TRANSFERRED!!

Hello!! I've been transferred! I'm now in Cadiz with Sister Nanlabi! We're the Sister Training Leaders for our zone! Woah. 

It was so sad to leave Kabankalan! Sister Clark and I had the most miraculous transfer. And we really became best friends- through the robbers and the dengue. :)  We also taught 101 new people! I actually can't believe it. God is hastening the work and the church is SO true. 

Nitnit and Zid and Daisy Joy all came to church this Sunday! And they all love it so much. All three of them will be baptized in the beginning of February. I'm so excited for them :) The change we've seen in just under 6 weeks has been incredible. I know all three of them are needed so much to build up the kingdom of God. Their faith is so strong. All three of them have committed and are working on giving up coffee this week so they can be prepared for their baptisms :) I'm so blessed to know them.  

It was so wonderful to celebrate Christmas as a missionary. We got to teach one of our favorite families about the joy of Christmas and about the Savior and I think that was the best Christmas gift ever. Their names are Jason and Lhizel and they have a baby boy named Loy-G. They also accepted the invitation to be baptized this week :) 

I love being a missionary! I'm so excited for this next transfer in Cadiz! I'm going to keep trying to be like Jesus! 

I love you all! Happy New Year! FROM CADIZ! woah transfers. 

Sister Zollinger 

Favorite Christmas present ... testimonies from family

Merry Christmas!

Hello! Merry Christmas! 

Sister Clark and I are back in action!! 

Miracles! So we've been teaching Joselyn and her mother in law Melinda since I got here to Kabankalan 4 months ago. But NOW! We're teaching the whole family!! Bobby and Joselyn have 12 children and this week. THE WHOLE FAMILY accepted the invitaion to follow the example of Jesus Christ through baptism! Yippee!!!!! Please pray that they'll come to church. We need them! They're so strong in the faith! 

Also we're still teaching Daisy Joy and she still reads the Book of Mormon all the time!! Oh my heart can hold the joy. She said she's reading it backwards because she loves Moroni. She's the best. 

We also had Zone Conference this week! I love the chance to be spiritually uplifted and inspired. As a mission we're really focusing on having quality convert baptisms! Which is really wonderful because there's a really big problem with recent converts falling away because they don't have the support and testimony we need. We need healers! 

We also went caroling with our ward this week! It was fun to bring the spirit of Christmas to some families. 

My testimony of the Book of Mormon is growing still everyday. We got to teach Vanessa and Junie about the Book of Mormon this week. They already believe in the Restoration and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. The spirit was so strong when we testified of the Book of Mormon. I shared the story of Alma the Younger and told them how the Book of Mormon testifies of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that we are never lost to him. At the end of the lesson Vanessa prayed and she asked God that we would keep coming back because their lives have already changed and become more peaceful even from the first lesson. It was so humbling. I'm so grateful to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. My greatest desire everyday is just to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost so I can teach these precious souls in the Savior's way and in His name. 

I know this is the only Restored Church of Jesus Christ here on the earth and it is true! Jesus is the reason for the season! If there was no Christmas there would be no Atonement and no Easter. We can show our gratitude for the Savior and his birth through lifting the hands that fall down and repenting daily. Inviting ourselves and others to come unto Christ. It's such a joy and a blessing to be involved in His work. And we need to do it in His way.

I love you all. MERRY CHRISTMAS 

Sister Zollinger 

 

 

Hospital

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

I just got news that Alexis and Izzy from California got baptized!!! Oh the JOY :) 

This week in Kabankalan was nutzo crazy. We entered the hospital Tuesday at 7am and left Saturday at 3. But Sister Clark is healed! She was a champion the whole time. The last night I fell off the little couch I was sleeping on. oops. Not much else to report there other than we are back in action! Also one of the nurses is going to name her baby girl after Sister Clark so that was special :) We're so grateful for all the missionaries in our zone and for the assistants to the president. They made sure I had food everyday and helped us so much. We feel one with the mission! Blessings.

