okay- shoutouts :)
Gyo, Candice, Deidre, Valerie, Melissa Everett, Madd, Mars, Sister Christensen, Maya, Diane, John, Mom, Dad, Kaycee,
KEEP DEAR ELDERING ME. i got dear elders from gyo and candice and i was SO happy. dear elder me more often :)
Okay- this week went by fast on some days and slow on friday & saturday. im gonna just be completely truthful in my emails that way you all know whats happening here.
On monday after i got to skype the family and john, which btw was awesome. i miss all of your faces, we went to the SM which is the mall here. i bought a few things, like groceries and stuff for my 72 hour kit. it was stressful. pday stresses me out. i feel like i dont have time to do anything. haha. i went to crocs at SM cus i need to get another pair of flats, but dont worry. the biggest size is 9 and that wont fit me. so whenever you can- NO RUSH, send me more flats. the same ones would be fine :) after that we bought more groceries and fruit and stuff and went home. i hand washed my clothes- which only took an hour but thats an hour i need on pday so tomorrow i am paying a nanay in our ward to wash my clothes. its 150 pesos or like 4 dollars(ish) that night we had FHE at Bishop Santos' house. his wife made us chicken curry, which was soo good. ill send pictures of everything. :)
on tuesday i cooked lunch for the house. just gulay, chicken and rice. lots of veggies (potatoes, carrots, green beans, cabbage) it was really good. i also sent out two letters and two postcards. let me know when they get to vegas. mail shouldnt take too long im told. so maybe youll get them this week. i hope. i will try to send a letter each week. I taught a lil 9 year old, bishops niece all by myself. her name is Juliana Liwanag (RJs sister) and she is adorable. she reminds me of Jenelle Libatique. She is always reading the BOM and always wanting to be taught. she is helping me with my tagalog. haha we also taught RJ that day. we asked him what hymn he wanted to sing before the lesson and he chose count your many blessings. sister dullete asked him why he chose that song and he said how soo blessed he is. it really took me back for a second because being here at first was really hard, trust me it still is, and im still adjusting, but here people live completely differently. they dont have all the things that i think are necessary in life and they are so happy. worldly things dont matter. the gospel is what matters. i literally could have nothing but the gospel and be happy. it is the only thing that really matters. the priesthood, the temple, the scriptures, prayer, those things matter, not whether i have a stove, a washing machine, shoes, air conditioning. regardless- i am blessed because i am a member of the church. i get to spend forever and ever with my family, i have the opportunity to communicate with my heavenly father anytime. i am blessed. we taught mario santos- hes less active and disabled. also taught a family preparing for baptism- Alma and Michelle a mom and daughter, christian the son wasnt there that day- but they will all three get baptized on June 8th. Also we taught two women- both named gloria and about 10 little kids running around in the neighborhood. haha i love teaching. my tagalog isnt great. but its coming. PRAY FOR ME TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF TONGUES. i need it. i have faith that heavenly father will bless me with the language- but i get so frustrated because i want to say so many things and still cant. it progresses everyday. i have only been here really like 2 weeks so i know i am just being impatient. i have faith in the faith heavenly father has in me. he sent me here because i can do this.
on wednesday was my 1 week mark of being here. we had DDM and i got to meet my district leaders and zone leaders. plus i got to see sister marcucci. seeing here is seriously the best. i miss her all the time. shes become such a huge blessing in my life. afterwards the APs drove us all to the SM and we went to KFC. which btw is alot better in america. haha there are limited choices. but rice with EVERYTHING. haha we taught 6 lessons that day and i tried to OYM (open your mouth) more. it helps me with my tagalog. i watched this church movie called "Mountain of the Lord" watch it- but its really good and one thing i liked was that Joseph Smith said that the saints should be a record keeping people. i seriously make sure i write in my journal every night. it is so important for me to remember these experiences that i have and especially to have a record of it because i want my kids and their kids to be able to understand how important the gospel is to me and what i really feel.
on thursday i was really frustrated. i cant sleep through the entire night ever. i wake up no matter what at 3 or 4 and it takes me forever to fall back asleep. i was even taking sleeping pills but it isnt doing anything. pray that i can sleep. i need to sleep. hahah. also on thursday i was SOOOO grateful that Rose bought me all of those wet wipes. haha. they are soo useful. we taught Jusmin Noto on the Holy Ghost, Juliana Liwanag, and a couple the Ramil family. they are less active. and the Pimintuan Family. they are also less active but came to church on sunday! HUGE DEAL. also there was a HUGE spider above my bed i cried. sister dullete killed it for me, haha
on friday we taught gloria, Ephraim, and Ilijiah- she is preparing for baptism. The end of june. and Anjulie Noto. i am sooo grateful for my cold shower. btw. it is so needed. i sweat like crazy here. and btw i have SO many bug bites. they itch like no other. what do i do about them??
on saturday i had a huge breakdown. i was frustrated because i feel like im going to be here forever and that i will never be fluent and so many other things. i was just really lonely and having a super hard day. but i was reading the BOM in 2 nephi chapt 3:13 and i felt a lil better. i am weak right now- but the lord stregthens me as i continue to pray for his help. the entire chapt- chapt 4 too helpeed me alot. i trust in the lord. it is hard. everyday i feel like i cant do this, but i am trying. i am doing my best. my breakdown was in the morning and i seriously pleaded with heavenly father to help me. help me not to be homesick, to have strength and continue to progress in tagalog. it was a hard hard morning. we went to teach juliana after that and i committed her to baptism- july 6. i was so happy. i felt the spirit like crazy. after that, and after seeing her so happy about having a baptism date i felt better. we taught the Deocampo family that are getting baptized and walked in the rain for 45 min to our next lesson. i am SO deaf still. its so hard for me to hear especially in tin roof houses when the rain is pouring and the people here speak either so quietly or so fast that i cant understand. hopefully my hearing is healed. thatd help haha. that night we had MCM at bishops and ate dinner there too. i was SO grateful for treys bag. i had to buy a new umbrella cus both of the ones i got in the package broke already. haha i was soaked but thank goodness treys bag is waterproof. i love it. and everyone wants one haha.
Yesterday was really good. sunday is seriously so needed especially after my breakdown. bishop asked us sisters to do the special musical number, i played if the savior stood beside me and my housemates and companion sang it in tagalog. i also played the piano during sacrament. sunday school bishop taught a lesson on prayer and i was reminded of how huge of a blessing it is in my life. as a missionary i have learned to rely on the lord more than ever before. when i feel completely alone he is there to lift me up. its difficult exercising my faith but i know i am being blessed. we taught Christian after church and i cried during my testimony. i cry often. its stupid. haha. but it was a really spiritual lesson. also we had a ward council meeting and watched this video on the priesthood keys. so good. i love that we have a living prophet on earth and that the priesthood is here. it is SUCH A HUGE BLESSING!!!!! last night a family in the ward fed us. so much food. and soo good.
today we had a zone activity and played games. and i got to see sister marcucci again. i also got to see president and sister martino. i talked to president a little about my breakdown and he just advised me to be patient with myself. that it will take time to get adjusted but that i am supposed to be here. i know that. the gospel is so important to me and i love this work. its hard and frustrating and so many other things. but so rewarding. i am so grateful for this opportunity.
some answers to questions::
No, the members dont really feed us. i eat lunch around 12 everyday with our house and dont eat again til i get home from tracting that day. Sometimes members will give us snacks or a few members will feed us but def not everyday.
the people are wesome. the kids are the cutest and everyone is so kind. i feel safe so no worries.
elyssa- get mesh or drilux.
things i need: PROTEIN. i am so afraid my hair is going to all fall out because i have like no protein in my system. also crocs and a few journals if possible. i am almost done with my first one. john- i need a new one from you also. i need more face wipes. send me pictures from my farewell and luau please.
did my gym membership get canceled? and my tuition? old navy credit card? SOMEONE CALL WELLS FARGO and make sure they know i am in the philippines. i wanna use my debit card to buy new clothes- my skirts are too long and its too hot. but im afraid it wont work. so just call.
also- incase you were wondering. no one has teeth here. im so afraid my teeth are going to fall out so i brush and floss and take calcium vitamins like crazy. hahaha
top 10!
10. i committed juliana to baptism and she accepted!!
9. i cooked my first meal here and it tasted like something nanay betty would cook!
8. i eat mangoes everyday!
7. i finished the Doctrine and Covenants and im almost done through 2 nephi since ive been here in the Bom
6. rainy season is starting and im so happy cus the sun isnt a fire beam on my head when its rainy haha
5. even though i feel so inadequate, my tagalog is coming- slowly but surely
4. we had 5 dinner appts this past week. food is bomb.
3. i lost all the weight i gained in the MTC. haahahha
2. i had lumpia on saturday!
1. the lord answered my prayers and really comforted me this week. when i felt completely alone. i am so grateful for prayer.
i miss you all so much. i love you all!! dear elder me. and continue to pray for me. Mahal na Mahal kita!!!
Sister Littlefield
Friday, May 24, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
FIRST EMAIL FROM THE PHILIPPINES
HELLo!!!! Omg i am COMPLETELY overwhelmed but my emotions are a wreck but its okay :)
I have soooo much to write but i will try my best to hurry and make it as detailed as possible.
On sunday we sang the EFY medley and it was SOOOOO SPIRITUAL!!! omg i cried the entire time. so good but it was also fast sunday and i bore my testimony in tagalog and talked about the priesthood, the m\temple and missionary work. Chad Lewis the NFL player for the eagles(?) and his wife spoke at our last devo and it was sooooo good. super good. he said so many things that really stood out to me. Like the fact that i have been saved for this time and the lord is mindful of me. my mission call is divine and just like in football we prepare, drill and practice the language, the teaching and everything for these people. i am so happy that i have chosen to serve a mission. it is so rewarding. so difficult, forsure but super rewarding. i am so happy to be here.
my last day at the mtc was really sad. actually super sad. it was sad to say bye to all the younger districts, my branch presidency, and my teachers. i cried, alot. especially on sunday. it was ridiculous the spirit was SO strong and i was so grateful for all the experiences and what not and especially the gospel knowledge i got there. on monday we still had class and whatnot and stuff, then we got to say bye, pack, send things home and everything. on the way to the SLC airport i was overwhelmed. excited, scared, nervous, everything. but it was all good. i couldnt believe that my 6 weeks at the mtc were over and that i was on my way to the philippines. on the plane to LAX i sat next to sister vinson, she is the husband of a member of the 70 and is awesome. she is from australia and i lovedddd getting to talk to her and hearing about her experiences with getting called into the prophets office and whatnot. it was incredible. at LAX we had a long layover, our flight didnt leave until like 2:40 am and i was super tired but tried my best to stay awake until we got onto the plane inorder to semi set my sleeping schedule. the flight to hongkong seemed forever.
When i got off the plane in hong kong we rushed to another flight to get to manila so im really sorry i didnt get to call. i wanted to and almost did in manila but i didnt have time. so once we got here we went through immigration and customs and got our luggage and what not and then i exchanged some of my money for pesos and i still have some american cash, i figure ill just keep it until i go home so i have spending cash.
So on wednesday in the philippines i got here and i was SO SWEATY immediately. it was ridiculous. i am constantly sticky and really greasy but its all good. we drove to the philippines mtc and then to the mission home. super nice. my president and his wife are awesome. i love them already. keep updated on sister martinos facebook: deanie martino. we introduced ourselves, had a little orientation and the slept. the next morning we headed to the mission office to meet our trainers and my mtc comps and i were seperated. we all cried. dont worry. my trainer is sister dullete from iloilo, she is tiny. a head shorter than me. when we got to our apartment i was surprised at how nice it was. i am so happy i got assigned to the city, its easier for me to adjust. i am assigned to the tarlac 5th ward in the tarlac b area. my zone is tarlac. the mission office, home, and the APs live in my zone. immediately we unpacked cleaned and everything. i had a few minor meltdowns. feeling like i just wanted to get back on a plane and go home, homesick, missing my old comps and everything. we went out and met some of the members in the ward. the noto family and a RM named RJ, we taught a few lessons and at first i just testified and prayed but i was happy with how it all went. we taught to a 10 year old Ilijiah, she has a baptismal date. and to her brother Epraihm. he is less active. we ride jeepneys everywhere. our area is a lil bit away from our house so we cant walk. we ride until we get to san miguel and then walk from there. that night when we got home i went to shower and a HUGE roach was on the shower curtain. i nearly died. my heart stopped and i couldnt kill it so i just let it be. haha. on my first night here we didnt have a dinner appt, but i was so hot that i wasnt hungry and just went to bed. that night i woke up a few times because i was soooo hot and couldnt sleep.
the next morning i woke up grumpy. i didnt wanna be here and just was suuuuper homesick. i needed badly to change my attitude. so i read in PMG the chapt on christlike attributes and focused on hope. which was awesome. i needed so badly to read that. i cried from pure joy of heavenly father answering my prayers to comfort me and help me adjust quickly. i have never in my life needed my heavenly father more than now. this is hard. really hard. but i know with Him i can do it. i know for a fact that i cant do this on my own. the first day i was at my lowest low so far in my mission. i felt inadequate, completely lost, and so upset. but i know you all at home are praying for me and i know it is helping. i am tryinh with all my might to be happy and make the best of this. it is tough right now but i will adjust im sure. when we went out to work that day we OYMed (open your mouth) to 15 people and we taught a few lessons. One man was Tatay Espinoza. He was about 70 and had lots of questions about our life after earth and he seemed really interested in our message. we are visiting him again this week. we didnt eat dinner again that night but i made soup when i got home and then went to bed.
my emotions have been INSANE since ive been here. each morning i wake up wondering what i am doing here and by the time i am getting into bed i am so happy to be here. teaching and meeting the people here is awesome and i am so blessed and understand WHY i am here. my work as a missionary is so important. on the 11, the noto family fed us Bulalo, pig ribs and rice. we taught and OYMed lots that day and taught the daughter of the noto family, she is a recent convert. my tagalog progresses everyday and the members really help me. i am trying to open my mouth as much as possible in order to make my language come faster. it rained super bad that night and flooded while we were tracting. up to my shins. ill send a picture. i love when it rains. its not as hot and people will let us in because we are soaked. the nice thing about the people here is no matter what they will listen to our message. its great cus that way more people hear the message and feel our spirit.
on sunday we got up and church was at 9. i had to share my testimony and people told me it was good. it was pretty short but thats okay. i just said what i felt and got teary eyed. haha my ward is awesome. about 160 people. Sunday school was good and so was RS. i was happy to be at church. it was like a total relief. i was so happy to be there. last night two families fed us. one fed us pancit and the other fed us soup.
i am so happy to be here. it is hard. literally the hardest thing ever. but i am good. i am adjusting. i can do it. PLEASE pray for me. i think about all of you always.
mom- email sister martino for the mission home address. here is the mission office address:
Philippines Angeles Mission Office
F. Tanedo Street, Barangay San Nicolas,
Tarlac City, Tarlac. 2300
Philippines
the N in tanedo is a N-YA. it that even makes sense. lol spanish n
dont send packages through fed ex or ups. reg mail only.
ratu.vunibola@myldsmail.net
JUST EMAIL ME EVERYWEEK. i miss you soooooooo much. i love you all so much i will look forward to PDAY to talk to you all.
