Sister Franks in the Philippines - October 26, 2014 (Tinawag ng Diyos)

Happy Pre-Halloween week to you all! :) (Haha I actually remembered this year!) I'm not sure how I feel about Halloween anymore after being here in the Philippines where Day of the Dead is such a widely celebrated and strange event. But anyhow, at least by this weekend there will be lots of sales on Halloween candy! Treat yourself to some chocolate! :) American chocolate is way better than you think!

This week has been an interesting one, and I have been really inspired. Last week, after our Preparation Day, Sister Panugaling and I were a little lost about what to do for our two hours of proselyting. Our schedule has changed so that we come home at 7PM every night, to avoid being out of the apartment at night where danger may come across our path. Our appointment that we had planned in the afternoon got cancelled though, so when 7PM hit and it was time to go teach, we were unsure where in our area we could work that would be safe. We said a prayer for inspiration, then decided just to go walk around a part of our area we hadn't explored much, and see if we could find any random people to talk to. We went to the Plaza ("downtown" Magsaysay) and were surprised to see it was completely abandoned, though at least well-lit. I thought that would be a prime hang-out spot for socializing, but it turns out the night life in Magsaysay is pretty non-existent. So we kept walking.

We walked until the end of the street lights. Along the way, we smiled and greeted people. One man, with a freshly lit cigarette, said "Good evening" as we passed, and the spirit told me, "talk to him!" Still not the best or most courageous when it comes to acting on promptings like that, I just promised myself I would talk to him on the way back. The end of the lights wasn't far, so we turned back when we got there and I told Sister Panugaling as we walked back, "Let's talk to that guy. I really want to OYM him." He happened to have a stand and was selling fried chicken, so we went over and greeted him and asked him if he knew where the road went to (the part beyond the street lights) and explained that we are new to the area so we are trying to figure out where things are. He was super nice and invited us to sit on the little bench in his tent/stand. So we sat, while he cooked some chicken for us (conveniently, we also love to eat). We were able to get to know him and shortly afterward met his wife and oldest son who were running the stand as well. We talked to them for a little while and explained who we are as missionaries and they agreed we could visit them sometime. It was a huge testimony-builder to me that the Lord really does have a plan, even when OUR plan completely falls through. Also, I can see how the Lord really does answer our prayers, since we have been looking for potential priesthood holders to help establish the branch in Magsaysay.

That is another thing I have been realizing this week serving in Magsaysay: how important the Priesthood really is, and how there really is nothing that we can do without Priesthood holders in our lives. Especially us sisters (women). We do not have authority, nor will be able to receive it, to administer the Sacrament, baptize, confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or administer any of the necessary saving ordinances.  I thought to myself: what would I do if there was no one to bless and administer the Sacrament? Even just missing one week for General Conference, I missed partaking of the Sacrament. It's like there is a very tangible spiritual lack or hunger that nothing else can mend--not even prayer or scripture reading. My soul yearns for repentance to be made complete and covenants to be renewed through the Sacrament. I can't imagine ever choosing not to go to church and receive that blessing. I just hope every man who holds the Priesthood realizes how important they are in the Lord's plan, and how much other of the Lord's children rely on them to magnify that calling which they hold. We had just 5 priesthood holders from our branch come to church on Sunday. Our branch president presided, his two counselors blessed the Sacrament, and the branch clerk and the elder's quorum president passed it. It was a beautiful and heartbreaking thing for me to witness. Beautiful, because even way out here in the middle of farmland where most families are just struggling to feed their families and get their kids an education (if possible), they are still able to receive the blessings and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Heartbreaking, though, because of the hundreds or thousands of people within the boundaries of Magsaysay branch, only about 60 of them were able to partake of those blessings of the Atonement.

This morning in our district meeting we talked about having the vision to baptize. Elder Gonzaga (a sweet young missionary from Iloilo and a new district leader this transfer) shared a message from Lawrence E. Corbridge about why we baptize. We baptize not to add people to the Church, we don't even baptize just to get people the "pre-reqs" to allow them to enter the Celestial Kingdom. We baptize in order to help people experience what Christ Himself referred to as being "born of water and of the Spirit", receiving a remission of their sins through baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is only possible through proper Priesthood authority, and is the only way that we (or our friends, family, and acquaintances) can receive relief from the feelings of shame, guilt, sorrow, and remorse that comes into our lives from sin. Having faith in Jesus Christ is not enough. Feeling bad, and praying for forgiveness is not enough. Even confessing to another is not enough. For the Atonement to be applied fully in our lives, we must follow the Savior's command and invitation to be baptized by immersion for the remission of sins, by one who holds the authority to act in Christ's name and perform such a sacred ordinance. Furthermore, even baptism is not enough without the blessing of the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which leads and guides us in all that we do and is the source of all feelings of peace and joy and happiness and purpose in our lives. It is the single greatest gift available to us in this life.

We talked about how those who choose not to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ don't reject it because they are self-hating and want to be sad and miss out on these blessings. Those who turn down the opportunity to partake of these blessings turn it down because they do not understand what they are missing out on. They don't understand the blessings of the Gospel, the infinitely greater reward that comes from a small sacrifice. They don't understand (according to Elder Corbridge) because we don't teach them. That is why missionary work is important, and that is why we must learn to teach the Gospel the way Christ would/did. It is not a list of DOs and DON'Ts, but rather an invitation to "come unto [Christ]", to "return unto [him], and repent of [our] sins, and be converted, that [He] may heal [us]" (see 3 Nephi 9:13-14). :)

This week has reignited my passion for missionary work and my drive to help everyone be baptized. I am so excited for everyone in this zone and this mission who still has a long time ahead of them in the mission. I feel like a new missionary, in that I am so eager to go out and work hard and apply everything I am learning and realizing, yet I keep being reminded that my time left is very short. It's awful, actually. I still feel like I have so much to do and become as a missionary before I can go home, and I am scared that I might not be able to accomplish it all. I know that negative thinking is not allowed, though :) so I just keep pushing out those thoughts every time they come and remind myself that the planting of seeds is just as important as anything else. Especially when we think about the parable of the sower and what happened to the 4 groups of seeds (the same kind of seed) and what happened to them based on their experience being planted.

So yeah. That is basically it for this week. Only twice this week have I been mistaken for a Filipina, and only once had a man try to convince me that I am actually Fil-Am. Haha it is kind of a comfort to realize there really are people so not racist that my whiteness and blond hair mean nothing to them. ;) Much better than being in the mainland where everywhere you go people shout English phrases at you. #ilovemindoro

I'm out of time for now. I hope you all have a wonderful week! You are in my prayers! Stay safe and have fun and share the Gospel (with words, if necessary). :D

Love always,
Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - October 19, 2014 (Ang galing talaga ng Panginoon)

Kumusta kayo?!

Given that I am writing this from the province, it should probably be 100% Tagalog, like everything else here. But since I want you to actually get something from my experiences this week, I'll attempt to English you--just don't judge me if my grammar gets a little sloppy. ;) 

Our first week in Magsaysay was definitely interesting, to say the least! After doing our shopping and whatever here in San Jose (the "city", if you can call it that). Elder and Sister Barlow drove us out to Magsaysay and we got to see our new home for the first time! Now, let me preface this by saying I have never whitewashed an elders area before, nor visited any elders apartments, so I was not quite prepared for the house when we got there. It actually is a nice house (it used to be the meetinghouse before they got a chapel in Magsaysay)--one story, 3 bedrooms, a fairly big kitchen and "living room" (which is where Sister Panugaling's and my study desks are). And we have a front and back porch area! There are windows everywhere so we hardly ever use lights during the day because it is super bright. The house itself is really not bad at all, and the elders who went before us were super sweet and (with the help of Sister Barlow and a couple of the San Jose sisters) cleaned up as much as they could for us. We still had to clean again before we felt comfortable unpacking or sleeping there, but I quickly realized how blessed we are to be assigned in Magsaysay. Especially because our cleaning was interrupted almost immediately by our district president dropping by to introduce himself and welcome us, followed a little later by 3 of the cutest and funniest Nanays stopping by to meet and chat with us as well. :) I am sure having Sisters instead of Elders is a hard adjustment for them as well, but they are all so nice and welcoming and helpful to us! We are SO LUCKY to be in Magsaysay!! 

Tuesday, we got to venture out of the house to meet our new branch president (just two weeks into his new calling) and his first counselor. We were able to figure out a little bit what the boundaries of our area are supposed to be, and basically just digested how much we need to do. We spent the rest of the day with Nanay Baiza (the cutest and coolest old woman ever), visiting less actives in the other sisters area. It was a fun day, though a little scattered teaching in a 4-some with no plans, and cool to get to know the members a little better.

Wednesday, we finally got to work in our area! Our area is what is known as "Boundary" (as in, the boundary between Magsaysay and San Jose), or in other words, hardcore province/farmland. Like legit rice farms. It is BEAUTIFUL!! More on that later though (Friday). Wednesday, we walked to Boundary, using the impressively helpful hand-drawn map that the elders left us, met Nanay Roja, and toured the "neighborhood" there and got to meet some members and teach a solid YM recent convert. And we got a ride home from the branch president! :) 

Thursday, we explored our area a little more, tried to find a map of magsaysay to figure out where our area actually is (turns out those don't really exist at all, even on the internet, hence there being no information), taught some investigators (finally!) and then Sister Panugaling got stolen by the Barlows to come to San Jose and be Sister Delasan's temporary companion (Sister Kahui had to go to Manila to get fingerprinted to renew her visa) and I was left in a threesome with Sister Alailima and Sister Panis. 

