Well another week has gone by and I think more has happened
this week than in any other week!
To start the week
off... three districts in our zone left and we miss them dearly. My district of
sisters sang them a Philippines mission rendition of "Party in the
USA" it was awesome and hilarious. We also got to steal their desks... the
ones with the racks underneath :) Along with this change, I have lost a
companion. Sister Aruwititi got really sick two Saturday’s and fainted while we
were in the temple, and she spent the rest of the evening in the hospital. We
were not sure if she would be able to go to the Philippines. Well... they have
left her here with us so that they can figure out what is wrong. They can't
send her home because she is from Kirabati, and the reason she came on the
mission sick is because they do not have doctors there who could do anything.
However, she is the greatest. She is really funny, and so much fun to be
around. Sometimes she just starts praying or teaching in Kiribati and it's
great! I might just learn Tongan and Kiribati while at the MTC... just
kidding... but really. I feel for her though, she wants to leave so badly, but
this time is good for her to get the language down. She has been struggling to
translate from Kiribati to English to Tagalog. But, she moved into our room and
became Sister Mafi's companion.
Sister Waldrom, Sister Hellewell, Sister Mafi and Sister Aruwititi
District and Sister Training leaders
Also this week two new sister's moved into our
room so we have a full house! They are pretty fun, but they do not like to
sleep! They stay up late and get up wayyyy to early. But it is a lot of fun to
get to know them and help them with Tagalog. One of the new districts of
sisters I have just grown close to and love already they are great! I actually
hosted one of them. I really do miss the sister's who left especially the
sister training leaders and Sister's Vanauku (TONGA) and Penjueli (FIGI) but I
have switched that missing to getting to know new people.
Also, Ewaks on Star wars speak tagalog! Who knew!?!?! So
really I can speak Ewak now too! JJ, you better suit up for getting some star wars
watching done when I get back!
Also, my family got two cats this week. If anyone knows my
parents or how many times I tried to get my dad to let me get a cat you would
know how weird this is. Someone please go check to see if my parents were not
tied up by my brothers so that they could get a cat or maybe abducted by
aliens. Honestly, I would be less surprised if they had gotten a cow! probably.
Also, josh and JJ make sure you pick some cool names.... not anything lame.
Also, what does dad have to say about these new additions to our family???
TRAVEL PLANS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!!
My travel plans got her yesterday... and I am PUMPED!!!!! We
are flying out on the first to Portland, from Portland to TOKYO and then to
manila!!!!!! SOOOOO SWEEEETTT!!!! I"M GOING TO TOKYO!!!
Also.... TREASURE HUNTING!
So, sister waldrom has a friend who was left a treasure map
to get some buried treasure left for her by some friends who were at the MTC
previously. Since her friend got switched to the Mexico MTC we got to do the
hunting... And we found a glass hot sauce bottle with notes inside!!!!! It was
so fun... also; it's hard to break glass on carpet..... bathroom tile works
much more effectively. However, it was quite the adventure... Natalia or
Vanessa or Bryndi let me know when you get your calls if you will come here (or
anyone else) and I would love to leave you a message cause it was sooooo much
fun! I wish I had more time to tell you all the details, but let's just say it
made our P-day quite the adventure.
I am also learning to liken the
scriptures to my life more than ever before. Every single chapter has something
that speaks right to me and is something I need to hear or is something that
one of the people I am teaching needs to hear. I learn to liken it to myself when I am
reading with that purpose or for the purpose of teaching it to other's it is
really cool. I am so grateful for the time that I get to spend studying. I wish
I would have known how to do this so effectively earlier! I also LOVED the Tuesday
devotional. We were told that we have the Power to Astonish. Because we carry
the truth of a story of the restoration of Christ’s original church to the
earth. I know that I was foreordained to be a missionary in the Philippines. I
knew before I came to this earth that the age change would come precisely that
the moment it did, exactly when I was ready to Preach the Gospel to the world.
And that I was chosen to be saved for this time in the history of the world to
be part of the flood of missionary work going throughout the world. I am part
of the hastening of the work that was prophesied to flood the earth. I feel
honored to be a part of it too! I don't know why I have been sent to the Philippines
completely but I know that as a missionary I am at the right spot at the right
time to learn this 
language and to grow closer to God the Father and his son
Jesus Christ as I follow either example and teachings, and I go forth to tell
the world something they knew in the pre-earth life, but just need to be
reminded of it. I wish I had my notebook on me right now and that I could type
a few quotes I've heard in this past week... but I don't Pasensya(sorry)
The language is really progressing
this week. I am learning to rely on the lord for what needs to be said and I am
starting to be able to teach without really any notes at all if I study the
conjugations beforehand! I have memorized vs. 16 of Joseph Smith history and
plan to have vs. 17 committed to memory soon. It is really cool what you can
learn when you are relying on the Lord to learn it, and attempting to use it
even though you know that your grammar is completely off! However, my Tagalog
has progressed immensely and so has my ability to teach what needs to be taught
when it needs to be taught. I am not out here to convert everyone
I come in contact with to the gospel... I am here to simply invite them to come
unto Christ and to learn of him... I am here to teach them of their true
identity. I am here to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to teach them how
to pray to him and receive answers back. I can teach them where they came from,
why they are on earth facing hardships, and where they will go after this
life... but most of all I am out on a mission to invite. To invite the world to
come unto Christ. Yeah, you could say it is pretty
cool.
Other than that... well I would say
not much has happened... but seriously sooo much has! I love our Tuesday night
devotionals... and being part of the biggest relief society meeting in the
world is pretty darn cool. I do miss having sister Mafi with us all the time,
but I love having sister Aruwititi around.
Oh, hey, did yall hear the prophet is
coming to Provo tomorrow??? Did ya know that the Marriott center is going
to be filled with all the missionaries from both of the MTC's in Provo as well?
Did ya know that you should watch the broadcast tomorrow at four(MST)
in the afternoon.... and look for your
favorite sister missionary who will be singing!!!!!!! Yeah, that's right, I'm
singing for the prophet tomorrow in a highly classified meeting that
is being broadcast to the world. It is supposedly really important so you
should watch it and look for me in the choir... I’ll be wearing blue. I am so
excited for it! It's gonna be big cause they are asking everyone to watch it.
I'm excited to hear what President Thomas S. Monson will have to say... there
are a lot of rumors... but we can just disregard about 90% of those.
Well friends, and family, I love you
all! And I thank you for reading through all my emails each week to see how I'm
doing. I definitely feel your support and prayers in my life.
Mahal Kita,
Sister Hellewell
Here is the picture she couldn't send last week, because the computer wouldn't load the picture. It says "Happy Father's Day"
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