Still Melting

April 28, 2014. 12:37 EDT.      STILL MELTING 

Hey everyone. 

We are officially initiated into he-double hockey sticks.  It is supper hot right now here in the Philippines.  I am so extremely grateful that I will only be here for one summer... Thank goodness.

I am excited for this saturday as we will be having Bro Jamie Ramos' baptism and a halo-halo ward party after.  Good day.

Life is going. It's hard but going.  We are struggling to find new investigators.  or numbers were really really bad for the week with N.I. and Referrals.  

We are keeping our head up.  We know that they will come with time. 

If anyone has any good ideas for getting new investigators that we might not have tried already that would be cool.  

I am happy with everything that is happening.  The ramos family is coming along.  If everyone can pray for Sister Ramos in Hong Kong that would be great.  We really want her to be supportive and want to be baptized as well.  

We are excited as it is summer so we have a bunch of the young women working with us this week.  It will be great as long as no one dies of the heat...

I love all of your emails.  Everything sounds like y'all are doing great on that side of the world.  Rachel and Shaun: I am so excited to meet James!

Keep being awesome.  I love all of your scripture insights and hearing that you are studying PMG!  Way to follow the prophets!! :)

Thanks for all your support.  You are all in my prayers and thoughts.

Love Sister Bishop

Frozen!? Hi guys

Monday April 21, 2014.  12:26 am EDT       Frozen!?   Hi guys! 


hi guys.

How is life going there this week. Just watched Frozen!!!!!!!!!! so awesome!

love all of your pictures.  I know I am getting really bad at emailing long emails but it is so short.  

I love the work.  The ramos girls just got baptized on saturday!! their dad and 2 sisters attended and now all of them attended church and have baptismal dates in may.  

I might get transferred this week. so I will keep y'all posted on the happenings.

Funny moment earlier walking to the church for our zone activity.  A woman outside of her house says to me "you're so beautitful... and tall"  I never really knew I was that tall.

I love the work here in the Philippines. 

Had a last minute exchange with the stl's and ended up with my batch! Sister Larsen. the one from va!! so fun to work with her!

Love the Lord and Work hard!!

~Sister Bishop

What an amazing conference!

Monday April 14, 2014.  12:48 am VA time.   What an amazing conference!  

So first I really really liked Uchtdorf's talk, and Scott's.  They were absolutely fantastic.  I never realized before my mission how inspiring the talks are for the members of the church! 

I am so impressed by how I am always able to have my direct questions answered through general conference.

So for this week.  We found this amazing new investigators!

Fe was sitting on the street watching the 4 year old son of her nephew.  She had seen us many times before as we have an investigator on her street as well.  It was not until recently that she began to say silent prayers to God asking Him if what we had was the truth.  She is 58 and is wondering how she can be saved.  She feels as though there is something missing in the Catholic faith and has been searching for the truth for years.  She described how she has gone to church but feels like there is no lasting effect on her.  As me and Sister Bechachino were walking down the street.  I felt my entire body being pulled towards her.  I began talking to her and almost as soon as I brought up the gospel, her eyes went wide and began saying pasok, pasok. meaning come in, come in.  Her 2 nieces (one who lives with her) immediately joined the lesson.  We taught here this amazing lesson 1. We felt the spirit so much.  We have now had 2 lessons and she and her niece, Rizet, have baptismal dates for May 24.  Rizet attended the first session of G.C.  When I talk with Rizet, it is like we have been friends for a long time.  She is 19 and amazing!  Being led by the Spirit!!

When we qualify for the spirit, we will see miracles!!

Once again the Ramos girls are amazing.  Their baptism is this week.  Their father will be baptized on May 3rd.  We are also begining to teach their 2 older sisters.  We have fhe with them later tonight.  

I love this work!!!

Thank you for all your prayers!!

Is there any other better work that we can be doing?

OH and tell me about all your studies of PMG ;)  Elder Ballard

I am MELTING!!!

I am MELTING!!!    Monday April 7 12:28 am 

So I have forgotten to mention lately that it is super duper hot right now..... Oh my goodness.  The afternoons are miserably hot and humid.  I know I can't complain too much as there are missionaries who have a much harder time.  But dang it's hot.  Just thought y'all would want to know.  When every you are out side you will just hear people say "init!" mean "hot!"

So we had an amazing baptism for Edison this past week.  It was a great service. Edison has had a long-time connection with the church.  His aunt is a member in Negros, Visayas.  And the big connection is his girlfriend, Lovely.  They  also have a bunch of members who all rent a bed space at another member's place. It was all great.  

Nicole, Abby, and Yang (these are all their nicknames, that is a big Filipino thing to do) will be baptized members of  the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on April 19th 2014! They are absolutely amazing to work with.  Their father came to church as well and will hopefully be baptized in May before he returns to the Middle East.  Also, one of their older sisters is now listening more too.  

The Women's Broadcast was awesome.  Great talks about covenants, unity, and just the importance of Standing as a witness.  Nicole and her cousin (member) also attended!

We had our President's Interview this week. Great to get to talk one on one with President Stucki.  It was really great getting to share how I am progressing as a missionary.  I love being a missionary!

I have learned a lot this week.  I learned to control what I have the ability to control. Having humility is key.  Standing tall for what I know is true.  And just enjoying the work as much as possible.  

We have really struggled to try and find new investigators. Only one this entire week!!  It is hard.  We left right after studies yesterday at 11 before church to find until 12:30for church and left at 4:30-9 and that was when we only found one.  It was hard. hot. but we have hope that this week will be very promising for new investigators.  A lot of prayer and fasting!

Life is good. Still healthy.  Getting sleep.  Taking medicine.  Not too much to complain about.  

I really know that there are people prepared for the gospel.  I am really excited to find them!!

The companionship is good.  She is also a more quite person by nature.  But that is good.  I am enjoying life with everything that the Lord has blessed me with.  

I am so excited for General Conference this weekend!!!!! We have a bunch of Liahona's in our apartment and I love reading past Conference issues!!

You all are so amazing!!

Can't wait to email you all again next week!!

Best support EVER!!

Miss you all!

Mahal ko kayo lagi

Sister Bishop

Edison's baptism 

Pictures from Elder and Sister Crafts

Hi

We are serving in Manila as senior missionaries and we have a few pictures of Sister Bishop.  She told us that she lost her pictures.  Here's what we have.  We have enjoyed getting to know her.  She is a wonderful missionary and a sweet young lady.

 The volleyball pictures are in the courtyard at the Institute building where she was serving around Christmas time,  and the kids at the party were in her ward. 

 Manila is an absolutely fascinating place.  There are between 17 and 20 million people in Metro Manila and there is extreme poverty on the street and high-rise buildings and great prosperity at the same time.  (There are only some 8.5 million people in New York City).  Traffic here is indescribable.  There is no way that anyone who has not seen it or experienced it can believe it. The missionaries don't have to contend with traffic much so they are pretty safe.  There are no sweeter people on earth than the Filipinos .  The Church has only been here since 1961 and the growth is amazing so much of the leadership is 1st and 2nd generation.  For example, we have 2 High Councilors in Manila Stake who just got back from their missions in the last year or so.

We have been through the pictures and those are all we have of Sister Bishop.  She is a good missionary.

Elder and Sister Crafts

These were taken around Christmas before she was transferred from our area.