Picture Time!!!!

Hey everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I've been able to write! Email time flies and I have way too much fun writing all of my favorite family and friends and before you know it time is up haha but............

Basically I'm still here in Danao!

My new companion is Sis.Salima, 23, and from Samoa! She's way fun and she's definitely helped me add a little Samoan to my language repertoire (: And even though my favorite Americana Sis.Lange transferred, Sis.Salima & I still get alot of stares coming our way haha somethings never change.

I'm still happy, healthy, and loving my calling!

 Pictures are worth a 1000 words, right? Enjoy these pictures in absence of an email haha but I'll fill you guys all in next week (: 

I love each and everyone of you guys! Everyone enjoy fall and especially General Conference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amping!

Sister Lauck (:

DAGHAN SALAMAT!!!!!!!!!

Okay, wow, I feel loved! Thank you thank you thank you everyone for all of the birthday wishes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously though, it was the best feeling ever to get on email today and have like 50 emails waiting for me. Especially when you're a missionary, it's just the simple thought from friends and family that counts. Basically, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It never ceases to amaze me how blessed I am (: I scored in life! I'm definitely replying to everyone, but if I don't get to it today, I will on Monday!

So yeah, my birthday was great! The night before the ward had a little party for me, and then on my actually birthday, it was Sunday, so I fasted and taught lessons and just did normal missionary things. And then I got home and made a huge plate of ramen for myself and then me and the other 3 sisters in my apartment sang and ran around and threw candy that I got my from package at each other. Yeahhhhh, you definitely have to make your own fun when you're a missionary haha

In other news:

-Sis.Lange and I found out there's microwavable macaroni n cheese at 7-11. It's a big deal for us!

-People always ask if Sis.Lange and I are literal blood sisters. Because we're both American. And we look so alike? Not really. But also, parents here always tell me I look just like their daughters. Apparently I look like everyone's sister over here.

- Some ward members asked to help out with this free vaccine clinic here in danao! They had Sis.Lange and I stand out on the street giving directions to the location of the clinic. Except no one would listen to our directions because they were just yelling "Americanas! Americanas!". That happens alot. 

- Sis.Lange and I were tracting and we started going on this path heading out to a fieldy area, but then the kids started yelling "Don't go over there, there's a dog that will bite!" Here's the things about kids in the philippines. About 70% of them are really nice and super sweet and just want to get a high-5 from you. But then there's 30% that always yell lies or really mean things at us and make fun of us. So Sis.Lange and I didn't really give much thought to what the kids said, and went on our merry way. But then....... there was a dog.... and he started barking and started running towards us and then Sis.Lange and I pulled the "maybe if we stand completely still he won't bite us." Thankfully doing that, paired with feeding him our crackers and snacks, did the trick! Turns out those little kids were part of the 70%.

That's all of the fun things that happened this week! But the cherry on top was getting to introduce an investigator of ours to the Book of Mormon this week. She had like 30 deep, what is the meaning of life type questions. And it was so cool to teach her that the Book of Mormon, coupled with prayer and pondering, could answer all of her questions. I know that book is true! I know Heavenly Father lives and loves us and has a plan of perfection and happiness that He needs us to follow. And reading the Book of Mormon is definitely something we need to experience in order to gain all of that happiness! Love everyone from the bottom of my heart!

Sister Lauck (:

Oh My Gulay!

This week was a FUN week! 

Mainly because Sis.Lange and I had all these things happen to us that were just.... funny haha except the gunshots that kept going off by our house, those weren't funny. But yeah all kind of interesting things are bound to happen when there's two Americans that spend their week tracting around our area. Like one thing for example - We were tracting and started talking to this 19 year-old girl whose hobby is to do nails. I could tell this girl was really into doing nails, so I was asking her alot of questions about cuticle care, ya know, building relationship and trust. And somehow she gets the idea to give me a manicure. I was so down for it! It seemed like a win-win to me. Except she pulls out this tool out of her manicure kit that look more like a mini knife. And then she proceeds to use this mini knife to clean under my nails, but just ends up gauging my nail beds. And then my nail beds start bleeding. But I didn't want to tell this kind girl that it was hurting like no other and  I didn't want to possibly weaken her confidence in her manicure abilities (because she had already told me that she had flunked beauty school). So I just sat there and silently cried. Haha okay no, I didn't actually cry, but I was on the verge of it. And then after she was finished with that, she puts this orange goo that was supposed to be an anti-septic, but just ended up staining my nails orange. Great, huh? But we ended up having a really good lesson with her and we're coming back to teach her next week! So that's how I sacrificed my nails to try and get an investigator (: So worth it!

In other news, Sis.Lange and I realized that we were both in the same Physical Science class at BYU! Crazy, huh???? Oh, and the people here are legit starting to believe that I'm Filipino!!!! I'm pretty excited about that! I know I totally look the part, but my Bisayan obviously has an American accent, so I think the people here a little deaf, but I'll take it haha I guess that magical powers of the Balut egg I ate a couple of month are finally starting to kick in.....

