Hello! 

This week was a good, but crazy week!  On Monday, we had P-day, which was normal.  On Tuesday, Sister Teabwabwa wasn’t felling well.  We only went out and worked for a little while, and she slept and rested most of the day.  I reorganized my desk, put away my laundry, and did some extra personal study. 

On Tuesday night, about 5 minutes before we were supposed to be asleep, President Rahlf called on the phone.  I always have a tiny heart attack when I see his name pop up on the caller ID.  He asked us if we would come by the mission office the next morning because he had a "special assignment" for us.  We weren't sure what to think, so we went to sleep wondering.  I thought maybe he wanted help with something for the zone conference coming up, but I was wrong.  We headed over to the mission office in the morning and sat and waited for Pres. Rahlf.  He pulled us into his office and told us that we would be getting a new companion.  We are a trisome!  Our new companion, Sister Recano, had just spend a week at the MRC (Missionary Recovery Center) in Manila because she had been sick.  Not only that, but Pres. Rahlf also told us....we are now trainers too!  Sister Recano is very new to the mission - only 6 weeks!  She is 22 years old and is from Tacloban.  We are now her trainers.  So, I have an Anak in the mission now!  I was a little bit overwhelmed by it all at first.  I felt inadequate to train.  I felt stressed about being in a trisome, especially because I have heard so many times that trisomes are hard.  But, I know that Heavenly Father is a master planner, and that he has put us three together for a reason.  I also know that the Lord prepares his servants for everything He needs them to do.  I am excited for this cycle. 

Our area is doing well also.  We are having progress in our missionary work, and I have also seen more strength in our branch.  We are still weak in our member present lessons, but we are working on pushing and asking for more members to work with us more often.  I love our area, and I hope and pray that my companions and I are leaving the area and the people there better than we found it.

We had a good week with our investigators too.  I'll tell you about one investigator:  Nicole.  She is great and is considered a progressing investigator.  She is 18 years old and is really searching for meaning in her life.  Her boyfriend is a return missionary from a neighboring ward.  When we met Nicole for the first time, she had already read to 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon.  She had many many questions about God, her life here on earth, and the creation of the world.  But, to her surprise, we had answers to all of them!  This week, she asked us a lot about trials.  She has many trials in her life - some trivial, and some not - and was wondering why.  As I have thought about her questions and experiences this week, I have learned a lot about trials.  This is what I told her, and what I want to remind all of you as well:  Heavenly Father doesn't dish us anything we can't handle.  He will never give us a commandment that we cannot follow.  He will never give us a trial that we cannot get through.  He will never give us a weakness we cannot overcome.  It made me think of a scripture in 2 Nephi 2:2.  Lehi is talking to his son, Jacob.  This is what he says:  "Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."  That last part is the key:  everything that comes at us is for us to grow.  Just like trees:  trees that grow in windy conditions grow deeper, stronger roots.  Without the opposing wind, the trees wouldn't become strong.  Storms make trees take deeper roots.  And trials make people become stronger, better people.  That is something I have learned so far, here, on my mission.  This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done, physically, emotionally, and mentally.  But, I can see a change in myself.  I am getting stronger.  

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for all your prayers and love that you send my way!  I'm sending all my good vibes and love back to you as always....

I miss everything about you all and everything about home.  But I am so happy to be here and to be serving the people here in the Philippines.  

Sister Anna Ray Allen

p.s.  This Friday, I will hit my 6 month mark!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH! 1/3rd of the way done...... :)

My new companion Sister Recano

My two companions and our fellowshipper, Michael.  

He is preparing for a mission!

Part of our area in Reina Mercedes.  A barangay is like a town.  

Barangay Dangan is my favorite!  Every barangay has a sign 

like this in the ground and made of cement.  I thought they 

were grave stones at first when I first got here.  

Hello!  

I am doing well.  I still can't believe how fast time is flying.  One week feels like just one day....it's kind of scary!  This cycle went by really fast.  (A cycle is 6 weeks.)  This morning as I was washing my clothes in my bucket, we received the transfer list....and I am not transferred!  I am happy.  I've been having weird dreams where I get transferred to a weird place, and I was feeling a little bit nervous.  But, I am staying in Cauayan City for another 6 weeks. Yay!  And, me and Sister Teabwabwa will still be companions. Yay!  I really like her, and we have a great time together.  Sister Teabwabwa is such a kind soul.  She teaches me a lot by her example.

