Week 3

Kumusta ka pamilya ko!

Hey guys!! How are you?? Week three has been craazzzyyy! So this past week all the older districts left for the Philippines and it was super exciting, but really sad too because I had gotten really close with a few of them. Sister Talfa was one of the 2 sister training leaders for our zone (which is pretty much a sister zone leader- they are over all the girls in our zone) and she would come in my room every night and talk and we got super close so it was sad to see her leave. But now that they are gone our district and the other 2 districts that came in on the 8th are the oldest! Another cool thing that happened this week was that I got called to be a sister training leader!  It was so crazy on my first day- a girl tore her ACL and probably has to go home and then another girl that same night got super homesick and almost decided to go home. I was really stressed out and was so concerned about these two girls, but the Lord really stepped in and helped me and now everything is ok and they are both still here and loving being missionaries. Also this week we got 2 new districts added to our zone and branch so I got to give them orientation to the MTC and give them a tour of the MTC. I LOVE our new missionaries and I can tell they are all going to be such a great assets to our zone.

So not gonna lie this week started out a little rough because we were all really tired and two people from our district got sick and had to go back to the residence halls. My kasama from Kirabati was one of them. At first I was really bummed that I couldn't be in class, but it turned out to be a really good experience for me. So just to back up a little, this week I started to notice my mood was a little down and I wasn't quite myself and at first I thought it was just because I was stressed with my new calling, but then that all got sorted out and I was still feeling weird. I realized it was because I was so focused on trying to master the language that I was letting my personal study and scripture study take a backseat to learning Tagalog. I feel like sometimes in our lives, we busy ourselves with some really good things, but we forget some of the most important things. Learning Tagalog is important, but gaining spiritual knowledge and getting that peace and happiness that only comes through scripture study and forming a closer relationship with God is SO much more important. I've started to really focus on the spiritual things and really study and ponder what I read in the Book of Mormon every day and I have noticed an immediate difference in my mood and feet so much happier. In  fact, I love the feeling that I get from my personal scripture study so much that I've been getting up at 5:30 every morning to get an extra hour of personal study time in. I know I know, it sounds crazy but it just starts my day off so good and I can really feel the difference in my day. I just never want to waste any time here that I could be using to get closer to my Heavenly Father or helping others to come unto Christ... because for the next 18 months it's not my time to waste, it's the Lord's time.

Yesterday was probably one of the best days I've had so far being at the MTC. I started it off with a wonderful personal scripture study in the Book of Mormon (Alma 32) about how to increase my faith and I got some super great insights from it. So... as many of you are quite aware I'm kind of a perfectionist and I kind of like to be really good at things and just practice or study them until I know i'm good at it or can get an A on the test or whatever it is. So naturally I get super frustrated with myself when i'm not perfect at something haha. Tagalog is one of those things and sometimes I just want to be fluent and have a perfect knowledge of everything, but i'm not so I get frustrated with myself. But as I read in Alma 32 it talked about how faith is not a perfect knowledge of things, but a hope for things which are not seen, but true. I do not have a perfect knowledge in Tagalog, but I know that if I have faith in my savior Jesus Christ and pray to my Heavenly Father for help, that he will help be and I can master this language and be a good missionary. No one said that it would be easy, but with faith in God we can do all things :) Later in the day we taught a 30 minute lesson to our investigator Rizolito in complete Tagalog with NO notes. I was a little nervous at first because I was used to having some notes with me, but it ended up being the best lesson we've ever taught!! The spirit was so strong and things would just come to me in Tagalog that I didn't even know I knew! He said that he would pray about the gospel and the church and that if he got an answer that it was right he would be baptized! It was so exciting and we were so happy for him! He said for the first time in a while he felt true peace in his heart and was excited to pray. I seriously love being a missionary SO much and I love the Joy that it brings into my life as well as the lives of others. 

I love you all so much and I think about and pray for you all the time. Keep up the good work and don't worry about me because life is good and there is so much to be happy about!

Mahal Kita!!

