Pictures

It's Fall Y'all!

Hey y'all. Can you believe it, it's finally starting to cool down a little around here. The weather is absolutely beautiful. Sunny, windy, and about 27C (80F). It's fantastic. We don't even have to have our fans on and I've worn a sweater every day this week. I've truly become a Filipina.

This week Sister McCarthy has been pretty sick, so we didn't get a lot of work done proselyting-wise. But, we each started reading the Old Testament together and because of all the time we've had at home and about six hours of reading a day, we're more than halfway through. And yes, that's a lot of reading. 650 pages in three days. It's been such a neat,unifying experience to study and understand the words of the ancient prophets. It's the first time I've read the Old Testament front to back and I can hardly put it down. Our house has been so quiet besides for the occasional question and discussion. I am so thankful for Sister McCarthy and the deep, interesting conversations that have come from our studies together. It's been really incredible to learn and see things like temple worship, priesthood, and other foundational doctrines outlined and instituted in the Bible. The Book of Mormon and the Bible truly support each other in every way. What can I say? The Church is true. I am so thankful for the faithful servants of God who preserved scriptures that we may have the fullness of the truth here on the earth today. 

Have a great week! 

Sister Cork

Happy Nobyembre!

Hey y'all, can you believe it's November? How times flies. I finished 10 months today.

So on Wednesday morning I received a phone call telling me that I would be singing for the mission tour on Thursday. I chuckled a little, because I lack a lot of musical ability. But later President called to confirm that I would, indeed be singing for the conference. Because we practiced for several hours, all of the sisters involved slept over at the mission home, which is always a treat. I used a hairdryer for the first time in 10 months. It was awesome. We snacked on ice cream, took hot showers, and squished in bed together and just chatted. On my mission I have become so grateful for sisterhood. What a blessing it is to be a member of such a strong network of women, no matter where in the world you may go. On Thursday we had a fantastic mission tour with Shane Bowen and Lynn G. Robbins. They had wonderful counsel, helping us the improve and further reach our potential. 

In other news, the rats in our apartment have gotten really smart. We don't know how, but they have learned to eat around the food on the trap. This morning we woke up and the trap was snapped close, food gone, no rat. So yeah, that's our current adventure. I always wore a hole through two pairs of shoes this week. We're walking like nobody's business over here in Caloocan City. Life is good!

Sister Cork

 

 

Here Goes Nothing

Hey y'all. Well, we are experiencing quite the change right now. Last week President called my companion and I into his office to tell us that our ward, which is us two and the other two sisters we live with will be expanding it's boundaries AND it will be left to just my companion and I. Yep, we're opening an area and expanding our ward in the middle of training. We prayed for more people to teach and we got about 65. I prayed to further improve my language skills and here I am leading a new area. I prayed to grow and progress as a missionary and there sure is a lot for me to learn here. So, in short, God answers prayers. Sometimes not the way we want. I've realized that rarely the things we ask for are wrapped up and mailed to us, but usually we're given a way to work hard and obtain them for ourselves. 

I'll be honest, I've missed a few nights of sleep due to some stress. But, if the Lord trusts us and the Mission President does too, that's enough for me. I'm excited to do hard things and learn to further rely on the Lord. Thank you for all your prayers.

Sister Cork

Picture, Picture Pag May Time

 Sharing the gospel with all who will listen.

 He thought he was sneaky. He escaped us for two weeks until now.

 Our American Sign Language class. To get in you have to sign what you learned last week. I'm so thankful for all of the great volunteers we have!

 Making our new area book. It was a stressful night.

 Me and my girl, Louie.

Ward FHE with CJ and Sister Romero

Magandang Umaga

Good morning! How's October treating all y'all?

This week was great. Oh how I love General Conference. When I lived in Utah I under appreciated the efforts the Church makes to ensure that every chapel in the whole world receives the Conference broadcast. Now I find myself endlessly thankful for all those on a local, regional, and global area that make it possible for us in the Philippines to listen to the words of our prophet, apostles, and leaders. It truly is such a blessing. 

I hope you all listened to the messages with open hearts. If you haven't heard them yet or even if you're not a member of my faith, I encourage you to watch at least one talk. Take a few minutes of your time and make a plan on how you will implement what you learned in your life. Where do you need to change? What hands do you need to lift up that are currently hanging down?

LDS General Conference: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?lang=eng

Love you all. Check out my blog for pictures!

Sister Cork

Pictures

 The beginning of the lunar eclipse.



 Walking home in the rain from General Conference.

 My girls. I'm pretty sure this is an accurate representation of Laney & I at this age. They are such a handful. I'm so thankful for a good mom.

On our way to General Conference

Sunday Session with my "daughters" in the mission. Sister McCarthy is my trainee and I was Sister Papalietelle's senior companion when she first visited the mission.