Yesterday we got to go back out and teach again! It felt so good to be out serving. It always lifts my spirits and helps me feel close to my Savior.  

Also I made American spaghetti yesterday to celebrate being out of the hospital!! Yumm

I don't have much else to say. But I love you all! Light your family! 

Sister Zollinger 

Address for Sister Caitlin Zollinger

If you would like to send a letter to Caitlin, please use the following address.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Philippines Bacolod Mission Office

Attn: Sister Caitlin Zollinger

Galo St. Between Lacson and Mabini

6100 Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

Philippines

I'm sure she would love Christmas cards - even if she gets them in February.  

Merry Christmas!

Sister Clark got Dengue!... and we were robbed!....twice!!!

Hey all!

So after we got robbed and before Sister Clark got Dengue this week was miraculous!

We started teaching 43 new people this week!! And we taught 37 lessons this week!! So many miracles!!!!

In our district council this week we read this quote in PMG

"None of us should be like the fishermen who thinks he has been fishing all day when in reality he has spent most of his time getting to and from the water, eating lunch, and fussing with his equipment. Fishing success is related to how long you have your line in the water, not to how long you are away from the apartment. Some fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for ten hours. Other fishermen are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for only two hours. This last type may wonder why they do not have the same success as others." 

This really hit us and we realized that we can be using our time so much better and we also realized that we have wasted time. I'm so grateful for this. This week we have done our best to be all day fishermen and we have seen so much success and miracles from it. We were able to teach 12 lessons in a day, two days in a row and we owe it all to Heavenly Father leading us to the elect and for fishing all day! 

Also I need to give a huge shoutout to the best trainee EVER!

Sister Clark takes greenie fire to another level. She's so so diligent and so so excited to work. She's our schedule mastermind and she's always inspiring and motivating us to work harder and to keep going. I'm so grateful for her and for her desire to teach all day. I'm so blessed. She's honestly changed my mission in just two weeks. SO send extra prayers that she will heal quickly! Dengue takes all your energy and strength sometimes for 6 months. God needs her guns a blazing because she's the BEST! 

Some miracles!

Daisy Joy: aka GOLDEN. We gave her 2 nephi 32 to read last week after she accepted the invitation to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. AND SHE READ! and she TOOK NOTES!!!! We taught her on Saturday and asked if she read and she said yes and then she took out a paper from her Book of Mormon and she had written a summary of everything she learned and understood. Bakod!

Nitnit and Zid: They texted us the morning we were supposed to teach them and said they had an emergency appointment so they had to cancel the lesson. But then we were out teaching in their baranggay and we saw Zid! She was hanging out in the plaza and when she saw us she came running over and told us to come teach them. She's the best. It was like an hour later than our original appointment was supposed to be. They're so receptive and I know Heavenly Father timed it for us perfectly. At the beginning of the lesson Nitnit said she didn't know if they could come to church and at the end they were like "We'll be there!" The power of the spirit is real. We taught about Gospel Dispensations and prophets and how God needs us to have a prophet to he can keep us safe and before we even brought it up Zid asked "So who's the living prophet today!" Golden. 

Also we taught the emergency room staff while Sister Clark was getting her Dengue tests. I'm telling you, you can't stop this girl haha. We taught them about the restoration and they had so many questions. One of them John- wants to have an appointment with us to learn more. Yippee! 

Honestly I get really overwhelmed out here sometimes.Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you; The weight of your calling he perfectly knows. <-- This is really true. The weight of others salvation can get pretty heavy sometimes. And sometimes we get prideful or silly or forget and try to rely on our own strength. I have a strong testimony that we can't do that. We need to be humble. we need to let Heavenly Father do His own work- in His way. And when we let Him the miracles will come. The blessing will come and we can do our part in His strength.

Thank you Emily for this scripture today:

D&C 123: 16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

I'm the smallest helm. 'The weakest of the weak'. But I can do my best. I can do my part. I can consecrate my efforts to the Lord and then watch him do His work. 

The Gospel is simple. Don't complicate it. Jesus Loves you and The church is true! 

