Cute peeps!

Moth pooping on the wall (eww)

Swimming down the street.

Sister Bird peeking over the fence, that was to make sure our appointment was home because she didn't want me walking through the nasty for no reason.  She is kind to me.

Tadpoles in the street!

We had to walk in that to get to this lady because she thought we wouldn't come because of the water but we came!  And she ended up coming to church on sunday.

Awesome blossom!

Happy 18th Birthday to my sweet little sister, Lilly! Can you believe my mom and dad have 3 adult offspring? Crazy!

In front of the Manilla Temple

Dear Mom and Family and I guess the other people who read this too,

   Yes, the shoes need to come from America because they don't carry the right shoes in my size.  It was a last resort to ask you to send some because I know it will take fund and things that we probably don't have and I felt really bad, but you can take money from my account.  I am not using much personal money yet, and I only will withdraw every 30 days so it doesn't close.  But I thank you for being so kind and searching for them for me.  I hope I get your letter and stamps soon I can't send anymore letters home until I do, but that is ok because we still have email.  Will you send the info about the blog to Brother Trebas at ptrebas@gmail.com  He was one of my teachers at the MTC and I can't email him, but he wanted to hear from us, so the blog works. 

    I LOVE THE PICTURES!!!!  Everyone is so big!  And Eigen has hair?!  When did the happen?  Ty is my bunkerbean and I miss him, but time is going so fast, I feel I will be home sooner than I know.  I am so grateful for our country.  More and more every day.  We live in an amazing place where we can actually sit on the toilet.  ...  You all better start preparing now for the bathroom to be out of service for a few hours.  It would be one thing to squat over a hole, but we have to squat over every toilet.  It sucks and I am going to enjoy sitting when I get home... In a long time, but still, it is nice to think about.

   We have had a fairly good week.  It has been amazing once again to see the hand of the Lord providing a way for us.  One of the sisters in our house has been really sick so we have had to go and split our days, and we are still getting decent numbers.  We are able to get to Heavenly Fathers children even with our shortened time.  It amazes me. 

   I wanted to share one special thing I learned this week from my personal study and then I am going to send more pics this week.  Sorry for the short email, but the pics will be awesome I promise.

   Doctrine and Covenants 84:77

         "...I say unto you my friends, for from henceforth I shall call you my friends,...become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the Gospel in my power."

   We are His friends, and we need to teach as if he is right there physically with us.  I know for certain He is there.  I love Him.  I am so grateful for Him.  He makes this possible.  He is my Savior and King.  And I am so proud and grateful to have Him call me His friend.  I will live to remain worthy of it.

   I love you all!  Stay happy and in tune with the spirit.  Seek to see the miracles!

Love,

   Sister Brittany Nichole Newman

P. S. Next week is transfer p-day on Wednesday so don't worry when there isn't an email. I didn't need the driving thing from triple a because I will never drive here.  There was something else I felt I needed to tell you but now I can't remember what it was.  How obnoxious is that?  ... Well I can't think of it so read Alma 26: 1 and 2 and count your many blessings.  write them down, and realize that our Heavenly Father is amazing.

I love you!
Sister Brittany Nichole Newman

Letter from President Sperry that Brittany shared with us:

Sister  Newman :

Just a few years before the Savior visited the Nephites Satan had great power over the people and led them into all kinds of iniquity. In 3 Nephi 6:28,30 it says, “they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness…And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country…” I would like you to notice two things. First, they defied the laws of the country. Defiance is one of Satan’s most destructive tools. People who are defiant are uncontrollable and can’t be governed. It is a satanic attribute. Secondly, they entered into covenants to combine against all righteousness. I have wondered why the Lord called them secret combinations. This verse gives a possible answer. They do things in secret and they combine against all righteousness. They are united in their efforts to fight against anything and anyone who is righteous. In D and C 38:12, the Lord warned Joseph that the enemy is combined. I think that means they are unified in what they do, but I also think that there is more to it than that. In D and C 6:34, the Lord said, “fear not little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for it ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.” They aren’t just united with their associates on earth, they are united with Satan, and do his bidding. What a combination—the wicked and vile of the earth combined with hell and Satan. I don’t know if that is why they are called secret combinations, but it helps me see the danger we are in when we allow these combinations to exist in our midst.

Because they are united and unified, we must also be united if we are to succeed in the battle against them. In D and C 38:27, the Lord said, “…be one; and if you are not one,  ye are not mine.”  It is essential that we be united in the fight against Satan and his hosts, but the Savior indicated that it is also necessary for us to be united with Him (John 17:21). It will take a combination of earth and heaven to beat a combination of earth and hell. We must unite ourselves with heaven if we hope to overcome Satan. We can’t hope to win without heaven’s help. It is necessary that we live in such a way that we are worthy of and merit the help that we need. If we do then the promise to us is that earth and hell cannot prevail against us.

