500 Days of Serving : Ch ch ch changes... Again!

Well, I'm transferring. I got the call last night. President is changing up a bunch of companionships with the sisters, this happens now and then when someone falls in love with a sister or a sister gets a stalker or some other problem. Thats what we get for being white in the Philippines! While I do have my share of crazy stalkers (remember the sandwich guy?) don't worry, the problem isn't on my end. When an emergency transfer like this happens President will change up a few companionships so its not obvious where the problem is. I don't know yet where I'm going or who my new companion will be! I've been in Bacolod 6th ward for 5 months but I've only been with Sister Char for 2 1/2 weeks! :( We have already been dreading transfers in 3 weeks on the regular schedule, let alone being sprung with an early transfer! We were at dinner with a member when they made the call, Sister Char was pretty upset because she's only been in this area for 2 weeks and now shes leading it, but I know she'll be soooo great. 6th ward is in good hands! After we finished at the members house, we went home, climbed onto our roof, layed and looked at the stars in silence for a while, then I had to go in and pack. So sad. We were just getting started! You read my email last week, this time with her has been the best. I've learned soooo much and grown sooo much and had so much fun. We had a bomb plan for this area and were totally on our way. The thing about transfers is I can never be too sad. I know that its so inspired and obviously Heavenly Father knows MUCH better than I do. So its bittersweet, I'm so sad to be leaving Sister Char, and I reallllllly loved 6th ward, no more wednesdays at dereks :( but I'm excited for my next area and new companion! The work moves onward!

I had to take all my luggage to the mission office this morning so we are emailing at a different shop than usual, and its the new record for "concentration camp computer shops". My keyboard is missing a lot of keys and the enter bar so the shop man, who is most definitely related to Borat, had to show me all these secret ways to use the numbers to get the letters to type. So sorry if this letter is jumbled haha.

Okay, I'll try to think back on this week. SO much happened.

Our new ward mission leader is AWESOME. I think I mentioned him last week. Yeah, he was killer in his mission, he taught us a system to ask for referrals which is GENIUS and it got him 13 baptisms in one day in his own mission. And he is preparing his own list of names so that he can be an example for the ward to get referrals started. He also comes and works with us and the people LOVE him. Especially the girls haha. And he knows how to cut through people's excuses. Its the best. So fun and so effective, I'm way excited to keep applying it in my other areas.

We taught Brother Abrar. I think I've mentioned him before? He is from Pakistan and was kicked out of his country when he converted to Christianity and cannot go back or he will be put to death. SO. We have been teaching him for a few months, its been a slower conversion process because he can only meet with us once or twice a week, but last week he committed to baptism! And we could actually be excited about it because unlike other people here, when he says yes he means yes! We were moving into the commandments this week and taught Law of Chastity. It was one of those moments where I was like "Okay, I'm a 21 year old little girl whose relationship experience basically consists of prom (shout out to Elder Fisher) and I'm teaching a 40-year-old something man from Pakistan about chastity. Yep." But thats the thing, its never US teaching! It was my favorite LOC lesson yet. He is SO ready to have a good family, he has experienced so much sadness in his life and has been separated from his own family for many years now. He isn't married right now but wants to be... but because of a former marriage and a "no divorce" law in the Philippines, he can't be. He would either have to leave his current wife, go to another country to be married, or have his first wife die. I was like, okay, he's from Pakistan, the last option should be no problem? haha kidding, kidding. So after such a great lesson, he can't be baptized. Well, until something changes there. He wants to keep taking the lessons, coming to church, etc, and we'll keep praying that Heavenly Father will bring a miracle so he can be baptized. Geez, we even taught him Word of Wisdom this week too, so great. I told you how he was a monk for a while, right? Yeah so he was like "okay, I drink coffee right now, but it won't be a problem to stop. When I was a monk we went without meat, coffee, smoking, drinking, etc, for 4 months. We also did self-control trainings and would walk for 3 days straight (did I mention he has a fake leg??) until our feet were bleeding. So it will be no problem to quit coffee." OKAY. Ah, I want him baptized SO BAD. He is so ready. Grabi.

We went on splits with some of the sisters in the ward, they took us to meet less actives that we didn't know. My partner took me to this family with a "special" son. Terrifying. First he sees me and goes "Gwapa kay inday ba!" (calling me pretty) then changes in a snap and starts punching himself in the face and swearing at me the he will kill me. O.o My teaching partner was just laughing and laughing. I think I'll go with another partner next time. Oh wait, I'm not in this area anymore. Shoot. Nevermind.

I thought I was finished with language slip ups. Nope. While on this same split we went to a squatter area and I read outloud some writing on a door and asked what it meant. I was with my split partner and my 17 year old male recent convert. The recent convert looked at me like I had just barfed slugs and my partner just laughed again. She later told me that I had read outloud the Hiligaynon word for... okay I don't even want to write it. Dang it. It was just really embarrassing, I'll leave it at that. Maybe I'll email it to Sera haha

Derek blessed the sacrament in church on Sunday :D sooooooo awesome he is the best ever. Such a proud parent moment.

Oh yeah! I went to La Carlota again this week! The office elders told us to come to the office to pick up a sister who is leaving for her mission the next morning and needed to sleep at our place, I show up and across the parking lot see this little baby person with a bright pink skirt... Sister Lisaca! My last companion! (short term which is why she is now leaving on her mission). So not only did I get to see her again and she spent the night with us, she had forgotten to bring her stuff with her so we got to drive with the office elders back to La Carlota! I got to see her family again and everything. It was sooo great. She is a doll, that morning I had lost my plete purse (the one that Alyne got me :( :( ) and before she left the next morning she gave me this birthday present that she had made, this picture collage thing of our transfer together, and a cute little new plete purse. No idea how she got it because we were together the whole time. But she is the best. It was so great to see her again.

Okay, I have to head back to the office to meet my new companion and find out where I'm going! I love you all sooooooo much, don't freak out from my last email, I promise I'll come home... I just don't want to think about it haha. Dang, why did they have to do away with asking to extend! Okay. I love you I love you I love you!!!!!!!!!! Have an amazing week!

Sister Manwaring

heres more pics!

banana Q!