Maligayang Pasko!

Photos:

*Bryan's baptism

*Trying to capture a beautiful sunset

*Syd loves her roommates!

*Sister Doney (on the right) is from our home ward and happens to be one of Sydney's roommate! She's been a HUGE blessing!

email her: sydney.stewart@missionary.org

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Holidays are fun here in the Philippines! Lots of food of course:)

We had a week full of miracles, but one of my favorites was Bryan's baptism! Bryan is one of those people that was just so prepared and ready for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love adding on to my family! That's seriously what it feels like haha! So joyful and the testimony that he gave was incredible.

Don't worry, I'll avoid fireworks and gunshots! Stay safe and happy everyone! I love you all!

Sister Stewart

Exchanges and Birthday Surprise!

pictures:

*Shaina (Sydney's best bud)

*The 4 roommates at Syd's surprise party

*They party hard in the Philippines

*Shaina calls Sydney her 'little big sister' (notice the stool) 

This week was awesome! We had exchanges twice this week with the sisters in our route so I got to go with Sister Doney in our area and Sister Tan in their area. It was so much fun, I love these sisters like sisters!!

I got soooo spoiled for my birthday, oh my goodness!! Shaina went all out and threw me a full on surprise party! She cooked, decorated, bought me a cake, invited all the YSA, and made me a video of my family saying happy birthday!! 

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes. I feel so loved! I love celebrating my birthday as we celebrate the Savior's birthday. I love my Savior with all of my heart and there is nowhere else I'd rather be than here, serving Him in a place where He is loved.

I love you all! Keep being amazing.

Sister Stewart

THIS WEEK WAS INSANE

pictures:

*Armando's baptism

*Look closely.  You can see Sydney standing on the retaining wall.  This was before the typhoon got really bad. Already flooded!

*I'd listen to these sweet sisters 😊

WOW!!!!! The typhoon was the real deal. We weren't allowed to go outside all day until about 4. It had been raining all day, but it didn't seem too bad. But when we walked outside, we were wading in flood water. EVERYWHERE in our whole area was flooded.

Some houses got destroyed and a million trees are on the ground. Everyone was safe though, thank goodness. We may or may not have gotten stuck in the middle of the storm... We went out to help people get water out of their houses and then the storm made a come back! The whole town was a river so we had a hard time getting back home haha! We were blessed though because the water did not make it into our house.

I got to go to the temple twice this week! It was amazing. My companion's sister was endowed (entered the temple for the first time) so she got to be her escort. The second time was the next morning, where we went with all the other STLs and zone leaders before our leadership meeting. I had missed the temple so much! I got to see my trainer, Sister Gaspar! She was there dropping someone off at the MTC.

I saw this one quote on the back of a truck that really inspired me! I changed it slightly though because the English wasn't perfect haha.

"Pray, hope, and don't worry. God is there." So simple but such a good, often needed reminder.

I love you all!!!! Thanks for all you do and all you've done to get me where I am today.

Sister Stewart

BAGYO

pictures:

*Thanksgiving Filipino style

*going on splits

*the next 3 show the approaching typhoon (Category 3 hurricane).  Pray for the people of the Philippines!!!

helllllooooo please pray hard for the people here! There is a "super typhoon" heading towards us. I'm confident that the missionaries will be safe, we've been prepared well, but our friends have not. The people's houses here are not built for storms. 

This week was good, I went on my first exchanges as an STL and I didn't really know what I was doing haha but that's all good! Sister Maximo was a champ. We had some unexpected things happen that day, but everything worked out in the end!

So some people here are evacuating while others just refuse to believe there's a storm coming... so I don't really know what to expect. Basta, just keep the people here in your prayers. Prayers are powerful!

