Sister "MABUTI-MANALO"

Nicole/Mom: On Christmas Eve we were able to talk at Ashlyn on Skype.  The first thing Jacob said was, "You come to my house?" inviting her over.  She could hear and see us, but we couldn't hear or see her very well, so we moved to e-mail for about 20 minutes and then said "goodbye" quickly on Skype again.  In her e-mails she shared that Geckos cover her walls and scatter if she gets up in the night.  She also said, "Everytime I say my name they say ohhhh Mabuti-manalo! which is Good-win in tagalog."  She concluded her e-mail to us with, "I love you guys!!! Have the best Christmas EVER!!! and if possible send pictures! We decorated our room with lights, my stocking and paper snowflakes! MERRY CHRISTMAS! This christmas I am excited to serve Heavenly Father, and mae the most of the true meaning of Christmas! i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU! It was really nice to get to talk to you, it definitely lifted me and I know it will continue to lift me for a long time!"  She did not receive our package for Christmas (she said 4 months is typical).  I was happy to hear/recall that the Azevedos had given her a "Sister Missionary" stocking, so she had that with her.

 

This is the e-mail we received on 12/27 (p-day is late Sunday night our time)...

 

Kumsta mga pamilya ko!! I have to start out that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! This week has been so great, and no matter what the missionary task that we are doing is, I love it. When we are studying, I never want to stop, when we are proselyting or teaching lessons I never want to stop, and when we are serving I never want it to end. Sister Matulac and I have the best conversations about gospel topics and how to improve as missionaries and our area. I absolutely love her, and our studies together. At first it was hard becasue I didnt know Tagalog and she didnt know english, but now they are mostly in Tagalog, and she adds some english where she knows it. We are growing so much together, and there are so many miracles in our area. I know that hard work, and faith are paying off. 

On Christmas we went and shared a really short lesson about how Christ is always with us and that the gospel and things we teach are the way to follow Him. We sang a Hymn and then had a 5 min lesson, so we could get to as many of our investigators and less active families as possible. This is when I really felt a change in my work. I felt the eternal importance of our message. I KNOW that it is the way that leads to eternal happiness and living with God as families. I had such a desire to share and for all people to accept it here. Now I feel that all the time, and its why I love being a missionary.

We have had so many families start to progress more this week. The Centes family, mother Olivia, was doing everyting by herself and the father wasnt joining in with their 6 kids. This week asfter we halped them do their laundry the father joined and started directing the family in the lesson, it was amazing! 

Tatay Herebete wasnt able to be taught becasue he was alone at home, his daughter and her family came to live with him this week. They joined our lessons and said we believe most of the same things they already do and so they love our message and accepted a baptismal date...I could go on and on about miracles that are happening with all of our families and investigators. 

We had our zone Christmas party on the 24th which was really fun, I felt like I was part of something more and had more friends here. I always have a need to feel adjusted, and this really helped.

We have been really focusing on using members and working with them this week, as well as helping investigators progress towards baptism. Not that this matters, but we have the most lessons this week and # of investigators with baptismal dates, but we are the youngest comp in the mission. This really shows me what hard work and desire, with the spirit can do.

This week there was a HUGE spider in our apt. I asked what we should do with it, and my comp laughed and said it wasnt big and we didnt need to do anything. I dont know if the pic will attach, but it was bigger than my whole hand...gross!

The people are amazing, this work is amaizng, and i honestly LOVE everything about being a missionary. It was so nice to talk to you on CHristmas and see your faces. My Christmas was great, other than being with our family, this is the best thing in the world to be doing! My Christmas was 115 degrees and super sunny\hot, a little different from yours haha!

 

"I almost clothesline myself with literal clothes lines every day" OR "Coagulated blood and chicken intestines shishkabob"

Hi everyone!

