Saturday, June 22, 2013

June 22, 2013

TREASURE HUNT!

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 this week I got to make a Jail break to the dentist with Sister Mafi! It was so fun, and weird. The dentist is right next to Glenwood where I lived this past year... so I was just seeing normal life... also Kim (my roommate) her car was parked in her favorite spot when I drove by! It killed me to be 600 feet away from her and not be able to say hello.... so Hello Kib!!!!!! Gwen loves you! Also, all my other friends still at Glenwood too!




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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