Friday, our personal study was interrupted by Nanay Roja showing up at our house (mind you, she walked about 2 miles just to get to our house from hers) to take us to visit another part of our area we've never been to. After awkwardly consulting with the other sisters, we decided instead of making her sit outside for an hour, we would just go work first and do companion study later. Turns out, we really were not prepared for what the day had in store for us. 

Firstly, we walked at least 5+ miles, in the midday heat, without any water or lunch. Our poor little city-accustomed bodies were dying by the time we got home at 3pm. But it was an experience of experiences. Our area out there is SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL. Like, I honestly don't even have words to describe it. Sister Alailima and I just kept marveling. If you asked me, all I can say is I couldn't get over the fact that there were sights that beautiful and perfect in existence. I just kept trying to soak it in, wishing I could take a picture of every single sight. Sister Alailima sang "For the beauty of [Mindoro]!" and I thought about how amazingly talented and perfect our Creator truly is to construct such breathtaking beauty that is often overlooked or taken for granted. 

Despite sucking ALL my energy (I was so glad not to have to walk anymore by the end because I really didn't think I would make it), and being SUPER sunburnt when we got back, it was so worth it! I'm excited to go back and work there for real with Sister Panugaling. The less-active members there have so much potential. Especially the Priesthood holders, which is what we (Magsaysay) really needs right now. 

Saturday, not much to say. I woke up with a fever and just slept most of the morning. We went to our branch activity in the evening, which was a success. Heavenly Father is truly amazing to give me the strength to be able to go and fulfill our part in the activity. I was made very aware how much I rely upon Him for strength though, when just as soon as the activity ended, my fever hit again and I didn't think I would be able to endure it. I went straight to bed when we got home and miraculously was able to sleep.

Sunday, I got my companion back!!!! We had just said our prayer before leaving to go to church when we hear the Barlows pull up and Sister Panugaling was back! :) Elder Barlow gave me a priesthood blessing (even though he didn't have any consecrated oil), and we headed off to church! 

Church in Magsaysay was the most unique experience I have ever had. The fact that we lost power partway through the first hour (they have Sunday School first, then auxilaries, then sacrament last), was actually the least strange. The low attendance was also something I had been warned about. The thing that struck me the most was just how uncertain the members seemed to be--even the leaders. As I sat in Relief Society, trying to combat my own pride and "this is how things should be" feelings, I tried to see and listen to these sisters as the Savior would. It was amazing, and my heart was really touched as I realized how each of us has our own trials and struggles, and this branch is doing all it can with what it has. There may not be that many active members, and they may not have any role models to look to really, in terms of what it means to really be firmly rooted in the Gospel, but they have faith and a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and they are doing their best to live the commandments and serve faithfully in the Church. My love for the members grew even deeper, and I realized how much trust has been placed in us sisters to be assigned here in this branch. As Sister Panugaling and I did our planning yesterday and set goals, that seemed to be the prevalent theme. We just really want to help this branch. It may take a LOT from us--super obedience, super faith, super diligence--but we will do whatever we possibly can to help them. 

I've been thinking this week about how blessed I am that this is where the Lord has placed me right now. When we drove out there for the first time last week, Sister Panis, Sister Panugaling and I all said "I feel like I am home!" (we are all from province areas). Every day as we walk around the small town of Magsaysay (picture a small town in the middle of Wyoming, but green with lots of tropical plants, and that is pretty much Magsaysay), I just think about how happy I am, and how small town life is so simple and so appealing to me now. Haha I used to think I wanted to live in a city, but I think not any more. I would be so happy to just live in Magsaysay forever. :) But maybe an American version will have to suffice. At any rate, I think this is the Lord's way of reminding me of my roots and lessening the culture shock of coming home. I can't even explain it, but I just feel like I am seeing insights into His wisdom more and more every day. God is so good!!

Also, Gladys is wonderful and sent me pictures from R.J.'s baptism on Saturday.

I nearly cried when I say them. :) I seriously love this family so so much. First step down, next step: prepare to enter the temple and be sealed as a family for eternity. THE LORD'S PLAN IS SO PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL!!!! 

Other random notes about life in Magsaysay:

1) I have eaten more fish (that I actually enjoyed) and veggies in the last week than my whole mission, I think. They say missionaries get thin on Mindoro, but I am pretty sure that is a lie. Especially not living with two Filipinas who love to cook. :P

2) Whitewashing is definitely a test of your missionary skills. EVERYTHING is suddenly the most important thing: finding, teaching, planning, inviting to baptism, working with members, everything. More than anything I feel like it is a test of faith and our ability to discern revelation from the spirit in all that we do. Definitely a cool experience. :) 

3) Sister Panugaling is a great companion! She is so cute and energetic and loves being here in the province. She is diligent and obedient and most of the time a better missionary than me, I think. Just another blessing I can count in my free time. 

Wow, this is super long already. I guess I will close this now, since I can't think of anything else to share at the moment. I just have to say how grateful I am for this Gospel and all the blessings that it has brought into my life. I was pondering to myself earlier what exactly are the blessings that the Gospel has brought to my life that nothing else could have and it really made me appreciate what a beautiful blessing it is. We have access to so many gifts and so much power, real Priesthood power, the power of God, and through that, we are guided by continuing revelation. We have scripture both ancient and modern, as well as the gift of the Holy Ghost, to guide us in our daily decisions and give us the confidence necessary to obey and trust in the Lord's commandments and His plan for us. We have the opportunity to gain a personal witness for ourselves of the truthfulness of the Gospel as we live it and pray about it. That personal witness is the source from which we can draw strength to withstand the temptations of the world and hold fast to what we know to be right and true. The peace and happiness that this knowledge brings is unique, priceless, unlimited, and everlasting. We are so, so blessed. :) 

I pray you all have a wonderful week, and take a moment to count to yourself the blessings that the Gospel has brought into YOUR life. I love and miss you and pray for you always! Stay safe, and good luck in your adventures this week!

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - October 12, 2014

Today is the first day of the first week of the best transfer ever!! :)

We just got to Mindoro this morning (there were no flights on Friday for some reason, which I will get back to later), and still haven't gotten to our new home yet. We woke up at 2:30AM, got to the airport at 4AM for our 6AM flight (had to wait on the elders a little bit but it's all good!) and then went straight to our district meeting (after a quick bi-district breakfast at Jollibee--the one food chain restaurant here on "the rock"). It has already been the best day though! :) I got to meet a woman on the plane who is from here in San Jose (didn't get to talk to her as much as I had hoped because she was sleeping, or at least had her eyes closed, most of the flight...but at least I got to give her a pass-along Mormon.org card), and we had an awesome district meeting. Elder Horsley, one of the senior couple missionaries, shared a thought/lesson about the power of testimonies and witnesses, and President Barlow (a counselor in the mission presidency/senior couple missionary here in San Jose) talked about our vision for helping Mindoro become a stake and what needs to happen to accomplish it. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but I am so excited!! More and more, I am realizing the immensity of the task and trust that has been given to us sisters in Magsaysay.

I don't have any experience to report yet, so I will just share what I've been told: 

-Magsaysay has never had sisters before.

-Magsaysay is the second largest branch in the mission (membership-wise), with the lowest sacrament attendance. 

-In the past, the elders are the ones who have blessed the sacrament every week, because their priesthood holder attendance is so low. 

-Magsaysay is SO EXCITED to have sisters! They are the ones who requested it, and they have already started making maps and things to help us get to work right away. :) 

Sister Panugaling, Sister Alailima, Sister Panis, and I are SO PUMPED to get to work here and take part in the miracles the Lord is preparing for this wonderful branch and district!! :D 

It is not only a groundbreaking occurrence that we get to be the first sisters in Magsaysay, but President Revillo made it very clear to Sister Alailima and I while we were waiting in the mission office last night that his main concern here is helping to build the priesthood foundation in the branch here, and that is to be our focus. We are to build and sustain and support the new branch president, nurture the less-active families, and bring back those who were once strong but have faltered a bit. It's been made clear that as we focus on building up the members, the investigators will come with it. 

It is beyond my power of expression to tell you how grateful I am that the Lord has blessed me with such an inspiring task for my last transfer. We haven't even seen our new house, but I can already tell you I am going to hate the day I have to leave Mindoro. Heavenly Father is SO SO good!!! 

