Above:  Me and my signing buddy in the MTC! She was studying to become an interpreter for the Deaf as well! We chatted in sign whenever we saw each other. So much fun! It felt so good to sign!

Below: My district in the bus off to the airport!! We were on our way!!! It was a weird feeling to drive out of the MTC boundaries....

Below:  I found Elder Jordan Cook in the MTC, so we had to get a picture together! (side note from Stephanie: Jordan Cook is an old family friend from many years ago!)

Amy's November 26th letter!

 
Kamusta kayo pamilya ko at mga kaibigan ko!!!

I am in the Philippines!!! How crazy is that?? I officially missed my birthday! Steph, I'm sad to say it, but you are now one year older than me. ;)  I had about 5-10 minutes or so of my birthday, and then the time zone changed and it was the next day. It's been a fun joke. :)

It was so good to talk you at the airport! Dad, I am so sorry it didn't work out. I think Steph sent you an email telling you what had happened, but I didn't see your other email telling me which number to call until later, so I called your cell a couple times, and it ate up minutes. I wanted to try to call you in Hong Kong, but unfortunately we didn't have any time. We had to go straight away to our next flight.

The flight was long, but I was able to sleep for a lot of it, so it wasn't so bad. I was able to get a lot of journal writing time in, and studying, too. It was weird to be in the plane for about 16 hours without seeing the sun until the very end. When the sun finally caught up to us, the sunrise was gorgeous!  When we arrived, we gathered our things, and found our way outside into the humidity to find our ride. A Filippino brother approached us and let us know he was our ride. He spoke very little English, and we spoke very little Tagalog, but we were able to communicate well enough. :)  I think we were all pretty nervous, but I was stinkin' excited at the same time! We drove to the mission home, and I was soaking up every detail I could. Tyler, you're right. Driving here is crazy! There aren't really any rules or lanes, so people have to be extremely aggressive if they want to get anywhere. Traffic is crazy, and people jay walk all the time. I was pretty shocked at first, but I think I'm used to it now. The roads are very noisy.

After meeting with the mission president and his wife along with all of our trainers, we had a meeting, and we each got to have an interview with President DeLaMare. He is awesome. He is definitely an inspired mission president. I can tell already. I'm excited to continue working with him. I got to meet my companion! Her name is Sister Cope (with an accent over the e), and she is awesome. She is American, and stands about 4' 11" tall. She is a huge sweetheart. I love here already.

It is extremely humid here, but it really hasn't bothered me that much. There are fans in almost every house we go to, so it's not bad at all, plus I barely notice it because it's so beautiful! I am not directly in the middle of the city, but in a province area, so we have some city, but also some areas with rice fields and caribou, etc. There are tons of palm trees, and we get to hike a little bit to get to some of our investigators and less actives houses. I feel like I'm in a picture that I've seen in the MTC!  It almost doesn't seem real sometimes, but it definitely is.

My trainer and I went home that night and we carried my things upstairs to our room. We got cleaned up a little bit and went out to work! We went to two investigator's houses that evening. Sister Cope introduced me, and they started talking. I was actually able to understand a lot more than I expected, so it lifted my spirits. Everyone always comments on my height. I am about a head taller than most of the women, and usually a few inches taller than the men. It's fun. It is really contrasted next to my Filipino-sized companion. :) 

The next day we went out again after personal and companionship study, and went to several houses. I fought discouragement throughout that day, because I found out I didn't know or understand as much Tagalog as I had originally thought. I had to keep reminding myself to have patience with myself and to trust Heavenly Father. It's not all going to come all at once! Siyempre! I have prayed really hard these past few days for patience and for a greater love for the people. Sunday was beautiful. I got to bear my testimony in church, and met a lot of new faces. It was so real and so beautiful to see God's hand in His work. His church is true, no matter where you go! It is the same here in the Philippines, too. My heart was so full! I was overwhelmed with God's love for me and for His children.

Yesterday, we had a district meeting, and we talked about how to improve our teaching, and how to help our investigators feel the Spirit and help bring people to Christ. I took a lot of the things they said to heart, and decided to try it out. We had a full day of teaching and did a little tracking, and I really focused on the people and felt a huge love for them. As I listened to their concerns and their answers to our questions, I was able to understand a lot more than I have been able to in the past, and I felt the Spirit so strongly! I was able to express my thoughts more and do more of the teaching. I still am soooooo weak and new at this, it's crazy. But I KNOW that when we put our trust in my Heavenly Father, he DOES strengthen us. I have witnessed this this week in my experiences, and I know I will experience so much more here on the mission and afterwards.

I love this gospel. I love the Philippines! I love the people here! They are so sweet, so gentle, so humble, and many of them are so ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. I am so excited to continue learning and growing. Our purpose as missionaries is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."  I want to do this! My testimony is being strengthened each and every day. I am determined to do my very best and to do what my Heavenly Father wants me to do. I encourage you to do the same! It is so wonderful! Trust in Him, and he will direct your path.

I love you all!! Thank you for all the emails!

