Ok so these are not pics of my birthday but those are coming I promise.  I want to thank everyone for their emails and birthday wishes.  You all made this the best email day ever.  And Elder Green made this the best p-day ever when he called this morning to tell us that we are not getting transferred!!!  We are so happy!  It doesn't get better than this.  Sister Loreto is the best companion ever for me right now!!!  We are growing so much together.  She will actually go home after this transfer so I will hopefully be here for a long time in this area.  I would love that.  I really love the people here and want to stay to help them.  But because we are not being transferred it means we are not going to transfer meeting which might mean that I won't get my birthday packages until the 21st.  I don't know quite yet if our Elders will be nice and bring them back for me or not.

   Mom,  I need you to email me copies of easy Christmas hymns to be able to sing as a zone at Christmas conference and I need them in my email to be printed before Monday.  Please and thank you.

 Mom and Dad,  I think it would be a really awesome idea for you all as a family to have personal and companionship study.  even just 15 minutes would bring everyone closer to each other and closer to the lord.  Suggestion lang.

  Lilly and McKayla,   Have you two thought of getting your patriarchal blessings yet.  If not, you should.

"We are commanded by God to take this gospel

 to all the world.  That is the cause that must unite

 us today.  Only the gospel will save the world from

 the calamity of its own self destruction.  Only the 

gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities

 in peace.  Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness,

 and salvation to the human family".

                                          -President Ezra Taft Benson

He didn't say just missionaries, did he.  It is the cause that must unite US.  Let us all get our there and start inviting others to come unto Christ.

 

And two funny stories for you all.  First off is that on Saturday we saw three Really Freaky Clowns on a tryc and because I am an American of course I stand out and they start making weird faces and cat calling me.  ...  Clowns are not good.  I know it is true.  Whether they happen to come in our dreams, at circuses, or half way around the world in the Philippines...they are kinda creepy...  But oddly enough I quite enjoy them at rodeo's..

  

And my second story is that one of our investigators was floored when we told her for the second time that I am from America.  she said and I quote (in English because most of you wouldn't understand the tagalog and then what would be the point of telling the story),  "I thought she was born in America,  yes, but I thought she moved to Cebu and was living there before her mission. Isn't that right Sister Newman, you've lived in the Philippines."   I of course said no because I couldn't lie we just taught her the 10 commandments and how awkward would that have been.  So she told me I am very good at tagalog for only being in the Philippines for a little over 5 months.  ...  It made me feel pretty good, but I know it is only because I have the Lords help.  He fills my mouth everyday.

Lots of pictures

 

 

 

Hello everybody! So I have written to my mom and she will include what she thinks is important and good to be in this email, but I wanted to share this email with you that came from our mission President. He sends out an email almost every and this one really touched me and I feel like there are some of you at home who need it. I hope you enjoy it, learn from it, and apply it. Because if we don't apply what we learn then what was the point of learning it. Have an excellent week and know that yes those are colored chicks and yes they are only 10 pesos. That is like a quarter. They are so FUN!!!

And thank you Grandma for your email. You are right my Grandpa is a pretty awesome man and you are both very lucky to be together. I love you both very much!

Sunday, 2 December 2012

I like to compare and contrast scriptures. Doing this with D&C 84:33 and Joshua 3:7 reveals an important principle.

While talking about the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the Lord said that those who magnify their callings would be sanctified by the spirit. The Lord said that He “sent us to magnify our callings” (D&C 88:80), to William E. McLellin He said, “thou shalt magnify thine office, and push many people to Zion…” (D&C 66:11), and He told the prophet Joseph Smith to “magnify thine office” (D&C 24:3). When we think of a magnifying glass we usually think of making things bigger. However, I also think of starting fires—setting things on fire. I think that magnifying our callings is to enlarge them but it would also include setting them on fire. I have seen people who were just on fire when it came to doing their calling. Those who magnify their callings go way beyond what is expected. They go the extra mile and then some. They do what they are asked to do and then some. They go until they are too tired to go on and then some. They go to the limits of their ability and then some. President Thomas S. Monson said, “What does it mean to magnify a calling? It means to build it up in dignity and importance, to make it honorable and commendable in the eyes of all men, to enlarge and strengthen it, to let the light of heaven shine through it to the view of other men.” This might seem overwhelming and nigh unto impossible. We might not even feel like trying to magnify our calling because it seems that there is no possible way to do it. We might be too afraid, too tired, or too discouraged to even try.