Palangga ko kamo

Sister Zollinger

 

 

Elsa and Anna Take the Philippines!

Sister Clark and I are out here trying to keep up with Kabankalan!! So many miracles again!!

This week we started teach 22! New people!!! What a crazy crazy miracle. I can feel heavens help so much and Heavenly Father really leading us to the elect and placing people in our path all the time! The only problem now is we have so many people to teach and so little time! Really putting "Use your time wisely" to the test. We're so so blessed.

This week we have Family Home Evening with the most fun family ever. They have 7 kids 14, 13, 11, 8, 6, 5, & 2. We made them a huge spaghetti dinner and also had lumpia and rice! We taught them about the importance of families and how the gospel blesses families. All the kids took a turn saying what they could do to strengthen their family. (Eat your vegetables came up a lot) it was the best. Two of their kids have accepted baptism so now we're just focusing on the parents! 

Also we had the greatest miracle! We were riding a big tricycle back from Calubang and I talked to the tricycle driver

the whole way and then the lady sitting across from me joined the conversation and we all became friends. The tricycle driver encouraged the lady to give me her contact information and her address so we could go visit her! (Non-member missionary work ahah!) So she gave us her phone number and explained where she lived and then she PAID for our ride! I was so shy that she paided. Then a few days later we went and visited her- Sister Nitnit and her granddaughter Syd. We taught them a powerful lesson about the Plan of Salvation. The spirit was so strong and at the end of the lesson they both accepted to follow the example of Jesus Christ through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. And then! They came to church the next day and they both loved it and made tons of friends in the ward!! The relief society president and some youth are coming to the next lesson with us :) YAY! 

Also we taught a first lesson to a sister named Vanessa! And after the lesson she texted us and said Sisters I'm so blessed that we met! Please come back and visit my family anytime!!

This week was so precious. We really focused on talking to EVERYONE and so many miracles came of it! The Lord is with us!! 

I think I'm starting to understand this scripture. Missionary work really does make you exhausted haha but it's so worth it because of the great joy! I still lay on the floor every morning if anyone was wondering haha. 

Alma27:17 

"Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth".  

I love you all so very much! Keep the faith! 

Sister Zollinger 

Miracles!

Hello family! 

This week was so wonderful! I don't have tons of time so this might be a little short.

This week we had 3 random people walk up to us on the street while we were out proselyting and ask us to come to their houses and teach them! MIRACLE!

We also had a 10 year old little brother of a recent convert- Jonrel- say Sisters I want to be baptized! and we had never even met him before! MIRACLE! 

We worked in a new neighborhood that I had never been to before and set return appointments with 10 people in like an hour! MIRACLE! 

I can speak and understand Hiligaynon! Every lesson and OYM the Holy Ghost helped me understand and respond! My teaching skills have like exploded this week! The spirit is with us! Also I successfully taught about family history in front of 50 missionaries in Hiligaynon and didn't die of nerves! MIRACLE! 

We taught a new person John Paul about prophets and introduced Prophet Russell M. Nelson and he got so happy and said Sisters today is the first time I've learned that we have a living prophet. Please come back and teach me more! MIRACLE!

My new companion Sister Clark is from CORVALLIS! And she knows ADDIE!! MIRACLE!

Sister Adams is here!! MIRACLE! 

Basically this week has been one straight miracle. I know Heavenly Father loves us so much. Keep keeping the commandments! Try try try! 

I love you all

Sister Zollinger

p.s. the computer usb port thingy is broken so I can't send pictures :( Next week!!

Families can be together forever!

Hello! This week was wonderful!

This week I got to work in Bacolod while my companions were at MLC that was really fun and the transportation was nuts! I like calm Kabankalan. 

Also this week we had zone conference! The spirit was amazing. I can feel the mission elevating and we're becoming what God needs us to be. 

Also we did like 5 FHEs this week with members, new converts, part member families, and new people to teach!! It was miraculous and so much fun. I felt the spirit of family all week and I have a strong testimony that families really can be together forever. 

