Elder Jeffrey R. Holland to Visit Phillipines Cebu Mission

Dear Elders and Sisters,

We have been traveling with leadership meetings and district conference all week, so I am not able to write each of you an individual letter. However, we have a very special event to discuss.

On Thursday, October 20, 2011, we will receive a visit with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of Seventy, and Elder Michael John U. Teh of the Seventy. Elder Holland wishes to meet with the Missionaries from 4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. All missionaries are invited from each island. We will be using our preparation day for this visit, so we will be working on Wednesday and taking Thursday as our preparation day. Those traveling from the off islands will need to preserve their travel money to make sure they can pay the cost of transportation to Cebu. The meeting will be held at the temple complex stake center.

Elder Holland has requested that all missionaries are seated in their seats by 3:00 p.m., one hour early. We should quietly be reading the scriptures and pondering on things of the spirit. Missionaries should sit with companions.

Sister Schmutz and I desire that all missionaries are spiritually prepared to receive all the Lord would have us receive from Elder Holland, Elder Callister and Elder Teh. Therefore, I wish you to begin preparing now to purify yourselves and prepare your hearts. Make a commitment to be obedient in all things starting now. Study the scriptures and be prayerful to receive the spirit at the time of this meeting. There may be an opportunity to ask questions, so please give prayerful thought to any questions you might wish to ask. The questions should be sincere and respectful. Please fast on the day of the meeting. Those who are traveling please try to arrange to do all travel on the Thursday, the day of the meeting, if possible. Please work with your zone leaders and the assistants to travel together as much as possible.

This is such a wonderful blessing and rare opportunity to sit at the feet of our prophets and apostles. We are very excited that we were permitted to invite all missionaries on all the islands, but it is important that you sacrifice your preparation day on Wednesday for this purpose.

We love you and wish you a wonderful week. We look forward to seeing you on the 20th!

President and Sister Schmutz

Becoming A Senior Companion in the Philippines

Dear Fams!

Turns out that I transferred to BOHOL!! Baclayan Area. We are only a branch here in Baclayan. I am now a follow-up trainer!! My companion is Sister Akiatan. I was so shocked when I found out so was Sister Falculan. We told our investigators that she would be leaving, but turns out it was I who was transferring...

It is so different being a senior companion. It's not easy, but it gives me more freedom. Which I don't know if I like that or not.

For a CSP this past Monday we tore down a house and re-built it. It was awesome.

We live right across the street from the beach. We go running every morning on the pier. Its amazing!! I love the view.

We have been visiting investigators and Brother Archie Bernaldo lives in the jungle we had to hike one hour to get to him. It was worth it for the view. The trail hugs the edge of this river. Kids were rope swinging, and he lives at this resort house so you can image how pretty it is.

Our branch seems not that active in the work, but I set a meeting with President and with the ward mission leader. I hope that my first impression is not correct.

We have a baptism set for this next Saturday 23 July 2011. We will do everything we can to make it a success.

I am so tired after work, because all of the places we go its like a hike.Its called Baclayan which translates to walking for a good reason, because we do a lot of walking.

They say Bohol is a hard place for missionary work, but I have faith that if we work hard it won't be.

OFF ISLAND!!

Loving it!

Sister Bruno

Progress of Work in Philippines Cebu Mission

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Barbara Hansen <bhh1776@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 8:08 AM
Subject: Amazing!!!!
To:

Dear missionaries,  We just wanted to share the June statistics with you and celebrate our success together--100 baptisms!!!  Last week alone, 44 souls opened the doors to salvation.  Almost 10,000 people were invited to learn about the gospel.  President and I are so happy with your hard work and the love you have shown.  We see these statistics, not as a pinnacle or stopping place, but a starting place for President and Sister Schmutz to build on.  We know you can exceed the 1000 baptism mark by December, perhaps even 1100 in 2011!  As a mission, we currently have 531.  Congratulations and padayon palihog!  President ug ako nahigugma ka ninyo. 

Ayo Ayo

Sister Hansen

Reflections on Being Called to Serve Her Mission

I was set apart on October 3, 2010 at 6:00pm and up until that point it had not really hit me how close my mission really was.  I enter the MTC on October 6, 2010 at Noon.  I have one day to finish preparing to enter the MTC since I leave tomorrow the 5th of October at 8am.  I am excited to go to the MTC and meet everyone there and gain life long friends.  Right now its just a waiting game all I want to do is just be there and start learning what I need to learn for when I go to the Philippines!  I am excited for my dad to keep this blog and keep everyone updated on my adventure of being a missionary.  I know it is the only thing I want to be doing in my life at this time and it will shape me into the person I need to be.  These memories are forever and I will most likely reflect on these times even when I am elderly I believe I will state "ON MY MISSION..." and everyone will be like man you are so old they don't do that any more haha!!  Its time to give my self to the Lord see you in 18 months!!

Sister Annika Kamaleilani Bruno
Monday, 4 October 2010

The Adventures of Sister Annika Kamaleilani Bruno

My fourth daughter Annika Kamaleilani Bruno received her mission call this week to the Phillipines Cebu Mission. She was very excited to receive her call to a foreign-speaking mission.  Having spent the last school year at BYU-Hawaii Annika has a love for the Polynesian people. None of us were able to guess that she would be called to the Phillipines.  Even though much of the Phillipines speak Tagalog this island province speaks Cebuano so she will be learning a very regional dialect at the MTC.  Annika is to report to the MTC on Wednesday, October 6,2010.  The Adventures of Sister Annika Kamaleilani Bruno will record her thoughts, and experiences while serving her mission.