June 2019 – Sister Zabala

Hi everyone! How are you? 🤗

It is almost transfer day! I’m getting nervous! 😬 I’ve been here for almost a month now and it was fun and awesome! I still cannot believe that I’ve been out for almost 2 months now. And it’s crazy! Time flies so fast!😱

THE WEATHER IS VERY HOT HERE! AND IT’S NOT HUMID Y’ALL! IT’S DRY HEAT!

Crazy weather!

It’s starting to get hot here, and it’s not that humid at all. My head is really in pain a lot this week. But it’s okay! As long as we do the Lord’s work! I know that He will guide us as we help each othet to hasten His work! Endure to the end!

We had crépes and Ice cream! I am starting to love crépes! ❤

ps. veggie salads too! 😂

pps. and Chick-Fil-A too! ❤😂

This week has been a very tough one, because we’re not allowed to do street contacting and knocking doors anymore, me and my companion decided that we should visit the less active members here in our Ward and former friends. We visited few of them, and some are not interested to listen in our message or to go back in the church anymore. We are nearly losing hope but time will come!

Finally Met Sister Beltran!

The Filipino Sisters (Sister Beltran and Hermana Taylor) invited us for a dinner with a Filipino ward in our area (But they are attending in the Filipino Ward) . And it was fun having dinner with Sister Clarke, she cooked Chicken Adobo and Pancit which I really missed! My companion really loves Pancit. 😂❤ I miss talking in our native language, but it’s really weird for me to talk in Tagalog again, it really makes me feel awkward! We talked about lots of things.

Another Filipina, Anne

The South Pasadena Elders also invited us for dinner the next day. They introduced Anne to us, and she a Filipina. They taught Anne about the Message of the Restoration, and I felt really happy when she shared about her experience when she was cleaning their house and when she touched the Book Of Mormon, she really felt something different in her heart. And she really felt, that the Book Of Mormon is true. She then started to flip the pages of the Book Of Mormon one by one. She also told us that before she doesn’t want to join the church, Her husband and mother-in-law are members of the church. Whenever they ask her to go to church with them, she always respond no. But when the day she felt that the Holy Ghost who touched her heart, she automatically said to her husband that she wanted to go to church with them the next Sunday. It’s very awesome to witness a person like Anne! She will be baptized soon!

Luao Night in Huntington Ward, More Pinoys

The Huntington Elders invited us for their Luao Night in the Huntington Ward. And it reminds me of Sarrat Branch! I really liked it there. Their bonding was really cool and awesome! They are strengthening their Ward by organizing amazing activities for families! I also met Sister Wright and her Sister’s Family, They are Filipinos and I’m so happy to see lots and lots more Filipinos here! It helps me a lot to strengthen my purpose here as a missionary. 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

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DNC – “Do Not Call!!!”

As for me and my companion, we’ve been struggling a lot here in our area. We really started to visit all the former friends and less active members in our area according that are found in our Area Book. And it’s really hard because our attendance in our ward is decreasing already. Also it is also hard to work with the members here. Some are willing to help, and we totally appreciate it. 😊

We met lots of inactive and less-active members in our Ward. Some are DNC (Do Not Contact) Members. And the others doesn’t want to go to church and to meet with missionaries anymore. Some families in our ward are already moving-out and on the other hand we are really doing our best to reactivate the members here.

Time will come and we do really hope this ward will progress soon. And we will do the best we can!

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I’m so excited on my first Zone Conference next week! Hoping that I’ll enjoy a lot! ❤

Please send me also emails! ❤

I miss you all and love lots! XOXO!

Ps. Sorry for the wrong grammars! Still learning! 😊

-Sister Zabala

Hello! Sister Zabala is here for her weekly update again! ❤

How are you guys? 😊

This week has been amazing! Lots of miracles happened! And it’s really an awesome experience on my journey in the field so white. 😂

The Miracle of Listening to the Spirit

Last Sunday we met Sister Smith (not my companion 😅) , She is from Arcadia Ward but she attended her classes and sacrament here in East Pasadena Ward with her grandchild. I was so excited to meet her Grandchild and it happened that she’s still 5 years old (she is non-member)and my companion was hindered because Zerina was only in Primary yet and she told me that we should just focus to other possible people we could teach. I felt sad the we never got to meet Zerina that Sunday.😥

Last Monday, we were prompted by the Spirit of God to visit a less active family that we found in our Area Book. Brother Smith is a less active member of the church and he has a wife and three kids (who are not members yet.) When we parked outside their house we met Sister Izabella Smith with her little daughter. They were about to leave but we approached them but she came towards us to tell us that they was about to go the supermarket to buy some ingredients for their dinner and guess what happened next? She invited us over for a dinner with their family! And we were so excited and of course we agreed.

