Bulihan- week 1..... goodbye Mandaluyong, hello to new, exciting challenges

Kumusta!

Thanks for the emails, I really appreciate them! :)  It was really hard for me to leave Mandaluyong... I love it there... especially, when the storm hit. The storm hit metro manila but the very worst part hit was where I was at. So, we were confined to the apartment, Monday night through forever..... grabe... the flood was big. The first floor of the apartment building was flooded and there were rescue rafts outside the windows and a lot of other things... pretty intense. On the other hand, it was great because it gave me plenty of time to update the area book for the missionaries who are shotgunning it. I'm jealous of that area book... oh well, this new area book in Bulihan will be even better. It's our goal. :)  We weren't sure if we could even make it to the transfer meeting on Wednesday, but thanks to a lot of prayers from our mission president and the missionaries... on Wednesday morning, there was a little bit of the flood left but cars could now travel through it... and so our zone leaders came and picked us up with the taxi... intense, because it started to rain really hard right after we were pulling out of the apartment garage thing... so the flood was starting to come back but we were able to make it to the meeting...........  Now, I'm in Bulihan part of the San Gabrial zone... and it's really ironic. All of my areas I've had a precious connection too and this is no different. I'm officially in the "province" (I've been in the city zones for my mission so far) but Bulihan looks like my first area but I'm excited. It's a branch, not a ward. It's not a stake, but it's a district. There's lots of challenges and problems to solve, but for some reason, I'm really happy about that. I've always liked challenges and figuring out puzzles.. maybe that's why I'm here... I don't know.. whatever God wants, I'm happy to do it and do my best, My companion is Sister Moreno... from West Jordan, UT, yeah, an American and she's not a Filipina. Before I was hoping that since He wanted me to train, for some reason unknown to me, it would be a Filipina because that would help me out with my language but when I was looking at the back of the heads of the new missionaries (only one sister was a Filipina), I felt that a particular one would be my companion and VOILA, it was so... She's great and I'm learning a lot. Funny thing is, that all of her family (except one brother) can speak Spanish (her brother went to a different mission) but she became different when she got called to speak in Tagalog. I'm excited for this area. I love it already. I love and miss Mandaluyong but I'm happy that it's now in good hands (really great elders now) and I'm excited to help this area out. Plus, we're the first sisters who have ever been over here.. it's kind of weird but oh well. God is great and so very merciful to me. I love the lessons I'm learning and for the future. It's white!
Mahal ko Kayo!
Sister Mohrman

Mandaluyong- week 30.... miracles, surprises, rain, where? what? huh?

Kumusta!

Thanks for the emails. I always appreciate them and love reading them. :). It's been a good week full of many lessons for me and I appreciate them so much. Our investigators are progressing and it's great seeing the change that has taken place on them. Last transfer, they really didn't know any members very well, but we have been working this transfer on getting them to know each other... and it's worked!  All of our progressing investigators have friends now in the church and the ward is really stepping up to help them. We had less-actives who came to church and the ward really just embraced them. An example is the Camingawan family. I first met them in February and have been working with them ever since. Yesterday, the grandfather, one of his daughters and his grandson (who is our investigator) came to church for the first time. The ward saw them and some of the older members went up to the Tatay and put their arm around him and was with him for the classes and the same went with the daughter and the grandson... it was an amazing tender mercy of God. Then during the combined RS and Priesthood class, the bishopric and other auxilary leaders talked about home teaching and visiting teaching and challenged them to take up the call. Then we found out the relief society presidency and elder's quorum presidencies have made plans to set the example and visit the less-actives, particularly the ones that we've been working with. They really are taking over and it's amazing. I love this area so very much. It's so fruitful. It's amazing... God is so very great and merciful to me. I'm really going to miss this area but I know that whoever the missionaries are next that this area will become even more fruitful. I bet you all want to know what's going on, right?  I do too... just kidding. God has blessed me with more rain and I really needed it and it was so very great! I already knew that I would be transferred after this transfer is over... just some strong suspicions. But I was called on Wednesday night and was given some pretty surprising news... apparently I needed to go to a meeting on Friday... for new trainers... huh? Yeah, pretty surprising. I was thinking, are you sure you called the right person. But then they also said that I'm shotgunning a new area too. It's been closed for about two transfers and so now it's being reopened by us... grabe. mahirap. Shotgun training... never ever done any of those things before and especially not combined but I will continue to just strive to do my best. If I make mistakes... well, it's their fault that I was called, :) but no, I will do everything I can to do what God wants me to do... I'm excited for the lessons ahead of me. Hopefully, I'll figure out what to do quickly :S, but whatever happens, it's in His hands and I'm here to do His will... so come what may and of course, I'll love it. Our transfer day is on Thursday, so until then, I'm here in Mandaluyong. I'm learning so much and I'm so very grateful for the lessons that I'm learning everyday from God. Thanks again for the emails... Love ya all!

