Till we meet again!

Hello Family!

Here are some of the thoughts that are going through my mind. Next week?!? Is this real?! Could this be any crazier!? I am somewhat in denial! Time has just gone by so fast!! It doesn’t even seem real that my time here is coming to end. Sister Culangan and I are taking in every minute we have left to be with these people and share the gospel. It is bitter sweet!

This week was a pretty punted week though! We started to get a little frustrated because we were prepared and ready to teach these people and find people to teach but it seemed almost impossible! We walked for hours in pouring rain then blistering heat then pouring rain again only to be punted. But while walking I remembered a quote by M. Russell Ballard, "It is impossible to fail if you do your best and are on the Lords errand." It's true! Even though we were punted and nobody would accept us we were trying and that is what matters! So even though we may feel we aren't good enough or we can't accomplish anything, we can! Heavenly Father is never going to let us fail if we do what He asks. He will help us and we can accomplish great things.

Sunny and Marita are going through so many challenges right now. They have always struggled financially but have always put aside money every day so they could have money to get to church. Well Marita has been feeling very sick and they don't have money for her to go to the doctors because their baby ended up getting sick too and they had no food and no milk for their baby. But how amazing it was to see them walk through the chapel doors on Sunday morning in their best clothes because they know if they put the Lord first, He will help them. It is people like Sunny and Marita who inspire me to be better and I know they are going to make amazing members of the church someday. I love them!

At church yesterday everyone kept teasing us how we only have 1 week left. They enjoy teasing us because they are returned missionaries and know how we feel, it's hard to leave! They then announced in Sacrament meeting, "Sister Wilde and Sister Culangan are going home really soon and so we would like to invite everyone to their farewell party on March 5th at 6pm. It will be combined ward 1 and ward 2." Say what?? They are throwing us a farewell party. They are seriously the sweetest. (I had to laugh that they announced it at the pulpit.) I am going to miss these people like crazy!!!!

I love you all, see you soon!

Love,
Sister Wilde

p.s. Mom- don't get too trunky ;)

Sunday fun :)

My companions on Sunday :)

Outback in the Philippines. SO GOOD. The members love us ;)

Can you say trunky? Haha no! We were just preparing our things last p-day and had to take a picture! It is clean now :)

I really appreciate my district leaders Pinterest white boards during district meeting.

I love Sheila!!

Even though we were punted and tired, we still smile because we are on the Lord's errand!

I love teaching Filipinos about s'mores :)

Last p-day means play basketball! Don't mean to brag but I won all 3 games of speed. How? Not sure, but I said it is because I am not trunky ;) Elder Batchelder (yes that is his name) is in a chair because he sprained his ankle really bad! Surprised it's not me?

Justine's not too trunky mom here. I feel like I have been on an emotional roller coaster these last few weeks as we get ready for our sweet girl to come home and as we prepare to send our son on his mission. I am so excited to have her home and can't wait to hug her and hear all about her experiences, but my heart is also breaking for her knowing how hard this is going to be to leave the people that she has come to love so much. The Philippines and people there will forever have a special place in her heart! So tonight when cute little Sister in Justine's mission tagged me in a post on FB I found myself crying as I read her sweet words. Words can not even begin to express how grateful I am that this girl chose to serve a mission. We have all been blessed beyond measure because of it. Heavenly Father is mindful of His children and knows who we need and where we are needed.

This is SISTER WILDE.
My most favorite Sister Missionary assigned at Ormoc 1st Ward!
She was so funny. Yeah! .😊😊
She was beautiful inside and out! .💘💘
I Love this girl.I really love working with her!
I'll gonna miss her when she'll gonna
go back to her True Home at Utah. cry emoticon
But I'm so much grateful that I meet this Extraordinary Woman.
I'll Cherish those happy moments with you smile emoticon
I hope we'll meet again someday. 😂😄😜
heart emoticon SISTER ORTIZA
#TillWeMeetAgain.

They are like my family!