This has been a crazy week since I talked to you! I went to the Manila temple and it was amazing. It was so pretty. Then we packed and had to leave early for Legazpi because there was a typhoon that would have trapped us in Manila for a while. My first day in Legazpi there was the typhoon and it has still been raining like crazy. There are palm trees scattered all over the place now. Lots of peoples houses were broken (mainly roofs) but everyone was ok. It is so beautiful here!!! Think of the thickest forest you've ever seen in Utah and times it by 100, and then make the trees huge palm trees. Its pretty cool. All of the houses in my new area are literally in the middle of the forest, so we are always walking on little paths in a tropical forest. My trainer is Filipina and just finished her training. She is Sister Matulac. She is SO hardworking, perfectly obedient, and very patient and willing to learn from me. We don't have a lot in common, but we don't need to because we are willing to work super hard together. I really love her. Our area is Sorsogon (you can look it up). This is only the 2nd transfer with it as an open area, so we have a lot of work. I already love the families and people we are teaching.  We have a lot of families which is great because the gospel is all about families. My favorite is the Fernandez family, I just super love them.

This week has honestly been the hardest thing I've ever done. I am in a completely new area, and I don't understand almost anything anyone says. A lot of people speak Bicol, and those that speak Tagalog are still hard to understand. I found myself wanting to come home and just be on the couch watching Jimmy Falon with dad, playing with Jake, talking to one of the girls or mom. I was really struggling when we weren't out doing anything. I struggled wanting to be here for most of the week, even though there were times that were amazing. This morning I prayed that through the enabling power of the atonement, that I could want to be here and lose myself in the work. Nephi asks in 1 Nephi 7:17 for the lord to give him the power to do it. I love that he didn't ask that his trial be taken away. Today has been much better!

I wash clothes by hand (best workout EVER), ride on trikes, and walk in pouring rain and super heat and humidity. I've been in a typhoon...I've experienced it all. There are frogs everywhere, and it rains so hard we can't really hear while we are teaching. Its crazy, so different, and awesome.

This week one super cool experience I had was while teaching the Fernandez family. They were struggling to know why there was only one church, even though they were really progressing. After our lesson and scriptures, I felt like all they needed was to hear again about Joseph Smith. They believe in the Book of Mormon. I prayed in the lesson that the rain would stop enough so they could hear me, that I would be calm, and be given the words they would understand when I spoke. I have the 1st vision memorized and so I repeated it so easily and calmly. The rain quieted, and then I invited them to pray to know if this was true. I told them that if the BOM is true then Joseph Smith is a prophet, and then the church is true. The spirit was so strong and they accepted. After my companion told me (which I knew) that she knew that was not me speaking. Heavenly Father used all the vocabulary words I already knew, no new ones, but made my sentences flow. I know this was from Him.

I love you, and I am loving the work, people and the Philippines. I am learning to enjoy it here even if I don't fully understand. I am learning to forget myself. I am learning how to cook weird foods (coagulated blood and chicken intestines on a shishkabob stick, yes that happened). I am learning how to rely fully upon my Heavenly Father.

Sorry I don't have a lot of time, only 1 hr to email you and my mission pres so I'm not responding to your individual emails, but I did read them and love hearing from you!

other random things to write while my pictures load...

I am too tall for everything here!!! I almost clothesline myself with literal clothes lines every day. I have to duck in everyone's houses. 

Every time I meet someone new and speak Tagalog they love it and think its pretty funny that I can. When we ask them who they would like to pray they, without fail, always pick me. My trainer says this will happen even if I have perfect Tagalog because I'm white. 

I have seen a lot of improvement in my language as I have been here. I have spoke in every lesson as much as I can since the 1st lesson here. I know that through this He will help me get better.

This week I was thinking, "I am teaching people that the gospel blesses their lives even if it is hard to do." Then I though, "Sister Goodwin, why aren't you happy right now?" I then was reminded that I needed to remember what I teach. A mission has taught me more in a week then I think I've learned my whole life. I have so many little experiences like this. I have a little notebook and everyday I write in it when I get promptings. Some of them are little things like, if your flashlight is on you will always be safe at night, or sing with the Fernandez family it will bring a different spirit. Others are longer or more like this. Most of them come when I am reading my scriptures! 

And mom, I think I would love it if you were able to come here. It would be very cool for you to see it here. I think you would both absolutely love it, and I am always thinking of things you would like here. Also sometimes things dad would freak out about haha, no need to mention those;) It is so cool here!!!