Mahal ko Kayo

Sister Mohrman

Mandaluyong- week 29.....transfers are next week

Kumusta!

Thanks for the emails! This will be a short email because I miscalculated the time.... hehe :S  (sheepish smile and laugh). This has been a week full of many lessons for me and I really appreciate them! God is great and I love this work. Our work is continuing and this week is going to be very busy and so I'm excited. :) There's exciting news. Some of the less-active families (especially the part-member ones) we've been working with are now finally ready to come back to church and I'm soooooooo happy for that. One family is the Camingawan family and I love this family with everything. I've been working with them since February and now they're going to come to church and they've been reading the Book of Mormon. It's such a beautiful change that is happening to that family. They're more peaceful with each other and you can really see the spirit becoming stronger in that family. Our investigator in that family is also progressing, Vincent. It's amazing! It was pretty funny, at first they said no, they wouldn't come to church but then two or three weeks ago, they said they couldn't because (the females) they didn't have skirts... and so I solved that problem... I bought them skirts and now they didn't have any excuse :).  I'll write more next week for sure and next week are transfers and so it should be interesting to see what happens....  Thanks again for the emails!

Mahal ko Kayo!

Sister Mohrman

Mandaluyong- week 28..... a week full of interviews, rain and just emails to everyone :)

(mixture of family emails with news)

Kumusta!

Thanks for the two packages! I received them and it made me happy! I also just decided I would write an email to everyone

Thanks for the emails every week, I really appreciate them and thank you so much for everything you all do!
I really am enjoying my dream. Every day is a new part of my adventure in the Philippines. God is so very merciful and I really love and appreciate the lessons I'm learning every day. It's so incredible because I'm just like... okay, I now know what could be better in the future and it's so great. Honestly, I really have loved every single day of my mission so far, even the hard days because there are always things that happen on that day that just raises my spirit. I don't know how some people don't like learning lessons, though. It's so merciful of God to let us know what we need to improve and it's so humbling that He is doing that with me every day. I am so appreciative of it. For the first time I've been here in the Philippines. It rained for six straight days... (Before, it would rain one day and then skip a few and rain again- that type of thing), it was such a tender mercy from Heavenly Father to me because I know it was for me and it was great!  
By the way, what are your plans for coming here? The mission office is asking me questions and would like answers next week.... Are we going to be spending Sunday here? The Christmas lights on the temple should be open from the 16th and onwards.... What are the airports we're flying too and everything? I guess, Salt Lake is pressuring our mission for the missionaries in December because it's so busy here at Christmas. They also told me to tell you (but I'm sure you already know... but I'm just following orders) to coordinate with Salt Lake or something like that... yeah yeah, boring stuff. Sorry. Yeah, you wouldn't like driving here, it's ranked as one of the craziest places in the world to drive....and I can attest to that,  but I love it :)  I love it here, it rained for 6 straight days and it was the first time I've ever seen it happen here! It was great! :) Because of that rain, it's been a good week! :) I love the lessons God is teaching me every day. Who was the sister who owned the blog? My transfers are in August.. I think two weeks from now... pretty interesting. I think I might be transferring because of some things... but who knows... Oh yeah, yesterday was my interview with President and that's always interesting!  By the way.. I guess this next part is my insight... because you always ask :)  I just copied and pasted what I wrote to President Stucki.... 
There's always two sides to everything and so often the one side never gets explained. But I was reading in Mosiah 24:12 and it was amazing. It was about how the Alma and his people poured out their hearts to God because they couldn't do it vocally and He heard their prayers and their thought. So it's amazing that God knows everything, every thought, every story, every intention and every desire. How merciful He is. This applies to many things as I was thinking about this. Our less-actives, investigators, ward members, recent converts, our area, our companionship (basically everything in life)- each have stories. It's merciful gift from God to have His Spirit helping us to see the whole picture and not just a limited section especially amongst the less-actives we've been working with. This chapter really helped me out so much and I learned so much. I also received some insight in what should be done with the less-active families we've been visiting. Because we're now trying to get the less-actives up to the next level of their progression.   It's a great chapter. I learned so much from it.
Thanks for everything!  Love ya!

Mahal ko Kayo!

Mahal Kita
Sister Mohrman

Mandaluyong- week 27....... ups and downs and a dog bite... huh?