Oh, and one more slightly sad story. Sis.Lange and I were in a lesson with our investigators when their neighbors busts in the door, comes to Sis.Lange and I and just starts bawling and telling us how her husband is cheating on her, their family has absolutely no money, not even for rice (which means they're doing pretty bad, because most Filipinos will at least have money for rice), her son just got sent to prison, and she attempted to commit suicide last week, but her 7 year old stopped her and pulled the knife out of her hand before she could go through with it. Yeah. Sis. Lange and I were just stunned. And this lady had come to us for advice because she said that she saw Sis.Lange and I last week and said that our faces were shining and she felt light and happy and she knew that there was something different about us. So we did the best we could to give spiritual advice and teach about God's love and plan for her, so it hopefully it helped! Getting to serve in the Philippines has been a huge wake-up call for me to realize how truly blessed I have been. I have THE BEST family in the world, a knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, super amazing friends, the opportunity to go to college, to have always food on the table, to have a car, to have money to do fun things and do hobbies, and even random amenities like air conditioning, carpet, and hot water (which I really really really miss  while I've been living here in the Philippines!). And the list goes on. Basically I've been given so much! Which is why I'm so happy to serve as a missionary and have the opportunity to help out people in the best way I know how - being happy and sharing the Gospel! (: Which is why I just love being a missionary! Life is great over here (: I vowed this week to never complain about anything ever again, when I get home haha hopefully it will happen! Love everyone oodles and oodles! Hope everyone's having a great time with summer winding and school starting back up again!

Gugma, kalinaw, Philippines!
Sister Lauck

P.S. I realized that I've been big time slacking on sending those scenic, "What does the Philippines look like" pictures, so hence, y'all get 2 today haha enjoy!

Danao!

Okay, clearly I've been slacking on the whole emailing thing! Needless to say it's been a couple of crazy weeks, but I'll do my best to try to get everyone up to date (:

So, I transferred! Finally! After spending 1/3 of my mission in Tag Bilaran, it was finally time for me to say bye. It was way harder than I initially thought it would be to say goodbye to my first area. I truly grew to love that place and of course the people! But most of all, I think I love Tag Bi because all of the experiences and trials and growth that took place there. So after packing my (heavy) bags [I may or may not have picked up a ton of souvenirs there haha] and saying goodbye to all my favorite investigators and members, I went to the ferry, caught a boat and went back to the main island of Cebu to go to my new area.... Danao!

But before I headed over to Danao, I had to stop at the mission office for transfers. That was a highlight for me because I finally got to see some of my favorite missionaries that I hadn't seen in FOREVER, including my trainer, Sis.T! We had a pretty sweet reunion (:

Then I headed out to Danao! Not going to lie, I know I've been in the Philippines for a while now, but I had totally culture shock when I arrived in Danao. I guess the best way to put it is that Bohol is like the tropical beauty, touristy vacation spot with happy little Boholians. And Danao definitely looks like it's been hit hard with poverty and pollution and drugs. It's known as the ghetto zone in our mission haha but it has it's hidden beauties and treasures too, and it's right along the ocean, so there's no complaining about that! And I love that Danao seems a little down in the dumps because as a missionary I have the perfect antidote for it - The Gospel of Jesus Christ (: I can't help but be happy to be a missionary, especially in this area, because I personally know the blessings of peace and guidance and hope readily available for those who will accept the Gospel in their lives. And even though I've only been here for about 10 days, it's already been great! My new companion, Sis.Lange, is awesome! She's from Temecula, CA and has been out on the mission for about a year. She's 20 and she went to BYU and we were both freshman up there at the same time, so that's pretty cool! We work great together and I love her! It's great because she's very calm and collected and I tend to be a little more energetic and enthusiastic, so we balance each other pretty well (: We had a baptism my 2nd day here and had some powerful lessons tracting and even had a drunk guy read 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 to us. Sister Lange and I got a pretty good kick out of that one! 

Haha but life is great I'm ready to work hard in Danao and spread some happiness and change some lives! I'm so grateful that I was assigned in the Philippines and that I get to serve as a full time representative of Jesus Christ! I have the best job in the world!!!!!!!!!!! (: Hope everyone is enjoying the end of their summer and loving life!!!!

Lots of love,
Sister Lauck (:


Our last picture of the 4 of us sisters together - Sis.Dala, me, and Sis.Johnson, and Sis.Hatch.

My trainer Sis.T & I!

One last picture with one of my favorite members, the Bete's!

Laba, Sandugo, Life

Hey guys :) 

I have about 5 minutes to whip this baby out so here it goes!

