KPOP. EXO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzBE5j5Qbps&list=UUVIrUc-lSLsEeBs6xi4TCMg

^^ click if you like KPOP or EXO

------------------------

So pretty much, my sister Catarina is really into KPOP and she is addicted...NO SHAME.
This was an idea she had been wanting to do for a while. She took 12 of us and we made a dance cover tribute to a song called Growl, by a group called EXO.

This project is just for fun. We are not trying to prove anything. We all like to dance and we all like to have a good time.

Watch, Comment, Rate, Share, Dislike..etc.

Please and Thanks (:

If you love KPOP or EXO.
^^click the above link (:



[[Behind The Scenes]]
just us being silly at practices before recorded the final cut.

12.19.13

Hello Everyone.

I am so sorry it has been such a long time since my blog has been updated. And yes, this is me speaking, not my sister.

I returned early from my Quezon City, Philippines Mission on October 12, 2013.
Lately I have been recovering, in a sense, and things are going quite well.

I hope to return to the Philippines once again, very soon.

Thank you for following my blog (:

________________

The next few updates will be revolving around the life of a regular person with a regular life, which includes regular obstacles, projects, venting sessions, things that never makes sense, and of course...pictures pictures.

Feel free not to follow my blog whenever <3

Week: 12

Date: Sun, Sep 29, 2013 at 8:43 PM
Subject: Week 12


" WHAT A CRAZY WEEK!!

Tuesday: This morning we were called by our Zone Leaders and told that Sister Racaza would be transferred to Taytay tomorrow. AHH WE TOTALLY KNEW SHE WOULD BE TRANSFERRED BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN HERE IN MARIKINA FOR OVER 6 MONTHS. WOAH haha. She will be training a missionary from the PROVO MTC and they will be opening up a new area in TAYTAY. HOW SWEET! Today we had our PDAY and we also had orders to not have any work or studies...so that we could clean our apartments for transfers tomorrow. So, we all deep cleaned our not so clean apartment haha! After cleaning and emailing, we all headed over to ukay-ukay (thrift store) because that was where the other sisters wanted to go. Sister Soliven and I also decided to buy donuts..it has been a while.  For dinner, we headed downstairs from our apartment to Bishop's house for a kick-butt awesomely delicious dinner!! BBQ, rice, fish, palabok, pizza and dessert. I wanted to die because I was so full. Sister Racaza took her goodbye pictures with Bishop's family and with us. Oh we are going to miss her!!!

 

Wednesday: TRANSFERS! Sister Tibungcog and Sister Racaza headed over to President's house to meet their new companions super early in the morning. Sister Soliven and I re-cleaned the apartment for Sister Tibungcog and her new companion. We waited and waited and waited...and they came! Sister Tibungcog's new companion is Sister Sa'olotoga Sione, from Samoa!! She is super cool!!! For lunch, we headed to Mang-Inasal, however, Sister Soliven and I ended up skipping lunch with them because we had an appointment at President's house. After not complaining about how hungry we were on the way to President's house, we arrive there and they fed us all the leftover food from the new missionary orientations. We were also able to see Sister Racaza, because the Provo Missionaries came early in the afternoon, which was during the time of our appointment. After our appointment, we got another taxi (with a driver who just loved to talk and talk....haha), we drove by a huge river which was dangerously overflowing into a city (not our area) and headed safely back home (: We were unable to work, due to a few flooding spots in our area (which we had no idea about haha)...so we stayed home.
 

Thursday: Today we had another meeting with President, but instead of it being held at his house, it would be at the Mission Office, which was perfect because we needed to go to the Mission Office anyway to pick up a few items. After our long ride to the appointment and then back home, we had a super late lunch/dinner thing Chowking. Even though certain parts of our area have curfews, we wanted to visit a few families and to see if we could get some teaching done. We first visited the Aplacador Family (baptismal date in October!) and we taught them the intro to the Book of Mormon...apparently Gabriel (dad) had been reading the Book already, a lot of it. GOSH THE FAMILY IS SUPER COOL! Afterwards, we visited Jane and she is such a sweet heart. She is just eagerly awaiting her baptismal date, as well as her daughter Jonyell (8). We then stopped by Mary Rose house, whom we have not been able to see for quite some time. She was so happy to see us! In the jeepney ride home, we nearly died because the driver was driving and turning super fast. Sister Soliven and I nearly flew out of our seats a couple times. I wanted to throw up! (:

 

Friday: For companionship study, we all studied as a Kabahay (everyone living in the house). Following which, WEEKLY PLANNING! Gosh, weekly planning is such a genius idea and it goes from 10am-1pm (we plan our lessons and goals for the following week. Super effective). Afterwards, we headed back to the Mission Office to pick up more items. SO MUCH TRAFFIC! We were pretty much away the whole day, but we did our best to try and hurry back to Cupang and find people to teach, but we were unsuccessful this night. That's okay!!

 

Saturday: Today we were unable to work, due to a few emergency texts from our Mission President, but all is well because we were able to receive our SUPPORT (money). So Sister Soliven and I used the day to buy our groceries and have dinner from Jolibee (: ...that was pretty much our Saturday, which included lots of studying of course (: Also, Sister Soliven told me the story of the Ibong Adarna. The Ibong Adarna is a very beautiful/magical bird. When it sings, people fall asleep. If it poops on you, you turn to stone. It was a pretty cool story...so I translated it into English...which took up four pages of my notebook...oops (:

 

Sunday: I LOVE SUNDAYS! Today is Sister Sione's first Sunday! It's hilarious because people think she is filipino and that Sister Tibungcog is Samoan...it is the other way around! I nearly cried at church because the Aplacador family came and right behind them was the Balanlay Family (Less Actives, who have not attended church for quite some time...and it had been a while since we had last seen them.). At church, we watched the Primary Program (childrens program).  So cute and they all wore white! The rest of church time just seemed to fly by so smoothly and both families loved being there with us and all of the members. For lunch we headed over to the Micairin's house; we always get full with the food they give us, but this time..we all just wanted to explode and sleep. So when we got home, we all took one hour naps before studying and heading out to work! Unfortunately for me and Sister Soliven, many of our appointments had fallen through, so we ended up visiting Jane and giving her and her family an awesome lesson. Jonyell (8) gave tons of feedback during our lessons and she gave one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard. It was so cool. Oh Sundays I love you.

 

Today: Sister Sione's first Pday!! She actually wants to try Balut....so, we are planning to eat some much later, perhaps in the evening after work. I am still not quite sure what else we are doing today, but Pdays are always tons of fun...just like every other day here in the mission (:

Anyways, thank you all for keeping up with my crazy emails, that sometimes may not make sense; and thank you to those who have been sending me emails and letters (: I imagine everyone to be doing super!!! Christmas here in the Philippines has already begun and people are using some pretty crazy-big decorations!! Anywho, I miss all of you! The Church is true!

Sister Tatiana Escobar "

Week: 11

Date: Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 11:39 PM
Subject: Week 11
 

" MONDAY: My first Zone Activity!!! It was super awesome. We had permission from our President to start it at 7am...which meant that the sisters and I needed to wake up at 5:30am. We woke up early because our Zone Activity was being held at our Zone Leaders Chapel in La Muan. Well, we get there right at 7am, and no one is there! So we headed over to Jolibee right across the street for some breakfast, and then back to the Chapel to find our Elders there...who had just gotten there as soon as we were done eating. TSK TSK they were all late (: We all had decided to  have a Sports Day. Of course, we did not just play..we also had our regular Personal Study all together. Instead of having kasamahan study (companionship), we had Zone Study instead; we shared what we learned from our personal study with another. For sports, we played basketball, volleyball, badminton and soccer.....sometimes, in the rain! I was not worried about getting sick. Afterwards, we took tons of pictures and all headed over to a place called Mang Inasal for our lunch. Sobrang Masarap (super delicious!). And no, we did not wear church clothes during our sport events (: Sis. Soliven, kasama ko (my companion) were unable to work this day because she was not feeling well. It might have been from playing in the rain, but she said this is the first time she has felt really sick...but not the first time she has played in the rain. I really hope she feels better.

