of me!

Our last family home evening in Sipalay!! Love the people here!

This was supposed to be our baptism on the beach - haha, didn't happen but still nami picture

The move!! We had so much stuff and the office elders and APs were awesome about moving!!!

My favorite zone ever!!!

The new house!!

Our last p-day as a zone we went to a cave where we waded through water the whole time. It was awesome!

Then we went to Rock Hills where you could see all of Sipalay. It was BEAUTIFUL

SIPALAY FROM THE TOP!

Brittany has a new email address

We got notified from Brittany's mission that her email address is changing to:

brittany.robertson@missionary.org

Her old email address will still work (just forward to the new one), but thought y'all would like to know.

Week 29 - We Moved and Cleaned

Maayong Gabi kamo tanan!! I miss yall. Lots. As for my week, it was a good, busy week. Sister Tagpuno and I had many successful days where we were lead by the spirit to strong new people to teach. We extended yet another baptismal date and just loving the work. We had a mission-wide cleaning day again so we spent the majority of the day deep cleaning everything which I totally enjoy. So expect me to be hardworking in cleaning when I get back. Ive learned to enjoy cleaning, which is a random thing to learn to like on a mission. But ya know, all good things.

And then, Saturday and Sunday were District Conference (like Stake Conference but we are only a district), and a member of the Seventy was there and I got to shake his hand and talk to him a little bit which was cool. He's from the Philippines and spoke too much Tagalog but I am slowly but surely understanding more and more Tagalog. Hopefully by the time I get home, I will know how to speak it as well. Thats my goal anyway. I have gotten to a point where I don't need to super focus on Ilonggo, so Im ready to focus on another language(:

But anyways, then Saturday we moved houses, which with the help of the AP's and office elders, it was pretty fast. 3 hours to get all our stuff out and situated into the new house. They were awesome. It has been a weird adjustment but definitely the new house is nicer and safer. We are just working to get rid of the cobwebs right now. And then next week, its 99.9% sure that I will be transferring so I am trying to prepare myself for that. Its crazy to imagine I can be on a mission in a new place cause I have almost been here for 6 months. Crazy stuff. Next week on Monday will be my 7 month mark. Time is going so fast. Especially when I love love love my companionship. Life is happy. Life is good. And I am excited to see where the Lord takes me next week. I trust in Him completely.

I had a super awesome, spirit-filled personal study yesterday. I was pretty down on myself as a trainer that I was failing and wasn't being good enough for my trainee. JamJam went to get baptized again on Saturday at the beach and was scared again so, once again, she did not get baptized. Sister Tagpuno took it pretty hard so I spent the day trying to comfort her when I was down myself. I just felt like all my work being exactly obedient has led to a lot of failures and I didn't quite understand it very well. But then I read in Preach My Gospel about a "successful missionary" and I was reminded that people still have their agency. And then I read about Abinadi and Ammon how they were both SUPER successful missionaries, even though their efforts were in different timings. Ammon's success was seen right away by baptizing tons of people. But Abinadi's success was seen after he died and people were  converted through only one of Abinadi's conversions. So, he didn't get to see in his lifetime, any baptisms come from his missionary efforts, but he was still successful because he did his duty to God and people after him were blessed.

I quickly related it to me how I may not get to see all the fruits of my efforts here, but as long as I am doing what's right, my efforts will NOT be wasted. People's lives WILL be changed because of my service here. That's a promise of God. So I just need to keep doing my part and He will do His in HIS timing, not mine. I also read my patriarchal blessing which was the biggest comfort and I am promised so many amazing things if I will just continue to serve and be an example to those around me. I am so thankful for personal revelation and the scriptures and just all of this gospel. It brought me so much comfort in a time when I really needed it. I felt Heavenly Father saying that He is proud of me, which is a feeling that I've been longing for. I am working my tail off here, giving my all, and finally, I got assured that Heavenly Father is more than proud with my efforts. He answered my long-given prayers yesterday. Man, how true is this church!!

Sister Robertson

Sunday Best

My district with our fish that you can't see that we cooked (: lunch on the beach yeah!

Me being artistic at artistic diving :)

"The district" my famm