TOP 10!
10. it rained & there were lots of flooded areas.
9. i eat pancit almost everyday!!
8. i rode a jeepney, reminded me of tatay since he drove one back in the day haha
7. i taught two lessons on my own, one on the holy ghost and one on joseph smith :)))
6. every morning i eat oatmeal, energen and mangos. MASARAP!
5. my shower is cold. ITS TOOOOO HOT to have a hot shower
4. i got to see sister marcucci today!!! soooo happy about it. i love her. we cried hahah
3. the little kids are the CUTEST. i loveeee filipino kids. even if they dont have shoes on hahaha
2. i got to skype the whole fam, and trey! i love and miss you all soooo much!!!
1.I AM IN THE PHILIPPINES, I AM A MISSIONARY. i am overwhelmed, but i am happy
i love you all so much!!
I have soooo much to write but i will try my best to hurry and make it as detailed as possible.
On sunday we sang the EFY medley and it was SOOOOO SPIRITUAL!!! omg i cried the entire time. so good but it was also fast sunday and i bore my testimony in tagalog and talked about the priesthood, the m\temple and missionary work. Chad Lewis the NFL player for the eagles(?) and his wife spoke at our last devo and it was sooooo good. super good. he said so many things that really stood out to me. Like the fact that i have been saved for this time and the lord is mindful of me. my mission call is divine and just like in football we prepare, drill and practice the language, the teaching and everything for these people. i am so happy that i have chosen to serve a mission. it is so rewarding. so difficult, forsure but super rewarding. i am so happy to be here.
my last day at the mtc was really sad. actually super sad. it was sad to say bye to all the younger districts, my branch presidency, and my teachers. i cried, alot. especially on sunday. it was ridiculous the spirit was SO strong and i was so grateful for all the experiences and what not and especially the gospel knowledge i got there. on monday we still had class and whatnot and stuff, then we got to say bye, pack, send things home and everything. on the way to the SLC airport i was overwhelmed. excited, scared, nervous, everything. but it was all good. i couldnt believe that my 6 weeks at the mtc were over and that i was on my way to the philippines. on the plane to LAX i sat next to sister vinson, she is the husband of a member of the 70 and is awesome. she is from australia and i lovedddd getting to talk to her and hearing about her experiences with getting called into the prophets office and whatnot. it was incredible. at LAX we had a long layover, our flight didnt leave until like 2:40 am and i was super tired but tried my best to stay awake until we got onto the plane inorder to semi set my sleeping schedule. the flight to hongkong seemed forever.
When i got off the plane in hong kong we rushed to another flight to get to manila so im really sorry i didnt get to call. i wanted to and almost did in manila but i didnt have time. so once we got here we went through immigration and customs and got our luggage and what not and then i exchanged some of my money for pesos and i still have some american cash, i figure ill just keep it until i go home so i have spending cash.
So on wednesday in the philippines i got here and i was SO SWEATY immediately. it was ridiculous. i am constantly sticky and really greasy but its all good. we drove to the philippines mtc and then to the mission home. super nice. my president and his wife are awesome. i love them already. keep updated on sister martinos facebook: deanie martino. we introduced ourselves, had a little orientation and the slept. the next morning we headed to the mission office to meet our trainers and my mtc comps and i were seperated. we all cried. dont worry. my trainer is sister dullete from iloilo, she is tiny. a head shorter than me. when we got to our apartment i was surprised at how nice it was. i am so happy i got assigned to the city, its easier for me to adjust. i am assigned to the tarlac 5th ward in the tarlac b area. my zone is tarlac. the mission office, home, and the APs live in my zone. immediately we unpacked cleaned and everything. i had a few minor meltdowns. feeling like i just wanted to get back on a plane and go home, homesick, missing my old comps and everything. we went out and met some of the members in the ward. the noto family and a RM named RJ, we taught a few lessons and at first i just testified and prayed but i was happy with how it all went. we taught to a 10 year old Ilijiah, she has a baptismal date. and to her brother Epraihm. he is less active. we ride jeepneys everywhere. our area is a lil bit away from our house so we cant walk. we ride until we get to san miguel and then walk from there. that night when we got home i went to shower and a HUGE roach was on the shower curtain. i nearly died. my heart stopped and i couldnt kill it so i just let it be. haha. on my first night here we didnt have a dinner appt, but i was so hot that i wasnt hungry and just went to bed. that night i woke up a few times because i was soooo hot and couldnt sleep.
the next morning i woke up grumpy. i didnt wanna be here and just was suuuuper homesick. i needed badly to change my attitude. so i read in PMG the chapt on christlike attributes and focused on hope. which was awesome. i needed so badly to read that. i cried from pure joy of heavenly father answering my prayers to comfort me and help me adjust quickly. i have never in my life needed my heavenly father more than now. this is hard. really hard. but i know with Him i can do it. i know for a fact that i cant do this on my own. the first day i was at my lowest low so far in my mission. i felt inadequate, completely lost, and so upset. but i know you all at home are praying for me and i know it is helping. i am tryinh with all my might to be happy and make the best of this. it is tough right now but i will adjust im sure. when we went out to work that day we OYMed (open your mouth) to 15 people and we taught a few lessons. One man was Tatay Espinoza. He was about 70 and had lots of questions about our life after earth and he seemed really interested in our message. we are visiting him again this week. we didnt eat dinner again that night but i made soup when i got home and then went to bed.
my emotions have been INSANE since ive been here. each morning i wake up wondering what i am doing here and by the time i am getting into bed i am so happy to be here. teaching and meeting the people here is awesome and i am so blessed and understand WHY i am here. my work as a missionary is so important. on the 11, the noto family fed us Bulalo, pig ribs and rice. we taught and OYMed lots that day and taught the daughter of the noto family, she is a recent convert. my tagalog progresses everyday and the members really help me. i am trying to open my mouth as much as possible in order to make my language come faster. it rained super bad that night and flooded while we were tracting. up to my shins. ill send a picture. i love when it rains. its not as hot and people will let us in because we are soaked. the nice thing about the people here is no matter what they will listen to our message. its great cus that way more people hear the message and feel our spirit.
on sunday we got up and church was at 9. i had to share my testimony and people told me it was good. it was pretty short but thats okay. i just said what i felt and got teary eyed. haha my ward is awesome. about 160 people. Sunday school was good and so was RS. i was happy to be at church. it was like a total relief. i was so happy to be there. last night two families fed us. one fed us pancit and the other fed us soup.
i am so happy to be here. it is hard. literally the hardest thing ever. but i am good. i am adjusting. i can do it. PLEASE pray for me. i think about all of you always.
mom- email sister martino for the mission home address. here is the mission office address:
Philippines Angeles Mission Office
F. Tanedo Street, Barangay San Nicolas,
Tarlac City, Tarlac. 2300
Philippines
the N in tanedo is a N-YA. it that even makes sense. lol spanish n
dont send packages through fed ex or ups. reg mail only.
ratu.vunibola@myldsmail.net
JUST EMAIL ME EVERYWEEK. i miss you soooooooo much. i love you all so much i will look forward to PDAY to talk to you all.
TOP 10!
10. it rained & there were lots of flooded areas.
9. i eat pancit almost everyday!!
8. i rode a jeepney, reminded me of tatay since he drove one back in the day haha
7. i taught two lessons on my own, one on the holy ghost and one on joseph smith :)))
6. every morning i eat oatmeal, energen and mangos. MASARAP!
5. my shower is cold. ITS TOOOOO HOT to have a hot shower
4. i got to see sister marcucci today!!! soooo happy about it. i love her. we cried hahah
3. the little kids are the CUTEST. i loveeee filipino kids. even if they dont have shoes on hahaha
2. i got to skype the whole fam, and trey! i love and miss you all soooo much!!!
1.I AM IN THE PHILIPPINES, I AM A MISSIONARY. i am overwhelmed, but i am happy
i love you all so much!!
i miss you like crasy but i am so happy. continue to pray for me. i could use the prayers. pray i can learn tagalog and start to speak fluently. MAHAL MAHAL KITA!!!!!
i think about you always and pray for you always!!
Sister Littlefield
i think about you always and pray for you always!!
Sister Littlefield
Before she left the MTC
Kumusta po kayo lahat?!? Hopefully pinakadebes. but anyway hello everyone! so just a heads up- my entire schedule haschanged and my pday got changed to saturday so i will get to email on saturday RIGHT before i leave. SO STOKED. plus i get to call MONDAY NIGHT. i will talk about my flight plans but just so everyone is aware of what is happening. hahah
shoutouts to: Sierra, Kayla D, Madi, Jake, Kaycee, Landon, Mitchell Cavada, Madd, Mars, Aunt LaAna, Chiane, Sister Thorn, Momma, Daddy, John, Senia
Just FYI- i can only get mail here for ONE MORE WEEEEEK :O i leave in 6 days! if you are trying to get anything to me before i leave you MUST send it by friday at the absolute latest. dear elder me before i leave- I will get mail on monday but thats it!
HOW INSANE. time has seriously gone so quickly. ITS PINAKADEBES! (the best sa tagalog)
On tuesday night we had a devotional and Elder David F Evans of the Seventy and his wife spoke. His wife talked about not being distracted on our missions and how it is time to turn my heart over to the lord. to leave all thoughts of "me" behind and focus on the work. Elder Evans called us to repentence and about the spirit and how to teach through the spirit. After his talk i have made it a goal to submit to the fathers will. i think multiple times in my life i have prayed for guidance and in the end wanted to do what i wanted to do. but it is so important to remember that when we pray we must follow what the spirit tells us and have faith that it will be for our good.
My week has pretty much been really fast and i cant believe it is already P-day.
Wednesday was aweeeesome. I got to "host" two international sister missionaries. I pretty much got them settled in their rooms and what not and helped them get all their classroom materials. Both of my sisters were from Tonga and literally the SWEEEEETEST sisters alive. they were both going english speaking- one to Boise ID & one to Oakland CA. they were both so excited and super nice. After that I was waiting for my companions to go to lunch and i sat in the hallway where the new missionaries were coming in. I saw Jordan Ruesch- Ive only seen him that one time. but im sure i will see him somemore before i leave. That day i saw Skyler killian too & Patience Jensen (Sonny Smiths Cousin, mom) & we went to east tech together the one week i went. haha but im SO SO SO excited for this wednesday- Karlie FINALLY gets here. Jordan Parker too. Itll be awesome. I get to host tomorrow so im keeping my fingers crossed that i get to host sister tanner :D if not karlie- we MUST meet up somewhere. hahah
On Thursday I fasted, for multiple things. I needed answers and guidance and it was SUPER good. The spirit here is so uncomparable and i love that i get to experience everyday. I will miss it for sure. Thursday we were SUPPOSED to get our flight plans and they didnt come. it was certainly the upset of the day but it was no big deal. I had a good day still. We taught both of our investigators, Laura and Roy and they are both progressing like crazy. Its so cool. I love seeing them change and get stronger in the gospel.
My companionship was assigned to teach our district for sunday and we started preparing this day. Ill talk about our amazing lesson later.
On friday our elders (the foreign ones) got to go to temple square so our class was super tiny. Just the sisters with our teach Sister Watkins & it was super cool. we practiced teaching and i felt sooo much more comfortable in the language and i am understanding so much more. i did have a bit of an anxiety attack because i couldnt say some of the things i really wanted to and my grammer was off. so a zone resource teacher came and talked to me and made me feel a whole lot better. he said this: "you are fluent. you can communicate and that is what matters. you may not be able to say everything you want but it will come." he told me when i teach an investigator they arent going to think when i leave "wow she had her 'ang' 'ng' and 'sa' in the wrong place" but they will remember how they felt when i taught them. that is what matters.
" it is frustrating because i want SO badly to just say everything i want but i know that it will come so quickly. once i am surrounded by tagalog i have no doubts that the lord will bless me with the gift of tongues to preach His gospel. no doubts. i am so happy i am learning this language. it will forever bless my life. plus mom, when i get home that is the only way i will speak to you so brush up on your tagalog hahaha. marley- you too.
On saturday we got our TRAVEL PLANSSS :D :D :D best day thus far at the MTC. So here are the details. I have to meet at the travel office on Monday night at 4:30pm. My flight leaves from the SLC airport at 7:50 pm. and i land in Los Angeles at LAX at 8:50 pm i will probably call mom from SLC just for a second and call again at LAX for longer. i have like a 4 hour layover. my flight doesnt leave until 1:15 in the morning and that is my long flight to Hong Kong and i land there on may 8th at 7 am. All of my companions and i are right next to eachother so itll be way good. Mom please- or anyone, send me uno, phase 10, something to do at the airport. coloring books- IDEC. just something. I will most likely try to sleep for r some of the flight to Hong Kong. and then from hong kong i get on a plane to Manila at 7:50 and that is where we will say bye to the elders in our district and sisters in our zone. ill be SO sad haha. We land in Manila at 9:55 am and there ill get on a bus to head to Tarlac where the mission home is located. I cant even handle that i leave the MTC so soon. I cannot wait. I am stoked to finally get to the philippines and just sweat. bahahaha but seriously, i am beyond excited. i will hopefully get to call or skype or SOMETHING on mothers day which is the first sunday im in the philippines so mom- talk to kaycee about skype and figure it out. This saturday i ripped my skirt. no worries tho- it was in private but it was the cute yellow and black polka dot one. i was so sad and i was gonna get it fixed but idec so im just gonna send it home in the package. We also played sisters vs elders sand volleyball. it was hilarious. i should have played in high school cus im pretty beast hahahah. oh and john- i have also been playing basketball. i can take you one on one when i get home. im a pro.