 

TUESDAY: District Meeting. The second day/time we met with our Zone! Awesome workshops as always (: After our meeting, Sis. Soliven and I headed back to the apartment instead of going out to lunch with everyone, because she was still not feeling very well. She decided to take a long nap before going out to work. We decided to only go out to one appointment because of how ill she was. We headed to our appointment, which fell through..I laughed inside because I then thought to myself, "Heavenly Father must have done this on purpose so that Sister Soliven could rest" (: Before going right back home, we headed to PureGold for a few groceries. For dinner, we went downstairs to Bishop's house. Gosh, it is always so exciting when we have dinner with them because the food is always a surprise! This time, she gave us a "thanksgiving" type of dinner, with hamburger patties, mash potatoes, gravy and vegetables. It was pretty nice not having to eat rice, just for this time (: Afterwards, Sis. Soliven headed straight to bed. Oh, I really hope she gets better!! (: Also, I received an awesome letter from my one of my former MTC companions, Sister Smith (serving in Manila) and I nearly cried because I miss her so much. I also told her to be on the look-out for Elder James Hart, for those of you who know him (:

 

WEDNESDAY: TODAY IS MY FIRST ZONE CONFERENCE/ "MISSION TOUR"!!!!!!! The sisters and I needed to wake up early again and travel outside of our area for the conference. Our speakers: President & Sister Revillo & Sister & Elder Arden of the 70, from New Zealand. Their accents are so cool! The Mission Tour was divided into two parts. Our intermission, lunch (:...which means that Sister Revillo would be taking care of our lunch, which meant that it would be really delicious filipino food! The Zone Conference all together was just amazing!!!!! Also at the Zone Conference, we had about 6 zones all together, so tons and tons of missionaries!!!!!! I had the opportunity of seeing Elder Malmrose (former District mate from the Provo MTC)!! I love being able to meet up with my former District; I miss them all so much! After taking a huge picture with all of the zones at the conference, the sisters and I headed over to a dinner appointment we had with Sister Gaddi (RM and Member who lived in Sister Soliven's/ my area in Cupang). We were too full to finish everything because we were given so much food/dessert at the Zone Conference. Pero, we were not just at Sister Gaddi's house to eat. We were there to also celebrate her birthday and share a message with her regarding referrals (: Because we returned home around 7pm, Sister Soliven and I were not able to work again this day. I pray for her all the time and I was getting a little worried about how sick she had been getting. Pero, everything will be fine because she was able to make a Doctor's appointment for next week!  (: I know that she will get better throughout this week.

 

THURSDAY: Today started very very slow. Sister Soliven is still very sick, but we still headed out to work around 3:15ish, very slowly but surely (: Heavenly Father provided a blessing in disguise for us as we rode a Jeepney to our area. Usually, our jeepney stops at a certain station, but he wanted to drive me and Sister Soliven all the way into our area! We were so thankful because walking from our station to our area is actually..quite a long walk and we had planned to pay for money for a tricycle for Sister Soliven's sake and for the sake of our appointment, but the Jeepney driver drove us all the way to our first appointment and did not charge extra (: THANK YOU THANK YOU! Our first appointment was with a lady named Tess. I had actually contacted her on splits when I was with one of the Sister Training Leaders. Tess is such an amazing woman. She has gone through so much in her life, but she has stayed so strong. We shared the first two principles of the Restoration with her: God is our loving Heavenly Father & The Gospel Blesses Families. Sister Soliven had me explain the second principle. I felt impressed to ask her certain questions while explaining the principle to her; the Spirit was so strong between us that we both cried. I commended her for her faith and strength as a mother and Sister Soliven and I knew how happy Heavenly is for her. Her strength reminded me of my own mother's strength and I am so thankful for everything my mother has done for me (small shout-out haha). Afterwards, we were finally able to meet Brother Lirrios (member, but his job alternates with Sundays). Brother Lirrios is super awesome. He is a policeman and when he is not doing anything at work, he reads the Book of Momon. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?!?!?!!? We shared a message with him and his family about the Temples and Families. We headed back home a little early so that Sister Soliven could get some sleep and relax. SHE WILL GET BETTER! (:

 

FRIDAY: Instead of having Weekly Planning, we decided to move that to tomorrow so that we could work more this day. For work, we headed out to see Brother Andy Mariano, then Jane Vera and then the Obena Family. We had a very great work-day! Great lessons, great feed-back and the strength of the Spirit! I led all of the lessons today and gave all of the commitments. It was pretty scary doing that my first couple of weeks, but practice really does make perfect (: For dinner, Sister Soliven and I headed to Greenwhich Pizza, which is joined with a Jolibee. Greenwhich has BOBA!!! So...I sorta had some (: 

 

SATURDAY: Today we had our Weekly Planning, which went extremely well and we attended an INTERFAITH Event, which was held in one of LDS Chapels. Our Event would contain Marikina Missionaries and Sumulong Missionaries...which meant that I would be seeing Elder Smith (District Mate from Provo MTC)!!! The topic at the InterFaith Event was "Families"; we were privileged to be joined by/hear from a Catholic pastor and a Methodist pastor, as well as our Stake President. Many people attended and it was very very successful. Also, I saw Elder Smith!! We talked for a quite a long time. I am so glad he is doing so well on his mission. He is turning into an Area-Book-Missionary. HOW COOL IS THAT!? After the event, pictures, Sister Sliven and I were craving some seriously delicious food...so we took a Jeepney to Chowking. I think Chowking may be my favorite Fast Food place to eat at. I feel like I am at home eating my filipino grandma's home cooked food. It is pretty great. Because of Weekly Planning and the Event hours, Sister Soliven and I were not able to work today. It is a good thing we switched weekly planing from yesterday to today..so that we could work more yesterday (:

 

SUNDAY: Today I gave a talk in my ward about Selfless Service, in which I was joined by Sister racaza, one of my kabahay sisters (one of the other three sisters who lives in my apartment). Apparently, everyone really liked our talks. I did my best to throw in as much Taglish as I could haha. I just really love Sundays, because I consider it my "Breather-Day" (: After church, we all ate at the Micairin's House, as we do every Sunday (: and then headed off to work. Brother Adolf (Ward Mission Leader of our Ward) worked with us this day. We were able to visit the Lirrios Family, Sister Macariola and Benjie Barlan. With Benjie we introduced him to the Book of Mormon and came well prepared to answer all of his questions. We invited him to read and pray to know about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. We know that he will receive his answer as he has a true desire to know (: In the evening, we received a call from our APs to know who would be training this next transfer: Sister Racaza and Sister Tibungcog!! Which means that either one of them or both of them will be transferred!!! HOLY MOLY!!

 

MONDAY: Today we had our District meeting instead of on Tuesday for this week, because tomorrow we would find out who is being transferred. Also, tomorrow would be no work/studies. All the time would be dedicated to cleaning our apartment and helping whoever is being transferred to do what they need to do. After District Meeting, we all took tons of pictures, because it would be the last time we see each other, possibly. For District Lunch we headed to....CHOWKING haha! OH my goodness. I am not gaining weight..I am actually losing weight haha! After Lunch, Sister Soliven and I headed over to the MRC (Missionary Recovery Center) for her check-up. The MRC is actually across from the Manila Temple and it is inside the Manila MTC. I got to see the front office and a few classrooms as well as the cafeteria. Afterwards, due to time, we went home, were unable to work and had a kabahay dinner of all our leftover food with the other sisters. WONDERING WHO WILL BE TRANSFERRED!

Today: This morning we were called by our Zone Leaders to  know that Sister Racaza would be transferred! Which means that Sister Tibungcog will be bringing her new companion to our house tomorrow around 1:30ish!! HOW EXCITING!!!! So far, we have cleaned our house and had breakfast...that is it..not lunch yet. Also, we found out that our fridge & toaster are not working...GREAT haha, we will be getting that fixed soon! Well for the rest of the day, after emails, we will all be doing stuff, I am not really quite sure what exactly we are doing because we gave all of our time to Sister racaza since today is her last day with us (: 

So a new goal that we heard from our President is that missionaries who finish the 12 weeks program will be training on their very next transfer! Which means, I may be training Nov. 6, 2013. HOW EXCITING!!!!!!!!

 

Well, the rain has been pretty hard here and there have been quite a number of floods, but all is well (: Thank you everyone for your awesome emails/letters/words of wisdom. (:

 

I miss you all. I love missionary work. I love the Philippines.

