"Lights Will Guide You Home"

We are now in Olongapo at the mission home.This morning, I woke up in
an air conditioned room, took a shower with hot water, and washed my
clothes in a washing machine. It all felt really weird to me. (This
morning, I taught the filiipinos that were leaving, how to use a
washing machine and dryer. ) :)

I am strangely calm. I am not nervous or scared to leave. There are
plenty of people that I will miss terribly, but I am anxious to see my
family and friends. I am ready and content with what I've done and
with where I'm going after my mission.

I've also noticed that memories of my life have been flashing back to
me this past week, especially. It was during my personal study last
week, when I just starting singing, 'Fix You.' I thought I had
forgotten the words to that song, but it strangely and surprisingly
came back. My mouth knew it, even though my head didn't.

I feel satisfied. I am happy. I completed my work here. I've finished
the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. I've come out full
of sicknesses, experiences, scars, but most of all, I've come out full
of faith. Before my mission, I lacked faith.

I just want to say this the simplest way I can: I love Jesus. He lives
and it is a beautifully simple truth.

love you all.

I have a cup that is running over.

Hello,

I don't know what to say right now.

1 Corinthians 13:12

I have around 15-20 boils on my body now. If it wasn't for this, I
would be more conflicted in my feelings regarding coming home. My body
is begging for rest and in that sense, I am anxious to return to my
normal, healthy state of being.

I wrote in my journal yesterday, "I realized that it may be possible
to endure something if it is for someone else-maybe ideally out of
love. I may never do the things I'm doing or suffer the things I'm
suffering, if it was for myself only. I mean- if I had no love or no
vision of the effect of this work. I would never do it. I wouldn't
suffer it, but once I love someone, once I desire their happiness,
then and only then, I find strength to continue and often times to
continue suffering." Life is more harsh and yet more beautiful because
of it's oppositions.

We had a district conference yesterday in Lubao and Elder Misalucha
spoke. I learned things that I've never noticed before about the
sacrament.
(2 Ne 2:7 3 Ne 9:20 Ether 4:15)

I also saw the members from Lubao, and said goodbye to them. I almost
started to cry when I said goodbye to my former branch president in
Lubao, President Juco. He thanked me for my work in Lubao, and I
thanked him as well. It was a beautiful thing to come back to my first
area and see the changes and the progress there. I saw some of my old
investigators that have since been baptized. I saw a less active man
who we taught, and who has since returned into activity. It's
incredible.

I'm overwhelmed by the experiences that my God has given me. I am
forever grateful for my time here and at the same time am anxious to
go home, and be better equipped to love and serve those around me. I
don't want that to sound cheesy or self-righteous, but I am excited to
use and apply the things I've learned to my life, school, and with my
family and friends.

I better understand the idea of 'conversion to the gospel.' I know
that this it is a life-long process to be able to just retain the
faith we have and at the same time, to push towards becoming more
'holy', more 'unspotted from the world.' (James 1:27) I have a long
ways to go.

I am overwhelmed with a pure gratitude to my God. I can't express
everything that I would love to express.

I love you all. Thank you for your support during this 18 month journey.

Have faith. Even if you don't have any faith, start moving.Start seeking.

--Sister Daniele Vickers

Hell is a Deep Sleep

This is something that pierced my brain a few days ago. Maybe hell is
ignorance or is maybe just a lack of awareness-a lack of light.

On a lighter note, the phrase, "It's hotter than hell," has much more
meaning for me now. It actually may be an accurate statement to say
that GuaGua is hotter than hell. From morning until evening, I am
soaked in my own sweat.

The most exciting news this week is that Elsa Yambao was baptized! Her
son, Eric John baptized her. : ) This is a picture of the four of us.

We found out that our area will become two areas, and that there will
soon be four missionaries here in GuaGua. Our mission president has
approved the new apartment that we found and we will be moving this
Thursday/Friday. We are preparing the new apartment, area books, etc.
for the new missionaries. I am really really happy about this. GuaGua
is such a huge area and the work will continue to progress even faster
when there are four missionaries here.

I got a letter from a dear friend this week and it reminded me of the
beauty of experiencing pain and then witnessing the miracle of
healing. In the pile of fortune cookie fortunes that he sent, I found
one that seemed appropriate, especially amid witnessing the physical
weaknesses of my body (and spirit) : Time Heals All Wounds.

(thank you EB!)

Despite feeling only slightly inclined to really describe what I'm
feeling, I think I'll hold off until I can properly process what it is
that I'm feeling. I have 13 days until I leave my area and return to
our Mission Home in Olongapo. 14 days and then I see my mom. 25 days
and then we're landing in Portland.

A splitting of the brain may be the best way to describe what I'm feeling.

WELL, SEE YOU ALL SOON.

-Sister DV

2 Ne 1:13-14

Great and Spacious

We had a surpise transfer. Sister Ticzon got transferred to an area in
Zambales. It was probably the worst transfer of my mission because we
really weren't expecting it. They're changing the transfer dates of
all of the missions around the world, so that they are more uniform.
Anyways, my new companion is Sister Maricris Bacarro from Lucena,
Quezon. She has a great laugh and teaches very simply and directly.
I've learned a lot from her in our 5 days together here in GuaGua.

We have another baptism next week-Elsa Yambao. She is Rodel's wife;
Rodel was baptized 2 weeks ago. She is great and we are really excited
for her. It's exquisite to see the progress of the people that we've
taught here in GuaGua. By the time they are ready for baptism, they're
teaching us and sharing with us things that they are learning, and
it's a really sweet experience.

My birthday was a very normal day. :) It's my second birthday on the
mission, and it's hard to feel like I celebrated it, without my family
and friends nearby. A member gave me an egg pie which was very kind.
Other than that, we worked and came home and then went to bed.

I have another stye in my eye and 2 (hopefully only 2) more boils.
Lack of sleep and high stress might be responsible. Because I'm
finishing up my work here on my mission in less than 3 weeks, I'm not
terribly worried. I'll have a lengthy time to rest when I get home.
(It's interesting that in times like this, I've come to better
appreciate people in my life, who I miss and love. I was trying to
figure out why being sick on my mission feels so much worse than when
I'm at home. I realized that since I was a child, my father was a
source of information and support whenever I was sick. On my mission,
I feel a little too separated and it makes things a bit difficult.)

I learned something yesterday- that despite being in physical pain,
it's actually possible to transcend that. There were times yesterday
when I forgot whatever pain I was feeling, and instead felt joy at the
message we were sharing. Its the weirdest, most illogical kind of joy.
I can't explain it. I feel weird for saying it, but it's true.

Ian is amazing and for our lesson, he brought a notebook with notes.
Instead of us symbolically 'feeding him', he's starting to feed
himself. It's incredible. He's doing his own studying, his own
reading, his own research. It's so great. He still is struggling with
coming to church because of his family situation, but we are trying to
help him with this so that he can continue to grow and experience the
joy of 'living the gospel' instead of just reading or only studying
it. He also has been smoking for about one year, and after we taught
him the Word of Wisdom, he began to make steps to quit smoking and be
free from that addiction. I have really never seen someone so quickly
embrace the gospel and really feast 'upon the word of Christ.' (2
Nephi 31:20)

If it wasn't for being sick, a part of me would love to continue on in
my mission instead of going home. But, I'm starting to feel the need
to rest and to heal from the various health problems I've experienced
on my mission. I am mostly full of mixed feelings about going home. To
be honest, it still hasn't really fully settled into my brain that I'm
leaving. Anyways, I love you all.


1 Ne 11:36, 15:3-11--(What does 'humility' mean?)