His Mouthpiece

Hello everyone!

Well it has been another fantastic week here in PQCM!!  We have had some really amazing lessons, and I continue to see the proof of God working through me.  We had one lesson in particular that amazed me.  We have this new family that we're teaching--the mom, dad, and three adult sons.  And they're "truth seekers", which means that they really want to know what is true but it also means that all of our lessons are really intense with them.  They have a lot of questions, and sometimes the discussion gets really crazy.  We taught the Plan of Salvation to them this week, and it was amazing.  They were firing questions at us about every principle of the Plan of Salvation--from pre-earth life to the spirit world to the Celestial kingdom.  It was crazy.  But it was such a testament to me that we are literally receiving heavenly help, because using our own words and the scriptures we were able to answer every single question that they had.  It was cool too, because that morning, I'd been prompted to bring my Preach My Gospel.  I never carry it with me, because I don't need to add extra books to my bag when we're trekking around lol.  But I brought it for that lesson, and I am so grateful I listened to that prompting, because one of their big questions we didn't have a scripture prepared for, but by using the scripture references in the PMG, I was given the perfect scripture to use.  It was absolutely amazing.  Whenever we walk away from a lesson with them, Sister Udarbe tells me that she truly believes in the gift of tongues, because apparently my Tagalog is almost perfect in our lessons with them.  The rest of the time my Tagalog is about mediocre, so I guess for whatever reason, that family needs me to speak clearly, so Heavenly Father helps me to do that.  I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

In church yesterday, we had our combined Sunday school, and before it got started some of the members got up and talked about upcoming job opportunities.  One of the members of the bishopric asked all of us there "Who works 5 days a week?" There were a handful of members who raised their hands.  "Who works 6 days a week?"  A couple more than the first time raised their hands.  "Who works 7 days a week?"  Us 4 missionaries shot our hands straight up, and everybody started laughing.  There was one member who also works 7 days a week.  But, let's be serious here.  Missionary work is literally all consuming, all day, 7 days a week.  We wake up and pray for our investigators, then exercise so that we can be strong enough to get to them.  We study so that we know what doctrines to teach them, and then we go out and we work.  We overcome weaknesses, find the courage to open our mouths, and focus all our energy and our purpose on them.  We study the language and pray some more for them.  And when we come home in the evening, we pray for them again, then plan what we can teach and do for them in order to help them come unto Christ.  And then before we go to bed, we pray for them again, and sometimes we're kept awake trying to think about what we can teach and what we can do to help them.  I think that's one of the best parts of missionary work--you learn how to love people.  You learn how to love people so much that you'll give everything to them--your whole self.  You love them so much that you'll fight through homesickness, physical sickness, and all of Satan's tests and temptations to try to help them.  You love them so much that you pray and you cry and you labor to bring them the joy of the gospel.  And that is what we learn as missionaries.  We learn what it means to truly love our brothers and sisters--our fellow children of God.

And it is beautiful.

D&C 100:4-6  Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in me for the salvation of souls. Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

Just do your best, and the Lord will do the rest.

Mahal ko kayo lahat!!!

XOXO

Sister Pectol

Preach the Gospel to Every Creature

Hi Everyone!!

Well, as usual, it has been a great week!!  Last week I received literally 4 packages at once, so to those who sent me stuff THANK YOU and there are notes in the mail for you :)  We have had great lessons and funny experiences and lots of learning, so it has been a successful week :)  I think one of the things that Sister Udarbe learned about me this week is that I have a killer smile.  As in, I can still smile even though I might want to kill someone lol.  Let me explain.  As a (very) white girl, I attract a lot of attention here.  I really don't like it, but I've gotten to the point that I can ignore it.  Well, we went to try to contact one of our less actives this week, and there was a group of teenagers (guys) by the house.  One of them came up and started talking to us, and we were just being our typical missionary-friendly selves.  He told us he was from one of the other wards, so we small-talked for a bit, then went to leave.  As usual, we shook hands before we left.  But when he shook our hands, all the other guys standing a little ways off started whooping and cheering.  I think it was a dare, to see if he could shake our hands.  I walked away with a smile on my face, and as soon as we were out of sight I started strangling imaginary teenagers. Sister Udarbe was laughing at the fact that I could still smile at them.  BOYS ARE SO DUMB.

That's one of our funny moments :)  I also had a very cool experience over Friday and Saturday.  Friday morning, I was stressing about something major that I don't really have control over here, and I ended up crying to Sister Udarbe a little bit.  Then I just went up to our room, and knelt down and prayed.  At that point, I couldn't really even talk to Heavenly Father, so I just started my prayer then cried, and just felt all the stress and worry and hurt like a big tangled knot inside of me.  I told Him about my concerns, and why I was worried, and how confused and directionless I felt.  Then I just sat there and listened.  And as I did so, the hurt left.  It was completely gone, and instead I felt like my soul had just been washed clean, and I was just so full of peace.  I didn't have any answers, but I had peace, and I had the strength and courage for that day.  As I pondered Saturday morning, I thought of all the things that are causing stress.  Big decisions, people I'm worried about, what I need to do...and I felt the same peace again.  I realized that Heavenly Father isn't going to give me specific answers and specific direction right now, because I don't need it.  Instead, He gave me what I needed, and that was the peace and the strength for that day.  I was reminded of Elder D Todd Christofferson's Daily Bread Experience, and how he found the strength to go from day to day.  I learned that that's what Heavenly Father gives us.  Even though we don't always see the complete path, He gives us enough light to help us move forward a couple of steps, and that's what we need.

