Mission Homecoming talk

 

So apparently I'm technologically impaired and can't get the video to load to the blog. Luckily there are enough step by steps that I got it onto youtube. So you can view it here.

You may need to turn the volume up since I was sitting about 2/3 back in the chapel and just using my phone.  :)

I'm coming home, coming home, tell the world I'm coming home!!

Oh man! My last week.... and it was a doozy! When we last heard from Sister Schultz.... I was in Laoag. Turns out that I missed my bus back to Ballesteros that day, so Sister Cabato and I had to spend the night in Laoag again.... perfect.... we were supposed to have exchanges the next day. Luckily there was a bus that was going to leave the next day at 3AM... so we took it. Dropped off sister Cabato in Sanchez Mira and I picked up Sister Purificacion and we made it back to my area around 9:00 Am. I took a quick shower and then it was off to work! Probably one of the craziest exchanges that I have ever been on. We had sooo much to do! We taught some lessons in the morning and then had to go to an appointment that we had with the mayor for a wedding that we are planning.... then we had to check on the apartments that we were supposed to move in and drop off some mission mail to the district president. We got back to the apartment a little after lunch..... so I cooked and washed my laundry while she updated the area book (let me just remind you that my whole mission has been washing laundry by hand) at this point, my laundry doesn't get too dirty.... which is good, because when I wash it, I don't think that it gets too clean:)

Back out to work. We taught all of our appointments but when we got to our last appointment, with the Juan Family, the one that I love, Only Christopher was there..... so we told him to call his brothers and sister...... 30 seconds later we hear a stampede of people coming.... there was about 30 kids all between the ages of 5-18 that all wanted us to teach them.... so we taught them all. Don't worry that whole area now knows what tithing is, what the word of wisdom is, and they know how to bear their testimony:)

 Exchanges from day one... COMPLETE.

Next day I had to wake up early to prepare a training hat I was supposed to be giving at ZTM that morning. Crazy! They assigned me "a part" from the training..... well I didn't actually label my noted from the training, so I had no idea which part I was actually supposed to do.... but I was pretty sure I knew, so I just planned something awesome. 

ZTM. I was the first one to give my part of the training... oops... I accidently summarized the whole training:) haha but luckily that part that I went the most in to depth about was the part that I was supposed to give:) hehe. After ZTM, Exchanges again:) This time with Sister Shrack in Ballesteros, It was great! We taught the Juan families again:) I love them so much! They at this point are preparing for baptism on Saturday.

President calls that night. We have to go do paper work for the new apartments.... sigh. Oh yeah, and we have to re-split the area with the branch because they are adding elders to this area. Perfect. So we get a hold of the landlady, all the paper work is done. Friday. 

We start weekly planning and get through our other studies. Then it's off to the church for a meeting with the Branch President. Got the area split and it was back home. Did about 30 minutes more of weekly planning and then we had to go out to work. Worked.... taught the Juan family:) We watched the testaments:) They loved it!!!! I love them!!! There again was about 50 people at their house for the movie:) Which is good because we invited them all to the baptism on Saturday!

Saturday- Woke up early to finish weekly planning.... only I just ended up packing and doing more laundry while my companion did something else. We working in the morning and had some really great appointments. The baptism is at five. SO we had studies and then went to go to the church. Got almost all the way to the church when the office elders call that they need to pick up my suit case. Back to the apartment. Get the suitcase and we are back to the church. On the way there we saw... ELDER REBER!!!! Yay! He is in my batch! I love seeing my batch! 

 Got to the church and there was a ton!! of people there! and probably 20 of them were investigators!!! The baptism was AMAZING! It was so great! I'm so thankful that I stayed the extra 3 months to see my family get baptized! I love this family so much! I cried like a little baby when they were baptized and then when I bore my testimony at the end:) And then again when they bore their testimony:) Tears of Joy:)

 Finally Sunday- The day of rest..... or so you thought. Sunday was a great day! They were all confirmed and because the newest best members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! Right after church Sister Cabato hopped on top of a jeepney and rode to Camalanuigan:) Surprise! President let us ride on top of the Jeep and go to visit my Recent converts in Cam! I didn't get to see them all, So I was really sad:( There was four that I didn't get to see, But I did get to see little Julia Hazel:) She's so adorable! WE stayed for a total of one hour and then it was back to Ballesteros! Slept for one hour in the van that we were in, and then went straight to work when we got back to Ballesteros. Taught and then had accountability:) Sigh.... breathe for one second, then back to packing... brown out... no lights. UGH!!!! 

Today- Woke up early, packed, the Elders came and we moved into our new apartment. It's now 3:30 and we have an activity at the church at 5.... Maybe I'll just sleep on the plane....

A lovely run and some dating advice

This week... this week I went on exchanges with sister Mckim! She is from Australia and I love her so much! She is so great! This week we had three of our baptismal candidates move their dates to later, but I'm okay with it, because the Juan family is still getting baptized! They are so cute I love them so much! The branch loves them so much too because they live so far away and are so poor that they cant afford the tryce to come to church and so every week they walk to church even though it takes like fifty minutes and it is burning hot. On fast Sunday the members all got up to bear their testimonies and they were all just crying because they were so inspired by the Juan family! Then we had an fhe at their house and a whole bunch of people came and the father finally joined in! He had such a good time he was just laughing and he loved it! He said that we could start teaching them:) I'm just so happy! 

This week we also had mlc. It's always stressful when you have to travel to Laoag, but this time stress was gone. After five hours of trainings in the morning... or four... idk basta its really really long, we got to go and have games at the local stadium... where there was a track.... so I may have gotten to run a full mile:) all by myself:) it was so great! granted I'm a little fatty and it was really hard for me haha but it still felt so good! yes! Then we had a crazy what the heck is this moment at fhe that night.... the APs gave us a training on.... "how to have a quality date"... like an hour long training. It was so weird... but very amusing. one week till may day! I love you all!