Instructions for Sister Missionaries in Philippines Cebu Mission

THE CHURCH OF

JESUS CHRIST

OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Philippines Cebu Mission

August 17, 2010

Sister Annika Kamaleilani Bruno

2042 Thornhill Dr.

Summerville, SC 29485

USA

Dear Sister Bruno, 

Welcome to the Philippines Cebu Mission! I am excited that you have been called to serve as part of our great missionary force here in the Visayas! I appreciate your preparation for this great work.  As you put forth the effort required, you will be blessed with many spiritual experiences as you serve in a rapidly growing area of Asia.  I encourage you to continue preparing for your missionary service through prayer and gospel study.  Through your ability to teach by the spirit, many people will be blessed by receiving the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sister Bruno, will you please write a letter telling me how you feel about the Gospel and your desires to serve in the Phillipines Cebu Mission.  Also, please include a brief testimony.  In your letter please tell us your email address and that of your parents.

The Filipinos are very friendly, and many of them speak some English.  You will enjoy learning our mission language, Cebuano (Visayan).  The people will love you for your efforts.  Although this is a hot, humid climate, you will be fairly comfortable with electric fans, which are available in all the apartments.  You will never wear a sweater, and you will sleep under one sheet most of the time.

There are several specific things that you should do by way of preparation:

1. Re-read the Book of Mormon.
2. Spend time on exchanges with the missionaries in your area.
3. If possible, obtain a copy of "Preach My Gospel from your local missionaries and copy at least Chapter 3 for your study.  Begin memorization of some of the key scriptures in this chapter.
4. Carefully review the clothing list sent you by the missionary department in your call packet and the list from our mission that is included with this letter.
5. Obtain your patriarchal blessing prior to your departure.
6. Label your luggage with both the mission address and your home address.  The mission address is: Philippines Cebu Mission, Temple Complex CJCLDS, Gorordo Ave., Lahug, Cebu City, Cebu 6000, PHILIPPINES.  The mission office phone number is 011-63-32-230-1240.

Most international missionaries require, during their missions, some extra money from home for shoes, clothing, or dental work.  However, we encourage wisdom and prudence because additional money is often detrimental to the lessons of sacrifice and consecration.  It would be prudent if you have a major credit/debit card as a method to access any needed/authorized extra funds.  Cash money and stamps are not allowed to be mailed in the Church pouch system.  Checks are very difficult to cash.

Sister Hansen and I extend our love to you and are anxious for your arrival in the Philippines Cebu Mission.

Warmest regards,

President D. Parke Hansen
Philippines Cebu Mission

DPH/rjb

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.

Wikipedia describes Cebu where Annika is going as:

Cebu (Cebuano:Sugbo) is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands. Cebu is a long narrow island stretching 225 kilometers from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighbouring, smaller islands, which include Mactan, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. Cebu has narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus and coastal plains. It also has rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island. Cebu's highest mountains are over 1000 meters high. Flat tracts of land can be found in the towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Medellin and Daanbantayan at the northern region of the province. Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines which forms part of the Cebu Metropolitan Area together with four neighboring cities which include Danao City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City and eight other municipalities. Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Mactan island, is the second busiest airport in the Philippines....

Cebu has a population of about 3,500,000 people.[2] Its largest city recorded a total population of 798,000 people.[3] Cebuano is the official language spoken in Cebu and it is also spoken in most areas of the central Philippines, including Bohol, western Leyte, Negros Oriental

This fourth calling continues my being able to continue providing my readers another eighteen months of what a missionary really does in the field.  During the last four years we have read about sister missionaries happenings in Korea, Italy, Taiwan and now the Phillipines.  I hope you will enjoy reading the Adventures of Sister Annika Kamaleilani Bruno as you have previous blogs from my other three daughters.