Until next time!

 

Sister Escobar "

Week: 10

Date: Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 1:17 AM
Subject: Weekly Letter, 10


" Tuesday: District Meeting and a fun day (: Tons and tons and tons of rain! WOOOO!

Wednesday: Part of our work: we were invited to a birthday party for our investigator Fidel (17). We were hoping our other investigators (his brother John Rae with friends Miles and mellord) would be there, but they were job hunting. So we had a Family Home Evening with Fidel and all of his friends who attended his birthday. It was really silent at first, until I broke the silence with my English. We were then talking like crazy! We had a great lesson on Family Strength, all of the friends sang our opening/closing hymns and we played games/ate tons of food. We also took tons of pictures. Very successful and so much fun (:

Thursday: We ran into the Obena Family and finally had the chance to meet the father, William, and his son Emmanuel. They both had so many questions! It was pretty sweet because we had the answer to the ones he had asked! We also taught Angel Demayo (mother-in-law is an active member) and my companion and I would like to give her a baptismal goal date for November, so hopefully  our next appointment with her doesn't fall through!

Friday: We visited Helen Adams. She actually attended Church with us on Fast Sunday and we hadn't talked to her since then because of her busy schedule. She was very excited to see us and we were definitely very excited to see her. She is so awesome! She also has a desire to be baptized, but they are for very different reasons, so my companion and I would like to touch on a couple principles from the Restoration before we give her a baptismal goal date (:

Also, my companion and I were invited to meet an investigator named Luz (her cousin is a ward missionary couple in our ward). Luz has been very very sick and she wanted a priesthood blessing. So an explanation of the Priesthood was needed first. Sister Soliven and I did not expect to talk because there were three other members with us. We actually had no idea what was going on or where we were going, until we arrived at Luz's house. I was very nervous to speak because I had never testified or even mentioned my feelings about the Priesthood. I wanted to make sure that what I said would benefit Luz. So, when it was my turn, I took a deep breath and spoke. While speaking, I felt peace and after, the peace remained with me. It reminded me of the power of the Holy Ghost as well. The rest of that day seemed just wonderful.

Saturday: BUSY BUSY DAY. Temple Tour Day: I went on splits with Sister Tibungcog to pick up Sister Elisa Macariola (less active) at 6am. We needed to assist her out of her house into a trike because of her limitations with her wheel chair. She was very excited to attend and she brought her helper with her, Ann (friend's daughter who is 14..I think). This was my first time riding a trike on the outside, and it was pretty cool (: We then met up with the other sisters (as well as other less actives and investigators). For my companion and I, our investigator family showed up (Gabriel, Analisa and Girly Aplacador). Our zone rented a jeepney for this specific trip; we unfortunately needed to wait an hour because it had a flat tire on the way over to pick us up, but we were picked up and headed straight to the Temple. The jeepney was so full that some of our elders needed to sit on the floor. Temple Tour Day had four stations and the "fifth" was a Temple Video. It was so awesome. Our investigator had so many questions during the tour and they felt so close as a family that day as well. All of our Zone's investigators/less actives loved everything about the Temple Tour! They also bought tons of souvenirs from the Temple's Visitor Center. Our temple tour day ended at 1pm. After dropping off everyone at their stops, the sisters and I quickly ran over to MacDo (McDonalds) for a quick lunch and headed back to our Chapel to set up for the Open House. We were so exhausted setting up chairs and tables. Not too many people attended the Open House, but it was definitely a great experience. Helen Adams actually showed up; it was a blessing for me and Sister Soliven because we didn't expect any of our investigators to show (they had all said they had previous engagements). After Open House, Sister christine (member) took us sister missionaries out to dinner at a place called Tamagoya Noodle House. I was so full and knocked out as soon as I got home! SUCH A GREAT DAY. TONS OF PICTURES AT THE TEMPLE! (I also saw Elder Crowther!!!! from my MTC DISTRICT)

Sunday: I just love Sundays. We were unable to work this day because I was very sick, but I received a blessing from our Ward Bishop (:

Today: This morning, the sisters and I woke up at 6am to meet our Zone at 7am at La Muan Chapel. Today was our Zone Activity (which happens once every transfer: just like Temple Day and Temple Tour). After Personal Study and Zone Study, we started our "Sports Day"! We played basketball, volleyball and badminton...in the rain. It felt so great..I might get sick tomorrow, but I am okay with it because it was totally worth it...hopefully I don't get sick -_-. Tons of pictures also. We were talking about who would potentially be transferred next week. wahh. We then ate lunch at a place called Mang Inasal. Sobrang masarap (very delicious).

Last week was definitely great and this week will be even better. Today has started off this week with a bang! Tomorrow we have District Meeting, which means MAIL (I never expect any haha) and then Wednesday is Zone Conference (I might see Elders Despain and Malmrose from my MTC District). Last week flew by so quickly and my companion and I are very thankful for the experiences we received.

It is very true when people say that 18mon-2yrs is not a long time at all when it comes to serving a mission. Time definitely flies by super fast, especially when you are working! I cannot believe transfers are already next Wednesday; we all will find out next Tuesday who will be leaving and staying. I am pretty sure I will still be in Cupang, Marikina...but things can change according to the inspiration our President receives. I am doing great here in the Philippines and as a side note, I had water up to my knees a couple times (: It is true that a mission is hard, but it is not impossible. To those of you preparing to serve missions in the MTC/at home, know that where you are called to or have been called to is specifically where you need to be because of the people who have been prepared by Heavenly Father to hear the Gospel from your mouth. To those of you thinking about whether or not to serve missions, pray about it with a sincere desire to know. (: I know this Gospel is true. Alam ko po na totoo ang Simbahan ni Jesucristo ng mga Banal sa mga Huling Araw. If I did not, I would not be serving a mission and I would not be a member of this Church.

Thank you to everyone for your awesome emails!!!

Until next Monday (:

Sister Tatiana Escobar "

Week: 9

Date: Sun, Sep 8, 2013 at 10:27 PM
Subject: week 9


" This week was very interesting (:

Monday: Sister Soliven and I decided to go to a thrift store...which was pretty cool...I bought two skirts.  Afterwards, we ate at Chow-King, again (don't worry we are using our money wisely), and then we went back to Robinsons (the very large, 4-story mall). At Robinsons, we decided to do a little bit of grocery shopping because it had more options than the store near our house. However, shopping there was not the best idea -___-. We had so many things with us that is very hard to travel and carry everything on the two jeepneys we rode. It was hilarious. Anywho, we had a great Monday...pero we are never repeating what we did (:

Tuesday: District Meeting! Today was our District Leaders birthday (Elder Vandyke from Utah) and we also found out that it was our last day with him because he was being transferred ): Also, on this day, Sister Soliven and I sang Lord My Redeemer for our District Meeting Presentation. I think the other sisters recorded it, so I will try to send it to my momma (: Today we also worked with Donna (18yr old member). She is super sweet and she plans to serve a mission next year! We did not have too many lessons, but we were able to teach the Balanlay Family (about church attendance) and Mary Rose (about Joseph Smith). After wards, Donna took us to Macdo...MCDONALDS. The menu still trips me out because of the rice options. It was pretty good.

Wednesday: We worked with Adolf (ward mission leader) today!....all of our appointments fell through. Sad day.

Thursday: no work because Sister Soliven was very sick

Friday: no work because I was very sick.

Saturday: (Adolf worked with us) We worked super hard to make up for Thursday and Friday. We first visited Gabriel!!! Gosh, he is the coolest investigator ever and his family is so awesome! We showed him the Restoration video (the short version). After the video, he told us a dream he had about someone pouring water over him. My heart stopped and Sister Soliven felt impressed to invite him and his family to be baptized. THEY SAID YES!!!!! Their goal date is October 12!!!!  Afterwards, we visited Jane Vera (who has been investigating the church since June 2012). She wants to get baptized so badly, but there are many complicated family trials she is going through at the moment. Sis Soliven and I will be talking to President Revillo about her on the 18th, to see if there is anything that he can do. I shared 2Ne 4:16 with her. I love her and her children! We then headed over to John Rae's house; inside were Mellord, Miles and John's younger brother, Fidel. They all gave such great feedback! We also found out that Fidel's bday is on Wednesday and he wants us to come. So we said that we'd come if we turned half of his bday into an FHE (family home evening)..."with games"(according to Sister Soliven)...they said yes! After our awesome day at work, we headed over to Sister Villanueva's house (member/with the other sister missionaries) and she fed us a feast. By the way..I LOVE MANGO FLOAT (:

At her house, I felt like I was back at home with my filipino family. Tons of food and karaoke; of course I did not sing, but I wanted to with all of the songs they were singing...in ENGLISH hahaha. We also took some pictures.

