Ahhh what a week! So much has happened I don't even know where to start! And of course it has felt like the fastest week of my mission! So weird how that works.
To begin with, this morning, BEACH!!!! Ahhh perfect! Our district is sooo fun! And luckily I had this urge to buy a volleyball last week (so cheap!). And just in time for district activity!!! It was perfect weather. Not deathly hot. The water, (don't worry, just to the knee!) perfect temp! The snacks, so prime. We played some volleyball, took some artsy pictures, had some relays, and it was just a wonderful morning! Sorry I'm so late emailing, but oh man was it worth it!
Okay so I will back up to last Monday. Soo ill all day haha. So we just went home and took it easy and then I went to bed at like 8 and slept till morning, didn't wake up once. Perfect! So then I woke healthy as can be, which lasted about a day or two. Next thing you know I'm waking up with a fever and the worst sore throat. We still worked and everything, but it was a long few days!
Then Thursday, best district meeting ever!! We were all just laughing the WHOLE time. Our district leader is the best. Funniest guy ever but then can bring the spirit back so strongly. He gave us each an animal in this district meeting. They were so funny, all about each person's personality and stuff. I got snow kitten. It's like he knows my last life or something (meowwwww). It was great. It was also the day before Elder Savage's birthday so Sister Simpson and I made no bake cookies for everyone. They LOVED them. Fun lil birthday celebration and all. Great day! Then it got even better when we attended the wedding of one of our investigators, Sarah. She is great. Her brother in law is a member. She has 2 kids. But anyway, this wedding! Hilarious! It was a free gift from the mayor or something so there were 100 couples all getting married together! The mayor also hooked them all up with free rings and everything. It was quite the day. She was so cute though and just glowing the whole day! At the end of the day I started to write in my journal, "I feel good. ahh I just feel so good." Of course I quickly rewrote, "I feel good, oh I feel so good! I feel good like a miss-ion-ary should!" Haha I don't think the Stolks will ever forget that horrid LJHS cheer.
Christie! Last week you were asking about the bugs and I said they weren't a problem anymore. I take it back!!! Hahah woke up on Tuesday and my legs were just destroyed!!! So I'm back to using the bug oil stuff. It's been working great since then! Karma...
So transfers are a week from tomorrow! We will get the text Saturday night with the Transfer announcements. Literally cannot believe it's week 6 of the transfer. It FLEW. I have NO idea what will happen next transfer. I could go, I could stay. Pretty much 50/50. I will be happy either way! I've been here for 3 transfers now so it would be so hard to leave, but change is also exciting so we will just have to wait and see. Our district is SO fun though so I really wouldn't mind another transfer in Tigaon!!! :)
OH! We got mail this week!!! The Assistants came knockin on our door and said there were reports of disobedience from our appt! Ummm what?! Hahah then they said they were kidding and we had mail! I got a bunch of pouch mail from other missionaries in my mission and other Philippines missions. Also got cards from Kari R, Amy H, and Mae G. So great to hear from them all! Got Dear Elders from Sister Bertha of course (she is the best! I get Dear Elders from her like every time we get mail!) And!! I got the cutest banner from the 7th ward primary!!! So cute! They signed it and it was just perfect! Just what I needed!!! The best was Jake Walton who wrote: "Eat Chocolate!!" Thanks for the advice Jake :)
Have I told you that Sister Simpson and I are always singing when we're walking through rice fields and nobody is around?? Cause we are. And I love it haha. We switch off picking songs and just sing at the top of our lungs. This week it was dark and we were walking down this creepy path and you better believe my pick was Let us all press on! "Fear not, though the enemy deride. We must courage, for the Lord is on our side." Haha so true as missionaries. We always have His protection!!!!
Haha Saturday night Sister Simpson was paranoid because we discovered you could open our window from the outside and reach in and undo the locks on the door! We moved the couch in front of the door and then she had a brilliant idea to push this extra lock in. Wellll, it got stuck while the door was open. Sooo we could only close the door from the inside. So we just shut it, not realizing we would have big problems trying to leave for church the next morning. Went to leave for church, tried to shut the door, nope. Spent like 30 minutes with the Landlord and couldn't fix it so we just decided to go around the side door and leave that door open. We were almost late to church because we had to stop and get an investigator!!! Yep, she really came! She's been saying she would and this time we told her we were gonna stop and get her. She was waiting, Book of Mormon in hand and all!! It was great! Then our other investigator, oh man!!! Sooooo Perfect!!! He is the one I wrote about 2 weeks ago I think. Used to hide from us, now he's our most progressing investigator! His name is Chris! He is the best! He and his wife and their kid all came to church yesterday. He really just gets it! Okay so we have people agree to baptism all the time, but I never tell you because well, let's just say my faith was lacking. well... CHRIS IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! I have no doubt!! It will either be on Sunday or next Monday! We've had his date for awhile and I know it's happening! He is so excited and ready and he knows how important these covenants are and ahhh. He will be a great attribute to the Tigaon 1st ward!!! So excited for him! He loves when we give him reading assignments from the Book of Mormon! He always tells us about his sleep habits, hilarious! He wakes up at like 3 AM, every morning so he said that is the prime reading time! He is so great. I've decided having investigators at church is like hosting a party. You are always trying to make sure they are having a good time and meeting people and it can be stressful! Luckily we have the help of the spirit to really get the Party goin!!
