Ari di' ako sa Pilipinas

Welp it feels like I had P-Day just yesterday but I'm back! Travel is a weird thing.

WE MADE IT!! 

Heavenly Father divinely designed the best family reunion ever. 

We'll be in the Manila MTC until Wednesday and then everyone goes out to their different missions. We're having the best time together again. It's so nice to be able to speak Hiligaynon anytime and have the people around understand and respond! My heart it so full.

 

This morning we went to the temple as a district and it's

definitely in the top 10 happiest moments of my whole life. There's such a peaceful happy feeling here in the Manila MTC. It's like a weight has been lifted off all of our shoulders. We finally made it! 

 

We made friends with all the Filipino sisters here and they're all so hilarious. I'm enjoying having rice with every meal! We've tried lots of new things already- so far so good! Also I got Lychee juice!!! So delicious. I love lychee. After this we're going to get some mango smoothies. I'm never coming home :) Malipay gid ako. 

Palangga ko kamo. 

Sister Z

 

 

 

 

 

HALONG CALIFORNIA!

Kamusta!!

We're leaving today! Actually in like 20 minutes!! So crazy!! I'm looking forward to a huge family reunion with my MTC zone! 

 

This week was fantastic we saw so many miracles! 

 

 

The best one- We had dinner with a member this week but he invited his neighbors to host the dinner and to feed us and they're not members of the church. We had such an amazing time with them!!! We were able to connect with them so much and they asked us tons of questions about the church and we saw them open up more and more as the night went on. The member was speaking that Sunday and he invited them to come to church and they came!! They said they were so sad that I was leaving right after we got to meet & they felt like they were sending their daughter away to the Philippines!  We helped explain everything during Sacrament meeting and they said we were naturals- good coaches haha. It was such a beautiful miracle to end the transfer. They also are taking Sister Taylor and Sister Healy to sushi on Tuesday! Sister Western got transferred to San Clemente! I'm so excited for them.

I love the Alicia Park ward with all my heart. I'll hold what I learned and experienced and all the people I met here close to my heart forever!! I love the Irvine California Mission! I'm changed forever! 

Sorry this email is so short. I love you all! Look our for a change of scenery in the pictures very 

soon!!!

 

Love,

 

Sister Zollinger

 

 

What's the good news!

Kamusta Kamo! 

This week we had scripture hero camp!! Our primary presidency put on this amazing camp that was basically like youth conference for primary kids! And! Alexis and Isabell came!!! Also they've been reading in the Book of Mormon on their own! Yay! They had a great time & we had a great time helping out! 

We also had a lesson with amazing grandpa Jacobson and his sweet wife. We read 3 Nephi 17 with them and talked about how we can all have a personal relationship with the Savior. 

 

We started teaching two new amazing people this week! They both have incredible stories and have been so prepared to receive the gospel. 

Carrie: we met a few months ago when I first got to California and she has always wanted to meet with us but her schedule has been so crazy but we finally got to meet with her this Wednesday and it was amazing! She opened up to us so much about her family and some really hard things they had been through. Her son actually joined the church several years ago but passed away about a year after :( We got to hear a lot about his story and she told us that she knows that her son would want her to be happy in this life. The spirit was so present when we were talking to her and we all felt so inspired by the Holy Ghost and we were able to know what to say and to help her. She wants to have us back again and we're excited to teach her about our Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness!!! 

 

Karem: We were out Sunday night following up on a referral from a member but they weren't home- But! There was a family hanging out outside across the street so we went and talked to them! The mom is a nurse and last year she had a patient that she really connected with. He was so grateful that he took her and her whole family to Salt Lake for her birthday! He was a member of the church! He taught them about family History and the temple and what our basic beliefs are! His member missionary work really paved the way for us! She had so many genuine questions! We got to teach her a little bit about the restoration and the Plan of Salvation and she is also happy to have us come back! I know that Heavenly Father puts people in our path when we are prepared! And he blesses us so much when we fear no man and talk to everyone!! 