Now, to rewind a little bit and review my last week in Antipolo. I got to be in a threesome with Sister Faka'osi and her new companion, Sister Lopez, for the week. It was fun, and I already love Sister Lopez! But it was also an interesting challenge. Firstly, because I am no longer an STL, but I was in a companionship with 2 of them. It was a hard adjustment, because even though in my head I knew I was released, I still felt the same. So when Thursday came around and we knew I wouldn't be leaving on Friday, we had to figure out what I would do while my companions were in MLC. We asked if I could come with them (just to listen in! haha I can just sit quietly, promise!), but was informed I would need to stay with our kabahays. Thursday night was pretty tough, honestly. That is when it really hit me that, whether I was ready or not, my time as an STL was over. I just felt super in limbo, because I wanted so badly to be here in Mindoro, and I just felt like an awkward 3rd-wheel, like I didn't belong there, but that's where I was trapped. Thankfully though, Heavenly Father is wonderful, and our day on Friday (I got to work with Sister Verdeflor and her anak/trainee) was exactly what I needed. It was so fun and productive and a blessing to all of us, I think. I won't share the specifics, but I will just let it suffice to say that the spirit confirmed to me that there was a reason I was supposed to stay home and work with them that day instead of tagging along to MLC and spending the day hanging out at the mission home. :)

Saturday and Sunday were General Conference, which of course was wonderful!!! My favorite talks were from 1) Jorg Klebingat (best talk on celestial living I have heard my whole life! I am so inspired! Haha I am listening to it again right now :P) 2) Lynn G. Robbins (again, living what we believe!) 3) David A. Bednar (I wrote a note to myself: "this is exactly why I am on a mission!" he said it so well!) 4) D. Todd Christofferson (tie in with #1 and #2, agency and integrity). It was interesting to see the themes that emerged this conference, but more than anything, I was so grateful to hear our leaders speaking so boldly the truth and how we can and MUST defend it, in a Christlike way! :) I hope you are all as excited as I am to review and apply the counsel we received from our Savior through his appointed servants. 

Sunday morning, Brother R.J. had his baptismal interview! He will be baptized on Saturday, and even though I am sad I will not be there with them (they were pretty heartbroken to find out I was transferred), I feel truly blessed that I was able to be with them through the entire preparation process and there when he passed his interview. I was reminded once again, as Sister Leslie (R.J.'s wife) teared up that he was finally being baptized and how grateful she was for us teaching him, of the warning/prophecy shared with us in the MTC: "You will be somebody's missionary." They both confirmed what we were told, that they will never forget me. I believe it too, because I know that I will never forget them. I feel like they are family, my love for them is so strong. Once again, it is true what they say: Filipinos teach you to love with your whole heart. In ways I don't even understand, I love these people so much! I have no idea what the future holds or what I am going to do with my life, but I just know I will not be content if they do not remain a part of it. Being a missionary, an instrument in the Lord's hands to the blessing of the lives of others, truly is the most incredible blessing I could ever imagine!!! Like really. It amazes me every single day. 

Another cool experience, from my day with Sister Verdeflor and Sister Tapa. During companionship study, they did a short role-play/practice teaching. I took the role of their investigator. My responses felt awkward and I was sure it was a terrible role play for them, but I just said whatever came to mind. I was amazed though, when less than a half hour later, we went to our lesson and they started teaching and the responses of their investigator were almost exactly word-for-word of the response I had given in our role play. It was crazy!! I think that is the first I have really seen how inspired role-playing can be and how the Spirit really can give us insights into the thoughts, feelings, and lives of those we teach. 

Also, how many of you have heard of "Meet the Mormons"? Is it in a theater near you? If you haven't heard or read about it yet, check out www.meetthemormons.com 

or you can watch the trailer here:

http://meetthemormons.com/post/99499699729/meet-the-mormons-theatrical-trailer

It looks so good! I am so excited to watch it when I get back! Definitely going to be my first movie when I am released. Which is impressive that it will beat out Frozen. That is how excited I am!! :) Someone please watch it and/or tell me how it was!! 

Amazingly, I am not out of time today, but I am out of things to say. Really everything just comes back to me being really, really excited to be here in Mindoro. I already love it, and am so happy. :) I am excited to be able to send you more specifics next week. 

I love you all!! I hope you have a great week and remember to pray for opportunities to share with others the great joy that we have access to and experience as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!! We have tasted of the most delicious and desirable fruit, and we cannot keep it to ourselves. This gospel is designed for the whole world to be blessed! I know with my whole heart and soul that it is true. :) The Lord has a work and a plan for each and every single one of us. Kaya natin 'to! ("We can do this!") :D

Have fun! Work hard! Enjoy our week and try not to get trunky. ;) I love you and miss you and pray for you daily. 

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - October 6, 2014 (In my father's footsteps/RM.T.C.)

Happy Tuesday!!

We have wonderful Zone Leaders here in Antipolo, and were blessed to be called last night and informed of the transfer announcements (instead of this morning). My beautiful companion, Sister Faka'osi, will be training a new STL here in Antipolo, and our precious ("most adorable Asian") kabahay, Sister Verdeflor, will be training a new missionary! Sister Tipasa is going to Pateros, and I will be whitewashing an elders area....in MINDORO!! 

Haha remember how I said how happy I was that I got to visit Mindoro as an STL instead of being assigned there? That one week was enough for me? Well, let's just say that I am so glad that the Lord is in charge of this work, and not us humans. I never expected, and never would have asked, to be assigned in Mindoro, let alone as my last area, my last transfer. Honestly, I kind of freaked out last night when Elder Crowther told me ("WHY???" "I don't want to die in Mindoro!!"), but then I kept realizing more and more reasons why it is perfect for me, and I felt the Spirit confirm that this is the right place for me right now. Actually, every area I have served in my whole mission, and the time I served there, was perfect for me. I truly feel so blessed. And I know that this will be no different. Of course, it probably won't be easy (I've never white washed before, let alone in an elders area), but the Spirit has confirmed that it is exactly the preparation I need before I finish this mission. And there are a whole lot of blessings that come along with it. For example, I get to be companions with Sister Panugaling (Sister Doucette's anak)! I have been missing having a Filipina companion, and I am excited to get to work with her. I know we will be able to get a lot done and have a great and productive 6 weeks in Magsaysay (another of my Tatay's old areas, I'm pretty sure)! :) 

But rather than previewing all the greatness of Mindoro, I'll save that for next week. Because there are so many great things that have happened THIS WEEK here in Antipolo! 

1) We had a super fun district meeting last week about Christlike attributes. We were each assigned one attribute and given about 10 minutes to prepare a talk/presentation on why our attribute was the best or most important. Then, of course, we each got to present ours. It was super fun! And I definitely learned/realized a lot about my assigned attribute, Faith in Jesus Christ, and why it is the greatest. ;) But on thing that came to me after the meeting as I was reflecting on what all my fellow missionaries had shared about their attributes, I thought about what Mormon claims in Moroni 7:46, that we must "cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all." I had just studied all about why faith is the basis of everything, the first principle of the Gospel, and necessary for and a springboard for all the other attributes listed in PMG. It struck me after, as I was pondering this, that faith is an attribute of redemption. We CANNOT be saved without it. It is necessary for repentance and baptism. Faith is what allows us to escape what Alma calls the "bands of death, and the chains of hell." Charity, however, is an attribute of perfection. We cannot be EXALTED in our Heavenly Father's kingdom, if we have not been cleansed through the blood of the Lamb and received His pure love into our hearts. As President Joseph Fielding Smith taught, "The man who does only those things in the Church which concern himself alone will never reach exaltation." We must develop charity if we are to become like our Savior and live worthy of the promises of the Celestial Glory we hope to attain. 

2) I got to have exchanges with 2 sisters from my batch this week: Sister Hivapea'ulu and Sister Sanders. SO FUN!!! :D I can't really say anything else, just that it was such a blessing to work with them, and especially to have Sister Sanders (a former STL) be my last exchange as an STL. Just reminded me all over again how much I love being a missionary and serving and teaching others. :) 

3) Just a quick overview of the progress of an AWESOME member referral: Rene and Edna, husband and wife with 4 young daughters. We've only taught them 4 times so far. The first was really just an intro to Sister Edna. The second, Sister Faka'osi and Sister Tipasa taught both of them and introduced the message of the Restoration and the role of prophets and revelation. Next, we followed up if they had read the pamphlet (Rene read a little, Edna not at all), and taught about Christ's earthly ministry, using both the bible and the Book of Mormon. It was a lesson unlike any I had ever taught, but scriptures just kept being brought to mind (so I used them) and at the end, Brother Rene was very curious about the Book of Mormon. When he found out he could learn more about it in the pamphlet we had left before, he committed to read it. We came back and discovered he had read the whole thing! And even tried to answer the questions at the back, but was confused, daw, by the verses he read in the bible. We shared about the apostasy (loss of truth and authority) that occurred after the death of Christ and His apostles, the Restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon as evidence of this incredible occurrence. :) We left with them a Book of Mormon (which he was shy to accept at first, but excited to read) and when we stopped by the next day to invited Edna to come to the General Women's Broadcast with us, we found him already reading it! This week, I want to testify to the power of the scriptures and using them in teaching. Especially using the Bible and the Book of Mormon together. They truly do support and expound upon one another. We have been blessed with many sources for reading the words of our Lord, we should take advantage of ALL of them! :)

4) Sister Faka'osi and I got to give the workshop in our district meeting yesterday. For our whole zone, actually, because Elder Phelps got Emergency Transferred on Friday so the elders were a 3-some and couldn't split for district meeting. It was really fun. It was cool to see how everything came together, too. I went from having NO idea on Friday night what to talk about, to having a complete workshop flow together (as if organizing itself) by my personal study on Saturday morning. It truly is incredible to see how the Lord sends revelation through the Holy Ghost so simply and perfectly, according to the needs of His children. 

