Kumusta Po Kayo Lahat ng mga Kaibigan at Ka mag Anak,

May New Discovery po Ako! I have discovered that I am literally
living in an oven! This last week thought good heavens I bet I
could laterally bake brownies outside with nothing but the power
of this insanely hot Filipino sun, and bake brownies I did! that's
Right! I bought brownie mix at the store made the mix set the
batter in a tin box wrapped the whole thing up in tin foil stuck it
on our balcony outside in the direct sun came back at the end
of the day and the brownies we're baked! I'm not joking baked a
bit runny but baked none the less! So we had brownies and a
big laugh, I told one of the senior sister missionaries and she
could hardly believe it. They have an oven in the mission home
but since we missionaries in the field are without an oven we
just use the next best resource. The sun! Dyan lang! ANo biyan!

In other news we had a visiting Area Authority Elder Ko from
Korea is the first counselor in the Philippines area presidency.
Sister Panilagao and I received an award for the best Area book
in the area! Totally unexcited but a nice surprise none the less!
All thanks to my Kasama of course she is truly devoted to
updating every night no matter how tired we are! We got as
a present the really beautiful golden bookmarks from Korea.
I will try and upload a picture onto the photo bucket. After
the conference the sisters had time with Elder Koe to tell him
what our concerns and requests were. I was really thankful
that he took time out specially just to hear our concerns. Their
were only about 10 or 15 of us sisters and so he listened to
many of our comments concerns and suggestions. He said
he'd be taking all of the suggestions to discuss with the
brethren when he met with them this coming few weeks
at General Conference. My suggestion was that we have
more Tagaolog materials for all of the members here and
that the church encourage more use of Tagalog, because for
our investigators it is sometimes hard the first week, we still
sing the hymns in English and in some places sacrament
prayers are in English and so the get the idea it is just an
American church or just an English church, but I am always
trying to encourage Tagalog and I saw Elder Ko write my
specific suggestions down in his notes. It really makes me
feel special to know that no matter how big the church grows .
The concerns of one small sister missionary here in the
Philippines is still able to reach the brethren in Salt Lake.
The best thing from my notes of the conference was what I
wrote as elder Ko was talking on the atonement. He was saying
something on the importants of repentance and how if we do
not use it as an every day thing if we neglect the opportunity
to repent while in this life we may ourselves one day suffer the
pains and sorrows that the saviour would have willingly
suffered for us. So in thinking of this I wrote that while
sometimes repentance might seem hard it is still the easy
way out! I know that is true. I know that all of us must use
that great gift that the atonement of Jesus Christ has given us.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have to use it and see it
in action in the lives of my investigators every day!

I love you all and miss you!

Mahal Kits!

Sister Quinn

Kumusta Po Kayo?
First week of transfers new faces! No new places for me! I'm still happy here
in Tarlac and we have new in our house Sister Jover ( pronounced Hover).
She used to be in Tarlac 1st ward so it was really nice for her on Sunday to
greet all of the members and she's always asking about her former
investigators if we're still teaching them and about her converts. Sister Jover
was the trainer of my MTC companion Sister Mains so she has a lot of great
stories about her and how she's doing and we've had a great time. I love the
fact that my late night girl chat is now in a different language. It's weird as I
think to tell all of your back at home things my thoughts are now about 90 %
Tagalog so I think a thought and then have to think how I would translate that
to tell you all what I said!.
I'm SOOO excited I cannot even explain it. We finally have a firm baptismal
date for Sister Michelle. We thought we might loose her because she has a
vacation coming up they are going to see one of the graduation of her relatives
or something in Manila. Kids Graduate in March here. So his graduation is at
the end of march, but She's going to be baptized on the 27th before they head
off! I have really seen such a change in here these past few weeks. She is always
so excited for church, and she continues to have a very strong spirit with all
her prayers they are beautiful.
Yesterday at church We had an amazing experience. With the help of our
priesthood Tatay Arnelle was able to attend church for the first time after a
year of investigating. Tatay Arnelle Is paralyzed from the waist down and too
poor to afford even a wheel chair. It brought tears to my eyes to watch the
brethren literally carry him around in one of the plastic church chairs from
classroom to classroom and into the chapel for sacrament. I know he felt the
spirit their and his face was wide and alight with a smile the whole time.
Just one of the little Miracles that happen here in the Philippines every
week. I thank god every night for sending me to these people. I miss you
all and think of you often too!
Mahal Ko Kayo,
Ingat sa Lahat!
Sister Quinn

