Dec. 29, 2014 - Hauoli Makahiki Hou!!

...And a Happy New Year!! 

Well first of all, it was just a DELIGHT to talk to you on Christmas!!!!! You guys are the best :) 

This week was spectacular!! It was the best Christmas week ever. :)  Here are some daily highlights:

Monday: There's this one ADORABLE family who comes into the Visitors Center every Sunday night, the Macdonalds. So since they're tight with the sisters, they decided to host a Christmas dinner party for all of us! But it wasn't just any Christmas dinner, it was a "Night in Bethlehem" dinner. So we had to enter at the proper east gate, "pay" to enter and to get food (with smarties), and eat our crackers and cheese on the floor. At the end we watched the Nativity bible video. Even though it was the zillionth time I had seen it, it still struck me with such power. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father loves us enough to send His only Begotten Son to us!! He is the only way to true peace and happiness, and only through Him have I felt that. 

Tuesday: Temple trip!! I know I probably say this every month, but I LOVE the temple. I am so grateful to be in a mission where I get to go monthly and be on the temple grounds daily. It truly has a spirit of peace that you cannot find anywhere else on this earth. That's why it's often called a "refuge from the world." And I always feel added strength and insight every time we go. 

Wednesday: Christmas Eve! The Visitors Center was still open until 6, but proselyting ended at 2:30. So we got to spend some time on our online area (emailing and calling people who have come into the VC and left their information). So that was great to catch up on! Then at night all the VC sisters had a Christmas program- dinner together, white elephant, and then we watched some bible video's from Christ's life and shared our testimonies and sang Christmas hymns... it was lovely. It was very spiritual and nice to really focus on Christ. 

Thursday: Christmas! We spent all morning delivering gifts to ward members, then we went to our Christmas lunch at Sister Rodriguez's home (where I skyped you from)! It was DELICIOUS and I love Filipino food. Sister Rodriguez is one of my favorite people in this whole world. She doesn't have any family, and she doesn't have very many things. But despite her very humble circumstances, she is ALWAYS serving others. She is just so willing to GIVE everything she has. She's definitely one of the most Christ-like people I know! Then fast forward... caroling at a care center.... skyping with you!!..... then at night we all got to come to the VC to watch "Forgotten Carols." It is such an inspiring movie! Well it's actually a play that was recorded, but it's so good and you should watch it sometime!!

Okay well I'm running out of time... and this email is massive..... but rest assured Friday through Sunday were great as well!!! I love you so much and I hope you had a wonderful, happy, Christ-centered Christmas, and I hope you have a very happy new year!! I'm thinking of you and praying for you!! This church is TRUE!!! 

With much aloha,

Sister Sabey

1: Christmas Eve with the padmates :)

 2: Lunch @ Sis Rodriguez's

3: Christmas in Bethlehem

Dec. 22, 2014 - Sending you ALL MY LOVE this Christmas!!!!

My wonderful Ohana, I just want you to know I love you SO very much!!!!!! I hope you have the happiest Christmas ever! Thank you for your love, I really have the best family in the whole world. I'm so happy to be serving the Lord at this time of year. Know that my thoughts and prayers are always going to you!!! <3 

MIRACLE of the week: Sister Latu and I were just walkin down the street in our area visiting people, as per usual. When all of a sudden..... we spotted a non-member out checking her mail!!!!!!!! A rare sight to see in Laie!! Okay so we just "happened" to be walking by at the exact moment that she came out from behind the big gate that is never open. (Sister Latu had just been saying that she didn't know who lived behind it, and no one else did either because the gate was usually closed.) But alas, there we were, in the same place at the same time. Coincidence?? I think NOT! So we start talking to her, and she's a really sweet lady named Jenny, probably in her early 30s, and she's from England. She said she's been here "quite a while," but not in Laie specifically. During our conversation her husband came up to us and said "We're Catholic." and left.... haha...but Jenny seemed really open! I was just reflecting on that experience, and I'm just so amazed at how Heavenly Father really answers our prayers. We always pray that we will be in the right place at the right time, and that those who are prepared will be put into our path..... and this was just a very clear and direct answer to that prayer. Even though this is Laie and generally people like to think that there is no one to teach... I know that there is always someone to teach, or else Heavenly Father wouldn't have put us here. So I don't know what will happen with Jenny, but the ward will help us in getting in with her and her husband. I'm really excited! I'll let you know how it goes! 

In other news, a highlight of the week has been meeting with our ward's "Sassy Sisters." It's a group of cute old ladies in our ward (widows) who are besties and call themselves the Sassy Sisters. I love talking to them. They have so many wonderful experiences to share and wisdom to impart. And they are some of the most faithful women I have ever met! Some are converts, and some have been members their whole lives. But they are all so strong in the Church. They love the gospel, and it really shows. 