Love, Sister Ashlyn Goodwin

 

Final week in the MTC!

This week was really great, but I dont have a ton to write about. This week I feel most prepared to leave to the field this week (the 10th at 2:30 am). The language felt like it solidified more and we did some activities that helped me know I was ready. We went to in field orientation on Friday, and that was probably my favorite thing in the MTC so far. We focused on goals and planning with the key indicators, contacting and finding, and most importantly using members. It was 10 hrs long, but was all very spiritual and effective. I know I really need to talk to everyone, and not be afraid to go and do, right from the beginning. I was so exhausted by the end of Friday though, because when you are so spiritually filled and stretched, it is draining to your mind and body too. I am really excited, but still also very nervous to leave this week.

We are singing a song in sacrament tomorrow, because Elder Nelson from the Quorum of the Twelve will be in all of our meetings tomorrow. We got to go to the temple today for the last time, possibly for the next 18 months, because there isn't one in my mission. Today is our last p-day in the MTC, so we are getting ready to leave today, and will finish up packing the final things on Wednesday night before we leave really early Thursday morning. Its been a very good week. I have been able to learn a lot and feel peace in knowing I am prepared enough to go. I am really excited, but very nervous as well. 

Talk to you soon! Next email I'll be in the Philippines!!!!!

Love you!

Sister Goodwin

Thanksgiving Week

Today is exactly one month of being in the MTC, which is crazy. The days are long here, but the weeks are flying by.

This week was really fun, and different which was nice. I was called as a Sister Training Leader for all of the Sisters in our zone.

Anyways, the rest of the week was fantastic! In our lessons we are only speaking Tagalog now, and we are getting a lot better at preparing and teaching by the spirit to our investigators individually! Teaching is one of my most favorite things. I am so thankful for Sister Aquino, I love talking to her about anything. We are reading Jesus the Christ together and we have the best conversations about it before bed every night. Sister Sulunga is definitely our comic relief. This week she accidentally asked "How is your mosquito?" instead of "How is your drinking?", the words are nothing alike, and it was really funny. 

WE GOT OUR TRAVEL PLANS THIS WEEK!!! I was nervous to leave, until I saw our plans and then it got real and I am pumped! I attached the pictures of it so you can read through it too. I was so excited to tell you about it Dad! 

Thanksgiving was awesome. I woke up very happy and through the whole day I definitely saw how Heavenly Father was giving me little things I love so I wouldn't miss home to much. They turned on Christmas lights all over the campus, I got to eat pumpkin pie, snow, there were amazing musical numbers, and I got to read my scriptures a lot. I sent a picture of our thankful door. Elder Oaks came and spoke to us and it was nice to hear. When he walked in we all stood up, and I felt the spirit so strongly. It was another witness to me that we have prophets today. We had a big thanksgiving lunch which was really good. Then we packed a sack dinner. I was a leader for the service project since Im a STL. I helped set the whole project up and was in charge of a table. We made meals, and it was really fun. We even got to listen to music while doing it (getting down to the EFY music, heckkk yes)! The package from the family was awesome, I loved getting letters from all the cousins and family. Thanksgiving was amazing, it was truly one of the best days Ive had at the MTC.

I have been really getting into scripture study. I cant wait until its study time. I have always applied them to my life, but never searched for applications as much as I do now. It applies to me as a missionary, my investigators, and has so many patterns to better ourselves. I am literally addicted.

I am loving it here still, and it is snowing here really hard, its beautiful. I am really thankful for the scriptures, learning how to better teach by the spirit and the improvement ive seen, and especially the love I feel for the people in the Philippines as I work for them.

 

P.S.

Oh, and this is what I learned to say this week, Im pretty proud so I have to share!

Ako ay nakakita ng isang hiligi ng liwanag na tamang-tama sa tapat ng aking ulo. Higit pa sa liwanag ng araw. Na dahan-dahang bumaba hanggang so ito ay pumalibot sa akin. Nang tumaon sa akin ang liwanag, nakakita ako ng dalawang Katauhan, na ang liwanag at kalualhatian ay hindi kayang maisalarawan, nakatayo sa hanging sa itaas ko. Ang isa sa kanilla ay nagsalita sa akin, tinatawag ako sa aking pangalan at nagsabi, intinuturo ang isa "Ito ang aking Pinikamamahal na Anak. Pakinggan Siya!"