Sister Stewart

Dead Toes and Pants

pictures:

*Sister Cabanilla, Shaina, and Sister Stewart 

*A couple of Sister Stewart's favorite families

*Pinaglabanan Shrine of Mabitac, Laguna...a historical place of the American and Filipino battle field (World War 2)

*Her new style...ugly sandals and a bandage

*Stairs to Mabitac, Laguna Catholic church (127 steps)

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

Magandang araw sa ating lahat!! Today is a beautiful day here in the Philippines. This week was interesting. My companion, Sister Cabanilla, is such a good missionary, it's insane. Everyday I just feel so uplifted and moved by the testimony she bares in our lessons. Hopefully her skills will rub off on me a little bit!

So before Sister Ferrer left, we visited one of our awesome friends, Brother Bryan. His father died and we went to view the body and offer our condolences (which is a very common thing to do, whether you know the person or not).

So here in the Philippines, when someone dies, they keep the body in their house for about 3 days to a week. They eat and do everything as normal right there with their loved ones. They say it's a way to feel like they are still there for a little longer.

With Bryan, we went in and were talking and visiting. I'll try and translate this in a way that makes sense...

Bryan: "Sisters, I have a sin against you."

Us: "What? We doubt it!"

Bryan: "You know the pants that you gave me to be able to wear to church? I used them on my father."

So last week, Bryan told us he didn't have any clothes to wear to church so our zone leader, Elder Douglas, gave him pants and a shirt. Now the pants are in the ground on someone that we don't know!! 

Sister Cabanilla, Sister Doney, and I are now in a trisome and will be for a week. Sister Obusan, Sister Doney's trainee, has some health issues and is now in the missionary recovery center, so please keep her in your prayers!!

Love you all!! Oh one more thing, my toe is infected. It started with intense pain and then blew up into some sort of boil. But I felt pathetic because my toe was so painful that I was limping!! It was wild that so much pain can come from a little toe haha. So I now have to wear these ugly sandals for a week while I'm on my meds. I have all these pills now and this medicine I have to put on it... it's a pretty high maintenance toe. 

Anyways, that was my week. TILL NEXT WEEK, AMERICA!!!

Sister Stewart

Transfers/Baptism ni Dominic

***Mail & packages haven't been making it to Sister Stewart. 😢 Her address is being changed to:

Sister Sydney Stewart

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Antipolo Mission Office

Ligtasan St., Brgy. San Roque

Antipolo City 1870, Philippines

My buddy Dominic got baptized on Saturday!! WOO! 

I am staying in Siniloan!!!!! I was shocked! My roommate is becoming my companion, Sister Cabanilla. She is from Laoag and reminds me a lot of my sister! She is going to be training me as an STL. Wish me luck haha and most of all, wish her luck!

Work is fun. Being a missionary is seriously a blast. It's kind of awesome that I speak Tagalog too. Sometimes it hits me that I'm speaking another language and I'm amazed by how much Heavenly Father has helped me. It goes to show how often He helps us and how often we forget!!

I love you all. Let me know what I can do for you!

Sister Stewart

Undas

pictures:

*at the cemetery with Shaina (her sister died a year and a half ago and her headstone is the one on top)

*doesn't everyone meditate in the middle of the street at night like Sister Stewart and Shaina do?!?

*Sister Ferrer and Sister Stewart do a LOT of walking in their rubber shoes 

email:

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

snail mail:

Sister Sydney Stewart

Antipolo Mission Office

Ligtasan St., Brgy. San Roque

Antipolo City 1870

Philippines

Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat!! Kamusta po kayo? Masaya ako dito sa Pilipinas!!! Nakikita namin ang maraming himala at biyaya araw araw. 

Ok, sure, I'll speak English... How are y'all?? I'm just chillin' here at an internet cafe in the Philippines. This week we had Undas, or All Souls Day, on November 1. This is like their Halloween but completely different. It's pretty much a party at the cemetery. It's awesome! They took a couple weeks before to deep clean the grave sights and get it all ready, and then on the 1st they cook a ton of food (because food is everything here) and they live at the cemetery for the whole day. Some people stay for the whole night too. It was really cool because they all put candles out and flowers so the whole cemetery just lights up! I made my companion walk through the cemetery with me:) I was overwhelmed with joy just seeing all these families together so happy. It seems like half of our area is a cemetery, by the way. Each grave sight is like a house. So it looks just like a neighborhood but nope... it's all cemetery. Some are literally like mansions. 