Sunday: I LOVE SUNDAYS SO MUCH. I am really getting to know the members more and more! I taught a part of the Relief Society lesson regarding the priesthood...it was a little nerve-racking, but they really liked what I had said. Adolf worked with us again! We first went to Maricel, or Nene (a friend of Juliet). We taught her an overview of the pamphlet and we are excited for our return appointments with her! Afterwards we went to Benji. We showed him the restoration video and he had so many questions. HE ALWAYS HAS QUESTIONS, which is what we want (: Also, he really liked the video. He has so much potential (:

Dinner was a huge question mark because we sorta ran out...well, it's another story...so Sister Soliven and I had rice, chocolate milk and ritz crackers...mmm (:

This whole week should be pretty amazing. For Pdays, Sister Soliven and I don't work because of our curfew (all missionaries are supposed to work on Pdays at 6pm, but we can't because we need to leave Cupang at 7pm)....so we decided to try and work today from 1-3pm, which caused us to make quite a number of sacrifices for our regular Pday. So really, my only Pday part are these emails! If today doesn't work, we report to President and he tells us whether we can work on Pdays or not ): Also, this Saturday will be very exciting because it is our Temple Tour with our investigators/less actives! So far Sis. Soliven and I have one less-active and a couple investigators. I JUST WANT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE ALREADY!

Anyways, I hope everyone is doing great and I miss you all!

And always remember, "Every Member A Missionary"

Sister Tatiana Escobar "

Week: 8

Date: Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 9:52 PM
Subject: week 8


" The Philippines is crazy!!!!!

Tuesday: The rain was intense all day and I got plenty of bug bites haha. This day was a little hard because I didn't really get any sleep and my legs were itchy with my bug bites. We were ready to work, until we received a text from our Mission President, telling us not to work today because of the "monsoon" and a missionary had been electrocuted. So...we stayed inside...which was actually really boring, until we pulled out our LDS dvds on our tiny laptop. We watched movies and studied and ate the rest of the day. Pretty eventful (:

Wednesday: District Meeting!!!! I finally met my District and they are quite hilarious. 4 of us sisters and 5 elders. We got to know each other better with scripture-chasing games! We all had lunch together at this really awesome place, but I can't quite remember the name. It reminds me of a rainforest cafe with a chess area...just like in Harry Potter 1...? For work, Sister Soliven and I visited Elisa Macariola (Less Active) and it happened to be her birthday, which caused her to feed us even more. I was so stuffed! We then visited Nilda Demayo (Less Active). Turns out that her grandson Joper (14) is actually a member so we encouraged him to attend church! We also received two new investigators (his aunts): Grace and Angel. We then visited Sister Mercy and her daughter Mary Rose. Mary Rose should be having her baby sometime next week. So exciting! Gahh! I just want to speak Tagalog already!

Thursday: I finally had time to create language study goals...quite a lot. To be honest, my Tagalog hasn't improved too much because everyone tries to speak to me in English, and then I get upset. Pero, I am starting to get a lot of their phrases and slang words...! Today we also didn't work because I was pretty sick. So my kasama forced me to take medicine and sleep the rest of the day. I felt so embarrassed and guilty that we couldn't work. Because time is so precious and we only have 18 months to teach.

Friday: Today our Ward Mission Leader (Adolf) worked with us! He is so awesome; I think I mentioned him in last week's letter. We first visited Mary Rose and her boyfriend Peter was there! His work schedule is extremely busy, but we were finally able to meet up and it was very exciting. We then visited Andy Mariano and his wife happened to be there (whom we have never met before). Andy had a previous baptism goal, but for certain reasons it was postponed. Now that we had an amazing lesson with him, his desire to be baptized has definitely come back. He is excited for us to teach him. SWEET. We then headed over to the Obena Family (looking for Emanuel who wasn't there) and we met his mother and his two sister-in-laws...which gave us two additional investigators! Towards the end of our lesson, there was a brown out... not a black out. YUP. It was scary! We then made our visit to the Bayaga Family to see Mark (Less Active; 16yr old) but he wasn't there! Next time! Today was so great because we received a handful of new investigators! I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TAGALOG!!

Saturday: For lunch, kasama ko at ako (me and  my campanion), plus the other two sisters in our house were taken out to lunch by Sister Christine and her friend Emma. They took us to Marikina Hotel Buffet. It is extremely fancy and there happened to be a baby-baptism-reception going on at the same time. So many people and so much Filipino food...oh my gosh. But, I didn't stuff myself because I knew how many people we needed to visit for work today, plus our area has many hills...and I was not in the mood to throw up! Sister Christine is actually a return missionary from Cagayan de Oro! During work, we wanted to visit places in our area that we hadn't touched on yet. So we looked for the Tagle family and we found them! Their son Jun Jun(9) escorted us to find the next family, which was an extremely muddy hill. The family was nowhere to be found, so down the hill we went, my shoe came off, I stepped in the mud and my shoes were terribly muddy...it was embarrassing...Jun Jun couldn't stop laughing at me! We then headed over to the Balanlay Family, where we found Romeo and his wife! Our first official meeting with him! Romeo is an RM (return missionary) from Davao Mission and he had a temple marriage! His wife was wearing a I LOVE MORMONS shirt and...it pretty much made my day. When he saw my shoes, he immediately started to SCRUB them (they were already off of my feet). I felt so bad, but what made it worse was knowing that he was also sick! I am not quite sure how many times I said Thank You...probably over one million times. Afterwards, we headed over to Nilda's house and taught Grace & Angel. During this visit, Grace's daughter kept wanting to play with me, so I did my best teaching and making sure she didn't fall off the bench I was sitting on. She also kept playing with my zipper ties on my purse, so I removed them and gave them to her. She felt very pretty because I tied them on her ankles. Grace told us that she was born as Iglesia, but she kept postponing her baptismal date with them because she didn't feel right. We had such a great lesson with her and Angel; tears were shed. On the way home, Sister Soliven wanted to take a completely different route through our area. After thinking we were super lost, we found our way to the Jeepney station and headed home. We were very blessed because as soon as we entered our house, the rain poured and poured and poured. 

Sunday: Oh church! Today, the four of us sister missionaries sang Nearer My God to Thee, as requested by the 2nd Councilor, and they forced me to harmonize with them. It was actually really sweet. Oh, and Joper was at church passing the sacrament (Nilda's grandson)! Bishop also announced that starting next Sunday, church would begin at 9:30am! It was the funniest announcement because the congregation began to get very excited. A later church time means that many more Less Actives will be coming back to church, hopefully! For lunch at Sister Micairin's place, we had Menudo, corn on the cob and suman. Sobrang Masarap (delicious)!! Today was also our Ward Council Meeting, which we found out today, which caused us to change our work schedule. During the meeting, we discussed having a Chapel open house for everyone in Conception and Cupang. It is going to be in September! For work, we were joined by Brother Franz and Sister Joy. On our way to find Sister Joy's cousin's house, we bumped into a man who said, "Bible Study!?" His name is Gabriel and we were literally the answer to his prayers. He prayed for a sign about his religion; he is catholic but he doesn't feel right. So we gave him an overview of Lesson 1, listened to his concerns and questions, he listened to us and really likes us. He likes us so much that he wants to attend church and bring his family!!!! Oh! We are so excited! After Gabriel, Franz left early, And Sister Joy took us to her cousin Marivie and her son Benji(17). Benji is actually the one interested in listening to our message. His lolo (grandpa) doesn't like the Mormons and Benji is not sure why, so he was a little worried about his lolo's feelings once he finds out that we talked to Benji. We are trying to strengthen Benji's desire to learn, because he does, in fact, have a desire. He is such a nice kid and his mom also wants to listen to us! Today was so great! The Lord really does prepare people who want to hear the Gospel. 

