Parang Fiesta

Ah man this week!

We got invited to a wedding this week, just casually, as you do. We
didn't know the people but they were related to a member that we just
met, so of course it made sense we were invited...haha but it was so
good! It was a big Catholic wedding so they had this big party outside
and it was way fancy, but the amazing thing is everyone just has so
much respect for us as missionaries its incredible. We walked up to
the place and someone spots us and ushers us inside the house and we
sit in the big comfy couches and everyones rushing around bringing us
plates of food and chocolates and we sat inside and had a way nice
lunch. Then we went outside to the actual wedding, they literally
snatched chairs from the bridal table so we could sit down and when
the bridesmaids came back they had to stand. We felt way bad but they
really insisted. Its really incredible the respect people have for us,
we get way too spoiled sometimes!

I can't even remember what else happened this week because it feels
like last p-day was yesterday, this week just rocketed by. This
morning we had a wicked zone activity at the beach, we had a huge out
of control water fight then got a wicked SLIP AND SLIDE going on the
beach. It was the best activity so far, we were covered with soap and
sand and all had to go sit under the well water to clean off since we
can't go near the ocean. Felt like summer! Also our town is having
FIESTA which is like a huge party in the town for a couple weeks, kind
of like a fair. On thing thats huge is kid boxing, like little kids
boxing each other, like 10 year old girls even. On of our
investigators is 12 and he won all his rounds so we won a ton of
money, and went and gambled it away. The kids got a few things to
learn before he can get baptised.... but like, kid boxing, what. The
whole town comes out and bets on it, they love it.

So this last week Sister Ramos and I finally gave in and started
working on Ilocano. In our mission most people can speak Tagalog but
their native language is Ilocano, so pretty much in lessons they will
talk to us in Tagalog and then turn to each other and talk ABOUT us in
Ilocano. So we committed and started working on it, now we teach half
in Ilocano and pray only in Ilocano. The gift of tongues in real, is
the only explanation I can give about that. Heavenly Father knew I
needed a challenge.

So one thing that really hit me this week in my study is that every
single principle of the gospel is an eternal principle. Every single
one. So when you're wondering what its going to be like in the next
life, think about one of the principles and think about it as
something thats going to continue on in the next life. I realised a
LOT of things this week when I took that perspective. We keep trying
to have chats about the universe, and have to stop because its too far
beyond out comprehension. You know someones been studying deep
doctrine in personal study when the next hymn they want to sing is "If
you could hie to Kolob" then you know you're getting ready for some
deep learning.

Love you guys,
please share with me what you're learning in your scripture study. If
you don't, I'm gonna assume you're not doing it.

Ay-ayatenka
Sister McKim

Do you love me?

Another baptism, another couple of souls on the way to salvation!
These girls were awesome, they come to church with their aunties and
their grandparents because all their parents are a combo of living
abroad or having already died. Except for one, her whole family are
converts and used to be amazing and active and fell away a couple
years ago because the mum wanted so bad for the kids to have a good
education that she started working on Sundays. She avoided us like
crazy and was not about being taught until the day we asked her to
sign the record for her kid. At first she looked like she didn't want
to do it, and then it seemed to me like maybe she was guilty because
until now she hadn't been apart of her daughters baptism, but we
talked with her for ages and by the end of it she was so excited and
said she'd been wanting forever for the missionaries to teach her in
her house again. We were worried she wasn't gonna come, but she walked
in late and shy but she looked so happy to be back in the church
again. Shes on the way back, and shes gonna bring all her kids back
with her so I can't wait to see the rest of their progression. We also
have the other family coming up for baptism, I mentioned them last
week. They were a really strong family until the dad bailed on them
and the mum literally works 24/7 to feed the kids so they all went
inactive. The 3 youngest kids were never baptised and have been taught
by the missionaries for years but never consistantly did anything
because the mum just couldn't help them do anything. We've been
putting our hearts and souls into those 3 kids and the mum has
progressed and insane amount. On Saturday night she came home late and
saw us trying to hide the Mothers Day present we were making for her.
The last couple weeks shes sent the kids walking to church and shes
just come for sacrament meeting, but yesterday she was there Sunday
best for the whole 3 hours. I about cried. Especially when I looked
around at all the other less active members we are teaching who came.
Blessings for sure.
We had our Zone Training this week and we were basically chastised and
told to step up, which I truly was grateful for. In our mission we are
supposed to focus 50% on investigators and 50% less active/recent
convert, and often its tempting not to because people want baptisms. I
really felt inspired a couple weeks earlier to implement this and as
we have been doing this we're seen the blessings. Most of our
investigators are family members of less actives, and as we focus on
strengthening the less actives members, they go from being a bad
example to a good example to our investigators, which makes it a LOT
easier for us. So inspired!
I'm also obsessed with reading about Peter. I hope its not a bit
prideful to say that I feel like I relate to him a bit, obviously a
little little tiny bit. But as I studied this week the story after the
resurrection of Christ when He appeared to Peter, and after all that
he had been through they were back again right where they started. And
Christ really had to ask him, 'Peter, lovest thou me?" Sometimes we
really have to think about what were doing, would the Lord have to ask
that of us? After we've been through so much, do we sometimes go back
to where we started? So if we really love the Lord, we will always
move forward and do what He asks. And what He asks of us is, "Feed my
sheep."

