Everybody's got a water buffalo

Hello again from Sipalay! Today is a nice warm day. The weather has been really rainy. I believe you can thank Typhoon Karen for that.

Remember the lady who yelled down to us from the cliff saying that she wanted to be my friend? Well, Sister Palai and I returned with the Adams couple as well. The woman told us that she had a relative in another town who was a member of the church, and she was interested in learning more about the church. It went way better than I expected from such a first meeting. She said we could come back too.

Sister Palai and I have been teaching two young girls (13 and 9) and they will be baptized this coming Saturday! I'm so excited! Anticipate pictures. I finally bought my own memory card reader (the computers here don't have memory card slots) and I'll be using it now!

It's amazing to think that I've been "Sister King" for 6 months. I've been an official representative of the Church of Jesus Christ for over half a year. It's weird. It's awesome. It's amazing. Sometimes I miss home, but I don't let myself get distracted. There is work to be done, and I have no time to be sad and homesick. That's not my purpose. I purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. My purpose, and yours (no matter who you are) requires activity. Do you find yourself sitting around feeling useless? Then wake up! and do something more. Help someone. Spread the love. Learn something new. Use your knowledge to make the world a better place.

  My Mission President told me that I'm going to be a trainer someday. He said that I get to decide when that happens. I feel like I could be a trainer someday, but I think I need at least one more companion who actually speaks the language before I'm ready to train someone. My language has so many holes in it, and I'm still not completely comfortable. I've only been in the Philippines for less than 5 months! You're right. Becoming a senior companion saved my life. I felt like a prisoner as a junior. I could go back to being a junior, but I also look forward to my present and future experiences as a senior. Right now I find myself realizing that I may be making my companion feel how I felt with my other companions. This week, I strive for improvement.

  It's so exciting that there is so much commotion about the church in America right now. Most of the Filipinos (especially out here in the middle of nowhere) the people don't know/care about American politics. That's sad that the church isn't being portrayed in a good light. Does anyone know how the campaign is affecting missionary work? Let me know!


 I often find myself thinking, "Dad was right" when I think of those times to urged me to practice piano before I left on my mission. This week I volunteered my service to play during church. It was awful, but hey, it's better than nothing. At the church they have a simplified hymnbook, so I'm considering taking time each week to practice my playing.

There are a lot of chickens here that just walk around the streets! They probably lay eggs too. Sometimes they wander into our yard. We also enjoy frequent visits from a goat, a cow, and a caribao. A caribou is like a big cow It's a kind of water buffalo.

Open your mouth

Hello friends and family once again! This is Sister King, and I'm writing again about my exciting excitement that envelops my life on a regular basis. Not to say that I'm hang gliding or parachuting, but I am in fact teaching people the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionary work has its ups and downs, but it is always rewarding, even if a lesson doesn't go well. "Bad" experiences are merely learning experiences. Every experience is good if you have the right mentality. I thank Heavenly Father for my trials as well as my blessings.

This week the work blossomed here in Sipalay! Last week, we really didn't have any progressing investigators. Not very many people came to church, etc. So this week, we set goals to really work hard find the souls who are searching for the truth, who are searching for a mighty change, who are searching for peace, happiness, and salvation.

We are able to find some investigators that the Elders taught before we arrived, and they came to church. We also found some part member families. This week we began teaching 3 young girls (age 9, 9, and 13) who have family members in the church, but they are not yet baptized. They were already attending church regularly too! To we set a baptismal date, and we'll get them baptized soon! I'm so exciting. They are my first investigators that are MINE. I feel a special kind of pride for them because I'm the senior companion. Since Sister Palai doesn't really speak the language well, I do most of the teaching. Of course they are OUR investigators, but you know, I'm so proud of them, and I really want to do a good job. As missionaries, we are responsible for the understanding, and spiritual development of our investigators. Of course they themselves are responsible, but we the missionaries are guides along their way.

Here's a fun story. On Thursday we found ourselves in a far away place with no mode of transportation to get back except our feet. So we started walking back to town. Along the left side of the road, the land was hilly, like a cliff. On top of the cliff was a house, and inside the house was a lady yelling down to us, saying that she wanted to be my friend. I'm not at all surprised at this. After all, I am really really popular, and really really likable. Also I'm white and American, and people here like that. We humored her, and we got her name, and asked if we could visit her next week. I have no idea how much success we'll find with her, but hey, when the fish are asking to be caught, go ahead and catch them.

