Just thought i'd fill my mother in...‏

OK so I'm in Bacolod I went to the doctor earlier and they think I might have either typhoid fever or dengue which is malaria from the mosquito's...i know i know i only have like one month left and I'm pullin stuff like this again...I'm sorry. but hey I'm doing ok my fever broke earlier and they are gonna do some more test tomorrow. if they admit me to the hospital i could be there anywhere from 3-5 days we'll see hopefully not because we have a baptism we need to prepare our investigators for on sat! but the Lord will help it all work out. look on the bright side sister Fairweather had malaria 2 weeks ago and dropped 15 in a week! NOT TO SHABBY 4weeks before I come home haha :) Anyways I'll keep ya'll updated, I love you soooo much and I hope all is going well with Tillman and the family. keep my health in your prayers as usual haha LALU!

Sister Grant

Cloud 9...‏

Hello Everyone!!

This week has been so crazy! and I'm sorry its been a couple weeks since I have updated you guys but things have been great as usual. My area is still progressing so well, I had to have a special interview with my stake president, Bishop and Mission President about my plans and future progression of Tagnipis and the possibility of opening a branch there. I was so nervous and had to present a whole plan and stuff, but I got the approval from all 3 and now there is nothing stoppin us! haha we've gotten the attendance out there from 9 to 17 and hopefully we'll get over 20 next week.

In our home ward here in Old Sagay, our attendance is going up as well its been so great our re-activation efforts are solid and working really well. We have 3 whole families completely back in the church with callings and schedules and plans to be sealed in Cebu. We also are working really closely with 4 new families and each has a part member with a baptismal date! 2 for may 29 and the rest in June right before I go home! I can't wait, my first week here the attendance was 76 and yesterday we had 115! We have been working so hard with the leaders to get everything in the ward running smoothly.

Yesterday the Stake Pres came to our Sacrament Mtg and he said later in our ward council (sad to say) he finally felt the spirit in sacrament mtg in old sagay. I looked over at Bishop and he just winked at me haha I just LOVE our Bishop he really is just trying soo hard to help his members and his ward.I played my violin yesterday in sac mtg as well ( one of my fav hymns #26) it was soo ridiculous because I'm also the ward pianist a joke in itself haha but anyways so there was no one to accompany me on the violin so I recorded MYSELF playing on the keyboard and then during sac mtg my comp just sat there and pushed play lol! So I definitely accompanied myself on the violin :) hey you do what ya gotta do right? love it.

So we had transfers last Friday and I picked up my new greenie :) Yup President is having me train again and I was so excited! Its such a blast teaching a brand new missionary everything you love about the work and of course everything I love about the PINES! She is great. Her name is Sis Ziebarth which is hilarious when the Filipinos try to say it at first haha anyways shes 21 and from San Diego CA she graduated from Law enforcement and worked at a police station for 2 and 1/2 years and wants to be in the CIA or FBI when she gets home! Crazy huh, but she is way fun and has a way laid back personality so its nice and I think we will have a really smooth and fun transfer I'm excited. She's already had some funny experiences with the food situation and meeting the giant lizard that lives in our kitchen. Bless her heart. I love training.

So I'm running out of time but I wanted to tell ya'll real quick about one of our investigators that will be baptized in June. His name is Ray and he is incredible he just moved here to help his grandma who lives alone and is also our R.S President. He is 17 years old and wants to be a member sooo bad! Yesterday he was the first one at church he was earlier than the Bishop! and wearing a white shirt and black pants, then when we visited him after church he told me how he has started his Duty to God award and has a goal to finish it before he turns 18! haha are ya kidding me?! We just barely finished the 2nd lesson and he's already workin on his duty to God! He will be such an amazing elder one day :) I also had one of the daughters of the families we reactivated tell me she was going to name her daughter (june2 is her due date) after me haha so theres that :) I LOVE THE PINES!

Well thats all the time I have so I hope you all have a wonderful week and I love you all!

Always, Sister Grant

Flag this message Pioneer children sang as they walked..and walked...

Hello Family!!

I hope all is going great as usual! This week was a good one, we got a lot of work done in Tagnipis I'm still truckin along with my goal to start a Branch there and everything is going really well we should have our first Sacrament Mtg there in two weeks on the 16th.I'm so excited! We split whenever I work out there because my companion can't make the hike she has asthma and its about a 2 and half to 3 mile walk and boy is it HOT here! so she stays with a ward missionary and continues the work in Old Sagay and I head out to the middle of nowhere with 2 of our ward missionaries haha I love it though its so beautiful there and it feels like the people are seriously just sitting around waiting for us to walk up and talk to them!

