Masayang Mission sa Magandang Siniloan

Magandang araw to the people around the world on my email list! It's pretty fun, I've got people in America, Hawaii, Costa Rica, and people on their missions in Spain, Sweden, etc! Wherever you are, welcome to Siniloan Philippines through email!!

Sister Buenaflor and I had 3 baptisms this week of three beautiful young women. Catalina and her daughter Danica and Miralona. Sorry I don't have pictures of the baptism, for some reason the computer doesn't like me very much today.

We had one of my favorite service projects yet! We got to plant rice in a rice field!! All us foreigners felt truly Filipino. I loved getting all muddy. My legs were sore... It's hard work. People work all day from morning until night in those fields just to make about 200 pisos. That's pretty much nothing. That's one of the biggest problems here in the Philippines is that the minimum wage here is by day and it's barely enough to feed one person.

I love it here. Missions are hard, but they're also just so much fun! I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's help everyday and that He reminds me everyday when I read my scriptures how much He loves me. 

Please ingat and make sure to keep looking for miracles. They're all around, I promise!

Mahal ko po kayo,

Sister Stewart

BEAUUUUTIFFFULLL Siniloan

pictures:

*Evelyn's baptism

*a neat cemetery 

*a sweet treat on the hike

*it was a tough hike, but totally worth it

*the reward

sydney.stewart@missionary.org 

Dang. This place is beautiful. Sometimes I feel like I'm dreaming. It's hard to believe that one person could be this lucky. I am sharing the Gospel I love with the people I love in the place I love! It's truly amazing.

We had a baptism this week (happy happy happy!) Evelyn is so cute, I am so glad that I got to be part of her journey home to Heavenly Father. The people we teach are honestly sometimes better examples to us than we are to them.

We had zone conference and our first interviews with President Alder (our new mission president). He is so kind and in tune with the Spirit, yet he is one of the most humble people I've ever met.

We went hiking this morning (Monday) in the beautiful mountains to two beautiful waterfalls! I'm loving this life. We had 4 members come with us, they're so much fun!

Missionary work is very hard sometimes, it's true what they say. But the joy that I've felt I know I couldn't get anywhere else! It wayyyy outweighs the hard times. Missions are just so fun, too! I get to study the scriptures and just talk to amazing people in a cool new language all the time! What could be better?

I love you all. I have a little assignment for you if you're up for it... I want you to pay attention this week to how you see the Lord's hand in your life. I promise you will see miracles everyday! They're always there, you just have to notice. I would love to hear about your experiences! 

Ingat po kayo,

Sister Stewart

Welcome to Siniloan!

pictures:

*Sister Stewart from Laguna, CA in Laguna, PH

*Sunflower fields with her new companion, Sister Buenaflor

*Carol, one of the members, that is Syd's Sinilaon bestie already!

*Alberto family! Some of her favorites she hated saying goodbye to in Taguig

*The Cruz family...another hard goodbye

*Omni, the driver's son, fell asleep on the drive home from Laguna (can you imagine driving like that?!?)

After about 4 hours of the most beautiful travel in my life, I am on the complete other end of the mission in Siniloan. It is so beautiful here! There's a lake, trees, fields, mountains, everything you could imagine in paradise! Except of course my family, but there are such wonderful people here to make up for it.

Here are some highlights from the week:

-We are teaching a deaf boy and a member owns the school he goes to so we're able to teach him there. Some of his classmates linger to watch while their teacher signs to translate. I really wish I knew sign language. I learned how to sign his name so that's good! I'll try to work on it. Even though I can't really communicate that well with him, I love him so much already. It's very easy to see what type of person he is even though he's never spoken to me. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to teach him!

-We had a "Branch Home Evening" which is where the members help us put on this activity that is mostly to focus on the people that we are teaching as missionaries. Sister Wilson (one of the other missionaries in the ward) and I explained about Joseph Smith in front of everyone. She just finished her training, so it was kind of like I was the senior companion for a second. Kind of scary, but we said what we wanted to say and it was probably all over the place, but I think they understood! Tagalog is still so hard but it is so fun. I of course had to bare my testimony in Sacrament meeting the next day and it was filled with all sorts of grammar mistakes, but the Lord has helped me so much. It's quite "grabe" how much I have to rely on the Spirit. I am understanding almost everything now, it's just very difficult to speak with the correct conjugations and focuses. There are so many variations and it's hard to get it just right! But I am so so grateful that I have made it this far. Miracles do happen!

-It rained on us inside someone's house the other day. I guess that's not a highlight... but we were at least able to help Nanay get buckets to catch the water!

-We were supposed to have a baptism this past week, but the girl's little brother is in the hospital with really bad pneumonia. We were able to help them though by going and grabbing all their dirty laundry and washing it for them so that the mother didn't have to do it all by hand when she got home. It took about two days, but I know she will be so grateful! I am so grateful that missionary work gives me so many opportunities to serve. 