Love you all my precious precious favourites,
Sister McKim



Pictures are
ZTM they made people draw their companions with their feet. This is
Sister Ramos picture of me, I look good as.
The baptism! Thea, Maxine and Charmaine. 

Grasshoppers and the Holy Ghost

Kumusta everybody!
So this week, its good to be back! Me and my comp are like the dream
team, we just get each other and because of that the work is going so
well. We had a lot of really great and memorable experiences this week
and I'm really remembering what it is to be a missionary.

This weeks theme was well and truly the Holy Ghost. It was our lesson
in every meeting we had and really resonated in all of our work this
week. We had this one experience especially with the sisters in our
house who prayed to know where they should go to find new
investigators. They both felt strongly about this really far away
neighbourhood with no members and only one former investigator. So
after a really random series of events on Saturday night we all ended
up at this members house for dinner and he offers to take us where we
were going. It was getting late so the sisters were just saying they
would bail and go there the next day instead, until we realise the
really random way hes driving us home is IN that neighbourhood. So
they jump out and ask him if he happens to know this one random
investigators. Hes like, get in. Takes us to this MANSION and starts
yelling at them to come outside, missionaries are here, and takes us
away. We're sitting there like, something big is about to happen. When
they got home that night they told us the incredible story of the
family who immediately invited them in and told them they had been
waiting for them. The dad has RM sisters and always opposed the church
but over time of trying to disprove the church came to know it was
true, but was never baptised as he was unable to stop his drinking,
but was waiting for the right time. And this was it. There is no
possible way to deny the Holy Ghost once you have experienced it.

We have been working a lot on part member families, and a lot of
single mums who went less-active so their kids were never baptised.
This one woman in particular, the missionaries never teach her because
shes never home. The three kids under twelve come to church by
themselves because the mum has to work 13 hours a day every single day
of the week so she can feed them. They used to be well off and were a
really strong happy family until the dad left them for another woman
and took everything, their house their businesses, and left them with
nothing. We managed to catch her coming home late one night and barely
got her to sit down to listen to us. Once I heard her side of the
story I couldn't blame her, it was awful, her testimony is as strong
as it ever was but she just can't not feed her kids. For the first
time in a long time I cried, I usually have it pretty together, just
look at the logical side of things, or the fact that if they just do
the right thing it will all work out, but I couldn't help it with her,
she just needs more. I just didn't have the words to say because I
just cannot relate in any way to what shes been though, but something
in what we said must have stuck because Sunday morning the whole
family was sitting together in church, happier than I've ever seen any
of them.