This week was a good week.  I am confident that serving a mission is the best decision that I have ever made.  I am starting to understand how much a mission blesses lives - not just my life.  A mission blesses my family at home, the people we teach, my ward back home, the people we contact, and much much more.  What a blessed time this is to serve.  I know that I will never be the same after my mission.  My little brother, Luke, emailed me and said that he thought I didn't really need to go on a mission, that I was okay the way I was before.  But, he also said that because of going on a mission, I will be much better than I was before.  I think about what he said all the time.  I hope and pray that what he said is true.  I want to become a better person from this experience.   I was okay the way I was before, like he said, but now, I am becoming who my Savior and Heavenly Father want me to be.  They can make me more than I could ever make of myself. 

This week was good.  The Philippines is such a wonderful place.  It was "freezing" here this week.  I had to wear my cardigan and socks and long sleeves around the house all day because I was so cold.  I checked my thermometer thing to see what the temperature was, and it was 71F!  I was so surprised because I was SO cold.  It made me think how cold I'll be when I get home, especially because I'll be coming home in the winter time.  I'm going to freeze to death when I get home haha.  Here, the normal weather makes you sweat even when you are sitting still.  So pretty much, if you're not sweating, it's considered "cold."  All of our investigators were so funny about the weather.  They would tell us to keep our shoes on inside their houses because it was too cold, but I always tell them, "it's okay!  It's colder in America."  That always makes them laugh.

I will tell you a little bit about my area.  One part of my area is called San Fermin and is where our house is.  It's mostly city, but it's not like the cities at home.  There's still cows, chickens, and dogs everywhere, and there's only a few roads that are paved.  The city has a lot more people than the more farm areas, but that makes it very very dirty and very very loud.  Also here, the garbage system isn't very established.  Everyone burns their trash here.  The air is really smokey all the time.  Sometimes, it gets so smokey, it looks like fog.  When you enter into Cauayan City, there's a big sign that says, "Hello!  You are entering a smoke-free city!"  That always makes me laugh, because it is not true at all.  

Our area is doing well.  We have some great investigators and are seeing some progress.  We have one investigator who we are really excited about: Jay.  He is dating a return missionary, and she has taught him a lot about the gospel already.  He is very prepared for the gospel and is progressing very quickly.  We are trying to also do more with our less actives as families, and we have been having success with that.  I am excited to keep working with them as families.  I really love teaching families as a whole. That is the ideal setting for the gospel after all! We have been focusing on three particular families.  We taught each family from Helaman 5:12 and talked about having Christ as the Foundation for your life.  All of the lessons were really good.  I felt the spirit so strong.  On Sunday, all the families came to chruch!  It was such an amazing feeling.  It's nice when you can see the fruits of your labors.  

I miss you all so much.  You are always in my heart and on my mind.

I LOVE YOU!  

xo Sister Allen

Kumusta po kayo? 

I am doing great this week!  Working hard makes me feel happy.  I know I can do hard things!  I am trying really hard to choose to always be happy, and it is helping me in many ways.  It helps me wake up with more energy and happiness, it helps me have better, more spiritual studies,  it helps me have more fun throughout the day, and it helps me feel the Spirit more.  I know that a mission's success can't be measured by numbers or by lists of names.  A mission is measured by how much love you give away.  The more love you give away, the better!  I can give as much love as I can, but it's up to my investigators and the people that I meet to accept it.  It's like what Elder Bednar says in a missionary video:  we can bring the Spirit UNTO, the hearts of the people....but it's up to them to bring it INTO their hearts.  It's the same with love.  If I give love, the people will know how much I care, how much their Savior cares, and how much their Heavenly Father cares about them.  And then, they will open their heart to all the love, the Spirit, and all the wonderful blessings of the gospel.  I just have to do my part the absolute best that I can.  

I watched a Mormon message this week called "Deep Beauty."  I really liked it.  I know that a mission will help me share my deep beauty with others.  It's all about what's on the INSIDE. 

Some things from this week:

Our investigator, Nicole, came to church!  She was really shy, but she liked it a lot.  We also had a lot of progress with our investigator, Jay.  The members are really helping out with fellowshipping him, and it's making a huge difference.  He prays and reads so much!  It's so wonderful!  Also, my favorite less active family (shhhh....I'm not supposed to have favorites :) ) moved!  My heart was so sad.  But they are moving so that their kids can start going to school, so that makes me happy.  I included some pictures of us with them.

