Hello hello! 

I am doing good!  I really am.  I have had such a speedy recovery from the accident last week.  When I was at the hospital, Bishop Tamayo and some of the other members stopped by to make sure that I was okay.  It was very nice of them to do that.  As I was laying there, a few of them kept saying things like, "You'll probably have to rest for a few days," and "Your mission president might transfer you for safety," and "I bet you'll have to stay in the mission home for a week," and things like that.  I know they were saying those things out of concern, but I started to get annoyed.  I told them, "NO!  I am going to be fine and I am going to do the work that I have been sent here for."  They were quiet after that, but I could tell they didn't believe me.  On Sunday morning, there Sister Delinila and I were, standing and smiling at the front doors like we always do.  They stared and said, "You didn't have to stay in the mission home?  You didn't have to just rest?  You didn't get transferred?"  Me: "NOPE!" :)  The priesthood blessing that the zone leaders gave me was very powerful, and I have been doing my best to put my fears behind me and just to live in faith.  Because of that, I am healing.  

Because you asked, I'll give you an update on my injuries.  I was SO SORE for the first few days.  I really felt like I got dragged down the street a few blocks.... hahaha.  Cause I did!  I was like an old lady sitting down and standing up.  My legs for the first few days were the most sore and it was hard to walk.  Moving my legs moved my skin, which moved the abrasions, which HURT.  Luckily it has been cold and rainy this week, so there weren't any flies flying around my abrasions.  Whoohoo.  I had a hard time sleeping for the first few nights.  When I woke up one morning, I didn't realize that all my abrasions on one leg had stuck to my sheet, so when I got up, it ripped all of the new skin and scabs off....ouch!  I have a better set up now:  I don't put my blanket over my legs (just the upper half of my body), put a stack of pillows under my legs so that the abrasions don't touch the bed, put some socks on my feet (cause they get cold), and then go to sleep.  It's been working good.  My abrasions are all dry now and are healing well.  No signs of infection.  I slather them with neosporin a couple times a day.  My bruises are still there, but they're starting to fade a little.  My elbow is fine.  It's healing up the fastest.  The giant hole in my hand has been the most painful, but it's doing okay now.  It is healing up too and has a good layer of scabs and new skin.  My hand was really sore too for this whole week.  Today and yesterday were the first days that I could use it normally.  Bathing for the first few days was almost impossible.  The water hurt my wounds too much, so to wash my body, I just gave myself a sponge bath (thank goodness for baby wipes and washcloths!).  To wash my hair, I just hung my hair next to the faucet in the shower and did my best to wash it with one hand, which didn't work very well.  But HALLELUJAH, I found dry shampoo at the drug store so I was saved.  Yes!  Perfect timing!  So basically I showered as little as possible.  Haha ew.  Now that my wounds are dry and healing, I can shower fine.  No problem.  I just shower in the normal water, and then wash and rinse my wounds with the filtered, clean water afterwards. 

The hardest part of all of this was the effect it had on me, mentally.  I was so scared to go out and work and to ride a tricycle.  On Monday evening, after p-day was done, the usual time that we go out to work was ticking closer and closer.  Sister Delinila told me that if I needed a rest or if I was too freaked out to go and work, that it would be okay for us to take a break.  I thought about it and concluded that what I was facing was fear.  I was in a situation to choose; choose to doubt, or choose to have faith.  If I didn't face my fears right then, I knew I would have a hard time getting over them.  So we went out.  I was terrified, but we did it.  A quote from President Uchtdorf kept running through my mind: "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."  I did my best to have faith and to trust that Heavenly Father would take care of me, as long as I was doing what He wanted me to do.   I learned a lot about faith this week.  Faith and fear can not exist at the same time.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!  I hope you have a wonderful week. 

xo Sister Allen

(A letter to the family from Sister Delinila)

hello sister 

this is sister delinila. i am sister allen's current companion. im just writing to let you know sister how brave your daughter is. i appreciate her as my companion. i don't feel good about what happened to her especially i should be the one looking out for her. but then again, there is only so much i could do. your daughter is especially amazing sister. i only have a few minutes left to use the internet but i would like to share what i have written on my report to our mission president. 

"....I appreciate Sister Allen’s example. While at the hospital, I was seated on the corner still shaking from what happened. Sister Allen on the other hand, though bleeding on the hospital bed, started to talk to the nurse staff and introduced ourselves as missionaries. While I failed to open my mouth, Sister Allen never forgot her purpose. Nothing could stop her and I appreciate that from her. I appreciate her example. ..."

i am truly grateful for your daughter. i love her example. thank you for raising her and letting her be a blessing to the lives of the people here especially to me.

Sister Delinila

.......

Hello po!  

Before I say anything else, I want you to know that I am fine and that I am safe.  