We had this other incredible experience this week on Tuesday morning.
We went to an investigators house and she wasn't there, we should have
left because we had somewhere else to be but we asked the grandma if
we could teach her. Turns out she's a less active we didn't know
about. Just as were saying the closing prayer, her granddaughter walks
down, so we teach her too. Just as were closing again another lady
walks down the path and sits down. By the time we're finished praying
she is bawling her eyes out. She is an old friend of the family and
also happens to be a less active member. She tells us her husband is a
drunk and abuses her, so shes been having an affair. She could never
have children with her husband but is now pregnant so she knows its to
the other man. She said her only two options were to go with the other
man and commit adultery, or stay with the husband and commit abortion.
She was destraught. I was sitting there at first so so scared for this
woman, and scared for the huge responsibility she had placed on us,
and knowing whatever we said was going to have a huge effect on what
happened. I prayed, as you do when you don't know what else to do. So
I told her, and I was harsh and I was bold which doesn't seem like the
think to do with a woman in that state, and I told her that the answer
to sin was not more sins, and God didn't do this to her but her
choices had led her to this point. It was incredible to see this
working over in her head. By the end of the lesson she was smiling
again and she really had felt the Spirit. As we walked her back to the
road she said the whole day before she had seen missionaries
everywhere and wanted so bad to talk to them, then last night she went
to her friends house in Vigan and the elders there taught her but she
didn't have the courage to tell them. Then she didn't know why, but
she walked here the whole way from Vigan, which would have taken hours
and hours, not knowing why she was going to this womans house, and
meeting us there because we'd stuck around longer than we planned. The
Lord's plan is perfect, and everything happens for a reason. Except
our sins, those things don't need to happen so we should stop doing
them.

This calling is like nothing else, nobody else in the world can
possibly understand what is feels like to be set apart with this
calling except those who have done it. I don't want to go home and
have to experience that feeling of being released. I love this work.

Love you all, even you random readers out there!
Sister McKim

A family gave us mangos so the kid just climbed on the roof and picked
them off for us. We had a dinner appointment this week and they served
these cooked, I don't even know what its called, its like a locust
grasshopper thing. They told me to eat it and I was like yep get it in
me. I've changed apparently ha. And the tiger and his chicken head
lunch, masarap!

Going South

I don't even know where to begin this week! So I'll go straight to the
good bits.

The last day in Sanchez I couldn't find ANYONE, nobody, so I didn't
get to say goodbye to anyone I teach and they didn't know I was
leaving. Sad. But I guess thats the point of the late notice. But we
had a big FHE with some of our fave members which was wicked. Also
found out that the week before Easter there were a couple of
crucifixions on the main street. Apparently its a belief here of
another church that they need to crucify someone every year at Easter,
but then they will be free from their sins. I mean literally nailed to
a cross. Its truly awful, I really couldn't believe it.
Bussed it down to Santo Domingo on Tuesday. I like, I knew I was
coming down here. And now I'm here I know I belong here. My comp is
Sister Ramos, she is like one of those Asian air hostesses that is too
pretty to be real. She is the Philippino version of me just obviously
more beautiful. We're the same age and she just gets me, we just have
chats all day every day about life and the scriptures and everything,
I love love her. And the other sisters in my house are amazing, its a
really hard working group of people so its good to just get down and
work hard.
Met the district president, which is the same as the stake president
except were not a stake yet. He is, oh my, hes amazing. Him and his
wife and so funny and so in love and they just live for the church, if
every member family was like them then everyone in the world would be
a member. President Barrientos called him a couple months ago and said
they needed a house for our Elders and didn't know what to do, so he
suggested he give them their house - joking I think, I never know with
President. So President Tabunar says yes, but give him time to build a
new house. Six days he says. So in 5 and a half days he knocks up a
one room house out the back of his workshop and now his family live in
there so the elders can have their big nice house. They just, oh man,
they inspire me. Just this week they also did a sneaky trip to Manila
and bought scriptures for all of our RC's and fed us a massive healthy
feast, which was heaven sent as our house was devoid of food. So good.
Ah man.
And the people in our area are amazing and love us. There is this one
family in particular, the mum and the 3 teenage daughters got baptised
2 weeks ago and the dad is coming to church every week but isn't
willing to follow the WoW yet. But they are incredible. The mum was
telling us that just before the missionaries showed up they were about
to split up because of all these terrible things that were happening.
But then she found the gospel, and it saved their family and saved
their marriage and changed their lives. The dad still needs work, half
the time hes amazing and studies the scriptures like crazy and then he
goes out and drinks and does things like before. But we will help him
to change, I've been prepared for this situation before so I know
we're going to see miracles.
Got locked out of our chapel so had to do a sneaky trip down to Vigan
for district meeting, saw the other district in our zone which just
happens to be all of my favourite people I haven't seen in ages,
including Sister Lainhart. Why does the Lord love me so much? He takes
care of me.
The other day I didn't have time to eat breakfast and I was struggling
for energy because its hotter than imaginable here right now. And this
member sees us and hands us a bag of apples and I was cheering, I
needed it so bad. So also in the bag was a ton of balut. Balut is
basically a duck abortion. Its a half formed baby duck in an egg.
Didn't realise there was 3 in the bag until I pulled my scriptures out
and they smelled like rotten egg vomit mixed with feet. One fell out
and covered EVERYTHING in my bag, my scriptures, my money, everything.
Our house pongs, everything pongs, CURSE YOU BALUT. Ugh. The balut
knows I hate it so its fighting back.
In Vigan again for p-day. So Vigan is like a huge tourist capital and
is amazing and beautiful. We got a horse and carridge around for an
hour and it literally felt like I was on vacation for a minute there.
Then we went to this massive free zoo where the animals just roam
around free and you can ride everything and hold everything for free.
But. President shot us a text this morning that apparently the Area
Presidency just declared we can't hold the snakes or hang out with the
tigers anymore. Like literally today. I was a little devastated, but
its fine, I've done it all before anyway.

