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Hello everyone! How’s everyone doing?

Too much drama this week! I’m gonna hit my 4th month mark soon! Woah! 🥳

This week has been a really tough one for me, my trainer got transferred and it was really hard for me to accept that! I’ve been feeling down the past few days. I’ve been sleepless, tired, stressed, sick, weak and everything. I really don’t know what to do, I struggle a lot in planning and leading the area.

My new companion’s name is Sister Hartshorn,  well she’s going to be my companion supposed to be but we figured out that neither of us can drive so we called Sister Wells and told them about it. So we had an emergency transfer! Hahaha! So technically, my new companion is Sister Hillam from Idaho. She is sister Bonnie Cordon’s niece. Sister Hillam is amazing and to be with! I love her already!

She’s been helping me a lot already! President and Sister Wells advised me to take care of myself. I’ve been resting for almost a week now, Sister Hillam and I goes to the Mission Office to have some service.

Anyways, I feel a little bit better now but still recovering from the stress that I am experiencing right now.

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We’ve been struggling a lot in finding new people to teach. We are really doing our best to come up with some new ideas on finding. Specially working with the members more! That’s the struggle! But I do hope you are all doing great!

I read the Book of Mormon the other day in Alma Chapter 56. And I really loved these verses.

16 Yea, and they were depressed in body as well as in spirit, for they had fought valiantly by day and toiled by night to maintain their cities; and thus they had suffered great afflictions of every kind.

17 And now they were determined to conquer in this place or die; therefore you may well suppose that this little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave them great hopes and much joy.

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.

I really love these verses, and I can relate so much! That even though how hard it is to be on a mission, Heavenly Father is always there to guide and protect us. Because if we have that strong faith and courage, we can do all things! 

That’s all for now and i do hope you all have a great day! ❤

Sister Zabala

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Third Transfer in East Pasadena!

Sister Smith is getting transferred to Rancho Cucamonga and she’ll be an STL there! I am so excited for her! I am really sad because she’s getting transferred but guess what? I’ll get a new companion from Rancho Cucamonga! I’m excited to be working with her and super duper nervous leading the area. 🥶

I’m gonna miss my Nanay a lot! She’s the best!

This week was really rough! We tried tracting and street contacting last week but none of those work. We also tried other things like working with the members but unfortunately, nothing really works. But we do hope and pray that this transfer will be awesome and amazing! I know that a lot of miracles will happen soon  in this area!

How are you guys doing? I went to La Crescenta the other for exchanges! It was my Nanay’s (Sister Smith’s) first area there! La Crescenta was really really cool! It’s so beautiful there! My companion for the day was Sister Bowman! And she is really really amazing!

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I had a very stressful and tough week,  I’ve been silent and crying every night. My companion and other missionaries are always there to cheer me up. I am so lucky to have them. It’s just that I’ve been focusing a lot lately on the negative side instead of the positive side. I’ve been losing my appetite to eat and can’t really sleep well.

I remember when President Gordon B. Hinckley also serve a mission in England Manchester Mission that he’s also scared and nervous. But his dad sent him a letter and said “Forget yourself and go to work.”

I may be struggling, but I know that phrase is true. That we should always remember that we are all instrument in hastening the Lord’s work. Full time or not full time missionaries, we are all part of this amazing work.

-Sister Zabala

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Adcadia United

Happy 24th of July everyone! It’s California Arcadia Mission’s 50th year

anniversary!

Yay! The Mission Conference was amazing! I met a lot of missionaries! And of course I learned a lot of new things! The speakers talked about becoming more bold and having more confidence in preaching the Gospel!

I met Filipino missionaries too! (Sister Beltran, Sister Nadado, Elder Salonga, Elder Coronejo, Elder Castro and Elder Garcia.) Finally! Filipinos! 🇵🇭 We shared some good experiences and stories  here in the mission. But I’m kind of sad because they’ll go home this year! 😥 But that’s okay!

I also got the chance to see Hermana Pryor again! We really missed her in our pad! We spend more time together and guess what?  We also met the new missionaries from Long Beach and Rancho Cucamonga Mission (We had our mission boundaries realignment)! ❤

Mission Conference was fun! And we have 27 missionaries going home this transfer! And we’re really sad!

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Surprise surprise!

Guess what? Leslie got baptized last Thursday! And it’s my mom’s birthday too!

Leslie was amazing! We really love how committed she is! We met Leslie through her roommate. We would come and visit with them and she told us that she felt peace around us and wanted to know the difference between our faith and other religions. As we taught her, all the missing puzzle pieces that she said that she didn’t know were missing came together as she accepted the restored Gospel.

We found out later that her step mom is a long time inactive member in our ward (whose records were lost) and when Leslie told her of her upcoming baptism, she expressed how she wanted to come back to church. She came to the baptism and confirmation and ran into an old friend in our ward, and members and Leslie have started to fellowship her back!

Leslie got confirmed as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints yesterday!  And it’s also my little sister’s birthday! So so much fun!

We also went to the Redland Temple! Fun fun fun and very stressful week!

