Temple Adventure Day

Bahahahaha! So first of all, let me just tell you about this day!! Oh my goodness, this is one of those Nauvoo adventure days where you sink to the ground outside the car rental because you're just so exhausted, but at the same time you can't help but laugh because you know you'll remember it for the rest of your life. Haha, for reals.

 So this is how it went. Got up at 5, left at 6 am for Quezon City to go to the temple. But our session wasn't til 10. We had to go early because we had a doctor’s appointment for my comp. Went to the doctor, got the cockroach out of her ear that had died in there (disgusting, right!), got to the temple around 8:30 to wait and found out, it's not just 1/2 of our mission there, but also half of Manilla Mission AND Quezon City North Mission. The earliest session they could get us in was noon. Ha. First moment. So the temple is of course in the middle of this ritzy area so no internet shops and nothing else close so what do we do, so we wait. And I think the entire MTC was there. SO MANY MISSIONARIES. For reals though, and so many people I met in the MTC from other missions. Absolutely insane. Found out I no longer know how to socialize. That was discouraging.  Finally got into the temple, (ay, salamat!). It was a breath of fresh air I've been dying for for the past 3 1/2 months. Got out around 2:30.     

 Then went to the mall to run some errands. But no worries, had to walk there, so that took forever. And note, we're with a group of 12 missionaries where neither of the DLs want to take charge. Patay. We eat lunch, buy our things, get out of there around 5:30.  We can't figure out how to get home, because well you see, it's not any of our areas and we're in the dead center of QC with a million jeepneys going a million different directions. We finally figure that out, get to the right place and EVERY jeepney is full for the next 1 1/2 hours. Haha, you think I'm kidding? I'm not! So about 30 minutes ago, we finally flagged down a taxi that would take us across the river. Shoved 8 of us into one taxi, Elder Alverez lost his camera, my companion is mad at all of us and started crying (still not sure what exactly happened there) and it is now 8 o'clock PM, we're still stuck in the middle of the city and hopefully can figure out the right jeepney to take home. Bahahahaha.

 OH MY HEAVENS, talk about a LONG day. So that's the reason you're just getting this email now. We just decided to find an email shop before we attempt to figure out how to get home. Seriously hilarious!! I just laughed and laughed because I know one day, we won't all be so irritated about this. We'll just remember this day and laugh at how incredibly insane it was. So yep, that's all for now. Pretty much out of time. Next week is transfers though so it'll be next Wednesday that I'll email. We'll find out if I’m transferring or not. Ha, get this. I actually don't want to transfer. I'm loving the area, the people. I'm content here, not to mention adjusted. I have/had a lot of stories for you, but next time na lang. Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

PS, that's crazy about Romney. I'm dying to see the news right now, for reals though. But I gotta admit,  I’m lovin' it that Mormonism is hitting the spotlight. :)  

Easter in the Philippines

Wowsa, lots of questions.  So we’ll start with Easter. Oh my goodness, do they have Easter here or what. Except for it’s not just Easter, it’s the entire holy week. The biggest day being Friday where everything is closed…as in, everything! And there’s plays and processions with the entire bayan walking/parading down the highway for miles with a ton of reboltos and statues of saints. Pretty crazy. Pretty much patay sa work. Ha. Definitely a religious holiday though. None of that Easter bunny stuff. Did notice David Archuleta in the choir actually. You pick up on those things when you’re in a country that seriously idolizes him.  There’s still toilet paper here. Just depends on if you want to buy it. Me, of course, would prefer to pay the 20 pesos.

Dina and Anthony’s baptism date is in May. Not for a while. But can I just say, Dina is incredible. You should just feel of her spirit. She has been preserved by Heavenly Father for right now. For reals though. Because of her life and background, she has never had the chance to be tainted by religion. That sounds bad, but here in the Philippines it ends up being a big problem with investigators because their perceptive lens is just too thick to break. Church meetings are of course in Tagalog. Not like the city. Most people here don’t understand English very well like they do in the city.  

So updates for the week. This week was good….holy week and religious holiday and Philippines….pretty much hard to be a missionary. But we made it through and things are still moving along here too. Conference was amazing. I got 2 themes out of it…family and being true disciples. Those were my two themes anyway. Oh yeah, and loved Elder Utchdorf’s, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently from you”. Classic, and all too true.  Also loved Rasbands, “if someone’s drowning, are you going to first ask them if they need help and wait for them to respond?”.  All too true.  I gotta be better at that. Just seeing the need (that’s my hardest part. You know I end up being oblivious and in my own world) and then acting.