Kumusta po kayo,

We had interviews with president this week. I cannot believe how fast the time
passes we have our transfer announcement next week and buka magtransfer ako!
Ayaw ko na magtransfer. I don't want to leave tarlac just yet , but I'm realatively
sure I've got another transfer here in ward 1! I only think Pres Puzey might
transfer me because I'd asked him not to in my report email the week before
our interviews and he mentioned it ...... oh no! Maybe he thinks I'm to
comfortable here! Maybe i am! but hey that's not a bad thing now is it?
Funny thing I saw yesterday to confirm yes I am in a 3rd world catholic
country. We we're in a Jeepyneey (public bus) and hanging on the rearview
mirror was a card that said Car blessing 09 with a picture of the virgin mary
and a pray to follow. I couldn't really understand the whole thing in tagalog
they used weird words, but I felt like telling the driver hey your car blessing
is out of date! you need car blessing 2010! lol! Any ways we did a service
project at Sister Michelle's house which was great because she's had a really
rough week. A relative of hers has died and she had to go to Angeles for the
Funeral so sadly was also not able to come to church Sunday! Marline one
of our newest investigators came with us instead. She is so quite and shy
possibly the shyest person I have ever meet, but sweet none the less.
I shared Ether 12:27 with her telling her that god gives us weaknesses to
learn from and to grow and that if she prayed to over come her fears and
shyness that heavenly father would help her and I know that is true. That's
all that I've really got for the week peoples! Happy and Healthy what more
can I say. I feel blessing from your prayers for me here in the Philippines
every day!

Mahal na Mahal Ko Kayo!

Sister Quinn

Kumusta Po Kayo Ang Aking Pamiliya at Madandang Mga Kaibigan,
This week is Transfer week already I can hardly believe it and the good
news is NO CHANGE! I get to keep sister Panilagao! Despite the trails we've
been experiencing here in our area. I'm pleased to say that in her I have not
just a companion but a friend. Many of our Companionship study sessions
last well longer than an hour purely because of both of our tendencies to rant
of on long exciting stories about anything, and to talk over ideas we have for
our investigators and how we can get the work to progress here in Tarlac
1st ward. So in short and in tagalog Talagang masiya po ako dahil walang
Magbago po kami, swertey maari po ako na makaroon ang aking magandang
Companion ! Ya all our conversation is in Tagalog. I really hope my English is
not Sera ( broken) when I get home. Despite very hot temperatures we are
apparently having and El Ninyo here I am still alive and kicking I drink water
in the same manner that I used to breath air and we've been told not to abstain
from water during our fasts. I fasted yesterday and even with the water It was
no easy feat, but It really helped me to gain a testimony of something that I'd
sometimes not even done in the easiest of circumstances or maybe only really
done half way before. I felt the spirit so much stronger as I went into testimony
meeting, and I've learned that through the power of our heavenly father
NOTHING is impossible! I was touched as I got down form bearing my own
testimony. One of the sweetest girls in our whole ward got up to bear here's.
Her name is Stephanie and she is disabled, she has very weak legs I forgot
what the disease is called in English but she walks with a crutch and has shorter
limbs. Any ways her testimony was so sweet and even she who sacrifices so
much just to make it to church every Sunday looked at me with tears in her eyes
and said how thankful she was for the foreign missionaries who came so far
and sacrificed so much being away from their families to come and bring the
restored gospel here to the philippines. It really touched my heart and gave me
new strength to continue. Thats about all to report for this week. I love you all
miss you all and think of you as often as the work permits!
Mahal Ko Kayo,
Ingat Sa Lahat,
Sister Quinn

Kumusta Po Kayo,
Every week I learn something new. This week my companion
has taught me and amazing lesson of Endurance. Even at
the end of a long hot seemingly worthless day where we
have very little lessons and more than one trial. She
is positive " No effort is wasted" she says. And really
I know it's true. I thought that perhaps somethings
things I did without much success were a waste but Sister
Michelle and her progress are proof that is wrong. She
came to church this week all on her own! I've posted a
picture, you'll notice the skirt she's wearing used to
belong to yours truly but she really could not afford
one and I know she felt uncomfortable without a palda.
Our service project on Thursday for Nanny Querezma was
wonderful. She is a very sweet old nanny , nearly 90
years old siya. She has been taking care for her
Apo (Grand kids) Genelle ( 1 year old) and Mary Ann ( 2)
and I honestly don't know how she's doing it. We came
by to help her out as much we could by doing all the
laundry. Which was no small task. Her water is pump out
of the ground only and everything is washed by hand!
Grabi! I've got a video that I'll try to upload either
this week or next. I really felt like we gave really
service to her and it was great! Then on Saturday we
did a Home and Visting teaching activity with the ward
were we went to visit less active members. We were on
splits and at first I felt totally out of it without my
companion as back up, but one was was able to give a
great message on the spot about faith to the Toranco
Family. Alma 32:28. The experiment of faith does work
try it and use it. Remember how you felt that first time
you prayed to know of the truth! If you hold onto that
god can truly do miracles in your life and impart to
you knew knowledge knowing you are willing to listen.
Mahal Ko Kayo!
Ingat sa Lahat,
Sister Quinn