Sunday was the best. It is my favorite day of the week.Sister Bonnie Oscarson, the new general young womens president spoke to us for relief society. it was such a good talk. first of all she and her husband were called to be a mission president/wife at age 25!!! isnt that insane?!! but she just said how she felt like she didnt know anything but it was okay. She related that to us as missionaries and said how even when we feel like we dont know anything it is okay, we are just barely called, we will learn. I just have to have faith. I know without a doubt that the lord will labor by my side. I will not be alone. She had us listen to this song called "the olive tree" but one line in there hit me really hard- until he comes & his work is done- we'll serve the king of kings.
we are small in number compared to the world but we are doing the greatest work and spreading the greatest message. if you are questioning whether or not to go on a mission- GO. you will never ever ever regret it. ever. i know that i have been preparing for this mission since before i came to this earth. i am qualified to be a witness of Christ. I know he is my savior & your savior. The work of saving souls is JOYOUS. we sang i feel my saviors love in closing and this is awesome " HE KNOWS I WILL FOLLOW HIM, GIVE ALL MY LIFE TO HIM." it is so true. i would give all for this gospel, Jesus suffered for MY sins, i will do all i can to build up his kingdom. My lesson with my companions was on Enduring to the End and it was so so so so good. seriously. We used the talk Always in the Middle by Utchdorf from the July ensign, daddy im sure you remember it, its the talk you read to me the day i decided to for sure serve my mission. but i think it really helped all of the elders and sisters in our district. it is so true, i am so happy i am here serving the lord. it is just a short time in the eternity of things and it has already been such a HUGE blessing. I am so so so humbled to be a servant of the lord and doing His work. It is truly incredible. We talked about experiences with enduring to the end and i talked about Papa Lanny and his liver transplant. OBVI i got extremly emotional like i do anytime i talk about him but i just said how he was literally the perfect example. never complaining, always having faith, just knowing that the lord would bless him. Other
people in our district shared too. it was a super good lesson. In sacrament i said the closing prayer and my branch presidency said i did really good. and my companions said i was speaking super fast. thats a good thing hahaha. Our sunday devo was Elder Stephen B Allen, the managing director of the missionary dept. He said a lot of awesome things- but ill just say a few, make the next day better than the day before. This doesnt just apply to missionaries- but to everyone. you have the power to start over, days arent always going to be great but we can make it the best the following day. Another thing he said was that we are at war with satan, he is angry with me for serving a missiona dn he knows how to push my buttons, he wants me to quit but i will not. my call as a missionary is eternal.
I am part of a chosen generation and i have a role to play in his work. Generations will be changed through the teachings of the missionaries. The lord needs more missionaries.
Some other misc things- i saw patience jensen (sunny smiths cousin) she used to be in treys stake and is going to russia, i saw skyler killian, and this kid from treys stake i recognized from his mission prep class.
Landon- Thank you for the dear elder. and for all the pictures. i loved it. Thank you so much for praying for me. i was so happy when you wrote that. you are the greatest cuz. Love you so much!!!!! & i think kaylah wrote me too? tell her i love her :) and let me know what your future plans are. im out of the loop :)
Mad- you looked beautiful at prom. i cried when i saw your pictures. im super sad i couldnt be there to help you get ready and take pictures with you.
Jake- youre a stud. you looked fresssshhh! Thanks for your dearelder. i seriously crack up everytime you write me. the fact that you gave the girls in your group welts and that you won the wildcat rally. it runs in the family. i won my junior year too. SUCKAHHHHH.
Cruzty- youre a freaking punk. i didnt hear from you this week. loser.
Martan- YOU ARE A BEAST! congrats on making cheer! i am so proud of you!!!! im sure you will just do awesome things at harney. excited to hear all about it!!!!
Mom- youre dear elders make my day. seriously- thank you so much for writing me and filling me in on everything. youre great. i NEEEEEED an umbrella. somehow mine is gone. a sturdy plain colored dark one. also did you get my letter about the diva cup?? FIND ME ONE PLEASE. haha but also a waterproof thin watch. target has a bunch of cute ones. i am sending home a package with garments and misc things i will not bring to the philippines. i sent home a tag and a schedule-- have you gotten them?? expect the package this week. love you moms!
Daddy- thanks for writing me. im glad you arent sick anymore!! youve been sicking sick a lot lately, ive been praying for you and mom to have good health so hopefully that helps. i love you daddy-o!!!
John- i got your package. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE. i was shocked when i saw the rose in there. hahaha my comps were surprised and very impressed. haah i love you seriously. keep writing me. i love it. you are the best best best boyfriend EVERRRRR.
Kaycee- i got your letter. thank you for the picture. i loved it. i miss you and i miss telling you everyyyything :/
shoutouts to: Sierra, Kayla D, Madi, Jake, Kaycee, Landon, Mitchell Cavada, Madd, Mars, Aunt LaAna, Chiane, Sister Thorn, Momma, Daddy, John, Senia
Just FYI- i can only get mail here for ONE MORE WEEEEEK :O i leave in 6 days! if you are trying to get anything to me before i leave you MUST send it by friday at the absolute latest. dear elder me before i leave- I will get mail on monday but thats it!
HOW INSANE. time has seriously gone so quickly. ITS PINAKADEBES! (the best sa tagalog)
On tuesday night we had a devotional and Elder David F Evans of the Seventy and his wife spoke. His wife talked about not being distracted on our missions and how it is time to turn my heart over to the lord. to leave all thoughts of "me" behind and focus on the work. Elder Evans called us to repentence and about the spirit and how to teach through the spirit. After his talk i have made it a goal to submit to the fathers will. i think multiple times in my life i have prayed for guidance and in the end wanted to do what i wanted to do. but it is so important to remember that when we pray we must follow what the spirit tells us and have faith that it will be for our good.
My week has pretty much been really fast and i cant believe it is already P-day.
Wednesday was aweeeesome. I got to "host" two international sister missionaries. I pretty much got them settled in their rooms and what not and helped them get all their classroom materials. Both of my sisters were from Tonga and literally the SWEEEEETEST sisters alive. they were both going english speaking- one to Boise ID & one to Oakland CA. they were both so excited and super nice. After that I was waiting for my companions to go to lunch and i sat in the hallway where the new missionaries were coming in. I saw Jordan Ruesch- Ive only seen him that one time. but im sure i will see him somemore before i leave. That day i saw Skyler killian too & Patience Jensen (Sonny Smiths Cousin, mom) & we went to east tech together the one week i went. haha but im SO SO SO excited for this wednesday- Karlie FINALLY gets here. Jordan Parker too. Itll be awesome. I get to host tomorrow so im keeping my fingers crossed that i get to host sister tanner :D if not karlie- we MUST meet up somewhere. hahah
On Thursday I fasted, for multiple things. I needed answers and guidance and it was SUPER good. The spirit here is so uncomparable and i love that i get to experience everyday. I will miss it for sure. Thursday we were SUPPOSED to get our flight plans and they didnt come. it was certainly the upset of the day but it was no big deal. I had a good day still. We taught both of our investigators, Laura and Roy and they are both progressing like crazy. Its so cool. I love seeing them change and get stronger in the gospel.
My companionship was assigned to teach our district for sunday and we started preparing this day. Ill talk about our amazing lesson later.
On friday our elders (the foreign ones) got to go to temple square so our class was super tiny. Just the sisters with our teach Sister Watkins & it was super cool. we practiced teaching and i felt sooo much more comfortable in the language and i am understanding so much more. i did have a bit of an anxiety attack because i couldnt say some of the things i really wanted to and my grammer was off. so a zone resource teacher came and talked to me and made me feel a whole lot better. he said this: "you are fluent. you can communicate and that is what matters. you may not be able to say everything you want but it will come." he told me when i teach an investigator they arent going to think when i leave "wow she had her 'ang' 'ng' and 'sa' in the wrong place" but they will remember how they felt when i taught them. that is what matters.
" it is frustrating because i want SO badly to just say everything i want but i know that it will come so quickly. once i am surrounded by tagalog i have no doubts that the lord will bless me with the gift of tongues to preach His gospel. no doubts. i am so happy i am learning this language. it will forever bless my life. plus mom, when i get home that is the only way i will speak to you so brush up on your tagalog hahaha. marley- you too.
On saturday we got our TRAVEL PLANSSS :D :D :D best day thus far at the MTC. So here are the details. I have to meet at the travel office on Monday night at 4:30pm. My flight leaves from the SLC airport at 7:50 pm. and i land in Los Angeles at LAX at 8:50 pm i will probably call mom from SLC just for a second and call again at LAX for longer. i have like a 4 hour layover. my flight doesnt leave until 1:15 in the morning and that is my long flight to Hong Kong and i land there on may 8th at 7 am. All of my companions and i are right next to eachother so itll be way good. Mom please- or anyone, send me uno, phase 10, something to do at the airport. coloring books- IDEC. just something. I will most likely try to sleep for r some of the flight to Hong Kong. and then from hong kong i get on a plane to Manila at 7:50 and that is where we will say bye to the elders in our district and sisters in our zone. ill be SO sad haha. We land in Manila at 9:55 am and there ill get on a bus to head to Tarlac where the mission home is located. I cant even handle that i leave the MTC so soon. I cannot wait. I am stoked to finally get to the philippines and just sweat. bahahaha but seriously, i am beyond excited. i will hopefully get to call or skype or SOMETHING on mothers day which is the first sunday im in the philippines so mom- talk to kaycee about skype and figure it out. This saturday i ripped my skirt. no worries tho- it was in private but it was the cute yellow and black polka dot one. i was so sad and i was gonna get it fixed but idec so im just gonna send it home in the package. We also played sisters vs elders sand volleyball. it was hilarious. i should have played in high school cus im pretty beast hahahah. oh and john- i have also been playing basketball. i can take you one on one when i get home. im a pro.
Sunday was the best. It is my favorite day of the week.Sister Bonnie Oscarson, the new general young womens president spoke to us for relief society. it was such a good talk. first of all she and her husband were called to be a mission president/wife at age 25!!! isnt that insane?!! but she just said how she felt like she didnt know anything but it was okay. She related that to us as missionaries and said how even when we feel like we dont know anything it is okay, we are just barely called, we will learn. I just have to have faith. I know without a doubt that the lord will labor by my side. I will not be alone. She had us listen to this song called "the olive tree" but one line in there hit me really hard- until he comes & his work is done- we'll serve the king of kings.
we are small in number compared to the world but we are doing the greatest work and spreading the greatest message. if you are questioning whether or not to go on a mission- GO. you will never ever ever regret it. ever. i know that i have been preparing for this mission since before i came to this earth. i am qualified to be a witness of Christ. I know he is my savior & your savior. The work of saving souls is JOYOUS. we sang i feel my saviors love in closing and this is awesome " HE KNOWS I WILL FOLLOW HIM, GIVE ALL MY LIFE TO HIM." it is so true. i would give all for this gospel, Jesus suffered for MY sins, i will do all i can to build up his kingdom. My lesson with my companions was on Enduring to the End and it was so so so so good. seriously. We used the talk Always in the Middle by Utchdorf from the July ensign, daddy im sure you remember it, its the talk you read to me the day i decided to for sure serve my mission. but i think it really helped all of the elders and sisters in our district. it is so true, i am so happy i am here serving the lord. it is just a short time in the eternity of things and it has already been such a HUGE blessing. I am so so so humbled to be a servant of the lord and doing His work. It is truly incredible. We talked about experiences with enduring to the end and i talked about Papa Lanny and his liver transplant. OBVI i got extremly emotional like i do anytime i talk about him but i just said how he was literally the perfect example. never complaining, always having faith, just knowing that the lord would bless him. Other
people in our district shared too. it was a super good lesson. In sacrament i said the closing prayer and my branch presidency said i did really good. and my companions said i was speaking super fast. thats a good thing hahaha. Our sunday devo was Elder Stephen B Allen, the managing director of the missionary dept. He said a lot of awesome things- but ill just say a few, make the next day better than the day before. This doesnt just apply to missionaries- but to everyone. you have the power to start over, days arent always going to be great but we can make it the best the following day. Another thing he said was that we are at war with satan, he is angry with me for serving a missiona dn he knows how to push my buttons, he wants me to quit but i will not. my call as a missionary is eternal.
I am part of a chosen generation and i have a role to play in his work. Generations will be changed through the teachings of the missionaries. The lord needs more missionaries.
Some other misc things- i saw patience jensen (sunny smiths cousin) she used to be in treys stake and is going to russia, i saw skyler killian, and this kid from treys stake i recognized from his mission prep class.
Landon- Thank you for the dear elder. and for all the pictures. i loved it. Thank you so much for praying for me. i was so happy when you wrote that. you are the greatest cuz. Love you so much!!!!! & i think kaylah wrote me too? tell her i love her :) and let me know what your future plans are. im out of the loop :)
Mad- you looked beautiful at prom. i cried when i saw your pictures. im super sad i couldnt be there to help you get ready and take pictures with you.
Jake- youre a stud. you looked fresssshhh! Thanks for your dearelder. i seriously crack up everytime you write me. the fact that you gave the girls in your group welts and that you won the wildcat rally. it runs in the family. i won my junior year too. SUCKAHHHHH.
Cruzty- youre a freaking punk. i didnt hear from you this week. loser.
