June 8, 2013

Everyone:

Kumusta!!!!

It has been another long week at the MTC! I feel like the MTC is a rollercoaster! One minute I think the Tagalog is starting to click and the next I have no idea what is going on. I feel like we are expected to do more than time allows! My favorite part of the day is gym time! (Sad, but true) Another Sister in my district likes to go outside, so we go on splits for gym time and Sister Cowley and I just go and run a mile or more and then find something else to do! I love it! It is sooo hard for me to sit down in one spot all day long! I made a list of things I wanted to include in this email but.... unfortunately I have misplaced it somewhere....

My mom sent me a package this week that had a bunch of things I asked for and.... wait for it.... drumrollll......... Pillowcases! For me and my mga Kasama (companions) it was great! They love them! And of course I love mine.... it is so cliché, my mom is so great! Thanks mom.... we really do love them.

This week I have noticed how amazing it is what the Lord can do when you push yourself to do your very best. I have noticed that my best and the best of the other missionaries in my district is not the same thing. I try not to get discouraged when others are doing better than me or hold myself back when the person I am working with isn't completely with me. I rededicated myself to work my very hardest and to use my limited tagalog language as much as possible. It is really helping. I feel blessed. I have noticed that only when I am pushing myself and truly trying to be my best does the lord really bless and help me progress.

This week we have had two investigators... (ok teachers pretending to be someone to teach, but almost the same thing) They are Nel and Mario. I haven’t decided what I like best yet... saying as much as possible, but reading from a paper or memorizing a little and using what I know and not saying much... I prefer the later because I can feel the spirit more and I am really picking my brain for what I need to say and I feel better about the lesson at the end. My mga Kasama like to do the earlier.... so I feel bad when I don't say much. But anyways... teaching Nel and Mario is great! It makes me wish I had been a better missionary to those around me growing up.

 My entire life I have known the truth, that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the same gospel that he established during his lifetime, has been restored to the earth. Restored because it was lost in the death of the apostles, and that while many churches hold most of the truths and are blessed for that... I know that there is a prophet of God on the earth today. We taught Mario a lesson on the restoration and about prophets. Doesn't it just make sense for there to be a prophet here on the earth? Why would God give prophets to the people before his life, like Adam, Moses, Abraham, Noah, and not provide a prophet, seer, and revelator on the earth today? God is the same yesterday, today and will be the same forever, I find a lot of comfort in that. In our devotional on Sunday the speaker talked about the church God established using the bible and showed the correlations to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. It was really cool. I wish I could explain it better in my email, but it is kind of hard. I really enjoyed it. Ya know, the gospel of Jesus Christ just makes sense. However, I also learned and thought about this week that no one can know it is true just because it makes sense. They need to pray to God about it, and read the Book of Mormon, not the whole thing, but at least a part. I know that if you pray to know the truth you will find it! I feel so blessed in my life that my parents raised me to know how to know for myself if God does guide me today and how I can become like him, and how to gain a testimony of Christ and the Book of Mormon for myself. 

To my friends: I know many of you do not understand all of the churchy lingo that I have used on here, and that is alright. If you want to know just ask me and I would be more than happy to help you understand. I also taught Mario how to pray this week. That was such a good experience! I felt the Spirit so strongly when I was explaining to him how to pray! Isn't it just great that we can pray to our Father in Heaven in the name of Christ and ask him anything we want to, tell him everything that is going on, and receive help!  I really think I personally grew the most and also felt the spirit strongest when I was trying to explain in my limited Tagalog how he can know that God is there, listening, guiding, and helping him. I quoted a scripture in Galatians; I think it is Galatians 5: 22-23 or something like that that explains the fruits of the spirit. It's a good one.... if you ever want to know if what you are feeling is good, and comes from God read that one. Also the pamphlet that explains it is quite nice.... I really need to read through the English one here soon. 

I have grown so much in these past three weeks. I have learned a lot about myself and am learning to cope with many challenges. Sometimes is it hard to not be able to go home to my apartment, talk with my mom on the walk home and go vent to my loving roommates if I had a tough day. I do miss my family and roommates and friends too.... sometimes it is weird not being able to just call them up when I want, but other than that life is good. Sister Cowley plays the Piano and Sister Wilson plays the violin as well so the three of us are going to find someone to sing for us and we are going to play a song for sacrament meeting sometime... I am very excited! I miss my violin! I sure hope JJ is taking care of it! I can't wait to pick one up again... My Kasama's cousin wrote her a letter saying lots, and since I am out of time I will have to say it fast... but something along the lines of I don't have to learn to speak tagalog today, or baptize everyone in San Pablo. I don't need to get everything done today.  I just have to memorize a few vocab words and read the Book of Mormon for thirty minutes... and one day I will be a great missionary who rely’s on the lord for everything in life and might even speak tagalog! It is really good to think I just need to take things one step, one day at a time and everything will work out.

I always love hearing from my family how everything is going. Also, my older brother... Brandon... he gives the greatest advice out of anyone I know! 

It broke my heart but really made me feel really really good that little Thomas misses me and pretended to be talking to me on the phone. I love that little guy. I hope he doesn't forget me. :)

Every night there is a little Polynesia in my bedroom. It is great! A bunch of the girls in our Zone from Tonga, Samoa,and Figi come to visit sister Mafi! They all do hilarious things every night. and Sister Vanuku (that is compeltely misspelled) always puts something funny on her head. And let me tell you they all LOVE cup of noodles... I don't know why but it is sooo funny I had to take a picture! I feel like I hear Tongan spoken more than English when I am out of the classroom sometimes but that's alright. It's great!

Well friends... I am out of time once again. I hope you all have a marvelous week and take the time to thank your Father in Heaven for all the blessings he has given you! I hope you are enjoying summer! It felt like summer, for the first time this summer, yesterday on my run it was like heaven!!!

MAHAL PO KAYO!!! (Love you all)

-Sister Stephanie Hellewell

People Stephanie found in the MTC!!!!!

                                                    Sister Hellewell and Elder Adam Hill 

                       (He is from our ward and he is headed to the Louisville Kentucky Mission.  

                             So friends in Evansville and Newburgh Wards. watch for him. 

                                          Maybe he will come down there!!!)

                                                  Sister Jess Pothoof and Sister Hellewell

                                           Sister Naomi Hutchins and Sister Hellewell

                                                   Sister Hellewell and Elder Jonah Seeley
                                                  (He is Stephanies friends little brother,)

                                                  Sister Marissa Hansen and Sister Hellewell
                                              (This is who Stephanie flew down with from Boise)

                                       THANK YOU  to whomever sent stephanie her favorite cereal!!!!
  If you plan on sending Stephanie a goody package she says she gets really hungry in the evening because dinner is early. She would like some Gluten free granola bars or protein bars. Some of which she can eat are:
                                      Luna bars, she likes the peanut butter and cookie dough.
                                      Quaker: Cinnamon Pecan Bread Soft baked Bars or any other flavor
                                       Fruit Snacks
                                       Dried fruits or trail mix