 The person on highlight for this week is Sister Joseph. She’s one of my roommates and I just want to share her story with you. It’s pretty incredible. She’s from Pakistan; her family was baptized a year ago and she decided to serve a mission. She got her call to serve and her entrance date for the MTC was December. This is in September. On September 25, she got a call from the district president telling her they moved up her entrance date and they wanted her to be in the Philippines on Sept. 26. Yes, you read that correctly…the next day. So she called her job, she was the branch manager of a huge distribution company in Pakistan, quit her job. Called her family to let them know she had training that night. Went to the training, got home about 1 a.m. Had to leave the next morning to be in a city 2 hours away to get her paperwork and such ready. Still hasn’t seen her family at this point. Gets her paperwork, and everything figured out. They give her a little money to buy 1 skirt and 2 shirts for her mission because of course the clothes in Pakistan are way different. And they drive her straight to the airport. Luckily her family was there so she got to see them for 2 minutes before her flight left. Are you dying, because I was dying when I heard it. And you know what, she goes, it’s ok, it’s my call and if that’s what He wants, I’ll do it. Talk about faith. So crazy. And get this also, she has a fiance. Arranged marriages in Pakistan, right. They’ve been engaged for 5 years now. And he’s not a member. Remember her family are just recent converts. So she’s scared to go back because she has a fiance waiting for her that she has to marry, no choice, and he wants nothing to do with Mormonism. Oh my goodness.  And sometimes we think our problems are big. Reality check for me of how blessed I am. None of my so called problems are even close to that. So that’s the story for the week.  Mahal ko kayo and sana maganda ang spring ninyo doon….nakakasunog pa ako ditto. Haha. Love you all!! Bye!

PICTURES...Morong area

A tricycle loaded to capacity...a common sight in the Philippines.

A garden that the district planted for a sister in their area.

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A tropical paradise that Candace's zone hiked to. She felt the temperature went up 20 degrees because she wanted to jump in so badly :)

Can't blame her...looks very beautiful and inviting.

345 stairs to the top to see a shrine...one of Candace's few workouts since arriving in the Philippines.  The other sister missionaries didn't want to go.  So yes,  Candace left the sisters behind and climbed with the Elders to the top.  I'm sure it felt incredible to just get the heart rate up :)

Happy Birthday

Hello my family! Oh man....this has been quite the week. I'm not sure where to start. Ha. So first of all,  just question/answer. LA stands for Less Active, although sometimes it could also have the dual meaning. I’ll get to our investigators in a second. And yes, it is SO stinking hot (I almost just said bloody. Haha.).

And thank you for the package!! Ha, but for reals though. Honestly made my day. I love the skirt. Actually wore it to district meeting earlier. Super cute and light. That's how we like to roll around here. We had a movie night with the Emma Smith movie. SO great. Like, a for reals movie night. Usually when you have a movie playing you're cooking, or cleaning, or updating the area book, writing letters.....but we just turned off the lights, huddled on the bed and enjoyed. So fabulous. Kind of missing my relaxation moments like that. Also, can I just tell you, I'm just so grateful for our family.  I'm most definitely spoiled. 

So my birthday was pretty good. Just worked, but we had some great things happen this week which I consider to be birthday presents for me.  We bought a cake and Sis Shoukat made a Pakistani snack for us. It was low key, but good. Just another day. There's pretty much no holidays in the mission. Not even Christmas. But there's plenty of those in the rest of your life to make up for it. SUPER excited for general conference. As in, you have no idea. I just need a boost. This week has been rough, kind of one of those roller coaster weeks. I pretty much feel like I'm dragging my companion around, and I'm just loosing steam. And also, it makes me ornery, which makes me not have the spirit. I feel like I've been fighting for a month now and I'm just about to break. Shoot, not good. Also, I've decided I really just don't like sisters. Ha. Doesn't that sound horrible?  Today we had a zone activity and I just hung out with the elders all day and it was so much more enjoyable. There's a reason I have the girl friends I do...they're not drama and wusses. And guys are just way more fun to hang out with. Just chill. Oh man, I need a patience pill or something. Do they make those??

So for my updates this week. So I'm gonna tell you about our investigators that I'm so super excited about! Sister Macaranas and I found them the last week of February and we've been working with them ever since. It's a family. They're young. Anthony is 24 and Dina is 18 and they have a baby that is 1 year old. Dina used to be a Muslim, but not really. Her dad was just a Muslim who had a ton of wives, so they didn't ever have any contact with him. Also, her mom left when she was little, so she honestly doesn't know her parents at all and hasn't had communication with them for years. When she was 14 she moved to Makati, up in Manila metro area to live with her uncle and finish high school. And while she was there, she met Bro Anthony. Through texting, but for reals. They started just texting randomly one day (that's super super common here) and then decided to meet. Dated for the next 6 months, got prego, and here we are 2 years later. Brother is from Cardona and only went to the first year high school, never graduated. But he's so hardworking and humble, it's crazy. Last Saturday they came with us to a service project for Sister Riza to plant a garden for her so she can have food (p.s. Her husband just left her last week, poor lady). And Bro Anthony basically planted the whole garden. So awesome. So the happy news for the week, Sis Dina got her answer to her prayer. We went to visit them and she was just so excited to tell us. "I prayed last night and I know what you're talking about. I felt it". You wouldn't believe how spiritual she is, even though she didn't even know who Jesus Christ was until she met brother. And yesterday, it just clicked for brother. It's taken a while; he has a strong catholic background. But it finally clicked for him that it's not about churches or religion, it's about the plan of God.  So they have a baptism date now!!! Yay!! Of course, gotta get married first, but no big deal. I'm so excited for them. They will be full and active members, I can just feel it. And they're so excited about the temple. I wish I could describe how happy it makes me. So that is my birthday present for the week. I feel pretty satisfied and a little overwhelmed with gratitude. The longer you're in the field, the more you start to realize you don't do anything. The Lord prepares them and the Spirit teaches them. Without that....nothing. 

 I can't think of anything else off the top of my head and I really want to send pictures so that's all for now I guess.  I love you all though and hope you have a fantastic week!!! Bye!

Bloom Where You are Planted

Hello hello from the other side of the world! Today's theme is, "bloom where you are planted". My district leader is awesome. Even if it's been rough, I’m still enjoying this transfer.  I got both packages just this morning. I haven't had time to open them, but as always, super excited and super grateful. I feel so spoiled when compared to the other missionaries here. Love you all :) Can't believe it's my birthday either. Shoot, seems like just yesterday Huss and Hay were giving me a lap dance to Usher.... Bahahaha. Good times.  Oh yeah. And about Wendy...my goodness. Count my many blessings. For reals, I have an entire list of topics I want to study but I just don't have any time for. Maybe I'll send it to her, give her a few ideas. Ha. Ouch. 

So for this week! We had quite the week. It always feels like nothing happens, but at the same time so much. Pres. DeLaMare came to church yesterday. I think it was a result of my plea for help in my last report to him. Haha. But for reals though. He talked about the city of Enoch, or Zion. Then said, we as the church are Zion. And in Zion, I don't think there was chismis (gossiping). I think in Zion, everyone fulfilled their callings. I think I Zion, everyone paid their tithing. Ah, it was just so refreshing to have a bit of backup.  He's so phenomenal and I have a ton of respect for him. The person for this week is Sister Santiago. I don't have a picture for you or anything because we just met her last Saturday. She was baptized in the late 1990's and was super gung ho. When the elders came, she basically told them, you're just kids. What can you possibly teach me? So they just gave her a Book of Mormon and said, read this. She's a scholar, so later that night, she was reading in the Bible about Christ when he teaches in the temple when he's just 12  and she goes, ok, maybe they do have something worthwhile. So she read the Book of Mormon and bam, converted. She was super active in the church, endowed, you name it. But was having serious problems with her husband and family because of her religion. She made a really hard choice to fix her broken family and gave up the church. But even now she says, I'm still Mormon at heart. She teaches the kids how to pray, that rebolto...idols, like saints, shoot I forgot the word, well whatever, that they're bawal. Oh my goodness, I can't speak English. Ha. She teaches them the plan of salvation, uses primary songs, hymns. You name it. It's honestly hilarious. She said that's her way of sharing the gospel and the truth. We were just laughing. I was honestly shocked. But her husband died almost 2 years ago, so I'm thinking it's the right timing for us to show up. Time to do some work for the dead and start living the gospel again. Haha. Too funny. 

So I basically live in a tropical wonderland. Let me just tell you....so one of the days this week we took tally of all the fruits we came across while walking between appointments. It's getting summer, so they're all starting to come out. This is our list. Guaynabo, mango, eggplant, star apple, guava, banana, pomegranate, papaya, coconut, tomatoes, sugarcane, grapefruit, dates, and of course, palaya (rice). Um, can you say crazy. I feel like I'm walking in the middle of a jamba juice shake. 

So you know how I once told you that we tend to have a lot of miscommunications with the language barriers and all. Haha. Here are two very small, but kind of funny examples. First: so last week Sister Shoukat was showing her Pakistani outfit to Sister Joseph. (She has a few of her clothes here. Don't you worry, we're going to play dress up and do a picture taking session. Yep, I still haven't grown up. Ha). Anyway, Sister Shoukat says to me, "Do you want to see my birthday suit?!". And I'm just laughing knowing that's not what she's talking about at all, but can you imagine if that was said to just any random person? Bahaha. I just laughed and explained to her what that means to us. Not so much the same.  Second: we were washing the dishes and I was thinking, man this would take forever if you had to wash the dishes of an entire family. And then I remember, oh wait a second; dishwashers exist in America (I’d forgotten. ha). So I asked Sister Shoukat, "Do you have dishwashers in Pakistan?" and she goes, "Of course. but we do all the cooking". And I’m going, well duh, of course! Took me a second to figure out, she was talking about a person while I was talking about a machine. Haha, we had a good laugh about that one. Oh man, there is way too much culture going on in this place. But I enjoy it. 