 Hello my dear family and friends! How is everyone doing? Things are really great and really, really emotional over here! As the time is getting closer for me to return home, I can't hold back the tears! Especially when teaching and spending time with these people. They are like my family! The most common thing I keep hearing is, "Sister Wilde, it's like you are from here. You've been here in Ormoc so long!" And this week really proved it as we walked through the streets and rode on tricycles random people say, "Hello Sister Wilde!! How are you?!" And they are people who I have been able to talk to about their families and invite to church as well as give them pamphlets. They truly have become my friends here and I love it! (I also had a nightmare my family forgot to get me at the airport so please don't forget me. Hahaha.)

This week there has been a lot of walking. My whole mission has been a lot of walking but this is really A LOT because covering 2 areas is actually harder than we thought, but despite the challenge, we love it and are learning so much! We worked in Alta Vista which is part of my current area (ward 1) and the people there are really progressing and ready to receive the gospel! We have one new investigator, Rhemehea, who has so many questions which makes for a really awesome lesson. We have invited her to church but she said she wants us to teach her a little bit more before she commits to come so we can't wait to go back this week.

We visited Sister Peregrino this week (one of my most favorite people in the world) and she is doing great! She totally made me cry and said she won't come to church my last Sunday because she might make a scene sobbing her eyes out. Hahaha but we committed her to come because it wouldn't be complete without her and she said she would also prepare my favorite food before we go home! (Bananaque and Buko Salad-only she makes it the best:))

We worked with a sweet nanay in ward 2 and she was able to show us the home of a Less Active we didn't know about! We came to find out that the reason she hasn't been to church is because she is really offended by the members. She made a comment that was really sad to me, she said, "The church is true. The gospel is perfect. But the members are the worst!!" She really emphasized on the last part and I was caught off guard by her bitterness toward the members of the church. I have been thinking about it all week and as I have thought about it a few different things have come to mind. In our lives we are always going to have people who say mean things to us or about us. There are always going to be people who might do something mean to you but that is their choice. We cannot use what they did to us as an excuse for being Less Active or becoming someone people are afraid to be around. Jesus Christ had people reject him, spit on him, and so much more, yet He loved them. He didn't curse them or blame them, He still loved them. I hope we can always remember the example of our Savior Jesus Christ in treating others (our brothers and sisters) the way He would, with love and respect, even if they have done or said something bad to us. The other thing that came to mind is I hope as members of the church we remember who we are and what we stand for. We can't find ourselves caught up in the things of the world and try to fit in with the world’s standards. I remember the talk our beloved prophet gave last General Conference. He said, "Recently, as I have been reading and pondering the scriptures, two passages in particular have stayed with me. Both are familiar to us. The first is from the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The second scripture is one which came to my mind as I pondered the meaning of the first. It is from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to Timothy: “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” I believe the second scripture explains, in great part, how we can accomplish the first. We become examples of the believers by living the gospel of Jesus Christ in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. As we do so, our lights will shine for others to see. Each of us came to earth having been given the Light of Christ. As we follow the example of the Savior and live as He lived and as He taught, that light will burn within us and will light the way for others." I hope we can all remember those scriptures and strive to become the sons and daughters our Heavenly Father wants us to become. It won't be easy but He will help us and it will be worth it :)

I love you all! Have a great week! Remember who you are and what you stand for :)

Love,
Sister Wilde

So haggard but I am cooking Maha in what you call here a "dirty kitchen"

District activity!

Zone Leaders. We just laugh at Elder Suisalas' umbrella!

Because this puppy is adorable and reminds me of Gracie!

Lake Danao!

Me and my companion!

The sun was piercing in to my eyes in this picture but hey, there is a "wildeing shop" close to our apartment.                     (welding shop)                      

Miracles and Surprises!

Hello Family!