Update on Jeanavie! She is still doing great. More active than most of our active members! Last week she was in the Relief Society dance performance thing at the stake and got way into it and just loved it! She always brings her 4 kids to church, even if it means walking! She is a happy member of this great church!!
Okay delicious! Yesterday we went to teach a less active and she lives at her active parents house, they ALWAYS hook it up with the snacks. Their daughter is married to an American and he just came for a visit, so they gave us some American snacks. PISTACHIOS!!! My fave!!! Took me right back to being at the beach in Puerto Rico this summer when we ate like 2 bags of those a day! Love them!
Okay this is getting pretty long. Sorry! Just one quick thing that Sister Simpson does that makes me die laughing every time!!! People here always try to speak English to us but most of them just know "what is your name?!" So we get that about a million times a day. Sister Simpson read on one of my emails one time that it started with J RICH!! So now she thinks it is so hilarious to whisper J Richyyyy!!!! Every time they ask our names. Haha she is so funny. We are always laughing. We are so different but the Lord knows what He's doing when he assigns these companionships! It's been a great transfer!!! I had a great week, can't believe it's already over! Hope you all are as happy as I am right now!! Love and miss you more than you know but I am grateful that you are my family forever and always!! Have a great week! Listen to the Spirit. Taught a lesson this week about how we should look forward to the sacrament each week like how the people in Mosiah 18 looked forward to baptism!! We can literally be forgiven of all our sins each week if we are doing what we should and going to church and partaking of the sacrament!! Remember that! Thanks for your love, support, examples and prayers! You are the best.
Love,
J Richyyyyyy
Top 10
1. Slept 9 1/2 hours straight last Monday!
2. Found a dandelion. Too bad for Sister Simpson!!!
3. Breakfast for dinner, yummmm.
4. Found the Tagalog word for frigid (my favorite word!) napakalamig. Unfortunately no word for arctic :(
5. District meeting!
6. Found bakery with the banana muffins a member gave us like my first week in the field that I have been looking for ever since!
7. Mail!!!!
8. District activity!
9. Finished the B on my Tagalog Book of Mormon reading chart. Now I just have the inasa ko and aklat ni mormon part to go!!!! hahah Meaning, haven't even made a dent!
10. Healthy!
Jessica's pictures weren't uploading well last week
so there are about 40 pics from last week
and then about 100 from this week!
Made Rebecca no bakes for her birthday!!!!
It's distracting trying to oym(?) when your companion is documenting hahah
Elder Shepherd hahah
Weird that I never excelled in my gymnastics classes...
Junior senior prom
Prom night... preaching to CTR!!! ;)
Ready for church!
Sisters in Zion
We <3 church!
Sister Simpsons new hat hahah
My cute lil' pineapple!
This LA (Less active) finally let us teach him....
and he gave us the SMALLEST chairs to sit on hahah.
You boys would love his motorcycle shop!!
Jeanavie & gang
Meowwwww
My friend
Ewww JK. Rabies
Elder Savage's birthday celebration!
District meetings get interesting.
WEDDING DAY!!
Sis Rich & the beautiful bride!
I took wedding portraits for them <3
This one's for dad
The 100 couple wedding!
I know I have a lot of San Diego shirt pics but I had to!! LA JOLLA!!
Cuties
Spider killing tactics
Wedding crashers
Thank you PRIMARY!!!!
Random
Trash filled! so sad!
My Friday night <3
When our ward mission leader is late for our meeting, things get strange.
We decided to work out during our long walks now!
New fave flavor! Strawberry and chocolate!
Sometimes you work HARD all day,
and get punted HARD all day.
Sister Simpson's lock situation
Chris and his family!
Our other investigator at church!
Selfie Sunday :)
Chillin next to my lil bud on his BIRTHDAY!!!
We have the most beautiful area!
So sometimes we photoshoot it out when nobody is around
She loves me, I swear!
Good little lamb!
Sketchy
Formelejo family!
Headed to the beach!
We got da back!
She liked my shirt from Brit so much she went and got one made! haha
Beach bound!!
Gettin artsy
Volleyball circle!
Relay races!
I was on the fast walking team!
Knee high!
Best district!
Elder Savage brought us all drinks because they just got a 7-11 in their area! Lucky!!!!!
Comp <3
OYM = Open Your Mouth, aka street contacting ;)
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