Dear Hermana Hughes,
It's hard to believe I will only write you two more times, and then you will be finished. I know you don't want to think about what to do after your mission and you are focused totally on working to the end, but I have one question: Do you want to go to the dentist for a teeth cleaning when you return? I just ask because I need to make an appointment for myself and thought you may want to go, too.
I don't think it's going to work to fly back with Sister Macaballug because she doesn't get finished until two days after you do. And it's kind of hard for a MP to find what to do with a missionary when they are finished and he's made the new transfer.
We said goodbye to some of our best missionaries this week. As we sat in the last testimony meeting, we noticed every one of the 13 missionaries had either been a zone leader, a STL or an assistant, except one sister, who was just an excellent missionary. It was a hard group to let go! But the next day we got ten new missionaries and they all seem solid. For the first time we got an elder who is a "two-transfer missionary". He didn't go to the MTC, he's just here to try out being a missionary and see if Dad thinks it will work. I think he has some challenges, but he is very excited to serve. Six of the new missionaries are Filipino, two from the US, one from Hong Kong (Fenton met his dad at church in HK) and one from Kiribati. Five of the Filipinos and the sister from Kiribati do not email their parents because their parents don't have access to a computer. Like many local missionaries, they come from very, very poor circumstances, so the missionary apartments I think are appalling are the nicest places they've ever lived. And the amount they get for support each month is more than their whole family lived on at home. Every day I am thankful to have been born in such prosperous circumstances in the USA and want to do all I can to help these missionaries so they will be successful after their missions.
I know that most important thing they can do to be successful is work hard and be obedient here. Mark Merkley told us he used to tell his companion, "The harder we work, the more beautiful our wives will be!" I can see the Lord blessing the missionaries whose faith is focused and who are obedient. Sister Santillas, our cancer victim, went to her voice therapist one last time -- she extended her mission two weeks to get a final body scan to make sure the cancer is gone. The therapist was so surprised to hear her voice and how much it had improved in the last four weeks--she said it's impossible for a voice to get better on it's own like that!
One of our American sisters who came in July last year went home early to get medical help. After she'd been here a few weeks, she started throwing up every time she ate. Over the past six months she's lost 20 lbs. Hopefully she will get the medical help she couldn't get here and be able to return soon.
I listened to a talk Dallin gave in the 1st ward last week -- Carine Clark recorded it and sent it to us -- where Dallin quoted part of one of your letters to him about prayer. He prefaced by saying you are the most diligent and loving missionary he's every known. It was a sweet tribute. And he's keeping the pact to not date until you return, but I think he's pretty scared about it anyway.
I really appreciate the missionaries who work right up to the last day. So many slack off and spend their last days packing, shopping, visiting, etc. And some really give all their efforts right up to when they go. I was so touched by one of our Australian/Samoan sisters who said in her closing testimony, "I really thought this would be a sacrifice, but I loved serving so much, it turned out not to be a sacrifice at all!" Early on she taught me to be optimistic. She said that when I faced an obstacle I should think, "What can I learn from this?"
Right now we are waiting to meet our seven senior couples for a special dinner for Elder and Sister Bremner, who are returning to Canada within the week. (They have served in a little branch in the district and she's taught piano lessons daily for the past 18 months and has 25 pianists in the Baliwag district-- it's miraculous! The first weeks they learn on a paper keyboard, then they get an electric one to use. One of the students played at the last district conference and it did well.
One day last week I met Sister Cole for brunch to discuss the rules for EFY music in the mission. The previous MP had a rule of hymns only, and the MLC asked for a playlist of appropriate EFY music. So we assigned Sister Cole to make one. Evidently there is A LOT of EFY music on LDS.org and she said she's listened to enough--just let them listen to it so she won't have to! Sister Cole told me she absolutely loves your letters and learns so much from them.
The challenge for me is to be thankful in all things. It's easy to be thankful when things are going well, but it's hard for me to find the good everything. I am thankful for this challenge and to face every new day with faith instead of fear. In this scripture, the Lord talks as if the kingdom is already yours!
17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are alittle children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;
18 And ye cannot abear all things now; nevertheless, be of good bcheer, for I will clead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the drichesof eeternity are yours.
19 And he who receiveth all things with athankfulnessshall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an bhundred fold, yea, more.
The great thing is that even old people like me can change. The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes all change possible, but with the exact instructions in the Gospel of Jesus Christ on how to make changes, our change can be miraculously accelerated.
I love you!
Mom
Photos: One of the great baptisms I attended this Saturday--this is a great family and they all joined the church! There were two crazy little children running all over during the service and I thought, "I hope they don't change their mind about being baptized because of the irreverence in this ward!" Then after I learned that they are the younger children in this very family!
The mappers! There are few addresses in our mission. People live in a way that you can't find them from an address, so one of the projects is mapping the members on google maps. These three sisters worked in a ward with the missionaries and members to map on Saturday--they are very enthusiastic about their work.
Baliwag piano recital
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