Week 24 - General Conference

Hey everyone!!

So it's been another great week here in Hermosa! A lot happened this week here in the Philippines so there's lots to tell this week. So one, there was a huge earthquake in Cebu which everyone was talking about because a lot of people here have relatives and friends over there. A lot of people died or were hurt which was really sad but we did hear that all the missionaries over there are safe which is good :) 

exchanges with Sister Smith

Next we had exchanges earlier this week so I was companions with Sister Smith for a day which was really fun because she is a new american missionary so with 2 white Americans walking around (and unfortunately no one could work with us that day) we attracted a lot of attention from the Filipinos in our area haha. One of my favorite things to do here is listen to people around me talk about me in tagalog because they don't think I can understand them and then talk to them in tagalog. haha. its so funny they always are super surprised and don't know what to say back, haha. 

Not to brag or anything, haha, but this week was kind of a record for me in the number of proposals I received and the number of people who told me I am their crush, haha. Seriously, if you ever need a self esteem booster I'm telling you, you gotta come to the Philippines. It's pretty hilarious :) 

Darcy and Clark’s baptism!

Anyways, even though all that stuff is great and all my very favorite part of this week was being able to listen to General Conference and hear from our Prophet Thomas S. Monson. Seriously, General Conference was just so amazing and the spirit and peace I felt while listening to the speakers words was just incredible. One of my favorite talks from this conference was by Kevin S. Hamilton about enduring to the end. He told a story from his youth when he was a basketball player in high school and had to get in shape for the season. His coach made them train and condition to the point where he literally thought "this is it I am going to die" He ran to the point of exhaustion and lifted weights he didn't think he could bear. BUT he never gave up. He endured. He pushed through and had hope that one day he would rest from his afflictions. For most of you who know me, I also played basketball in high school as well as track and field. I remember my own experiences during conditioning for basketball or track and i'm pretty sure the same thoughts came to my head- "i think i literally going to die right now. someone please tell my family I love them" haha. In fact, one time at the end of my freshman year, I even told my coach I was thinking of quitting. But I didn't. I endured. Even when it was hard and I felt like giving up (or throwing up haha) I thought about my team and what I wanted to be, what I wanted to accomplish. If I gave up I would gain nothing from my experience and I would stay weak and out of shape. So I pressed on and endured 4 years of intense practices and training. But by the end of it all I was proud of what I had become. I was (what I consider) to be a pretty decent basketball player and runner, strong, and most importantly happy to say that I was not a quitter. Sometimes in this life we face intense trials and afflictions. We are brought down by the pains and problems of the world and others around us who would prefer to drag us down. Sometimes people question"why do bad things happen to good people? or why am I facing this hardship in my life?" "Has God abandoned me?".  I can promise you he has not. Our purpose in coming to this earth is to be challenged. To learn, to grow, to gain experience so that we can reach our full potential and return to our loving heavenly father after this life. If we never had trials we would never grow or learn how to overcome them. 

Elder Orson F. Whitney so beautifully said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” 

 Throughout our mortal existence we are bound to find ourselves in situations or areas of our life where we feel like our burdens are to hard to bear and we cannot continue. We must remember in times like these that we are never alone and we do not have to cary our burdens alone. Our savior Jesus Christ atoned for us and will willingly carry us if we let him in. If we have faith, patience, and endure our trails well, God will surely bless us and we will become stronger than we ever thought possible. I was once a weak, uncoordinated and out of shape freshman in high school (trust me just ask coach martin she knows haha :) ) but because I endured, worked hard every day,  and trusted in my god that he would help me, I was able to be proud of the person and player I was at the end of my senior year and see how much I had grown, learned and been strengthened. 

I will always be grateful for the lessons I've learned from my trials and hard times because they have made me the person I am today. And of course, I couldn't have done it without the amazing support I had from my amazing parents, coaches (Thanks Martin, Grimm, and Pfaff :) ) team, and friends. We have the best supporter we could ever ask for as we go through hard times- Our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ :) 

me and my besties Sister Garrett and Sister Mack after conference!

I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge and strength it gives me to do hard things and to be happy :) I love being a missionary here in the philippines and i love all of you!!!

mahal ko kayo!

Sister lowe