This week, we also had our companion exchanges with the Sister Training leaders. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. I really enjoyed working with them.  I felt the Spirit in our lessons, and I enjoyed the work.  They are so easy going and diligent in their work.

My companion, Sister Teabwabwa, is so wonderful! She is one of the happiest people I have ever met. She has had so many trials here in the mission, yet she presses on and has joy. She is so strong. I want to be more like her in that way. I really admire how happy she is, despite all that is going on. She really doesn't let anything get her down. I want to be like that! I am so happy we are companions. I love Sister Teabwabwa! 

I love this work and I love the Philippines Cauayan Mission!  I know that the decision to serve a mission was the right one.   I am so happy to be a missionary.  

"The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come."  Elder Russell M. Nelson

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!  xoxoxox

xo Sister Anna Ray Allen

Hello!  

Thank you for the great email’s!  I love hearing all about what everyone is up to. 

To answer your questions mom:  I only get to play the piano a little bit.  If we have time before district meetings or if we're ever waiting at the chapel, I can play.  Other than that, I don't really have time!  Yes, I really wash my clothes in a bucket.  I only wash my underclothes by hand in a bucket.  I'm getting better and faster at it!  I take the rest of my clothes to a laundry shop near by.  They do it for me and they have a washing machine, and a dryer, and they fold the clothes all nice.  It only costs about 90 pesos!  Worth it, for sure!  My clothes are holding up okay.  A lot of my skirts have stains that won't come out (from who knows what) but they're okay.  I found a black skirt at the mall last week, and I've been wearing that a lot!  The darker colors are nice because if I get dirt or something on me, you can't really see it.  I also really like the gathered skirts (with the stretchy, not body hugging waistband).  I don't wear the fitted skirts I brought.  They're too uncomfortable!  Especially with walking so much and with the heat. 

Something about the culture:  Here in the Philippines, it's not rude to tell it like it is.  If someone thinks you're fat, they'll tell you.  In America, that would be so offensive, especially to a girl.  But here, it's not.  It's only happened to me once so far.....haha.  

I really want to be a happy, good, successful missionary.  As I was thinking, and as I've been thinking for the past few days, I know I have a purpose here.  It's just up to me to find it!  But, I've learned that we must walk by faith rather than by sight.  We must have faith, in ourselves, and in the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us.  With patience, diligence, obedience, and perseverance, I can do it! 

One scripture that helped me was in Omni 1:26:

“I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of His salvation, and the power of His redemption.  Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole should as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end…”  I must give my whole soul!  With all my "heart, might, mind, and strength."  I know that with the Lord on my side, I can do all things.  

We found two separate investigators who are what you would call "golden." :) I am so excited to start teaching them more.  Their names are Jay and Nicole.  They both were referrals, and both of them are dating return missionaries!  It's true what they say:  who you date influences you!  They both have seen the good and the blessings in their boy/girlfriend's lives, and they want to have the gift of the gospel in their lives. 

I love you all so much!  I know that angels are watching over me and strengthening me every second of every day.  I know that this work is divine, and that we could not do it without some divine help.  

Mahal kita.

xo Sister Anna Ray Allen

Most of our zone at the Hacienda De San Luis

Me and my comp

A dinner appointment at a cute Nanay's house this Sunday.

A baptism of the elders in our branch.

I had a great week, it flew by. SO. FAST.  This whole week only felt like a day.  I can't believe it's P day again today already.  It's kind of scary how fast time is flying by.  I hope it doesn't go by too fast....I don't want to miss a thing!  I want to make each second count. 

This week was just another great week.  Working, studying, planning, and sharing the gospel!  We had a great experience with one of our investigators, Aileen.  We have been teaching Aileen (14), and her sister Novi (13) for a while now.  They are interested, and they have a baptismal date set, but they struggle with coming to church and setting time aside for us to teach them.  They are very busy!  But, we were able to teach Aileen this week.  We decided to show her the Restoration video.  We taught her about Joseph Smith the lesson before, but we wanted her to understand and feel the truthfulness of the message more.  As we were watching, I felt the Spirit so strong.  Watching the Restoration in Tagalog makes me pay attention more, because I have to focus a little harder to understand what they are saying.  That extra focus made me feel the Spirit and the truthfulness of the message that much more.  I couldn't help it; I just started tearing up.  When I looked over at Aileen, she was crying too!  After the video was over, Sister Teabwabwa and I each shared our testimonies.  We said we knew that Jospeh Smith's experience was true.  Aileen smiled and looked at me straight in the eye, and said, "I do too. I know that it's true."  (In Tagalog though, of course.)  I have watched that movie a million times, and I've heard the story of Joseph Smith about ten million times.  But seeing Aileen, who has heard the story of Joseph Smith maybe two times, testify with asurity that it is true, touched my heart.  That's how powerful our message is!  It doesn't take long for the truth to touch someone to the very center.  It was a very wonderful experience.  