Our thankful door, we are thankful for a lot more things, but we never have time to stop and write them on our door...so its not as great as we expected.

 Thanksgiving with my friend, Easton Batt, from High School.

 

Thanksgiving lunch

Nov 14 & 21 MTC Life

November 21:

This week I learned a lot and felt the most improvement, in every aspect of being a missionary. Sunday was so spiritual and rejuvenating. I have never felt how much the Sabbath day can do for you, until then. I am glad that I put all my effort into feeling the spirit and being uplifted because it really carried me throughout the week. I am our relief society teacher for our zone, and in charge of leading the music because know how, and I spoke in sacrament meeting, it was a busy Sunday. I really felt the answers to my prayers about how to be a more powerful missionary. Exact obedience and love brings the spirit of revelation from the Holy Ghost, and that brings power, and conversion. So this week I have tried my hardest to improve my exact obedience and love. I also felt the importance of daily scripture study this week. I received so much comfort and answers from reading them. I also got to just talk to Sister Aquino on Sunday and it was really nice to learn more about her.

Having the spirit with me and in our companionship is THE most important thing. It has really been evident in our teaching this week. We can discern needs as we have the spirit. One investigator (our teacher, acting as one of her investigators from her mission, but it seems so real), she wasn't progressing. We felt such a strong spirit and were able to completely drop our planned lesson and do something she needed, through the spirit. It is amazing as we have the spirit our Tagalog gets so much better, and I honestly dont remember struggling with it or even really thinking about speaking it, but on the message we were teaching instead. There were things that came to my head that I know that were not mine to say, but that I had studied. Study and having the spirit are a great combination. Feeling and taking care of her needs felt SO good. She is becoming so strong, and I love seeing her progress and the happiness it brings to her hard life. I know that the gospel has done this for me, and it can to all that will listen and act or improve in any way.

It was our 3 week mark this week, which means 1/2 way...ahhhh! That is both a scream of excitement and terror. On Wednesday we got to host all the new missionaries coming in. It was so nice to serve them, and made me even more excited to be a missionary, I know...you didn't think it was possible. One sister was saying goodbye to her little sister and hugging and I started to cry a little, but then her mom hugged me. It was a good day.

There is a new sister in our zone and I love her, we are the same person. I was running on the track and she joined me. We ran together and talked, and have every day since she got here. I love my companions SO much, but it was nice to have someone to talk to that was my type of people. We run every day together during gym now, and then go to early morning gym classes they have here. She is very fun and a blessing to me.

Some funny things that happened this week, because my life is hilarious and I am always laughing at something my companions say...whats new.

Sis. Sulunga was singing very loudly while we walked to class. One of our teachers said "mga anhel po ba?" which is "Is that an angel?" and she got mad and said "Did you just say my voice sounds like Hell?" 

In the middle of our lesson with a less active member Sis. Sulunga said "Wow, you havent been to church in the longest" I went really red, and then tried not to laugh.

One of our teachers walked into the women's restrooms right next to our classroom. It used to be a mens, and still has a urinal, but now has a women's sign. We were literally rolling on the floor and laughing so hard crying, so we weren't able to tell him not to go in.

I still love being a missionary, and love that we can improve through the spirit. I would invite you to read the last 2 paragraphs in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, and Moroni 10:3-5. Even if you have read it before, it is really powerful. Apply it to your life personally. I love that this gospel, and Jesus Christ, apply to all of us so perfectly. It has helped me this week a ton, and has helped my investigators. 

This week is Thanksgiving and I am really excited. We have a thankful door, Ill send pics next week. We are doing a humanitarian service project with food on thanksgiving day. I love you all. Please remember to thank Heavenly Father for your blessings, especially the small things. When you think about them, and give credit to God for even the small things, it makes you more happy. 

Ry sent Ash a TEXAS donut.