-Here is the very exciting news... my companion, Sister Buenaflor, is so hardworking and POWER so that, with the help of the members, we had 10 people come to church! That's incredible! Such a happy day:)

-The members here are so involved in missionary work! It's crazy the difference when members help us. No wonder the baptismal numbers are so high here!! Members- help your local missionaries!!!! Whether it's referrals or going out to work with them or even feeding them... it makes the work progress insanely fast!

-We went to a sunflower farm this morning (Monday). It was so beautiful and fun! Our feet got so muddy.

I love you all! Please be safe and be happy.

Mahal ko po kayong lahat,

Sister Stewart

WOO I love Taguig!

pictures:

*The Fajardo Family

*On visits with Krystal and a girl they're teaching (sorry, I forgot to get her name from Sydney)

*Sister Gajete

*Sister Stewart's new area covers the islands and a portion of the mainland

*The Dua Family

sydney.stewart@missionary.org

OK SOOOO first off, I've got to tell you my highlight this week. Drum roll please!!!..... I ATE A BURRITO!!!!!! Oh my gosh so we found this restaurant at the mall that has delicious burritos. I was so giddy eating it. I had been craving one ever since I got here 5 months ago.

Tapos, this week was transfer week! I am soooo stoked for where I'm going. I'm gonna miss Taguig a lot, of course. We went around and said goodbye to the people who have made it so wonderful. We received the transfer call at about 10 last night and I was so incredibly anxious the whole time waiting. When they told me Siniloan, I literally squealed for joy!! It's the only part of San Pablo mission that broke off into Antipolo mission. I don't know a lot about it, but what I do know is that there are only 14 missionaries over there and it's considered a district rather than a zone. It is the biggest "zone" geographically because it's province (meaning rural). I don't know where I'll be serving in Siniloan, but there are little islands!! I'm so excited.

Something really awkward happened this week. It would've been funny, but no one laughed so it was just awkward. So remember this whole Tagalog thing? How I'm speaking a language that's not my own? Well, we were talking to this kid named John and we asked him who's at his house and he said kuya (meaning older brother) only. He said "nagliligo po siya" and I said "Great, we will help him!" Oh my stars. I thought he said "naglalaba po siya" which means he's washing laundry. But he actually said he's SHOWERING!!!! URGGGhhh. My companion looked over and was like really we're gonna help him shower? Sooooo awkward. 

I love you all so much. Don't forget that your Heavenly Father loves you too. AND when you're having a hard time, count your blessings. Ingat po kayo!

Sister Stewart

Missions are awesome... and subject titles are hard

pictures:

*In Rancho Guapo with Krystal Alvior (a cute member that goes on visits with them)

*A sweet Nanay they have been teaching (Syd looks like a giant)

*Sister Gajete and Nixon

*The Cruz Family baptism

*Rica Dua's baptism 

*Dinner with the Dua Family after the baptism

Her new Philippines Antipolo Mission address:

Sister Stewart

Antipolo Mission Office

Ligtasan St., Brgy. San Roque

Antipolo City 1870

Philippines 

email stays the same: sydney.stewart@missionary.org

Hey go on a mission!! Haha it's so great, I am so happy here. If you can't go on a mission for whatever reason, come to the Philippines!! 

Here's some happenings that were happening:

-Rica Dua was baptized! I love the Dua family. Their mom passed away just a month ago, but they are so happy despite it all. Rica is almost 9 but hasn't been baptized yet, so Sister Gajete and I made it happen. It took a lot of convincing, but her dad was able to baptize her! It was a very special moment for everyone there.

-The Cruz family was baptized! The three women got baptized on Saturday, and Brother Cruz will follow in a couple weeks. They have been taught by our roommates, but I got to go to a few lessons and eat at their house a few times. They have a special place in my heart! 

-We got fed two dinners in one night, which is rough. You literally have to pretend like you're hungry when you are full enough that you might throw up with one more bite... hence the weight gain which I am sure is now visible in the photos. Fun stuff!

-I went on exchanges with Sister Durrant in their area... It was so much fun! Everyone who we went to were there and let us teach them, which is a very rare and very exciting phenomenon!! 

-We have been able to find many less active members recently and one of them came to church yesterday for the first time in years :)

-4 brand new people that we just started teaching came to church! So exciting.

-On Tuesday, it was Elder Theriaught's birthday and so all of the elders showed up to district council with their hair parted down the middle to honor him. It was awesome!

Other than that, just normal missionary stuffs... 

I love you all!! Read the Book of Mormon, say your prayers, and never miss a day of church and you will be happy! I promise.

Mahal na mahal ko po kayo,

Sister Stewart