There is also one beautiful scripture that I want to share.  I randomly was flipping through my Book of Mormon, and just opened it and started reading in Alma 26:15.  It says:  "Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work."

That's us!  We are the hands in this marvelous work.  How lucky we are to be encircled about with so much light and love.  I love being those hands in this work.  You can all be those hands too.  It's the small and simple things that show people the most love.  After all, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."

xo Sister Anna Ray Allen

Rice fields. 

This week was a good week.  We just do what we always do every day....work!  I decided to change our family motto from "work hard, play hard" to "work hard, pray hard" while I'm here.  Haha!  We were busy busy busy this week.  We taught so many lessons this week.  We had 42 total lessons this week.  So many!  Sister Teabwabwa and I are working hard to improve our area and help our investigators, less actives, and recent converts.  

My companion and I are doing great.  Sister Teabwabwa is so amazing.  If I didn't have her as a companion, I would want her as a friend.  We have really warmed up to each other, and she has opened up to me about her life, her mission, and her ideas.  I love hearing her stories about Kiribati and about her life.  She is also so funny.  We laugh and laugh all day long.  It makes the work that much more fun.  Sister Teabwabwa really is a great missionary.  She has a quiet strength that I admire.  Even when she's feeling sick, can't get a hold of her family for her Christmas call, steps on nails, and all the other crazy things that happen to us here....she remains joyful.  If there was one word I could use to describe her it would be joy.  I want to be more like her, as a missionary, and as a person.  She is also a great teacher and is helping me become a better teacher too.

This week, we were walking back from an appointment on a little dirt path through a field with cows, carabao, and goats all tied up on long ropes.  They can graze and kind of go where they want, but they can't get free.  We walk past there all the time, but for some reason, the carabao close to the path was grumpy....and he charged!  He snorted and all of a sudden ran straight at us.  Sister Teabwabwa and I screamed and were running away into the field to get away.  Luckily, the rope around the carabao's neck stopped him from coming closer after a few yards.  Unfortunately though, while running away, Sister Teabwabwa stepped on a nail and it went right through the bottom of her foot.  Ouch!  We had to get her some medication, but she's all good now.  

This week we also had the Area Broadcast from the area presidency of the Philippines.  I had to play the piano for the opening hymn and closing hymn.  Since being here, I've survived a typhoon, a tricey crash (Fam: I don't think I told you that....but yes, I got in a tricey crash on the highway!  But we were fine. Haha!), and being chased by a carabao....all of which I could handle.  But playing the piano for a group of people scares me more than those three things combined.  It about gives me a heart attack!  I don't know why it scares me so bad.  But, I played, and it was fine.  I think I'd rather take a charging carabao though.....

I love my area!  I love the people in it and I love the branch.  It is so fun.  We have great missionaries all around us as well.  The elders in our same branch are the zone leaders.  They are great!  Their names are Elder Treyes and Elder Navarro.  One Filipino, one American. 

Our investigators are doing well.  And....we finally had some investigators at church!  YAY!  We had three people come:  Novi, Lady Grace, and Keishi.  Lady Grace and Keishi are cousins in their late-teens, early-twenties.  They are so cute and fun.  Novi is a young women age investigator.  She told us after church that she made a lot of friends and wants to come back to church and go to the mutual activities.  It made me so happy that our branch made her feel welcome.  It is so important for people to feel at home when they come to church, especially if they are an investigator.  I hope all of you are kind and loving to everyone in your wards.  Everyone needs a friend at church.  

Update on Rosalie:  We would love to talk to her husband and teach him, but he is working abroad in Taiwan and has been ever since we met Rosalie.  Rosalie only has told us about him and she tells her husband about us in their phone calls.  He's okay with us teaching her, but he doesn't want her to be baptized.  But we got his name, phone number, and address, and are planning to refer him to some missionaries.  :)  He just doesn't know about the church, so he is scared.  He needs some nice sisters or elders to help him out!  Rosalie is doing great.  She continues to read and pray.  She likes to flip randomly through the Book of Mormon and just start reading.  She told us that everything she reads always applies to her.  It's true!  No matter who you are, what you're doing, or what you've done.....the Book of Mormon applies to you.  

