Well this is news...

August 25, 2014  12:47 am EDT.   Well this is news 

So hi everyone.  lets get the news out right in the front.  I am training!! AHH

So for those who may not know what that means, I will be a companion of a brand new missionary out of the mtc.  (missionary training center).  This is a really big responsibility.  and I am supper nervous.But I am so excited.  There are so many feelings right now (#ihavealotoffeelings)  We had an amazing training meeting with President Ostler and the APs.  There are 28 new missionaries!  President Ostler taught a lot about the importance of Love in the Work and in the companionship.

When we went to President's Home on Monday for the FHE we had so much fun.  We played some games, ate cinnamon rolls (yum!) and had a great lesson.  It was a talk from one of the Apostles about Christlike Love and Charity.  I want to find out what the title of it was.  It was great.  Also, each member of our zone was able to share something that they love about their companion.  We were to start it "someone in our family..."  it is funny because in the Ostler Family Fhe it is supposed to be somewhat anonymous but when the family is a family of 2 it is pretty easy to know.  Well, it really brought the Spirit and we all felt really loved. 

I was able to take some time to talk to President Ostler. He called me in his office.  (That was when he called me to train!)  But he has a great painting of the Savior hanging in his office called "Abide in Me" i think by Simon Dewey. 

Well we had a great baptism this week!

April was baptized accompanied by all of her family(well all minus one brother)  The baptismal room was packed full and the doors were actually kept open so that everyone could be there!  She felt so loved.  I was a tear jerker as her best friend and our amazing ward missionary Jove (pronounced jov-ee) will be leaving on her mission to the Philippines Tacloban mission on Friday!  She was so sweet and was crying saying how much she wants to serve a mission.  The Lord was so present during the Baptism.  Her friend and president of the priest's quorum was her baptizer.  The Baptism Proper was flawless and so amazing as all her younger siblings and cousins were sitting right near the fount.

I am so sad to say good bye to Sister Jandoquile.  She has been such an amazing companion!! I am so happy that she has been my companion for these past 2 transfers!!!

Well the Lord provides so many miracles in this work!!

Oh and we have a mission blog.  I think it is <www.PhilippinesManilaMission.blogspot.com>

Well happy birthday Elise! I can't believe you are 2!!!

And welcome into the world Rebekah Deon Hawks!! She is so adorable!!

I love the Lord!!  and I am so grateful for the Lord's hand in this work!!

With lots of love

Sister Bishop

Baptisms that are long awaited...

August 17, 2014  11:51 EDT     Baptisms that are long awaited...

 Hi!

We are having a baptism this week for April! I told you guys about her last week.  Well everything is going great.  She even set up and prepared her own program and everything. The Young Women are super excited for her too.  She worked with me when we had splits with some of our ysa's in our ward!

This is going to be a fun day as we have FHE with our mission president at the mission home today with our zone!  We are supper excited to see what we will do.  This is my first fhe with the president.  But this is actually Sister Jandoquile's third..  Guess I am always in the zone that does not get to do it..  Oh well

Well Keep April in your prayers and the other Nolasco family.  They are the family of her dad and the parents are members and the kids have baptismal dates on Sep 13!  they all are coming to church and love it! thank you Paranaque 4 young men! they are awesome!!

The time goes by so quickly!

Just read through the Army of Helaman and was so impressed by their Christ like attributes that they show during their trials and battles.

Everyone I love you so much and am so grateful for the Lords Blessings

Sarah if baby hawks comes tell her hi for me!!

Dad: Good luck and I love you!

With love always,

boo

Frozen part 2 :))

August 11, 2014  12:40 am EDT   Frozen Part 2 :))

We sisters have made a miracle happen this week!  We are watching Frozen!  Our District leader was not thrilled at first when we gave that suggestion, but miracle of miracles.  District activity Today at 2 at the chapel!

The sisters are bringing a few deserts and such... I don't know what the elders are all doing..  We will see what will happen!!

Not gonna lie, we are super excited. 