Martan- YOU ARE A BEAST! congrats on making cheer! i am so proud of you!!!! im sure you will just do awesome things at harney. excited to hear all about it!!!!
Mom- youre dear elders make my day. seriously- thank you so much for writing me and filling me in on everything. youre great. i NEEEEEED an umbrella. somehow mine is gone. a sturdy plain colored dark one. also did you get my letter about the diva cup?? FIND ME ONE PLEASE. haha but also a waterproof thin watch. target has a bunch of cute ones. i am sending home a package with garments and misc things i will not bring to the philippines. i sent home a tag and a schedule-- have you gotten them?? expect the package this week. love you moms!
Daddy- thanks for writing me. im glad you arent sick anymore!! youve been sicking sick a lot lately, ive been praying for you and mom to have good health so hopefully that helps. i love you daddy-o!!!
John- i got your package. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE. i was shocked when i saw the rose in there. hahaha my comps were surprised and very impressed. haah i love you seriously. keep writing me. i love it. you are the best best best boyfriend EVERRRRR.
Kaycee- i got your letter. thank you for the picture. i loved it. i miss you and i miss telling you everyyyything :/
Auntie Mariechu- i am praying for you and my new baby cousin! love you so much! 2 lbs is tiny but im sure she is strong!! Nanay Bridgida will be helping her from the other side, i have no doubt.
kayla d- i got your dear elder- I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! you are amazing! i know this job will be perfect for you. and thank you for the image of senior year and kloeker and kinect. i died. ill write you back soon!! i love you!!!
Sierra- you are the best for writing me all the time. I LOVE YOU!!!
MAHAL KO KAYO!!!! i love you! everyone please write me before i leave please!! i would love to hear from everyone!!! I miss you all but you are ALL in my prayers. keep me in yours as i head to the philippines in just SIX DAYS!!! :D :O :X But seriously, i am so excited. i love this work, and i truly love being a missionary. You are all incredible and mean so much to me. Love, kapayapaan at mga biyaya (peace and blessings hahahahaha) I LOVE YOU!!
-Sister Littlefield
PS- im sending pictures a lil later. today is nuts cus its "fake" p-day and i have to spread out my time. weird i know.
Sierra- you are the best for writing me all the time. I LOVE YOU!!!
MAHAL KO KAYO!!!! i love you! everyone please write me before i leave please!! i would love to hear from everyone!!! I miss you all but you are ALL in my prayers. keep me in yours as i head to the philippines in just SIX DAYS!!! :D :O :X But seriously, i am so excited. i love this work, and i truly love being a missionary. You are all incredible and mean so much to me. Love, kapayapaan at mga biyaya (peace and blessings hahahahaha) I LOVE YOU!!
-Sister Littlefield
PS- im sending pictures a lil later. today is nuts cus its "fake" p-day and i have to spread out my time. weird i know.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sister Littlefield leaves for the PI soon!
Shoutouts this week to: Tina Christensen, Sierra, Alisha, Madilynne, Jack, Cruz, Marley, Mom & Dad, Trevor Hardy, Michael, Kailee, Auntie Mariechu & baby Auyvn, Kayla Paige, Alisha, Auntie LaAna, Rose, Auntie Renee, The Winterwood Ward YW & YM, Nanay Betty, John! Thank you so much for the dear elders, letters, pictures, emails and packages. i have the best friends and besttttt family!!
I will try my best to start my emails going in order of the week- that way no one is confused as to when things are happening and what not. so after i emailed last week, my comps and i went and did laundry- and we call it "hell". it is literally the most ridiculous place. its hot and stinky and crowded but i always manage to get my laudry done pretty quick. which is great. & yes i learned how to do my own and i havent messed up annnnnyyyy of my clothes yet! BAM!!
After that we had dinner and got ready for the devotional, devotionals on tuesday and sunday nights are my favorite thing. they are first of all SO spiritual and i always get an answer to a prayer. its a huge blessing. my district and i have figured out how to get super good seats in the front so its awesome. Richard G Scott spoke to us last tuesday for our evening devotional. first of all- he is one of my favorite apostles and i enjoyed his talk most in conference so i was super excited. we knew it was an apostle or someone high up because they had the projectors up and let us in super early. when he walked in we all stood up and at that point i couldnt even see who it was but the spirit was immediately so strong. he brought an amazing spirit in with him. his talk was awesome- i wish i could just send the entire talk home haha but ill just summarize what he said. it was so incredible to hear an apostole of the lord speak to the missionaries. he spoke so highly of the sisters he said how excited he was so excited to see all of the sisters serving. - his wife served and he talked about how much of a blessing a mission will be eternally for my life, my future husband and my future kids. he spoke about prayer and how super important it is. first of all it is such a privledge that we have as children of god to be able to speak with our father in heaven whenever we want. he always listens and will always answer us. we are so so so blessed to know about prayer. seriously, i have realized as a missionary how important it is and how i can literally pray for anything and everything at any time. as a missionary i pray probably about 25 times a day at least. personal prayer in the morning, a prayer with my companions, prayer before daily planning, prayer at breakfast, prayer before and after class, prayer before and after personal study, prayer at lunch, prayer before and after language study, prayer at dinner, prayer before and after class again, prayers before and after we teach an investigator, plus praying in the lesson when we teach, prayer as a companionship at night and personal prayers at night. 85 of the time my prayers are in tagalog and i am starting to feel a lot more comfortable with the language. Richard G Scott gave us as missionaries that a learning a new language a blessing that we would not only learn our language but master it. HELLO! he is an apostle and that made me so happy. of course i have to do my part in studying and learning but the gift or tongues is so real. i literally can understand most of what i am being told when my teacher is speaking to me sa tagalog. its amazing. he said that my mission will be a rich and rewarding experience, and to remember that i was called by inspiration to serve in the Philippines. One thing also that he said that i would challenge everyone to do- is when you are feeling discouraged, or in the middle of a trial, instead of complaining, pray and ask heavenly father what he would have you learn from this experience. trials make us stronger and build our character. that hit me hard, because i am quite the complainer, & i have been trying to do this and it has made me realize so much. the lord will always help me, always wants me to succeed and wants me to grow and learn in the gospel to help me with life.
I will try my best to start my emails going in order of the week- that way no one is confused as to when things are happening and what not. so after i emailed last week, my comps and i went and did laundry- and we call it "hell". it is literally the most ridiculous place. its hot and stinky and crowded but i always manage to get my laudry done pretty quick. which is great. & yes i learned how to do my own and i havent messed up annnnnyyyy of my clothes yet! BAM!!
After that we had dinner and got ready for the devotional, devotionals on tuesday and sunday nights are my favorite thing. they are first of all SO spiritual and i always get an answer to a prayer. its a huge blessing. my district and i have figured out how to get super good seats in the front so its awesome. Richard G Scott spoke to us last tuesday for our evening devotional. first of all- he is one of my favorite apostles and i enjoyed his talk most in conference so i was super excited. we knew it was an apostle or someone high up because they had the projectors up and let us in super early. when he walked in we all stood up and at that point i couldnt even see who it was but the spirit was immediately so strong. he brought an amazing spirit in with him. his talk was awesome- i wish i could just send the entire talk home haha but ill just summarize what he said. it was so incredible to hear an apostole of the lord speak to the missionaries. he spoke so highly of the sisters he said how excited he was so excited to see all of the sisters serving. - his wife served and he talked about how much of a blessing a mission will be eternally for my life, my future husband and my future kids. he spoke about prayer and how super important it is. first of all it is such a privledge that we have as children of god to be able to speak with our father in heaven whenever we want. he always listens and will always answer us. we are so so so blessed to know about prayer. seriously, i have realized as a missionary how important it is and how i can literally pray for anything and everything at any time. as a missionary i pray probably about 25 times a day at least. personal prayer in the morning, a prayer with my companions, prayer before daily planning, prayer at breakfast, prayer before and after class, prayer before and after personal study, prayer at lunch, prayer before and after language study, prayer at dinner, prayer before and after class again, prayers before and after we teach an investigator, plus praying in the lesson when we teach, prayer as a companionship at night and personal prayers at night. 85 of the time my prayers are in tagalog and i am starting to feel a lot more comfortable with the language. Richard G Scott gave us as missionaries that a learning a new language a blessing that we would not only learn our language but master it. HELLO! he is an apostle and that made me so happy. of course i have to do my part in studying and learning but the gift or tongues is so real. i literally can understand most of what i am being told when my teacher is speaking to me sa tagalog. its amazing. he said that my mission will be a rich and rewarding experience, and to remember that i was called by inspiration to serve in the Philippines. One thing also that he said that i would challenge everyone to do- is when you are feeling discouraged, or in the middle of a trial, instead of complaining, pray and ask heavenly father what he would have you learn from this experience. trials make us stronger and build our character. that hit me hard, because i am quite the complainer, & i have been trying to do this and it has made me realize so much. the lord will always help me, always wants me to succeed and wants me to grow and learn in the gospel to help me with life.
on wednesday was pretty normal. classes, gym, study time, nasty meals and whatnot. i like wednesdays tho- it means newbies and also i can count my weeks. just btw if you forgot i have been here almost a month now and i leave for the PI in less that TWO WEEKS!!! :D it is coming so so so fast. this wednesday im pretty sure jordan parker and jordan ruesch get here? pretty exciting! &&& Karlie tanner gets here next wednesday!! i cannot wait!
on thursday my district ate an entire tower of cereal as a challenge. it was the WORST IDEA EVER. ill send pictures of how much cereal it was but we ate about 50 bowls all together. i ate 4& a half and felt sick the entire day. hindi mabuti idea ito. we were all late to class and our teacher sister watkins gave us some super good council- she said " be wise. dont do anything that wont allow you to be the best missionary you can be." i will always remember that. i need to always do my best- and just btw our other teacher bro nuttall challenged us to this "tower challenge" we werent just being dummies. but we accomplished it and it was cool to say that. lots of districts this week have tried to do it too- trendsetters for stomache aches. obvi.
friday and saturday are a blur to me and never really exciting. same schedule. eat, sit. eat, sit, eat, sit. & so on. my personal study has been super good tho this week. i have been reading the entire D&C and it is AMAAAAZING! i am in like 110 or so and i am loving it. read it if you havent. oh yeah- and on saturday our teacher bro nuttall asked me if i would be the "investigator" for a demonstration. i said yes and decided i would play the role of nanay betty. bad idea. i bawled the entire time. its so weird how much i felt the spirit and how badly i wished that she could be there to listen to the lesson. basically he commited me to baptism. he related the bible to the BOM and how important baptism is. i wish SO badly that this was the case. i want her to be baptized but i know in time it will happen. no doubt. papa too.
sunday is my favorite day. i loveeeee the sabath here and i love being able to not only learn from the spirit but be able to just feel the spirit super strong. during relief society which is all of the sisters at the mtc, sister cherly esplin, the 2nd counselor in the general primary presidency spoke. she was ayos na ayos! (really great) she had us stand up and sing, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. i literally probably havent sung that song since i was 9 and i couldnt believe i still remembered all the words. but its such an awesome song!!!! she said: "this is why you chose to come on a mission. because you belong to the church, you know who you are, you know gods plan, you are following him in faith, you believe in the savior jesus christ, you honor his name- you do what is right, you follow his light, his truth you WILL proclaim." HOW AWESOME IS THAT! it is so true, i am so happy i am on a mission, this is an experience that will truly eternally bless me and bless others and generations of people. MAGANDA!!!! we need to be lights to all people that we come in contact with. she gave an analogy of a full water bottle and an empty one. the empty one is easily "destroyed" where as the one that is full of the "light of christ, the scriptures, prayer, temple attendance" etc- it is not destroyed by the adversary. super good analogy. try your best this week to be 100 in prayer, scripture study, seminary, whatever it is that will fill you with the light of christ and see if it makes a difference. in our district meeting we talked about the holy ghost and how super important it is to listen to that voice. it is never overpowering and sometimes we can miss it. have time where you can sit and listen to what the spirit is telling you. it is the best. after that we had our sunday temple walk at 2. and our oldest district was leaving so we took a picture as a zone. super sad they were leaving- the sisters are amaaaazing. they are all going to naga but they will do so good. i will miss them lots. ill send pictures. but that night we had a devo by the BYU mens choir and they have music for missionaries to download for free. get it. its awesome and they shared some testimonies that strengthened me. one of the members said this: god does not expect perfection, but he is pleased with progression. how true is that! he doesnt expect us to be perfect by any means, he knows that we all have our faults, but he wants us to continue to better ourselves everyday.