Later that very same day, our Zone Leaders challenged our whole Zone to increase our street contacts to speak. "O.Y.M." "Open your mouth." Here in the Philippines this year, we are emphasizing referrals, and contacting less active members, and strengthening the recent converts. We actually don't go door to door, or invite ourselves in like many missionaries do, or have done in the past. So for the past few days, we've had fun talking to complete strangers, and gaining the courage to give them pamphlets, and ask them if they would be interested in hearing about the church. We found a lot of potential investigators this way. I'm so excited.

To finish off this week, I give you a scripture. Alma 13:27-30.

27 And now, my brethren, I ^awish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great ^banxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not ^cprocrastinate the day of your repentance;

 28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and ^awatch and pray continually, that ye may not be ^btempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be ^cled by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, ^dmeek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

 29 ^aHaving faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the ^blove of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his ^crest.

 30 And may the Lord grant unto you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not be ^abound down by the chains of ^bhell, that ye may not suffer the second ^cdeath.

This is my plea, my desire to all. Repent and come unto Christ. Life really is better if you let the love of God fill you and heal you.

Love always,
Sister Kelli King

Mommy, WOW! I'm a big kid now!

Sep 3, 2012

Happy Labor Day! Being so very far away, I forgot it was a holiday until my father mentioned it in his email. I hope the "Kanos" and "Kanas" aka Americans are having fun on their day away from school and/or work. Today I am in Kabankalan again. There is a mall here called Gaisano (sp?) and there's an internet cafe on the bottom floor.

This week has been quite exciting! After I emailed last week, Sister Molina and I headed home to pack up all her things. The next morning we enjoyed waking up at 2 a.m. in order to catch a 3 a.m. bus to Bacolod for transfers. We arrived at the mission office at 7 a.m. (an hour ahead of schedule) and we waited for our new companions. Soon enough, they came. I am now the brand spankin' new senior companion of Sister Palai. I love her so much. We were apart for one whole transfer, and it was too much! That's why Pres. Lopez put us together. Ha ha, joke lang. This companionship (like all of the companionships in the mission) is inspired.

I won't lie, at first I was pretty intimidated about being Sister Palai's companion. Although we've been in the mission field for the same amount of time, she barely speaks or understands any of the mission language. She is from Kiribati, the Pacific Nation that no one has ever heard of before, and she's also a recently returned member of the church, meaning that she spent most of her life not going to church. She still doesn't know a lot of the doctrine. Her English isn't the best either. But that doesn't take away from our love for one another. I actually find sheer joy in being able to help/teach Sister Palai. And although I barely speak the language myself, we somehow manage. The first day that we went out teaching, I was sort of afraid to leave the house. "Can we do this?" I thought. "Is this going to be a total disaster? Maybe we should just stay home." But we prayed, and we did absolutely fine. And we continue to teach, and we feel the Spirit! It's amazing!

I never thought that becoming a senior companion to a person who doesn't speak the language would be the answer to my prayers. I've been struggling with feelings of inferiority and uselessness, because I wasn't as talented at the language or as good of a teacher as my companions. But now... I'm needed. Sister Palai needs ME. More importantly, the Lord needs me. So, as good ol' Nephi says, "I will go and do the things the Lord hath commanded."

That's one of my favorite scriptures to share to people (especially less active members) when we teach. That's also why I've memorized it in Ilonggo! This is my new goal. I'm memorizing scriptures. I know memorized scriptures were like, required back in the "discussions" days, but here it's not. But I'm going to do it now. It will help me with my vocabulary, grammar, and teaching. I've also memorized Moroni 10:4-5 in Ilonggo. "Kag paagi sa gahum sang Balaan nga Espiritu, mahimo ninyo nga mahibal-an ang kamatauran sang tanan nga mga butang." "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye shall know the truth of all things."

This transfer, Sister Palai and I are going to learn a lot. I'm going to learn how to teach, and we both are going to learn the gospel really well. As well as the English language. Everyday when we read from the Missionary Handbook (the "white Bible") together I define difficult English words for her and stuff. It's so fun. I'm so glad I have this opportunity.

This week, Elder and Sister Adams, a senior missionary couple came and moved into the house where the Bevans couple was in Sipalay. We went with them yesterday to some of our visits to Recent Converts and Less Active members. It was so fun. So out of the 4 of us, assigned to this area, I'm the only one who speaks a lick of the language. But this is going to a great experience.
 
Much love! I enjoy every single message I receive! Yours always!

Love,
Sister Kelli King