Dear Family,
This has been a wonderful week!
We have several new investigators. Earlier this week we had Zone
Conference, which was very uplifting and I learned a ton. Our
investigator Geraldine is really progressing. She's 16 years old and
has been coming to church. The youth have been very good at
fellowshipping her and inviting her to activities! I am excited for
her! We taught her last night about baptism and it was a very good
experience, even though she wasn't sure about a specific date. Our
investigator Brother Ronnel got married this morning. We were able to
attend, which was a very good experience, and I was able to meet a
nice American man from San Diego there. He is retired and living here
with his wife. We were invited to his birthday party on Wednesday so
maybe I'll have the opportunity to teach an American! haha. That will
be weird. I actually found it difficult speaking in English to him...
I still speak English most of the time... to my companions and to
other missionaries, but it was really weird and hard for some reason
speaking English to him. I kept saying words that I realized he
probably didn't understand. I had to slow down a little, haha.
Anyways, because I went there this morning, we don't have as much time
to prepare today. I still need to buy groceries and wash my clothes
and clean the apartment and write President and submit my numbers and
order supplies, haha. And we have an FHE appointment tonight. So... I
don't have a ton of time today to write in much detail. And I can't
think right now anyways, haha. :D
But, I will send pictures next week of our FHE tonight and of my new
gwapa nga bata. :D and some more of my spiritual experiences.
Love you all, take care,
Sister McClellan
Monday, February 25, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Week 42
Dear Family!
This has been a fun week! The first part of the week, I was with
Sister Harvey and I wasn't able to teach as many lessons because we
were working in both our areas. It was fun though and I was able to
see a little bit more of Antique. On Thursday afternoon, we went to
Iloilo with Elder Bianin who is training as well (we were his
companions for the day) and after dropping him off at the church, we
slept in the sister's apartment that night in City. The next morning,
we went to the Trainer's meeting, which was really good. And then we
met our batas. These meetings made history... it was the biggest group
of trainers and batas that this mission has ever had. There were 30
new missionaries, including two senior couple missionaries. 6 of them
were sisters. Only one of those sisters though was from the Provo
MTC. And the one from the Provo MTC is Samoan, haha. So, my
companion is Filipina... and she is probably the only one of them who
understand this dialect... so lucky me!! haha. Her name is Sister
Aurelio, and she is wonderful! She is one of the sweetest people I've
met. She's 25 years old and is from Manila, but lived here until she
was 5 and her parents still spoke the language for a while in Manila,
so she understands the language here perfectly, unlike some other new
Filipina missionaries. She can't speak it yet, but of course the
people here understand her Tagalog, so it's no problem. I am getting
a lot more practice at my Tagalog though, because that's the language
she speaks to me in most often. I love it :D I have been learning a
lot of new things from training... a lot more than when I was
trained... because every day we have an extra hour of studies and we
do a lot of practicing and I have to explain a lot of things, so I am
loving this new assignment :D We have been working hard and are
excited to continue to fulfill our purpose. :D Next transfer the very
first 19 year old sister will be coming... I won't be the lucky one to
train her because I will still be training Sister Aurelio, but I'm
excited for her to come. The very first 18 year old elder in our
mission has yet to enter the MTC. But we are also excited to see when
that happens. Our mission is definitely growing, because next
transfer 21 new missionaries will be coming, and only 7 are going
home. New areas are being opened and big areas are being split. The
work is progressing! :D Missionary Work is so exciting :D You should
all try it! hehe
Love you all,
Halong!