Our theme this week has been Preach the Gospel to Every Creature.  So every time we see a dog or a cat(which is often--there are a zillion of each here) we ask them if they want to be baptized.  We tried a rooster, but he also rejected us.  But, even though we got rejected, we know that we did our part as missionaries, and we worked hard XD

  

Mormon 9:22  For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto His disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all His disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

The real voyage of sicovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.  Marcel Proust.  When we change our perspective a little, and take a step back from everything, the big picture comes together, and we can gain that perspective and that knowledge that helps us be the best that we can be.

Lots of love!  I hope you all have an amazing week!

XOXO

Sister Payton Pectol



FISHBOWL AND FAILED ATTEMPT AT A JEEPNEY PIC.

The fishbowl is basically chunks of dough dropped into oil and fried.  it was actually pretty yummy, but it's basically just a heart attack attached to a bycicle lol.

   

I'm Not the One Teaching

Hello everyone!!

Well it has been another great week here in PQCM!!  (That's Philippines Quezon City Mission, for all those who aren't in the loop ;) )

 

 

We have had a busy week, but unfortunately weren't able to spend as much time as we would have liked working in our area because we had meetings at the mission office.  We did have one lesson that was absolutely amazing though.  One of the less actives in our area referred her neighbor to us, and as we were getting to know him we found out that he'd already been taught by 3 different sets of companions.  He said that he had a lot of mistakes in his life and he wanted to change, but he'd never kept the commitments (he already had a Book of Mormon and pamphlets and everything).  Well we started talking about the Restoration and all that, and it was a good lesson but we could see that he hadn't really progressed before because he'd never taken the steps to learn for himself.  We got to the part about the Book of Mormon, so I started to talk about the BOM, and out of nowhere I just started slamming into him.  Now, let me explain something.  My teaching style (and personality) isn't really the type to slam into people, so it really took me by surprise.  I wasn't sure where it was coming from.  I was just straight up with him and told him that he has to act for himself and that we can come and teach and teach but unless he reads and prays and knows for himself it won't do any good.  I didn't know where my intensity was coming from and I was a little nervous about continuing, but then I could see in his eyes that what I was saying was really impacting him and actually helping him feel the Spirit.  When I saw that, I realized that I was being guided by the Holy Ghost, and I knew that what I was being prompted to say was right.  It was so powerful!  I started to run out of things to say, so I knew that I was finished, and then Sister Udarbe and Angel, the ward missionary with us, both bore their testimonies, and it was so powerful.  We recommitted him to read the Book of Mormon, and he said that this time he wouldn't "try," but that he would actually do it, and he committed to prepare himself for baptism.  It was so powerful, and suck a witness to me of how powerful the Spirit can be when we are really listening and following the promptings we receive.  We are not the ones who convert people; we are only the mouthpieces for the Holy Ghost to be able to do the converting.

And funny moment of the week...there are actually a bunch, but this one is like the cherry on top lol.  I have pictures of my family on the wall by my desk, and one of the pictures is of my brother (who is a handsome little twerp).  Well, one of the other sisters came in and was looking at my pictures, and asked me how old James is.  I said 17, and she said "I'm 20...that's not too bad of a difference!"  I started to laugh, then her companion said "No, I already have dibs!" XD  I was cracking up; I did not expect to have to deal with 2 sister missionaries arguing over my brother lol.  But, you know...it happens.  And as his sister, I obviously have priority over all of them.  RIGHT JAMES??! Lol.

My scripture for this week basically sums up my calling as a missionary in one verse :) 3 Nephi 5:13  Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life.  Boom.

I am in the process of re-reading the talks from this past general conference, and I found a quote today that I absolutely love.  God cares a lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than about who we once were.  He cares that we keep on trying.  --Elder Dale G. Renlund.  It's so true.  No matter what past mistakes or what current weaknesses we have, Heavenly Father doesn't care.  As long as we are doing our best to be better every day, and to reach our full potential, He will be proud of us, and He is truly always there to support us.

Lots of love, clear from the Philippines!!

XOXO

Sister Pectol

A Week of Miracles

Wow, I love missionary life!  

There are sometimes challenges, but they're only temporary, and we just keep seeing miracles.  We had an investigator who dropped us last transfer come to us and tell us he wanted to come back, we have found so many golden investigators who readily agreed to a baptismal date and are so magaling, and life is just amazing.