Kumusta!

Thanks for the emails! I really appreciate them! This has been an amazing week, which I guess you're not surprised. But it's been great. God is teaching me so many lessons and I'm so very appreciative of these lessons. I'm learning a lot in this companionship and with the two other sisters that share the apartment with us. I love the lessons. God is blessing us with quite a lot of miracles. One of our less-active/part member families- Camingawan, is an amazing family. For the first time on Saturday, they said that they would come to church. The spirit was so strong. Also, on Saturday, quite a few of our appointments got cancelled but then we were able to visit the Morosa family and Brother Rick said that he would come to church on Sunday. It was the first time. Quite a few miracles and many tender mercies. Sister Michelle came to church again, and I'm so happy about that. I'm praying so hard for her so that her heart will become softer and she'll see baptism as a positive word and not a bad word... I'm excited for this week because we're teaching that family again. :)  I know that this is God's work and I love it so very much. I love all these lessons I'm learning and thanks again for everything! Sorry this is short, next week my preparation day is on Tuesday because of our interviews with the President on Monday.... Thanks again!

Mahal ko Kayo

Sister Mohrman

Mandaluyong- week 26.... sprains and miracles... huh?

Kumusta!

By the way, Happy late Birthday Dad! I figured it would be better to wish it to you late rather than early... :) Thanks for the emails! I appreciate them as always! :)  This week has been kinda crazy but it's been great. God is blessing us with so many miracles. Yesterday, we visited Brother Morosa, who's a long-term less-active and his family, who are not members. We had planned on watching the Restoration with them and so they were setting things up but then they said that their speakers were completely destroyed (and they were)... and so they said that they were unable to watch the movie. But Brother Morosa was a bit stubborn and just kept plugging the speakers in and out, over and over (it wasn't doing anything, though), while his family was telling him that the speakers hadn't worked in a really long, long time. During this time, I was praying so hard that just for this one visit that they would work and God heard! Miraculously, the sounds from the movie were starting to come out and they all were so surprised! So we were able to watch the movie. It was neat and the spirit was so strong. It was an amazing experience. We're also praying really hard for Michelle and her family, the Soleno family. It was great, she came to church again yesterday but we keep praying that her heart gets a bit softer... it's great and God is really helping us out a lot. Our families that we're visiting are progressing and it's amazing seeing the spirit that is taking root in their lives. There's lots of other miracles but not enough time to list them all, though...  I guess you want to know about the sprains... right? :S hehe, (sheepish smile/laugh). You know how I've never broken a bone and have never had a sprain or any type of that nonsense.... well last Monday, during the late afternoon, my foot/ankle became sprained. My first ever and hopefully my last one. I was so surprised. I'm like... Hala! Ano ang nangyari sa akin! oh no! what happened! but it's all good. I just wasn't very wise because then I worked on that sprain on Tuesday (half of the day) but it's now getting better and it's all good. I really don't like missing work but I guess God really wanted me to rest my ankle/foot because then my companion became sick again... and we needed to stay at the apartment... It's funny how God works. He's great! Things are good and I love life. I love the lessons that I'm learning every day and this experience in this companionship... I can see the lessons that God wants me to learn and I appreciate it. It seems that as trials become harder, the blessings come more abundantly as I strive to do my best and He gives me so much help and it's great. And I'm so very appreciative of these experiences. I'm learning so much! Life is good! :D  :D  Sorry my time is up but thanks again for the emails!

Mahal ko Kayo!

Sister Mohrman

Mandaluyong- week 25.... I think... I'm losing what number of week I'm on.... Happy Birthday America!

Kumusta!

Due to some computer malfunctions, my email will be rather short... sorry about that. =S  Anyways, thanks for the emails, I really appreciate it! It's great to hear from all of you! :) This past week has been great. We have so much progression going on in our area and God is blessing and helping us so much! Also, starting this week, we're going to have to balance out time in our area and what was the Elder's area before. But I know God is really leading and guiding us and it's amazing! :).  On Sunday, Brother Robert's wife, Michelle, came to church! This is the first time in like 7 weeks or so! It's a miracle! We're praying so hard for this family! God is really helping us out so much! Our other investigators are progressing too! Some of our less-active families have been calling their other family members to join in (referrals) and it's great. We get to teach new investigators and the less-active at the same time! It's amazing seeing how God is helping us. I know without a doubt, it's all because of Him. It's a humbling experience to be able to witness these miracles and seeing the change that is slowly coming into their lives! Thanks again for everything! Maraming Salamat!

Mahal ko Kayo!

Sister Mohrman