“When we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help” – President Thomas S. Monson

Heavenly Father gave us challenges and afflictions to overcome. And if we do these things, Heavenly Father will bestow us blessings. ❤

Next week is transfer day! And I’m so nervous!

That’s all for now! Love you and miss you all! ❤

xoxo,

Sister Zabala

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Hello everyone! How are y’all?

We went to Los Angeles last Friday for the Dodger’s Game! And it was really really fun!
We went there with Gigi and Alina! ❤🤗 Gigi got us a Ballcap and we rode on her Mercédez Benz Car! Hahaha! We got to see a lot of missionaries on cam! The sad thing is that we never got the chance to witness Elder Neil Andersen’s first Ceremonial Pitch! 😥 But we really had fun that night! ❤
I also got the chance to hear Idol by BTS. 😁😂

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We met Gigi’s friend and her name is Charlene. We had lunch with them and also had a lesson with her about the Restoration. She really loved it and she was really touched! She cried when we also talked about the Holy Spirit. We asked her if she also wants to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost and said Yes! We are so happy and excited! But she has a problem with the condition of her knees. 😥 We really hope she’ll feel better soon!

We had a very stressful week! And we’re kinda sad this week. We had interviews the other day and it really went well. 

This transfer is almost over! And I’m kind of nervous!

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I’ve been studying the scriptures, and I really loved the verses in the Book of Alma in Chapter 38 verses 2-3, 5 and 12. (This is Alma’s counsel to his son Shiblon, and I just changed Shiblon’s name to my name.)

2 And now, my daughter, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
3  I say unto you, my daughter, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the East Pasadena.

5 And now my daughter, Sister Zabala, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

12 Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

I’ve been struggling a lot this week, I’ve been praying a lot and when I started to seek answer from the scripture… It’s like Heavenly Father is really talking to me. He’s giving me assurance and telling me not to lose hope! I really felt the Holy Ghost touched my heart and I cried that day. 

Well, I think that’s all for now! I hope you’ll have a great day! 

-Sister Zabala

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Hello!

This is Sister Zabala’s weekly email for y’all!

First of all, how are you guys doing?

It’s starting to get hot here in California! Super duper hot! Our AC in our apartment is not working all of a sudden! 😭😂 So yeah, it’s really hard for us to go to bed on time because of that.

Anyways, it’s my 9th week (10th week actually 😂) here in East Pasadena already and we will have interviews on Tuesday! I’m also kind of nervous on the transfer calls! But I am also excited for the Mission Conference on the 24th!

So far this week was really amazing! There’s a lot of miracle happened! ❤  We found 4 new friends this week! And we are really doing our best to progress in this dead area. But what’s really amazing was, we can see that hard work really pays off!

While I am studying in the Book of Mormon, I was really touched by this verse in Ether 12:27.

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

All of us have weaknesses, and I learn new things everyday. And Heavenly Father gave us weaknesses so that we can turn ourselves unto Him and ask for guidance. And everytime I pray to Him, He is really there and giving me assurance! Sometimes my companion is  really hard on me. But I know that she just wants the best for me. And I really admire her because she is really a great missionary! I really love her!

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Fun fact! The one who sang “This Life” in the 2015 Embark Album for Youth is currently serving here in California Arcadia Mission! 😂❤ So I just heard this from other missionaries and they told me that he also did a live performance before! 👍😊 Woah! Elder Neel!

Hopefully, something will happen soon tho! I am really excited to see new miracles this week!

Well I think that’s all for now! And I really look forward to receive update or emails from you guys!

Ps: Always remember that I miss you all so much and love you all as well!

Love,

Sister Zabala

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Hola! How’s everyone doing? 😊

4th of July was really fun! We had a Patriotic Breakfast last Thursday! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Fun fun fun and memorable experience. We experienced earthquakes here last July 4 and 5! 😨😨 We all panicked and got nervous at the same time. Please pray for our safety! 🙏 (6.4 and 7.1)

Our friend Leslie came and joined us in the Patriotic Breakfast! And she really had fun! 😍

We also had a wonderful time hanging out with them in their apartment. They invited us for lunch and we also played the guitar with them.

We finally taught Leslie about the Message of the Restoration! She loved it and we really hope she’ll progress!

The Arcadia Mission is teaming up with the Area Public Affairs Office to help support the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Family Night at Dodger Stadium.  This event takes place on Friday, July 19 at 7:10pm. The game is against the Miami Marlins. Elder Neil L. Andersen will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Guess who’s excited?!  Me of course! We’ll go with Gigi, Phaedan and Alina! Woot woot! It’s going to be my first time! That’s so awesome!

We had exchanges the other day with the STLs, and I led the area again! I got nervous but it went really well!  So my companion for a day was Sister Colvin and East Pasadena was her first area! She served here for 6 months! She helped me a lot in planning and It was really fun! I love her so much already!  She gave me lots of tips especially on this area.

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Everyday we all pray together at  4:55 p.m! We invite you to pray with us for Missionary Opportunities here in California Arcadia Mission, and to pray for our safety as well! 🙏😊

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We also recommend this wonderful book to read. Especially for the missionaries and for ward/branch missionaries! They introduced this book to us during our Zone Conference.