I love reading the Book of Mormon.  I have started it over myself and I am in 1 Nephi 7.  I have decided to highlight all words that describe our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (like "Lord" or "God") and I am also highlighting the word "heart."  It appears many times!  Everything in this gospel is all about the heart....it's about love with your heart, changing your heart, and making your heart more like the Savior's.  

I love being a missionary!  I am more focused on the work than I ever have been.  I love it here.  I am getting used to the heat and the language, and I feel better than ever.  It's really hard work.....but it's such happy work!  There's no where else I'd rather be.

xo Sister Anna Ray Allen

Sister Allen and her companion Sister Teabwabwa

Malibagong taon! (Happy New Year!)  I can't beleive 2015 has already come to a close.  Hello, 2016!  I am excited for this year!  Thinking that I will be a missionary for this entire year is crazy.  It seems really long.  But, I am so so happy to be here!  I think this will be a good year for all of us.  New Year's here in the PH is so exciting!  People love it here.  We returned to our apartment at 6 pm and had a nice dinner of spaghetti. (Hooray! No rice!)  Then we watched Inside Out.  It was so cute!  I really liked it.  And yes, I cried multiple times.  I think I've cried in every movie I've ever watched haha.  There are a lot of gospel themes that I saw while watching, but one that has been on my mind is about talents.  Towards the end of the movie, when Rylie is on the bus running away, all of the islands in her mind are destroyed and the little Headquarters workers can't make her feel anything.  This part made me think about how important it is for us to develop and keep our own "islands" of personality in our lives.  The scriptures teach us over and over again to develop our talents and to continue to grow and improve.  And if we don't develop our talents and try to grow, we will become like Rylie:  we will feel nothing.  I think that is exactly what Satan wants us to feel.  Satan wants us to feel nothing and be nothing.  But, through our talents, our families, and our experiences, we grow, our personalities grow, and little "islands" of personality and experience appear in our minds.  This church encourages FHE, family time, sharing talents, has callings for people to show their talents, and encourages people to grow in knowledge and experiences.  I really enjoyed the movie and New Year's, here in the Philippines.

There were SO MANY fireworks.  Everyone has the big up-in-the-sky ones that explode out.  And there was also these dynamite fireworks too that were so loud, our house shook.  EVERYONE at midnight was lighting up fireworks.  We were allowed to watch the fireworks at midnight, which was awesome.  Everywhere you looked, there were fireworks in the sky.  There was a lot of smoke too.  At midnight, I heard everyone cheering, car horns honking, and more fireworks.  No one does New Year's like the Philippines!  It was a lot of fun!  

This week I also got a new companion:  Sister Teabwabwa!  She is from Kiribati, which a little island in Polynesia.  I was so so nervous when we got assigned and I had a little breakdown when my nanay/trainer left me, but I am so happy now.  Sister T is a great companion and is so wonderful!  She is so humble and so strong.  I admire her very much.  She is the epitome of peace and quiet grace.  She is a great missionary, teaches very well, and has a lot of good ideas for our area and companionship.  I can see how much she loves missionary work and how much she relies on the Savior for strength.  Also, since our common language is Tagalog, I am speaking more Tagalog and am learning more about the language.  I think I have learned more this one week than in my first twelve weeks here.  I am looking forward to this cycle with Sis. Teabwabwa!

Our investigators are doing well too.  I had a cool experience with one of our investigators this week.  Her name is Rosalie and she is about 28 years old.  She reads and prays every day, and wants to get baptised, but her husband doesn't want her to.  When we got to her house, I introduced my new companion to Rosalie.  Rosalie told us that she knew my companion and that she had seen her before.  They are from different countries, and it is impossible that they could have seen each other.  But, I got an impression in my mind that Rosalie and Sister T knew each other before they came here to this earth.  It was a subtle thought, but I know it is true.  I felt the Spirit so strong.  I just smiled and laughed and moved on with the lesson.  But, I think that they really did know each other before.  I am excited to continue teach Rosalie with Sister T.  

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!  MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA! 

Sister Allen

So sad to say good-bye to my first companion. 

The sky was purple!

The coolest tricey ever!

 (A popular mode of transportation is the motorized tricycle, for hire like a taxi.  The "tricey" is the most popular means of transport in small towns, especially in the rural areas.  They are usually made by building a sidecar and attaching it to a motorcycle.)