After all the tribulations if a person truly endure it well, come the blessings. I'm so blessed to be assigned in this wonderful and consecrated area in Alegria Branch. Now, we are still on the process of planting after all that has been harvested in the previous weeks and I'm amazed how strong the converts are. We have a part member primary whose baptismal date is supposed to be this coming Saturday but as we observed, she needs more time to understand and remember the lesson but she has a great support from her family in coming to Church. Sister Jaynel Dalud, 12 years old, was baptized last Saturday and we saw her great potential since she's so smart as she passed the prebaptismal interview questions. We're looking forward for the progress of the other potential souls we've found and has been referred to us. Trials just come to them that's why they haven't come to Church last Sunday but they already prepared themselves. We will continuously help them be nourished with God's word through the Book of Mormon for them to have a pure testimony of the restored truth.

On the other hand, as we started to follow up the sisters in Surigao and Placer Zone, Bad as Sisters(Sis. Peralta and Sis. Pocong) are doing well that they truly are so diligent and finally they're blessed from their efforts to have 5 progressing souls. Surigao 2nd(Sis. Padillo and Sis. Gasmena) focused more on ministering yet they finally have 1 progressing soul who is truly potential and smart in scripture since I met him when I was still in Surigao. Washington Sisters(Sis. Manquiquis and Sis. Ybiernas) are doing pretty well with their work as they discern the progress of their 2 progressing people to be baptized at the right time. Taft Sisters(Sis. Daen and Sis. Dingcong) are recovering from 2 weeks no work because of Sis. Dingcong's health and as I've observed despite of Sis. Dingcong's condition last Sunday, with Sis. Daen's help, she is trying her best to become a blessing not only to her companion but also to the branch. I pray that it will be consistent and her health will progress and she can fight her weaknesses.

Companion:
Sister Macaorog welcomed me with a sweet spirit and diligent conviction in leading the area. She truly is so humble and I'm amazed with her courage and increased faith as she experienced two companions who are a few weeks home-bound already yet I never felt her decreasing effectiveness because of it. She truly can train a missionary already as I observed with her willingness to work and amazing skills in teaching. I never felt that I'm 2 cycles left and I won't let her feel it. I missed doing missionary work and now my prayers are answered. Her countenance outshines her desire to truly become a Christlike missionary.

Branch:
The branch gave me a warm welcome as I met every member of the Church. Our Branch Mission Leader had just been released and no one has been called yet that's why we don't have an MCM. But still, everyone are excited to give referrals. The RMs here are so active in coordinating with us in missionary work plans and activities. We just had a meeting last Sunday with Bro. Dolorfino together with DL, ZLs and STLs regarding the upcoming activities proposed to strengthen the whole Placer District. A missionary fireside will be held on Dec. 9 to strengthen members and missionaries to become more effective and efficient gospel teachers and on the next week by Dec. 15, we are going to have a member missionary District finding in Placer and Bad as to strengthen the other branches of Placer District. Everything has been settled and planned during the meeting.


Love,

Sister Cornillez  

We have a very challenging week and a week of resolution as well. As we struggled from our work, companionship and training, after much tribulations comes the blessings truly. Before the zone conference, everything has been settled as we strive to seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost and recognize the tender mercies of Christ despite of our weaknesses. We've met more potential people to be nourished and taught as well as families who are less active for a long time and they haven't realized that they are still members of the Church since they have changed religion. We ministered unto them and lifted them up with the message of happiness and we saw potential families to be nourished as we include them in our prayers and we planned to come back to them most of the days in a week. There are potential part members particularly the parents of the less active who softened their hearts as we shared them that families can be together forever. We came back as well to the Badjao Community and we planned to teach them how to read as well as to conduct English class as we saw potential people to receive the gospel in their lives. We discovered that they are open to other religion since some of them already has different religions such as Baptist, Born Again and etc. Our progressing person taught last week has not come to Church due to family problem but he said he'll come again next Sunday. 

Companionship:

Sister Dingcong is progressing thoroughly as she applied the things she'd learned during the zone conference. I saw her diligence and she's not anymore that sickly as I observe her condition not to be exhausted in everything that we do. We always discussed the learning we have during the zone conference as well as the breakthrough we will discover in our companionship and in our work during our companionship study. She's truly humble enough to accept improvement and motivations to go beyond the extra mile and discover her full potential gradually as a daughter of God.