Sister McClellan
This has been a fun week! The first part of the week, I was with
Sister Harvey and I wasn't able to teach as many lessons because we
were working in both our areas. It was fun though and I was able to
see a little bit more of Antique. On Thursday afternoon, we went to
Iloilo with Elder Bianin who is training as well (we were his
companions for the day) and after dropping him off at the church, we
slept in the sister's apartment that night in City. The next morning,
we went to the Trainer's meeting, which was really good. And then we
met our batas. These meetings made history... it was the biggest group
of trainers and batas that this mission has ever had. There were 30
new missionaries, including two senior couple missionaries. 6 of them
were sisters. Only one of those sisters though was from the Provo
MTC. And the one from the Provo MTC is Samoan, haha. So, my
companion is Filipina... and she is probably the only one of them who
understand this dialect... so lucky me!! haha. Her name is Sister
Aurelio, and she is wonderful! She is one of the sweetest people I've
met. She's 25 years old and is from Manila, but lived here until she
was 5 and her parents still spoke the language for a while in Manila,
so she understands the language here perfectly, unlike some other new
Filipina missionaries. She can't speak it yet, but of course the
people here understand her Tagalog, so it's no problem. I am getting
a lot more practice at my Tagalog though, because that's the language
she speaks to me in most often. I love it :D I have been learning a
lot of new things from training... a lot more than when I was
trained... because every day we have an extra hour of studies and we
do a lot of practicing and I have to explain a lot of things, so I am
loving this new assignment :D We have been working hard and are
excited to continue to fulfill our purpose. :D Next transfer the very
first 19 year old sister will be coming... I won't be the lucky one to
train her because I will still be training Sister Aurelio, but I'm
excited for her to come. The very first 18 year old elder in our
mission has yet to enter the MTC. But we are also excited to see when
that happens. Our mission is definitely growing, because next
transfer 21 new missionaries will be coming, and only 7 are going
home. New areas are being opened and big areas are being split. The
work is progressing! :D Missionary Work is so exciting :D You should
all try it! hehe
Love you all,
Halong!
Sister McClellan
Monday, February 11, 2013
Week 41
Well, I have some exciting news... I have been called to be a trainer!
In mission terms, I am "busong" which means pregnant and am about to
have a "bata." I am excited and nervous and stressed and overwhelmed
and just about every other emotion at the same time... I hope I do a
good job! I don't know yet if she is Filipina or American. If she is
Filipina, at least she will be able to communicate with the people
through Tagalog... if she's American... I will be teaching lessons and
doing everything basically all by myself for a while. President
Pagaduan called me just a couple days ago to tell me. I accepted the
call of course, but I can't believe I'm already a senior companion. I
still feel brand new! Sister Patricio and Sister Caceres are both
going home now. They left for Iloilo this morning and will be flying
home to Manila maybe tomorrow, leaving me and Sister Harvey as
companions until we go to Iloilo on Thursday for trainer's meeting and
transfer meeting and pick up our batas, coming back on Friday. Sister
Harvey is going to train as well! But this is already her 3rd area.
Anyways, It's going to be fun! An adventure for sure! :D
Sorry for the foreign words I used last letter.. sometimes, it's hard
for me to find the right words in English now.
amat-amat means... gradually, or as time goes on... something like that
basta-basta means ... whatever goes... or "just like that"...
medyo budlay means... kind of hard
I can't think of what else to write. Brother Ronnel is really
progressing a lot. We are excited for him to be baptized, but we still
need to help prepare him a little more. Brother Jornell and Renato
are both still struggling in some areas (they still need to be married
and have to work on WOW) but I have faith in them. We have another
really good investigator, Geraldyn... she is 16 years old and she has
come to church the last 2 weeks and Saturday night, she went to a
youth dance (prom) at the church and the youth were very good
fellowshippers. It's been nice because the youth volunteer to come to
our lessons with her and they invite her to the activities. She also
lives right next to the church so she doesn't have a hard time coming
every Sunday. She is also very very gwapa (beautiful). I'm excited
for her. Her dad is an active Aglipay, but he is very willing to
listen and to allow her to listen as well. He had a stroke a couple
years ago and is still trying to recover... he has a hard time
speaking and walking, but he understands everything and we love
teaching both of them. Yesterday we had 5 investigators at church
which was wonderful, all of them were from different families, so it
was a big deal.. :D And also several less actives were able to attend
as well. Our area is progressing. :D
Take care everyone... and pray for me!!! I can't do this on my own! :D Thanks!