Yesterday was pretty good. it went by super fast. Sister marcucci is like one of my favorite people and deffff peed her pants. im pretty sure she doesnt want anyone to know that. so delete this before you put it on my blog- but that just is proof that we laugh literally all day long. she is awesome. i saw adam tuala (corey harris' b-i-l) and he was SUPPOSED to leave today but something is up with his visa? pray for him so he can go. i know he is excited and anxious. waiting her any longer would suck. i am sending a picture of me and him too- tag corey in it.
this morning we were at the temple and guess who was there- mitch cizmas. pretty crazy he was in the same session as me. it was super good to see him and we talked for a quick second- he told me he would tell sarah boyer i love her and miss her- if he doesnt, someone do. that punk hasnt wrote me :(
i love the temple tho- it is the BESTTTTTT. my favorite place. i only get to go ONE more time before i head out for the PI and i will most likely cry. i probably wont get to go at all while i am in the PI. sad day.
some highlights of me week:
Package from nanay & mad- THANK YOU SO MUCH! mad i LOVE that skirt. and i got lots of compliments on it. it is soooo pretty and super nice. thank you so much. you are the best! and tell nanay thanks for everything else in there. i have been drinking the slim fast everyday. dont worry i lost 2 lbs, HALLELUJAH! she asked if i needed anything else, and right now i really dont think i do. maybe just toothpaste, hair pins, and a white v neck would be great. love you!!
package from john- the flowers were perfect and made me smile! thank you so much for them and the shirt, i loved it!
i memorized the baptismal invitation in tagalog and our purpose: imbitahin ang iba na lumapit kay Cristo sa pagtulong sa kanila ng magtanggap ang ibinalik na ebangelyo sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya kay JesuCristo at sa Kanyang Pagbabayad-sala, pagsisisi, binyag, ng kaloob na Espiritu Santo, at pagtitiis hanggang wakas. that is on the first page of PMG. look it up haha. i decided that whoever invented the tagalog language is a beast. i love it.
the elders in our district decided they cant tell when im mad, or sarcastic. SURPRISE! hahahaha i was laughing so hard. one of them said my face is like kristen stewart in twilight- because i have no emotions. i laughed soooooooo hard. they are so right. im glad i havent changed in that way. hahah
kailee dertina gets married in less than 2 weeks!!!!!! i am so happy for her and i miss her SO much. someone in the family- namely marley hahaha go to their reception take pictures and send them to me. i am so so so sad i wont be there :(
okay quick messages:
jacob- how was state for stuco?! did you love it!? i bet you had a freaking blast. i am excited that youre going to prom with kali. thatll be fun. i love that girl. send me LOTS of pictures after prom! how is track? pole vault? have you qualified yet??? how much are you power cleaning now?
mad- what dress are you wearing for prom? i am excited to see it! i know itll be modest ;) & shoutout to Trey for hooking you guys up with pictures. thats whats up. i got your dear elder about the close up and i am so glad you had so much fun. it sounds like you had an amaaaazing time. thanks for the post card! i loved it. tell emilee, maya, and deidre that i miss them please. and i want to hear from them. are you freaking out about graduation yet?! it was the best day ever. please record your speach and send it to me!!!!!! && i cant belive it about church. its sad the ward is so tiny. haha but i am looking forward to the pictures from my primary class! thanks for doing that!!!
cruz- i never hear from you. ever. punk. dad said youre as tall as him now. and getting huge. dont eat the house.
marley- DID YOU MAKE HARNEY CHEER?!!?!?!?!!? i have been so anxious alllll week waiting to find out! i am excited for you. hopefully you made it or this is super AWK. hahah love you and your dearelders CRACK me up. mom is the biggest stalker of life. i am aware hahahahhahahaha have everyone write questions they have for me and mail them to me asapppp!
dad- trey said you have him drinking protein. thank you haha. he said he feels bigger. how is work? where are you working next year?
mom- thanks for writing me so often. i love hearing from you. keep updating me on all that is going on in vegas. its hilarious what you send me. tell auntie marie i will write her back- and that i am praying for her and my baby cousin, and i love that name, superrrr cute.
john- you are hilarious in all of your dear elders and letters. thank you so much for all of them. and seriously thank you for the package. it made my day!!!!
kayc- i havent heard from you this week but i hope you had a great week and work is going good!!
britt- how is colton?! hopefully better, i fasted for him and thought about you three at the temple. love you sis!
LANDON AND QUAN. i am mad at you both. considering that i am on a mission ONE OF YOU BETTER WRITE ME. NOT KIDDING. i miss you two so much. :( cambrie and asia too!!!!!!
i love you all soooo much. seriously and i think and pray for all of you every day. thank you for always making me laugh with the letters and making my day better. i cannot wait to hug all of you again. keep dear eldering me and sending letters. i love hearing from everyone!!!!! MAHAL KITA TALAGA!!!!
love- Sister Littlefield
btw how is nanay gloria & papa? moved out yet or what??
on thursday my district ate an entire tower of cereal as a challenge. it was the WORST IDEA EVER. ill send pictures of how much cereal it was but we ate about 50 bowls all together. i ate 4& a half and felt sick the entire day. hindi mabuti idea ito. we were all late to class and our teacher sister watkins gave us some super good council- she said " be wise. dont do anything that wont allow you to be the best missionary you can be." i will always remember that. i need to always do my best- and just btw our other teacher bro nuttall challenged us to this "tower challenge" we werent just being dummies. but we accomplished it and it was cool to say that. lots of districts this week have tried to do it too- trendsetters for stomache aches. obvi.
friday and saturday are a blur to me and never really exciting. same schedule. eat, sit. eat, sit, eat, sit. & so on. my personal study has been super good tho this week. i have been reading the entire D&C and it is AMAAAAZING! i am in like 110 or so and i am loving it. read it if you havent. oh yeah- and on saturday our teacher bro nuttall asked me if i would be the "investigator" for a demonstration. i said yes and decided i would play the role of nanay betty. bad idea. i bawled the entire time. its so weird how much i felt the spirit and how badly i wished that she could be there to listen to the lesson. basically he commited me to baptism. he related the bible to the BOM and how important baptism is. i wish SO badly that this was the case. i want her to be baptized but i know in time it will happen. no doubt. papa too.
sunday is my favorite day. i loveeeee the sabath here and i love being able to not only learn from the spirit but be able to just feel the spirit super strong. during relief society which is all of the sisters at the mtc, sister cherly esplin, the 2nd counselor in the general primary presidency spoke. she was ayos na ayos! (really great) she had us stand up and sing, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. i literally probably havent sung that song since i was 9 and i couldnt believe i still remembered all the words. but its such an awesome song!!!! she said: "this is why you chose to come on a mission. because you belong to the church, you know who you are, you know gods plan, you are following him in faith, you believe in the savior jesus christ, you honor his name- you do what is right, you follow his light, his truth you WILL proclaim." HOW AWESOME IS THAT! it is so true, i am so happy i am on a mission, this is an experience that will truly eternally bless me and bless others and generations of people. MAGANDA!!!! we need to be lights to all people that we come in contact with. she gave an analogy of a full water bottle and an empty one. the empty one is easily "destroyed" where as the one that is full of the "light of christ, the scriptures, prayer, temple attendance" etc- it is not destroyed by the adversary. super good analogy. try your best this week to be 100 in prayer, scripture study, seminary, whatever it is that will fill you with the light of christ and see if it makes a difference. in our district meeting we talked about the holy ghost and how super important it is to listen to that voice. it is never overpowering and sometimes we can miss it. have time where you can sit and listen to what the spirit is telling you. it is the best. after that we had our sunday temple walk at 2. and our oldest district was leaving so we took a picture as a zone. super sad they were leaving- the sisters are amaaaazing. they are all going to naga but they will do so good. i will miss them lots. ill send pictures. but that night we had a devo by the BYU mens choir and they have music for missionaries to download for free. get it. its awesome and they shared some testimonies that strengthened me. one of the members said this: god does not expect perfection, but he is pleased with progression. how true is that! he doesnt expect us to be perfect by any means, he knows that we all have our faults, but he wants us to continue to better ourselves everyday.
Yesterday was pretty good. it went by super fast. Sister marcucci is like one of my favorite people and deffff peed her pants. im pretty sure she doesnt want anyone to know that. so delete this before you put it on my blog- but that just is proof that we laugh literally all day long. she is awesome. i saw adam tuala (corey harris' b-i-l) and he was SUPPOSED to leave today but something is up with his visa? pray for him so he can go. i know he is excited and anxious. waiting her any longer would suck. i am sending a picture of me and him too- tag corey in it.
this morning we were at the temple and guess who was there- mitch cizmas. pretty crazy he was in the same session as me. it was super good to see him and we talked for a quick second- he told me he would tell sarah boyer i love her and miss her- if he doesnt, someone do. that punk hasnt wrote me :(
i love the temple tho- it is the BESTTTTTT. my favorite place. i only get to go ONE more time before i head out for the PI and i will most likely cry. i probably wont get to go at all while i am in the PI. sad day.
some highlights of me week:
Package from nanay & mad- THANK YOU SO MUCH! mad i LOVE that skirt. and i got lots of compliments on it. it is soooo pretty and super nice. thank you so much. you are the best! and tell nanay thanks for everything else in there. i have been drinking the slim fast everyday. dont worry i lost 2 lbs, HALLELUJAH! she asked if i needed anything else, and right now i really dont think i do. maybe just toothpaste, hair pins, and a white v neck would be great. love you!!
package from john- the flowers were perfect and made me smile! thank you so much for them and the shirt, i loved it!
i memorized the baptismal invitation in tagalog and our purpose: imbitahin ang iba na lumapit kay Cristo sa pagtulong sa kanila ng magtanggap ang ibinalik na ebangelyo sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya kay JesuCristo at sa Kanyang Pagbabayad-sala, pagsisisi, binyag, ng kaloob na Espiritu Santo, at pagtitiis hanggang wakas. that is on the first page of PMG. look it up haha. i decided that whoever invented the tagalog language is a beast. i love it.
the elders in our district decided they cant tell when im mad, or sarcastic. SURPRISE! hahahaha i was laughing so hard. one of them said my face is like kristen stewart in twilight- because i have no emotions. i laughed soooooooo hard. they are so right. im glad i havent changed in that way. hahah
kailee dertina gets married in less than 2 weeks!!!!!! i am so happy for her and i miss her SO much. someone in the family- namely marley hahaha go to their reception take pictures and send them to me. i am so so so sad i wont be there :(
okay quick messages:
jacob- how was state for stuco?! did you love it!? i bet you had a freaking blast. i am excited that youre going to prom with kali. thatll be fun. i love that girl. send me LOTS of pictures after prom! how is track? pole vault? have you qualified yet??? how much are you power cleaning now?
mad- what dress are you wearing for prom? i am excited to see it! i know itll be modest ;) & shoutout to Trey for hooking you guys up with pictures. thats whats up. i got your dear elder about the close up and i am so glad you had so much fun. it sounds like you had an amaaaazing time. thanks for the post card! i loved it. tell emilee, maya, and deidre that i miss them please. and i want to hear from them. are you freaking out about graduation yet?! it was the best day ever. please record your speach and send it to me!!!!!! && i cant belive it about church. its sad the ward is so tiny. haha but i am looking forward to the pictures from my primary class! thanks for doing that!!!
cruz- i never hear from you. ever. punk. dad said youre as tall as him now. and getting huge. dont eat the house.
marley- DID YOU MAKE HARNEY CHEER?!!?!?!?!!? i have been so anxious alllll week waiting to find out! i am excited for you. hopefully you made it or this is super AWK. hahah love you and your dearelders CRACK me up. mom is the biggest stalker of life. i am aware hahahahhahahaha have everyone write questions they have for me and mail them to me asapppp!
dad- trey said you have him drinking protein. thank you haha. he said he feels bigger. how is work? where are you working next year?
mom- thanks for writing me so often. i love hearing from you. keep updating me on all that is going on in vegas. its hilarious what you send me. tell auntie marie i will write her back- and that i am praying for her and my baby cousin, and i love that name, superrrr cute.
john- you are hilarious in all of your dear elders and letters. thank you so much for all of them. and seriously thank you for the package. it made my day!!!!
kayc- i havent heard from you this week but i hope you had a great week and work is going good!!
britt- how is colton?! hopefully better, i fasted for him and thought about you three at the temple. love you sis!
LANDON AND QUAN. i am mad at you both. considering that i am on a mission ONE OF YOU BETTER WRITE ME. NOT KIDDING. i miss you two so much. :( cambrie and asia too!!!!!!
i love you all soooo much. seriously and i think and pray for all of you every day. thank you for always making me laugh with the letters and making my day better. i cannot wait to hug all of you again. keep dear eldering me and sending letters. i love hearing from everyone!!!!! MAHAL KITA TALAGA!!!!
love- Sister Littlefield
btw how is nanay gloria & papa? moved out yet or what??
Sister Littlefield's THIRD email!
kumusta po kayo pamiliya?!? okay so first of all- THANK YOU SOOOO much for the packages, letters, dearelders, pictures, and prayers! seriously i get mail everyday and its awesome! take advantage of dear elder please! seriously. use it often. its so easy & i get them the same day. so write me more!
shout out to cambrie, madd, mars, jake, mom, dad, nanay,sierra, kaycee, kayla d, corey& alicia, shelby, madi, maddie, angel & john :)
mad, brynn, kara & em- HAVE SO MUCH FUN ON THE CLOSE UP TRIP! you will love it! take lots of pictures and send them to me! & try to send me postcards if possible :) love you girls!
okay- so i had a super good week. it went by way fast thank goodness. the days seem to drag on but the weeks seriously fly by. class is going good- we committed a investigator to baptism & tomorrow we get two more investigators- roy sebastian & laura, pray that the lessons go well and my tagalog is on point! my tagalog is picking up and i can say and teach a lot more than i realized. its getting there slowly, but i trust in the lord and trust and rely on the spirit while im teaching. it helps that way. please keep my entire district in your prayers. our teaching depends on our language and the spirit. we are counting on the lord but prayers would help!! :)
today we went to the temple. we go to the 6:30 session on p-day and dont worry, when we walked out of our building this morning it was freaking SNOWING. i was freezing. but thanks so much for sending my jacket,. i would have died if i didnt get that this week. the temple was awesome as usual but, btw im sick. i am almost positive i have strep. im seeing a doctor today so keep me in your prayers. i am hoping to get some antibiotics cus my throat is bad and my cough keeps me up at night. i coughed the entire session at the temple & felt bad. but it was early and people were falling asleep anyway ;) but for real make time for the temple. siblings- get limited use recommends and go do baptisms. i promise you will feel the spirit so strongly. do it!
conference was AAAAMAAAZING! holy smokes. it was so awesome. i felt the spirit soo many times and i took about 12 pages of notes. hahah but i loved it. we basically had all of saturday and sunday dedicated to conference. it was nice to just relax (sortof) and watch the prophet and his apostles speak. the lord is so mindful of all of us. the missionaries are truly flooding the earth and i am so excited for my life after the mission. i have gotten so much personal revelation and whatnot about that and GOD IS SO GOOD. i love this gospel, prayer, and the spirit. the temple is so important and so is being obedient. i know this is true, the church is true and we have a living prophet who is the mouth piece of the LORD! listen to his council and come unto christ!!!! also- MARLEY AND MAD, watch the young womens broadcast. asap. its amazing. actually- everyone watch it. i loved it and president uctdorf gave an awesome talk. please bless the lil girl that said the opening prayer tho- she was soo righteous- she will probably be a prophets wife one day. hahaha youll know what i mean once you watch it.