So this week was a reminder that here in my mission I am always experiencing surprises and seeing miracles every day. It is something I love and absolutely enjoy :) (I enjoy the miracles more than the surprises. haha)

The surprise that we had this week was an unexpected little transfer. Surprise! Yep, that happened. No worries, I didn't transfer because I'm Ormoc for life, but Sister Lopez transferred. She is now in Carigara with Sister Neemia and my companion is Sister Culangan! She has been my roomate for the last 2 cycles and with her companion Sister Stinchfield going home we are now assigned in Ormoc 1st and 2nd ward. Talk about a BIG area!! Everyone in Ormoc 2nd just couldn't help but laugh yesterday because I get to be assigned there again before I go home and continue my work is Ormoc 1st. It's a challenge but we are enjoying every minute of it :)

I would like to share 2 miracles that happened to us this week :) We were working in my area and then were on our way to Sister Culangan's area and it is FAR APART. We were walking because our money was low because of how much we have been using to get around our areas. While walking for a long time a tricycle pulled up next to us and kept insisting we ride. We just got in the tricycle and when we got to our destination, he told us not to pay, that the ride was on him.

Our other miracle was on Saturday morning when we finished working we stopped at the grocery store because we didn't have food and we needed to also make it through Sunday. While grabbing some food we saw a member and talked to him for a minute then went to go buy our things. They started ringing up our groceries and we got really nervous because again, so low on money! Well before we knew it the member came up to us and said he will be paying for our groceries! Heavenly Father is truly aware of each one of us and will never let us down when we are in need!

Ryan and Mae are progressing wonderfully! They weren't able to come to church this Sunday since they went to the bukid but they are reading the Book of Mormon and have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ with open hearts and willing minds.

Sunny and Marita are still showing their strong faith by attending church and doing all they can to save their money and prepare for baptism! They have such a love for the Gospel and hearing them bear testimony is amazing.

We have some cute little part member investigators Mary May, Trisha, and Angelica. Teaching the Gospel to little kids is one of my favorite things because they have so many questions and say the funniest things! It's always a wonderful feeling as well to teach these kids to complete their families so they can work toward being sealed in the Temple!

I love doing the work of the Lord, it brings nothing but happiness and satisfaction into my life as well as the lives of those we teach every day.

I love you all :)
Sister Wilde

LOVE  THESE SISTERS :) This was at our specialized training!

We had a baby powder fight. Haha.

Baby lizard.

Feeling the love this Valentine's Day :)

Walked into church and there was a chicken. Nothing unusual about this here in the Philippines :)

RUSSIA.....I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!

Oh the drama that is taking place in this computer shop right now! With tears streaming down my cheeks words cannot express how proud I am of Kaden. He is going to do amazing things in Russia and I have no doubt in my mind he is going to change lives for the better, including his own. Even though our missions are COMPLETELY different I know he will have at least one convert. That is all we need in our mission, one convert, ourselves. I love you Kaden!! I also need to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Make it great :)

This week we had MLC in Tacloban and it was a blast because almost all of my batch are STL's or ZL's and Elder HoChing is one of the APs!! Sister Malu and I joked in Carigara that we would love one of our Batch to be one of the AP's before we went home and it happened. Nindot! Basta, it was great and it's always awesome to know how I can be a better missionary and leader for the Sisters we are over.

We did exchanges this week with Sister Culangan and Sister Stinchfield and I worked with Sister Stinchfield, have I mentioned that she is just the cutest thing! It is so fun to be with a new missionary and I remember what it was like to be in her place. Still learning the language and still learning to love the food ;) Unfortunately, she has been having a lot of health problems and has already gone to Manila but her stomach pain has come back so she will be returning home. She is heartbroken but has such strong faith and determination to come back and finish serving for her full 18 months.

This week with our investigators Ryan and Mae our lesson was AWESOME. First, we go to her house and what is she doing? Reading the Book of Mormon!! How awesome is that?? We taught the Plan of Salvation and I love seeing that spark of curiosity in their eyes when we tell them they won't go to hell when they die. A lot of people here believe that so they are afraid of death! The spirit was so strong and they are progressing so much! We taught them about Temples yesterday and they really want to come to church next week! They have so much potential!

I am still loving Ormoc! How could I not? I am Eternal Ormoc Mission. Haha! The ward is really supporting us in our missionary efforts and great things are coming about. Slowly, but surely!

Love you all!
Sister Wilde

BATCH

Dinner :) Some of our recent converts and investigators of Sister Culangan and Sister Stinchfield!!

My companions!

Two things that made me LAUGH yesterday! #1

#2 haha!