On Friday I was trying to find the house of a Less active member and asked a woman sitting outside her house with her two children. I asked her where the lady's house was and she told me, and then I started to talk a little bit with her...come to find FUNNILY ENOUGH she has always been "curious" about the mormons haha and we ended up teaching a lesson to her, her husband and her count em 11 CHILDREN! haha The lesson was so powerful and they had so many ?s and were so receptive. Talk about your modern day miracles mom :)

So moving right along there. We have another baptism on sat :) We have re-activated one of the very first families we visited here in Old Sagay they've been to church every week since we've been here now and there daughter whose name is Angel Joy :) will be baptized on Saturday and they've already had their interview with bishop to set a goal date to go to the temple! So as you can tell I'm as happy as a clam haha and the work is still just on fire!

Earlier today we had our zone activity at the beach in my area, it was a BLAST we played games and BBQ I was teasing the elders as we looked out at the ocean singing "6 WEEKS NA LANG" which means I only have 6wks left haha and then I'd be back at the beach in Mexico only I'll be in the that water quicker than you can imagine! ;)

Well I love you all so much, nothing has changed with my house situation I bought more nails the other day and fixed my bed bc the leg snapped during the night dropping my bed instantly to the ground giving me a heart attack at about 1am haha I texted the APs and they just said they were so happy I'm such a "girl scout" so they don't have to make the trek out here to fix everything I told them well durn if I knew thats whats taking ya'll so long I'll stop buying nails! haha no worries.

Anyways love you all and miss ya tons can't wait to call next week and talk to ya'll have a great week keep smiling and keep going to the temple I love it!

Always,
Sister Grant

P.S
Happy Bday Colton and Becky late I know sorry ahaha

Carabaw Encounters...

Sorry I have like 0 time this week to write so I haven't read any of your letters yet so if I don't answer any ?s forgive me and I'll make a note to answer them next week I promise!
So this week has been crazy! I LOVE my new area it is so fun and the work is just on FIRE. I'm even talking to President right now and the stake leadership in my area about a proposal I gave to open a whole new Branch in one part of my area! I proposed the idea to my Mission President and he said I have to talk to the leaders in my area and so things are still in the works but if I can raise the attendance, secure Priesthood leadership and prove their willingness to pay tithing the wonderful people of "Tagnipis" could have their very own branch in their area instead of WALKING ( no transportation) about a mile and a half to go to church! Not to mention the opportunity that gives them not just to attend church but to have callings and serve in their own branch. Oh it gives me chills just thinking about it! haha Obviously all those things are a lot easier said then done but the Lord is helping us sooo much in this area I am positive I'll at least get to see the beginning stages of it all.

We have the Baptism of Lored Gustillo on Saturday and I'm so excited we've been working so hard to gain the trust back from the members and a brand new baptism our 3rd week here is a great way to start! haha I love it. We also have found 3 new families to teach that have part members and the members in their families are strong so things are going great! My companion and I get along great and we are just having a blast learning the area and just working our hearts out to find and establish the work again in Old Sagay its exhausting but so fun and the results are better than anything else!

So a quick funny story for ya, the other day we were walking on this tiny dirt road on both sides of us was sugar cane about 6ft high the path was narrow and there was 4 of us. Sis Cruz and I our ward missionary sister Jennifer 30yr old RM and Nanay Mahilum the most hard working old lady in Old Sagay she's almost 60 yrs old but works with us every day. Anyways, as we were walking the path opened up on one side where they had started to harvest the sugar cane then all the sudden we hear a man yelling and then up ahead on the narrow path where the sugar can started again this huge carabaw turns the corner charging full speed ahead just a gruntin! We all 4 screamed and of course the 3 of them ran to one side of the road and I ran to the other haha and of course I happened to be wearing my Hot Pink Jody dress the angry beast follows me!! SO there I am screaming my crazy fool head off trying to escape the beast and the Filipino man is yelling running behind trying to grab the rope dragging on the ground haha I finally just darted into the sugar cane and the carabaw stopped at the edge panting and grunting staring at me in the rows haha I was laughing so hard but my heart was about to beat out of my chest!
The man finally grabbed the rope and calmed the beast down and called out when they were far enough away the carabaw wouldn't see me and I made my victorious exit from the sugar cane where the Sis Cruz and the other women were waiting laughing their heads off hah I thought I was gonna pee my pants I was laughing so hard.

Anyways! so theres something for ya'll to laugh at this week I hope all is well and everyone is doing great as usual. I finally got your package THANK YOU SO MUCH! I loved everything inside. and Dad your labels look AWESOME I love the blue flower great job Bai. your right it looks real sharp with the product name. Also your pics from Hawaii are soo cute! your girls are soo big! its so weird you look so different to me yet your still my girls. Beautiful as ever. Congrats Denee' I'm so excited its another girl! haha poor Chris but we all know it made Dad and Colton the men they are today because they grew up around us women haha. I love you all soo much and can't wait to call on Mothers day!
stay happy and smiling!

LALU
Always, Sister grant

More Pictures and Videos sent home about 2 weeks ago

Running from the rats and mice in her apartment!!