Please help our mission to be united with each other and with the Savior. We love you and thank you for the sacrifices that you make to serve others.

President Sperry

Week 4

She wasn't kidding when she said it was the rainy season!

I bet she's really glad for that awesome purple umbrella.

Washing our clothes is fun to do.

So now you have some pics, not many but enough for you to understand.  Things are great.  We traveled through this horrible rain after 4 hour church yesterday.  That was awful and we had to just turn around anyway because the lady's house was flooded and disgusting so she didn't want us to come.  But we were laughing and having fun anyway.  It was great.  We are teaching lots of people.  We got punted 12 times on friday though!  We walked and walked and walked and walked and nothing.  It was frustrating but we kept a possitive attitude.  We just laughed at how Satan was trying to discourage us but he would not win we were strong and heartache to heartache we stood.  It has flooded and rained like crazy.  The rains came down and the floods came up, but surprisingly I haven't cried in 6 days!!!  An all time record for me.  I love you and miss you all.  We are working hard here,  rain or shine. (to me it looks more like they work hard rain or rain)  I am learning how to teach the plan of salvation in Tagalog and it is difficult, but I feel my Savior's love so I am not getting too frustrated.  I am learning a lot and praying even more.  I found that being on a mission has made it so my capacity to love has increased.  I love you all so much more now.  I am so grateful for you and all you do.  You have made me who I am and I love you for it.
   I used my card at an atm for the first time today so I guess I will do that every month so it doesn't shut off my account.  I almost forgot my pin. That was worrisome, but I remembered it.  I took it out of checking and I will keep doing that so if you could just make sure there is money in checking.  I took out 1000 piso and it charges 2001 per withdrawl but I dont need too much personal money right now because I will buy suveniers closer to going home.  It is crazy how fast the days and weeks go by.  It feels like I just barely emailed and now I am doing it again.  Sister Bird says I need to tell you that no news is good news.  It means we are stuck at home because of a typhoon.  It is now really rainy season so it is bound to happen but I will get something to you eventually. 
   I am sending letters in mail run tomorrow so look forward to recieving them in like 2 or 3 weeks.  Heck by the time you recieve some of my letters I will be so close to coming home.  I have decided that I will come home October 3.  My mission started in the middle of a transfer so I get to pick between oct and nov.  I choose oct right now, and I don't think it will change.  I have to figure out how I am going to email president without the period button.  Oi!  But I am trying to think of things from this week.
   We had two visitors in our room on Friday a roach and a giant yellow moth.  Sister Bird took right care of those bad boys.  I really could go tracting on those roaches, they are so GROSS!  But the moth was like pooping on our wall so we had to clean that up too.
  We might have to become a trisome if sister Dennis stays sick like she has been,  She throws up almost everyday and we don't know why but we think it is from her Celiac disease.
  I think I am going to go now.  I love you all so much.  I will keep working hard and praying for you always.  I feel your prayers and I am so grateful for them.  Smile often, we are so blessed to live where we live and with whom we live.  We are blessed to be able to sit on our toilets and be able to drive to the temple.  We need to do our home and visiting teaching with joy.  Make them feel needed so they stay in the gospel.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Love you.  They are in this work.  I see it every day.  I love you more than you know.  I cant wait for picks. I will resend the email with the po box address.

Love Sister Brittany Nichole Newman

A post just for Cameron.

First pics in the Philippines

Brittany arrived in the Philippines a little travel weary but ready to go. Pictures from President and Sister Sperry.