So yep, that's all for now I think. I can't believe it's already April. Shoot, speaking of April! You lucky ducks have general conference this weekend I'm super excited, there are no words. Eat some of dad's yummy food for me, eh? :) Mahal ko kayo at sana magiging maganda ang linggo ninyo! Bye!! :)

Oh yeah, p.s. We taught someone who knew about the quorum of the 70's. What the?! People barely know about the apostles, let alone the 70's. And then he asks, so how do you know if you have authority to preach the word of Christ? Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints my friend. We're going back this week. Of course :)

PICTURES...Morong area

Dinner anyone? A pan of  chicken feet.

The home of Sister Riza, one of Candace's favorites.

The new MTC in the Philippines.  Candace did tours here.  In her words "shoot it is way nice. I feel kind of ripped off in the Provo MTC with my little elementary school flip desk shoved into a tiny room."

Candace holding two very adorable children.  The one is nicknamed Taba meaning fat.  He reminds Candace of Gusgus on Cinderella.

This is the chapel that Candace attends while in Morong...pretty standard for the Philippines.  

Refiner's Fire

Hello my dear family! I'm happy to report this last week (well, half a week) has been much much better! After I vented to you guys for a bit (aw, always feels so good) I realized my problem was that I actually was just irritated because I hadn't said anything. I felt walked over. Shoot, is that not just the story of my life or what. So I gave myself an attitude adjustment and decided this was stopping now. Haha. I'm MUCH more bold with her. It's working much much better.

So can we just say this area makes me feel like I'm in the refiner's fire. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I've never felt so on the edge of my patience for such an extended period of time, and not just with my comp, with the branch, with LAs, with myself, with everything. My heavens. This branch is a mess. But on the bright side!! Yesterday I was making a list of all the things I've learned in this area....yeah, it's a pretty long list. That's one thing about being here. Usually in real life it takes a few months for you to learn a valuable lesson, you know the ones that will change your life and how you look at things. In this area, it's about 2 a week. I'm in the Metamorphic process and it does not feel good. We can do it though, right? 

 We do have a new roommate. She's also Pakistani...Sister Joseph. She's doesn't speak Tagalog at all. And she also doesn't speak English. Ouch. It's made me very grateful for my comp who is  Pakistani as well, but at least has a grasp on the language. It's been a little rough I think for Sister Segovia, but she's great, she'll figure it out. Oh the joys of having a companion.

I'm not sure what else has happened this week. It's only been a few days right? We're struggling with our less actives. They get it, it seems like they know everything, but apparently they don't because they don't want to ACT. Which means there's kulang somewhere, there's something missing. Haven't quite figured it out yet. 

So I've decided to start to give a little short blurp about one person in my area that we visit, about their life and such and then a picture so you can check it out and see their life. For this week is Sister Riza. She is honestly my hero in so many ways. One of the hardest workers I've seen here in the Philippines. So this is her story. When she was about 17, she started dating a guy and got pregnant. They didn't want to be together, so she went and lived with her aunt and starting raising her son all alone. That's when she met the missionaries. She was living with her aunt and they were actually teaching her aunt. She wasn't interested at all, but then she decided to just read the Book of Mormon and see what they were talking about. Read it, prayed, got baptized. Still has one of the strongest testimonies I’ve seen. Then she was super active, but then met her next spouse and current spouse. Fell away from the church, then got pregnant. But they stayed together and are married now. About 1 year into their marriage, she started to get active again and wanted him to join the church. He had no interest. So you can imagine the gap that's caused. She pulls sidelines just so they can eat and honest to goodness, has the most incredible attitude ever. She knows what's happened to her it's because of her choices, but she ALWAYS has a smile on her face and is so welcoming and happy. It's incredible. And such a reminder to me that, #1, your choices truly do determine your destiny, and #2, you can also choose to be happy. I wish you could just meet her. She still glows, despite everything that's going on with her life. So that's sister Riza. I tell you, one of my favorites. 

That's all I can think of. Hopefully all is well with you and you're enjoying your snow. It's starting to get a little toasty over here with summer approaching. Wowsa! Pero mahal ko kayo, at sana maganda and linggo ninyo! Ingat kayo!