 

November 14:

When I opened my emails today, I had a lot. I was overwhelmed with the love of family and close friends. I realized being out here how much support I have, and the deep, indescribable love I have for people back home. Thanks!

The end of last week  I was really struggling. It was just hard with so many new things and I was overwhelmed. This week though was the best! I figured out how to balance everything, and apply new things without being too stressed. Heavenly Father really helped me in knowing what to focus on and how to apply it all without being stressed.

Teaching and focusing on doctrines has made my testimony grow so much. I was thinking as I read about different doctrines in study why I believed each one, and how I lived it or it affected my life. I have had such an overwhelming spirit this week, and I just love the fact that I can always feel it here and use it to help others. I would invite anyone to read Preach My Gospel, especially chapter 3, because it is fantastic!

----

There is a boy who came into the MTC this week from Guam. He went to a different island than his parents to work a year ago and found the missionaries and was baptized. He hasnt seen his paretns since, and there are no missionaries on his parents island, so he hopes to teach them sometime. He is so sweet, and humble. He gets to go through the temple today becasue he couldnt before he left, there wasnt one close enought to him. I cried that night thinking about him. i really, really love him and his happy, perfect, funny, positive attitude and willingness to work. I want him to be taken care of...not Im crying writing this. Im not sure how I am going to live in the Philippines, because I couldnt even handle one elder living like that. I really look up to Elder Dume and pray for him a lot! 

This week I told my teacher that Jesus killed the people, instead of the people killing Jesus...putting one word in the sentence on the wrong place changes the actor, woops! I also learned a joke in Tagalog, but I'm not going to try and repeat it because I was bad at that in English haha. 

I don't have a ton to write about this week because it was pretty much class, eating, class, service, study, lessons, eating, class and bed. It was the most productive week of my life. 

I know that Heavenly Father is helping and lifting me. I have such a love for this Gospel, I don't really know how to tell you that! I know I am becoming a better person through all I am learning here, and love the love I am learning to have for everyone! I love you all!!!

"What did you feel in your CAT when you prayed about these things"

Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2015 11:25:48 -0700
From: ashlyn.goodwin@myldsmail.net (please e-mail Ash at this address)

I cant believe I've only been here for one week. It seems like such a long time! Sometimes I get frustrated I don't know more of the language, and then I realize I have only been here for a week. This week was very good, but also very hard. The coolest things about trials, is that it turns me to Christ and my Heavenly Father. I am relying so much on them, and it is a very cool feeling. My companions and God are the only people I have contact with most days and conversations with, besides our investigators. 

This Sunday was fast Sunday. Sacrament was very cool, hearing my zones spiritual experiences and testimonies. Then we had relief society, and a entire MTC devotional on the importance of teaching whole families and making sure we are using our mission for missionary work to our families. Then David A. Bednar spoke to us about turning outward like Christ. Sometimes I feel a little defeated, but I think that that's when I truly have a broken heart and contrite spirit. Those couple of times in the MTC that I feel that way, I feel most blessed and humbles after. That feeling of a broken heart makes it possible for the Savior to build me back up. We went on a Sunday Temple walk with our zone, and it was beautiful and nice to just walk and enjoy my peeps.

 

We taught our investigator Christopher (most investigators are our teachers, but He is actually investigating the church, and only speaks Tagalog). This was our 3rd lesson with him. It was the 1st time that we were able to speak the language more clearly to him, and I know he felt the spirit because it was very strong. When we asked him what he thought about the BOM and Joseph Smith, he said he got a strong happy feeling in his heart about them. He was nervous to be baptized because his father is a minister in another church. We are going to teach his father starting tonight too. He decided to be baptized, and asked that we move up the date so his parents visiting from the Philippines could be there. It was such an amazing feeling. Awkward moment...In our lesson I meant to ask him what he felt in his HEART (puso) when he prayed, but I thought the word for heart was PUSA which is actually cat. So I asked, "What did you feel in your CAT when you prayed about these things"!!! He laughed really hard and then explained, and we all lost it. Its ok though because the spirit was still there after we were done rolling on the ground. He now asks me how my cat feels all the time. 

Wednesday was our one week mark!