Love,
Sister Harston

We now know how to contact Amy in the Philippines! She would love a letter or a package any time!! There are several different ways to contact her.

First method:

1.  Go to http://www.dearelder.com/

2.  On the top right corner, click on Write a Missionary

3.  Click on Select a Mission

4.  Select Philippines Quezon City (NOT Quezon City North!  Note that the mail is free!!!)

5.  Click on Write a Letter

Just type your letter and they will send it free!!

 

Second method:

This address sends your letter or package to the mission home;  they will then get it to Amy.  Here it is:

 

Sister Amy Nichole Harston

Philippines Quezon City Mission

Aurora Blvd. cor. JP Rizal St

Project 4, Cubao

Quezon City 1109, Metro Manila, Philippines

 

Third method:

Church "Pouch" Service

 

The Church "Pouch" Service was established for letters going to and coming from missions that have experienced unreliable postal service.  It can by used by family and friends only to send letters to missionaries via the Salt Lake City "Pouch" address (see below).  "Pouch" letters should only consist of paper-like materials.  Color photos may be printed on the paper.  Here are the "Pouch" regulations":

 

-Single sheet letter on white paper (not lined), folded in thirds and taped only at the top.

-Do not enclose pictures, currency, cards, or stamps

-No envelopes

-Packages NOT allowed through "Pouch"

 

Here's the "Pouch" address:

 

Sister Amy Nichole Harston

Philippines Quezon City Mission

P.O. Box 30150

Salt Lake City, UT   84130-0150

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thank you everyone!!!

Amy arrived to the Philippines safely! We got a letter from her mission presidents wife telling us of her safe arrival. She's definitely in good hands! - Stephanie Hodges

Dear Family of Amy Harston,

This is just a quick note to inform you that your daughter, Sister Harston, arrived safely at the mission home of the Philippines Quezon City Mission. She arrived along with her batch about 1:30 P.M. on Thursday, Nov 22. She met her companion, had an orientation, ate a nice dinner, and left with her companion to go to their area. She seemed a little tired, but was well and happy.

One thing to be aware of is that 4 of the 6 weeks in a transfer, p-day will be on Monday. One week per transfer, p-day is moved to Tues. so the missionaries can attend the temple (which is in our mission) since the temple is closed on Mon. The week of transfers, p-day is moved to Weds. so the missionaries have the day before transfers to prepare if they're being transferred. We just want you to be aware of this so you won't worry when your weekly e-mail is a day or two later than usual.

There will be a letter sent from the mission office in the next few weeks that will have more details and pictures, but we do want you to know that she arrived safely. We are excited to serve along side your daughter and look forward to getting to know her better!

Love,
Sister DeLaMare (PQCM)

 

(Note: Amy and the other missionaries traveling with her had just traveled for over 24 hours! No wonder she was so tired!)

Amy's Final Email from the States on November 20th! SO exciting!

It's only a matter of hours!!!! :)  I'm leaving for the airport in less than an hour now!!!! So this will be a quick note. We're all packed up and ready to go.

 

I can't wait to talk to you my wonderful family!!! Mom, I will call when I get to L.A. tonight. Our flight is scheduled to end at 9:28pm, so I'll call shortly after that. I can't wait to hear your voices and tell you all about the MTC!!! :)  Our next flight isn't until 12:05am, so we can chat for a while if you'd like. :) I hope Ty and Steph and Richie can make it, too! If not, it will be fine, but I would LOVE to hear their voices, too!

 

Dad- I got your email. Because of the time differences that we'll have, I think the best time to call would be before my first flight actually, so around 5 or 5:30pm tonight!! for me and we can chat for a while, too if you can! That would be awesome!  I will call you on the number you gave me. Can't wait!!

 

This week has been a blurr. It's gone by sooo fast! We've had so many amazing experiences, and the Spirit has been sooo strong. It didn't really hit me that we're going until yesterday when we were saying goodbye to our teachers. They are soooo awesome!! Sister Lewis is just a big goofball, but she knows how to bring the Spirit into the room and keep the elders focused and in line. (They've been really restless these past few weeks). And Brother Roxas has the biggest heart imaginable. His love for all us missionaries is so clear to see. I have LOVED the MTC!

 

Although it's been weird packing up and saying goodbye, today I woke up feeling READY. We got to go to the temple one last time this morning, and we went through and endowment session. I'm not really nervous yet. I just feel ready. I worked hard in the MTC and did my best, so I can trust God to help me and strengthen me. "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (D&C somewhere...)

 

Philippines HERE I COME!!!! :D I feel at peace and I know the Lord is with me.

 

I love this gospel!!! Read Alma 26. It is AMAZING. We read it together in class yesterday with Brother Roxas. I love it, and it gave me so much strength.

 

Talk to you soon!!

