Monday, June 16, 2014

Jessica's Thirty Sixth Email! June 15th, 2014


Hello! How are all of my favorite people doing on this beautiful Father's Day?! Great?? Great! I Hope you all had a good week in the motherland. Not a tonnnn happened this week. But it's the little things that make it all so wonderful.
But before that, Happy Father's Day pops! Love ya tons. Hahaha, I was watching some Mormon messages this week during lunch and this one about father's came on. I think it's called Earthly Father, Heavenly Father. A lil' on the cheesy side but I was dying laughing. Best line: " I gaze upon them as they sleep". Was there ever a better father's day video for my gazer of a father?!? !No, kidding! But really, it's perfect. Even shows the dad at work in an airplane hanger! Watch it. 
So today is the last day of my 5th transfer in the field! Do you know what that means?! Probably not! So I'll tell you! It means I am now just as far out as Sister Taylor was the day she picked me up at the mission home. That terrifies me, hahaha. I trusted her so much and thought she knew EVERYTHING (which I still think she probably did cause she's so awesome, but still!) I still just feel like a little lost white person sometimes! And she just seemed so old in the mission, and now I'm there. It seriously flies. And now she's about to start her last transfer. Time is insane!!
Ok so if I could sum my week up in one word... PIONEERS! They are so legit. I had ordered the D&C dvd's from manila like centuries ago and they finally arrived! So like every lunch and bedtime prep I have just been addicted to watching these movies about the pioneers and church history and ahhh. So that along with my personal study reading part of our heritage every day. I have just been so amped on the pioneers. They are really too legit to quit. Also! Sister Ril had 17 miracles on her flash drive too. So we watched that, plus Legacy was one on my dvd’s. Have you seen those 2 movies yet?! I hadn't! SO GOOD! And then I was so set on bringing miracles to our work for the whole week haha. Always just praying for miracles and ahhh... God delivers! Example: We were trying to contact a referral. Had to go down this muddy little eskinita to get to the house and bam! Out leaps this beast of a dog barking so much and ready to bite our faces off. So we took a few steps back and said a prayer (I felt like the little girls with the rattle snakes in 17 miracles). We started down the path again and he just looked at us, not even one bark! I looked at sister Ril and said "It's the 18th miracle!" I think she got a little sick of all my miracle and pioneer talk this week hahaha. Every companion study I picked a pioneer song for us to sing. Love it. Come, come ye saints. Took me right back to the stake trek when it rained/hailed/snowed. I thought it was so miserable but watching these movies I shudder at the thought that I thought that was a trial haha.  Anyway, church history is so cool. Can’t wait to read all those family history books grandma made. Should've studied those a bit better when I was home! 
Speaking of grandma! SO happy she made it down for graduation! Also jealous, but workin on that haha. Can't wait to see grandma again and make play dough or something! :) 
Here's a little scenario of life in the Philippines. So we didn't have water like all the mornings this week until like 9am. So we had to do personal study early and then we would get ready after. Well. We are sitting there doing our studies, so hot because we haven't been able to shower yet. Then, bam. Brownout. No electricity means, no electric fans. SO HOT haha. It will be weird to go home and be able to rely on electricity and water. Here it's like ahh ya that's cool if we have it but you just can't expect it. One morning at like 2am there was a brownout and so I woke right up when the fan went off. I don't recall this, but sister Ril said she woke up to me whispering "no! Freak. Why. No. ahh freak. it's so hot." Haha that's my life these days...
Also the storms are more prevalent on the daily. There was SUCH a bad storm this week one evening. So so scary. We were literally running home. Well I was, haha. Then I'd wait for sister Ril under a shed, run some more, the whole way haha. You know I am so terrified of storms! And the lightening was SO CLOSE!!! Don't worry, took a video, you can totally see the flash in the background. I think making it home that night would qualify as the 19th miracle! 
We had stake conference this week! It was so good. Saturday night was adult session, and Sunday was a broadcast for all of the northern Philippines coming from Salt Lake. I really love English broadcasts. But yes! SO fun to see everyone. Naga stake has two of our mission’s zones in it, Naga zone and my zone, Canaman zone. So there were just a ton of missionaries and ahh the best. There were like 8 or maybe more of the tigaon party animals district! Such a sweet reunion. The talks were wonderful. Our leaders are so inspired. 
Then this morning I finally got sister Ril on a run with me haha. I have been begging the whole transfer and it worked! It was so wonderful. Buttt.... I can't wait till I can just go on a run on the boardwalk ALONE haha. I love running back and forth on a street to wait for people, but ya. It will be nice :) She said it was a onetime thing, but don't worry... I'll get her to do it again! :) 
Another blessed event of the week! Got my package from mother! You are an angel. EVERYTHING I could ever need/want/wish for. I loved it so much. The jump rope has been a good time every morning at 6:30am! The sweet and salty granola bars get me every time! The best. I will never understand how you manage to get so much in one box... miracle?! :) I really loved it though. Appreciate you tons.
Appreciate all of you! Thanks for the love, support and prayers! Keep smiling and enjoying this life that God has blessed us with. In the wise words of Sarah from 17 miracles..."It will all be worth it." So just continue to follow the commandments, serve others, and do what you should be doing and I know it will all be worth it when we are all chillin in the kingdom of God! Have a wonderful week! Love and miss ya plenty. 
Love, sister Richmond
ps- Last week I said I hit 9 months, totally meant 8 haha. Just a typo, not wishing my time away here in the mission! Lovin it all so much. 
Top 10
1. Our heritage book
2. 17 miracles and Legacy
3. Package from mother dearest
4. Stake conference
5. Rearranged the whole apartment. It's like we got a new house. No. Not at all, but I still love a little change!
6. Sister Ril and I are both staying here next transfer
7. Running this morning
8. Sister Ril and Sister Sekona's reactions when I gave them hot tamale and didn't mention it was hot. Not the biggest fans hahahaha.
9. District lunch at this way good PIZZA place

10. So many miraclesssss 

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