And Also our 1st baptismal commitment!!

We made personal language study goals. For some reason my companionship was super giggly all of Wednesday, we had service and gym, and not much class. But when we did have class and in all other activities we couldn't stop laughing. We also got dads package! Seriously getting even a letter is like Christmas. The package was awesome! Towards the end of the day my companions were really struggling. They were frustrated and had attitudes about not learning the language, and not having a desire too anymore. I was able to bear testimony to them that I knew Heavenly Father can change our will. He changed mine to want to go on a mission, and I couldn't be happier. I love the way we strengthen each other.

 

Thursday was my hardest day so far. I know how important this work is, and felt a lot of weight on my shoulders. Plus classes were very hard, missionary work is draining, and my brain started to shut off to learning. Actually we all had a mental breakdown, but nothing new right? Our teacher stopped class and shared Ether 12:27 with us. It is about overcoming weakness through grace (context is actually when Moroni dint speak a language he was writing in). Grace equals enabling [power of the Atonement. Then we read Moroni 24:14. My favorite example is when Nephi is bound by his brothers. He doesn't ask for God to take away his trial or fix it, but he asks that God give him the strength to to it himself (1 Nephi 7:17). This is how Christs atonement works. 

Friday was awesome! I felt very humble, and renewed from the day before. We learned sentence structures and it made the entire language make so much sense to me. It is awesome because it clicked very easily, and it gave me the power to actually say what I want to, not just know 1000 vocab words. My teacher told me to just speak like Yoda, thank you Yoda for helping me speak Tagalog. Thankful I am, Nagpapasalamat po ako! After our long day of lots of hard work and study, we went on an adventure. We walked to every floor of our residence hall and looked what was in these bins they have. Then we went to our room and ate candy on the floor while studying together, and then took some pictures and talked before bed. It was great to have a Friday night, party animals I know! 

 

Some other random things...

Sis Sulunga has never seen snow (shes never left Hawaii), and today we walked to the temple. We walk outside and she days "Oh no, I think Im getting sick! Im breathing smoke!!" It was hilarious

In the middle of class one of the Elders was staring off into space, and was asked a question. He didnt answer and we were laughing when he realized we were tlaking to him. He told us "Sometimes I focus on the language so much, I loose focus."...Um ok!

My dresser and part of the room is the cleanest, and I clean the rest of the room when I have time. I cant stand having it messy because I have so much to do, I need to be able to be able to go fast. And it stresses me out. Thank the MTC Mom and Dad!

 

I love you guys, and really start to miss you most when things get hard. I love being here, I didn't know there was so much I could learn, and so many ways I could grow. I better go, my laundry is done...sounds so adult hahah!

-Sister Ashlyn Goodwin
Oh, Volleyball at the MTC...BOMBBBBB!!!! I love it! Everyday I get an hour of gym time and I play volleyball with the elders in my zone. We are very competitive!

 

P.S.S. I keep forgetting things! I found out i will leave this MTC after 7 weeks (Dec 10th) and then go to Manila MTC for a week (until the 16tth)

 

please seed this to Brent and grandpa. Tell him thanks for helping me expand my vocabulary.

​One of Ashlyn's MTC Companions wrote us this letter today as well:

KUMUSTAAA PO BA KAYO!!!!! 

  

   hahaha...Brother and Sister Goodwin!

                                              Thank you so much for the sweetsyyy treats...it was the most amazing thing i tasted so far in my life. i ate so mostly everynight and by the way it's finish...hahaha...i know u send i like this past wednsday...it was just to good...Your daughter (my companion) is the most loveable, the sweetest, and the biggest enforcer in our group bwahahaha...she is full with so much love not a day she leaves her room and doesnt think about or talk so much of her parents and especially JACOB......THE YOUNGEST OF ALL. SHE HAS BEEN SUCH AN AMAZING BLESSING IN THESE PAST TWO WEEKS. for sure she is not a QUITTER. shes a pusher that wants to learn, love, give service to everyone and i cant thank you enough for being the most amazing parents to her. nd your wife so much stories of her...welll  SALAMAT PO!! FOR UR YUMMY TREATS....INGAT!!!