I got into an accident last night.  Sister Delinila and I were walking to our dinner appointment and a guy on a tricycle tried to steal my bag.  He grabbed the strap of my back while he drove past us. My bag was slung cross-wise across my body, so when he grabbed the bag, I came with it.  While he drove, I was dragged on the ground at the side of the tricycle.  I was struggling and screaming and trying to just give him the bag, but his grip was so tight I couldn't get free.  Sister Delinila was running behind the tricycle, screaming and trying to get him to stop.  After a few blocks, he let go of the bag and drove off, so he didn't even get the bag.  I got some scrapes and bruises and some gouges on my hands, but other than that I am doing fine.  I should have been hurt so much worse.  I know that Heavenly Father was protecting me.  We went to the hospital with some members and the nurses cleaned up my wounds and gave me some shots (tetanus and stuff just in case).  We also reported the incident to the police, so hopefully they can catch the guy.  At the hospital, the zone leaders came and gave me a beautiful priesthood blessing.  Sister Hiatt wanted to call you and tell you, but I told her that I would just tell you.  I didn't want you to freak out or worry.  I know you would have liked to have known when it happened, but I wanted to be the one to tell you. 

I am doing fine!  I am happy and I am being tough.  I have scrapes and abrasions below the knee down the front of both of my legs, a scrape on my elbow, some gouges on my left hand, and some bruises on my legs and hip.  No head trauma and no scrapes or anything on my face. (yay!)  I'm taking ibuprofen to manage the pain, and the hospital gave me some ointment for the scrapes.  I am doing okay with my cuts and scrapes.  I cleaned them up a little more while we were at the apartment waiting for the internet to come back.  I got a lot of gunk out of the gouges on my hand.  It looks a lot better now.  I am doing good!  I'm praying that the wounds will heal up fast. 

My companion and I are doing well.  I love Sister Delinila!  She is so thoughtful and Christlike.  Last night, I was worrying about how I would wash my laundry with my gouged-out hand, but when I woke up in the morning and went downstairs, all my laundry was already hanging up, clean.  She had washed it all for me.  Sister Delinila is an amazing companion.  I am so grateful that she is with me.  We had no splits, so I had Sister Delinila to myself all week.  Yay!  She's such an amazing companion and friend.  I love her.

This week was a good week.  This week literally felt like a day....it went by so fast! Our area is doing well.  Our goal to work with members more has been a success so far.  We are getting more member present, and as a result, we are getting more referrals.  Members help so much in missionary work.  I am excited to see the long-term effects of working with members.  I think our investigators will become more progressing if the members are involved.

I am excited for this last cycle.  I know it’s going to be a great one.  No matter what happens, I am determined to finish strong.  I am happy and I am loving being a missionary. I love you all so much!  I hope you all always remember how much Heavenly Father know and loves each of you.  I know that Heavenly Father watches over me.  He loves me and He will never leave me.  I know that His angels were with me last night, and I know that I was protected.  

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

xo Sister Allen

These are the pictures Sister Hiatt took this morning.  It doesn't look bad, but it stings a lot.  But it's okay, I'm alright. 

That's the skirt I was wearing when it happened.  It got a bunch of holes.

President and Sister Hiatt came to the police station with us today to follow up on the report that we made last night.  

I am so grateful that I was kept safe.

Travel for zone training meeting.

Hello po! 

I have had an excellent week!  It was so busy.  We had two companion exchanges, zone training meeting, and lots of missionary work.  I'll give you the highlights.

My favorite thing that happened this week was this morning.  We were doing our laundry when the transfer list came through text....and Sister Delinila is staying!  I was so happy!  I was jumping around and laughing and freaking out when we read the text.  I wearied God with my prayers to let her stay, and I'm sure I wearied President Hiatt too with my requests to keep us together.  I am so happy that she's staying!  She will "kill me."  That's what you say when a missionary will be your last companion before you go home.  YAY!

The fact that I am so close to going home has begun to sink in a little bit.  Although I am excited to see all of you, the idea makes my stomach clench.  I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to this beautiful place.  Of course, I try to not think about it and I try to really focus on the people and the work.  But one morning this week, I was feeling a little down and a little stressed.  I was wondering if I had really done my best and wondering if my best could measure up to the work that others had done.  I was just having a little weak moment.  In my prayer to open my personal study, I asked Heavenly Father to help me feel okay and to help me know - really know - how He thinks I have been doing.  This is what I read during my studies that morning, and I know it was an answer to my prayer.  It's from a talk by Elder J. Devn Cornish.  He said: 

"We must stop comparing ourselves to others. We torture ourselves needlessly by competing and comparing. We falsely judge our self-worth by the things we do or don’t have and by the opinions of others. If we must compare, let us compare how we were in the past to how we are today—and even to how we want to be in the future. The only opinion of us that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us. Please sincerely ask Him what He thinks of you. He will love and correct but never discourage us..."

It lifted my heart so much when I read that!  Sister Delinila also talked to me and helped me (because she's my companion, of course she could tell I was feeling down).  She shared with me this quote by President Uchtdorf from his talk, "Forget Me Not."

"Forget not to be patient with yourself.  I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.  Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.  And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It’s wonderful that you have strengths.  And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.  God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself."

I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that comforts me when I need it, and I'm grateful for a companion who knows what I need to hear.  

