Week 43 Maligayang Kaarawan! = Happy Birthday

Week 43

Dear Fam and Frenz,

Its so good to email you all this week :) This week was another one that was just so busy from Monday to Monday. But it was a good one for sure. So transfers this week and I was transferred back the Mainland. Little bit bitter sweet to leave my little Coron family--I love that little branch with all my heart. But I had a great last week there that I can't wait to tell ya about.

So on Tuesday we had Claudine and Jecil's baptism--and it was THE BEST DAY EVER.  We were so busy all day getting everything ready and honestly this maybe could have been the best day of my mission. It was just the happiest moment ever to see a family take such an awesome step into the gospel path. Afterward Claudine and Jecil gave their testimonies and they really are the strongest people, and they know that the gospel is true.  I feel humbled that I could just be apart of the day and not screw up the piano playing too much haha.

Claudine & Jecil baptized March 21st

Claudine and Jecil's Baptism

At the baptism

Everyone at the baptism :)

It was a great birthday in Coron, my little family here threw my a birthday party and the members of the branch are super nice.  I am really gonna miss everyone here but it feels good knowing that I was able to serve here and meet all of the members and have the experiences I have had....GREAT DAY. And pictures to come 

Maligayang Kaarawan! = Happy Birthday

Then I flew on a plane...by myself...it was actually the funnest thing of my life because I haven't been completely alone for like 10 months now haha. I met some fun peeps on the way over. But anyway...I met my new companion Sister Petras!  She is awesome. She's from up North, She speaks Pangasinan--a dialect in the Philippines. She is seriously the best. I kinda knew her before but the first thing she said to me...as we were getting to know each other a little bit... was, "I like to eat food."  I laughed and laughed and laughed.  We have gotten off to a great start. My new Area is Mandaluyong 5th ward. Sister Petras has only been here for 6 weeks with a sick companion the whole time so we are basically starting fresh. Should be fun, I am excited.

Me getting dropped off at the airport :(

Saying goodbye to Branch Pres. & Sis. Adduru at the airport

New Companion--Sister Petras :)

The people here are super nice :) I actually was less than excited to transfer but everything here is just SOOOO different. I am excited to see what God has up his sleeve for us here. The rest of the week of me having no idea where we are all the time, meeting a lot of awesome members--we are back on the mainland so we have dinner appointments, giving 2 ladies in our ward rides on their wheel chairs at church, and us just meeting the craziest people ever. So next week I'll have more of a handle on who we are teaching and everything. 

To finish on a spiritual note is this week we met a lot of members and so we stuck with 3 Nephi 14: 24-27...about the wise man (matalinong tao) and the foolish man (Hangal na tao) We did a bunch of family nights and I taught everyone the song "The wise man built his house upon the rock..." And it was super fun but I was thinking about how important it is that we have that solid foundation in the gospel so that when trials come we don't have to be afraid. Loved that thought this week. And I also just love how the gospel is the same everywhere :) Great week.

Have a good week from Mandaluyong :)

Love, 

Sister Zarbock

Members of the Coron Branch

Sister in the Coron Branch

Crazy Sister I'll miss in the Coron Branch

More Coron members

New Area--Mandaluyong

New apartment

New apartment, companion, roomies

At the Bishop's house in Mandaluyong

Week 42 We went on Safari today!!

Week 42

Yes my Pday was awesome for a number of reasons today--one of them being is that I TOTALLY went on Safari earlier. Life is good, best early birthday present of my life!  Pictures to come.

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this week was a good one for everyone as usual :) This week has been a great one for the sole purpose that I got to come back to the cute branch here in Coron and get back to work in our little part of Philippines and this week has been so awesome. A lot of awesome lessons with my favorite people.  It felt so nice to just come home--it also feels so weird to know that I am starting to call my areas of my mission 'my home.' No matter where I go or where I end up, these little areas that I get to serve in are starting to leave a bigger and bigger impact on my life.  And I love that.

So Transfers are this week so stay tuned for that.  My hands are up in the air, I have no idea what is going down but I am always kind of excited to see where everyone ends up and all that good stuff.  We find out tomorrow.

This week has been dedicated to Claudine and Jecil--getting them ready for their baptism on Tuesday. They weren't quite ready for baptism this past Saturday because we had to finish their lessons...so we have literally been teaching them EVERY single night this week. They are troopers for sure.  But they passed their interview on Sunday so we are in the clear--I am SO SO SO excited for Tuesday, words cannot even express the love I have for these two.  Its so funny I feel like all of these people I am teaching are like my children of the gospel. Every time they make a tiny step to build their faith I feel like I am their proud parent on the side line. Its so funny. And while they were in their interview with President Adduru, I was looking through the window making sure they were okay--so many people made fun of me oh my gosh :)

Claudine and Jecil Clan

So we had lots of awesome lessons with Claudine and Jecil this week. One of them was when we were teaching Tithing. Strangely enough, through my whole mission teaching tithing is probably the most spiritually edifying lesson to teach. Claudine and Jecil have had a hard time finding jobs and everything since they have lived in Coron but she said that since they have been coming to church she feels that influence of the light of Christ, and the spirit literally has led them to find jobs and to be financially okay--so when we asked them if they would live the Law of Tithing it was just so cool for someone to really understand the importance to build the kingdom and that even our little contribution, our little ten percent really makes all the difference to God.  Way awesome lesson...Claudine and Jecil are so great. Everyone shoot some extra prayers their way.