Branch:

We're grateful to meet all the Branch Missionaries last Sunday and we felt gradually that we are earning their trust as we visit one by one, their families and residences and we witnessed their increased desire to share the gospel by applying it first to their lives. 

Personal Message:

 I prayed to Heavenly Father and repented of my shortcomings as well as the lacking faith I have every time I undergo depression. I always kept in mind that it will never happen again. I saw great potentials of my companion as we ministered individually to every member here in Taft Branch that she can manage already the depression she has sometimes undergone. She's so humble enough to seek for the guidance of the Spirit. 

Love,

Sister Cornillez

These week has lots of challenges but despite of everything, our week ends happily and give us more self-realization. Finally, we have a progressing person who was referred to us by Comon Family. Bro. Carlos Ruaza (16) is a boyfriend of the daughter of Sis. Comon, Sis. Dorima Joy who was a less-active for 2 years yet the Spirit prompted her to come back to church as she shared her experience to us last Sunday. Bro. Ruaza is a bit shy during our first teaching with him and he still struggled to pray, but we know that he can overcome it as Sis. Dorima is a great example to her. We warned them as well about the eternal perspective they need to have for them someday to enter the temple. On the other hand, we have another referral who is very receptive and potential yet we will work out first their marriage with the son of Sis. Salino who is now inactive(his husband). Sis. Angelica Flores has so much trials in her life even from her immediate family that the gospel truly touches her heart to have great hopes that someday they can build an eternal family and that her husband will truly change. I'm so happy that I learned the word patience - the true meaning of it - as I prayed and talk to Heavenly Father how to handle situations which is beyond my control. Regarding the Badjao Community by the way, we have not yet come back to their village yet we will strive to go back this week but we continuously greet and minister to some of them whom we meet in the streets every time we go out. They are those who truly lack temporally yet were humble enough to receive the gospel in their lives.

Gradually, we are meeting and visiting almost all the members of Taft Branch which they requested for us to do, even meeting the less active ones. They are very humble and kind, their weaknesses is just common to any of the members of the Church who truly is an opposition which truly is inevitable. My negative expectation of the area and the branch has been gone as we ministered unto God's children in this recovering branch. 

Sister Dingcong is in her 10th week of training. She's humble and kind. We have some struggles in her training and in our work as she struggled to apply the things she's learning. I always remind her of what faith in Jesus Christ can do to help us overcome everything even our doubts and fears. She just needs to be more diligent in studying as she consider her health as a hindrance. I applied a different strategy in training her than I used to since she has some innate behavior which I truly can't control. I don't want to pressure her yet I want to let her feel that missionary work is God's work and not ours. So we need to respect God's time and make use more wisely of his resources. Instead of telling her to do this and that, which she felt sometimes I think one of the reasons that depressed her of having lots of things to do - I don't want truly to spoon feed her - I received an inspired revelation as I plead with Heavenly Father and we made a different training which is not centered on apartment's study but more on application which is proselyting in the morning and afternoon, which turned out to make her feel satisfied and happy. Since she's used to work always in the afternoon and her training was in the morning before. Most of the time, I always let her lead in the planning and the time that we will go out. Again, instead of being a talker - I lead by example to her and let her use her agency if she'll gonna follow what I do - as the Spirit prompts her to do which is my continuous reminder to her to "Hearken always to the Spirit". That means not only hearing nor listening but listening at the same time obeying. Everything turned out well President.

We already have a gospel essential class and we finally determine who the Branch Missionaries are and we're so grateful that they set time to work with us in their available schedules. We are now closed to the Branch Leaders as we visit them and minister unto them into their homes lifting them up to look on the brighter side of every member of the Church.

 I am learning a lot. Sorry for the weaknesses that I have, and my heart and mind is determined not to go back to that depression again as I strive to have a meaningful prayer and scripture study everyday. I learned many things of respecting other's agency and thinking about their welfare and not insisting on what I wanted to happen, yet being just here, ready to facilitate if they needed help. We are now happy in our new apartment which is much better than the previous one. Everything is turning out well. Though I'm not an STL here, I continuously apply what I've learned before. I learned that leadership is truly not telling people to do this and that but a more effective way is to teach by example to them. Respecting their agency is the highlight yet continuous reminder is a sign as well of showing your care and love to them.

I love you all!!!!!

Love,

Sister Cornillez