shout out to cambrie, madd, mars, jake, mom, dad, nanay,sierra, kaycee, kayla d, corey& alicia, shelby, madi, maddie, angel & john :)
mad, brynn, kara & em- HAVE SO MUCH FUN ON THE CLOSE UP TRIP! you will love it! take lots of pictures and send them to me! & try to send me postcards if possible :) love you girls!
okay- so i had a super good week. it went by way fast thank goodness. the days seem to drag on but the weeks seriously fly by. class is going good- we committed a investigator to baptism & tomorrow we get two more investigators- roy sebastian & laura, pray that the lessons go well and my tagalog is on point! my tagalog is picking up and i can say and teach a lot more than i realized. its getting there slowly, but i trust in the lord and trust and rely on the spirit while im teaching. it helps that way. please keep my entire district in your prayers. our teaching depends on our language and the spirit. we are counting on the lord but prayers would help!! :)
today we went to the temple. we go to the 6:30 session on p-day and dont worry, when we walked out of our building this morning it was freaking SNOWING. i was freezing. but thanks so much for sending my jacket,. i would have died if i didnt get that this week. the temple was awesome as usual but, btw im sick. i am almost positive i have strep. im seeing a doctor today so keep me in your prayers. i am hoping to get some antibiotics cus my throat is bad and my cough keeps me up at night. i coughed the entire session at the temple & felt bad. but it was early and people were falling asleep anyway ;) but for real make time for the temple. siblings- get limited use recommends and go do baptisms. i promise you will feel the spirit so strongly. do it!
conference was AAAAMAAAZING! holy smokes. it was so awesome. i felt the spirit soo many times and i took about 12 pages of notes. hahah but i loved it. we basically had all of saturday and sunday dedicated to conference. it was nice to just relax (sortof) and watch the prophet and his apostles speak. the lord is so mindful of all of us. the missionaries are truly flooding the earth and i am so excited for my life after the mission. i have gotten so much personal revelation and whatnot about that and GOD IS SO GOOD. i love this gospel, prayer, and the spirit. the temple is so important and so is being obedient. i know this is true, the church is true and we have a living prophet who is the mouth piece of the LORD! listen to his council and come unto christ!!!! also- MARLEY AND MAD, watch the young womens broadcast. asap. its amazing. actually- everyone watch it. i loved it and president uctdorf gave an awesome talk. please bless the lil girl that said the opening prayer tho- she was soo righteous- she will probably be a prophets wife one day. hahaha youll know what i mean once you watch it.
marley- i saw your phone! hahahaha too bad. but be a better kid! dont make it hard on mom and dad. just enjoy being a kid. id go back anytime if i could. seriously. & your letter cracked me up. so thank you :)
cruz- i still have not heard from you ONCE. get on it. i miss you bro.
jack- thanks for my dear elders. they always make me laugh seriously.
mad- youre the bomb. have so much fun and good job to you & jack about seminary. that is awesome. also- thanks for saying you would pray about a mission. you wont regret it.
my district now sings only in tagalog. the spirit is so strong. i love it. the elders in my district have such strong spirits and i got a blessing from two of them for my throat. it helped that night so thank goodness for them. also- tender mercy, i was sick and feeling like total crap and ALL i wanted was mashed potatoes. guess what there was for dinner- mashed potatoes. they werent that good, haha but none the less- it workd.
okay- one serious thing. the food sucks. it not only isnt all that great but i never ever ever go to the bathroom. so bad and tmi i know, but its the truth,. and the MTC has this disease that instantly makes your feet stink. its atrocious. my feet are yuck.
mom- get temple work done for our relatives. its been on my mind like crazy and it NEEDS to get done.
jack- thanks for my dear elders. they always make me laugh seriously.
mad- youre the bomb. have so much fun and good job to you & jack about seminary. that is awesome. also- thanks for saying you would pray about a mission. you wont regret it.
my district now sings only in tagalog. the spirit is so strong. i love it. the elders in my district have such strong spirits and i got a blessing from two of them for my throat. it helped that night so thank goodness for them. also- tender mercy, i was sick and feeling like total crap and ALL i wanted was mashed potatoes. guess what there was for dinner- mashed potatoes. they werent that good, haha but none the less- it workd.
okay- one serious thing. the food sucks. it not only isnt all that great but i never ever ever go to the bathroom. so bad and tmi i know, but its the truth,. and the MTC has this disease that instantly makes your feet stink. its atrocious. my feet are yuck.
mom- get temple work done for our relatives. its been on my mind like crazy and it NEEDS to get done.
i will send my philippines address home this week because i forgot to bring the book with me during my email time sorry! and i sent home a letter about my old navy stuff- hopefully you got it. also please email or dear elder me my blessing from when i got set apart. for my plaque- pick between the scripture i already sent, or d&c 31:3. .
john- i am so happy for your mish pres, that is so amazing and soo awesome. seriously. you have a letter in the mail about that,.but i am so happy for him. also thank you so much for writing me and loving me. you are the best. and violett is getting so big and cute. also- im jealous you were at gilbert. lucky duck. i love you!!!!also- happy 6 months. you are the greatest boyfriend. im glad you are still visiting the fam and what not.
please family- no more packages with crap food. i am getting fat. not fat, but i feel gross. i am lifting everyday and running 8 flights of stairs 5 times- but i feel yucky. so no more snacks. unless they are healthy. also- noooo more cardigans or shoes. :) thanks so much for what you have sent tho!!!!
top 10-
10. CONFERENCE. overall the best thing about this week.
9. vocal point. look them up on youtube or something. they are a byu acca group and they came to perform at our devotional on sunday. AMAAAAZING. like pitch perfect but better! haha they sang come thou font of every blessing and i just loved it.
8. my companions are awesome. literally some of the greatest people ever. they are sooo great and so spiritual.
7. the temple. best place ever.
6. cactus cooler. i had one this week and could have died. soo good. (that is soda in case you dont know.) hahahah
5. the spirit answers prayers. my companion sister marcucci lost her purse. which had SO much money in it last night. we prayed and immediately after the prayer i had a feeling it was in our building where our classroom is. low and behold it was there. she was so happy.
4. my brother is a beast and power cleaned 275!!! whattttupppp jack! good job!
3. my tagalog is progressing each and everyday. thank you so much for praying for me. i know it is helping.
2. i am a real missionary. a witness of christ. serving the lord, called by a prophet of god to serve the people in the philippines. (!!!!!!)
1. my mission wont be the best 18 months of my life, i will have better- but i know without a doubt it will be the best 18 months FOR my life.
i love you all so much, seriously. you are the best. i appreciate you all. continue to dear elder me,. pray for me. mahal kita!
pray and read the book of mormon siblings. start now if you havent already.
mahal kita!!
john- i am so happy for your mish pres, that is so amazing and soo awesome. seriously. you have a letter in the mail about that,.but i am so happy for him. also thank you so much for writing me and loving me. you are the best. and violett is getting so big and cute. also- im jealous you were at gilbert. lucky duck. i love you!!!!also- happy 6 months. you are the greatest boyfriend. im glad you are still visiting the fam and what not.
please family- no more packages with crap food. i am getting fat. not fat, but i feel gross. i am lifting everyday and running 8 flights of stairs 5 times- but i feel yucky. so no more snacks. unless they are healthy. also- noooo more cardigans or shoes. :) thanks so much for what you have sent tho!!!!
top 10-
10. CONFERENCE. overall the best thing about this week.
9. vocal point. look them up on youtube or something. they are a byu acca group and they came to perform at our devotional on sunday. AMAAAAZING. like pitch perfect but better! haha they sang come thou font of every blessing and i just loved it.
8. my companions are awesome. literally some of the greatest people ever. they are sooo great and so spiritual.
7. the temple. best place ever.
6. cactus cooler. i had one this week and could have died. soo good. (that is soda in case you dont know.) hahahah
5. the spirit answers prayers. my companion sister marcucci lost her purse. which had SO much money in it last night. we prayed and immediately after the prayer i had a feeling it was in our building where our classroom is. low and behold it was there. she was so happy.
4. my brother is a beast and power cleaned 275!!! whattttupppp jack! good job!
3. my tagalog is progressing each and everyday. thank you so much for praying for me. i know it is helping.
2. i am a real missionary. a witness of christ. serving the lord, called by a prophet of god to serve the people in the philippines. (!!!!!!)
1. my mission wont be the best 18 months of my life, i will have better- but i know without a doubt it will be the best 18 months FOR my life.
i love you all so much, seriously. you are the best. i appreciate you all. continue to dear elder me,. pray for me. mahal kita!
pray and read the book of mormon siblings. start now if you havent already.
mahal kita!!
sister littlefield :
Sister Littlefield's 4th email!
Hoy! Pamiliya! Kumusta po tayo?!?
Shoutouts this week to Senia, Jake, Papa Rick, Nanay Bee, Madi, Blake, Uncle Rand, Marley, Mom, Dad, Britt, John, Rose, Karlie, Papa Lanny, and Nanay Gloria.
biggest shout out: QUAN!!! HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY COUSIN!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I WISH SO BADLY I COULD BE THERE TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU! im sure corey, landon and trey will make it a good time. you better write me asap. i was gonna send you a card but i dont have your address. but i love you cousin!!!!!!!!!
Trey, Rose and Britt- Thank you for the pictures. i love them! Colton, Violett, Paige and Pres make me happy. they are all tooooo cute!
aunt laana- i need your address. i will just write you a letter :)
karlie tanner- i wrote you back and you should have a letter this week. i cant wait to see you!!! :D
Also- i got in the mail this week the announcement for the "Tailee" wedding and i am so excited for you both. i wish so badly i could be there to see you start your forever family!
This week i started teaching two new investigators, Roy Sebastian and Laura. Roy is a 23 yr old and has no real religious background but his boss is LDS and he said yes to the discussions. I think we will get him to pray about the bom and jospeh smith this week. Laura is a 60 yr old and awesome. she is a newborn preacher and her husband has a drinking problem,. She believes everything we have talked about in regards to prophets of old, prayer, and the importance of families. we are gonna talk about the restoration tomorrow and see where it goes. hopefully she just feels the spirit and agrees and knows its true. We will probably invite her to baptism if she does. My tagalog is coming along,. i can invite people to baptism now which is so important but i am not the one teaching- the spirit is.
We did this thing called "TRC" this week and basically we just get to meet with people who speak tagalog and talk and share a message. it is way less pressure than teaching lessons, which is awesome and i can feel the spirit soo strong. in one of the meetings we met an RM from utah who served in naga- he shared his testimony about the restoration and his family (one of his siblings is inactive now) and i just cried. the spirit was soooo strong and he had such an awesome testimony. he said he really enjoyed talking to us because it stregthened his testimony and he could feel the spirit.
I saw adam tuala (corey harris' brother in law). everytime i saw him i didnt have my camera but i will get a picture with him Alicia and Corey. he seems like he is doing really well. :) he got her this week and im jealous cus he is in and out before i even leave. BUT I AM AT MY HALF WAY MARK!!!! i leave to the PI soo soon. its crazy. may 6 :O is that not insane?! have the weeks been going fast for y'all? my weeks go by so quick that half the time i dont even know what day it is.
The answers to some questions: yes i only pray in tagalog now. i try my best to say as much as i can in tagalog but i cant say everything that i want to- especially during my personal prayers so i pretty much speak "taglish". sometimes i get envious of english speaking missionaries but then i remind my self that the Lord has called me to the philippines for so many reasons. I need to have as much faith in myself that i know the Lord has in me.
next: yes the food is yuck. and no i still havent really pooped. bahahahahah
next: the laundry is probably the most frustrating thing of life and i HATE it. i will be happy when i have a nanay washing my clothes in the PI.
next: i miss canes, baja blast, REAL soda and vegas. oh and the sun. it freaking snowed AGAIN here. three days in a row. killlllllll me. i hate the cold. hahha walking to the temple in the snow is NOT ideal. especially when i dont have a hood hahah.
next: my investigators arent "real" but they are. they are my teachings acting like people that they taught in their missions.
next: i am doing so good. i love being a missionary. i love the chance that i have to hasten the lords work, feel the spirit EVERYDAY and learn more about the gospel. i have changed so much already. i am so ready to teach in the PI and i cant wait. my relationship with heavenly father is like never before.