                                       Sincerely, Sis. Sulunga

 



 

 

 

10/31/2015 (1st Letter Home!)

Kumusta pamilya! Kumusta kayo??

This week has been the hardest, busiest, week of my life. I have never been so tired at the end of every day, or crammed so much information into my brain. Yet, I have never felt so blessed, happy, and like I had so much of a purpose. I am loving it! Ko mga kasama (my companions, there are 3 of us), are Sis Aquino at Sis Salunga. They are such a blessing to me, and I love them. Sis Aquino is 22 and already graduated from BYU. She has been a blessing because she has so much life experience, and that was something  was nervous for, since I just graduated. She is from California. Sis Salunga is from Hawaii, and she makes us laugh, which is much needed. We work together very well, we all want to be and work on exact obedience, and are pretty relaxed with each other.

 

Wednesday we went and grabbed our huge stack of language materials, dropped off our bags in our rooms, and went straight to class. We walked into class and our teacher, Sis. Tui-one, immediately started speaking Tagalog, and hasn't stopped since. After 3 hrs of that, we went to a workshop IN ENGLISH!!! It was for all new missionaries. We had to teach investigators in groups of 30. I learned so much from this activity. With this activity, and so many others this week, I learned that we have to listen to what the investigator is saying, and what the spirit is saying about them. We cant just teach lessons at them, but TO them. We have done a lot of activities about learning to listen to people and learn about them, and what Heavenly Father wants or feels for them. It sounds so easy, but it is actually a pretty hard to apply when teaching. 

My days are so long and filled with so much learning that they blend together, sometimes breakfast seems like it happened another day by the time we are to lunch. 

We have had a minimum of 4 hrs in language class each day. Friday (day 3 in the MTC), we actually had to teach an investigator in only Tagalog, as he only spoke Tagalog to us. It was a hard because Christofer really felt the spirit and related to how Joseph Smith felt, but we had a little bit of a language barrier. I know that we wouldn't have been able to speak as much as we did to him if it weren't for Diyos at Jesucristo, pero it was major motivation to study even harder. We have another lesson with him tonight, and we really have prepared and studied for it a lot. After our lesson we felt a little discouraged, and really tired because of all we were learning. We were having a hard time coming up with what to teach Christofer in his next lesson. We knelt to pray again and told Heavenly Father we were struggling, and then went back to our planning. We ended up planning a lesson that we really felt that he needed. I know that as we pray to Heavenly Father with a humble heart, that he is waiting to answer us. I know that exact obedience brings blessings, because without it, I would not be teaching lessons in Tagalog. Heavenly Father is key to all we do as missionaries. I have never prayed so much in my life, or needed guidance from our Father as much as now.  

Today is P-day. We woke up early and went to the temple. that was another blessing, because my mind feels refreshed and ready for more language classes. I am very happy here and learning SO much more than I thought was possible. My testimony is also growing more than I thought was possible, as well as my faith and reliance on God.  

We have goals to speak as much Tagalog as we can at all times. We speak what we know all day as a companionship, I'm sure it is funny to listen to our half English half Tagalog sentences. 

Missions are mahirap. Mahirap na Tagalog, pero masaya ako. Alam ko po na ebanhelyo na Diyos at Jesucristo. Pananampalataya na importante. Diyos at Jesucristo na mahal kita na tayo. 

I love and miss you all!

Sister Ashlyn Goodwin

PICTURES BEFORE I BEGIN: Mission Call, Endowment, Farewell, Setting Apart, & MTC Drop Off



 Graduation day AND a call to serve!

 

Endowment: June 25, 2015 

Farewell Friends

October 28, 2015





Peck Clan



Officially Sister Goodwin!...

Setting apart October 27, 2015

Grandma & Grandpa Peck

Grandpa & Grandma Goodwin

Jacob pretending to go on a mission 

(with a horse of course).

Saying Goodbye at the Provo Temple

October 28, 2015

"We go to the zoo now?!"

Daddy's girl

Mom's baby

Sad, sad, sisters!



Represent!



Posing like an idiot to make mom happy -

Mission accomplished!



  



Elder Richardson sighting!