There’s a lot of ideas and other real life stories there. By the way the Title of book was “The Power of Everyday Missionaries”

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Well I hope you are all doing good! I miss you all!

-Sister Zabala

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Hello! Kamusta na kayo? 🤗

7 weeks in East Pasadena! Woot woot! 🎉

We had our 6 Weeks training last Wednesday and I’m not a baby missionary anymore!

I’ve been struggling a lot! But I’m still learning! 😊 I’ve been out for almost 3 months now! And I am so happy because of this wonderful opportunity to serve Heavenly Father with all my heart, mind, mind and strength. It’s hard, but it will be all worth it!

Last week, we had lots of services! We helped Gigi organize some stuff in her garage and garden. We also shared a scriptural thought with them which they really loved. Gigi, Phaedon and Alina are recent converts! And their testimonies are really strong and powerful. They gave us three referrals, but none of them lived in our area. 😔 But it’s all good! They are also planning on going to the temple this month, hopefully on the 11th! And we will go with them for sure! And we’re so excited!🥰

We also helped cleaning Leslie’s house! We had fun helping her. She is our new friend that we are teaching. But Sister Paris, (her member roommate) wants to take things slow with Leslie. She wants Leslie to be fellowship first so that we could gain her trust. We’ve been doing that for almost 5 weeks now. And guess what? She asked us if what is the difference of Mormons and Christians. And we are so excited and happy to answer her question and we talked about the message of the restoration. She said that she read the New Testament many times already and she asked us if we could give her a copy of the Book of Mormon! We gave her a Book of Mormon and also wrote our dedication for her. We are so excited for her! And we’re also hoping that one day, she would also ask to be baptized soon! 😊🥰

One day, we decided to call all the members in the ward list. And guess what? We only reached 3 members and Sister Smith and I are very sad. 😭 We are planning or thinking of some new things that we could use to find more people to teach. Please pray for us! 🥰

Guess who’s excited for the 4th of July? Of course me! 😂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

This week has been very stressful to me. I’ve been stressed and very tired the past few days. I am really worried. I’ve been struggling a lot. But I am always praying and hoping that good things will happen soon.

We live with the new Hermanas! Hermana Bowman and Hermana Diamond.

I’ve met our new STLs! Sister Starr and Colvin are awesome! We went to Chick-fil-a with them to celebrate Sister Colvin’s Birthday! 

She also served in East Pasadena before.

I’ve been reading in the Book of Alma, and I gained more strength upon reading this scripture verse.

Alma 34: 41

“But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.”

When I read this scripture verse, it really made me teary eyed. It’s like, Heavenly Father really speaks to me. I know that He loves me, and He is always there to guide and help me.

Tiis-tiis lang Sister Zabala! Kayam eta!🥰

Email me also! That’s all for now!  🥰

Love you all!

xoxo,

Sister Zabala

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How are you guys doing? First Transfer is finally over! And it really stressed me out! For reals!  

I am staying here in East Pasadena with my companion for this next transfer! I have mixed emotions right now. I am happy but also sad at the same time.

Hermana Chamberlain is finally done with her mission and Hermana Pryor was transferred .

Sister Smith and I are kinda sad about it because we don’t know what would be our life here in the apartment without them. They are very amazing, the best Hermanas I’ve ever met here in CAM. I will surelt miss their laughs and jokes!

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I led the area for the first time! And it made me really nervous! I did my best. 😊 We also did the Book Of Mormon Experiment but we couldn’t find someone interested. My companion for the day was Sister Schvaneveldt from Utah. She’s very sweet! She bought me dinner! We went to McDonald’s! 💕

We were hopeless that day we couldn’t find anyone, but Heavenly Father is always there to let us feel comfort. A lady approached us, and she asked our purpose and Church. Unfortunately, she’s not interested to join any churches. But she was very open to listen to our message.

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Miracles do really happen! Version 2.0

2 weeks ago we visited a former investigator, we met her by the area book and we decided to stop by and say hello. She was very nice but not Interested. Her mom and siblings are recent convert to the church but they attend in the Glendale 2 Ward.

Joanna (The former investigator) told us that she might call or text us if her mom visit her.

Sister Smith and I are very sad yesterday (Sunday here) because we don’t have any miracles for this week. We were just talking that we should really work more hard next week.

While we were seated in the Relief Society class, Joanna texted us that she and her mom will come to church here in East Pasadena! And we were really stunned and amaze because of that. They joined us for the Relief Society class and also Sacrament! And guess what? She told us that she is a bit interested to listen in our message! That is very awesome and very very cool! We really hope that this will continue to progress!

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I’ve been reading and studying a lot in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament. And what It really amazes how they support each other. And it always makes me goosebumps all the time!

By the way, I’ve been out for 2 months now! Time flies really fast! 💕

Well I do really want to hear more from you guys!Short email for now, love you all!

-Sister Zabala

California Arcadia Mission

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