Love, Sister McClellan
In mission terms, I am "busong" which means pregnant and am about to
have a "bata." I am excited and nervous and stressed and overwhelmed
and just about every other emotion at the same time... I hope I do a
good job! I don't know yet if she is Filipina or American. If she is
Filipina, at least she will be able to communicate with the people
through Tagalog... if she's American... I will be teaching lessons and
doing everything basically all by myself for a while. President
Pagaduan called me just a couple days ago to tell me. I accepted the
call of course, but I can't believe I'm already a senior companion. I
still feel brand new! Sister Patricio and Sister Caceres are both
going home now. They left for Iloilo this morning and will be flying
home to Manila maybe tomorrow, leaving me and Sister Harvey as
companions until we go to Iloilo on Thursday for trainer's meeting and
transfer meeting and pick up our batas, coming back on Friday. Sister
Harvey is going to train as well! But this is already her 3rd area.
Anyways, It's going to be fun! An adventure for sure! :D
Sorry for the foreign words I used last letter.. sometimes, it's hard
for me to find the right words in English now.
amat-amat means... gradually, or as time goes on... something like that
basta-basta means ... whatever goes... or "just like that"...
medyo budlay means... kind of hard
I can't think of what else to write. Brother Ronnel is really
progressing a lot. We are excited for him to be baptized, but we still
need to help prepare him a little more. Brother Jornell and Renato
are both still struggling in some areas (they still need to be married
and have to work on WOW) but I have faith in them. We have another
really good investigator, Geraldyn... she is 16 years old and she has
come to church the last 2 weeks and Saturday night, she went to a
youth dance (prom) at the church and the youth were very good
fellowshippers. It's been nice because the youth volunteer to come to
our lessons with her and they invite her to the activities. She also
lives right next to the church so she doesn't have a hard time coming
every Sunday. She is also very very gwapa (beautiful). I'm excited
for her. Her dad is an active Aglipay, but he is very willing to
listen and to allow her to listen as well. He had a stroke a couple
years ago and is still trying to recover... he has a hard time
speaking and walking, but he understands everything and we love
teaching both of them. Yesterday we had 5 investigators at church
which was wonderful, all of them were from different families, so it
was a big deal.. :D And also several less actives were able to attend
as well. Our area is progressing. :D
Take care everyone... and pray for me!!! I can't do this on my own! :D Thanks!
Love, Sister McClellan
Monday, February 4, 2013
Week 40
Hello Family, This has been a great week! I am really, really,
really, really, really... enjoying it here. :D
It is sooooo beautiful! This morning, our district went hiking up to
this hill in Dao where there is a fantastic view! We had a little
devotional up there where Sister Patricio, Sister Caceres, and Elder
Montecer, shared their testimonies because they are going home next
week. Afterwards, we had a picnic and then we went down the hill and
played some Ultimate down on the beach. I felt like I was in heaven!
:D Needless to say.... I'm a little tired now, haha. I want to post
pictures soooo bad... but unfortunately, this computer's USB thing is
out of order... my camera card is now getting pretty full... and it's
making my camera slow as well :( I tried putting my pictures on a
flash drive that I bought, but for some reason it won't work... I hope
I don't end up losing all my pictures one of these days... that
happened to Sister Schocker....
Our investigators are doing okay. They weren't able to make their
scheduled date... but they will be baptized sooner or later :D
hopefully sooner. But of course, it's better that they wait, than for
them to be baptized before they are ready. I'm beginning to
understand more and more the importance and significance of repentance
and baptism. It's not as easy as I used to think. Some people have
to overcome really challenging things that I never even considered
before. It's interesting to be here and see how their lives are
changed amat-amat through the gospel. Accepting the gospel of Jesus
Christ is a process... and a very important and fulfilling process...
and it isn't completed after baptism. We continue to develop and
exercise faith every day, we continue to repent daily, we continue to
keep our baptismal commitments and renew them weekly, and we continue
to live worthy of the spirit and follow his guidance throughout our
lives. It's not just basta-basta. We are really playing a role in
helping these people to come closer to Christ by helping them receive
the restored gospel. It's medyo budlay sometimes, but it's so worth
it.
