Week 71 - 6/1/2014

This week was insane! Why? Cause I didn't work at all. I was so sick! But I learned sooo much. It's unreal. Last Sunday I got viral bronchitis and it knocked me out! Hard. And then later in the week, I don't even know what happened... I had bad stomach pains for a few days. As my companion, Sister Brown said, "Wow, this is the worst you've been the whole time we've been together!" and that is saying something! Yep, a different sickness. But as I have found as a get different sicknesses one after another, I'm so grateful for them! It's pretty hard to describe, but so true. I have really healthy practices, I promise. 

But Tuesday after district meeting, when I couldn't go out to work, I felt super discouraged. Like you just witnessed a miracle last week in your health and now you aren't strong enough spiritually to see it again? Not strong enough to push yourself to the level you need? Many people have told me that a mission is like a lifetime of experiences wrapped into 18 months, and I totally get it now. The highs are higher, the lows are lower not to mention happening so close together. Usually I'm just used to be sick, going with the flow, I've learned well but after my hopes had just been raised so high, it came down pretty hard. I blame it that I was studying hope last week as my Christlike attribute and needed to REALLY understand what hope was, or how to really conquer discouragement. And I'm so happy to say that I totally did! While I was sick, I did nothing but sleep, eat and read general conference issues of the Liahona looking for quotes on hope and conquering discouragement and staying optimistic in trials and I found so many! Man, I am SO grateful for general conference! It is exactly what I needed this week and I could not have survived without it! Here are just a few of the quotes I found:

"It is my desire to be an instrument in bringing about a restoration of your faith in our loving Father in Heaven, who knows all things and allows us to experience trials so that we can come to love Him and understand that without Him we have nothing."

-Elder Shayne M. Bowen

If there is one thing I have learned through all this, it is just how nothing I really am. Without Him, I don't even have the strength to get out of bed before 10am! But with Him, despite our own nothingness, we can work miracles. 

"When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading with your "unbelief as it were... I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I AM asking you to be true to the faith you DO have." 

"Hope on. Journey on. Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"There will always be things to complain about. But that isn't the journey you had hoped for, and it's not the journey Heavenly Father sent you to take."

"Look for the happiness your Father in Heaven has prepared for you in EVERY step of your journey."

-Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I know that there is always happiness, if you find it or make it! Even if it includes drawing thought bubbles on a whiteboard (see the pictures) or playing with your camera's settings or just telling funny stories. Laughter really is the best medicine. And if you know me at all, it's something I'm way good at :)

"Trials may come, and we may not understand everything that happens to us or around us. But if we humbly, quietly trust in the Lord, He will give us strength and guidance in every challenge we face. When our only desire is to please Him, we will be blessed with a deep inner peace."

 -Elder Neil L. Anderson

"Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve... I learned to true the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day." 

-Elder D. Todd Christofferson 

And then the entire talk on Hope by Pres. Uchtdorf which I wrote down in my other journal. Life saver! I know that we all stumble and fall whether physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. and can get discouraged but as we turn to Him, we can find the hope in our lives once more and the peace the comes with it. The capability to overcome every trial no matter how large or overwhelming. Kaya naton. We can do it! 

Many of you have written me this week about my previous letter and about how it's helped you and you've shared with others and I'm so grateful! Keep it up! I'm really grateful that so many have fasted for me this past Sunday and I can definitely feel of your spiritual strength and love. Thank you so much for all your support and I couldn't have done it without you. I decided that even as the sickest missionary ever, I'm still the happiest and there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be. Missions are for the missionary and I feel that in a very big way. Growing in a way that I never could've in a different situation. 

Yesterday, Sister Brown counted down how many Sundays I have left, 8! That's so small! And it kinda made me sick. Not that I don't love you and miss you and all that... but I love my mission! And then I realized my feelings are like Rapunzel when she's about to see the floating lanterns or fulfilling her dreams. It's been the dream of her life for so long she doesn't know what she'll do when it's over! And then I pondered, what did Rapunzel do after her dream was fulfill? She found this boy then... oh. Turns out my life is more like Tangled then I would've initially thought ha. 

Love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Sister Pike

Week 64 - 4/13/2014

Hello family! Today was one of those lucky days the internet was SUPER fast! So could upload a lot of pictures which leaves not much time to write. This week was CRAZY busy but soooo wonderful. We basically did no work but had lots and lots to do. We were supposed to have zone conference but word a typhoon came so it was cancelled so they decided to have a different zone meeting in Calbayog (2 hours away) but on the way there on Tuesday, we found out it was back on! So exciting because we get to see Cataraman, my old zone but bad news because if we had KNOWN we could have brought all of our stuff to just sleep in Calbayog that night instead of traveling back and forth... It was pretty kapoi- tiring but fun to talk with everyone in our district cause we traveled together. I never ever got car sick in America but here is a COMPLETELY different story and have gotten progressively worse on my mission which is unfortunate but we usually just talk to each other to distract ourselves from our nauseated state and it's pretty good. And we got to memorize some of D&C 4 in Tagalog! So that's always fun. Those bus rides aren't good for nothing!

Zone training meeting, we meet as a zone and the stls, sister training leaders gave us training than our zone leaders and it was the most spiritual meeting yet! It was all about service and patience and becoming like Christ. And then when we came back on Wednesday for zone conference, best zone conference ever! Also, Sister and President Andaya's last and maybe even my last! That's super sad. But it was the best so I'm okay! President and Sister Andaya's trainings were so hilarious. Sister is always so sweet and happy to see us, she always says, "I may still be young but I really do think of all of you as my children! It was so hard after the storm and you were all reassigned and it was like I lost all my children were lost at once and I'm so happy you're back!" And then she gave us the training she usually gives at the departure devotional for leaving missionaries but she won't be here! So she wanted to give it to us now. It was adorable and you really saw the love they have for each other. So cute! And then the AP's Elder Landingin and Munoz gave an excellent training on patience again and did the funnest role plays you have ever seen! I felt like the whole time I was at a comedy but I learned so much at the same time. Comedy actually helps people learn so much more, it's a great teaching skill. 

