Jul 22, 2019

Week 78: Alma 29:9


Maayong udto sa inyo tanan!

Well this is it. My last week in the mission field. I can truly say that the scripture in my subject/title above has been fulfilled. That's the verse I chose before I served a mission and I honestly didn't know why I chose that verse but I felt drawn to it. But honestly I know that it wasn't by chance. I feel that in this mission I have learned what God commands us to do as His representatives and I have felt true happiness being an instrument in His work.

I am really changed because of my simple decision to serve this 18 month mission. Honestly I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I chose to serve, but He knew. He knew why I chose to serve and He knew that I would learn that along the way.

Before I served a mission, I believed in God and I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God but my here in the mission, my belief has transformed into not only believing, but instead actually knowing. I know that we can have a relationship with Them not because we see Them but because we feel their presence through the Holy Spirit that they send down.

That is one of the most important tools I've learned to be worthy of in these 18 months. This work of teaching the good news of Jesus Christ to others is only possible through the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I am so grateful that I've learned to be receptive to the promptings sent down from above. Each day as I go out into the world, I am comforted in the assurance that I am being guided. And those that I've taught here in my mission are really evidence of what I've felt.

I can't explain the happiness I feel as I share with others simple and plain doctrines that help us to know the true character of God and Jesus Christ. The lightness we feel in our hearts and the interest in their eyes testify to me of their minds and hearts opening up to grow closer to Him who created us. I am so grateful that I experience others lives truly changing and moving away from a natural man/woman into a saint and a follower of God.

In this mission, I've given all my time and efforts as much as I can to God by serving other people, but as I was serving others, it impacted me as well in such a big way. I have changed. I am better. I can say with confidence that I am a daughter of God who can return back to Him. And I know my mission doesn't end here! I need to continue serving, changing, and sharing with others these things that I not only believe but also KNOW. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of our loving Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ suffered, prayed, bled, served, and endured for us. And I know that what I've done in this mission will never be enough for the Atonement He did for us, but I will strive to give myself fully in being a disciple of His always, no matter where I am and no matter who I am with. I know that I wouldn't have survived this all if I didn't know the Book of Mormon was true. The Book of Mormon has given me the spiritual strength to overcome the challenges of representing Jesus Christ. The mission wasn't easy but no one ever promised it would be easy! But I am so grateful I am worthy of the trials I've faced and I will continue to smile no matter what because He lives! He lives for us and in us. I love my mission. I love those I've served and I love the Philippines, God has truly prepared souls here. I know that these things are true, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

*drops mic*


Pictures and Videos this week:

[Video 1: Making pizza! // Video 2: There was a cow in our path!]

[Pizza!]

[Happy 1 year Sis. Loftus! Celebrated twice]

[Lunch after church!]

[Welcome to the Philippines Iloilo Mission
President and Sister Pangan!]

[My mission "apo's" (grandchildren]

[Sisters in the zone!]

[Zone conference!]

Halong kamo pirme, 

Sister Ventura

Philippines Iloilo Mission (Jan 2018 - July 2019)



--

Send an e-mail: 

elza.ventura@missionary.org

Written letters and packages: 

Sister Elza Ventura 
Philippines Iloilo Mission 
Osmeña Street, 
Arevalo, Iloilo City, 
5000 Iloilo 
Philippines

*Some names have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of individuals.
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Jul 15, 2019

Week 77: CRAZIEST WEEK EVER

*URL Links to scriptures and related material are enabled.

Maayo gid nga hapon sa inyo tanan!

Grabe gid ang amon nagligad nga semana. (Our past week has been crazy!) It is really memorable though... all of it, haha!

So Last Monday we went out to work and on the way home we got caught in a rain/thunder storm and we were legit right under the lighting and thunder! It was probably just within 1 mile of us! So yeah we were soaking wet when we got home. We had exchanges with our sisters but we didn't get home in time before the rain storm started so our poor sisters were outside of our apartment waiting for us to come home! And we were stuck in a tricycle so we were soaking wet! Our whole apartment was wet that night. We left our clothes on the line in the back and they were soaked gid! haha it was a really cold night.

Last Tuesday, we had exchanges and as Sister Flores and I were out working, all of a sudden it starts to rain really hard and then it starts to get so windy and thunder and lighting start again! So we were making our way to one of the people we were teaching but as it starts pouring rain, we see a nanay with no umbrella and so we chase after her and cover her with our umbrellas and then we go to a waiting shed and it was all good at first but then it starts to get REALLY windy! It was like a mini baguio because we got soaking wet. Even though our heads were covered with the waiting shed, rain was coming at us in all directions. After a while, the nanay says we should go back to the path with all the houses to find shelter and so when we did, we literally walked on water. We weren't just walking through puddles, we were swimming. It was crazy! And so after about less than 2 hours the storm stopped and we went on our way and kept working, even though we were soaking wet. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
Last Wednesday we had exchanges again but with a different companionship. Back to back exchanges is so tiring but so fun! So after a good day of work, I go upstairs to open our window because it wasn't raining, and our window falls off the rail! And I was like ohhh no but I literally felt angels helping me carry the window because it was so heavy and I tried to carefully set it down so it doesn't smash through the downstairs CR (bathroom). So yeah we didn't get it fixed but we really tried to. And I'm so grateful that Sister Fullmer and Sister Calibuso tried to help us put our house back together!
Last Thursday, we wake up and Sister Loftus got a stiff neck. She couldn't look to the left at all and it hurt for her to keep her head up for too long. Kaluoy gid sa iya! So we were out and din't get too work to much Thursday and Friday. But Saturday and Sunday we had such amazing days of work! We worked the whole day and were able to visit so many people. So many miracles in our area and I know that He took care of those we weren't able to go to in the days we were out.
[Cooked fried rice!]

