Month: September 2018

Growing Grace by Grace

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Hello hello,

Maryland has been full of rain and all sorts of fun things!

This week I went on exchanges with my trainer Sister Friel. Our good friend did not get baptized yet, but we are waiting for a confirmation to proceed this Saturday. He is beyond ready!! We announced the official music pieces we will perform for the Christmas program, we are beginning rehearsals starting Friday!

Something that we talked about in church this week is the story of Christ teaching a Samaritan woman (John 4:5-29). Something that stood out to me, is that she had a teachable heart.

To me, when you have a teachable heart it means that you are humble and willing. You have potential to grow and to change. You are accepting of nourishment.

This week I had an experience with a woman from Wyoming, a member of The Church feeding us dinner and with my own companion.

All of these people just needed to know they were not failing. A reminder to be gentle on themselves and not be self-critical. As I beheld each of these women, I perceived they had teachable hearts.

I know that God has created us to be who we are, and who we are is enough. I know that Jesus Christ fills in for our lack of confidence, the tough days and the places we feel we fall short. There is no way that

Today I had to remember these things for myself.

We grow grace by grace.

Love love love,

Sister Dalisay

PS – ONE WEEK UNTIL THE FLOOD!!! I am excited to meet them all!!
Sister Edwards and I will be staying together in College Park. 🙂

The art is a beautiful piece by Rose Datoc Dall. Read the description if you have time!

I say unto you, Be One

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Hi!!

How crazy, I’ve hit my 10 month mark, DOUBLE DIGITS!!! Uh oh, now I actually have to be an example..

By the way, false alarm, turns out we didn’t really get hit by Hurricane Florence. :/

I’m glad! Certainly!…. was just hunkering down sleeping in my new bright pink raincoat with new batteries in my flashlight, extra food in the cupboard, and a bucket of water in the bathtub for fun. 🙂

Kidding.. about the batteries and extra food. I never put in new batteries and we bought extra food but it must not have been very extra because I we ate it all.

ANYWAY,
some new things to share..

We have a dear friend from Sierra Leone getting baptized on Saturday! We are so excited for him!!! He was already a Christian before, so it has been cool to see his conversion to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sister Edwards and I have been making up a song called The Doctrine of Christ. We started singing it at doorsteps (before they open the door) to pump us up and make the work more fun!

We even sang it to a Catholic family going to the pool.

We are not finished with it, but I promise you will all hear it soon on Facebook before this transfer ends!

I’ve had a couple of really beautiful experiences this week.

I wish I had more time to share them, but this will have to suffice –

1. As we were wrapping up our last online coaching session, our coach asked us about how our online teaching reaffirms our testimony of the Savior. As I was talking, I was filled with so much love and appreciation for the Savior. I’ve been trying to serve a mission for years. I always said God gave me a choice, that I didn’t have to go on a mission. That is true – however, I strongly in those moments felt that I am so lucky to be so involved, even in becoming a leader in the new online teaching. I finally am starting to feel like I am able to somewhat grasp what "teaching in the Savior’s way" actually means.

2. There have not been many times in my life where I have swallowed my pride and apologized. I can testify, that even if you did not do anything wrong, if you begin to even experience the slightest bit of resentment, frustration, or anything negative,

you need to repent. You need to change your heart and be open and honest so you can be one with God and be filled with the joy of the Spirit. It is immediate. Be free.

1 Nephi 18:16

Have a great week!! Can’t wait to show love to all the newbies!!!!

Love love love,
Sister Dalisay

Hurricane Hope

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Hello hello!!

This week I’ll have to hurry, there’s a HURRYcane on its way!! 😀

I hope you are doing so well!! More leaves are turning brown. The seasons are changing and there actually is a hurricane hitting the east coast this weekend. The Washington DC South Mission had to evacuate all of its missionaries. We are the Washington DC North Mission, and though we will be experiencing severe flooding, wild winds and rains, we shouldn’t need to evacuate. We might need to stay indoors though..

I’ll update you on Hurricane Florence next week though. 😉

This week was a little difficult for me. It’s funny, often I feel like it’s been a good week and we’ve accomplished so much, but at the same time it often feels it’s been an exhausting week and that we haven’t done anything at all.

This week has been more of a "Thy will be done not mine" week.

Okay, if I’m being honest, it’s been more of a "WHAT IS THY WILL??"

But I can honestly say, if you do literally ALL you can to make something happen, if it is truly God’s will, He will help you make it happen.

Sometimes things don’t work out, and that’s okay.

The mission experience of the day is about Sister Edwards.

She is so sweet! One day this week it was pouring rain!! We were at a stoplight and this lady was waiting for the cross walk light, drenched from head to toe. Sister Edwards wanted to give her an umbrella. So we rolled down the window and gave her a spare we had. The lady’s face lit up. By that look in her eyes, you could tell she was so grateful.
Her eyes were so illuminated with hope and joy! Hope for relief from pelting rain, sure, but hope nonetheless.

It made me think of how if we allow it to, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can give us similar relief. Sure, we will still be soaked, but with Christ it gets so much better!

I’m grateful for a compassionate companion. That’s one of her strengths.

Toodles,

Sister Dalisay

I am His daughter

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Hello friends!!

Sadly this season is coming to an end.

Not sure if I mentioned that we are doubling the number of sister missionaries serving in the Washington DC Temple Visitors’ Center, but there will be 60 of us by Christmas! The flood of the first 15 new sisters comes next transfer in October.

Most of the sisters who were my examples when I first came in have left and are leaving by the end of the year. They have served valiant missions!

And, the leaves are just starting now to fall off the trees.

I’ve officially experienced 3 seasons here on the east coast, and can’t wait to experience all 4!! Autumn is one of my favorite times of year!!

This week Sister Edwards received a flash drive of music from a friend of hers. For a period of about 4 days, it has been playing the same 5 songs over and over again. One of those songs is called, I Am His Daughter.

The lyrics go like this:

"There’s so much more to me,
He helps me see that I have so much to offer,

I am his daughter.

He loves me the way I am,
He’s my strength when I stand,
He is my King and my Father,

I am his daughter"

I used to listen to that song a lot before my mission. Hearing it, with the beautiful companion I have now, has a different meaning.

I had a brief moment this week sitting at a red light singing along to that chorus, when I suddenly felt overwhelmed by so much heavenly love for my companion, gratitude for my own life and peace.

I believe that one day we will all, whether we believe in God or not, will be resurrected.

One day we will stand before God to be judged of our works and the desires of our hearts.

Can you imagine the love He has for you?

Not I, nor you, could begin to fathom the amount of pure love He will behold you with on that day.

God is merciful, yet God is just.

That doesn’t change the fact He is our Father, and though the way we spend our eternity at the last day will depend on our choices, He is always hopeful we chose eternal life.

There’s so much more to you than you know. You are the daughter or the son of a righteous and profound Heavenly Father.

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? (3 Nephi:13)

This I know, so much that it breaks my heart and heals it all at once, in the name of Christ.

Long live the green summer leaves,

Sister Dalisay