Thanksgiving

My dearest loved ones,

 

Hello! How's everyone doing? I'm already here in Hong Kong! Last week's been busy because of moving in here and moving into a new apartment and I now live with Filipina sisters. It's been a great week here in Hong Kong. It's totally different from the work in Macau but it's still missionary work though, it's amazing to participate in this great and marvelous work! This is just fantastic, happy news we share!

 

My last week in Macau was full of miracles. Sister Mabunga and I were able to teach a family! Yay! They're only having a vacation in Macau though but they are also listening to the missionaries in the Philippines. We also went family finding and it's amazing how God leads us to them. Less-active finding and reactivation with the members was also great! And being able to see these souls back to church is priceless! What I also love the most here in the mission is being able to see the faces of our investigators and others beam with light and their contenance change as they start to grow in faith, change, and draw themselves closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Their hearts are just soften with His gospel. Yay! We also had our Zone Conference and I personally learned so many things that I need to apply. I love how we should be grateful in ALL things, both the good and bad. Everyday is just beautiful and you see everything in a brighter light and you are much happier. One thing I also learned is to seek and willing to accept corrections. It takes heaps of humility! But it helps you grow more and as I struggle here, I rely more on the Lord and it has brought so much miracles here in the mission field. I'll surely miss Macau and all the people there! I miss them already! Happy to see that one of our investigators emailed me today. Yay!

 

So I have a new companion, Sister Capucion from Quezon province. She's super sweet, diligent, and obedient. Haha! She's a wonderful companion and I love her. We were able to visit the Temple last week and it was just an awesome experience to be there and to receive revelation and it really strengthened me. One of the highlights this week is Sister Susan's baptism! She called Friday night and she said she wants to be baptized this Sunday and she doesn't want to extend it anymore. Her friend who referred her to the church flew all the way from the US to baptize and confirm her. It was really special and spiritual. Sister Susan's amazing too! I finally met the members here in Hong Kong. There are so many Filipina sisters here and they're all so nice!! I can't wait to get to know them better! I'm still struggling memorizing all their names haha! The members and even our investigators also helped in packing relief goods for those who are victims from the Typhoon Yolanda. I hope and pray everyone's coping up with the tragedy.

 

It's almost Christmas!!! Yay! I'm praying for all of you and I love you!

 

Fun/weird/just-so-you know fact for the week:

1. The worst thing a missionary can eat in Macau is Durian. hahaha!

(THIS EMAIL WAS SENT LAST NOVEMBER 25, 2013)

Heaven's at Hand

Yesterday, I gave a talk about Peace of Conscience (it's actually my 4th time to give a talk as a missionary. First one's at the MTC) and found Elder Richard G. Scott's talk helpful. I just felt prompted to share it to you because of what's been happening to the Philippines lately. I heard it's the strongest typhoon in the world and that almost 10k lives were lost and so many are suffering and afflicted. I was thinking, crying, and praying about it the other night because of such tragedy. I know so many right are now are having a very difficult time because they don't have peace of mind. For many, relief and happiness can come by understanding the relationship between peace of conscience and peace of mind. Peace of mind is caused by external factors such as economic pressures, calamities, and the like but don't worry, it is TEMPORARY and TRANSITORY. Yes it gives temporary anxiety and distress but it can be resolved by the factors that caused it but not so with a troubled conscience, which is unrelenting, ever present, a constant reminder to correct past mistakes, to make peace with someone you've offended or repent from past transgressions. It's just so hard to have a disturb conscience but peace of conscience is just the essential ingredient to one's peace of mind. Peace of conscience is something really important for us to obtain and it can only be gained by living a righteous life and by obeying God's commandments. It's the foundation of happiness and it's only you who can work on it because it has something to do with your inner self and to let go of all the negative things and to trust in Him. So if you want to be happy? Have peace of conscience and you can find it only through our Savior, Jesus Christ and in His Atonement and by living His gospel. :) I know there's a lot of work to do in the Philippines by helping the victims, giving them comfort, and starting again from zero but in due time, I know it will all be fine. God loves all His children. I'm grateful to hear that you have been helping in giving relief to our dear brothers and sisters. You will truly be blessed for your service. :)

I'm excited for our investigator, Brother R's baptism. He is too and his excited about the priesthood too. We've also extended baptismal dates to Sisters and D and J. The work here continues and I've learned a lot from our Zone Training. President Hawks is really called of God. It's just amazing to think that I can't imagine I survived all the demands of missionary work. Everything's just possible because of the Lord's help. It's crazy and beautiful and I love it! :) 

*photos from Pday at the Venetian with the English&Cantonese speaking sisters

*with my fave lunch buddies- Sister Choi and Sister Chui, so fun!! 

*with the elders going back to Macau from our HK u-turn

PS

Please teach me how to speak Ilocano haha. We have investigators speaking Ilocano! 

Love,

Sister Posadas

Merry Christmas

I was supposed to send this last week but oh well, here it is... :)

Dear Family and Friends,

    Merry Christmas! This is my favorite time of the year but things are tough (hard!!) haha but remember what Pres. Monson shared during the genereal conference:

"Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees. The further sky, the greater length. The more storm, the more strength. By sun and cold, by rain and snow, in trees and men good timbers grow." -Douglas Maloch "Good Timber" (Pres Monson, Oct 2013) ....so all these hard times are the perfect times for us to grow! :)

    The past two weeks, I had an experience to teach someone without a Christian background. I thought I'd never have that kind of experience because that's only common to Chinese work but when it's least expected to happen, it did and I just can't escape it haha! I just trusted the Spirit to guide me and yes, there are still a lot of people who don't know who Jesus Christ is. We're so blessed to know him and recognize Him as our Savior and that He is the reason why we celebrate this season. I'm grateful for the Indonesian sisters who helped me during the lesson and they were my translators. :)

    It's Christmas party week and Christmas devotional all week long until the 25th! It's exciting! Christmas songs all around!Sometimes when I'm feeling selfish by being homesick for Christmas, I think of the other sisters who are working here and are far from their families. I'll just be away from home for two Christmases and it's not that bad. This is just the best opportunity to serve others here and always have the Spirit of Christ. I love our Savior, Jesus Christ! He who is the greatest made Himself the least. He truly loves us all. And the hard times we have are just an itsy bitsy piece of what He has done for us. There's this American sister who attended church and the party last week, she sang, O Holy Night, and explained how she loved the third verse. Listen to the lyrics of the third verse. It's so beautiful and it brought us all to tears! She had an experience in China that her passport was stolen which caused her trouble but she turned the outward Christ and understood that the one who stole that is a slave and is having a harder time. I come to think of our Savior and for ALL that He has done for us. He submitted willingly to His Father. May we always remember His love and sacrifice for us. He is the Prince of Peace! Oh come, let us adore Him! :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH! You are all awesome! I love you! Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, they love you! May we all have an unforgettable and an uplifting Christmas!!!!

PS.

Dad, I can't be with the family to sing your traditional Away in a Manger with the action but every time I hear it makes me feel like crying. I miss you and I love you all! :)

*Attached are some Christmas photos and selfies, sarreh can't help it >:)))

Love,
Sister Posadas

The Reason For This Season

Sa Aking Minamahal na Pamilya,

How are you all doing there? I miss you! Especially now that Christmas is coming! Teehee! Guess what, I'm reunited with my mother/trainer, Sister Mabunga here in HK. I'm so excited to be working with her again! We enjoy each others company so much being miracle workers and working on being powerful servants/missionaries! We'll be talking a lot today for sure and it's wonderful news to be hearing about the people they've baptized in Macau! We're getting ready for Jaycel and Carol's baptism this month. It's not all about baptisms, it's helping them to be converted in the gospel and help them enter the gates to the Celestial Kingdom. We also have this goal in the branches where I serve to help the recent converts to stay active in the church and help them "dress in white twice" and that is to help them stay active in the church and help them prepare to enter the temple and receive their endowments. I work with two branches here and the branch missionary leaders are just amazing! They're all women though because our branch is made up of mostly women! Hooray for girl power haha!

Being here in Hong Kong serving the people has really helped me a lot. God really is indeed mindful of all His children because it is only here in HK where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold church services from Tuesdays-Sundays because God knows the circumstances of His children and He understands them that's why He made a way for them to go to church because the work schedules of the overseas Filipino workers here are far different from the usual ones. It's really awesome to hear the talks more than once a week and you learn something new the next time you hear it! And I'm going to be a speaker twice next week! It was also fast and testimony meeting all week long and I am blessed and grateful to hear testimonies from the sisters here which were really edifying and uplifting. Life's not been smooth sailing for them but because of their faith in Jesus Christ and because they are doing their best to live the gospel in their life, they have been surely blessed. I have learned so much from the members here. They are strong and courageous women. They are also very faithful and they're doing their best for their families and I do feel that they really want to be with their families. Wonderful testimonies all week long but it doesn't mean that we, missionaries, get to fast all week long! Haha!

I've seen God's hand everyday as He helps us with His work. It's just amazing how God gives us a chance to make a difference. He could do it all Himself, but He chooses to let us, imperfect as we are (imperfect and weak as I am!), to try our best while He makes up the rest. Our zone training taught us to be consecrated missionaries and that is to always remember our purpose in EVERYTHING that we do and that's what I'm working on... "consecration" ha! Big word! It was also said before by a mission president, "many are called but few are truly obedient".

I started reading one chapter in Luke each day and I get to finish it before Christmas! It tells about the events of Jesus Christ when He was here on earth. The Book of Mormon also testifies a lot about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Get to know Him better and try to be like Him each day and give a piece of yourself to others. Always remember the reason for this season, my loves!

Fun/weird/just-so-you-know facts:

1. My companions are hardcore native tagalog speakers and I tried studying the Tagalog Preach My Gospel and I understood it better but the words are kind of deep, right? Sister Capucion the other day said, "malagatis ang kanin" and I was like, "what in the world is malagatis?!" >:D

2. There are more mobile phones than human beings here in HK that's why we have Online Elders here. Yes, the Lord is indeed hastening His work! People are so techy here!

3. The International/Filipina sisters have no boundaries. As long as there are Filipinos, it's still our area. ;)

4. Some Chinese people have been approaching me since I got in HK. I think they're asking for directions. I feel bad I can't help them. All I say is I don't know in Cantonese! Heee! I swear, I am Filipino and I look like one.

I love you all. Have a blessed week!

Sister Posadas

(This email was sent last December 9, 2013)