On sunday i had my first real sunday schedule since easter and general conf were the last two sundays. we have relief society with all of the sisters in the MTC which is incredible. there are so many sisters here. a sister named mary edmunds spoke to us (she has written lots of books and was the FIRST sister missionary to go to the philippines. so awesome) and she is phemonenal. so many things she said stuck out to me: 1. none of us were sent here forordained to fail. we were all among the righteous who chose to come this earth and we all will succeed. i know that god will help me to succeed. he will always lift me up when i ask him to. 2. this generation of sister missionaries is like a "sister tsunami" i was DEAD when she said this. it was awesome. we are at 44% sisters in the MTC and we were 6 sisters away on the day i entered to being 50/50. sisters have the ability to teach some people that elders cannot get. how grateful i am that i am on a mission and can help with HIS work. it is ALL about him. 3. she said this: all i can do is the best i can do and that is good enough for heavenly father. that was totally what i needed to hear. i am trying my best and i know it is good enought. i have been promised help on earth and in heaven,. i am so stoked to teach and learn from the people i will come in contact with.
the elders in my district also sang how great thou art in sacrament and it was GREAT. they are super spiritual. we met a filipino family at the temple. SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE NANAY AND PAPA ARE FROM. i can neverrrrr remember. and my teacher wants to meet nanay. hahah he goes through vegas lots cus his wife is from socal.
our devo that night was by the head of media for the missionary department, greg droubay. the one thing that i just cannot get out of my head is this: "THIS ISNT ABOUT ME. IT IS ABOUT HIS WORK. IT IS ALL ABOUT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER." i had made sacrifices to be here and it is because i love the Lord SO much. i love this gospel and i love being a missionary. i have never in my life wanted to shout to everyone about the truthfulness of the gospel so badly. yesterday during class i got SUPER emotional thinking about nanay betty and papa richard. i want them to read the book of mormon so badly. i want them to pray to know it is true. i want them to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. i want them to see me get married there. so many things- but mostly i just want them to KNOW that christ loves them. that they have a plan and that they are important in his eyes.
some things for EVERYONE to watch. lds youth site: videos // always in our sight (about the temple); sanctify yourselves (about the priesthood- jake and cruz watch this); mormonchannel.org- earthly father, heavenly father (daddy- this made me think of you and i bawled); lover her mother (mom and dad this is why i look up to your relationship SO much); come what may and love it (siblings- watch this one); and temples are a beacon (EVERYONE WATCH THIS. it is amaaaazing and so true)
mom- thanks so much for the dear elders and your testimony. i cant believe you went to the spanish session at the temple. but what an awesome experience and i agree with what you said about the headphones. the gospel is the MOST IMPORTANT THING. also i am jealous that you get to hang out with trey today and tomorrow. hahaha and also- thanks for keeping me updated on everyone. how was primary with it switched up?! hopefully lots better.i love you momma. im glad im making you proud.
dad- thanks for the email. i love you SO much. jake is a beast and will qualify- no doubt. please write the elders in my district. they could use some encouragement. elder paz, elder vunibola, elder masame, elder bigelow. im jealous everyone got to eat at nanays. i miss real food.
mad- HOW WAS NEW YORK?!? did you love it?! tell me everything please. :) and i heard you bore your testimony.! good job!
jake- my companions always crack up at your dear elders. im glad you an mom are still wrestling. im sure she is winning tho. sorry you hate scouts and im sorry you hate AP. lol but good job for bearing your testimony you lil future missionary!
cruz- i hear youre getting HUGE. beast. keep it up.
mars- dad told me you gave a bomb FHE. good job. you are so spiritual i love it. and i love your letters. how were tryouts????,........
john- I LOVE YOU! my companions said thanks for the letters. i loved your dear elders. you are awesome. and thank you so much for sharing your spiritual experiences with me. you have NO idea how much i needed to hear them. i have been thinkin about your grandparents and wrote them. hopefully they got it.i love you!!!!
someone please send me PRINTS of the pictures from my farewell. kayc- i want the ones i couldnt put on facebook with violett in them please :)
i miss you all soooooooo much! i miss all of your hugs, your voices, and especially laughing with everyone. dear elder me before 2! i want to hear from EVERYONE. i love getting mail and i promise to write back if you write me :) i love you all!
alam ko po na totoo po an ebanghelyo at mahalaga pamiliya magpakailanman. alam ko po na mapagmahal po ang ating ama sa langit. alam ko po na propeta po si thomas s monson. alam ko po na mahal po tayo ng Diyos at nagbayad sala po si JesuCristo para sa mga kasalanan natin. sa pangalan ni JesuCristo- Amen.
M A H A L K I T A!!! i love you all so much!!!!!! i am praying for everyone.
Sister Littlfields 2nd Email
kumusta po kayo pamiliya?!? okay so first of all- THANK YOU SOOOO much for the packages, letters, dearelders, pictures, and prayers! seriously i get mail everyday and its awesome! take advantage of dear elder please! seriously. use it often. its so easy & i get them the same day. so write me more!
shout out to cambrie, madd, mars, jake, mom, dad, nanay,sierra, kaycee, kayla d, corey& alicia, shelby, madi, maddie, angel & john :)
mad, brynn, kara & em- HAVE SO MUCH FUN ON THE CLOSE UP TRIP! you will love it! take lots of pictures and send them to me! & try to send me postcards if possible :) love you girls!
okay- so i had a super good week. it went by way fast thank goodness. the days seem to drag on but the weeks seriously fly by. class is going good- we committed a investigator to baptism & tomorrow we get two more investigators- roy sebastian & laura, pray that the lessons go well and my tagalog is on point! my tagalog is picking up and i can say and teach a lot more than i realized. its getting there slowly, but i trust in the lord and trust and rely on the spirit while im teaching. it helps that way. please keep my entire district in your prayers. our teaching depends on our language and the spirit. we are counting on the lord but prayers would help!! :)
today we went to the temple. we go to the 6:30 session on p-day and dont worry, when we walked out of our building this morning it was freaking SNOWING. i was freezing. but thanks so much for sending my jacket,. i would have died if i didnt get that this week. the temple was awesome as usual but, btw im sick. i am almost positive i have strep. im seeing a doctor today so keep me in your prayers. i am hoping to get some antibiotics cus my throat is bad and my cough keeps me up at night. i coughed the entire session at the temple & felt bad. but it was early and people were falling asleep anyway ;) but for real make time for the temple. siblings- get limited use recommends and go do baptisms. i promise you will feel the spirit so strongly. do it!
conference was AAAAMAAAZING! holy smokes. it was so awesome. i felt the spirit soo many times and i took about 12 pages of notes. hahah but i loved it. we basically had all of saturday and sunday dedicated to conference. it was nice to just relax (sortof) and watch the prophet and his apostles speak. the lord is so mindful of all of us. the missionaries are truly flooding the earth and i am so excited for my life after the mission. i have gotten so much personal revelation and whatnot about that and GOD IS SO GOOD. i love this gospel, prayer, and the spirit. the temple is so important and so is being obedient. i know this is true, the church is true and we have a living prophet who is the mouth piece of the LORD! listen to his council and come unto christ!!!! also- MARLEY AND MAD, watch the young womens broadcast. asap. its amazing. actually- everyone watch it. i loved it and president uctdorf gave an awesome talk. please bless the lil girl that said the opening prayer tho- she was soo righteous- she will probably be a prophets wife one day. hahaha youll know what i mean once you watch it.
marley- i saw your phone! hahahaha too bad. but be a better kid! dont make it hard on mom and dad. just enjoy being a kid. id go back anytime if i could. seriously. & your letter cracked me up. so thank you :)
cruz- i still have not heard from you ONCE. get on it. i miss you bro.
jack- thanks for my dear elders. they always make me laugh seriously.
mad- youre the bomb. have so much fun and good job to you & jack about seminary. that is awesome. also- thanks for saying you would pray about a mission. you wont regret it.
my district now sings only in tagalog. the spirit is so strong. i love it. the elders in my district have such strong spirits and i got a blessing from two of them for my throat. it helped that night so thank goodness for them. also- tender mercy, i was sick and feeling like total crap and ALL i wanted was mashed potatoes. guess what there was for dinner- mashed potatoes. they werent that good, haha but none the less- it workd.
okay- one serious thing. the food sucks. it not only isnt all that great but i never ever ever go to the bathroom. so bad and tmi i know, but its the truth,. and the MTC has this disease that instantly makes your feet stink. its atrocious. my feet are yuck.
mom- get temple work done for our relatives. its been on my mind like crazy and it NEEDS to get done.
i will send my philippines address home this week because i forgot to bring the book with me during my email time sorry! and i sent home a letter about my old navy stuff- hopefully you got it. also please email or dear elder me my blessing from when i got set apart. for my plaque- pick between the scripture i already sent, or d&c 31:3. .
john- i am so happy for your mish pres, that is so amazing and soo awesome. seriously. you have a letter in the mail about that,.but i am so happy for him. also thank you so much for writing me and loving me. you are the best. and violett is getting so big and cute. also- im jealous you were at gilbert. lucky duck. i love you!!!!also- happy 6 months. you are the greatest boyfriend. im glad you are still visiting the fam and what not.
please family- no more packages with crap food. i am getting fat. not fat, but i feel gross. i am lifting everyday and running 8 flights of stairs 5 times- but i feel yucky. so no more snacks. unless they are healthy. also- noooo more cardigans or shoes. :) thanks so much for what you have sent tho!!!!
top 10-
10. CONFERENCE. overall the best thing about this week.
9. vocal point. look them up on youtube or something. they are a byu acca group and they came to perform at our devotional on sunday. AMAAAAZING. like pitch perfect but better! haha they sang come thou font of every blessing and i just loved it.
8. my companions are awesome. literally some of the greatest people ever. they are sooo great and so spiritual.
7. the temple. best place ever.
6. cactus cooler. i had one this week and could have died. soo good. (that is soda in case you dont know.) hahahah
5. the spirit answers prayers. my companion sister marcucci lost her purse. which had SO much money in it last night. we prayed and immediately after the prayer i had a feeling it was in our building where our classroom is. low and behold it was there. she was so happy.
4. my brother is a beast and power cleaned 275!!! whattttupppp jack! good job!
3. my tagalog is progressing each and everyday. thank you so much for praying for me. i know it is helping.
2. i am a real missionary. a witness of christ. serving the lord, called by a prophet of god to serve the people in the philippines. (!!!!!!)
1. my mission wont be the best 18 months of my life, i will have better- but i know without a doubt it will be the best 18 months FOR my life.
i love you all so much, seriously. you are the best. i appreciate you all. continue to dear elder me,. pray for me. mahal kita!
pray and read the book of mormon siblings. start now if you havent already.
yes, my aunt sent me a "hearing aide" and it was HILARIOUS when i got it. no, i havent used it but i will keep it dont worry. lol i died when i saw it. but please try to dear elder me EVERYTHING. i want to know whats going on!!!!
hahah- RYAN & JESSICA! omgosh. that is soo exciting!! congrats seriously! i am so happy for you both! that is awesome.
how is steve zohner? someone please let me know. ive been praying diligently for him. hopefully he is doing better.
when do jordan parker and jordan ruesch get here? & any one else from vegas coming soon?? its really nice to see familiar faces.
& karlie tanner- I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU TO GET HERE!!!! :D
aunt laana and uncle eddie- i wanna hear from you guys and the boys. love you all.
LANDON AND QUAN. freaking write me. i am mad at you both ;)
cambrie- hopefully you got my letter, i wrote with my harry potter pen and the paper! hahah.
my times almost up- so i love you all. forreal- alam ko po na buhay tagapalitas.
mahal kita!!
sister littlefield :)
shout out to cambrie, madd, mars, jake, mom, dad, nanay,sierra, kaycee, kayla d, corey& alicia, shelby, madi, maddie, angel & john :)
mad, brynn, kara & em- HAVE SO MUCH FUN ON THE CLOSE UP TRIP! you will love it! take lots of pictures and send them to me! & try to send me postcards if possible :) love you girls!
okay- so i had a super good week. it went by way fast thank goodness. the days seem to drag on but the weeks seriously fly by. class is going good- we committed a investigator to baptism & tomorrow we get two more investigators- roy sebastian & laura, pray that the lessons go well and my tagalog is on point! my tagalog is picking up and i can say and teach a lot more than i realized. its getting there slowly, but i trust in the lord and trust and rely on the spirit while im teaching. it helps that way. please keep my entire district in your prayers. our teaching depends on our language and the spirit. we are counting on the lord but prayers would help!! :)
today we went to the temple. we go to the 6:30 session on p-day and dont worry, when we walked out of our building this morning it was freaking SNOWING. i was freezing. but thanks so much for sending my jacket,. i would have died if i didnt get that this week. the temple was awesome as usual but, btw im sick. i am almost positive i have strep. im seeing a doctor today so keep me in your prayers. i am hoping to get some antibiotics cus my throat is bad and my cough keeps me up at night. i coughed the entire session at the temple & felt bad. but it was early and people were falling asleep anyway ;) but for real make time for the temple. siblings- get limited use recommends and go do baptisms. i promise you will feel the spirit so strongly. do it!
conference was AAAAMAAAZING! holy smokes. it was so awesome. i felt the spirit soo many times and i took about 12 pages of notes. hahah but i loved it. we basically had all of saturday and sunday dedicated to conference. it was nice to just relax (sortof) and watch the prophet and his apostles speak. the lord is so mindful of all of us. the missionaries are truly flooding the earth and i am so excited for my life after the mission. i have gotten so much personal revelation and whatnot about that and GOD IS SO GOOD. i love this gospel, prayer, and the spirit. the temple is so important and so is being obedient. i know this is true, the church is true and we have a living prophet who is the mouth piece of the LORD! listen to his council and come unto christ!!!! also- MARLEY AND MAD, watch the young womens broadcast. asap. its amazing. actually- everyone watch it. i loved it and president uctdorf gave an awesome talk. please bless the lil girl that said the opening prayer tho- she was soo righteous- she will probably be a prophets wife one day. hahaha youll know what i mean once you watch it.
marley- i saw your phone! hahahaha too bad. but be a better kid! dont make it hard on mom and dad. just enjoy being a kid. id go back anytime if i could. seriously. & your letter cracked me up. so thank you :)
cruz- i still have not heard from you ONCE. get on it. i miss you bro.
jack- thanks for my dear elders. they always make me laugh seriously.
mad- youre the bomb. have so much fun and good job to you & jack about seminary. that is awesome. also- thanks for saying you would pray about a mission. you wont regret it.
my district now sings only in tagalog. the spirit is so strong. i love it. the elders in my district have such strong spirits and i got a blessing from two of them for my throat. it helped that night so thank goodness for them. also- tender mercy, i was sick and feeling like total crap and ALL i wanted was mashed potatoes. guess what there was for dinner- mashed potatoes. they werent that good, haha but none the less- it workd.
okay- one serious thing. the food sucks. it not only isnt all that great but i never ever ever go to the bathroom. so bad and tmi i know, but its the truth,. and the MTC has this disease that instantly makes your feet stink. its atrocious. my feet are yuck.
mom- get temple work done for our relatives. its been on my mind like crazy and it NEEDS to get done.
i will send my philippines address home this week because i forgot to bring the book with me during my email time sorry! and i sent home a letter about my old navy stuff- hopefully you got it. also please email or dear elder me my blessing from when i got set apart. for my plaque- pick between the scripture i already sent, or d&c 31:3. .
john- i am so happy for your mish pres, that is so amazing and soo awesome. seriously. you have a letter in the mail about that,.but i am so happy for him. also thank you so much for writing me and loving me. you are the best. and violett is getting so big and cute. also- im jealous you were at gilbert. lucky duck. i love you!!!!also- happy 6 months. you are the greatest boyfriend. im glad you are still visiting the fam and what not.
please family- no more packages with crap food. i am getting fat. not fat, but i feel gross. i am lifting everyday and running 8 flights of stairs 5 times- but i feel yucky. so no more snacks. unless they are healthy. also- noooo more cardigans or shoes. :) thanks so much for what you have sent tho!!!!
top 10-
10. CONFERENCE. overall the best thing about this week.
9. vocal point. look them up on youtube or something. they are a byu acca group and they came to perform at our devotional on sunday. AMAAAAZING. like pitch perfect but better! haha they sang come thou font of every blessing and i just loved it.