So, am I having the best year of my life?
Yeah.
I keep hearing songs and things that remind me of my days in the
States, parties and travelling and all that fun stuff. And then I'm
reminded about the MTC and my old areas and mission memories and they
are so much more special. I don't ever wanna leave!

Love you so much,
especially those who write me..............................  :-)
Sister McKim

Goodbyes, as usual

Transfers!
They started this new thing where they do transfer calls on Sunday
night, which means you only get one day to pack and prepare before you
leave at the crack of dawn on Tuesday. Even though I've only been here
two transfers I really felt I was going. BUT! I have the special skill
of predicting transfers, like, I am spot on everytime. So I predicted
that I would go to Vigan Zone, that our district leader would come too
and be the zone leader there, that our two areas here would be
combined and the place that our other housemate was going. Its a gift,
truly haha. So yeah! I'm going to a place called Santo Domingo, just
outside Vigan which is the tourist capital, the most beautiful place
in the mission apparently. Really I've just been praying that I would
go somewhere where I could eat real meat so I wouldn't be so
malnourished, so it truly was meant to be!

On Monday night we had a ward FHE at this awesome members house. Hes
90, hes the only member in his family and he is the man! He also hates
Tagalog so he only lets people speak English or Ilocano to him. He
also can't get to church anymore because hes old and has been telling
the sisters hes going to day any day now. So we were going to have our
final goodbye to him. We meet him out the front and when we get to the
gate a lady tells us we can't come inside because her husband is
drunk. Then out of nowhere the husband comes storming outside, throws
his wife to the ground, smashes the fence and starts coming towards us
screaming so we all run. What we then had to witness was pretty bad as
he was seriously out of control. After he stopped beating his wife he
came for the elders and they swear he was coming for them, then just
stopped and walked away. It was awful, I hate thinking that this
really does happen in the world. We had to leave and our old Tatay
couldn't understand why we couldn't stay for his FHE, he was so upset
but he didn't even understand what was happening. The rest of the
night we all kind of reflected on how blessed we all are in our lives,
and how important our work here really is so that we can stop things
like this from happening.

