12/30/18

 This post is pieces of a conversation through emailing back and forth with Sister Castro.

• HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!
• Happy New Year! people here already putting off their fireworks, singing karaoke!

• How was your week? 
• This week has been so good! So my trainer is also an STL and she has to do exchanges with sisters from other areas so me and Sister Pay were left by ourselves on Thursday to proselyte and it was the best! We met 6 new investigators and taught them lesson 1 and it gave me much more confidence! 

• What are your plans for today?
• Our plans for today is not much because we have curfew again, but the people here already putting off their fireworks, singing karaoke! We have dinner at 5pm again with Family Galicia!

• What did you get to eat when you wen there for Christmas?
• On Christmas day the Galicia family fed us like kings actually the entire day we ate like kings! So much food! But they gave us Korean spicy chicken, lumpia shanghai, rice (of course that is a staple), and much more! And then the Hno. who is the 1st con in the stake brought out his guitar and we were just singing so many songs! the PH people love to sing! And it reminded me so much of dad and the music he likes like the Bee Gees, etc!

• What is the name of your Bishop and the ward you go to? 
• Bishop Bassig! He is the coolest and such a hardworking person! Our ward is called Gen T De Leon in the Valenzuela Stake in Valenzuela City, Quezon City

• Is it true that people love to do karaoke?
• The karaoke is right outside of our apartment lol
• So we wake up to that and sleep to that

• Is there anything you want us to send you?
• Grandmas hot chocolate LOLOL

• Okay! We will make sure to send loads!
• ahaha thank you so much familia los amo so much and I always get so happy talking to you guys!!!  

Week 2 SA Mission Field & Merry Christmas! - 12/24/18

Merry Christmas to you all from the Philippines!

This field is super white and ready to harvest here in the Ugong area! I love the people here so much and they bring such a big smile to my face. We had our second baptism this past saturday and my heart is filled with so much joy when they smile so brightly as they enter the waters of baptism, and the family and friends are all gathered around. What true happiness the gospel of Jesus Christ brings to us all. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas alongside your family and friends! God bless you all. 

#LightTheWorld 

Week 1 SA Mission Field! - 12/17/18

Hello Everyone!

Today marks my 6th day in the mission field and it has been such an amazing experience thus far. The area I am assigned in is called Ugong - It is a place filled with a lot of people and one of good cheer! I love the area so much already because everyone is so welcoming and friendly. My trainer and companion, Sister. Augerea, and I have gone finding these past few days and we have found souls that I know were prepared just for us by the Lord and that we were led to them by the guidance of the Holy Ghost because they were so receptive to the message we were sharing with them. They did not only listen with their ears, but most importantly they listened with their heart. I am so excited for our next appointments with them and to see them act on their faith and hopefully accept the invitation to be baptized. I know with my whole heart that the gospel is true! I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that we are His children. And because He loves us he wants to return back to Him, and through exercising the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives we are able to. I know that we have the greatest gift ever, which is the gospel, and we should treasure it and share it with others so that they can taste of joy that we feel by living the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I invite you all to gift a friend or a family member a Book of Mormon and to write your testimony in it this Christmas! Share the greatest gift you have with others!

Hope you are all doing well and hope to hear from you all soon!

Sincerely, 

Sister. Castro

HULING LINGGO SA MTC (Last week at the MTC) 12/05/18

Merry Christmas to you all family!

Here are some pictures from this week!

Oh, from last week I forgot to share with you that I got called with my kasama to be the STLs (senior training leaders)! My first calling as a missionary! So it is like a district leader but for the sisters, making sure that they are okay and helping them! I love my calling because it helps me make friendships and to talk with everyone! 

Also, I was chosen to give a talk during sacrament last week! It wasn't as scary as before and I wasn't nervous. Everyone told me they loved it and the MTC President and his wife gave me the sweetest card! That same day we taught the class in RS! 

This week not much has happened because our days just consist of teaching our interested people, language study, and doctrine study! Pero the teachings with the interested people has been so AMAZING! The spirit has been so strong in those classrooms that even the teachers start tearing up and crying and so do we! I can only imagine how it will be with actual interested people in the mission field. Our message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is so beautiful that I can't wait for next week! So here at the mtc every saturday there is going to be a light the world concert and this past saturday we had the first one and it was really cool! The choir was really good! 

I leave the mtc in one week! OH MY GULAY (oh my vegetables) lol that is what they say here in the PH. I am super excited!

Here are some pictures from this week & of my bestest friends ever. I love all of them so much and they are sooooo amazing! 

The picture of my district sisters and I (wearing the blue shirt) is of today before we went to the temple! We went together as the Ammon & Samuel district to the temple and it was so great! I love the temple y dije lo de el velo solito en ingles! such a comforting and hugging spirit came to me. Gods love is amazing!

Kita kits next week family! 

Love you all so much. Mahal Kita! 

- Sister. Castro

p.s. I have been told I look like a child actress from the PH called Julian Ward lol