And then, of course, GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! It was pretty sad when it was over realizing that was my last one as a missionary, but it was so good! I love how Elder Ballard committed EVERYONE to read preach my gospel and report it to their missionaries, hint, hint :) I love preach my gospel and I have so much to learn from it still! My favorite section as of late has been the Christ like attributes, I encourage all to read! And the theme I kinda got overall was be nice!! Stand up for your beliefs, don't ever compromise, but no matter how you are treated, what persecutions come your way, react like Christ, be the example. It's hard for sure, but a necessity for our happiness as well as the happiness of others. Also, we saw a bit of the world news report and it was really cool to see our story! All the missionaries I know and love. And then Elder Teh's talk was the coolest cause I know him! He came and spoke to us last July and I could completely relate to everything he said about the people of the Philippines and what we can learn from them. Their hope and happiness even after the biggest destruction ever. Their complete happiness amidst poverty. I love general conference! The spirit was so strong and I can't wait to read and reread all the talks and find something new each time. There is so much to be learned! Love you all, don't forget to study Preach my gospel and general conference!

Love, Sister Pike

President Andaya's kids - we had lunch with them when they came to our branch a few weeks ago. 

My companion Sister Brown!

#Pinoystyle

Our name tags.. companionship unity - Every time Jen/Kristin send me a letter, they put a sticker on it for me!

Sleeping on the roof

Mga mahusay (beauties) in our branch

We showered in the rain, it's a once a year tradition I guess! Sister Brown did it first and then I kinda wanted to but it was too cold. Then round two of the rain storm came but it didn't last as long so I had to finish my shower inside. So fun!

The cutest little boy on the planet! We all call him gwapo and he constantly smiles. Literally my whole zone was just staring at his cuteness. How do you get 16 missionaries attention? Miguel.

All of these were when we were together watching General Conference.

My Catbalogan District

The Filipinos and their umbrellas...

Squishing in a tricycle

My Catbalogan Zone

Zone conference - the lunch was SO fancy, it literally looked like a wedding reception!

My batch! (the elders and sisters I arrived with)

I was matching Sister Andaya!

Traffic after zone conference...

FHE! (Family Home Evening)

District Lunch at Jollibee between sessions of General Conference!

Week 63 - 4/7/2014

This week was wonderful!  Didn't work as much as we would've liked because I took a few rest days.  I've been doing pretty good but occasionally I need to crash especially since it's hot season and we walk a lot and my body just wears out faster than the average human!  Which I'm very used to and it's wonderful because Sister Brown is so incredibly patient and understanding and we just have a great time all the time!  When I'm asleep she just studies and listens to my general conference talks which she is in love with!  Definitely getting us pumped for general conference this week.  This week, she discovered our roof because she got tired of sitting in our house and we went up there at night just to talk and the weather was so beautiful!  like perfect!  not hot at all with the most beautiful breeze so we decided to move our mattresses up there (we always just sleep on the floor anyway) and slept and we even woke up cold the next morning!  We loved it so much that we've done it the past 3 nights in a row.  Luckily, it hasn't rained on us and we are definitely counting our blessings.  My favorite is in the morning, the wall blocks the sun so we don't wake up too early and if you look over the wall, it's a perfect view of the mountains.  Literally feels like we're camping and I just feel 100x better about getting out of bed in the morning! 

What I love about Sister Brown is that we are such good friends and can talk about everything and anything but can also work hard to do our best as missionaries.  Even though we didn't teach very many lessons, each had such a special spirit that was so fulfilling!  And we've been finding a lot because we have like 1 investigator and I was really bad at finding at the beginning of my mission, but now I love it because you meet so many weird/funny people.  Even when we get rejected, I just walk away laughing because it was hilarious.  I'm sure we'll find some great investigators soon.  One huge success was that our investigator (who is the wife of one of the counselors in the branch presidency) finally came to church!!  They live 45 minutes away and they have a motorcycle so it should be pretty easy but we've had to work for a few weeks, but she came!  And I love our relief society, there are actually quite a few relief society sisters and they are all very welcoming.  It's so exciting when someone new comes to church and you can tell they feel so welcome. 

Also, we got to see Women's conference which was so exciting!  In the past we haven't been able to.  We invited some less actives who said they would come but when we showed up at the start, there were literally just 4 of us sister missionaries but a few more showed up late at the end.  But it was so cool to be able to see that very first women's conference, Sister Brown was like crying the whole time, it was hilarious but such a special spirit that gives you the recharge you didn't even recognize you needed!  Definitely looking forward to all General Conference which will probably just be in English which I feel bad for those that can't really understand but they feel the spirit and the love of the leaders of the church for us which is better than nothing!  It's so sad thinking this is my 3rd and last general conference here, time flies so fast!  I love you all and think and pray for you often. 

love, Sister Pike 

p.s. cool story, while finding, we met the cutest old lady who doesn't understand a word of English or waray-waray so I pulled out my Tagalog I've been studying and it was so great!  My companion (who had the biggest nosebleed of her life-> a Filipino phrase which means their brain was working so hard that it bled and comes out the nose) just stared in awe like, since when did you know Tagalog!  It's fun.  But now I need to focus on learning waray-waray more in depth so I won't be able to study as much.