Monday: Today was supposed to be P-day, instead of tomorrow...but it is today..because TEMPLE DAY IS TOMORROW!!!!! District Meeting was pretty sweet; we discussed Christlike Attributes. My District is so funny! WE all then headed, in a jeepney all together, to KFC. Whatever I ordered, I will not order again, because it wasn't good and my stomach was very upset haha. For work, Sister Soliven and I stopped by Mary Rose's house and she told us that she would be having the baby today...so we waited with her...but a lady helping her said that it wouldn't come till later. While we waited, I played with her younger sister, Angelika. She is the cutest thing! I kept playing with her and we took pictures. We then headed over to find the Jimenia Family and we found them just around the corner! Brother Butch Jimenia(Less Active) is a Return Missionary and his wife is a non-member, and she is an extreme Philosophy major. She has been taught by many missionaries before and she has a strong desire to constantly have debates with them and her husband. However, she wants to go to the next Temple Tour that we missionaries have, so we said we would keep them posted. Our discussion with them was very complicated and the Spirit was not there. It was pretty terrible, but we think they are both really great. We headed back to Mary Rose to see if she had her baby, but no. So we went home.

Today: To get to the Manila Temple, a taxi is required.....being driven around in the Philippines, I am very surprised I haven't thrown up yet. The Manila Temple is so beautiful; inside and out. After a session, Sister Soliven showed me the Manila MTC, which is right across the street and we bought a couple things in the Visitor Center. Taking a taxi home was a little scary because we were given three different sets of directions from our other sisters and our District, but we eventually arrived here at the computer cafe safely.

By the way, for those of you who are not Mormon, my weekly letters are not meant to offend your beliefs. My weekly letter is to let people know how I am doing and about the missionary work I have been participating in. If you ever wish to cease receiving my emails, I will not be offended. Just kindly reply to my mother's email (the email that forwards my weekly email).

Markina 6A Cupang is a lovely area with loving people, but it is very difficult as well,. which is perfectly fine because I know missionary work is not meant to be easy. I know that I will be tried in all things and I know that I need to hold the ground that I have even if it is limited. I am so thankful for everything my Heavenly Father has given to me, my family and to all of His children here upon the earth. I know that this Gospel is true: Alam ko po na totoo ang Ebanghelyo ni Jesucristo. I hope all of you are doing well! I love you all!!!

 

Sister Tatiana Escobar "

Week: 7

Date: Sun, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Subject: week 7

" Monday-Wednesday:
Three people from my District left in the morning (Kikel, Perez and Sister Smith) and the rest of my District, with another Quezon City District, left later in the afternoon. Bus to a Front Runner, Front Runner to another Front Runner, and then we arrived at the airport. By the way, I ran into Elder Cody Napaepae (at the Utah airport) for those of you in Oxnard 3rd ward who remember him. On our first flight, I had the chance to talk with a mother and her daughter from South Pasadena: Hua and Erica Shen. They had questions about Mormons, so we talked for a bit. We are actually not allowed to proselyte on planes, but if they have questions, we can answer (: The flight from Hong Kong was probably the worst one...I nearly threw up. Also, there were so many movies playing that I tried so hard not to watch any of them. In truth I glance over at Monsters Inc which was ok of course, and then a Korean movie....not quite sure what it is called, but ...nevermind! I already repented (: On our last flight, we were all separated, and for some strange reason, I was placed all the way in the back..on the very last seat...by myself! So once we were allowed to remove our seat belts, I forced my whole district to sit with me in the back of the plane, because no one was there. We all colored in Sister Judd's coloring books! We arrived in Manila an hour late, due to ugly turbulence and rain. We all took our luggages to the front and waited for our ride, for what seemed like hours. I was laughing at all of our missionaries because they were turning red and sweating. We were picked up in vans and taken to our Mission President's house = President Revillo. At the home we also met other Quezon City missionaries! We all ate chicken adobo, chop suey, coconut macaroons, and fruit salad. I nearly died because everything was so good. We had an In-Field Orientation, met our companions, took pictures, and said our goodbyes! Kasama ko = Sister Soliven; she is originally from Olongapo and she has been on her mission for 6 months in Mindoro (The jungle/other island area of our mission)...so we are both new to our area...which is Marikina!. I had the awesome opportunity to ride with Elder Smith (from my District) and Elder Jones (the other QC District). The other two sisters I am staying with are Sister Tibungcog (2months) and Sister Racaza (7months) = both from Mindanao. I unpacked a little bit and then the two other sisters took us to a dinner/Family home evening appointment that they had. It was so embarrassing because I kept falling asleep. Seriously, ...I tried so hard to stay awake but I couldn't. So once we got home, all of the sisters let me sleep early.

Thursday:
Today, Sister Soliven and I were given a tour around Marikina 6B. For lunch, we were taken to a place called The Waffle Corner. Pretty sweet place! We also had the opportunity to teach an investigator named Bernard, whose girlfriend, Julie, is a ward missionary. It was the first time I gave my testimony in Tagalog, here in the PI.

Friday:
In the morning, we had some confusion with our other sisters. They wanted to know if Marikina 6B was really our area, because that was their former area. Sister Soliven said that she thought our zone leaders gave us 6A instead. So we decided to pray about it. This was the first time I had companionship prayer with a specific question in mind. We both received the same answer: 6A...which is the mountains area or "bundok". So, with that out of the way, they gave us a tour of Marikina 6A. Every time we work here, we must ride a jeepney because it is too far to walk. My first time riding a jeepney, I almost threw up...but, I'm so good now. I need to know how people know when to get off, because you can't see anything! There are certain areas in Marikina 6A, or Cupang, that we need to be out of at certain times. Also, when they say "bundok", they are so serious. HILLS! Thank you Girls Camp for training me! We met so many people! And I seriously need to remember how to get to all of their homes. Gosh, I have so much love for these people, I just wish I could communicate with them better. The frustrating thing right now is that even though Tagalog is the national language, everyone tries to speak English and Spanish, especially when they see me. However, when they speak Tagalog, they mumble and they whisper. It is super super super hard to hear them!

Saturday:
Today was more touring of our area, only Sister Soliven and I. We found a map in our area book and tried to figure out where we were. Sister Soliven has a good map memory, but she forgets everyone's names haha! We got lost every now and then, and experienced some pretty sweet rain showers.

  We also had lunch at our Bishop's house; he lives right underneath us. His wife is an amazing cook!!!! We had pasta, fish, and sugar/coconut. GOSH. Our Bishop is super super hilarious. Seriously.

Sunday:
Yes! Sunday! Our ward starts at 7:30am...but because everyone comes late, we start at 8am. Sister Soliven and I introduced ourselves to the ward and met tons of new people! There is only one church building and one ward for both Marikina 6A and 6B. The problem with my area is that there are tons of Less Active members. They are less active because church is early, it is too far, and many of them do not have enough money, but Sister Soliven and I know that church attendance definitely brings blessings! Sacrament Meeting was in Taglish, Gospsel Essentials was in Tagalog, as well as Relief Society, and my Ward Council Meeting was only in Tagalog. I love Sundays, but I felt so overwhelmed. The cool thing about our ward is that we have tons of ward missionaries and members who like to help us out. For Dinner, we go to Sister Micairin's place every Sunday. Today she made Chinese food. SO LEGIT. When we set out to work, we had Brother Adolf (20yr old and preparing to serve a msision), Brother Franz (RM from Laoag), Sister Mercy and Sister Annie. Ya, everyone says everyone's first name...definitely brings people closer.  Sister Soliven and I did splits, so I traveled with Adolf and Sister Mercy. They helped me familiarize myself with the area while introducing me to more people...which gives me more home locations to remember! -____-. I struggled so much with teaching this whole day and I began to get a little sick because the rain was seriously on us, with floods.  Adolf is so amazing! Every single time we went to a home, they asked him for a blessing. You can feel the Spirit so strongly with him. I know he will be a fantastic missionary. By the end of the day I was very exhausted and frustrated, but I have no expectations for myself. I know that this is only my first week and things will only get harder, but I know that things will be much better as well.