Our baptism this week was out of control. Our investigator Cristy was
awesome, we only met her this transfer and she was ready from day 1,
her son was less active and she'd just been waiting for us to come and
find her. The whole process was pretty easy until the last week before
her baptism. I knew I was going to get transferred so I was making
sure we were on top of everything so she wouldn't have to be pushed
back a week and I'd miss it. So we're going through the baptismal
interview questions with her to make sure shes ready, and we get to
one question and she starts telling this story but I didn't quiet
catch what she was saying about it but at the end my comp is like oh
yeah yeah thats fine. So I'm like, yep sweet fine. We walk out onto
the street and see President driving past, have a chat and he starts
driving away. After a little while comps like siyang she has to get
interviewed by President because of that thing and I'm like WHAT! So I
get on the phone straight away calling President telling him to come
back. We live 3 hours away from him so hes rarely out here and we'd
just seen him literally outside her house and we knew he wasn't
planning on being back anytime soon. So hes like well too late now,
but because hes the man he said he'd come back a couple days later. He
is the best, so he did an extra 6 hour road trip for us. So we get to
the day of the baptism, and the two people getting baptised from the
other sisters just decide they don't wanna come anymore so everyone
was way upset. So half the branch has turned up for them and theres
just our one. So we get to the river to baptise her and she is deathly
afraid of water. She was literally in the water for over half an hour
and she would not go under the water. She would'nt go deeper than knee
deep and didn't quite understand that she couldn't actually fit under
that much water. Everyone was yelling their advice, one of the members
even jumped in fully clothed and got fake baptised to show her but she
didn't budge. So after all that she said no. So we get on the phone to
the nearest chapel which is almost an hour away and tell them start
filling the font, were on our way! But apparently the font takes like
4 hours to fill, so we send everyone home, and then AGAIN four hours
later everyones back at the church ready for the epic baptism
roadtrip. Everyone was so pumped, it was way fun! Made me love our
branch so much more, everyone just really made her baptism so special.
When we finally got there she was too scared to get in the font too,
but she did it in the end and it was amazing!

Love you guys, love the mission, and I love Sanchez Mira and everyone
here. Read your conference Ensigns when they come!

Sister McKim
xxxx

Insights

This is going to be a whole lot of conference insights, because if
you're only going to remember one thing from me this week, it better
be one of these things!

I loved President Monson's talk about the pouring rain on the
festival. The people needed it so much and they showed their faith by
asking for it, and even though it seems like it came at a really
inconvenient time, to me it seems like the Lord was literally
showering them with blessings at a time when all the people could
witness the miracle together.

Elder Holland didn't disappoint as usual. I freaked out for a second
because he was first and I wasn't ready for him yet, but he made his
point and he made it well. It's so true what he said though - there
will come a time for all of us where we will be called to defend our
faith. The day will come where we can't sit on the fence anymore, you
can't just come to church on Sunday and do whatever else you wanna do
during the week, you stand up for what you believe or you stay behind.
And like he said, only the proud will be offended by the truth, so if
you were offended by anything, take a look at yourself. The whole
Saturday session was amazing talk after amazing talk, and rebuke after
rebuke for the members of the church. And every talk led so well into
each other. I too have seen LDS people on Facebook slander others
because they stood up for what they believe, or made a comment.
Honestly, how dare someone say they are a true follower of God and
then slander someone for saying they believe in marriage between a man
and a woman. Like Elder Anderson said 'no earthly law can change God's
law' and He is the 'same yesterday, tomorrow and forever.' But how
dare anyone slander anyone for saying the opposite too. Would Christ
have done that? I think we all know the answer. Or as Elder Nelson
said 'no amount of public opinion is grounds for disobedience.' We are
not immune from Satan because we are members and all he has to do is
confuse you to think that something is ok because everyone else is
saying it. People seek to be popular and that is not what we're
looking for. Christ was loved by so many, and so many sought to be
close to Him, but so many slandered Him, and cursed Him and opposed
Him, and part of becoming like Him is willing to accept that standing
for truth and righteousness will often involve a little bit of that as
well. I could go on all day. But one thing I've noticed here on my
mission more than ever is that the Kingdom of God in a certain area
will only be as strong as the members, and if the members are prideful
and disobedient, they ruin it for anyone else that could hope to be a
strong member close by to them. As members, I hope we all went home
from conference at took a good look at ourselves and what we're doing.
I can say for myself I realised a few things that are severely lacking
in myself this conference.