I still have not had a bad day yet.  Hard, hot, frustrating, somewhat intimidating days, but not a bad day.  And I have seen the hand of the Lord working with us day to day.  I am still learning how to trust and follow the spirit, and of course I still have many problems with the language.  But my companion, Sister Bird, keeps reminding me not to compare myself to anyone else and to remember that I have only been here 3 weeks.  Miracles do happen, but what I know right now is a miracle in and of it's self.  I am tired all the time and I miss home a lot still, but when we get to go out and teach I don't miss it so much.  So that is good.  But I was sick yesterday.  And I thought I could go out, but Sister Bird said you don't go out in the Philippines with sick stomach, even if you took imodium.  That made me very sad to stay home, when I am worrying about all our people.  We have a great ward.  It is so wonderful how nice each person is.  I may not like how loud it gets, but I sure do enjoy their company, and the fact that they are so patient with me.
   Today we went to the temple to do a session.  It was so great.  I feel the most at home in the temple.  Being in the celestial room puts everything in perspective.  I felt so good, even though we had to get up at 2 am to be there on time, it was so worth it.  I will forever be grateful that we have temples so close and that we have cars that we can drive anywhere in.  There are a lot of things I will always be grateful for after this experience.
  Carpet, cows milk, dishwashers, aircon, WASHING MACHINES!!!!  (I hate washing my clothes here), small bugs(not grateful but happy they aren't huge), real meat, and so many more.  Our house is a mansion compared to what these people live in.  Our Bishop lives in a squatter, and he is one of the best most humble men I know. 
   I am staying hydrated and I am doing my best.  I cry everyday, but I did that at home too, so no worries, I am just an emotional person I guess.  It freaks Sister Bird out bad.  She thought one day that I was debating whether or not I was going home.  I won't be coming home early unless I get extremely sick and they send me home otherwise I have work to do.(I found out today that one of my dear friends from the mtc went home because she got sick.  She said she regrets it, and I feel so sad for her.  That had to be a very hard decision and she was so excited and so ready to do this.)
  I am happy the boys got to spend Sunday with you. They are awesome boys.  Everybody sounds like they are haing a pretty decent summer.  Getting things done, and having fun too.  I am happy I got so many emails today.  They were very awesome to read.  Please pardon if I am sounding slow, I am so tired right now and I want to to go to sleep.  The fact that we need to eat asap has crossed my mind as well.  TEEHEE!  I am so happy things are going well.  I hope each day you think of funny times we had and laugh for me.  I love to laugh.
  We are teaching lots of people.  Our two pinakamahalaga teaching moments are with the Barredo kids, and Erwin Jagonay.  They should all be baptized oin August 4th.  We are way excited for them.  They have been waiting to be baptized.  I hope the members fellowship them.  Members are so important to missionary work.  And most of the time they don't even realize it.  New members need friends, and new members need a calling.  They need to feel as if they matter to the ward, and when they know they matter to the ward they know they matter to the Lord.  And they do.  We are each so important to Him.  Nothing happens by chance, there are people who are ready and some how we are finding them.  We had some less actives come on Sunday.  Not as many as we hoped for, but some is better than none.  I hope they felt the spirit of the meeting.  It was a good one.
   We has a really cool experience monday when we went to the house of less actives.  They weren't home so we went to their neighbor who we had taught on Saturday.  All her daughters had stayed home from school on the monday that we didn't have pday.  Coincidence? I think not.  That was Heavenly Father in His work.  They were so receptive.  They know what we are teaching them is truth and when we had one daughter pray at the end of the lesson she asked that we would continue to be able to take the truth to the world.  ASTIG!
   There have been many incredible experiences to be had here.  I am grateful to be here.  I am grateful for your prayers.  I feel them.  I want you to know that.  You are each a part of this work because of your faith in the Lord and your faith in His work.  Your faith in inadequate little me.  I love you.
  Make sure Sarah gets this email.  Sarah,  I love your emails, you are not wasting my time.  I pray for you, I am excited when you quote my favs.  I laughed hard out at the 52 out of 52.  that was too good.  You make me happy, and build my spirits.
  Family,  They said to tell you to send things through dearelder or regular mail.  They said it takes too long and is such a hasstle for you to send pouch.  So don't go though pouch anymore.  Just regular mail if you please.  Another thing.  I bought shoes here and they have worn through in just two weeks.  Sister bird says I should ask you to send me some sandals.  They are hiking sandals and we are allowed to use them for tracting. So if you could find some that would be awesome.  If not, I will just make do with the ones you sent to the mtc.  I can't wear my big ones because they give me open sores and I don't want a disease from the baha we face here sometimes.  Baha is flood water.
   I can't think of what else I wanted or needed to tell you all.  Just know I love you and pray for you.  You should get my letters soon.  We only give and recieve letters every other tuesday.  I hope this gets going faster.  Although.  It is crazy to think I have been here for three weeks.  BTW  How are my aunties babies coming.  Are they healthy and strong?
  Have a good week everybody.  Keep being amazing and always look for missionary opportunities, no matter what they are.  Remember that all the people you ever meet will one day know what you know, and they will know that you knew it.  Some food for thought.

Love,
Sister Brittany Nichole Newman
A beloved daughter of two wonderful earthly parents, and a daughter of God, the most high King. 

Dear Family,

I miss church in America.  Things are different here.  Like the fact that things start late and end late, people are so loud, and it is stressful not knowing what people are saying.  Plus, it is very stressful when the two sisters before you were disobedient to mission rules so the members think you are bad b/c you aren't doing things the way the naughty sisters did.  But it is good anyway.  The people are great, and pretty understanding.  I ate liver twice this week.  To be honest it looks like elephant skin.  I am not excited to go to the palanke because I don't like the smell there.  And I have a big hole in my foot from a blister the size of Kansas.  But all is well.  Email next week on wednesday, which is tuesday for you so watch out.  I need these emails.  I thrive on them.  Make them good. BUT I LOVE YOU TOO!!!  Don't you worry one bit about that.  I love you more that you will ever know.