We are having a great time in our area!  Our area is improving a ton.  Having baptisms coming up, investigators coming to church!, part members preparing for baptism while their parents are returning to church, less actives living the word of wisdom and keeping other commitments!

We had an interesting visit this week with a very long less-active who has turned to another church that makes it a point to try to propagate anti-mormon stuff.  It was hard because she told us how she pretty much hates the church, J.S., the Book of Mormon, and even temples.  The Temple was one that was hard to hear her disregard as that is such a foundation to my testimony.  I love the knowledge that I have of temples. I KNOW IT IS TRUE! We (Sister Jandoquile and I) talked after ward and shared how when those things happen, we need to build up our own faith to let it be a leaping stone not a stone of stumbling.

I am grateful for the scriptures.  I have been studying how the Bible and the Book of Mormon work hand in hand.  It is really a "marvelous work and a wonder"

The Lord is at the head of this church

We are calling upon Him to help us and he WILL provide

Oh and it has been weirdly sunny lately, I miss the rain...   It is almost like it is summer with the lack of rain these past few days..... not cool....

Well love from Paranaque

Sister Bishop

"Let's go to the mall…today" -himym

Aug. 4, 2014   12:29 am EDT.     "Let's go to the mall…today" - himym (how I met your mother)

So, this week we have had/ are having 4 FHE's in 3 days...  

1 on saturday night.  we had a blast.  It was at our recently returned less active's house who lives with his supper dupper active mother (nanay becca) and another active family! Also our bishop and his wife was there.  Our first counselor, his wife and 2 adorable kids.  Some of our other random members and April (our amazing part member who will be baptized on the 23rd)

2 Sunday at 6 with our ward mission leader, the missionaries, and ward missionaries.  It was fun and good times. Followed by:

3 Sunday night at 7:30. us four sisters made our way to our EQP and had FHE there.  It is cool because his wife was Sister Jandoquile's young women president when she was younger.  small world.

4 tonight with the Go family.  They are super nice and I love them bits 'n pieces.

Other cool things that will happen today.  We have an appointment for a family that the kids are friend with our 10 y.o recent convert, Jerlyn.  Jerlyn is really shy but she opens up around people who she is comfortable around.  Thank goodness we fall under that category.  So that will be fun. 

We are going to the SM (a mall franchise here in PH).  I need a new umbrella as my last one broke.  Hopefully this will be the last time that I need to buy one.  This is I think my 5th umbrella... yeahhh... Sister Jandoquile needs new rubber shoes.  And we have a few other random things to find: pens paper tape.... you get the picture..

We are having a good week by way of work.  We are not getting chastised for the lack of progressing investigators anymore by our district leader...  So that makes for a happy missionary.

We are getting very comfortable in our companionship.  We are good friends and we have a blast with random quotes... "Scoop it! just scoop it...." So all in all that makes work go by much faster. 

I have still not gotten totally used to the whole people staring at me.  I most of the time just laugh when I see people's reactions when they see me...

As for a bit more somber note: the Nollasco family took a hard hit last Saturday.  This is April's Family.  They have 7 kids.  April is the oldest at 16 and the youngest is 1 turning 2. They don't have too much by way of finances but they are happy. the trouble hit when their mother left and has not come back.  They know that "lumipat siya ng bahay" or she moved houses to another family..  the dad has taken it really hard.  They know that God has a plan for them.  Including the kid's grandmother coming to help with their family.  Good thing because she is very active, but very old.  That has sparked some of the other Nollasco families that are in our area and less active to come to church yesterday.  Keep them in your prayers!

The work is good!

I love how when I can read the scriptures, we come to get to know our Heavenly Father better.  We learn or his mercy, grace, and justice.  We learn of his pattern with teaching his children.  I love that God is the same yesterday today and forever!!

I don't know if I mentioned this in any of my earlier emails from this area.  But Sister Jandoquile and I sing the Tagalog hymns for companionship study.  It just makes my day a little bit more "brown" as liz would say..

Trust God and Believe

Sister Bishop