Sister Thedell and I also had another lesson with Oca this week!! And we finally took a picture with him! We were a little short on time because we had a mission conference on Saturday- so we read Alma 32 and Moroni 10 with him. We asked him if he would pray and ask God if everything we had taught so far was true and he said hmmm no because I already believe everything! He's so wonderful haha. We talked a bit about how we can pray always about anything. He said he is really interested in the Book of Mormon and learning more or he wouldn't keep meeting with us every week. He's the best. 

 

Also Sister Thedell got her VISA this week along with a lot of the missionaries from our MTC zone!!! 

Saturday we were visited by Elder Whiting of the 70! It was a great experience. It was so cool to see how the Holy Ghost had been preparing me to receive his message without even realizing it! We talked a lot about personal revelation and the pattern for receiving it. 

The Lord of the Vineyard is in the vineyard! I see Heavenly Fathers hand in every little detail of everything we do out here. I am so grateful and humbled everyday to see how much He loves His children. I'm so grateful that He has a plan for me that's always better than my own. As we strive to study the scriptures everyday, to pray, and have the Holy Ghost with us Heavenly Father can trust us to send us on His errands. The strangers we meet out in the world- the seeming coincidences are the people Heavenly Father has placed in our path to love! 

 

I wish I had a perfect memory and could share every amazing thing that happens to us but I'd have to write novels and I don't have that kind of time! But the work is great!!! I'm going to be a missionary forever! 

 

Palangga ko kamo!! 

Sister Zollinger

 

 

 

In the strength of the Lord

So guess what!

I'm still in California!

Monday and Tuesday I said goodbye to everyone and got completely packed and ready to go. Then on Wednesday morning S. Thedell and I were planning when to go see Oca and the mission office called! They said that I'm not leaving until September 6th because they want me to have more missionaries to go with. I honestly took it pretty hard and I cried a lot. My heart was really broken. But I got a priesthood blessing and I talked to my mission president and got some advice from awesome missionaries! I was still sad on Thursday too and my amazing companions helped me to realize that I needed to turn outward and get lost in the work. I'm so grateful for them. I've been my happy self the rest of the week :) 

 

 

We taught Alexis and Izzy  about The Gospel of Jesus Christ this week! They brought their cousin to the lesson and she participated too! They're already missionaries haha! It's so so exciting seeing them get closer to baptism. They're coming to a week long Scripture Hero camp this week! They actually went this morning and they loved it so much! I'm so happy.

Oca's air conditioning broke this week so he had people in and out of his house all weekend to fix it so we didn't get to teach a lesson but we did see him a few times! We stopped by on Sunday after church and we offered to help with the fixing and moving things. And he was like "You! Help! No no no you need muscles like me" and then he flexed for us. It was soooo hilarious :D I love him. We have an appointment for a lesson this Saturday! 

Also on Sunday we got to go to Elders Quorum! It was so weird being in there! But they're topic was on missionary work so they invited us to participate. It's so wonderful to see how excited our ward is getting about missionary work! We're seeing so many miracles and growth in this area! Sunday evening we had our mission temple music devotional for all the missionaries and the people they're teaching. I got to bear my testimony and it was so cool. I could feel the Holy Ghost so much helping me know what to say. 

I started over in the Book of Mormon this week! I find so much peace and strength from reading everyday. I finished my topic on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and my new topic is the Power of Prayer! I'm so excited to keep learning more every time I read. 

A scripture I've been thinking about a lot this week is

 

Ether 12:41 And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghose, which bearth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.  Amen. 

 

I know that the invitation to come unto Christ and to seek Him in our lives is extended to all. It's an invitation I take every single day. I couldn't have made it through my little trial this week without Him. We can always seek Christ. We can always rely on Him for strength. We can always repent and get better and recommit ourselves to Him. And when we do we can be filled with His grace- like the scripture says they'll abide in us and strengthen us. Heavenly Father loves us all individually- talk to Him about everything and He'll help you. I know that's true with all my heart!

Palangga ko kamo! Halong!

Sister Z