Today: my first PDAY has been sweet! I washed my clothes by hand, in the rain haha. I took pictures of cockroaches, there is a cat who constantly chases me, I've been eating a lot of chips...I definitely noticed some weight loss already, and I tried to take a nap, but I failed. (:

 The Philippines, so far in Marikina, is pretty awesome. I've met so many people these last few days, I've ridden jeepneys and tricycles, and I am definitely learning a lot. TO be honest, I haven't been able to receive an adequate amount of sleep these last few days, but everytime I wake up early, I just pray and pray and pray. I have faith that I will be able to be fluent with the language by the time of my first transfer, I really do. I am picking up Tagalog pretty quickly and I definitely know that the Tagalog at the MTC is not different, it's just more proper. I have not experienced a culture shock, but I still can't believe I'm in the Philippines. Sister Soliven is so amazing! She has been assigned as my trainer/companion for a reason and I just love her so much. I feel like all of you, my friends and family are just a couple hours away and that I could visit anytime. And yes, from now on, my weekly letters may be this huge (:

I hope everyone is doing well! I have one address for letters and packages: My mission home. Also, for those of you wanting to send letters to me through DearElder and saying that it cost money, it shouldn't cost any money if it is only a letter. Unless there has been a rule change?  Also, if you plan to send me letters or packages, I get them every six weeks...I think, and I ask that you put Catholic stickers (pics of Jesus or the virgin mary) on them so that people will not open my mail. Seriously (: Anyways, I love all of you and I want all of you to know that I am so thankful to be a part of this work, as a full-time missionary of the Simbahan ni Jesucristo ng mga Banal sa mga Huling Araw. Take Care!

Sister Tatiana Escobar "

Week: 6

(Catarina here, I'm sorry about posting Tati's weekly emails all late. I was away at girls camp and didn't have the time to post it...this, and the other one I'm about to post also lol. Again, I am sorry; bear with me please :p )



Date: Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 9:14 AM
Subject: week 6

" It's finally here everyone. I leave for the Philippines this Monday and I should technically arrive there on Tuesday...or actually, I can't remember. I get there when I get there.

This week was filled with incredible lessons, I met tons of new missionaries, my District has Jam Sessions (piano and singing), I have been taking tons of pictures with everyone, our devotionals have been pretty sweet, and I finally had In-Field Orientation...which was the most amazing event ever.

My District was called to help host new missionaries...it was way sweet. Before everything officially starts, we actually receive super early missionaries...and that is who we host first. While everyone had one missionary to host, which is what is supposed to happen, I end up hosting two. Which meant, that I took care of four suitcases. It was pretty funny. Also for the super early new missionaries...I was the shortest in our group of HOSTS....HA HA HA. I nearly died, but I made my new missionaries feel extremely welcomed and took care of them. I also had the opportunity to help out with another Sister Missionary, which required me waiting for her car to park and talking to her parents. Her family had so many tears...I purposely turned the other way so that I wouldn't cry! But I made her feel welcomed as well and she felt much much better.

By the time that was over, I was sweating so much, it was hilarious.

Afterwards, I had the opportunity of performing for the "new missionary meeting": Sister Smith sang, while Elder Smith and I played the piano. It was pretty amazing.

Also, I constantly run into Elder Jason Ah Sue and Sister Caitlyn Blickenstaff. LOVE THEM.

I've really been contemplating about the purpose of my mission these last few days and I am understanding my purpose as a missionary more and more. I am so excited to share the message of the Restored Gospel in the Philippines. I know that there are people, prepared by Heavenly Father, that I am meant to teach/run into. I know that it is more important to teach with them and not to teach at them. I know that I will have no problem loving them. I am not sure if I've said this yet, but speaking in tagalog has given me a different perspective on the Gospel. It's pretty amazing and I've learned to teach in a away that a child would be able to understand (I can't quite remember the scripture reference for that!)

Anyways, I am really sorry about the short email, but this week has been so scattered and crazy.

I hope everyone is doing well! I miss all of you and I continue to thank you for all of your emails and letters.

I LOVE YOU ALL.

Sister Tatiana Escobar "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date: Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Subject: Last PROVO MTC EMAIL 

" So, since I am leaving in a few hours, I was given the opportunity to send out once last email. (short and sweet!)

Am I excited for the Philippines? --YES I AM

Am I excited for the humidity and the heat? ---BRING IT ON

Will I meet Manny Pacquiao and get an autograph from him? --I'll meet him, but the autograph will only be for me (:

I am just so excited for my mission to officially start in the field.

As soon as I receive my new address(es) I shall post them at the bottom of my weekly emails.

Thank you all once again!

LOVE YOU ALL! "

Week: 5

Date: Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Subject: Week 5!!!!!


" OH MY GOSH!!!! This week has definitely been pretty crazy, which means that next week...which is my last week here at the MTC, will be even crazier!

 

Sunday:

Pretty great. Sundays are my favorite days here at the MTC, other than Tuesday (we have devotionals on Tuesday which are at the Marriot Center...so we all take this huge field trip to get out of the MTC). Anyways, Sunday just always prepares me for the next week and even though we sit way more than we do on any other day, I seem to always be rejuvenated....did I spell that word right?

All day I focused on the topic of Obedience, Fortified Faith and Bold Testimonies. Again, I was reminded how beautiful the Gospel is and how it causes me to be so excited for the Philippines!!!

Pretty Awesome quotes that stuck out to me:

 

1. "Life is not about accumulation; it is about contribution." - Steven R. Covey

2. "When we obey they commandments and serve unselfishly, we will receive power." - Richard G. Scott

3. "Obedience is a hallmark of prophets." - Thomas S. Monson

4. "I have not seen, but I believe." - Sister _______ Penfield (I forgot to write down her first name! SORRY!)

and then this one from last week which I thought about this whole week.

5. "Remain rescuers until our rescuer, Jesus Christ, comes." - Sister Jolene Allphin

Also, this Sunday was the last Sunday for two of our awesome districts. We all walked to the Temple and took a seriously large amount of pictures...which I will send to my momma.

The new zone leaders are two elders from my district, which we totally knew was going to happen and our two new Sister Training Leaders are the two sisters who laugh the loudest in our zone. IT'S HILARIOUS!

The four of them will work wonders (: 

 

Monday-Wednesday:

My hair is getting really long...but I shall not cut it!!!! At least not yet, maybe next week (:

I have been playing volleyball for every single Gym Time. I have been getting pretty good. We are not allowed to dive for the ball, which gets me upset sometimes because I want to dive so bad, but I don't. Also, try to picture this amazing moment which will probably never ever ever happen again:

I served the ball to the other side, the ball was hit back onto my side,  one of the Elders on my team had set it for me in the air, I jumped super super high...spiked the ball...and it hit another Elder in the face. IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING!!!!! I didn't realize how high I had jumped, until I stood right next to the Elder...he is 6 feet tall. I've always known that I had some type of awesome grasshopper super power in my legs...but, it was also really scary. I jumped so high that I freaked out when I came back down and nearly landed on my face. So those of you who play volleyball, I have so much respect for your awesomeness and when I return....it will seriously go down!!!! (:

Now for the spiritual... These first three days of class really turned into a struggle for me. We nearly finished learning all of the grammar principles and sentence structures are making much more sense now. However, I struggled greatly during our "investigator appointments". Also, I had set a goal to learn the following in Tagalog:

 

1. Missionary Purpose

2. Joseph Smith's First Vision (...starting at "I saw a pillar of light...")

3. Moroni 10: 4-5

We also received around 20-30 new missionaries in our zone!!!!! OH MY GOSH!

