Transfers happened! I don't know what it is about people moving, but it always makes me jittery and all twisted up. But every transfer, I continue to go to the bus stations, only to see all the other missionaries leave, going to their new areas while they leave me (usually I'm stuck all by myself waiting with the zone leaders) to yet again, pick up a new companion. And this transfer was no exception:) I'm still assigned here in the southern part of the mission, Bataan, and will now have been here 10 months! Someday, I'll finally be the one riding the bus to leave:)... it may be the day I leave to go home, but someday...
Haha, but I love staying here in Bataan, I've become real good friends with it:) My new companion is Sister Echon, another filipino (I've been so lucky with all my native companions) and she rocks. She also loves shopping:) And she is by far the loudest companion I've ever been blessed with haha. We always ask ourselves why president would ever put two of the most talkative missionaries together... Our poor investigators:) I am finally OUT of the training program, and it's been more than smooth sailing with our work. On the other hand, our p-days have been filled with cheap shoe shopping and I/we have no more money.
Funny Story: Apparently, along with dry season comes cockroach season. This week during nightly planning I had a cockroach fly on my head. Then the next day as I was getting toilet paper to blow my nose, a cockroach that was hiding flew from the toilet paper onto my arm. I hate. cockroaches. Even more so the ones that apparently fly. I've discovered a scream that I didn't realize even existed:). I've also learned to plan while sitting on the top of my desk.
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| Sarah with Sister E. (left) |
Every Monday morning we have started playing basketball with the youth at the chapel. We all meet together at the gates around6:20 at then wait for Bishop to open the gates, usually playing until 8am but only because we have to go clean and market. Because it's summer break right now for them, we've become really close, I love the youth here!
And in other happenings, we got to watch general conference last week (they first have to translate and send it to us) and I loved it! Well, the parts I got to watch... Saturday was way cool, my favorite was Elder Holland at the very beginning when I felt like I was being blasted out of my chair. On Sunday, I got stuck watching conference in Tagalog with all our investigators (they use really deeeeep Tagalog in the translating)... haha so I'm just going to wait until we get the Liahona. But I sat by one of the elders in our zone that was just as entertaining. Every 5 minutes or so, he would fall asleep. Of course it's dark, Filipino voices are really soothing, and he's an elder (ha jokeee). But the best was he would wake up, be really startled, and then start writing really fast. But then fall asleep again. I kept wondering what kind of revelation he was getting in his sleep...
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| Sarah with Sister E. (left) |
My very very favorite part of conference though was sitting next to one of my favorite families in the ward during the afternoon session. They had bought jolibee and were eating, no big deal. But the misison-changing moment came when Bro. Bumagat (stake counselor) turned around in his seat, took my water bottle, and gave me some of his coke. Speechless. You know, especially in the Philippines, that you have been accepted when someone shares their coke:):). I scored a million filipino points that day. Even ask my companion:)
I realized yesterday was Easter... Easter here is way different. In the sense that people crucify themselves, whip themselves, everything that happened to Jesus Christ they do. It was on Saturday, but we live in the middle of nowhere and didn't see much except for a couple people carrying crosses. But it's weird stuff here.
Funny Story: Apparently, along with dry season comes cockroach season. This week during nightly planning I had a cockroach fly on my head. Then the next day as I was getting toilet paper to blow my nose, a cockroach that was hiding flew from the toilet paper onto my arm. I hate. cockroaches. Even more so the ones that apparently fly. I've discovered a scream that I didn't realize even existed:). I've also learned to plan while sitting on the top of my desk.
Love you, miss you, keep writing me! I promise I'm finding time to write you back:)
LOVE,
SISTER TAYLORRRR