We had Marissa's baptism this week, and it was awesome!!  Her story is kind of cool too.  She had been taught for a long time already when I transferred here, so me and Sister Gasu decided it was time to drop her.  We decided to give her one more chance, and we went and told her that if she wasn't willing to put forth the effort to pray about the Book of Mormon and to know for herself that it was true, there was no point in us coming to visit her.  We scheduled a return appointment with her for a couple of days later, and when we followed up about her prayers, she said she knew it was true and that she needed to get baptized.  It was so amazing to be able to experience that.  We finished teaching her lessons, and she was so excited for her baptism, and so happy!  

Funny moments of the week.  If you remember, I had to help my Filipina companion cook rice.  Welp, now I'm helping her in Tagalog too XD  Not too much, because (as the Filipinos say it) I still have a nosebleed in Tagalog.  But she's fluent in English, so sometimes she doesn't know the Tagalog words for things.  It's really funny when I don't know a word, so I ask her, and then she doesn't know the word, and it's the investigator that helps us out XD  And of us four sisters living next to each other, 2 are Filipina, which means that they literally can't live without rice.  Literally.  I've started calling Sister Udarbe and Sister Maravillo the rice gang, because that's literally what they eat every meal haha.

My quote this week is actually from me and Sister Udarbe, because sometimes we're really funny XD

Sister Udarbe, after watching me trying to get tan:  You're like Lehi's fruit; white above all that is white.  You're the light of my life!!

Me:  I'm not the light of your life, I'm the reflector!!  I don't actually give off my own light, I just reflect the sun :P

Despite my best efforts to tan...it's not happening.

Mosiah 8:18  Thus God has provided a means that [His sister missionaries], through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore [they] become a great benefit to [their] fellow beings.  We are literally seeing miracles.  I completely understand now what it means to have a heart overflowing with gratitude.  I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

Love from across the world!

XOXO

Sister Pectol

6 Months! Training, Miracles, and Realizing How Truly Blessed I Am

Hey all!

Well my first week of being  a trainer has been absolutely amazing!! Sister Udarbe is an absolute doll, and we are having so much fun.  It's really cool, because seeing how hard she's working and how hard she's trying to learn the area and learn everyone's names has truly inspired me.  I think she's really teaching me more about being a good missionary than I am teaching her; it's awesome.  We had a really funny moment on Friday though.  We didn't have any rice in the house, so when we got some Sister Udarbe immediately got it cooking.  She's Filipina, so not having rice was very abnormal for her.  Well, she wasn't quite sure how to cook the rice.  So the American companion taught the Filipina companion how to cook rice!  It was very backwards lol.  And then when we were walking, a trycicle drove past that was blasting a great beat.  I'll admit, I danced a little bit.  Then I looked at Sister Udarbe and said "Anak, don't tell your tatay!"  Her 'tatay' is the district leader...and dancing is pretty bawal lol.

It's my 6 month mark tomorrow!!  It's hard to believe, actually.  Time is going by so fast.  I'm a little excited about that because I can't wait to see everyone again, but I'm also kind of sad because I absolutely love being a missionary.  We learn so many things, and I have seen so many miracles.  We had two big miracles just yesterday.  One of our investigators had her baptism interview on Saturday, and it went great, but she needed to come to church yesterday or we would have to move her baptism back.  Well, we were standing at the door greeting people like we usually do, and she didn't come.  We kept waiting and waiting, but she didn't show and she didn't show.  We finally went in for Sacrament, and we were at the point that we'd already started the Sacrament hymn, when I looked back and saw her walk in and sit with some members.  I was so excited I grabbed Sister Udarbe and said "She's here!!"  We had both been praying and had even included her in our fast, so we were so grateful.  I told Sister Udarbe that I had felt a lot of gratitude before, but it wasn't until my mission that I knew what it meant to have a heart overflowing with gratitude towards the Lord.

And if that wasn't good enough, we had another amazing lesson that afternoon.  We went and taught the mother-in-law of one of the high priests in our ward.  We had introduced ourselves to her last transfer, but hadn't taught.  So when we went back, we followed up if she'd read the pamphlet we'd left, and she'd finished it, plus had read in the Book of Mormon that her grandson gave her.  We taught the lesson and were teaching about the Book of Mormon, and asked if she'd prayed about it.  She instantly started to cry, and told us that she had prayed about it and that it was true.  She just grasped our hands and kept telling us "It's true, it's true, thank you."  It was amazing.  She was so ready to accept the invitation to be baptized, and it was such a tender moment for us.

We had another amazing lesson to a less active family about temples, and they told us that that's what they want to start working on.  They're starting the process to be worthy to go to the temple together!!  We were so excited!!  It is going to be such a blessing for them!

My quote kind of stems from that:  "When we organize families according to the order that the Lord has revealed, we organize them in the temples."  The family truly is ordained of God, and sometimes it's hard for me to be away from mine, but when I see somebody else's family strengthened because of something that I was able to do to help them, it's all worth it.

Alma 42:31  And now, O my [daughter], ye are called of God to preach the work unto this people.  And now, me [daughter], go they way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that though mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them.  Alma the Younger people.  He's pretty awesome.

Have an amazing week!!

XOXO

Sister Pectol