Anyways, other than that it was a pretty normal week (but also not normal at all, of course, because we are missionaries in the Philippines). We had another service project at Brother Armando's land and it was awesome as usual. 

I love you all! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

Sister Stewart

Too busy to email

I'm sad to say that Sister Stewart didn't get a chance to email this week.  

She is doing wonderfully and said to tell you all hello.  

She did send me some pictures, which makes me happy.  😊 Enjoy!

*Gary Mogas got baptised!  It was a very happy day!

*A couple fun pictures from last weeks service project day (rice fields)

*Sister Stewart and Shan in a Jeepney

email her if you get a chance: sydney.stewart@missionary.org

Awkwardness

pictures:

*Morong and Siniloan Zone Conference was held this week (Syd's in Siniloan)

*Her mission president, President Alder and his wife are right behind Sydney on the left 

*Service project time

*Planting rice fields is messy, back breaking work

*Just munching on some chicken intestines, again

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

Ok so this week I hit my half way point, so 9 months on the mission! It's crazy. So I've been thinking about a lot of things... and one thing I've realized is how awkward I've gotten when it comes to anything other than missionary work here in the Philippines.

We all know those awkward returned missionaries right? The ones who have forgotten how to speak English, who everytime are asked about dating or flirting or anything in that context freeze or freak out? They hear regular music or a bad word and it almost brings them to tears? IT'S ALREADY ME!!!!!!

We have this American that just moved into our branch with his cute Filipino wife and every time I talk to him I don't know what to say. Our cultures are just so different! Wow, I just realized I'm an American so our cultures are technically the same... But I feel more and more Filipino as the days go by!! Like the first time I talked to him, I almost asked him how old he is, exactly where his house is... which is completely normal in Filipino culture right when you meet someone!! Luckily I realized and stopped myself from saying things like that, but still, I probably said something that seemed weird to him.

It's ok though, I'll just embrace the awkwardness!! I'll just need help from you all when I get home.

This week has been stressful but so rewarding! We are excited for Brother Mogas' baptism on Saturday. Earlier today we were able to plant rice in a rice field! So fun!!!!

Enjoy your week and remember... Heavenly Father notices the small good things that you do! Even when you feel like He has no reason to be proud of you, He notices even the smallest efforts you make and appreciates them more than you can imagine.

Ingat po,

Sister Stewart

Life is an Adventure!

pictures:

*A service project with machetes! 

*Team work makes the dream work

*Priscilla and her cute girls

*Rheysa made this puppet of her as a future missionary for a school project...she reminds me so much of my cousin Libby

*Just popping in to say hello

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

We got to watch General Conference! WOOOOO!!!! One of the coolest realizations that I had was during Elder Uchtdorf's talk... that life really is one big adventure!

So here's what my life adventure here on the mission looks like:

• We sometimes hike up mountains to get to people's houses
• I've seen fireflies for the first time in my life!
• Everyday I get multiple men who I don't know telling me that they love me...
• Dogs are no longer cute in my eyes... almost all the dogs here have their skin falling off from whatever weird diseases they have
• I'm learning so much everyday, especially about myself
• The market is a fun place where you get to stare hanging pig heads in the eye
• Food is a HUGE deal here, especially to my companion. I swear half of her thoughts are what she's going to cook later:)
• Tricycles are literally like going on a roller coaster ride everywhere 

Life is pretty great here in the Philippines, but the word adventure doesn't mean things are easy. I know that whatever your adventure looks like, it isn't easy. But when you do what you're supposed to and keep on trekking, you'll reach a destination more beautiful and amazing than you can even imagine! I love you all. Keep pushing through and don't forget to notice all the magnificent things around you along the way. 

Love,

Sister Stewart