I am out of time now (at least next transfer I won't have any reports to send to I'll have more time to email again :P). I just want to close by testifying once again of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and most especially, the blessings of peace, joy, purpose, and security that obedience to its principles brings into our lives. I KNOW that this is the FULLNESS of the gospel of Jesus Christ and no other worldly substitute can compare to the joy it brings into our lives. :) I hope you all have a great week!!! I love you so much!! I pray for you always! Stay strong, keep the faith, share the Gospel! <3

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - September 28, 2014

Hello! 

This was another super fast week! It was a challenge at first, because the plans that we made didn't work out, but of course, the Lord always provides, and it ended up being one of the most successful weeks of the transfer, at least in terms of reaching our goals. 

Wednesday, we were able to have exchanges with our kabahays. I was blessed to be able to work with Sister Verdeflor (which was especially fun because I was her replacement in Taytay, so we have lots of mutual friends there)! We worked in their area, while Sister Faka'osi and Sister Tipasa worked in our area. I was honestly having a really hard morning that day, not feeling like a missionary, not feeling close to the Spirit, but as usual I just pleaded for help from the Lord and pressed forward in faith and it ended up being a great day! :) It was exactly what I needed. Working with Sister Verdeflor helped me feel the Spirit so easily, and teaching in their area was so fun and inspiring! The greatest blessing was that, even though we had no ward missionaries working with us, we were able to have members present at every lesson, which I know made a big difference. I think I may have gotten more from exchanges than Sister Verdeflor did; she is so kind and sweet and a wonderful missionary. It was a comfort for me to open my eyes and see that I really am just one small part of the big picture and that even though this is THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK in the world, the success of it does not primarily rest on ME (haha who knew humility is actually a stress-reliever? :P). 

As for me, I am doing well. I feel like I am starting my mission over, with all the rollercoaster emotions I experienced while being trained. I guess that is what all the talk about "12 weeks" is about. I really don't feel trunky at all (though I guess I don't know what that feels like to be able to judge). I just feel like I have always felt as a missionary. I am just me, doing missionary work. :) It is a lot easier now, of course, and I can recognize the Spirit working through me and utilizing and amplifying my gifts and talents, but I still feel like myself. Just a new and improved version. :) Little things are starting to get to me though, and as much as I wish I could pause time, I am realizing that it keeps moving forward and my deadline as a full-time missionary is inevitable. They started announcing the Women's Broadcast and General Conference in church yesterday (it is delayed a week for us here, so thank you for no spoilers!), and I got super excited until I remembered that I used to talk about how General Conference would be the month before my release. I am honestly excited for continuing to do missionary work in our home branch, but it is just really intimidating that it is so soon, and every week goes faster and faster. :/ I feel like I still have so much to learn and do before I am ready to attempt all this without a name tag (all the cliches I have heard my whole mission are seeming way more rational to me now). More than anything, I am grateful that, through it all, I feel the calming presence of the Spirit wash over me ever time I start to stress and I am reminded that the Lord is in control. He has a plan, and He is in charge of this work. I am just one small part, and when I am gone (or if I am transferred next week) and don't get to see the harvest of the seeds we are planting and nurturing now, all that really matters is that in the time I was here I gave my all and did my best. :) Another wonderful sister, who has been called and set apart by the same authority I was, will be here to make sure the work keeps going. I just need to exercise my faith and trust in the Lord.

In other exciting news: I got to go to Immigration last week to be fingerprinted, because I guess there was a problem with the visa renewal. No worries though, there are like 50+ of us in the mission that had to go over a period of 3 or 4 days. It's all good now, and I WILL be allowed to leave the country to come home daw. ;) We saw a lot of interesting people at the Immigration place though, and I got to talk to a really cute Filipina who is moving to San Diego to live with her American husband. :) 

I am super short on time now (SORRY THIS WEEK ISN'T VERY IMFORMATIVE), so I just want to leave with one thought, from the chorus of "I am a child of god":

Last night, we were walking to a last appointment and of course there are no street lights so Sister Faka'osi was using the flashlight on our phone to light the path. I was walking in front, and quickly realized that it was actually making things worse because, with the light behind me, my shadow was making it even harder to see where I was walking. Suddenly, the chorus of hymn 301 came into my mind, "lead me, guide me, WALK BESIDE ME, help me find the way." I realized that that is exactly how it is with our mortal journey and our Heavenly Help. We must allow Him to lead us. If we try to go ahead ("run faster than [we have] strength") or do things our own way, His Light won't be there to guide us and we will end up having a harder time of things. But if we just put Him first, we can follow Him and be led safely to where we need to go. :) 

That is all for now. Sorry again for the lack of content. More next week, promise! I love you all and hope you have a great week!! You are in my prayers!!

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - September 21, 2014

Hello! :)

So it is official. I am officially old. It hit me this morning that I have been out 16 months already. Yesterday, we had a sister in our ward work with us who just returned from her mission and it was like jumping in a freezing lake to realize that she is just one batch ahead of me. But it's all good, because the work here is really picking up, and I am getting back into the swing of missionary life and recognizing the miracles again! :)

Since I last emailed, a lot has happened. Just regular, every day missionary things, but a lot of lessons learned for lil' miss Sister Franks. As you may have heard (not sure if it made the news over there) there was another bagyo here. Mario I think was the name here in the Philippines, but it's probably got a different American name (Yolanda had a different name last November, I noticed). Anyway, just want you all to know that Heavenly Father is still spoiling Sister Faka'osi and I because we have both spent the entirety of the rainy seasons of our missions here in Antipolo, the city of highest elevation in our mission. No floods here! Really, not that much damage at all--just heavy rain and a lot of wind. Fortunately, our area wasn't affected much at all. About half of one part of our area lost power, but that's it. 

Friday morning, we got a call from our District Leader as we were heading home from exchanges with our sisters in the neighboring ward checking on how we were weathering the storm. We really didn't realize how big of a storm it was (or course, no one tells us things until it is super intense) so we went ahead and headed home. Thankfully, we were able to catch a jeep, and made it home safely, though pretty thoroughly soaked. :P Shortly thereafter, we got a text saying we weren't allowed to go work. So we spent the morning and early afternoon doing our weekly planning, cleaned the house a bit, I did some exercising (I've been feeling pretty lazy lately and need to get myself more motivated), and about 5:30 the zone leaders texted and said our zone had gotten approval to go out and work (yeah, we are that special!). 

Our appointment for that night ended up falling through, but the replacement was pretty amazing. We ended up having a member visit/lesson with the Martinez family (the ones I talk about all the time--Gladys is the one who takes all the pictures and Daniel is the one who referred us to their cousins). We just shared about the Atonement, asking them what it means to them individually. Then we watched "the bridgemaster and his son" video (you can find it on YouTube---look it up! Watch it if you haven't seen it, or watch it again if you have, because it will make the rest of this make more sense) and asked how their perspective on the Atonement changed as they watched. 

At that point, it was my turn to share, and I talked about my experience when I first watched it back in our district meeting in Morong. I talked about how impressed I was with the maker of the video, that they incorporated all the different kinds of people, with all different kinds of problems and concerns and weaknesses, and how at the end of the video, the girl on the train looks out the window and sees the father crying and she just has this blank look on her face. I just thought to myself "She doesn't even know. She doesn't even know what he just did for her. What just happened." Though I didn't cry watching the movie (any of the times I've watched it), for some reason I actually got choked up as I was sharing this in our lesson and almost couldn't get through it. That's the first I can remember actually crying in a lesson, and I don't even know why. :P But then we read D&C 18:10-14 and talked about the sacrifice that Christ made for us and how the LEAST we can do is share what we know to others so they can know, so they change, so they can receive the blessing and power of the Atonement in their lives. That is the whole point of Missionary Work!! It is all about the Atonement, and helping others to repent so the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for them will not have been in vain. It turned into a solemn lesson (which we hadn't intended), but I think we were all really touched by it and gained a renewed respect and appreciation for the gift of grace that our Savior is giving us. 