-Sister Lowe

Jessica with her companion

Jessica with her District

Week 2

Hey guys!!!

Sorry I don't have much time to write today but can I just say I love you so much and you are the best! Those letters and DearElders you sent me just made my day and I'm so happy to hear you all are doing well! This week has been so awesome and it is so cool to see the progress our district is making. We really have become a little family and we are always looking out for each other and making sure no one gets left behind. Tagalog is super sweet, but super hard! But I love learning new things and getting better everyday! Earlier this week I was feeling kind of stressed and was feeling frustrated because I want to be fluent in Tagalog as fast as I can, but there is just so much to learn! But over the past few days I have just really trusted in the Lord and prayed that he would help me and it is incredible what I have been able to accomplish. My faith has already increased so much since first getting here and my testimony is getting stronger and stronger everyday :) I used to think the gospel was complicated and there was so much to know and understand, but since being here I have come to realize that it is so simple! Our Heavenly Father just loves us so much and wants us to return to him. Our purpose here on this earth is to become closer to Christ and to do everything we can to be able to return to our Heavenly Father and live with our families forever :) What could be better than that?? The gospel just bring so me so much joy its kind of ridiculous haha. Everything I am is because of this beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ and I owe everything that is good to my Father in Heaven. Sorry to be super spiritual haha but it's just how I feel. 

Ok now for the fun stuff haha. So this week we found out that the person we have been teaching is actually our new Tagalog teacher! Too bad I already knew it the whole time because a lot of my friends at BYU are MTC teachers and they told me about that haha. But it was still really funny to see everyone in my district super surprised. Oh! This week Elder Russell M Nelson came and spoke to us!!! It was so awesome!! Such a great speaker and said everything I needed to hear. I've seen a lot of people I know here in the MTC which has been really nice since I came here knowing pretty much no one. Just to name a few i've seen Josiah Aponte a couple times, Travis Cavanah, and a lot of BYU friends like Abby Stewart, Ashley Parker, and Brett Thorpe! 

Ok now for my district. They. Are. The. Bomb. Like seriously, they are so awesome and we are a little family now. The elders in my district are soooo great and are always looking out for us. We are always joking around and laughing. Everyone here always tells us that they are jealous of our district because we are so close. The sisters are wonderful and we always have such a hard time getting to bed on time because we just want to keep talking/ laughing. You find that when you're in the MTC and it's late after a long day, EVERYTHING seems funny. The only thing I worry about with them is that one of the sisters in my district (the one from Samoa) is having a really hard time adjusting to missionary life and doesn't like following the rules and seems to be really missing her family. I'm trying to do everything I can to help her and put her faith in God because with his help we can do ALL things. She has been getting better throughout the week which has been really good to see because I always worry about everyone in the district and want to make sure they are happy and ok. In fact i've kind of gotten the role as honorary mom in the district... why does that always happen haha. 

Alright well, I gotta get going, but I LOVE YOU ALL SO much and you all are such great example to me :) 

Alam ko po na totoo po an simbahan ni Jesucristo ng mga banal sa mga huling araw. Alam ko po na totoo po ang ebanghelyo at aklat ni mormon. Alam ko po na buhay po ang Diyos at mahal po tayo ng Diyos.  Tagapaglitas si Jesucristo.  Sa pangalan ni jesuchristo amen. :) Just a little Tagalog for you all to see! It's awesome!

Have a wonderful week friends and family!! I love you all so much and pray for you every night :) 

Mahal kita! 

Love, 

Sister Lowe

Week 1

Pamilya ako!

