Monday, November 25, 2013

Week 11 in the Philippines - "the mission is crazy"

Hi loved ones! 

Oh my goodness this has been the craziest week of my life! Well, first of all how is everyone? What's been going on at home?  I love you all and am soooooo extremely grateful for all the amazing people in my love. I have the greatest family and friends in the whole world. seriously.

ok, so about my week. Tuesday I met my new companion, Sis Laulu. We were going to white wash the other half of my ward. So the elders left and we came in their area, which was still in my same ward. So some would change, but some things would still be the same. I love Sister Laulu! She's from Samoa and she's crazy. She's super talkative and fun and awesome. She also has three brothers and two sisters! Anyway, we actually got a call Wednesday morning from the APs saying that I was going to be transferred to Sagay! I was super sad to leave her and to leave all the people I love there. 

Thursday morning I met my new companion, another new companion! Some couple missionaries drove us to our new area in Sagay. The sadness of leaving my first area, all that I knew of the Philippines, didn't last long because the drive up north to my new area was the most beautiful thing of my life! Oh my goodness! Once you get out of the big city of Bacolod, this island is the most beautiful place in the world! There are these awesome rice fields and sugarcane fields everywhere and palm trees and the ocean and the magical mountains in the middle of the island. It's amazing. 

My new area in Sagay is like a 2 hour drive from the city, maybe 2-1/2. President Lopez is finally sending sisters farther out from the city again, thank goodness:) I love it here. I also love my new companion so much. Her name is Sister Parada. She was born in Manila, but was raised in California and Utah and then came back to study in Manila before her mission. She's so strong and I'm so grateful I get to work with her! 

We split the area here, so Sis Parada and I are opening our area, in a way. We still have elders in our ward, but we split the area. So it's been pretty crazy trying to find our way around and meet people and get familiar with everything. It's fun though:) and really hard haha. We are soooooo lucky though because we have these two Ward Missionaries in our ward, one recently returned from her mission, and they have been helping us since the first day we arrived. They are super super helpful and know everyone, including our investigators. They have been showing us everything and introducing us to everyone. It is the biggest blessing. Their names are Levy and Annalean. I love them! 

My second day we rode out to one of our farther areas, which is where I took that picture in the field:) It rained and was super muddy and awesome. We met some really awesome and receptive people out there with their homes hidden in the trees and grass. And guess what!? They speak Cebuano here! The farther parts of our area are Cebuano speaking, which means I get to try to learn two languages at once! Yay hahahahaha oh goodness. it's crazy.       

One picture I attached was from Pday, back in my old area, we went to the Ruins. It's an old mansion that got burned during WWII. Our district went and it was really beautiful and cool!

One picture is of my new companion Sister Parada, with our Ward Missionaries and the elders in our ward. 

On Saturday, we got to wear helping hands vests and help distribute kits of food and clothes to people affected by the typhoon. This part of the island was affected a lot more than my last area. It was nice to be able to help them a little bit.

Everything was crazy this week with early transfers because we got 19 missionaries sent over from the Tacloban mission. They shut the Tacloban mission down and evacuated all of the missionaries there. We have 264 missionaries in our mission now! So many! It's awesome!

Well, thank you for all your love and support. I am so grateful for all of you! I am grateful for my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. It is through Him that I am able to work through every challenge that I face. I am learning how to exercise more faith in Him because that is the only way we can progress and see miracles in our lives. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel because it is the power to receive salvation and return to live with my Father in Heaven. I just need to share it with everyone! 

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all safe and happy and having fun!
Love, Sister Malyon

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