Saturday was another interesting day, but the biggest thing I took away from it was actually not from any specific lessons at all. It was the fact that we were able to get a YSA to work with us who has never worked with missionaries before. She is really shy and even admitted herself in her talk in Sacrament meeting last Sunday that she lacks confidence in herself. On Saturday morning, I felt inspired to ask if she was available to work with us (her mom had told us we should bring her sometime), rather than trying to ask one of our other ward missionaries who would have been available most likely due to the storm/not having school or work. It was a great blessing to have her in our lessons and the things she shared were great and sincere, though simple. As the day went on though, I felt the confirming witness of the Spirit that my prompting to invite her was less for the impact it would have on our investigators as the impact it would have on HER as she experienced for herself that she is capable of more than she thought. Even now, it makes me smile to realize how the Lord uses us as instruments to the blessing of ALL His children, not just the ones outside of activity in the Church. :) 

Yesterday naman, we saw the blessing of having Almira work with us on Saturday--the referral her mom gave us (who she taught with us for the first time yesterday) finally came to Church!! It was a huge and visible blessing of having a member present in our lesson with her. We met her at the member's house originally, but when we started teaching her it was at her house and we didn't have any members with us. Honestly, no matter how the teaching goes, no matter how much or how little the member shares, it is their PRESENCE I believe that makes all the difference in cases like this. Our investigator, Blessie, really just needed to feel like she had a friend. She already had a desire to come to church, she was just shy to go alone. But when we walked in the gate for church yesterday (20 minutes early even), she was already there waiting for us! She stayed with us for a while until the members she knew got there, and then was with them the whole rest of the time. It was beautiful! Like how fellowshipping is supposed to go. :) 

I also experienced yesterday the heartbreak of seeing someone completely closed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It wasn't all that different of an experience I guess--we have definitely had our fair share of rejections in my time here--but for the first time, as I invited him to open his heart and consider the message that we bear and in return received only an assurance that "he already knows everything" about our message, that "he wouldn't understand" because we are foreigners, and "he is fine" with what he has, it actually broke my heart. I just stood there, seeing him as a beloved son of God, feeling how sincerely Christ wants him to know the truth, knowing that this Gospel is the ONLY way for him to receive the fullness of the blessings of the Plan of Salvation, and hearing him adamantly refuse to even listen. I don't even have words to describe what I felt in those moments, other than to say that might have been the first time I felt true charity for a fellow child of God, truly loving him and desiring his salvation, as if it were my own flesh and blood. 

Overall, it is true what people always say: missions are the best and the hardest times of your life. But as one of my fellow missionaries here said (sorry I can't remember who right now), that is how it has to be, because of the principle of "opposition in all things." As Tom Hanks says in A League of Their Own: "Of course it's hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." :) 

That is all for this week. I just want to close with two spiritual thoughts for you all:

1) A verse I found about having faith and trusting in the Lord's work:

Mosiah 27:13-- "[Insert your name here] arise and stand forth, for why [doubtest] thou the Church of God? For the Lord hath said: this is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people." We just need to be obedient and trust the Lord to accomplish His work--we are merely instruments in His hands, and He can do His work. :)

2) From chapter 18 of Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith (our lesson in Relief Society yesterday), found in D&C 98:11--

"And I give unto you a COMMANDMENT, that ye shall forsake ALL evil, and cleave unto ALL good, that ye shall live by EVERY word which proceedeth from out of the mouth of God" (emphasis added). We cannot pick and choose which commandments (or mission rules) to obey, based on what we think are most "important" or "biggest", and expect to be blessed. We must obey EVERY command in faithful obedience if we hope to receive the promised blessings. If we are not fully obedient, the Lord is unable to give us the full blessing. There is no "unimportant" commandment, because the principle of obedience is universal, and the state of our heart is what really matters to the Lord. :) 

LET US ALL PRESS ON IN THE WORK OF THE LORD! :D I love you and miss you all and pray for you always. Hope you have a wonderful week!!! 

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - September 14, 2014 ("Impossible is not a word, it's just a reason for someone not to try")

HELLO!!!! :D

I have to apologize again--I went a little overboard on my email to President so I am a little kulang on time for this email. But I will do my best for you. Hopefully, some of it can cross over. :)

This week was actually a bit of a struggle for me, so naturally, I learned A LOT. The adversary was trying really hard to bring me down. From the start (Monday) we were punted a lot, and couldn't seem to find what the Lord had in mind instead, the way we usually do. Our goals each day were set in faith, but definitely reasonable, yet we didn't reach them even once. In the great teaching method of the Spirit though, I was reminded of the PMG movies (The District, if you remember watching those) when the two elders are doing all that they can to have a baptism and trying so hard to get their investigators to progress and it just isn't happening. I thought about what we teach people all the time--how trials are given to us for a reason, and the sooner we figure out what we are supposed to be learning, the better off we are. So I pretty much just pleaded with the Lord every day to bless me with the Spirit and the desire to work hard, and went out and tried to exercise my faith. It was a hard week. But, as always, there were many highlights. :)

First of all, we got to have exchanges with the sisters in Morong (Sister Faka'osi's and my old area). I got to work with Sister Taufa, which was a huge blessing! She is a sister that I have really looked up to ever since I met her when we were both going to Taytay Zone. She is one of the nicest, most Christlike people I have met, and I was so impressed and grateful to see the progress that the sisters are making in Morong (a part of my heart is still there, as you know). Honestly, I feel like exchanges were just as much for me as the sisters we worked with. I had the chance to teach a recent convert who was baptized just a couple of weeks ago and who just received the priesthood (or was supposed to) yesterday. What made it so special is that he was an investigator that I was able to find and start teaching during my second transfer in Morong, and I witnessed many, many trials come into his life as soon as we started teaching him (you may remember me writing about Brother Lawrence a few times before). Through it all, though, his faith and his desire to find and accept the true Gospel stayed firm. Finally, nearly 6 months later, he is an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an Aaronic Priesthood holder! :D It was a beautiful blessing for me to be able to see how the seed I planted was nurtured by other sisters, and harvested by entirely different ones. It was a testimony all over again to me that we are all on the same team, and we all play a specific role in the Lord's grand and eternal plan for the Salvation of His children. :) I was very touched and humbled to be blessed with that experience of getting to see and teach him again and see how much he has progressed since I last saw him. 

I was also really touched by Sister Taufa's comments in our evaluations at the end of the night. She shared with me that she felt very humbled by the day that we had spent together, and that she felt very chastened by her experiences. She said that she felt, for the first time since she was a trainee, that someone else was leading. I felt really bad actually, because I was not aware at all that she was feeling that way and I had not intended that at all, but she assured me that it was exactly what she needed and that I had really been an instrument of the Spirit in helping her. Many of the things she shared really surprised me; I don't even have the words to share though. Mostly, she just talked about how impressed she was with my example of finding, teaching, etc., and the spirit and power in the things I shared. I don't really feel like I did anything special, honestly, but somehow the Spirit was able to teach her, I guess. One thing that she highlighted (which is something that every STL I have worked with has shared) is how impressed she is with my Tagalog. Every time I hear that, I try to attribute it to the fact that I had only had Filipina companions for the first half of my mission, I've been in Rizal (the "province") the whole time, etc., but I was surprised when she cut me off and said, "If there is anything I have learned, it is that the language is ONLY learned by the Spirit." She later pointed out something that I had never realized before: I am actually more comfortable speaking to people in Tagalog than English. Obviously, I am still fluent in my native language, but as far as having a conversation, it flows much more naturally for me in Tagalog. I was honestly amazed at all the things that she saw in me that I have never recognized in myself, and it reminded me of a line in my patriarchal blessing that talks about how my influence on others will radiate "beyond [my] imagination." I feel like I am learning the truth of that prophecy more and more as time goes on. I really don't understand why the Lord has blessed me with so much, but I just hope I can live up to his expectations. 

Another experience I got to have this weekend was with the Decrito family. We haven't been able to see them for a few weeks, because they are busy and have been out of town on Sundays, which is when we go see them. At the end of our last lesson, we discovered that Brother was struggling with his testimony of God as our Heavenly Father (versus Jesus Christ). We tried to explain about the Godhead and committed him to pray to Heavenly Father and ask if He is real. We were a little uncertain, going into the lesson, what we should teach. Especially since we had two members with us (our ward mission leader, and a counselor in the bishopric). But it soon turned out to be given to us, as we asked if they had any questions. At first Brother said no, but then after a few moments he said, "actually, is it okay if I ask something?" He asked why there are 3 kingdoms of Glory, and what happens to people who aren't members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first question is a great one, with a simple answer that our ward mission leader gave perfectly: imagine there are only two options--heaven for people who are righteous, and hell for people who are wicked. What happens to the man or woman who is a good person, but doesn't repent of all their sins? They can't go to heaven, because they are still stained by their sins. They don't fit there. But they don't belong in Hell, either, because they lived a good life. They don't fit there either. Thus, it follows that a 3rd option is necessary--a place for those in the middle, who haven't fully utilized Christ's atonement, but haven't rejected it either. The second question is a lot more complicated, and not one I want to endeavor to answer here because it is very delicate and MUST be taught by the Spirit. We had a good discussion in our lesson, though, explaining that the Celestial Kingdom (or Exaltation, where we get to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and our eternal families) is very specifically for those who have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and been cleansed from their sins. We explained that merely having faith, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is not enough. We will still only make it to the Terrestrial Kingdom if we do not endure the end (as I heard once before, "No matter what religion you are, you won't be saved if you don't endure to the end"). But that said, the first 4 steps are vital as well, since we can't automatically skip to step 5 without the preparatory steps. I had to pause, as we taught though, because the Spirit was telling me that the question he was asking and the answer he needed was a different one. His real question was, "do I really need to accept THIS form of the Gospel to be able to live with my family for eternity?" I was really scared, but the impression I was receiving from the Spirit was undeniable, so I very carefully and slowly started to speak. I explained that steps 3, 4, and 5 are all about ordinances. Ordinances (or sacred acts which signify a covenant made with God) which must be performed by proper authority. If ordinances by true authority, traceable to Jesus Christ Himself, were not important, then we would not need to be here on a mission right now. If all we needed was faith in Christ, a desire to follow Him, and to feel guilt when we sin, I could be at home studying, working, starting a family, whatever I wanted. But I am here on a mission because I KNOW that ordinances matter, and authority matters. That is why we teach others the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--how true authority has been restored to the earth through a living prophet, and is traceable to Jesus Christ Himself. That is why we invited EVERYONE to pray about our message, so they can know for themselves and decide for themselves if they want to receive those ordinances. I don't think I have ever been so bold in a lesson before, but despite my own nervousness and apprehension, I am glad that I trusted the Spirit and followed His impressions, because I soon discovered that it was exactly what they needed to hear. 

