Saturday, September 18, 2010

August 8th:
So, its a new transfer but I'm staying in my area with the same companion. I wish I could say I'm having a grand time and that it's going to be a good transfer but that would be lieing. Mostly, I'm tired and I look like someone punched my eyes. I don't know what's wrong with me but i'm going to soldier on and hope something new happens in six weeks. Got to go now.
oh yeah it's hot here ... all the time, and now it's raining every day, we just had 4 typhoons in a row! Cool, huh!

-Sister Stephens
Shout out: Mom, Dad, and Daniel for the big package it was/is great. To Nora always for her amazing and cute packages, and to Sister JK Patterson for her ridiculas form of a letter!!!! I really feel the love and support, Thank you so much!!!!

August 15th:
Blog: I officially hate alcohol and all the stupidness that follows it. If you read this and drink alcohol of any kind I ask you to please stop! I have seen it tear apart families, lose their jobs and hurt others. It starts as all good fun but all ways end badly, makes you feel worse then you were before and takes away your ability to choose, and it caused one man to stab his brother with a broken bottle over a small comment, it caused the sweetest most loving father to neglect the needs of his child. I know you are thinking 'that wont happen to me', 'well I'm not a drunkard like them', and I'm telling you, you don't know if it will happen to you or not one dumb decision under alcohol and you'll regret it the rest of your life, and these people I'm talking about aren't drinkers either, yet the occasional or casual drink has ruined there lives and there families. So I plead with you, please stop drinking, or you families sake. I'll never forget the look of utter dispair of the old mother's face as she watched one son yell and stab her other son because she had let alcohol be a part of their family, or the sound of the screaming children; were they next, will he stop? Or the smell of fear and blood, because they let alcohol do the thinking. I plead with you again, please stop.
-Sister Stephens
Shout out: Nora!!! My ever faithful friend, I always have a note from her every mail run!!! Thank you!!!

August 22nd:
blog: Nothing crazy this week, I'm getting better at tracting and teaching about the Book of Mormon. It rains almost everyday. One knows when it is about to rain hard; it's like a taste in the air or a change in vibrating pressure, or maybe it's the sweet cool breeze that gives brief relief from the heat like the breaking of a fever. Then light drops start to fall and you know you only have a few seconds to prepare. We shift our bags to our left hip reach across, and in a fluid unison movement we draw out our umbrellas and in a flash of green and red, like fleeting light-sabers, our umbrellas are unfurled and shelter us from the pelting rain drops that soak straight to the skin. Missionary work is a lot of fun and I love the moments as they pass by and everything is getting a lot more fun and easier as my language gets better. Love you all. basta.

August 29th:
Blog: Had Zone Conference this week, it was great, there is some new material added to "Preach My Gospel" and it's really great stuff, it's all about teaching by the Spirit and to the needs and concerns of the people.

So my new 'favorite' investigator is Gretchen. She is so sweet. She's 23 has two kids and her husband died last year. She doesn't work and is supported by her siblings. The first time we taught Gretchen she was very quiet and just listened. We shared about the Plan of Salvation and reassured her that there was more after this life, there was life after death because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We gave her a pamphlet to read and ponder on and the next time we came she was so exited she said I want to go there I want to live with God with my family for eternity, how do I do that? So we told her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that only through him and by taking on his name can we return to live with God. She said, "Yes, I want to be baptized!" We set a date and asked her to pray about it to know if it really was the right thing to do, then asked her to close the lesson with a prayer. She had never prayed before, she looked at the pamphlet we gave her, reread the bit on prayer then at the picture of the girl, then she folded her eyes, bowed her head in reverence and said the sweetest preyer of thanksgiving I have heard. Gretchen is wonderful, and really wants to develop a relationship with God, but she is not with out her challenges. It's been really great helping her on this path, she hasn't yet made that sacred covenant of baptisim, but she will soon and start on the great path to live with God again.

Alam ko po na totoo ang simbahan in hesukristo ng mga banal ng mga huling araw. (i know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true.) Meron kami ng bong ebanhelyo ni Hesukristo, at ng kapanyarihan ng Dyios. (We have the full gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of God.) Alam ko po na kung susunod tayo na ito, makabalik tayo sa diyo. (I know that if we follow this that we can return to god.) mahal ko ang ebangelyo na ito, at nagpapasalamat ako para sa ang plano ng dyios at para sa pagbabayad-sala ni Hesukristo. (I love this gospel and am thankful for gods plan and for the Atonment of Jesus Christ.) Sa pangalan ni Hesukristo, siyanawa. (in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.)

Sept 06th:
Blog: so Transfers are next week so I won't be on the computer again till Wednesday. Well it turns out that all of my head aches have been from all the sun in Africa and all the sun here, it has damaged my eyes and now I'm blind ... jk. No, I have astigmatism (whatever that means)and I can't see far away and my eyes see at different grades so they were trying to make up for each other, eventually giving me double vision. The doctor prescibed me glasses and the head aches are gone and so is the double vision! But now I have to wear glasses all the time. I'll try to send pics next time, but I'm told I look like Wonder Woman!

I'd like to thank my dad for making me get the leather case for my scriptures, last week I dropped my scriptures in a knee deep 'puddle' and there was no damage at all!
I'd like to thank Africa for giving me the ability to eat food. I have recently been given the compliment that I am good at eating food. I don't ask, i just eat, and I eat everything they give me, even boiled fertilized duck eggs. (Sadly, it doesn't matter were you go fried, dried fish still smells the same, yuck.:/ )

-Sister Stephens
Shout out to Evan and Jessie for the pics and letters!!!