Well, I'm so excited for Christmas!!! It's already been a great one so far!!! I'll talk to you soon! :) 

<3, Sister Sabey

picture:

Making Lumpia!! (my favorite Filipino dish) :):) 

PS.  WOWMOM...... thank you soooo much!!!!!!! It has seriously been SUCH A DELIGHT to open those 12 days of Christmas packets!!!!!!! Seriously, you put so much work into that scrapbook and I appreciate every last ounce of it!!!! It's the cutest, most heart-warming gift ever!!! It makes me not even feel sad or homesick in the slightest because I feel close to the whole family! And I was literally crying I was laughing so hard when I read Sam's letter. And everyone's letters just make me SO SO happy, and I just can't thank you enough!!!!!!!!!! You always know EXACTLY what I need and want!!! Thank you for being so generous and inspired. 

I just keep feeling so humbled and grateful for how many blessings I receive every day. I really don't deserve all that I receive... it's just because I have such loving people around me who are so kind and selfless and gracious. 

Dec. 15 - Mele Kalikimaka!!

"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright, Hawiian Christmas day! That's the island greeting we send to you from a land where palm trees sway!"

Merry Christmas in Hawaiian! This is from a song that is played everywhere this time of year. I hope everyone is having a happy Christmas time!!! Thank you for all the emails about how much you are serving this season. That really is the best way to have a meaningful and happy Christmas! :) 

So, funny story. Once upon a time I went on exchanges with Sister Chang!! In the morning of our exchange, I woke up not feeling so great, so I asked if I could have an Ibuprofen. So she gave me one and I felt so much better! And then we went to district meeting, and our new DL Elder Young Yen from Samoa made us panikeke... which is like a delicious fried doughnut ball of goodness. It was so good. After I ate it, I started feeling kind of sleepy.... I thought it was probably just all the grease and sugar. So we headed to the VC for morning shift like normal. As we were welcoming people and taking tours I was feeling so dizzy and confused and had a really hard time opening my eyes every time I blinked. I turned to Sister Chang and said "I feel like I took nyquill or something...." Sister Chang just gasped and then started laughing...... apparently she had given me Benadryl... the extra power kind that knocks you out for the night. If you've ever tried to stay awake after taking that stuff.... it does crazy things to your brain. So, that was a memorable VC shift! Or.. maybe not so memorable because I can't remember half of it....... So yeah. Good times. :) Sister Chang felt really bad about if after, but I just teased her that she drugged me because it was her first exchange as sister trainer. 

In other news, there have been MIRACLES!!! On Thursday, the mission bough tickets for all the missionaries and their investigators to go to "Christmas Lagoon." It's like a boat ride around the PCC they do every year that goes through the story of the Nativity and then has Christmas culture celebrations from all around the world. It's a super spiritual and fun event. Anyway, there's this one non-member in our area, Azlina, who Sister Latu had just met a couple of times and was apparently not that interested. But we felt like we should stop by her house one night even though it was already 8:45pm and we probably could have just gone home. But she actually answered the door (which hardly ever happens in Laie once it's that late) and was happy to talk to us! We invited her and her family to come to Christmas Lagoon (her son is actually a recent convert, but he went less active soon after he was baptized). And automatically she said she would love to come! So on Thursday night, all three of them showed up!! We had to stand in line for an hour, which was actually a really good thing because we got to spend that time getting to know them and building a relationship of trust. And then they LOVED the presentations, and I think they could really feel the Spirit. Then afterwards, she invited us to come back to their home!! They were a lot of simple miracles, but miracles nonetheless! 

Okay well I love you all soooo much!!!!! I think about you and pray about you always!

Much much aloha,

Sister Sabey

pictures:

1: merry Christmas!!!

2: My lovely Sister Chang! <3 

3: Christmas Lagoon!

Dec.11 - Decorating pad for Christmas

 Dear Family,

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the Christmas decorations package!!!!!!!!! Our pad is just looking delux!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes it feel so christmasy and warm. My padmates love it too. It made us so happy!!! You are so thoughtful!!! And Sister Latu says thank you and that she loves you!!! 

Our missionary pad all decorated with the decorations you sent!

Merry Christmas!

Dec 9 - Ofa Lahi Atu

Aloha my lovelies!!!

Ofa Lahi Atu= I love you very much, in Tongan. Thank you for your emails, I love being connected with you even though we're so far away. :) 

Well this week has just been spectacular. My first week with my new companion Sister Latu and in these wards! Sister Latu is so sweet. She's from Salt Lake City, but she's Tongan and speaks the language, because her parents are from Tonga. And since there are so many Tongans it's really fun being around her! Plus, she's related to everyone. Literally all four Polynesians serving at the VC are related haha. 

It's kind of weird being back in a family ward after being in YSA and Married Student.... it's funny how different they are. (everyone here seems so old, even though I think it's just a normal ward haha). I definitely miss being on campus, but it's been really fun getting to know Laie 2nd and 3rd wards! So far, we've had some really great miracles. We have this one investigator named Ernest Golden. He graduated from BYUH and has lived here in Laie ever since...... and he's 93 years old.  So, as you can imagine, he's already heard a bit about the church. His wife was actually a member, but went super less active for the last part of her life. After she passed away last year, he became very interested in what happens to us after we die. So he's been meeting with the missionaries for about a year now, and to be honest I don't think he's ever been really progressing. But he is so passionate about this spiritual journey that he's on, and I really think he's getting closer.  I think the Lord sends non-members to Laie who He knows will soften their hearts after a lot of persistence. Because we don't have a boatload of non-members to teach, so any non-member who ends up here is very well acquainted with missionaries :) If anyone has the ability to be persistent, the Laie VC sisters do. Even though he's not technically "progressing" (YET!) according to our numbers, I know the Spirit is working on him. He's been slowly softening ever since the 70s, but especially in this past year.  So I'm really excited to continue to work with him! 