I am out of time, but I just have to testify once again that being a missionary is the greatest! There are so many ups and downs, but all the challenges are just there to help us recognize the blessings and miracles that come as we endure. I love this work. I love everything about being a missionary, and I know without a doubt that this gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is true. :) 

I love you and miss you and pray for you always!! I hope you have a great week!!!

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - September 7, 2014

Hello again! 

I don't know why starting this is always the hardest part. Maybe because I still feel like I just emailed not that long ago (true). Time goes so fast, of course, but don't worry, lots has happened since I last wrote. 

Firstly, we had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on Friday. It was a little different than usual, but because of STL tsismis ("gossip"), we knew why. Our mission goal for the year of 2014 was to have 100 baptisms a month (compared to the average of 50/month last year). Of course, we care about a lot more than just baptisms (we aren't here to convince people to join the Church or to just add to our numbers) but we know that baptism by proper priesthood authority is a sacred covenant and ordinance necessary for exaltation in the Celestian Kingdom of God, and is one indication of how successful we are in fulfilling our purpose to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive His restored gospel. The mission has been working on a lot of things this year to reach that goal: improving our individual obedience to be worthy of the Spirit, improving our teaching skills, developing and learning to exercise our Faith in Christ, and better understanding the power and authority of our calling as His representatives. During the first half of the year, we had an average of about 75-80 baptisms a month. The month of August was the first that we actually reached (exceeded) our goal--reaching 124 baptisms! 124 precious souls, our brothers and sisters, who have gained a personal testimony of the Savior and the restoration of His gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith, and made the covenant to honor and follow the Savior throughout their mortal and eternal life. :) To celebrate this groundbreaking occurrence, President and Sister Revillo decided to do something different for MLC. In the morning we did all the regular discussion things, the trainings and workshops, then we took a picture (on the mission Facebook probably, if any of you have found that), loaded up in some vans and went out to lunch at a fancy buffet, then to a park/zoo in Pasig to play games and explore. Though I was sad that it didn't feel like MLC (not quite as spiritually filling as I am used to), it was a lot of fun. Especially getting to bond with the other missionaries that I've never had the chance to serve in the same zone with. The best part, though, was bonding with President Revillo (he played all the games with us). It was so fun because he is usually very formal and professional (of course, as our leader), but he has a great personality and with the missionary leaders he readily opened up and showed his fun-loving, fatherly self. :) It struck me how much he really loves and trusts us; like we are his own kids and he just wanted to do something special for us to celebrate the happy occasion. 14 months after our initial meeting, I am finally learning to see President Revillo as a real person, a friend, and not an intimidating power figure. #progress

One thing I kept thinking about during MLC is something that came up in our Stake Conference a few weeks ago regarding Hastening the Work of Salvation (not sure if I shared this already. Sorry if it's a repeat). It occurred to me that "Hastening" doesn't just mean improving our own teaching skills as missionaries or working harder, or longer, or more efficiently, or with more energy. There have been thousands of incredible missionaries before us who have done all of that. We are here to CHANGE THE CULTURE of missionary work. We are here to renovate the whole process. We aren't here just to involve members in missionary work; we are here to make members INTO missionaries (so they can do the work on their own, alongside us). The Assistants kept saying during their workshop in MLC that "there are only two of us in an area...there are only two of us in an area..." Having the help of the members is the only way to change that. I'm still not 100% sure I know HOW to accomplish that, but I hope as I continue to study and apply the guidance from PMG and other mission resources, the Spirit will be able to tutor me in that area. :) I really need to master it to the best of my ability during the short time I have left though, because I will only have one "transfer" (6 weeks) in the branch in the Soo when I get back to apply everything before I leave for college. More and more, I really feel like a major reason I was supposed to come on this mission was so that I personally could learn how to be a missionary, and realize all that I need to do to help the Church grow at home. 

Another thing I was thinking about during my personal study on Saturday morning is the principle of our personal conversion. They say that the best way to know if you understand a concept is to try to teach it clearly to someone else. We used to talk about that a lot when I was a tutor at BYU--we need to understand the topic inside and out to be able to teach it in different ways according to the needs of the students we are helping. I realized that probably, that is a major reason (if not one of the main reasons) why the Lord sends us young people to serve missions. Honestly, we don't really know that much, and salvation is a big deal--it is a big thing to entrust to a group of "kids"--but the Lord sees more than we do and He knows that the way we learn the Gospel here on the mission, especially how we learn to live it (teach others the doctrine, inviting them to live it, promising blessings from obedience, and testifying of the truth of what we teach), helps us understand and internalize it in a way that casually living the Gospel as a member of the Church never would. Of course there are many members who never serve full-time missions who are able to become fully converted to the Gospel, but I believe that even those members are involved in missionary work in some form or another, whether within or outside the Church. There is just something transformative about giving of yourself in the service of others. I don't know what it is, but basically, I am just so grateful that the Lord arranged things in my life to get me to come on a mission. Only here have I come to realize the importance of all that we do. And as Elder Crowther (one of my zone leaders) mentioned in our conversation after MLC, the Lord expects a lot more from us members of the Church than we often realize. He expects us not just to live the commandments. He expects consecration of EVERYTHING, including our time, talents, and TESTIMONIES (i.e. sharing them!). 

The work in our area is still going great. Brother R.J. is still one of my favorite investigators and is rapidly progressing in his testimony and preparation for baptism. It is so fun to teach him every week and see how much he loves what he is learning, and how his understanding is enlightened through the power of the Holy Ghost. :) He truly is one of the Elect of God. I am so excited for his baptism and their eventual sealing next year! He has taught me so much about treasuring the many simple but profound Gospel truths that I have so often taken for granted. Yesterday, he taught us the Plan of Salvation (that is how our lessons usually go with him--we just ask a few questions and he shares what he learned in his study....he is so great!), and said that it blew his mind when he first learned that we didn't just come "from our mothers." We actually lived as spirits before we came to this world. We lived with our Heavenly Father, as His spirit children, alongside our brother and future Savior, Jesus Christ. We were all given agency, or freedom to choose, and were taught how to be righteous. A plan was presented in which we could come to earth, gain a body (to become like our Father), gain experience and be tested. We knew all that we would go through, that we would make mistakes and eventually die, but we also knew that our Father would provide a way--a Savior--for us to be able to overcome both Sin and Death. Every one of us used our agency to choose whether to follow this plan. Those who had Faith in Jesus Christ and chose to follow Him (ALL OF US HERE ON EARTH) were blessed to receive a chance here in mortality. For R.J., this was all new knowledge. He had never been told anything about a life before this life. Seeing things from an eternal perspective, getting a taste of this new and additional knowledge, was like a new favorite dessert. He just couldn't get over how wonderful it was. Hearing his explanation of the Plan of Salvation felt like listening to a kid describe his favorite movie or TV show---so excited about every plot twist, and the genius of it all! It was definitely a very humbling experience for me and a great reminder of how blessed I am to have the knowledge I have.

I am almost out of time so I will just close by saying that I have the greatest companion ever! Sister Faka'osi is so sweet and kind and humble and patient and loving---I woke up on Friday morning (at 4:30am, mind you) to get ready to go to MLC and found breakfast waiting for me on the table. She is just like that though. Always looking for opportunities to serve. She's such a great example, and I am determined to be a great companion in return. :)

That is all for now! I love you all and miss you and pray for you always! Hope you have a great week!! 

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - September 2, 2014 (A thought about hands)

So this week has been an interesting and introspective one for me.

Firstly, I just have to say I am still SO excited for this transfer!! I truly love Sister Faka'osi and am learning so much from her every day. At first I felt a little awkward because she's so quiet and I thought we might not get along or be unified or whatever (because we were kabahay for so long before) but the more I am with her the more I can see that she really is just the nicest and most loving and understanding companion. She is SO HUMBLE. And such a good missionary! She is teaching me how to be an even better Preach My Gospel missionary. And our work has been going SO well. We have found so many new investigators (about 12) since transfer day, and one even has a baptismal goal date already (he was taught by elders previously when in college but never baptized because he moved back here to Antipolo). 

I am excited for all the new missionaries in our district too. We had an AWESOME district meeting yesterday with our new district leader, based partly on Elder Holland's talk "Remember Lot's Wife" (one of my favorites) and partly on just having a positive attitude, the power and authority of our calling as missionaries, and how to really exercise our faith unto miracles. It was really fun. Elder Nelson's question for the day: "What am I going to do this transfer that I didn't do last transfer?" The answer that stuck out for me: I am going to work really hard to build up this area, not because it is MY area (the attitude I usually have) but because eventually it will be someone else's area, and I want them to be able to hit the ground running and keep going with all the progress that is taking place right now. I really am not trunky (I don't think), but I have been realizing/feeling more and more lately how little time I have left to do all I can for these people. I just want to know that, even though I will eventually have to leave, I can say that I have done all I can to equip my successors and help them to get the most out of their time here. 