General Conference

Ok first off I just want to say that conference was absolutely WONDERFUL! I loved it. I can't believe its already been another 6 months but man were all the talks soo good. I love how inspired all the speakers are about the topics. Each session has an overall "theme" like Elder Neil A. Anderson said and its always incredible to see the miracle of all the talks building on each other. I learned so much and received so much council and guidance that I was seeking. Now I just have to patiently wait for the Liahona to come out next month so I can read and study them all over again! haha

I was happy to hear ya'll got out of Utah I was praying for you guys that you wouldn't get stuck there. I can't even tell you how happy it makes me every letter you write me about all the family history work ya'll are doing! I'm so jealous, but I guess I still have 2 months to focus on the living then I can start helping with the dead no? haha save me some names ha?! I just get chills when I think about our whole family inside the temple just baptizing and doing the work for our lamanite heritage :) KEEP GOING!!

My new area is sooo awesome! The Lord is truly pouring out the blessings on us here in Old Sagay. We've only been there 1 week but we already have some really good solid investigators that I'm so excited for! The members here are incredible, they come out with us every single day and help us. We just go from one part member/ Less active family to the next and we are having sooo much success! Through some tender mercies of the Lord and help from the ward we were able to contact two girls ages 16 and 19 that had baptismal dates before the area closed and then were just kind of forgotten about. So sad! but even though they were never baptized they still went to church every week in the neighboring city with their aunt and have continued to read the BOM and their desire to be baptized is stronger than ever! We taught them twice and then gave them a new baptismal date! Hows that for progress in a newly opened area haha our first week and we have 2 investigators with a Date! haha I couldn't be happier to say the least :)

It is seriously beautiful here, I can't WAIT to bring ya'll here and have you actually walk down these little roads with me and meet these wonderful people. Pictures and stories just don't do justice in the slightest degree.
I love you all so much and miss you even more! I'm excited to hear if I'll have another niece or nephew so make sure you fill me in!
Stay safe and keep going to the temple! Keep the letters coming :)

LaLu, Always,
Sister Grant

Makin History Baby!!!!

Alright first off thanks for all the letters! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed and got to listen to conference! I can't wait!! We have to wait one week for the re-satellite broadcast so ours is this Saturday and Sunday the 10th-11th and I'm so pumped I can hardly stand it!! I can't believe how cold it is there, we are DYING over here it is so hot in my new area too because I'm higher up and right along the coast so its even more humid...please help me. haha

SOOO Drum roll please! well I was transferred to 'Old Sagay'. And this is where the history and magic begins haha. Old Sagay has been a closed area for the last 7 months and My companion Sis Cruz and I are the first sisters to ever be assigned here, or even on this part of the island! When President called me into his office the Wednesday before transfers on Friday and asked if I was up to the challenge I was literally speechless. There has been NO missionary work there for 7 months and the elders before were pulled out because they were having a lot of problems with the ward and with the work. Needless to say I was a little nervous. I'm about 2 hours or so from the city in the northern part of Negros Island. Our area is BEAUTIFUL, its very close to the ocean and is nothing but rolling hills and mountains. it reminds me a lot of Valladolid just not as flat but everyone is basically a fisherman or a farmer. We were at the office ALL Friday because we didn't even have a house yet haha and when we finally got there it was...um...interesting. For the first 3 days we had 1 bed, no water and no food, the doors didn't even have locks and there is a 'Tuko' GIANT lizard that is really loud living in our kitchen we lost electricity 4 times already ahah and I already had to break down the Bathroom door because we didn't have a key not to mention the clogged drain in the shower haha President came up yesterday and called the people to come make all the repairs so hopefully this week it should be getting better. I always loved camping no? My companion is Sis Cruz she is a 24 year old 5'7 drop dead gorgeous filipina and if nothing else i can definitely use her to OYM (open your mouth) :) She is so hard-working and is ready for the challenge as I am. Despite all of this I'm sooo excited for this transfer. Yesterday at church was amazing! The ward is sooo excited just to have missionaries back they are helping us a ton! Yesterday in ward council I proposed a Search and Rescue activity like I did in Handumanan and they LOVED it so we are planning on that for the 18th. Testimony meeting was awesome and the spirit in the ward is soo strong. I'm pumped!

Yesterday I had a 103 fever, maybe from all the stress of the move and opening an area out in the middle of nowhere haha but I'm feeling a ton better today when President came by yesterday he asked me how I was feeling and I said why?and he just flat out said in English because you look horrible hahah the AP's gave me a blessing and the fever broke immediately....gotta love the priesthood :) I drank some good ole 300mg ibprofen and have been getting better ever since.
Well I'll fill ya'll in on my thoughts from conference next week and how the work goes this week. Stay happy and healthy haha I know I should take my own advice haha anyways! LALU!!!

Always,
Sister Grant

P.S.
Sister Grant has a new email address if you'd like to know what it is I have changed it on the left hand side of this blog.