So this week was Mission Tour!!!!!!! It was AWESOME. Elder Daniel L. Johnson came to speak to us. All the missionaries on Oahu came together in Milliilani (an hour outside of Laie) for the training, and all the stake presidents and bishops and ward mission leaders were invited too (so I got to see some of my full-field humans!!!!!). In the middle of the training he had us do an activity. He told us to go with any leadership from our ward who had come, and we were to teach them one principle from PMG, and then ask them for referrals. So we went into a room with our two bishops, and we taught about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. We had absolutely no time to prepare, but it was amazing how much the Spirit helped and guided us. When we asked for referrals, and they were actually able to give us a good list of people! One of our Bishops gave us a name of a less-active man that he said he would never have thought to have us visit. It was really an indicator that it was the Spirit who gave him that name, that it wasn't from himself. We really don't know who needs the gospel, and we don't know who is prepared. Only Heavenly Father knows. That's why it's so important to always listen to and follow the Spirit, because He will always guide us to those who are prepared. 

Okay sorry this email is so massive. One more thing! So during the mission tour, Elder Johnson asked who knows more than 50 non-members... everyone raised their hand. More than 100 non-members... everyone kept their hands raised. Then he asked how many of us have introduced them to the missionaries...and almost every hand went down. So I didn't really realize HOW many people I know from home who aren't members, and I can't believe I never even tried to share the gospel with them. So, to my folks at home..... start introducing!! You won't lose friends, you'll just give them opportunities to be HAPPY and FREE. Heavenly Father is preparing people to receive the gospel, and YOU could be the one to help them to it. But you never know if you don't ask. THEY'LL never know if you don't ask. So start making your lists of people and start inviting! :) 

Oh, and mom to answer your question... nothing really different happened because of Pearl Harbor Day. At least in Laie... probably they did something big in Pearl Harbor/my old area. I know TONS of high school bands have been coming to the PCC because they're hear to play at the memorial. I actually kind of forgot about it until in Sacrament meeting when a cute old man bore his testimony and said how he was here when it happened. 

Well, anyway! I love you all sooooo much!!! 

Pictures:

1- Me and Elder Abquina (my zone leader for four transfers) (He's the Filipino one) and Elder Ewing from Waipahu Zone at MISSION TOUR! 

2- I think I already sent this picture... but it's the only one I have of me and Sister Latu! She's the beautiful Tongan below me in the purple. :)

3- This place is paradise. 

Dec. 4- Merry Christmas from the Visitor Center

Dec 1 - AloHa

My dearest family!!

Sorry I don't have a ton of time today, but here are my highlights of the week:

-Thanksgiving!!! So since we cover ten wards, we were invited to TEN Thanksgivings, plus some extra random ones. But we didn't go to all of them, even though we tried haha. We first went to Thanksgiving with the Malaysian Chapter, because we've been working with a couple from Malaysia in one of our Married Student wards. There was no turkey, it was all just Malaysian food! And holy cow.... I've never experienced anything more spicy in my entire life. They made some chile, which is normally something you would eat by the spoonful... But I put about four drops of it onto a big scoop of rice... and I was still crying when I ate it. And so was Sister Na who is Korean and loves super spicy foods. It was madness. But super fun!!! Then our other wards had rice (always), turkey, and the usual Thanksgiving foods.

 -One of our Married Student wards did a leftovers lunch and for the activity a color fight!! We couldn't participate, but we got to watch and photograph from afar. 

-So we got transfer news last night!! I was expecting to stay in this area with Sister Na.... but Heavenly Father has different plans for me. So I'm leaving BYUH campus and going to serve in Laie 2nd and 3rd wards. At least I'll still get to go to two wards on Sunday though instead of the usual five. Any less than that would just feel weird at this point haha. But I'm actually going back to my old pad again. It's funny because my whole mission I've gone between the two beach pads, back and forth. There are about 5 pads up by the temple and 2 by the beach... Heavenly Father just knows me so well and that I need that beautiful view every day :) And remember Sister Jenkins my MTC comp? Well we're just switching places and companions and areas! Haha. It will be nice though. I won't be a sister trainer anymore, but I think that's normal since usually we get released after three transfers. I've learned so much though and I'm so grateful for all the experiences I've had!! 

<3<3<3<3<3 you all!!!!!

sister sabey

Pictures- 

1. Malaysian Chapter!

2. Color Fight

3. ILOVETURKEY

(haha sorry my pictures and email was mostly about food... I'll tell you something real next week when I have more time!)