At dinner time, Brother Smith was very happy to meet us and he and his wife told us that their little daughter went to church last Sunday her grandma. And it hit us like an arrow that the Sister Smith whom we met last Sunday was her Grandma and the little kid who we failed to meet was Zerina! And I don’t think that this is just a coincidence. But we were sorry to ourselves for neglecting the promptings of the Spirit. We talked a lot more about their family and said that they always pray and hold hands together. (I’m a bit teary eyed that time because it reminded me of our family culture back to always hold hands together when we pray whether be a meal time or study time.) 😭

We talked a lot more and they want us to visit them again this week.❤ This is a marvelous experience towards working to potential convert baptisms now on our hand. Lesson learned:

“Never fail to follow the promptings of the Spirit of God.”

A Wonderful Encounter with a Woman by Accident

1st Month Mark in East Pasadena with a cup of Ice Cream Cake!

Last Tuesday, we visited Gigi and her kids (Phaedan and Alina) they are recent converts of the Church. Gigi invited us over for a lesson. Gigi told us that Phaedan just graduated from 5th Grade and they also invited us for a dinner celebration. We went to the Stonefire Grill House! 😲

The food there was really amazing! They gave me a treat: Ice cream Cake for me my 1st month mark here in East Pasadena and CAM! That was a wonderful display of kindness from them. 😭❤

Marvel on this next event which happened there, my companion and I went to the comfort room to wash our hands and a lady came inside with us then asked us if we are employees of the restaurant (because of our nametags). We replied no and introduced ourselves as missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The next series of events was a wonder!!!! She ask us more about of our purpose and about the church. She asked for our number because she wants to listen for more about the church and the teachings of the Gospel! We got so excited and the Spirit was so strong! We were privileged to meet her and tell her the message of the Restoration though she was from La Cresenta we forwarded her information to the missionaries in Glendale. We are sad not to teach her as companion but we are so happy for her Interest to know more about the Gospel. I know we will meet her again somehow at the same time for her! By Divine Design ❤❤❤

Danny the Muscular 💪

We met Danny in my first week here and he was very curious about our church. Danny is a very big man and very muscular. 💪 we met him because we are looking for a former friend in our Area Book. We talked about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation but he told us the he will do a research more about our Church however he want us to come back again next time so that he will be prepared to ask questions.

Ps: we told him to visit the official websites of The Church or Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and not to look for other resources.

We were kind of nervous about him and the funny thing is he wants us to go to their church.

😂

Wish us luck!

A pose with Dennis Schleicher after a spiritual devotional with him!

Dennis Schleicher – LDS Gay Man

Last Sunday (June 2, 2019)

We had a fireside devotional with Dennis Schleicher. A gay man that who was welcomed into the fold of God with open arms and was taught about true nature of God’s love for everyone. Dennis became a ward missionary after 2 months when he got baptized and discussed us (specifically to missionaries) of how we can reach to the LGBT Community.

He told his story and we are very much amazed. A General Authority asked him to publish a book about his story and his testimony. He also received his Priesthood and baptized lots of people who are in the LGBT Community!

His conversion story and his testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel is so pure and amazing. He loves missionary work so much. And he is now traveling around the world to share his testimony. He also found out that there are lots of members in the Philippines and he wants to share his experience and testimony about the church. And he wants me to be there to be his translator! Omogosh! 😅

He is very cool and very awesome! He wrote a book about his experiences as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and his testimony. And he was proud that his book was the first book ever t published by the church with LGBTQ rainbow colored flag logo on it!

“I can be my true self as a member of the Lord’s Church who is gay and will not run from my past In fact, I can now embrace my Identity more fully than ever before!” –Dennis Schleicher

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Zone Hiking Activity in Eaton Canyon Falls

We went hiking in Eaton Canyon Falls! And it’s really fun because we went there as a Zone!

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Pasadena City Hall Visited

We went to the Pasadena City Hall and took lots of Pictures. Hahaha! And we saw lots of Filipinos there and they own a ferrari and we took picture on it! 🤣🤣