8. my companions are awesome. literally some of the greatest people ever. they are sooo great and so spiritual.
7. the temple. best place ever.
6. cactus cooler. i had one this week and could have died. soo good. (that is soda in case you dont know.) hahahah
5. the spirit answers prayers. my companion sister marcucci lost her purse. which had SO much money in it last night. we prayed and immediately after the prayer i had a feeling it was in our building where our classroom is. low and behold it was there. she was so happy.
4. my brother is a beast and power cleaned 275!!! whattttupppp jack! good job!
3. my tagalog is progressing each and everyday. thank you so much for praying for me. i know it is helping.
2. i am a real missionary. a witness of christ. serving the lord, called by a prophet of god to serve the people in the philippines. (!!!!!!)
1. my mission wont be the best 18 months of my life, i will have better- but i know without a doubt it will be the best 18 months FOR my life.
i love you all so much, seriously. you are the best. i appreciate you all. continue to dear elder me,. pray for me. mahal kita!
pray and read the book of mormon siblings. start now if you havent already.
yes, my aunt sent me a "hearing aide" and it was HILARIOUS when i got it. no, i havent used it but i will keep it dont worry. lol i died when i saw it. but please try to dear elder me EVERYTHING. i want to know whats going on!!!!
hahah- RYAN & JESSICA! omgosh. that is soo exciting!! congrats seriously! i am so happy for you both! that is awesome.
how is steve zohner? someone please let me know. ive been praying diligently for him. hopefully he is doing better.
when do jordan parker and jordan ruesch get here? & any one else from vegas coming soon?? its really nice to see familiar faces.
& karlie tanner- I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU TO GET HERE!!!! :D
aunt laana and uncle eddie- i wanna hear from you guys and the boys. love you all.
LANDON AND QUAN. freaking write me. i am mad at you both ;)
cambrie- hopefully you got my letter, i wrote with my harry potter pen and the paper! hahah.
my times almost up- so i love you all. forreal- alam ko po na buhay tagapalitas.
mahal kita!!
sister littlefield :)
Friday, April 5, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Farewell Talk
This is Sister Littlefields talk from her farewell! :)
Good Morning Brothers and Sisters. I am going to try my best to keep myself together during this talk, but if you really know me you’ll know I cry. A lot.
I have been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have been assigned to labor in the Philippines Angeles Mission and I enter the MTC on Wednesday the 27th. I will be speaking Tagalog and as of right now I am very anxious, nervous, excited and every other emotion you could think of.
I have been asked to speak about seminary. And how it has prepared me for this time in my life. But I have chosen to not only include seminary, but the programs of the church for the youth and what they have done for me.
-Seminary is an education program for students in high school in order for them to learn more about the gospel, scriptures, and Jesus Christ on a daily basis that has been around for 100 years. In 2012 seminary has been Available in 134 countries and territories worldwide, with around 375,000 students enrolled. In Las Vegas, seminary is early morning, starting at 6 AM every day before school and is 45 long. Each year we learn about either the Old Testament, New Testament, Book Of Mormon or Doctrine & Covenants. I was able to learn about these in order from the bible to the book of mormon and it was a huge blessing in disguise. I had awesome seminary teachers. They not only had so much knowledge about the gospel but were there for me throughout the years. Seminary has a very special place in my heart. Although I didn’t make it there every day, and rarely made it on time, having the spirit throughout my day was a huge blessing.
When I first started thinking about how seminary has prepared me for a mission I couldn’t think of how, why and what exactly I wanted to share about my experience with seminary. I loved seminary. Each year I was with a group of my best girl friends and we definitely made seminary fun at 6 am. We either screamed scripture mastery rock songs, read in accents, or tried to memorize scripture mastery faster than anyone in the class. Missions were brought up often in seminary. I had multiple Returned missionaries substitute my class, returned missionaries come and speak to us during a morningside, or teachers bring up mission experiences. I have always secretly had the desire for a mission but I never thought it would happen. When the age was lowered I actually had the chance and felt as though so many of my prayers had been answered at once. I didn’t realize until I really started pondering that seminary has not only prepared me for a mission, but also prepared me to be a wife, mother, and better member of the church. In April of 2012 an article was published in the New Era called The Blessings of Seminary and it said this :
Attending seminary requires sacrifice, but youth throughout the world are finding that seminary participation is worth every effort. And those who participate have something in common: their seminary experience brings them closer to the Savior and to our Heavenly Father.
Two reasons why seminary is important:The first says, “Your knowledge of the gospel will be increased, your faith will be strengthened, and you will develop wonderful associations and friendships. -gordon b hinckley
The second says: It is “one of the best preparations for a mission. -elder ezra taft benson
There were plenty of times that I wanted to sleep in an extra hour, go get food instead of sitting in seminary, take an extra long shower, or just go sleep in the parking lot at school- and multiple times I did, but each day I didnt go to seminary I can honestly say there was a huge difference in my day. More things seemed to fall out of place. I wouldnt go to seminary and I seemed to forget my homework. Or I wouldnt go and oops, forgot my cheer clothes. Seminary taught me that sacrificing one hour a day to learn about the lord is not hard. It is a huge blessing. I may have had a handful of make up assignments when it came time to graduate from seminary but I am so happy that I made that a goal and accomplished graduating.
Seminary taught me how important prayer is. The lord is waiting for us to pray. He knows what we desire, what we think, and what we need. He is literally waiting for us to get on our knees and pray to him. Seminary opens and closes in prayer. By the time I was heading to school I already had 3 prayers under my belt. He wants to you pray about everything. Big or small. Pray for help on a test, courage to stand up to a friend, for the spirit to accompany you, pray for safety at school. Anything and everything is possible with the lord by your side. There are multiple times in my life where my prayers have been answered and it has truly strengthened my testimony. Prayer has become one thing that I have used in order to not only speak with the lord daily but also for me to understand what it is he would have me do. When the prophet spoke in conference this past October and said this:
-As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21.
Immediately after I heard that I felt an overwhelming feeling that I was to serve a mission. Although girls do not have the same requirement as boys and it being a priesthood duty, my desire was still there. I met with my bishop soon after and started my paperwork. I prayed fervently to heavenly father. I needed help. I needed reassurance that this was what I needed to do at this time in my life. Prayer became one thing that I used in order to better rely on the lord. Praying has become one of the most important parts of my day. I not only need guidance and help, but always feel the need to thank the lord for all that he has given me. A few months ago my friend and I were talking during a difficult time in my life. She advised me to stop praying for blessings, but instead pray for one day and simply thank heavenly father for everything he has given me. Plenty of times I say my prayers and ask for things and just thank heavenly father for my day and blessings in general. On the day that I only prayed and gave thanks I was completely overwhelmed. Heavenly father has blessed me so much. With a family that loves and cares for me. With a boyfriend who supports my decisions and loves the gospel as much as I do and is willing to help me whenever I need him. With friends that listen and advise me. With the gospel. With happiness. With a car, a house, food, and clothing. The little things like clean water, clean underwear and a flushing toilet. He has truly given me everything and here I was asking for more. Heavenly father knows that we need things from him, but how many times have you sat back and thanked him for the things that he has already given you? My prayers have changed many times in my life, but one time I can remember so vividly. We had an elder in our ward that was awesome. He seemed so happy to be serving and often visited our home with his companion. When they were about to leave he was asked to give the prayer and I can remember the spirit I felt when that prayer was said. I asked him later on why I felt that way while he prayed. He told me that he made it a habit to pray as though heavenly father were standing in the room right in front of him rather than in heaven just listening. Since then I have tried to do the same.
Seminary taught me to love the scriptures and apply them to my life. Throughout my life scripture reading was not a huge habit. I read the BOM once through before I got to high school but never really feasted upon the word like I should. Seminary helped me to not only want to read but understand better the things that are in the scriptures. I started to love other books in the bible, really understand the Doctrine & Covenants and read the BOM two more times through. The scriptures have been one way for me to get answers to prayers. My favorite scripture is found in Doctrine and Covenants section 45 verse 62- it reads: For verily I say unto you, that great things await you. My mission is one experience that will truly change my life for the better. I know it will help me to be a wife and mom that teaches the gospel in my home, and support my husband in his priesthood duties. It will bring me closer to my heavenly father and bless my life in many other ways. In seminary each year we are asked to memorize 25 scriptures that are found in that section of the scriptures. My sophomore year we studied the New testament and those were my favorite scripture masteries. I loved to hear and learn about the lord and the works and miracles he performed. My favorite verse is this: 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
This was probably my favorite because I loved to sit and sing this song. Along with a few others. 6 am might seem early, but when I am sitting in the front row with my 3 best friends- singing scriptures as loud as possible and as many times as our teacher would let us helped me to love the scriptures even if it was just because I was having a good time with my friends at that moment. But it was also my favorite because of the message. God is faithful. He will not tempt you if you cannot endure.
Richard G Scott: now is the time to serve a mission!
It was not easy. The Lord gave me many challenges that became stepping-stones to personal growth. There I gained my testimony that God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, did in fact visit Joseph Smith to begin a restoration of truth, priesthood authority, and the true Church on earth. I gained a witness that Joseph Smith is a singular prophet. I learned essential doctrines. I discovered what it meant to be led by the Spirit. Many a night I got up as my companion slept to pour my heart out to the Lord for guidance and direction. I pled for the ability to express effectively in Spanish my testimony and the truth I was learning to a people I had come to love. Those prayers were abundantly answered.
I know that my mission will be one of the hardest things but also very rewarding. I know that prayer and the scriptures will not only get me through hard times but also help me to teach and serve to the best of my ability. The language will be something that I will struggle with but I know that if I pray and study the lord will bless me.
Seminary is one easy way to invite people to hear about the gospel. I invited a few friends to seminary and watched one of my best friends lives change because she was invited to seminary her freshman year. The gospel is true. No matter where you are being taught. It could be at church on Sunday, at seminary during the week, on the way to class while youre walking with a friend or a quick text to let someone know that heavenly father is there for them. In any instance the church will always be true.
Another program from the church that has prepared me for this time is personal progress. It has strengthened my testimony in so many ways. This program teaches about faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity, and virtue. In each value I was able to use scriptures, make commitments, and do projects to help me to become a better young woman.
This program has helped me to realize my true goals in life. To enter into the temple to be married to a worthy priesthood holder and become a mother and raise my children in the gospel. Throughout my life I have been prepared to be called by heavenly father for whatever endeavors he may want me to do. Sister Elaine S Dalton, the general young womens president said this about missions for the young woman of the church:
This is an incredible time to be a young woman and a member of the Church. The young women have been preparing for this time. They are virtuous. They are worthy to receive and use their own limited-use temple recommend, they are taking the names of their ancestors to the temple and they continue to participate in camp, Personal Progress and class presidencies. The opportunity to serve a mission will be one more way that a young woman can spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, become an articulate advocate for the family and assist in hastening the Lord's work on the earth. It is indeed an honor to serve these precious daughters of God at this time. It is humbling. Heavenly Father loves and trusts His precious daughters and now, as never before, is the time to flood the earth with their virtue, their strong spirits and their light. They are worthy and prepared to serve the Lord. They are incredible. And they are changing the world.
The young womens program is soo important to me and has not only shaped my testimony but also helped me overcome so many obstacles in my life through the knowledge I gained there. My third year at girls camp I had one AMAZING leader. Her name is sister davis and she has since been one important lady in my life. I remember one scripture study that she taught that has always been a lesson I will never forget. It is found in ephesians chapter 6. Verse 11- 17, it reads:
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The reason this stuck out to me is because I never would have considered myself a soldier of christ. But each and everyday I put on my armor of god to withstand the temptations of the devil. I pray. I read my scriptures. I attend the temple as often as I can. I try to be a good example. I am truthful, and righteous. The lord provides so many things for us to not only stand strong against temptation but to receive celestial glory.
N Eldon tanner in general conference of 1979 said this about putting on the armor of god:
It is important that we make up our minds early in life as to what we will do and what we will not do. Long before the moment of temptation comes we should have determined that we will resist that cigarette, that drink of whiskey, that act of immorality, or anything that will keep us from enjoying the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord. We all have different weaknesses and temptations, and we should examine our lives to find out what those weaknesses are and where we should put on extra armor so we can do what is right and not submit to temptation.
Although I am not perfect, I have tried my best to continue to put my armor of god on in order to resist the temptation that I am faced with. This scripture study helped me at so many times in in my life so far. It has helped me with dating, high school, preparing for my mission, and I know it will help me while I am serving the lord and continue to help me throughout my life.
I have thought about why it is that I am serving a mission. It isnt for the blessings. It isnt to be an example to my siblings or my family. It isnt required of me as a girl to serve a mission. All of these things are great and I am excited that these things will come from my mission, But, I am serving a mission to gain a better relationship with my heavenly father, and share the gospel to people in the philippines. This gospel is the only thing in my life that is constant. I have seen it bless my life each and everyday. It brings me complete joy. The knowledge that I have because of this gospel has not only helped me to overcome hard trials in my life but has also brought me happiness. I want to share that with everyone. I want to end by reading this, My missionary commission by bruce r mcconkie,
I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work.
I know without a doubt in my mind that this is the only true church on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith through with the help of heavenly father translated the book of mormon and restored the church in this time. I know that heavenly father hears and answers our prayers no matter how big or small. I know that in the temple we can be sealed for time and all eternity to our families and that our families can be forever. I know that this gospel can bring you joy and help you in any trial that you may face in your life. There is no doubt that I have been called to the philippines for a reason. I know that heavenly father knows the true desires of my heart and has his hand in my life on a daily basis. He blesses me and loves me beyond measure.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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