Some updates on our peeps this week are Mary Jane--still going strong and her dog definitely attacked me this week but we are ALL good.  Great lessons with her this week. Anilyn and Gemilyn (Lupian Couples) are coming in nicely. Anilyn's due date for her baby is THIS week. Sooo it was an awesome lesson with her about where we come from and why we are here on earth.  They are so great. Suzanna has been like luke warm this week gosh dang it, so we will get her next week. 

Sara and her babies :)

Anilyn and Gemilyn

To finish up I have a quick spiritual schpeel. So this week was all about God giving us opportunities to grow, which I think with me (maybe with a lot of us) I accomplish something and get out of my comfort zone and then I like to go right back to being comfortable again :) This week I have learned how much God really wants us to keep progressing and as a mission we are reading the Book of Mormon in 90 days and earlier this week I read 2 Nephi 28:30..."that whoso receiveth, I will give more..." That if we take correction and continue to be humble God will just continually mold us to who he wants us to be :) and Sister Mislos favorite saying (my kabahay) that "all of these things shall give thee experience and be for thy good..." (I literally hear that everyday of my life) ;)

PS: Throat is feeling MUCH better :)

Love you all, 

Sister Zarbock

St. Patrick's Day bash!

Found this on St. Patrick's Day "Lucky Abby" :)

Cool place where we had dinner

Bible study with the Adduru's

P-DAY!!!

More P-DAY!

On Safari :)

Giraffes on Safari

Turtles on Safari

Disgusting huge snake on Safari

This was definitely NOT on Safari--it was in our house

Mislos Rock climbing every day of my life

Week 41 "Are you humble enough?" -President Ostler

Week 41

Something President Ostler said to me when we were talking this week in my interview--I have been thinking about it all week :) 

Dear Fam and Frenz and aso and pusa..,

Well hello all :) So grateful to be emailing this week---I feel like the weeks are getting faster and faster. I can't catch up so I am just soaking in all the moments. Missions are just awesome :) Haha a lot of unexpected things happened this week but it has been just a fun one to remember so lets get right to it :) 

So we had Zone Conference and Interviews this week--so we flew out to Manila round 2 in 3 weeks. But Zone Conference is always a blast--you get to see all your mainland friends, stay with some fun sisters, I saw my Nanay. It was definitely fun to catch up and swap stories. Also there was just an awesome message of Zone Conference about families and staying on the gospel path. I really loved it because I think before my mission I didn't really pay attention to the importance and the difference the gospel makes in my own life but seeing people that don't have the gospel and then accept the gospel--their lives are changed for the better. It just makes me want to stay worthy, live the commandments, and all that fun stuff for the rest of my life :)  So really awesome message from that. 

Zone Conference--seeing my favorite Sisters

My District at Zone Conference :)

First Round of Sisters we stayed with in Manila

Sister Holzworth--my Nanay!

Then my life got real interesting when I decided to get my throat checked up at the hospital this week haha--I have talked like a frog for the past 6 months so I was ready to figure it out. That was a fun experience to say the least. So we stayed in Manila for the rest of the week while I got that all checked out. Nothing super immediate but something with my vocal chords???  All I know is they gave me some fancy medication to take. Haha and the Doctor says this is common with Pastors and Artist singers and I made it a point to tell him that I am both of those things. So we changed houses to stay with Sister Singer which was SUPER fun :) She has a new child and it just reminds me of the glory days when I was trying to learn this crazy language. Now I know a little bit more than I did back then. Good times. We had Shakey's Pizza so you can't go wrong. 

Sisters we met up with at the hospital while I was getting my throat checked out!

Second Round of Sisters we stayed with--Sister Singer!!!

Shakeys PIZZA

So I spent the last week in my old stomping grounds of MAKATI :) What the weird am I right??? We literally had so much fun--but I do miss the little Coron branch and am so excited to go back tomorrow :) I visited Angelie, Jason and Phoebe are pregnant and still planning on being sealed in September :) super cool story with that actually. So when I started teaching them they had a miscarriage and that was a big reason why Jason wanted to baptized because he felt peace about the situation by going to church. And when I went to the temple with them to do baptisms for the dead last November Phoebe said she prayed SO hard that they could have a baby and then I was transferred but a month later she found out she was pregnant!!!!!! :) That's what she told me when I saw her at church on Sunday. So super awesome--and I cried haha. :) Tender mercy for their cute family. 

Sweet Phoebe who we baptized with her husband Jason!

So this week has been a little different just because we didn't get to work in our area haha but its been fun to be able to see all my fun friends here in Makati :) But super excited to return back tomorrow :) Thanks for the emails and thoughts from family and friends...I really REALLY appreciate and love all you :) 

Love, 

Sister Zarbock

Roger from Africa who I taught with Sister Walters.  He got baptized!

Visiting Makati 3rd Ward

Packages from home!!!  Picked them up while I was in Manila

HUMP DAY camel and T-shirt in my package!!!