On a Rescue Mission for God

Hello Family!! 

We were blessed this week with Sister Cordon and Elder Wakolo visiting our mission!  They were so inspired. Elder Wakolo (from memory) gave us a list of 36 chapters in the Book of Mormon that will help us to grow in our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because as your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows your desire to share the gospel will grow!!

 

Here's the list: 1 Nephi 19, 21 ; 2 Nephi 2, 6-9, 31-33; Jacob 4; Mosiah 2-5, 14-16; Alma 7, 11-12, 39-42; Helaman 4; 3 Nephi 11,27; Mormon 9; Ether 3,4,12; Moroni 7,8,10

 

Sister Aguda and I are reading together in our companionship study. We're really excited to see our understanding grow and our desire to share grow! There's always always room for improvement in our understanding of our Savior. So I invite all of you to read too! I know God will bless you with a greater desire to open up and talk to the people around you about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Every member a missionary! Sister Cordon talked about how we need to have the Holy Ghost with us to be effective teachers and Elder Wakolo talked about how we're on a rescue mission for God. It was so wonderful. 

We went to Bacolod again on Friday for Sister Aguda's english test and we got caught in a few crazy downpours so our work time was seriously cut this week but we still saw miracles with our lessons- especially feeling the spirit help us know what to say. 

 

One of our people Christine is really shy and she doesn't want to pray with us or on her own. If you have any ideas of how we can help her gain that desire to talk to her Heavenly Father please let us know! Her whole family is part of the church and they have a goal to be sealed! We are praying so hard for them! Especially for Christine that she will be able to gain her own testimony.

Being an American here gives us so many opportunities to talk to new people. Everyone goes nuts when they see me or hear me speak Ilonggo. Sometimes little kids record our lessons so they can show their friends the "kana" speaking. I just pray that it will get them interested in our lessons and not in me. It's so weird to be the center of attention all the time but I'm trying to use it to our advantage so we can invite more people to come unto Christ. 

Everyday as a missionary is the greatest gift I've ever been

No bad days

given! It's so wonderful to be on the Lord's errand. If you want to be happy be a missionary. Tell people that God loves them- they need to know. Pray always! I love you all bunches.

Halong

Sister Zollinger 

My daily pack

Rice field

Sister Zollinger Power Ranger"

Dragon fruit

Helloooo!

This week we had a mission wide deep cleaning day!! It took us about 10 hours to clean our house but now it looks pretty amazing! At the end of the day I made spaghetti!!

We had some amazing miracle lessons this week! We went to teach Joselyn and when we got there her entire family was home and lots of her extended family! We ended up teaching like 15 people! And they were all so receptive it was incredible! They all said we could come to their individual houses to teach them more! 

We had another lesson that was really similar! We planned to just teach Lonelyn but when we got to their house her entire family was there too! We taught like 6 or 7 adults and like 15 kids the beginning of the Plan of Salvation! It was so fun! I love this gospel! It's such a blessing to see Heavenly Father gathering His children for us to teach! 

We had Stake Conference this weekend in Binalbagan! It was wonderful! At the beginning of the meeting the power went out so the speakers just had to talk really loud for a while. Our mission President - President Sumagpao was one of the speakers and he said he felt like King Benjamin addressing the people! One of my favorite things from conference "If you want to be happy be a missionary!" They talked a lot about the blessings of member missionary work and becoming as Christ is- shephards/saviors in Zion. But the true best part of conference was that Kristine finally came to church!!!

We visited her family later that day and read the Book of Mormon with them and Brother Datu- Kristines dad got so happy and emotional because he had all of his children at church. It was such a precious tender moment. I love this work! 

 

We also got to have FHE with a few families this week and I loved it so much. It's beautiful too see what our goal is with the people we're teaching. We want them to have forever families and to be happy! It's also so cool to see that the Gospel really is the same no matter where you go in the world. The culture might be different but we all have the same Heavenly Father who loves us and wants us to return home to him. 

I love you all! Thank you for everything you do for me and the people around you. I can feel the love from across the ocean!! 

 

 

Love,

Sister Zollinger

 

 

Sa ibabaw bukid!

Ano ang maayong balita!! (What good news)

We had a great busy week!! We teach so much here it's incredible and everyday Heavenly Father places new people in our path that want to learn more about the Gospel. We usually teach outside and kids always come over and sit to listen. 

We had district council this week and we asked for help with one of the people we're teaching- Lonelyn. She is so receptive to everything but hadn't yet accepted the invitation to be baptized. Our district suggested we read Mosiah 18 with her. So we did! And then we invited her again to be baptized and this time she accepted! Miracles!

