Transfers and Trainers

 Sister Taylor Kay Foote has been called to serve as a new Missionary Trainer…..

Sister Mamasig is being transferred.  She's awesome.  Everyone loves her so much.  We've spent the last few days in tears because Sister Mamasig had to tell our investigators that she was leaving. 

My new companion/trainee is Sister Rantayo from Pangasinan in the Philippines.  She is pretty much the sweetest little thing I have ever met and has an AMAZING singing voice - she sings around the house and traveling to appointments and I love it.

I rode in the most rickety little side car to a motorcycle with 3 other missionaries, the bishops wife and a ward missionary last night.  We all felt a selfie was in order.

"Out of Order"

I fell asleep waiting for Sister Mamasig to finish her shower one night and then AGAIN two nights later….it's been a crazy week.

Bagong Taon!

New Year in the Philippines

People here celebrate with fireworks so little black cat things were going off all day.  At 11:30 the fireworks started and didn't stop until 12:30.  There was no way to sleep so we went out and watched.  I felt like I was in a WWII movie, there was so much noise, smoke, and flashes of light.  It was crazy.  Everyone was using the equivalent of mortars and there were like 8 firework shows going on at once.

 Me and the coconut.  They're called Buko here.  They use the "meat" and put it in water and sugar and make Buko juice.  It's really good.

January 10, 2015:  We had our first baptism!  Sister Maricor was baptized
and it was awesome.

Ronalyn and her lola (grandma).  Lola is throwing up the "gwapo" sign…she's 70 something going on 17.  Love her.

maligayang pasko
"MERRY CHRISTMAS"

from the Philippines

Service project on Christmas Eve!  Moving cinderblocks
in the rain.

 Gotta love it…really I did though!

Thank you so much for the Christmas Package to my family!  Thank you so much for the pj's   I was so happy to know that I wasn't forgotten in the tradition :)

                                                 

I bought a cinnamon roll from a Starbucks in this shopping center and ate it this morning.  IT WAS SO GOOD!  haha, just like at home.  Super expensive, but super worth it.

I got to Skype with my family on Christmas! 
They said it was the highlight of their Christmas--
mine too!!

My family even got to meet and talk to Sister Mamasig, my companion.  It was so great for them to meet each other.  She is so sweet!  Love my family so much!  Next Skype session:  Mother's Day!!

P-Day B-Day:

December 15, 2014

 So yeah.  I turned 20 today.  My apartment mates surprised me this morning with what is called "mango float".  It's kinda like cheesecake - it usually has mangoes but this one had Oreos instead.  It was delish.

They also made me a cute banner.  I don't know how because I am literally with Sister Mamasig every minute of every day.  But they're just so sweet.

I love these sisters so much.  They are such amazing examples to me of pure, Christlike love.

THANKSGIVING

TRIKES & 

TYPHOON RUBY

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." 

- W. Purkiser

Thanksgiving doesn't exist here. So I really just ate the typical rice and chicken for lunch.  But I treated myself to some ice cream later on, don't you worry.  My siblings and some of my cousins emailed me this picture from Thanksgiving Day at my grandparents house in California.

There's always room for one more.  Today we had a total of 7 people on a trike (the driver and one other passenger aren't in the picture)  That's a record for me.

I'm safe from Typhoon Ruby.  It was super mild here.  The only thing that happened was that we got a lot of rain and wind on Monday night after p-day.  So we just stayed inside our apartment staring at 6 p.m.  No power outages or anything like that.

 Name of the Week...

One day, I had my hair braided and was wearing this blue dress.  We were walking down the street from our house to the main road to catch a jeepney to go to one of our proselyting areas.  We passed a group of men and a few seconds later I heard "ELSA! ELSA! ELSA!"  and then "LET IT GO! LET IT GO!" (they were all singing Frozen).  My companion laughed and thought it was so funny.  I asked why and she said "because you don't look like Elsa, you look like Anna".  Then I had to laugh because I feel like I don't look like any of them.  But everyone here says I do. So now I'm Taylor Swift, Anna and Elsa.  The list gets bigger each week,

I got called Barbie 20 times this week.  Which is funny because I'm not even blonde.

I'm so happy to be here.  I really am.I thank you all for prayers and the love I feel from you all.  I know that this church is true.  I wouldn't be here if I didn't.  I am so thankful to know of Heavenly Fathers plan and purpose for all of his children here on earth - which is each and every one of us.  We just have to do a few small things to accept the blessings He is waiting to give us.