 

Thursday:

This was my hardest day. This was the first day I hit a huge wall, spiritually and emotionally. Mga kasama ko (My companions) and I had a lesson on Our life on Earth and the Atonement. I studied what I felt impressed to study and I was feeling perfectly fine, until we began to teach. It was the strangest and most terrifying feeling. I did not understand a lick of Tagalog that was being spoken. I sat there in the corner trying to figure out what was going on. I knew what I wanted to say in English, but out of nowhere, it felt like this day was my very first day at the MTC and that I had no idea what Tagalog even was. There was a point during the lesson, where it seemed like I was hallucinating. Right next to our investigator, I saw two people from my family...clear as day. They were staring at me, looking extremely disappointed and I freaked out. My companions noticed my struggle and we talked about it. They reminded me of the power of the adversary. They reminded me that my decision to be here is something that he absolutely despises and that he will do his very best to throw things into my path that will cause me to fail. I know that my call is inspired. I know that there are people sa Pilipinas who have been prepared by Heavenly Father, for me to meet. I would not have been called to the Philippines to speak Tagalog if Heavenly Father did not think I could do it. I felt so much better the rest of day. Later in the evening, I was brushing my teeth and noticed one of the new sisters looking very discouraged. So I felt impressed to talk to her and listen to her concerns. I felt so much joy in telling her that she has a beautiful purpose as a missionary during these next 18mon. We talked for a while and she felt much better. I thanked mga kasama ko for the confidence and reminder they had given to me, for without it, I would not have been able to understand how the new sister was feeling.

 

Friday:

So, it was my idea to have our whole zone play kickball for Gym Time. Not all of them got the memo, pero we still had a large amount of people. This game was literally my kickball redemption. The first time I played Kickball with our old zone, I dropped the ball twice and kicked the ball at a Sister's face -______-. I was so pumped for this game and to play with MY district...until I found out that they threw me with the newbies -___- haha. It's totally fine because we dominated (even though we don't keep score)!!!!!!!!! I caught every single ball (which was kicked 100 feet in the air...probably not but it was pretty high!) that was kicked my way, I scored three "home-runs", and ....I dove for two balls..which I caught...which is totally not allowed...and I repented soon after (:

I also did my best to give the newbies a fun game. Every single time we had a home-run, we had that "tunnel thing" that people do...? I don't know. They all had a good time and we all bonded pretty well. My District began to laugh by saying that they should have kept me on their team. By the way, I was the shortest out of everyone playing kickball. Hilarious!

And...drum roll please....I RECEIVED MY FLIGHT PLANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you would like to know that information, ask my parentals (:

My heart pounded as I read my packet!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS THIS REAL LIFE!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!

 

I just wanted to, once again...as always, say thank you!!!!!!! I love all of you so very much and I miss you dearly...and I definitely know that you miss me. WHO DOESN'T MISS AN ESCOBAR!? (:

I am growing so much here at the MTC, as a missionary, as a student, as representative of the Jesus Christ and as a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I know what I am doing is right.

Alam ko po na mahalaga po ang Pagbabayad-sala ni Jesucristo. Alam ko po na mahalaga at totoo po ang Aklat ni Mormon. Alam ko po na totoo ito sa pamamagitan panalangin at ng Espiritu Santo. Nagpapasalamat po ako para sa pamilya ko at mga kaibigan ko. Alam ko po na magiging masaya sa pamamagitan kay Jesucristo. Sa pangalan ni Jesucristo, Amen.

 

If anyone plans to send me any letters, the last day to send it would either need to be today or tomorrow.

Feel free to DearElder.com me!!!! Those are always fun (:

 

Sincerely, Sister Tatiana Escobar

p.s. A huge thank you to the Escobar Family (D3) for their awesome package!!!!! I might eat everything tonight, because tomorrow is Fast Sunday for us...but then I might throw up, so I shall see what happens. But thank you so much! IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, I ate all of the lychee...literally 10min after I opened it (: "

Week: 4

Date: Sat, Jul 27, 2013 at 9:31 AM
Subject: Week 4...WHAT!?

" Can you believe it? Because I really can't. It technically have two more full weeks left. I also receive my travel plans next week, most likely on Friday. I AM SO STOKED!

This week has been one of the hardest weeks here at the MTC, because I got extremely sick. Also one of my kasamas was not feeling too good either. However, we got the rest we needed and the medicine we were prescribed...now we feel incredible. (:

 Although this week was a struggle, it was also one of my favorite weeks.

Sunday: every week we have a sacrament theme and every week we have speakers. however, we do not find out who the speakers are until after we have partaken of the Sacrament. So because of that fact, all of the missionaries must prepare a 3-5 min talk on the given subject. I really thought I was going to be called because the huge amount revelation i had received. it was pretty funny and cool at the same time. My District had about a paragraph, and I had about three pages. I literally could not stop writing. Come sacrament meeting, i was not chosen....but I was prepared.

Monday: My kasamas and i taught Ang plano ng kaligtasan (plan of salvation) and it was pretty sweet, until the sickness hit us. To be honest, there is a plague here at the MTC because everyone began to cough, have fevers and throw up. YUCK.

Tuesday-Thursday: I was very sick, attended the Doctor's Office, threw up twice and drank water like a school of fish.

Friday: Celebrated Elder Kikel bday (from my District) because he turned 19. His parentals send him a birthday box filled with birthday hats and the noise-blower-things, tons of candy and cake. It was pretty awesome (:

On the plus side, I had the opportunity to really, really, really study. I am progressing with the language; there are times that I will forget how to say certain words in English. The grammar used to be such a pain in the neck, but now i get so excited for grammar because it is all coming together and making much more sense.

I am also gaining a better understanding of my Missionary Purpose and of the needs of my Investigators.

Studying is one of my favorite things to do...not because it is all we ever do, but I just feel great when I get into the scriptures, into my Preach My Gospel, and when I read the tagalog version of the Book of Mormon. It's amazing how much peace I feel, even when I was feeling sick.

Quick Facts:

1. I received a Dear Elder letter from Miss Jocy Liporada.

2. I received an awesome candy package from Sister Johnson

3. I received a freaking super package from my pamilya (:\

4. I see Elder jason Ah Sue and Sister Caitlin Blickenstaff everywhere (:

maraming salamat!!!! MAHAL PO TAYO.

Alam ko po na totoo at mahalaga po ang Alkat ni Mormon, at Ebanghelyo at Pagbabayad-sala ni Jesucristo. Nagpapasalamat po ako para sa pamily ako!!! Nagpapasalamat po ako para sa patotoo ako.

Alam ko po na Ang Diyos ang ating Ama sa Langit at Mahal po tayo ng Diyos. Alam ko po na ipinadala tayo ang Diyos sa mundo, upang matuto at umunlad.

I really hope everyone is doing well.

Send me Dear Elders!!!! <3

Love,

 Sister Tatiana Escobar "

Week: 3

Date: Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Subject: PROVO MTC week 3

" Kumusta everyone <3

I am so sorry for the way I have been trying to organize what goes on during my week in this letter. I am going to make it much more simpler....simple. -____-

So this past week was pretty difficult, meaning that I am have been getting extremely exhausted and a little sick. I forgot how cold and how hot Provo can be, as compared to Oxnard, so...it's been a little rough. I haven't gotten officially sick, but I had a sore throat this morning and my whole district was teasing me -_____-. For some "strange reason" (sisters taking extremely early showers) I have been waking up at least an hour earlier. It's a little annoying, but I actually have no problem getting up. So, I guess I am okay. (:

Anyways, the language has been getting a lot better. I have been catching on pretty quickly, but the grammar kills me. IT IS SO COMPLICATED...then again, so is English haha.

Honestly, reading and translating the scriptures from tagalog into english has really widen my perspective on the Gospel. It's incredible. 

I was able to see Jason Ah Sue again (someone tell AMANDA), actually, he saw me and peeked into my classroom. Sweet Guy. he is going to be so great in Panama!

My scripture study has definitely improved. There are points in the scriptures which stand out to me that I had never really realized before. It helps me a lot during my personal study and companionship study.

Our two "investigator" lessons have been a little rough. Sometimes my kasamas look at me for translations, but I literally don't know what to say sometimes. I only memorize phrases that I feel impressed to say, based on the needs of my investigators and based on what my kasamas have already said...that way I don't repeat too much haha. In all seriousness, teaching is a lot of fun! In class, we have "workshops" that help us teach to investigators better and the Spirit is so strong, every single time. I would like to have that feeling with me everyday because it makes me want to do better. When the Spirit leaves, I feel so lazy....and unproductive.