We had a really good member lesson last Friday with a family that has been feeding the missionaries every week for ages but never really participating in member missionary work. We read from Preach My Gospel about How to Set Goals and talked about why we need goals/vision (1 Nephi 17:18) and they responded REALLY well! They committed themselves to pray as mother and daughter (the husband is a seaman) and set goals for their family. We had another good member lesson on Saturday with a family whose son is on a mission. We had the goal originally to commit them to send him spiritual thoughts from PMG in their weekly emails to him, but discovered that the mother is the only one who regularly emails (he's been out for about six weeks now), so that changed into a commitment just to email him! Even if he doesn't have time to respond (the complaint of one of the sisters). As we testified (as missionaries with a family at home) of the power of families supporting their missionaries, it really hit home for all of us there. The spirit was really strong, and overall, it just hit me once again how important it is to teach people, not lessons, and how important planning is, even for members who we see all the time. Having a lesson that we had planned specifically for their family and their situation was so much more powerful than just sharing a quick scriptural thought about missionary work before rushing home. (Sorry if this isn't the most relevant to all you non-missionaries, but I'm just kind of spouting things that stuck out to me this week, and that was one). 

In other exciting news, there are 3 kids who are cousins/neighbors of one of our really strong member families (the Martinez family). They were referred to us a couple of months ago and we have been teaching the kids, preparing them for baptism. On Friday, we texted our member to see if we could teach at their house and the response we got was "hindi po" ("no")----because the mother of the 3 kids had decided that she wants to be taught as well!! :D So we were able to go to their house for the first time and teach the mother. It was just another miracle to see how the Lord really is working in the lives of so many of His children and that there really is a right time for everyone. :)

You may be wondering by now what my subject line has to do with anything, since none of this seems to relate to it. Let's just return for a moment to the first line of this email....

I have been thinking a lot, as I said, about a lot of things. Mostly thinking back on all the experiences I have had on my mission that have really changed my life and taught me so much about what it means to be a true disciple and follower of Jesus Christ.

Last week, I accidentally stabbed by hand with the safety pin that I've been using to hold my bag together (the shoulder strap is getting a little sketch but I can't bring myself to spend the money on a new one for just two transfers). It happened to pierce, unfortunately, right at the base of my thumb on my right palm. At first it was like "Oh shoot. Bummer." But then as the week went on, I started to notice something I had never noticed before: HOW MUCH I USE MY HANDS FOR EVERYTHING. And how frequently I use alcohol (hand sanitizer). I noticed because it always brought a twinge of pain. As I was attempting to wash my hair yesterday (yes, lathering shampoo hurts too), I thought of what an interesting experiment/learning experience that was for me, and what a cool symbol in terms of our relationship with Christ. They say "we are the body of Christ" diba? We are His HANDS and feet here on earth. To me, that stuck out, because I realized how important we are as His instruments! It is awfully hard to wash your hair with one hand, let alone none. I have a testimony that every single one of us is important to the Lord's work! We missionaries (one "hand" if you will) might be able to survive without the help of the members (the other "hand"), but the result will definitely not be as pretty or as effective as it could have been if the two worked together. We really do need each other and the Lord needs every one of us on His team! 

In the symbol of hands, too, I thought of course about the Atonement of our Savior. How He allowed His perfect, loving hands to be pierced by the nails that held Him to the cross as He gave His life in our behalf. Those same hands that had brought light to the blind man, raised the "sleeping" daughter, wiped the tears of the sinner, and washed the disciples' feet. Those same hands that learned the carpenter's trade, taught the learned in the temple, and brought a faltering Peter to successfully cross the sea. In realizing how central hands are to the things we do each day, it somehow became even more powerful to me that Christ has chosen to retain in His the scars of His eternal sacrifice. I feel like, for Him, His hands were more than a tool for every day life, they are a living witness of His love for us and all mankind. He used them for good during His mortal life, and they are a symbol of His service throughout eternity. 

I feel like there should be a deeper or more powerful conclusion to this somehow, but I don't know what it is. Let's just leave it at the fact that I have been pondering a lot this week, and I invite you to do the same (maybe you can get out of this through the Spirit what I'm not able to put into words). 

All in all, as I stood in the temple this morning and reflected on all the time I have spent there since I came to the mission (essentially every other month, aside from my time in Morong), I realized how much I really have changed in the past 15 months. I still feel like a kid, in terms of the things of the world and having to go home and graduate and get a real job still scares me, but in terms of my spiritual progress, I feel like I've finally kind of "found myself." Ironically (as I should have already known), it really is true that the best way to find yourself, as Christ Himself taught, is to lose yourself in serving others. I believe that no matter what form our service takes, and no matter where we give it (as a missionary or not), what really matters is our attitude toward it, and whether Christ is really the reason and motivation for all that we do. 

I am almost out of time, so I will wrap this up now. I just want you all to know how much I truly do love and miss you, and how happy I am to be here serving the Lord in the Philippines Quezon City Mission as a missionary and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. :) I hope you all have a FANTASTIC week!!! "Good luck" and "have fun" to all those starting a new semester! 

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - August 25, 2014

Hello!!

I don't know about you, but it is hard for me to believe it has already been six weeks since I wrote to say how excited I was about getting to be companions with Sister Cutia again! And now, in less than 24 hours, I will be having to say goodbye to her again, and Sister Tehei as well. :/ On the bright side, though, Sister Tehei is now going to be an STL in Quirino, with my old companion, Sister Rimano! She is scared still, but she is going to be awesome!! She is a great missionary!!! We also found out last night that among the new STLs is my beloved daughter, Sister Garcia! She is going to be companions with Sister Doucette in Taytay Zone. :D AND, guess who is coming here to Antipolo with me? SISTER FAKA'OSI! Remember way back when (i.e. last year) when we were kabahay for basically my whole life in San Isidro? It's going to be like a reunion, but better, because we get to work together in the best area in the whole PQCM and we both know a lot more what we are doing. I'm pretty excited! I just feel like I am getting more and more blessed every transfer. Of course, I know these next 6 weeks will bring their own challenges, but I also know that the blessings will far outweigh the trials. 

This week was really great, honestly! First of all, we only had one day of exchanges, and Tuesday was a holiday so Sister Cutia and I got to go on splits with our ward missionaries. It was such a fun and productive day! And we found two new less active families! One of which is a part-member who wants her two teenage sons to go on missions (we've got our work cut out for us there :P). Thursday was also a holiday, which included a baptism from our kabahay's area, and a birthday dinner at a member's home, where we got to hear one of the most amazing Filipina voices from the birthday girl. (Like, seriously, she was a performer/singer in Korea, but now just chills and sings karaoke at home. Dad, I wish you could hear her, you would have loved it. She's so tiny--like 5 feet tall and maybe 110lbs--but her voice is so powerful and mature. The greatest part was watching her sing with so much passion vocally, but her body was so relaxed--definitely a professional). 

The experiences I most want to share come from the weekend, though. It was stake conference weekend, for one thing, which was so fun because I got to see members from San Isidro again! Haha the DelVal and Tarun family all said they thought I had gone home already. :P But Gel said instead of going home I could just come live with them if I want. No worries, though, as tempting as it is, I wouldn't do that to you. :) 

After the Saturday session of conference, we had a REALLY rough lesson. Sister Cutia and I both came home spiritless and frustrated and just so worn out emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Knowing it was conference again in the morning, I decided to fast in order to get the spirit back so I could get out of the stake conference what I needed to. I just prayed that I would feel the love for missionary work that I used to feel. The Sunday session of conference was good, but nothing extraordinary to me. At lunch, I was hesitant to even break my fast, feeling I still hadn't gotten an answer/result. But I just went with it anyway, and kept praying. One of the members had come up to me after church and asked if we had be able to visit a certain less-active family. We haven't (I still don't know where they live), and he asked if he could take us there to meet them. So we went out to meet him first before our appointments, but ended up having a schedule too crowded so we asked if we could just stop by our investigators first on the way. He agreed, and we were able to teach Roell and Michelle and invite them to FHE at their fellowshippers house the next day. We were then late for our next appointment, so we apologized and asked if we could see the less-active member family later. He readily agreed and was like "let's go! where is the next appointment?" We were a little confused at first that he was just going to come with us even though he was just supposed to be there for the less-actives. I admit, I was actually kind of hesitant to let him come, since our lessons after were part-members so we didn't technically need an extra member to come. But we just explained the protocol of him having to walk separately from us during travel to the appointments, and it ended up being a huge blessing that he was there! He actually served here in our mission, before it split, and is definitely a great missionary. He is an even better member missionary, though, because he just quietly observes and listens while we teach and waits for us to invite him to share. I was so glad he came, ultimately, because everything he shared was so perfect for our investigators. 

The highlight of the week was, of course, meeting with RJ. We had brought a simple object lesson to teach about prayer, scripture study, and the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. It turned into a great discussion of how the Gospel strengthens our families. The moment that really hit Sister Cutia and I the most was when he stopped us in the middle of the lesson and was like, "I just have to say this. Do you remember the first time you came here? You asked me what it was that I expected from you and your teaching." Of course, we did remember that. He had said how he just wanted something to strengthen his marriage and his family (raising his 8 month old daughter). Then he smiled and said, "THIS is what I expected." I was blown away, once again, and just told him, "That is honestly the nicest thing you could ever say to a missionary." We are just here doing what we've been called to do. Our message really isn't ours--it is from our loving Father in Heaven and our Savior, which is why it works--but hearing/seeing someone realize the truth and blessings of the Gospel is basically what we live for! There is nothing at all like it! 

We had another great lesson yesterday with a new investigator (she came to church last Sunday, but we weren't able to teach her until Saturday, then Sunday, then yesterday). In the 24 hours between our visits she read the entire Restoration pamphlet (Saturday to Sunday) and Introduction to the Book of Mormon and testimony of Joseph Smith (Sunday to Monday). And she prayed about it! Our lesson yesterday was so great. We just talked more about the Restoration and shared with her about having living prophets and apostles today. I showed her the pictures from the conference issue of the Ensign of all the general authorities, and when I put it in front of her, she just stared at it for like 90 seconds. We sat silently and let her read their names and look at their pictures (probably my coolest experience with the "power of the pause") and afterward as we were talking about how she was feeling about our message (from her reading and her prayers) she said, "I just can't get over that there are living prophets and apostles. I always thought that ended back in the time of the bible when they all died. I didn't know we had a living prophet today." We asked her how she felt, knowing that we do in fact have a living prophet to guide us today, what she would say to him or ask him if he were there in the room with us. She said, "I would ask him what message he has from the Lord. I want to hear his words and all the counsel he has for us." It was honestly one of the coolest experiences, seeing how much and how quickly she is progressing, just by doing the littlest things that we invited her do. Like really, it's not that hard to read 10 pages of a pamphlet, or say a prayer, but because she is sincerely thirsting for the truth, she has gotten so much more from those simple actions than many others who have taken the same steps, faithlessly, and missed all the blessings. I'm so excited for her baptism! (October 18 is the goal we invited her to, but I have a feeling she will be ready much sooner at this rate). 

I've got to email President now, but just as a closing, I'll share this link that Gladys shared with us today. It's from our FHE last weekend with the Baluyot family--they asked us to do a special musical number like the elders used to, so we sang a very impromptu "Nearer, My God To Thee." Also, at the end, you can see their dog--the cutest golden retriever ever! :) Just don't mind my awkwardness. I promise I am not usually that awkward. :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bd2f5gIe4c

I love you so much!! I hope you have a great week (and Labor Day, since I won't be emailing until Wednesday next week--temple day!). You are in my prayers and thoughts and, of course, my heart always!! 

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks

Sister Franks in the Philippines - August 17, 2014

Hello again!

This week has been truly an incredible learning experience for me. I wish I could share everything that I have been through and all it has taught me, but I suspect this email will only scratch the surface. Which is probably how it should be, honestly, as sacred things should be kept sacred. One thing I will say, though, is that this week taught me a lot about the mantle of leadership, and has given me a newfound respect for every branch president, bishop, stake president, mission president, and most of all the apostles and prophets who lead and guide this church. 

Why exactly? Well, let's just say that Sister Cutia and I were given an assignment by President Revillo to meet with some of the sisters in our route and help them with an issue that had come up over the course of the transfer. I was not excited at all, but thankfully, the Lord compensated, as always. I am so glad that Sister Cutia was there too, because she knew how to handle things even though I definitely didn't. It was interesting though, knowing that we were there representing President Revillo, and really trying to listen to the Spirit to figure out what to say, and what he would say if he were the one sitting there. I tasted for the first time in my life what "the mantle" often referred to feels like. Though only for about 24 hours, I could tell a noticeable different in myself during that day. I realized also how beautiful the power of the atonement and process of repentance truly are. I learned even more deeply and profoundly how personal and individual the Gospel is. We met with each of the sisters individually, and I was amazed that even though the issue/the reason we were there was still the same, we ministered to each sister according to her needs. I don't think I have ever felt more like a genuine representative of our Savior Jesus Christ than I did that day, as we taught and testified of the power and role of the Atonement in our lives. I echo once again the anthem of my mission and my life: "I really don't know why Heavenly Father loves me so much. I really don't understand why I am SO blessed!" It's so humbling and awe-inspiring to realize how undeserving I am of all that the Lord sees fit to bless me with.

We had more exchanges this week, too, which was great and fun as always, but of course, meant I was especially excited to get to work in our area again (although I am getting better at putting the sisters first before our own work--probably the hardest part of being an STL for me). We were especially excited for our lesson with brother RJ. We were a little let down when we got a text from him on the way to his house saying that his wife had a migraine and could we just meet "next time" instead. We had brought a Book of Mormon and a copy of the DVD "The Restoration" to give him, so we decided to stop by anyhow just to drop it off. When we got there, he opened the door and apologized, explaining that Sister Leslie was sick. We said we understood and we were just dropping by. Just a few minutes into the conversation, Leslie's face appeared in her bedroom window (right by the door) and asked if we could pray for her. RJ eagerly asked us if we could come in and pray for Leslie. We agreed, and came in, though really we were thinking she needed a Priesthood blessing more than just our prayers. From then, everything just unfolded. We prayed, and then we were going to leave but they insisted that we stay and have cake (for their daughter's 8 month "birthday"). 

Let me just pause here to say that it was the most delicious cake I have ever had here in the Philippines: red velvet with cream cheese frosting, "straight from Makati" (Manila). It was SO GOOD.

At first I felt awkward, because I knew Leslie wasn't feeling well, and I know how awful migraines are when Mom gets them, so I was thinking we should just hurry up and get out of there so she could rest. But as we were eating, RJ was like "I have something to share! Is that okay?" We agreed, and he brought over his copy of the Restoration pamphlet and started telling us about his experience reading it. He said that he started reading it in the way to work (he commutes about 2 hours in a public-transport-type SUV). At first it was just because he said it would be embarrassing for us to come teach him if he hadn't done the assignment we left two weeks ago. So he read, and started looking for the answers to the questions we had left (just simple questions to help him focus on the main points of the lesson). He said that when he read, he remembered what we had said about praying, and so he tried it. He prayed, telling the Lord how he is looking for the truth and asking to know if what we are sharing it true. He said that the feeling he had was one he could not explain. Like chills, daw, that completely washed over him from head to toe. When he got to the office, he started reading the english pamphlet alongside the tagalog one (to better understand, because neither one is his first language). The more he read, the more he understood and the more he wanted to know. He was disappointed when he realized that the pamphlet is only like 8 pages of actual content. The rest is just pictures. :P

It was so fun to talk to him and hear him explain complex concepts (Christ's ministry, the Great Apostasy, the Restoration of the Gospel and the Priesthood) so simply and so accurately. We were astounded and told him how impressed we were. He humbly said, "no, it's all from the pamphlet!" but believe me, I have read those pamphlets many many times, and I know that the knowledge he gained was from the Holy Ghost, and not just from his reading. We explained to him that what he felt when he prayed and read was the Holy Ghost testifying to him of the truth.

I felt impressed to ask him if he believed, based on his experiences, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. He immediately said, "that is a really interesting question!" And then, as an explanation, he gave the example of a child who is adopted as a baby and raised by a mother who is not his birth mother. He said that when your birth mother comes back into your life (say, when you are teenager) and tells you that they are your mother, it is a hard thing to deal with. You love the mother that raised you--she has taught you good things, loved you, etc. But you also know deep down that your birth mother is your real mother, and he said, of course you will eventually accept her as your mother. He said that is how he feels about the Church. He was raised as a Catholic. It is hard for him to let go of his Catholic roots, when he doesn't yet even really know much about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But he also said very absolutely that in time, he knows he will come to know and accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as the truth. Sister Cutia and I were blown away by his explanation, and just overall the progress that he has made this week! It was pretty much all we could talk about for the rest of the night.

 

Experiences like that are the ones that make all the sacrifices of missionary work 100% worth it!! There really is no joy in life greater than helping one of our brothers or sisters to receive the joy of the Gospel, the knowledge of the truth and that spiritual connection with their Father and their Savior. 

Also, our mission is really pushing working with the members right now. We've been challenged to visit every member of our ward before the transfer ends. Trying to be courteous, we asked in ward council for the leaders to sign up for a time that would be convenient for us to come share with them. So far, it is going well, but I have come to the conclusion I am going to gain a lot of weight this transfer! Filipinos already have this habit of feeding all their guests, but even more so apparently when they know our whole lives are based on service and they feel like feeding us is "the least they can do." Haha at least all the food is delicious though. :) 

There is so much more that I could share, but I have a lot to report to President and Sister Revillo still. I just want to close with a great quote that I heard in church yesterday: "The Gospel takes different roots in those who share it frequently." So let's all do that. :) There are nothing but blessings in store as we do! 

I love you all and I hope you are as excited for this week as I am! It's going to be a great one!! :D 

Love always,

Sister Emma Franks