I, like I'm sure many others, have made the same mistake by walking
away from conference in the past and thinking certain things don't
apply to me. Gary E. Stephens talked about our 4 minutes in this life
and how we're going to use them, and what I took away from that is
that this is it, we're getting so close to the end, and we don't know
when its coming, so we better be ready. The most important thing in
the entire world at this present moment is being involved in the Work
of Salvation. This means missionary work, so if you can get on a
mission, get on on one right now. Do not wait. And if you want,
fellowship with the missionaries, give them referrals, and start
acting like a Latter-Day Saint should ALL of the time. And everyone
who is not on a mission right now needs to be in the temple as often
as possible, and don't rely on the hard work and sacrifice of others,
get online and do your family history and take your own names to the
temple. When Elder Cook was talking I was thinking about this picture
I saw on the foyer of the chapel before I walked in. There was a boy
sitting on the couch watching tv while above him were all his
ancestors in spirit prison, and this had a great effect on me because
I was suddenly riddled with guilt for avoiding family history all
these years. So even though I can't do it right now, I hope you will
all do your part and get started. I had a thought, and this isn't
doctrine of course, but I was thinking about if we were in heaven,
walking the path to the Celestial Kingdom. Along the way we see all
the damage from our mistakes and sin, and we will see imprisoned all
those who never had the chance to hear the Gospel, or who were held
back because of us. Will we walk past them and enter the gates? No. I
think the guilt would stop us before the Lord even would.

I truly hope you all took as much away from conference as I did, and
felt the Spirit testify to you of truth and enlighten the path in your
mind that you should take to progress on your journey. I love you all
and I'm so blessed to know so many strong and steadfast members and to
have already made it this far. I would love to hear all your insights
on conference and the things you study each week. And if you don't do
it because I told you, do it because Elder Ballard did.

Stand strong or fall to your knees.

I love you!

Sister McKim



'We will heed not what the wicked may say but the Lord alone we will obey.'

Whom the Lord calls He qualifies

Another week in the field and another week short on time, so this one
really is gonna be a quickie for all of you playing at home.


CONFERENCE! Since were still in the future we have conference next
weekend, but I've been loving all the conference notes people sent me
today! But on Saturday we did go and watch the womens conference
broadcast at out meetinghouse. They went to rediculous extents to go
an pick up the dvd from an hour and a half away so we could watch it
right here in Sanchez.....and then they forgot to mention it to
anyone. So an hour after it was supposed to start it was just us 6
sister missionaries sitting there. Then towards the end a casual two
hours a couple other people stroll in and sit down. We run on
Philippino time here. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but
literally every clock in this country is between 10 and 20 minutes
wrong. Like as in, one persons clock is 15 minutes fast and the next
persons is 20 minutes slow, so people rock up to places thinking
they're on time but there really like half an hour apart. Its kind out
of control, and kind of funny, but sometimes we can really make it
work to our advantage. A little while ago at a mission conference they
made all of the missionaries set their clocks to the exact same minute
so that everyone would be on time together. Somewhere along the line
that went wrong again and nobody knows what time it is anymore. I love
it though, cracks me up every time, people here are so chill. They're
my people now!

It was April Fools Day on Tuesday, and conveniently my companion was
sick on Monday night so I took this as a perfect opportunity to plan
pranks! I was so excited and she had no idea what April Fools Day was
and she really didn't get it, so we just, did nothing......haha sad.
Next time na lang.

We're trying to start this new thing where we take out less-actives
out to lessons with us and its actually working rediculously well. We
were trying to teach these two less-active boys in their 20's but we
didn't have a girl to sit in the lesson so it wasn't allowed. So I'm
like, you should just come with us to the next lesson and they were SO
EXCITED! So we take them down, turns out the next lady we went to
teach was their friend and they sat there like missionaries with their
Book of Mormons out finding scriptures and testifying about baptism. I
had a glimpse of them in a year or two when they're active again and
finally getting out on their missions, and then after we left one of
them told me that his latest girlfriend is a married lady in her late
30's. Yeah. But theres still hope for him!

This week I've been learning about praying to change ourselves instead
of changing our circumstances. We literally have everything so who are
we to sit back and ask for more if we're not doing everything we can
to use the resources we've been blessed with. Just like Nephi said, we
know that the Lord will always provide a way, so we need to pray that
we can find that way that He has provided, and we can't do that by
just sitting there and waiting for it, we have to go look. We've
experiencing a lot of hardships in our area at the moment and while
some of them are inevitable, I know that the Lord has provided good
opportunities too and prepared people for us. Nobody can sit and say
they're not having success because they're in a hard area. There are
no hard areas, because the Lord qualifies us for the area we have been
given, maybe we are just hard-hearted.

I cannot wait to sit and watch conference surrounded by the faithful
saints here of this district, where the church is still so new and the
people are so prepared. I really love this place and everything about
it.

I love you all,
Sister McKim