So yesterday and Saturday we had our district conference! It was so neat because Elder Ardern of the 70 came to preside and because we had 1000 members in attendance at the conference!!!!! Because there were so many more in attendance than expected and the chapel, overflow, and auxilary rooms were stuffed, we even had members sitting and standing in the hallway so that they could hear from a living member of the quourm of the 70. These members are so faithful and I feel so blessed that I get to serve with them :)

Oh, and something else that was really cool! Our neighbors decided to set off this AWESOME firework display! It really could give Disneyland some competition haha and the beauty of it all is that we don't understand why haha maybe because the big "Sandugo" Festival is going on over here in Tag Bi??? I've learned to stop questioning why Filipino's do the things they do and to just go with it lol Regardless, us 4 sisters were running around outside and soaking up those fireworks as a belated 4th of july celebration!

Also, I had a PERFECT day this week! Do you know why? Because none of our appointments fell through, people didn't slam their doors on us when we went tracting and I got to teach my first complete family! You can say I was on cloud 9!!!! Something I've learned in my first area is to have a positive attitude and a spirit of gratitude! It really is such a gift when we can recognize the small and simple things in life and allow them to bring us so much joy :)

All in all, life is great! I love all of these experiences here in the Philippines and especially as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amping mo!!!!!!! :)

Lots of love,
Sister Lauck <3

For the pics: 

Bea & Nico & Jella & me! They really are some phenominal investigators! I think my only investigators that have been consistently doing their commitments. They are some faithful kiddos and I love em to death!

Jesabelle (my fav investigator) and I doing her laundry! She had to get it all done before we could teach her and as my great grandmother said, "Many hands make light work :)"

July 4th - Pinoy Style

Malipayon lunes sa inyoha!!!

So this week was sweeeet! Because - 

1. I hit my 6 month mark in the mission! I will be home in a year! Time flies sooooo fast, I promise!

2. It was 4th of July! And with transfers 2 weeks ago, instead of me being the only American in my apartment, two other Americans have joined me! We really had high hopes and ambitions to celebrate our country's independence day even if we were thousands of miles away haha but by the time the day actually came, we totally forgot about it, so all we could manage was patriotic clothes and singing the national anthem as we waved the Filipino flag around because it was the only flag we had to wave. Haha we tried our best! But besides that we spent our 4th of July with no power, showering with a bucket, and eating sardines and balut. It was sure one for the books! haha

3. Sis. Meme, my favorite person on this whole entire island, got a calling! Let me tell the Sis.Meme story super fast! So when I first got here back in February, Sis.Meme was inactive. Sis.Tuipulotu and I would visit her all the time, but it was that kind of situation where she didn't want us to be there, and we felt awkward being there, and every time we'd visit we'd commit her to go to church, but knowing full well that she'd never go. So one Sunday, 10 minutes before church started, Sis. T and I realized Sis.Meme was going to be a no-show, and I told Sis. T that we had to do something about this. So what do we do? We hiked our butts over to her house and we tried to get her to go to church. She was just not having it despite our best persuasion powers haha and looking back I realize how desperate Sis.T and I probably looked, 2 frenzy sisters trying to convince her to go to church haha but Sis.Meme put her foot down and was not having it. And I don't know why, but I just started crying. Like legit crying, as in tears and tears. I guess in that moment, the Spirit just flooded over me with the love of the Savior for Sis.Meme. And I was so sad for her because I realized that she was making decisions in her life that were only distancing herself away from Christ and His path to eternal happiness. It's one of those sacred experiences I hold dear to my heart in the mission. And I think Sis.Meme was so freaked out that I was crying, that to get me to stop she said, "Sis. Luck, I'll go to church" And the rest is history. She hasn't missed a week of church since. And it's more than the fact that she's going to church. The miracle is that she's completely changed her life around. She diligently reads the Book of Mormon every day, she does her visiting teaching, she works with the missionaries all the time, she gives referrals, she's grown and developed an actual testimony, she attends every baptism and branch activity and in fact, has become the most active member in our branch. She has really come unto Christ and as a result, her countenance has completely changed, and the quality of her life has become so much more than what it was before. And so yesterday, to be in the congregation and to raise my right hand to sustain her as the Tag Bilaran Branch 1 Relief Society Secretary was just..... beyond words. There is no sweeter feeling than watching the Atonement work in the lives of others and to watch how the Gospel transforms people. I just love this work with all of my heart. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on this earth that can bring us happiness here on this Earth and for eternity. I'm pretty sure I have the best job EVER right now (: I wouldn't trade this experience for any other. I love life! And I love all of you (: Thanks for helping me, supporting me, and making me one happy sister missionary!!!!!!! Naglaum ko nga naa moy og nindot kaayong semana!!!! (Tr: I hope you all have a fabulous week!)

Lots of love,
Sister Lauck (:

Okay the pics:

1. the first one is of us Americans (Sis. Hatch, me and Sister Johnson) trying our best to embody America in one picture hahaha I know, we're lame
2. Get this, there's like a 1000 of these little stores in my area and they're all named. And I just happened to find one that has my stinkin name!!!! How cool is that!!!! The exact spelling and all!  It kinda reminds me of my former life when I had a first name and I wasn't just Sister Lauck (:

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 (: