Sister Rhea Walters

Sister Rhea Walters

Monday, April 24, 2017

Speechless

I don't even know how to describe this week actually. So many things change every day. Being the STL right by the mission home with  the AP's and stuff is really fun to help out and learn from a lot of missionaries but you just know everything about the mission and I kind of like just only knowing what I need to haha BUT inspite of lots of crazy things happening....This trio (otherwise known as Destiny's Child hahaha) worked SO hard this week and we've seen more success in a single week than I almost have my whole mission.

Abat Family- Eternal Investigators before but we are determined to help them be baptized. The mom, and two kids accepted and the dad didn't want to be baptized cause he already got baptized in the Catholic church. We explained baptism and I asked him if he wanted to ask anything- he comes out with the perfect question. "Do the priests have priesthood? Like in the Catholic church?" I go, "Thanks for your question, let me tell you the history of the priesthood and something called the Restoration and then you can answer your own question."

I don't even know how to describe this week actually. So many things change every day. Being the STL right by the mission home with  the AP's and stuff is really fun to help out and learn from a lot of missionaries but you just know everything about the mission and I kind of like just only knowing what I need to haha BUT inspite of lots of crazy things happening....This trio (otherwise known as Destiny's Child hahaha) worked SO hard this week and we've seen more success in a single week than I almost have my whole mission.

Abat Family- Eternal Investigators before but we are determined to help them be baptized. The mom, and two kids accepted and the dad didn't want to be baptized cause he already got baptized in the Catholic church. We explained baptism and I asked him if he wanted to ask anything- he comes out with the perfect question. "Do the priests have priesthood? Like in the Catholic church?" I go, "Thanks for your question, let me tell you the history of the priesthood and something called the Restoration and then you can answer your own question."
By the end he said he would tell his old priest he was bad and had no priesthood. Hahaha we all laughed and I encouraged him not to do that because we still respect all other religions.

Found another whole family! The Tan family. Just one of those simple missionary moments where you pass a gate and the spirit burns your conscience every further step you take so you go back and it turns out to be an incredible family that never entertains any missionaries until we came. We are excited for their progression.

Casugay couple...has been kind of discouraging. The husband was hiding he still has a word of wisdom problem so we don't just need to get them married but also help him resist cigaretts and drinking. But we aren't losing faith!!! They still really want to be baptized.

Funny Moment:
Actually with this trio every moment was hilarious..I asked my girls what was funny this week and they said "what wasn't" We had a good time preaching the gospel to Lingsat area.

Philippines Moment:
Most meals are finished with a banana and glass of water.

Tagalog:
Banana- Saging
Mango- Mangga
Coconut- Buko
Together make THE most amazing shake. We buy it in liters.

Spiritual Moment:
I had the wonderful opportunity to go on splits for a couple days as we housed a sweet Kiribeti sister who was on her way home due to physical illnesses. Learning Kiribeti to Tagalog is so difficult because they are learning at the same time. But this sister testified so boldly. simply, and genuinely in every single lesson and had me crying in almost all of them. No companion has had that effect on me in a lesson so far.

What really touched me was how she spoke of love. Love for her heavenly father is what drove her to change and convert to this gospel. Love for her family is what helps her stay strong to one day persuade them to join the true church. and Love for all of us is why she served her mission "to find her other brothers and sisters."

I know we are all here because of love. Because of the love of our Father in Heaven he developed a plan and because we love him we chose to follow it and come here. He loves us so he sent his only begotten son- who in turn loves us enough to live perfectly, die painfully, and rise gloriously, so we all can live again, physically, and spiritually if we choose to. We will follow his commandments if we love him. And as we do, he pours out his love even MORE on us. Love is an amazing thing.

Just want to shout out how much I love my family and my friends. Their examples and support for me I can never repay or fully express my gratitude for.

The Church is TRUE everyone!

Sister Walters

Monday, April 17, 2017

No Such Thing as a Normal Week in Lingsat District

Seriously goodbye to regular schedule this week. When you are in Lingsat district right by the mission home, changes come up almost every day and you just learn to go with the flow! 

Monday we helped missionaries leave the mission 
"Family Council" meeting with the District and Zone leaders for San Fernando! 
Wednesday we helped new missionaries come into the mission
Thursday we helped the other leaders come down for a massive MLC with president 
(PS it's a fun night when 10 sisters in one house and the power goes out) 
Friday 9 sisters get Emergency Transferred so we work that out while planning a...BAPTISM! (go back to that later) 
Saturday we became a threesome!! Two Polynesians and one..me hahaha
Sunday was a huge suprise- Aliyn Bautista - the single adult we baptized in Baguio- came and sat down right next to me in church with this huge bouquet of roses. She surprise visited me!!!! So crazy. She is doing amazing, and is a primary teacher now in Pangasinan!  


So the work is still flowing great. We are working hard. Iyan lang :) 

Missionaries Can Laugh Too:
Our new comp is amazing and talks to EVERYONE. Give her two second and she has already told the person next to her that she is 1) not a filipno 2) a missionary for this church and 3) her testimony of Jesus Christ. It's actually cool and spiritual, not funny, but the first time we just saw her burst into conversation with the worker at the food place, and the face of the worker with all that information in such a short amount of time and such a little person...it was pretty funny. I like her :) 
Weekly couch pictures with the beloved comp. Can't forget those. 



You Know You're in the Philippines When:
You low key, take showers in your pajamas before you sleep cause it's 93 degrees in your room. Anything to cool you down. 

Tagalog- "napaka" is what you put in front of adjectives to say it's "really" something. Halimbawa- mainit = hot, napakainit=REALLY hot. If I said it was mainit before....now its napakainit.