(I sent pictures from Rebecca and Jacob’s wedding and this was Brittany’s response)That is so awesome!  I am so happy for them.  They look amazing.  She is so beautiful.  AND MODEST!!!  She has done a lot of changing and she deserves this awesomeness.  I am glad she found someone who is going to honor and respect her forever.  I am glad you enjoyed Stadium of Fire.  I am pretty jealous to be honest, but I am doing a good work and there will be other opportunities when I get home to do fun things like that.  It is still really hard, but there have been miracles everyday.  I got sick from the sun on Thursday and almost passed out.  That was scary and frustrating, but I am doing fine now and taking precautions to be safe everyday.

There are some things I must tell you before anything else and that is that next week I won't email till wednesday because we get to go to the temple so P-day is switched.  The second is that the mailing address you need to send any mail or packages to is:

Sister Brittany Newman

Quezon City North Mission, P.O. Box 1243, Quezon City Central Post Office, Nia Road, Diliman,

1100Quezon City, Philippines

First week in the Philippines

Family,
  This is the most overwhelming place.  I want to cry and laugh everyday.  It is so hot sometimes I think I am going to die.  My head hurts and my heart hurts.  I don't understand hardly everything, and there is so much expected of me and I don't know how I am going to accomplish it.  But.  I have prayed to have a good safe fun day everyday.  And it has happened.  There hasn't been a day when I haven't come home feeling like I hadn't accomplished something.  The people are so nice.  I like that I can just smile at them and they smile back.  I love that the members are so excited for us to be there.  They are excited to help me learn Tagalog.  They want to help in our learning of the area.  (The 4 missionaries us and 2 elders are all brand new to the area.)  They are excited for reactivation.  I am excited.  We are teaching one family, the mom is a member, but her 4 kids are not and her husband is not.  They totally felt the spirit yesterday.  It was so cool, and totally worth the heat we had to face traveling there.  We have visited members, and I love them.  They are so great.  We each had to bear our testimonies yesterday.  Mine was very short, but I felt good.  Their testimonies were so heartfelt and sincere.  These humble people love the Lord and their families.  Our Bishop is so wonderful.  He actually lives in a squatter town and sells bread off his bike for money.  But he is just great.  He makes me happy.  There have been miracles everyday.
   Just this morning I prayed for Heavenly Father to lead my personal study and he did.  It was so wonderful.  I was reminded that I might not know why I am here, or how this is ever going to workout, but he does.  Heavenly Father knows, and I needed to be reminded. And I remembered the mormon message "Lifting Burdens"  at the end Prs. Monson says, "Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives; I know that my Redeemer lives."  And I do know that.  I do.  It led me to Psalms 105 106 and 107.  There are parts in there where it talks about how we should praise the Lord for His mercy.  It was just really nice.  I wrote it in my study journal.  Have you gotten a study journal yet?  You should.
  I think they sent you a picture of me with my new companion.  Her name is Sister Bird, and she is pretty nice, but I get scared of what she is thinking of me sometimes, but I am just going to do the best I can.  She is great with the people, and very wonderful at following the spirit.  I am going to try to learn a lot from here these next 11 weeks.  Then I will get a followup trainer.  Probably a native, and my Tagalog will have to get lots better.  But I am going to give my best.  I pray it is enough.
  There is always music playing here, the song right now is that one direction song McKayla and I like, the you don't know your beautiful.  It is the beginning of rainy season, but it rains like one big rain and then it is just really hot again.
   Okay,  you have to know now, you can't send letters to that office address.  For some reason it is way expensive.  send it to... hold on let me ask if she knows.  Sister Bird doesn't know.  But she told me to just have you send things regular mail, not through pouch.  Do Dear Elder too, that is good.  When you get my first letter you will know the address if you don't already.  And we only have mail run every other week.  I am not looking forward to that, but I will deal.  It will be ok.  Things are going to be ok.  I am going to make a withdrawal from my visa account at least once a month so that it stays open.  That would be scary if it closed.  So just make sure it has money.  I shouldn't take that much so don't worry about that, but I do have to use personal money for some things.  And please tell Sarah I am sorry,but I can only send email to family.  only immediate family.  But I can get emails from anyone.  I just have to send regular letters home.  (please send me American stamps in your next letter so I can do pouch mail to you) her email is sarah.jo.harris@gmail.com.  Just forewarn her.
  I am okay.  I want to cry almost all the time, but I am okay.  I miss you all so much.  Especially in the middle of the night when I wake up to some noise.  OH!  There was a little gray lizard on our wall, it lifted its tail, and POOPED ON MY BED!!!!  That was gross.  Well Everyone else is just about finished so I have to go.  I love you.  The church is true.  Read the Book of Mormon.  You are incredible and we are all going to be very blessed for a very long time.  Because Heavenly Father loves us.  Please pray for me to be brave.

Love,
Sister Brittany Nichole Newman