Hey ya'all!
Kumusta po kayo? (How are you? :)
I hope everything is going well wherever you are! Happy Thanksgiving!!
For Thanksgiving here at the Philippines MTC we had burgers, fries and ice cream! American yes...but I kind of missed the turkey and mashed potatoes and things like that! haha it's ok though! I'm very very happy! :)
This week went by SOOO fast! Time flies here! I'm happy for that sometimes, but I don't want this to fly by! It's too precious!
The language is going well- it's so exciting when I can get into a lesson or role play and Tagalog just comes out! I always get scared that I won't remember what to say or something, but as soon as I open my mouth, I remember it all and it all just comes out! It's super exciting! The other day we were in the middle of class and just about to do practice teaching when the MTC head teaching instructor walked in! My teacher had ME pair up with him and I was able to share a message all in Tagalog! I got some words mixed up, like I said "God questions all our answers" (instead of "God answers all our questions") haha, but it was still cool! The Lord has definetly blessed me, but I have to constantly work at it!
Nothing super exciting happened this week, I had some cool thoughts during class and as we go about our day:
1) As missionaries we are supposed to be representatives of Jesus Christ. I always knew that, but during a role play one evening, as we visited with our 'investigator' and she talked about her struggles and her worry that she would never be able to change, an image came in to my mind of our Savior sitting in the living room of this good sister, talking to her and comforting her and reassuring her that through Him, she could be happy again. And suddenly it all hit me- I am representing Christ to this sister! And just as Christ was a good listener, a good friend, a good comforter and showed genuine love and concern for peoples' lives...I am to be that as well. I'm humbled but excited for that call, because being Christlike is the best goal I have ever had, and one that I will be working for my entire life. Becoming like Christ will bring us more happiness than we can ever imagine as we forget about ourselves and do things entirely for someone else :)
2) Endure to the End. I've talked a lot about obedience before, and it's coming up again haha! What helps me be obedient? It's knowing that IF I can just follow these rules and this lifestyle for this short time, an eternity of happiness will be mine. Yes, I miss mountains and '80's music and lighthouses and just living a normal life, but I know that if I can just hold on, I will have all that AND MORE in the end. Instead of a CTR ring, I have an ETTE (Endure to the End) ring, and that quest and that goal and the hope that someday I will receive all the happiness and peace has carried me through every day here:) It's hard to explain haha and may sound weird, but sunsets help me carry on and have an ETERNAL perspective, not just a mortal, in the moment glimpse. That's why I love sunsets:)
Sorry this email's shorter, but thanks for everything and I love you all!!!
Mahal kita (I love you),
Sister Allen
Kumusta po kayo? (How are you? :)
I hope everything is going well wherever you are! Happy Thanksgiving!!
For Thanksgiving here at the Philippines MTC we had burgers, fries and ice cream! American yes...but I kind of missed the turkey and mashed potatoes and things like that! haha it's ok though! I'm very very happy! :)
This week went by SOOO fast! Time flies here! I'm happy for that sometimes, but I don't want this to fly by! It's too precious!
The language is going well- it's so exciting when I can get into a lesson or role play and Tagalog just comes out! I always get scared that I won't remember what to say or something, but as soon as I open my mouth, I remember it all and it all just comes out! It's super exciting! The other day we were in the middle of class and just about to do practice teaching when the MTC head teaching instructor walked in! My teacher had ME pair up with him and I was able to share a message all in Tagalog! I got some words mixed up, like I said "God questions all our answers" (instead of "God answers all our questions") haha, but it was still cool! The Lord has definetly blessed me, but I have to constantly work at it!
Nothing super exciting happened this week, I had some cool thoughts during class and as we go about our day:
1) As missionaries we are supposed to be representatives of Jesus Christ. I always knew that, but during a role play one evening, as we visited with our 'investigator' and she talked about her struggles and her worry that she would never be able to change, an image came in to my mind of our Savior sitting in the living room of this good sister, talking to her and comforting her and reassuring her that through Him, she could be happy again. And suddenly it all hit me- I am representing Christ to this sister! And just as Christ was a good listener, a good friend, a good comforter and showed genuine love and concern for peoples' lives...I am to be that as well. I'm humbled but excited for that call, because being Christlike is the best goal I have ever had, and one that I will be working for my entire life. Becoming like Christ will bring us more happiness than we can ever imagine as we forget about ourselves and do things entirely for someone else :)
2) Endure to the End. I've talked a lot about obedience before, and it's coming up again haha! What helps me be obedient? It's knowing that IF I can just follow these rules and this lifestyle for this short time, an eternity of happiness will be mine. Yes, I miss mountains and '80's music and lighthouses and just living a normal life, but I know that if I can just hold on, I will have all that AND MORE in the end. Instead of a CTR ring, I have an ETTE (Endure to the End) ring, and that quest and that goal and the hope that someday I will receive all the happiness and peace has carried me through every day here:) It's hard to explain haha and may sound weird, but sunsets help me carry on and have an ETERNAL perspective, not just a mortal, in the moment glimpse. That's why I love sunsets:)
Sorry this email's shorter, but thanks for everything and I love you all!!!
Mahal kita (I love you),
Sister Allen