Spiritual Thought:
The ward really came together for nanay Nida's baptism- it was so beautiful. We were able to teach her daughter and her husband the night before and they came to the baptism! President and Sister Bangal spoke, Sister Ormsby and I sang, the baptizer helped carry her into the water, she testified after, and her daughter just cried at how special her mother was treated and the spirit felt at the baptism. 





Baptism pictures! She is getting so much stronger from her stroke 

Those members don't know they could have just been the way for her family to join her in the church because of the support they saw. 

MEMBERS PLEASE SUPPORT THE MISSIONARIES. When investigators see that unity and love, it really strikes them. 


Moses 7:18 (I think) And the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind and dwelt in righteouness, and there were no poor among them. 

Mahal ko kayo! 

Sister Walters 


Monday, April 10, 2017

I Love You Geraldine

Blessings:
This week helped me again realize that the Lord has his own perfect time table-that not always is in line with ours.

Say hello to the mission office crew :) 


Nanay Nida's baptism being moved was at first a heart breaker and now is a wonderful opportunity for her to bring her children to come watch this Saturday.


Edwin Casugay (the husband of the family we are teaching) had consistently let us down by not showing up to church, but then was shaved and crisply dressed with a nice new hair cut to come to watch Conference. He said it felt so amazing he will always come to church. 


The last one is also a blessing but a much harder one to swallow. 

The first session of Saturday General Conference was ALL about the Plan of Salvation and I felt a weird twinge inside when one spoke of being a mission president and comforting a missionary that had a member pass away. Right then our President had sent a message to call him as soon as I could. He gave me the news that my sweet and beloved grandma Geraldine Walters had passed away. 
Geraldine Litster Walters April 28, 1928-April 7, 2017

This has been so so hard on me but I know my grandma would not want me to waste any time on the mission grieving. I feel her with me as we teach others about the Plan of Salvation. I know she is strong now and with my Grandfather. And with full confidence in the Plan of Happiness of our Heavenly Father, and the power over death that our Savior holds, that I will see her again. I need to work my best and remain worthy of my covenants so I can be with that exemplary and inspiring woman in the Celestial Kingdom. Walters family- make sure no one gets left behind!!! 
The women in Bacnotan saw me at Conference and ran up yelling "dito ang mga nanay mo!" (here are your moms!) 




Spiritual Thought:
Just a short one- conference was wonderful and we all felt it. It brings a renewed light into our lives, inspiration, and motivation to be better, and ultimately more like our Savior Jesus Christ. 
With this knowledge and blessing let us remember D&C 82:3 which my dear Sister Zarbock told me to focus on this week. 
"For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sings against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation."
God has answered our questions through his servants, true prophets seers and revelations. He has given us light, knowledge, and personal revelation. He hopes that we will follow this. Let us not let the spirit of conference pass away as a good memory. Study the talks, review your notes, be "all in" and most importantly ask for help from your Heavenly Father to LIVE it. 

His promises are sure that through incremental improvements, daily repenting, and keeping our covenants, we will "know the true and living God" , even Jesus Christ, and obtain eternal life. In the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, amen. 


Zone volleyball and family shirts with President and Sister Bangal 
Sister Walters 

Monday, April 3, 2017

First Full Week in Lingsat

This area is awesome, the past missionaries here have a lot of potentials!! We met four that all said they really want to be baptized- that is the BEST feeling as a missionary! Once they have the desire, the missionary just has to be obedient and hardworking enough to be in tune with the spirit and teach effectively. 
When your companion gets a box this big sent to her full of cleaning supplies 

Here are two of them: 

Nanay Nida- is a a woman that had a stroke but limps to church every week. She wanted to study more and know everything about the church first but we read her the verses in Mosiah 18 about only needing the desire, willingness to serve others and follow the commandments, and being a witness of Christ to be baptized. On our next visit, she said she read in the Book of Mormon about not procrastinating and said she is so eager to be baptized as soon as possible. YES!! 

Edwin and Joy Casugay- the cutest couple on the earth. Both are excited to be baptized but, story of a missionary's life...they need to be married first. The ward is super willing to help them get married though so keep them in your prayers! Joy always chastises her husband not reading the scriptures enough or she ends up sharing to him in the lesson and it's just adorable. 

My companion is so adorable and has loved working so hard. I apologized for having such a fast pace but she said it's been the best week of her mission! 


It’s definitely summer now...hottest I've ever experienced. Also, the power turns off (brown out) every other day so now we have to store buckets of water in the house so we can still shower without the power. 

Preparations for the music devotional are going good. Blasting out duets with President poundin out the piano was fun this morning :) 



Low Key we celebrated my 1 year of living in the Philippines. I tell everyone I am Fil-Am. Filipino American. 

Running on the beach then realized my cute comp wrote in the sand for me :)


You Know You're in the Philippines When:
greeting another woman, you go from a hand shake to a side hug with your cheek next to their’s and make a kissing noise. sounds weird. Even weirder when you just have greeted a lot of women and then accidently do it to the stake patriarch. Go sister Walters. (There's the funny moment for the week) 

Spiritual Thought:
At General Women's Conference, I love how President Eyering said "Those who don't see their weaknesses don't progress" I have been studying a lot about humility and am honestly so grateful for weaknesses. That is how the Lord not only reminds us we can do nothing without Him but also shows us His power and love by turning those very weaknesses into strengths if we but be humble and let Him change us. 
I have seen so many weaknesses in myself on my mission and know even when I get home I will still have many more. There is no such thing as a perfect RM. But what the Lord is showing me is how to recognize those, repent, turn to Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit, and letting him reshape me. 
That is because of the cleansing power of the Atonement and the sanctifying spirit of the Holy Ghost, as we remain worthy of its guidance. 

Love you all!!

Sister Walters