I love you all so much!  I hope you all have a joyful week.  Forget not to be patient with yourself; forget not that Heavenly Father loves you.  

M A H A L  K O  K A Y O

xo Sister Allen

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.”  Psalms 31:24

The Burgundy couple (the ones who got baptized a few weeks ago) invited us to their daughter's 4th birthday this past week, so we got her a gift.  It's a stuffed animal backpack.  She loved it!

Candies that we gave out at zone training meeting.  Yummy!

After my first time teaching at a zone training meeting.  I survived!

A mix of Santiago South and Santiago North missionaries.  

This is Tatay and Nanay Dominggo.  They are ward missionaries.  We worked with them this past Thursday, and it was amazing.  Tatay Dominggo reminds me of dad for some reason, I don't know why. Hahaha!

Sab's fourth birthday!  We couldn't get Sab to sit still.

Some kids playing in the ditch.  Like the ditch in our backyard!

Karabao.

Walking in the rain.

Our dinner appointment on Sunday night was at a member's birthday party. Fun!

Doing our laundry this morning! We bought taho from a street vendor that walked by our house.  Taho is this warm soy yogurt kind of stuff with sugar and sago.  It's goooooood. 

We got punted so we pretended t teach this cute little pig.  (We were carrying Preach My Gospel to give to one of our recent converts.)

Hello po! 

I have had a great week!  Busy, of course, but happy.  A mission is so hard, but is so amazing.  It has brought so much joy and direction in my life.  Things that are hard often do.  I was reading in my personal study earlier today and I came across a verse that made me laugh at first in Exodus 1:12.  It says, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew."  This is talking about the Hebrews in bondage, but it can apply to us as well.  If we pass through things that are hard, we will inevitably get stronger.  The more afflictions and difficulty, the stronger we get.  I feel like that's what's happening to me on my mission.  It's hard, but it's also making me strong.  And even though it's hard, I am so happy!  I am really so joyful all the time.  This week was another happy week.  

Sister Delinila and I are so happy as companions.  I still would love if she could stay here for my last cycle, if possible.  One cycle is not enough! :)  

Our area is doing alright.  We're focusing right now on how we can help our investigators become progressing.  So far, member present and fellowshippers are the best solutions that we thought of.  We coordinated with the ward to set up a better scheduling system with them, so that we know when the members are available.  We also are working so that we can have clear communication with the members throughout the week, instead of communication only on Sundays. 

On Tuesday, we had a good day.  We went to Rizal to visit some sisters.  Rizal is just right next to our area.  It was a fun afternoon.  We attended their district meeting.  It was about true conversion.  The gospel of Jesus Christ - faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end - doesn't just happen in our lives once.  It is a cycle that repeats over and over again.  If we are living the gospel of Jesus Christ - if it has become a part of us - that means that we are converted. Wednesday was a normal day of hard work.  Thursday was MLC!  It was awesome.  We learned a lot about how to be better teachers.  I loved it!  On Friday, we had our splits with Sister Ruyeras and Sister Montandon.  It was fun too.  On Saturday we had our weekly planning and then some work.  Sunday we just went to church and did some work in the afternoon.... I feel like I tell you the same thing every week.  Sorry I'm not being very detailed.

This is my newest favorite video on mormon.org.  It's called "I Am Here."  Watch it!  https://www.mormonchannel.org/blog/post/top-10-videos-of-2016

I'm out of time again.... I love you all so much and I think of you everyday!  I'm finishing strong.

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF MY HEART. 

xo Sister Allen

 At the chapel in Rizal.

Some of my batch!  This is all of my batch mates that attended the MLC. 

Sister Songcuan and I at MLC.  She's so cute.

This is our "holy pose."  Nanay Rhodora gave us towels as a Christmas gift, and we were being crazy and posing with them. 

Me and my comp on Christmas day!  I love her.

We named her Beatrice.  

Sister Delinila is the best!

I have a lot of pictures of me and Sister Delinila...haha.  This one's at MLC.

HELLO PO! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!  2017 is here!  I am so excited for this year.  I think this is going to be a great year for me.  This is going to be a great year for all of us! 

My companion and I are doing well.  Sister Delinila is a really wonderful companion.  We trust each other and we work together well.  She is a good example to me of hard work and diligence, not only in missionary work, but in life.  Our strengths work well together in perfect balance.  I would really really love it if she and I could stay together for my last cycle.  :)  

This week was a great week.  I have been so busy it almost makes my head spin!  We had companionship exchanges THREE times this past week.  Whew.  

We also had our lockdown on New Years Eve.  New Year's is crazy here!  There's lots of fire works, drinking, gun shots (they're shooting them into the air), and loud noises.  We had to be at the house at 6 pm until the next morning.  We just watched church videos.  My favorite!  Haha.

I'm out of time...sorry!  Sorry, I have no pictures. :(  The computer won't connect with my camera. Boo.  Also, this letter is super short because I took a long time doing my letter to the president.  Sorry!   I LOVE YOU ALL! 

xo Sister Allen