Letter 18: Saying Goodbye to My Nanay

Dearest Panimalay kag mga Abyan,

So this week was transfers. I'm so grateful for everything I learned during my training. Especially from Sister Massé, she showed me that it's possible to converse with a people in a language you've only been speaking 3 months. She's shown me that Trusting in the Lord is all that matters, and if you want to be successful the only way is through honest, heartfelt, diligent prayer. We've been through so much together: Tears, Sweat, a really cold January when both of us were sick, Me having to drink Sister Massé's glass of coke that an investigator has handed us when they aren't looking because Sister Massé doesn't drink soda, trying strange new foods, discovering Puto, loving anything Ube Flavored. Yep, a lot of things.

Which is why I'm sad to have said goodbye to my Nanay, but I'm so excited for my Followup trainer: Sister Massé.

I am completely serious right now. My Trainer, after being trained herself, is now my followup trainer. After a transfer of everyone telling Sister Massé "Bah-bye!" being in one area for 5 transfers is rare, following up training your Bata is Rare. Both together? Unheard of! We thought it was a joke when the transfer text came in! But the next morning we were still companions! Obviously the Lord has a plan for us and our area!

Because we're still together, we've decided that if we really want to harvest all our hard work of the past three months (and Sister Massé's hard work of the three months before that) we're going to have to change some things. But we're excited to be focusing on those who really have potential to be baptized, and we really hope to work around them to get them to church (and then into the font in the church. Tani! (hopefully!))

It's really funny, because we were all SO SURE that Sister Massé was leaving, and we only said goodbye to three investigators, and they were so happy to see us BOTH still companions when we saw them after Thursday. Bishop (now President) and his wife made dinner for us (us and the other sisters in the ward) and then NONE of us left! Hahaha, they were so surprised to see us!

We're super excited, we discovered TWO LARGE areas that are OURS! (we have to be really careful to not go down a different street while tracting and accidentally end up in the area of the other sisters) Now we have some places to tract when our appointments fall through, and these places haven't been touched by missionaries in a long time, which means the Lord has had time to soften hearts, and prepare His children for our message :D

It seems that all the REALLY exciting things tend to happen earlier in the week, so by the time I get to Monday again, I've forgotten about Tuesday and Wednesday.

But anyway, we're so excited for the next six weeks (have I said that already? haha) It's sure to be an adventure!

The Church is True!

Damo Pagpalangga (much love? I'm sure that doesn't actually make sense in Ilonggo. haha.)

-Sister Smith

I TRIED BALUT. You know, that Duck egg thing? Yep. Delicious. Probably because the one I got wasn't that formed. Like, he was TINY. No bones or anything, the beak hadn't really formed all that much either. And the white part of the egg (not the yolk) was hard. But anyway. Tasted like an egg :) But I don't think I'll be trying on again anytime soon. Maybe in six months or so. . and I'll get one where the embryo is more formed. . . Maybe.

Balut!

Basi (Maybe) I won't become an Electrical Engineer. I think I might just have to stick with Civil Engineering.