This is where Joshua 3:7 comes in. Moses is the great prophet in Israel. He led the children of Israel in the wilderness doing mighty miracles. Then he was translated and a new prophet, Joshua, was called to lead Israel into the promised land. How could anyone possibly replace Moses? Joshua must have that felt a terrible burden had been placed on him. How could he accomplish what the Lord required? The Lord said to him, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage…” (Joshua 1:5,6). Then, when it was time to enter the promised land, the Lord said: “This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee” (Joshua 3:7). Joshua then parted the Jordan River and led Israel into their land of promise conquering as they went. The scripture then says, “On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life” (Joshua 4:14).

The Lord did a similar thing with King Solomon (1Chronicles 29:25), and He will do the same for us. If we magnify our callings then the Lord will magnify us. He will inspire us, strengthen us, build us up, make us equal to the task, and stand beside us so that we can accomplish His will. President Monson said it this way: “Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.” The Lord said, “for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30). Over and over again the Lord assures us that if we magnify our callings, He will magnify us.

President Sperry

Hello everyone,
Here are excerpts from the email to mom, a few pictures, and mom's reply back to me.
So this week has been ok except my companion has been sick but all is well now. We had zone conference. Actually something pretty funny happened when I went to the bathroom. I thought I had walked into the wrong bathroom. THERE WAS AN ELDER IN THERE!!! Then I realize I was in the right place he was in the WRONG place. And he turned around and said, "It is not what it looks like." IT WAS MY DISTRICT LEADER ELDER GREEN!!! "I just came in to use the paper towels, there are none in the mens." Mom I almost died laughing and so did sister Loreto. She almost died because laughing makes her cough which makes it difficult to breath. Anyway that was pretty great and you can include it in the email if you want.
I will email next Wednesday because next week is transfers, can you believe how fast those six weeks went!? Another item of business is that I have been thinking about staying until Nov. 14 or whenever the transfer day is in Nov. I want to know your feeling on the subject. I am really praying about it and I am going to take it to the temple next time. I just want to know what the family thinks about it. I will in the end leave it up to the Lord, but I need some other points of view.
My packages won't get to me until after my birthday. It is no fault of yours mom, you sent it at the right time, they just switched and messed up the mail runs so it won't be until Dec 13 and that is if I go to transfer meeting. the 21st if I don't go. But I get to email on Christmas here christmas eve your time so everyone should get on then on christmas day your time we can skype. I am super excited. I feel like it was just a few days ago I was crying to you on the phone at the airport and you were comforting me saying Christmas would be here in no time and we would get to talk to each other. I thought you were crazy! Christmas was so far away!!! And now it is here and I can't believe how fast it went.
Our people are doing great. We have quite a few with WoW problems and they don't quite understand why they need to be bawal if we have free agency. It is because those things actually take away your free agency and we shouldn't question the commandments of God. If he gives us a commandment there is a reason and only He needs to know what it is.

 

So one of my friends sent me an email about a dream she had. A nightmare really. And she told me something that reminded me of all the funeral processions I have seen here on my mission. To be honest it is kinda weird for me but I am getting used to it. In America, we follow the hearse with our cars. The people here walk all the way to the cemetery and the hearse plays really loud music. It isn't like jazzy-jazzy or anything like that, but it is different than I am used to, but it is becoming normal. And I decided that I want upbeat jazzy type music played at my funeral cause it should not be dull. It should be a celebration of how stinking wonderful this life is, and how great the life to come will be for the righteous. That's all. Just a fun fact I thought you ought to know.
I love you mom. Have an amazing week and do good things. I am so jealous of your furniture btw. And your new house must be massive!!

Love ,
Sister Brittany Nichole Newman

My dear daughter, I believe you will regret coming home in Oct and give up the chance to serve these people you love for one more month. But, you are right to take it to the temple and let Heavenly Father guide you. He will know what is best for you.
Your family will be here for you either way.
Our house is nice and lots bigger than the rental but it isn't massive. It's actually just a little smaller than the one in pg and it doesn't have a garage but has a huge storage room. After living in the little place this feels palatial!
We celebrated grandpa's birthday Friday. It was fun. Baby Leah is so cute and her whole self lights up when she smiles. Rachel is having so much fun with a baby girl.
I had my first concert at provo towne center on Saturday. It was so fun. I wish I had started choir a long time ago. I hope when you come home you will want to sing with me. You would love it.
Did you know that with the new sister missionary age rule I could have 3 daughters out at the same time for a while? How crazy is that? It would be hectic but also wonderful and I know we would figure the finances out somehow.
I'm going to stop and send this. Have an awesome week!
Love,
Mom