Sister Harston


(Note: I was able to talk to Amy that night while she was on her layover in LA. She sounded so ready to serve the Lord and bless the people in the Philippines. She's doing very well with the language and was able to communicate with our brother very well as they spoke in Tagalog. She sounded a little nervous, but mostly excited! She says she misses you all and says that she loves the letters that she has gotten so far! Thank you for supporting Sister Amy Harston!!  - Stephanie Hodges (Amy's sister))

Pictures of Amy and her group at the MTC! The second picture is of her in front of the Provo Utah Temple.

Amy's November 13th letter home!

Hello my wonderful family and friends!!

One week until I leave for the Philippines!!! How crazy is THAT??? We received our flight plans last Thursday! Wow. Time has really flown by. On that note, I have some questions to answer:

Mom-
1. Yep, I'll be leaving on Nov. 20th. We meet at the travel office here at the MTC at 4:30pm and our flight is at 8:25pm at the SLC airport. I'm going to type my flight schedule for you so you have a better idea of my schedule:

Nov. 20   Leave SLC 8:25pm
Nov 20    Arrive LA 9:28pm

-layover-

Nov 21   Leave LA 12:05am
Nov 22   Arrive Hong Kong 7:40am

-layover-

Nov 22   Leave HK 9:05am
Nov 22   Arrive Manila! 11:15am

So there ya go! That's where I'll be! Crazy, huh?


2. Mom, As far as calling... I'll probably call during my first layover. They didn't give us a time limit for the phone call or the number of phone calls. So we can chat for a long time if we want! I'll call you as soon as I can get to a phone. I'll have a phone card, so minutes won't be a problem. :) You can send me a DearElder letter. that would be faster than snail mail. It is same-day delivery here at the MTC. Just go to DearElder.com and I'm not completely sure how it works from there, but Dad has sent me one before, so you could ask him if you can't figure it out.

Dad- Because of the time differences that we'll have, I think the best time to call would be during my second layover, so around 8am for me and we can chat for a while, too if you can! That would be awesome! Send me a dearElder if you want me to call a little later or whatnot.

3. Things to send me before I leave?
    - recipes? Mom, don't stress about this. Life is crazy. If you can't get them to me, don't worry about it. You could even send me an email and I can just print it out. I'll probably be able to print emails in the Philippines, too so don't stress too much about it. :)
    -I think I changed my mind about the tan "mini cami" thing. I think I would use that one, too.
    - a map of the US or of the world so I can show the Filipinos where I live. I think I can get it laminated here, so you probably don't need to worry about that. But if you have a sheet protector or something, that would be nice.
    - My ASL church signs book? It's the brown one. I would like to keep up on some of my church signs in case I get to teach Deaf people over there. I just thought of that this past week. I think it should either be in the bookcase in my closet or in the second drawer up in the tall dresser.
    -pics? I realized I don't have any pics of Tyler at all except for the one from your wedding! If I could a more current pic of him, maybe even one of a hiking trip from the last couple years or so or something.... And maybe a ballet pic of me? I didn't ever bring one and I think that'd be fun. But please don't worry about it if any of this isn't possible. Don't stress. These are just extra little things that I don't NEED. :)

4. Yes, I will send a package home before I leave the MTC. I am glad I will be inside vehicles and buildings for the trip because I won't have my jacket! But I will be fine. I'll be wearing my cardigan!


I think that answers all the questions.

Back to a short letter.
We have done a lot of studying this week and are continuing to learn huge amounts, though I'm realizing how much I still do NOT know. I am trusting in Heavenly Father to give me the strength. I am mostly just plain excited to go, but there is a little anticipation. I'm ready to move past the MTC though. I feel like I've developed some really great study habits, and I can't wait to get to the field to learn more from my trainer.

Not only did my companions and I work hard this past week, but we also made it a priority to have a little fun, too. It snowed this past week, so it's been beautiful. We decided to have fun with it. We couldn't have a snowball fight, because that's against the law here in Utah, but we made snow angels right after gym time one night (FREEZING! We went inside and took warm showers immediately afterwards.). We also made slushies with juice from the cafeteria and snow for the ice(actually turned out really yummy!), and made a tiny snowman. It was a lot of fun. It's gorgeous!! But it's super cold.

My companions and I happened to sit next to the Administrative Director of the MTC along with one other set of sisters heading to the Philippines. He talked to us about our investigators and gave us some pointers for how to teach them more effectively. It was super helpful and interesting. After lunch we left and applied what we learned to our teaching. I think that happened sometime last week. Sunday nights we have a fireside in a huge room with all the other missionaries. The Brother we had talked to was going to be the speaker. Before the meeting started, they announced over the microphone that they needed all the sisters going to the Philippines to come to the front. The brother picked us out and asked us to share what we had learned and how his information helped our teaching. Scary! So we are famous now here in the MTC. Haha. Everyone says hi to us like they know us and they all know where we're from. It was a fun experience.

Anyways, I'm out of time. I love you all lots! I pray for you every night, and I am so grateful for the prayers headed in my direction! I love this gospel so much and I am so excited to serve my Heavenly Father by doing His work! I know that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God and when paired with the Bible, we can learn sooo much!!!

Love,
Sister Harston