Today we had zone activity at one of the areas in our zone and it was so beautiful gid! We went to a waterfall close to one of the churches in the mountain and we're so lucky because it rained alot yesterday and it didn't rain today. Which means there was a lot of water coming down the falls and today we didn't get wet! Heavenly Father's creations are so beautiful. I'm so grateful to be able to see the beauty He created! 😊 SO yeah that's our crazy week!

Vids/Pics of the activity:



This upcoming week is going to be so much fun, I'm excited! Keep me update y'all!


Halong kamo pirme, 

Sister Ventura

Philippines Iloilo Mission (Jan 2018 - July 2019)



--

Send an e-mail: 

elza.ventura@missionary.org

Written letters and packages: 

Sister Elza Ventura 
Philippines Iloilo Mission 
Osmeña Street, 
Arevalo, Iloilo City, 
5000 Iloilo 
Philippines

*Some names have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of individuals.
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Jul 7, 2019

Week 76: I love being a missionary

*URL Links to scriptures and related material are enabled.

Hello everyone!

[We had a mini photoshoot hehe]

This past week has been amazing gid! We got a lot of free rides this week and were able to save money which is always good! Sister Loftus and I had such a good time this week and I can't wait to share it with you all 😊

[Oops]

Last Tuesday:

So my highlight of Tuesday was even before we left the apartment! While having personal study, it was all peaceful and chill and I was having a really good study. All of a sudden, our next door neighbor answers the phone and she was talking really loud. As in it sounded like she was in our apartment with us when she was just next door. After 15 minutes on the phone, and after I had read the same verse for like the 20th time (because I couldn't concentrate), I decided to pray and really ask Heavenly Father to help me focus on my studies, and I'm not joking, but as I was praying, she stopped talking and she didn't get another call again! Haha this is something really small but evidence to me that Heavenly Father really does listen to our prayers!

Last Wednesday:

We had probably one of the funnest Family Home Evenings ever! We invited a bunch of members and we had it in our recent converts house and we also invited a couple people who are close to being baptized. It was a nice turnout, everyone we told came and it was just so much fun. Sister Loftus and I taught an object lesson (Shoutout to Sister Obina for teaching me the object lesson) that they really enjoyed. And after we had games which was so much fun, we all had some really good laughs and even though we weren't all family, and we were having a family home evening, we all grew closer together 😊

Last Thursday:

Happy Fourth! Sister Loftus and I sang a bunch of patriotic hymns haha. We had a good district council! All our areas in our district seem to be progressing well. Our District Leader is busy interviewing all the baptismal candidates all the time, haha.
[My district!]

Last Friday:

We were able to video call back home for Fourth of July so I called my brother and it was fun to say hi and talk to some fam.
[Ma-lutak!]

Last Saturday:

The brother that I wrote about last week got baptized on Saturday! Wow it was such an amazing day. The service was just beautiful. We arrived to church Saturday around lunch time and he showed up too (so early) because he was so excited. For the baptismal ordinance, I was kind of nervous for his leg but it was perfect because he just went in the water and came out so flawlessly 😊 After the ordinance when he bore his testimony, I felt the Spirit so strongly. I am just so happy to be an instrument to help this ready soul know about how to return back to Heavenly Father. As he bore his testimony, he shared how he was changed and became a member of the church because of the Book of Mormon.





[My reaction that we have a baptism! yay haha]

So more to the story of last week, when he got into an accident a while back and when God basically gave him a 2nd chance to live, he was so grateful that he just wanted to serve and so he prayed and asked where he can find the true church. After praying, one night he had a dream and in that dream he saw a clean church where people were wearing white. Ever since then he was looking for that church. Fast forward to when we met him that first day. He talked about how if we didn't give him the Book of Mormon, he wouldn't look into the church more. But that day when we gave him the Book of Mormon, the Spirit hit him as soon as he read the first page and and as he kept reading, he decided to ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. Even though he didn't receive a straight answer, he saw changes in his life for the better. not only financially pero physically too. He's so grateful his health got better! And so after he continued reading, he felt the need to repent, and so he repented of all his sins that he's done ever since he was a little kid he said. So it was a great day and Sunday was even better!
[The Zone Leaders happened to drop by too haha]
[After the baptism, he took us out to eat!]

Sunday:

The brother who was baptized yesterday receive the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday and we saw immediate effects of how the Holy Ghost was with him because he was so confident as he shared his testimony of the Gospel in Sunday School. He's going to receive the Priesthood next week and we're so excited. Since we fasted on Sunday we were able to work straight after church for like 8 hours and it was so fun. I just love being a missionary. I love being an instrument to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone I meet!
[Cheesecake 💖]

Thank you everyone for all your support. Love you all!


Halong kamo pirme, 

Sister Ventura

Philippines Iloilo Mission (Jan 2018 - July 2019)



--

Send an e-mail: 

elza.ventura@missionary.org

Written letters and packages: 

Sister Elza Ventura 
Philippines Iloilo Mission 
Osmeña Street, 
Arevalo, Iloilo City, 
5000 Iloilo 
Philippines

*Some names have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of individuals.
No comments:
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