Also we're teaching Kristine- she's 11 and the rest of her family are members of the church but for some reason she hasn't been able to gain a personal testimony but we taught her the restoration last week- This week we went to teach her and at the beginning of the lesson she was really closed off and said she didn't want to pray and she just wouldn't really talk. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it was amazing to see her countenance change! By the end of the lesson she was answering questions and she said she wanted to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ so she could live with God again. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes! She wants her dad to baptize her. It was such a sweet tender moment! 

Another beautiful moment this week. We were up on the bukid (mountain) with Brother Lopez and we had a lesson with one of the people we're teaching and then tried to visit another but he wasn't home so we were planning on going back into Kabankalan but Brother Lopez said there was a less active member we should visit. So we did! Her name is Hermenia and she's taking care of her grandkids right now while their mom is working in Cebu. We talked to her about the power of prayer and faith and that if we ask of God he will help us and answer us. She started crying and opened up to us that she had a strong desire to be able to go to the temple. Because of her situation right now she doesn't even have enough money to get to church. Sister Aguda was inspired by the spirit and promised Hermenia that if she did her part to become worthy God would find a way for her to get to the temple. The spirit was incredible. 

I wish I could share every wonderful experience we have but it would take me all day! I just feel so incredibly blessed to be an instrument in the Lord's hands and to be blessed to be here in Kabankalan with the best people ever. 

I had a realization this week that I wasn't opening my mouth like I should be because I'm nervous that the people won't understand me or they will and then they'll answer me and I won't be able to understand them! I realized that this was a lack of faith. Heavenly Father has promised that if I open my mouth he will fill it. And I've seen it over and over again in lessons. I'm never left with nothing to say. So I recommited myself to trust him and to talk! Even if I make mistakes the spirit always helps me know what to say. I need to show that I have the faith to use what I know in order to be able to learn more. 

 

2 Nephi 28:30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

So have faith!! Your best is good enough for the Lord! If we trust him he will use us as a tool for good. But we have to do our part and try! 

I'm so thankful for the experiences I'm having here. I'm so grateful for the examples and testimonies of the people. I know Heavenly Father loves me and he loves you too! Just ask him to show you how much He really loves you and he will I know it! 

Love you all. 

Sister Zollinger

PS. We went hiking up the mountain to a crazy cave this morning with Brother Lopez and some awesome member missionaries and it was so beautiful! 

Also this week I saw a monkey, ate chicken intestines (yummy), and a lizard sat on my lap.

 

 

Balut will make you strong!

Kamusta kamo?!

Great news! I learned the right language!! 

This week has been so full! And my heart is so full!

On Tuesday night at the Manila MTC I ate Balut! 2 of them! I liked it a lot the first time and my Filipino roommates and I ate another one together. It was a fun time watching all of the different reactions of the missionaries lol. 

I'm officially in my area! My new trainer is Sister Aguda. She's from North Luzon here in the Philippines. She's so so nice! I'm blessed :) She's also an amazing teacher and shes' amazing at the language. I have a lot to learn from her. We are in the Kabankalan 2nd ward! 

There's so much work happening here! I've only had two full days of work here and we've already had so many lessons! We had one lesson in the middle of a crazy rainstorm & it was so loud and pretty hard to hear each other but we could still feel the power of the Holy Ghost and that's the real teacher. The people are so so receptive. They have a hard time getting to church because some of them live sooo far away. Sister Aguda and I are trying to brainstorm ways to help them. 

But one of the people we're teaching- Joselyn- came to church this Sunday for the first time and she loved it! Our ward members just took her hand right when she came in and we didn't see her again until the end of church! She really loved it! 

We had a baptism on Saturday for Angel. Our Bishop asked me to speak right before the baptism started haha so I gave my first talk in my very best Hiligaynon on the gift of the Holy Ghost! I'm so grateful for the MTC and language study. I also bore my testimony in Sacrament meeting yesterday. The language is coming slowly but surely. I can teach but conversations are really hard for me. The young women are helping me because they're really good at speaking English. 

The people here are so incredible. Every time we visit anyone they feed us. We walked though a ton of mud the other day with one of the members- Brother Lopez- I think he's probably 75 and when we got back to his house he cleaned my shoes while they were still on my feet. We had a dinner appointment with some more amazing members and they made fried fish for us and you have to pull the bones out and it was taking me a really long time so Sister Joy came and did it for me so I could eat. Also I get called beautiful and talented like 100 times everyday. I can't believe how blessed I am to be here with them. I cry often because my heart gets too full! 

Also there's a tiny lizard that lives on my desk so that's great

;) Also we crossed an insanely long hanging bridge and it was beautiful but I was terrified! I think we're going over it again today. Pray for me that my fear of heights will leave! haha! We ride everywhere in tricycles- a motorcycle with a little side car. It's so fun. I forgot to take a picture of one. 

I love the Philippines! I love this Gospel and I know it has the power to change lives now and forever! Pray everyday- God wants to talk to you. He loves you so much. If something is important to you it's important to Him too! 

Dios mangin sa inyo

Sister Zollinger