Kumusta Po Kayo Ang Pamiliya at Kaibigan Ko!
This week I've noticed The whitie is no more. I have the
most hilarious strap tan from my tracting shoes which
I'm certain will be permanate by the time i get home.
Also my hair is mostly blond now at least in the front.
My new secular adventure for the week was learning to
text sa tagalog. Yes we do have a mobile phone! It's
really more of a hindrance most of the times than a
blessing and I have to always remember to turn it off
for lessons! but its nice to be able to text bishop
which is who' I've been texting, we are only allowed
to text our leaders and other missionaries not members
or investigators. It's really cool sa tagalog though
and I've learned some of their short cuts like Ksta
For Kumusta ( which just means hello or how are you).
 Another first this week is we found and started working
with a ward missionary. I didn't know we even had one but
we stumbled across sister daisy and she said oh ya I'm set
apart I'm your ward missionary! even though she is sort
of semi active she worked ALL day with us Saturday and
she is really great! Also I've started to notice that
most of the people we teach are related. Not just by
chance though because i swear everyone here is related
and they all live next door to their relatives. Like
this one family we are teaching after we finished
their lesson we decided to tract 2 or 3 houses down
the road and they turned out to be cousins of the family
we we're teaching but they did not know that their cousins
 lived so close to them. And My big spiritual
realization for the week would have to be my new found
 knowledge that sometimes God uses us to do miracles
even when it is really inconvenient. For example this
week we woke up at the crack of dawn and climbed down
into one of our poorest least safe neighborhoods to pick
 up sister Michelle and help her get to church. I didn't
 want to do it , especially because it meant walking all
the way from her house to the church since she's poor and
 we are not supposed to pay to transport investigators,
but She has been investigating since October and this is
 the first time she's agreed to go to church , so we did
 it and she came and she loved it! I hope next week she
 will be able to return on her own! But until then I'm
holding on to all the little  miracles that happen here
 almost every day!
I love you all, miss you !
Ingat sa lahat,
Sister Quinn

Kumusta Po Kayo Pamiliya at Mga Kaibigan,
This week was a not all that bad but still I am calling
it the poopy week, most literally because I just keep
on stepping in poops. Yesterday it was Caribou which is
a huge one of course ( If you needed to know that) but
mainly i felt most of the week as if the soles of my
shoes had gone to the dogs! eewww I know, I'm over it
now! My new companion Is anything but poopy though!
I love her! She's fantastic. I was so worried I'd get
a hard follow up trainer because my trainer had been
so nice but Sister Panilago is really easy to get
along with. She's also very bold in lessons strait and
to the point which is great because I know it will really
help some of our investigators to progress! I'm really
excited for what she can add to the work and just
generally relieved that she is a totally normal and
nice person! It's a bit harder now in the house because
of the transfer everyone is now Filipino except for me
where as before their had been another white girl, and
they don't actually all speak Tagalog as their native
dialect so sometimes in the house I hear anything
between 1 and 3 different languages some of which is
English or well taglish really but the go so fast!
I don't even catch it. I've really progressed in my own
Tagalog because of this though words cannot say how
much more I know now that I knew just a week ago! I've
been leading the area , the planning, and the teaching
and while it is hard and every day when I lay my head
down on the pillow I collapse strait away its also
rewarding. I know that I'm doing the lords work and
he's pleased! Who could ask for anything more! Just a
little side note here. I'm interested to see who's been
reading this blog? What you're all thinking, please feel
free to post stuff on here and hopefully my lovely
mother can sort out how to pass it along to me!
I love you all and miss you too!
Ingat! Para sa Tunay,
Sister Quinn
remember you can see pictures at photobucket.com signin and password sisterashtonquinn