This Saturday was Christine's baptism!! It was such a happy happy day. Her big brothers gave the talks at her baptism and Christine stood up in front of everyone and bore her testimony even though she's so shy! She also prays all the time now like a champ. I'm so incredibly proud of her. I really know that Heavenly Father does his own work. All we really did was show up and follow the spirit. The conversion happened with Christine and her Father in Heaven and it was such a gift to be able to watch. I'm so excited for her. Next year her family will go to the temple and become a forever family! I love them. Also her cousin came to her baptism and he really loved it. We've been able to teach him a bit in the past but we're really going to focus on him this next transfer. Yay yay yay for families. 

 

 

All of my companions I've had in the Philippines are officially going home! :( I'm really going to miss them and I'm so grateful for everything they've taught me and all the miracles we've seen together. I know they will continue to become as the Savior is. I've been so blessed. I also got to see Sister Aguda at zone conference and today at the transfer meeting! I've missed her. Pray for them for me as they travel to their families. :) 

Transfer news!! I'm staying in Kabankalan and I'll be training a new missionary!! Sister Schenk (My MTC companion) is training too! I'm really excited for this new transfer I know we're going to see more miracles than ever before! 

I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us and I can't deny the love and the peace and the help I feel from the Holy Ghost everyday. This is the restored church of our Savior. I know it I know it I know it. 

Palangga ko kamo. Padayon! 

Sister Lola Z 

Palagpat gd sa akon lawas

Hello!!! Welcome! Come on in! Kaon ta! 

Um I'm still incredibly sick but it's fine because SO MANY MIRACLES.

Tatay Jerry! So we received the missionary dream text this week from Tatay Jerry. It said I'm going to get baptized I need your advice! (except it was in Hiligaynon) Then he texted us a few days later and he was like sisters you have to come over I've made my decision! So we went over!! And he gained his testimony and his desire to be baptized because of TITHING! Wow. Last week he asked us what our church did with our money and we didn't think much of it we just answered his question with the scriptures and explained that no one in the church gets paid for their work or service. But apparently at the church he's been going to he's been donating tons on money and they've basically been robbing him and he finally asked them what they've been doing with all the money and no one could answer him and the head pastor just told him that all the money was gone. So that was pretty crazy. But now he's for sure getting baptized! Miracles

Christine! This week Christine had her baptism interview!! And she passed! Her progression has been so wonderful to see. She's finally praying out loud on her own and she wasn't shy at all with the district leader. I got to sit with their family and Sunday and they're all so excited. Her baptism is this Saturday :) Stay tuned. 

Mario! So Mario is the guy we met last week who is the cousin of a recent convert- Angel. He's so receptive. We taught him this week the beginning of the Restoration and at the end of the lesson we felt prompted to invite him to be baptized and he accepted! Then we saw him and his friend later in the week and Mario told his friend that he was "going to church with the Mormons" (we're still working on correcting that) but still it was wonderful! He told his friend to come to church with him. 

Rodnell! Rodnell is Tatay Lopez's nephew and when we went up to the mountain this week to work Rodnell was there visiting for a few days. Tatay Lopez asked us to share with him. Rodnell was baptized with his whole family when he was 10 but the next year in 2001 they got lost from the church. Since then he has been kind of looking for the truth again and has gone to a lot of other churches but hasn't even felt like home again. Our lesson with him was incredibly inspired like 100% guided by the spirit it was so powerful. I felt prompted to share the story of the Prodigals son and my language skills pulled through! AND THE NEXT DAY he came to church with Tatay Lopez! He's from Bacolod and he told us that he's going to go to church there every week from now on. It was such a beautiful miracle. 

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; … the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.  

Even through sickness I've seen so many miracles!! The work will go on! No unhallowed sickness can stop us! Haha 

Stay Bakod. 

Sister Zollinger 

Ah I should probably explain the bottles picture. So we met the cutest old man ever- Nelson. And invited him to meet with us and he was so happy and excited that he gave us three enormous bottles of homemade vinegar!! We'll have to teach him the word of wisdom soon ;)