Weekly Letter

 Oct 21, 2012

So this week....what a great one...of course!
We have now started week 12 of the training program. What an amazing last 12 weeks it has been! I don't want it to end, and lets just say the training program is not just for the trainee, but I feel as if I have grown soo much more too with this program. It's been great...I am starting to get a little sad as I'm realizing my time is coming to a close here in Carmen, and I will soon be in a new area, with new people, and new surroundings...I'm just praying they have an "SM Mall" or at least some kind of wilderness...because my first area was...lets just say....challening. and now I'm a little spoiled having SM within walking distance here. haha It's okay...it's like they say "I'll go where you want me to go". It's true, I know wherever I go next, is from God. So...I'm excited...wherever it is, and however challenging it may be :)

So this week...tears started streaming down my face again...with joy...Yep..I know, I think I say that in just about every email I send home now. haha At least I'm not cryin cause I'm sad...but happy. Because.....after 8 months, the RS sisters are finally working! We were walking in Salvacion (part of our area) and we saw Sis. Nancy Uminga & Sis. Blesslyn Gabertan....and we stopped and said hi to them. Well...we asked them a common question here in the pines, and that is "saan ba kayo pupunta?" or Where are you going? haha and they said they were doing their visiting teaching, visitng their assignment...YES YES YES!!! Ah I was soooooo happy, they are so diligent....and they're soo sweet, and THEY...not the missionaries...are going to change peoples' lives. They are the ones who will change Carmen ward for good. I am soo excited you have no idea. This sunday, we trained the newly called RS Visitng teaching coordinator & supervisor- so....they know what's expected of them, and how to do their calling. Also....we have order now to everything...we read from the handbook of instruction...I made forms for them that they can follow, we listed everything out clearly and gave them set dates of when their reporting needs to be given to the RS pres....ah...it feels soo good to have some kind of organization here now :) haha

It was soo funny....so we've started joggin every day...some days we go about 3 or 4 miles...which is really good....it feels great. Anyways....the other day we woke up and we were running....actually no...we were walking cuz we had like no energy hahaha anyways....so our bishop here, Bishop Caoayan is like a marathon runner, which is so rare here in the filipines. Anyways, he saw us....and he wants us to jog too like him...and we were walking but then we got scared and Sis. Perina yelled "Ah, Bishop...Run" so we automatically started running so it looked like we were great...then we thought he turned the corner after saying hi to us, so we stopped and walked again. Then we hear this giant laugh from behind us...it was soo funny. We heard it and turned to him, and then we started running again. He just kept laughing. It was really funny. It's the simple things in life, right? I thought it was hialrious.

So far in our "CR" in our aparment I have no found Cockroaches, Frogs, Ants, Spiders....but wait...this week, I was greeted by almost like a praying mantis...don't know if that's what it is...It just gets better and better...I wonder what else I will find in there before I get transferred. haha

We had one Less active come to church this week that the sisters before I was here started visitng...its been 10 months now....he finally came...2 weeks in a row now! We were soo excited...their hearts are sooo hard in this area...as in...soo hard. But...it's okay, as long as eventually they come back...and stay.

Anyways, lots of great miracles this week.
Sorry I'm out of time, but I love you all
xoxoxo


Ratan....a very sour fruit