Hey guys! How are you all doing?? Life is so crazy and busy here in the MTC, but I love it! When I first got here, Sam and Mal dropped me off and then I was wisked away to get my books, name tag and then drop off my stuff in the room. Right away they took me to my classroom where I met my district and my teacher. My teacher's name is brother Poole and he is so great! He is so patcient with us and loves to joke around. He is going to BYU to be an Elementary School teacher just like me- in fact he actually has a class with my lovely roommate Sam! Small world. Anyways, there are 9 of us in my district- Elder Stephenson, Elder Tiejon, Elder Smith, Elder Solomon, Sister Mack, Sister Ah Hong, Sister Leakehe, Sister Aruwititi and of course me! :) They are all SO amazing and we are so close as a district already. In fact our zone leaders keep telling us how we are the closest and most unified district they have seen here at the MTC which is pretty cool. So guess what? I'm in a trio companionship! My companion never came to the MTC or decided not to go or something so now my mga kasama (companions) are sister Leakehe and sister Aruwititi! They are both so great and I love them so much! Sister Leakehe is Tongan, but speaks perfect english because she's been living here in Utah for a while. We get along SO GREAT! We always seem to be on the same page and finishing each other's sentences. We both love a lot of the same stuff and love to be outside and play sports- we dominate in volleyball at gym time haha. We both like to work hard and we really encourage each other to be the best we can be. We have gotten so close in just the 3 days i've been here and I feel so blessed to have her as a companion. Sister Aruwititi is from Kiribati (which is a super small island in the middle of the ocean somewhere under Hawaii) and this is her very first time leaving the island! She speaks a little english, but I can tell sometimes she doesn't know what we are saying, but I try my best to talk with her and always let her know i'm here for her and love her. Yesterday, Sister Aruwititi and I got to take a little field trip outside of the MTC because where she is from they don't really wear shoes, so we got to go shopping in Provo to get her some good shoes. It was pretty weird walking around places I have been so many times when I went to BYU, but now as a missionary. Sister Mack is Hawaiianand sister Ah Hong in from Saamoa so I'm the only American in our room haha- it's awesome! The elders in our district are amazing and always looking out for us. We all are always joking around and laughing together... we've really all become best friends. But no worries we can be serious too and we definitely get down to business when it comes to learning Tagalog. Holy moly learning Tagalog is hard!! Trying to learn a new language is a very humbling experience let me tell you. We taught our first investigator yesterday in all Tagalog and it just showed me how much I still have to learn. But it also has helped me to become closer to my heavenly father and I know that he will help me. I got to say my first prayer in Tagalog yesterday  (I was the first one in our district to try it) and even though I stumbled over my words and had super awkward long pauses, I could feel the spirit and I knew God was listening to me and I felt his love for me. I know that God loves us and is in the details of our lives and if we pray to him he will help us in everything we do. Alam ko po na totoo po ang simbahan ni jesucristo ng mga Banal sa mga Huling Araw at mahal po tayo ng Diyos.

I love you all soooooooo much and I can't wait to hear about how you are all doing!

Mahal kita!!!!

Love,

Sister Lowe

Till we meet again!

Alright everyone, this is it! Tomorrow I am getting set apart to be a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I couldn't be more excited!!! This journey to get here has been full of ups and downs, but if there is one thing I do know for sure, it is that this church is true and God lives and loves us. I have had so many personal confirmations throughout this last month of me preparing to leave that what I am doing is right and is exactly what God wants for me at this time in my life. It will be very hard for me to leave behind so many good friends and of course my amazing family, but I know that God will watch over all of you while I am gone. Yes, there is so much I am losing and leaving behind, BUT there is SO much more I am gaining in return and I truly feel blessed to have this amazing opportunity to go and serve the Lord and the wonderful people of the Philippines. I know this is going to be the best thing I have ever done in my life thus far and am so excited to begin this new chapter where I get to dedicate the next 18 months to the Lord and serve him and his children in Olongapo. Being able to do so much service and share the gospel- the thing that gives me so much joy and truly makes me who I am today, with others who are missing the truth in their lives means so much to me and I just feel so grateful and blessed to be able to be a part of it. I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and know that he is our savior and that he loves us perfectly. Knowing that I get to share that message with others everyday just makes me so happy and I honestly can't stop smiling when I think about it :) You all are in my prayers and I can't wait to hear from you guys in your emails and letters! I love you all and can't wait to tell you all about my grand adventures that are about to begin! Wish me luck and God be with you till we meet again!

Mahal Kita,
Jessica