Transfer!!!!!!!!!!!

Kamusta! Transfers week has arrived!!! 

But before transfers happened, I shipped my companion Sis. Paragas back home! She's totally finish with her mission! It was so cute - Sis. Dala, Sis. Enlacinto, and I did a little send off at the port for her. Definitely melancholy. The 3 of us kind of half wanted to jump on the ship with her back home haha but someone's gotta keep Tag Bilaran running and we do love our work, so I'm happy and excited for the remaining year I have as Sister Lauck (:  

I was companionship-less for half the week because Sis. Paragas headed home, which meant I got to work with my two little munchkins, Sis.Dala and Sis.Enlacinto in their area. The stares we got from people were priceless! We literally looked like a mother shepherding her two little children around everywhere haha

And then the transfer call came! So I'm staying here in Tag Bi for my 4th transfer! Kinda long, but I've come to LOVE this area (: I say "I've come to love" this area, because at first I was not a fan. The people in our area tend not to be the most receptive, so I've spent a fair amount of my mission tracting and getting punted and rejected and having basically no progressing investigators and 1 baptism haha don't you love when that happens! BUT, I really have come to love this area, because my experiences and trials here have helped me learn and grow SO much. It's amazing how getting put through the fire refines and purifies you so much. I honestly set out on a mission because thought that I would be the one helping and serving other people. Yet the longer I've been serving, I've come to find out that the person most benefiting from my service is myself. From my first area I've been able to learn some really valuable life lessons and to especially have my testimony strengthened of this Gospel and my Savior and my Heavenly Father. Aren't missions the best???!?!?!!!!! I really am so glad I have a Heavenly Father who is loving enough to give me handcrafted trials to help me grow and become more like Him!

It's funny though because you know you're in an area too long when you're in the city with a fair amount of people, but everyday you run into all these people you know - like branch members, or that one drunk guy you tracted on the street, or the boyfriend of the older sister of your investigator. Yeah, I basically feel like the Queen of TagBi haha oh, and my new companion.......... drum roll.......... Sister Hatch! My first American companion (: She's 20, from Sandy,UT, a piano performance major at UVU , going home in October, and the trainee of my last companion Sister Paragas! It's a small mission world! She is super great! We laugh, we cry, we try to speak Bisayan, we try to avoid creepy men hitting on us. It's a beautiful thing (: I love this work, I love this Gospel, I love my Heavenly Father, I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I love ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!! Know that I'm praying for everyone!!!!! (:

Lots of love,
Sister Lauck 

the fab 4 before sis.paragas left to go home!

sis.paragas and I posting up by the pier (:

Sister Lauck & Sister T

Typically the blogs that are on this site are all in Sister Lauck's own words, but since she has been technologically challenge due to less than stellar internet service in the Philippines, we thought that as proud parents we would share an email that we received yesterday from Sister Lauck's 1st Companion in the Philippines, Sister Tuipolotu, affectionately known as Sister T! Sister T is from Tonga and had only been out on her mission for about 5 months prior to Sister Lauck. Their area is one of the toughest in the mission and together they faced many challenges including both trying to figure out the Cebuano language together. Those of you who know Lindsay well will not be surprised at the email that her former companion sent to us yesterday, so here it goes.........

Sister T and Sister Lauck

Hello Lauck Family!

First of all I am sister T...

I just want to send you all this email so that you would all know that your daughter Sister Lauck is the greatest companion I ever had in my mission so far! I really love her spirits toward our work.  She is a very hard working missionary and everything that you would ever expected from a representative of Jesus Christ.. She has it all!!!!

I know that who ever will be the one to be her new companion, she will be the luckiest.  Sister Lauck's mum thank you so much for raising her up so that I could be her companion to learn so many things from her.  She will hate me for saying this but I will say it... SHE IS THE BEST!!!! 

This are things that I have learn from her-

- She rely on the Spirit NO matter what happen!!!

- If we are out tracting and looking for people, and I don't even know where to go, she will turn around and say, "Sister T we need to pray".

- She loves talking to people, even if they will laugh at her and even it will make me laugh she will just continue she don't even care..

- She will always focus everything in our investigators.

- She never look at her self, she will always turn to the Lord for his help before she asked.

- She is such a happy person, she taught me how to smile hahaha every time, all day everyday, sometimes our days is ruft but she will always says everything will be fine....

- She is so funny, no matter whats our day will be like, she will always but something that will make me light up.

and last... she is a HARD working missionary...

She has taught me all things and some funny things too but that is between the 2 of us haha, I love her and miss being her companion...

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING that you always encourage her with, maybe she was about to kill me but because she will never forget what you told her .. that's why hahaha 

But seriously she is the best companion ever....

with love 

Sister T   

Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!! I guess the Bisayan translation would be: Malipayon nga adlaw sa tatay! But that just doesn't sound right haha

So there's no way I could let this day pass without recognizing 2 people:

1. My Dad! I don't just have a "Missionary Mom", I have a Missionary Dad too (: Get this: my dad is soooooo busy, but despite everything he has on his plate, EVERY DAY he writes me a 3 page letter. Every single day. Which makes me a pretty spoiled missionary (check out the picture - the letters aren't super clear, but you can see it's a pretty thick stack haha) If that's not an act of dedication and love, then I don't know what is. But more awesome than his letters that he writes me each week is his example that I've tried to follow here on my mission , especially during the rough patches. Everyone who knows my dad knows that he's been given a huge trial physically. But despite his challenge, I have never once heard him complain. Despite everything that has been thrown his way, he chooses to focus on the positive, and  place his faith in Heavenly Father and His plan for him. My dad's love for his family and his testimony and love for the Gospel are incredibly strong and he has dedicated his whole life to each. What an example he is to me and to so many other people!He is the best and I love him so much!


2. My Father in Heaven. At this point in my mission, the biggest blessing that I feel like I've been given is a strengthening of my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I have really come to know in a very personal way that I am a literal child of God and that His sole purpose is to help me be happy and return to Him. That's why he's blessed me with the Gospel, a family, temples, friends, this world, and even His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Through sincere and intent personal prayer everyday, I've really come to know Him better and to feel His love for me. I know that He hears and answers each prayer. I know that He is infinitely aware of me and that sometimes His love comes in the form of my trials that He hand crafts for me because He wants me to grow and develop and eventually become just as He is. I know that there is a Heavenly Father and that He lives and loves each of us personally and individually as any father would love his child. We can feel His love through many avenues and blessings, but especially as we pray to Him in faith.

I'm doing great and I absolutely love my mission and my life right now! I am given so many blessings and experiences each day that are like no other. Thanks everyone for always supporting me. I am blessed beyond belief! I hope everyone has a super duper week and that y'all are enjoying your summer (:

Lots of love,
Sister Lauck (:


Oh and in other news:

- We had a zone activity last week and we got to go to the big tourist stop in Bohol: Chocolate Hills (check out the picture). It's basically a cluster of hundreds of hills. They kinda got semi destroyed by the big earthquake last year, but it was still such a beautiful sight! I seriously am in love with my mission and with Bohol. It's gorgeous! Especially the jungle part. Literally like Hawaii!

- Sister Paragas and I were in a lesson last week. Because there was a shortage of chairs I volunteered to sit on the floor. BIG MISTAKE. Because as I'm teaching about Joseph Smith, out of no where this HUGEEEEEEEE rat (literally like the size of a small puppy) scampers across the floor and into my lap!!! AHHHHHH, I almost died haha I definitely freaked out for like 3 seconds. Things like this happen to me everyday and I always think to myself in my head, "This is not what I signed up for." lol but such is life in the Philippines!

Letters From Dad

Chocolate Hills