I haven't given an update on the language in a while... I'm doing
super well! I love Kinaray-a! I actually like it better than
Hiligaynon. It sounds cooler. Anyways... It's really coming.. but I
still make mistakes sometimes. I'll share one. The other day, we got
to the church to teach our investigator, Brother Ronnel, and it looked
like he had gotten a haircut. Instead of saying "Nagpagunting ka?"
which means, did you get a haircut?, I said, "may gunting ka?" Which
means, do you have scissors? haha. He was looking pretty confused at
why I was asking him if he had a pair of scissors just as we were
about to start our lesson. Brother Ronnel is great, I just love him
and his fiance. They plan on getting married this month and I'm so
excited for them. They are so cute together :D
Love you all... and I hope you are loving your life. Life is to be
enjoyed, not just endured... When we look back on our lives, we don't
want to wish we had spent more time smiling and enjoying the time we
had, the people we love, and the gospel we have been blessed with.
Happiness is a choice. :D
Halong! :D
Sister McClellan
really, really, really... enjoying it here. :D
It is sooooo beautiful! This morning, our district went hiking up to
this hill in Dao where there is a fantastic view! We had a little
devotional up there where Sister Patricio, Sister Caceres, and Elder
Montecer, shared their testimonies because they are going home next
week. Afterwards, we had a picnic and then we went down the hill and
played some Ultimate down on the beach. I felt like I was in heaven!
:D Needless to say.... I'm a little tired now, haha. I want to post
pictures soooo bad... but unfortunately, this computer's USB thing is
out of order... my camera card is now getting pretty full... and it's
making my camera slow as well :( I tried putting my pictures on a
flash drive that I bought, but for some reason it won't work... I hope
I don't end up losing all my pictures one of these days... that
happened to Sister Schocker....
Our investigators are doing okay. They weren't able to make their
scheduled date... but they will be baptized sooner or later :D
hopefully sooner. But of course, it's better that they wait, than for
them to be baptized before they are ready. I'm beginning to
understand more and more the importance and significance of repentance
and baptism. It's not as easy as I used to think. Some people have
to overcome really challenging things that I never even considered
before. It's interesting to be here and see how their lives are
changed amat-amat through the gospel. Accepting the gospel of Jesus
Christ is a process... and a very important and fulfilling process...
and it isn't completed after baptism. We continue to develop and
exercise faith every day, we continue to repent daily, we continue to
keep our baptismal commitments and renew them weekly, and we continue
to live worthy of the spirit and follow his guidance throughout our
lives. It's not just basta-basta. We are really playing a role in
helping these people to come closer to Christ by helping them receive
the restored gospel. It's medyo budlay sometimes, but it's so worth
it.
I haven't given an update on the language in a while... I'm doing
super well! I love Kinaray-a! I actually like it better than
Hiligaynon. It sounds cooler. Anyways... It's really coming.. but I
still make mistakes sometimes. I'll share one. The other day, we got
to the church to teach our investigator, Brother Ronnel, and it looked
like he had gotten a haircut. Instead of saying "Nagpagunting ka?"
which means, did you get a haircut?, I said, "may gunting ka?" Which
means, do you have scissors? haha. He was looking pretty confused at
why I was asking him if he had a pair of scissors just as we were
about to start our lesson. Brother Ronnel is great, I just love him
and his fiance. They plan on getting married this month and I'm so
excited for them. They are so cute together :D
Love you all... and I hope you are loving your life. Life is to be
enjoyed, not just endured... When we look back on our lives, we don't
want to wish we had spent more time smiling and enjoying the time we
had, the people we love, and the gospel we have been blessed with.
Happiness is a choice. :D
Halong! :D
Sister McClellan
Pictures... this morning! :D
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