A few funny notes:

1. During one of my gym days, I wanted to run three miles again, but I had a foot cramp...so I sorta had this run-limp thing going on and I was only able to run two miles. Apparently my face was making some ugly pictures as I ran, according to some other sisters on the track with me. MY FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AT THE MTC ARE FAMOUS

2. i tried a grapefruit for the first time, in front of my district, in the cafeteria.......IT WAS TERRIBLE. I almost thew up. For those of you who enjoy grapefruits, cool...but I prefer bananas. I literally almost threw up haha. Also, there a lot of food items, meals that make my stomach hurt or just does not taste good at all. So my kasamas say that I am picky. Our teacher Bro. Mansfield would usually ask us how are meals were and sometimes i would say kadiri (gross/disgusting)...so when he asked, that is what I had said. My kasamas told him that I was extremely picky. SO NOW, whenever someone complains about something, big or small, Bro. Mansfield says "you just pulled a Sister Escobar" -______-. Both Bro. Mansfield and my other teacher Bro. Calder are pretty cool. White people speaking incredible tagalog...I LOVE IT hahaha. I LOVE MY WHITE PEOPLE so no offense <3

3. For those of you in the YSA Ward...there is an Elder here who looks a lot like PAT LYONS. The last two times I ran into him, I waited for him to burst out into a song...but no.

4. I had one day, where I didn't get enough sleep...as in I may have gotten four hours at the most (not sure why)...and during our three hour class in the evening, I was literally laughing at everything. Even when people were not talking, I was laughing so hard that a river of tears were literally flowing down my face. AND I wasn't the only one.

Anywho, I hope everyone is doing well. And thank you to those who wrote to me on Dearelder.com

I was so excited when I received the confirmation letters!! <3

write to me sometime!!! If you send me letter from dear elder, I get them faster and they are printed for me. it's pretty sweet. and someone should totally send me some almond joy, PEANUT M&Ms, and stuff. <3

I LOVE YOU ALL. THE CHURCH IS TRUE and if it wasn't, i wouldn't be serving a mission.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHURCH and/or the GOSPEL, please ask the missionaries (:

Sincerely, Sister Escobar. "

funny faces :p

a day at the temple

Provo, Utah Temple

sitting with Sister Smith :D

Group Quezon City (:

Kasamas: Sister Judd & Sister Smith

Week: 2

Date: Sat, Jul 13, 2013 at 10:10 AM
Subject: PROVO MTC: Week 2

"So I totally just realized that I left out a few things from my first week. I was in such a rush to write everything! My first day at the MTC, I was called as the Senior companion to my mga kasama (companions). YAY haha

 

 

Sunday: Today we all fasted our breakfast and lunch. As soon as we woke up, we headed straight to class to study. Our District President came into pull me and my kasamas out for personal interviews. My interview with President is something that I will think about everyday. He asked me to look at the empty chair next to me and to picture me sitting there, after the end of my mission. 18months later. He told me to describe one thing about Sister Tatiana Escobar after her mission. I looked at the empty chair and felt a warm sensation in my chest. I said, "She loved the people before she met them"....and yes, I started to cry...but so did President. Other things were discussed, but President told me to never hesitate to ask him for guidance and love. I love the man! hahaha Before sacrament meeting, we all headed to another room for our Mission conference. It was pretty cool. A room filled with missionaries who are taking notes, singing and snoring because of how tired they are. During the conference, I accidentally sat right underneathe the Air Con...totally accidental. So throughout the first half of the conference...I WAS SUPER COLD and began to fall asleep. So I a prayer and asked Heavenly Father that I may be able to feel the warmth of the Holy Ghost as I paid attention to the conference and that I would have energy and not fall asleep. Literally 10sec later, I was not cold anymore. I thought the AC was turned off, but I looked at the button on the well and it said it was on HIGH. WOW <3. By the way, I saw Jason Ah Sue at the conference, but he didn't see me because he was a few rows ahead. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL AMANDA AH SUE <3. During out testimony meeting...the strength of the Spirit was so incredible. As people bore their testimonies in Taglish, you could just feel the realness of their words because they came from the heart, by the Spirit. I was asked to give the closing prayer, so I did it in Tagalog. I might have missed a few grammar words, but I felt calm and everyone knew what I was saying. It felt great. My zone leaders told me I did a pretty good job. AFterwards, we all participated in SUNDAY WALK, which mean that you can either walk around the temple or just around the MTC...of course we all went to the TEMPLE! haha. And guess who I ran into??? ELDER WINSLOW!!!! Thank goodness because he actually left to Bulgaria two days later. We finally took a picture together. All of our districts took some pretty awesome pictures. I'll have my momma post them on facebook (: Dinnertime was pretty sweet. Everyone's trays were filled...pretty high. I also saw Sister Blickenstaff! So we took a picture (: After dinner, we had a hilarious devotional given by Brother and Sister Durrant. I would go into detail, but I have not time haha. They basically committed us to be BOLD-sincere-quiet and to make covenants-keep covenants-keep commandments. BUSY BUSY SUNDAY.

 

Monday: Today was a little depressing. we taught out third lesson to Danilo, but we didn't prepare very well. I didn't feel the Spirit at all. Even though, we said what we wanted to say...there was no Spirit. The lesson could have been way better. Personal Study, for me, was even harder. I couldn't focus at all. My kasamas and I thought about studying three different topics for our next lesson...but it didn't feel right because the lesson would not have any unity. We were making things too complicated. In class, Guro mansfield reminded us of Brigham Young's conversion story. He was visited by two missionaries when he was younger. One missionary decorated his lesson with big words and the other missionary simply bore his testimony from his heart. He paid more attention to the missionary who bore his testimony. it gave my kasamas and I a lot to think about. Even if my testimony is the only thing I know how to say in Tagalog, it might be all the investigator needs in order for them to find out the truth for themselves. I also remembered what Elder Bednar had said, " Everything in the conversion process must happen to you before it happens to the people you teach." GYM time: I ran two miles (: Okay...almost two miles. I needed one more lap xD.

 

Tuesday: Today was so much better than yesterday. In class, we received direction  on the simplicity of the Doctrine of Christ, which helped us a lot with our fourth lesson. My kasamas and I felt confident enough, by the Spirit, to challenge Danilo to be baptized....and he said yes!!!! Even though the situation is simulated, the promptings of the Holy Ghost are so real! For language study, my kasamas and I were in charge of a Tagalog-learning game. So we played jeopardy. The elders got mad at us so many times, it was great (: We also had a sweet devotional today. We all headed to the Marriot Center and the gymnasium is huge!!!!! We were talked to by Brother and Sister Kendrick. It was extremely powerful.

 

Wednesday: YAY!!! I have officially been at the MTC for one full week (: Today was our "last appointment" with Danilo before he becomes our advanced teacher. I did not feel the Spirit at all during this lesson. Gahh, things will be better (:

Today, we also found out that Brother Masnfield will also be one of our investigators.....it is going to be so hard and awkward because he knows how much my kasamas and I laugh. Plus, Ever since I arrived at the MTC, Brother Mansfield totally caps on me in class. He knows that I know more Tagalog than my District, so he will direct funny comments to me in tagalog, about me, because he knows I can understand -____-. it's okay, because I make fun of him ALL THE TIME!!!!!! Overall, today was just me and brother Mansfield making fun of each other...and of course, creating more goals.

 

Thursday....we learned about TAGALOG GRAMMAR. kill me now please. We also met Danilo: aka Brother Calder, for the first time as our advance teacher. HE IS WAY PRO. Today I was reminded, that I have been called to serve in the Tagalog because Heavenly Father knows that I am capable of speaking the language, from my heart, by the Spirit.

 

Friday: This morning, we practiced on our kasamas for investigator-teaching practice. We learned how to simplify our lessons down to 2min. It was intense. We also did that with Brother Mansfield. In gym...wait for it....I RAN THREE MILES!!!!!!! wooo!!! And then I began to cry everytime I sat down or walked up/down the stairs xD

 

Of course I have plenty of other things, but I just have no time. I absolutely love my kasamas and my whole district. The Gospel is so true.

 

By the way DearElder.com is another way for people to write to me. It prints out the letter people write to me and sends it to my District group. SO...just incase you didn't want to hand-write anything to me, you can totally go to DearElder.com. All you need is my mission = Quezon City Philippines and my mission code (incase it asks) is PHI-QUE..unit 56. MAKE SURE IT IS QUEZON CITY, not quezon city north.

 

I LOVE YOU ALL."