Leaving Allen (part 2)

Hello! Well, it's been a crazy week! Transfers came around, which none of us were actually expecting because we all just barely got back to Tacloban. Honestly, I thought I'd be staying in Allen for the next couple months. But it didn't work out that way! I'm in Naval, (no it's not pronounced how it's spelled) Beliran. LEAVING ALLEN WAS SO HARD! It was actually harder than it was the first time.

After we got the call, we went around and said goodbye to everyone. It was good but really bad. Haha. Bessie was one of the very first that we went to. She was napping but I would be leaving early the next day so we had her Lola wake her up. She told her I was transferring. Bessie just sat there for a second, and then she just grabbed this teddy bear and buried her face in it. It reminded me of when we first tried to teach her and she was too shy, except this time she was just shy because she was crying. Which made me cry. I am going to miss that little girl so much. I'm really glad that I was able to teach her while I could though. Also, Sister Smith is an amazing missionary so I am glad that I am able to leave her in good hands. We went and said goodbye to Nanay Casanas and I got a video of her so you all can see her once I get home. She's the adorable Lola who I told you about in Manila the first time I got to talk to you all. We went and said goodbye to Maria and Julie Ann too. It's a bummer that I won't be around to see those baptisms, but I feel thankful that I was able to be a part of helping them and teaching them. I am going to miss Allen so much but I am really thankful that I had to opportunity to go back there and serve a second time. It's funny; I'm almost halfway through my mission and I'm just leaving my first area (; Haha. 

Naval is great. It's Cebuano speaking. Which is hard. I keep speaking Tagalog to everyone. Haha. I think I'll get used to it after about a week. It's always a little difficult to switch from one language to the other. I am glad that I speak Tagalog now though. We went to Tacloban City for transfers and I don't know Waray Waray H but I know Tagalog so I was able to talk to the people. 

When we got to Tacloban E. Lowe was there, aka my favorite batch/ best friend from the MTC. He's so awesome! Only 3 brand new elders came to Tacloban mission this batch and he's trainer to one of them! He's nervous because he's only been in Cebuano for 1 transfer now but he's gonna be great. 

Things are okay here in Naval. Sister Adasme is my companion again. The only problem is that she doesn't really know the area because her companion before was super sick so we're basically opening the area. We've been able to do a lot of good finding though. I will let you know more about that next week since I haven't been here too long yet. 

I attached a picture of the spider that was in our house when I got here. He's about as big as my hand. Maybe like an inch smaller. 

Habal habal !

This week has been a good week. Except that I wrote everything down that I could tell you all and then left it at home.. Dang it! It's really cool though mom I have this tiny little calendar book and I write in it every day and every week about cool things that happened so you can look at it all when I get home! At least for this whole year. Then read my journal for the spiritual ones.

OH! This part I definitely need to tell you! My companion and I got charged by a caribou! Thankfully the charge was incomplete. But I didn't know I could run that quickly/awkwardly/in a skirt/ through puddles of mud. It was hilarious! 

So we met this guy yesterday who was like "I think that the people in other churches don't even read the bible for themselves. Then their leaders just use scriptures out of context. And then the bible is kind of not clear anyway." He literally said in his own words that the bible is lacking! And he said that he thinks that we need a different book/guide to clarify the bible. Isn't that insane! We just like sat there shocked for a second. Then we started to teach him. He's a little kapoy to teach because he like questions every single thing, but in like a good way because he has real intent. It's awesome! If he gets converted he's going to be so strong! 

Yesterday it was raining so hard! That's the problem with members here sometimes; they hate rain more than they love coming to church. We had like half attendance yesterday :( But Maria came! Her cute belly was hidden by her cute HUGE almost winter coat! And she was wearing a beanie too! It was so stinking cute! I love her so much. We are doing an FHE at their house tonight to hopefully gain her husbands trust. Pray for her! She wants to be baptised SO BADLY! 

Also, last night, we rode home in the rain on a habal habal which is basically just a motorcyle. I was not even fully seated on it either. Haha it's funny how things that are so bad back home are totally normal in the Philippines. Okay that's all! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Have a good week! 

Sister Sprouse

Hello Everyone !

Hello Everyone!

 Last week was a great week! I got a little sick again, but I was only out for one day of work even though I had a fever for like three haha. So because of my adjusting still to the 1 hour email thing, I'm sorry that I'll have to do a small email again.. IT'S SO HARD! Haha. 

ALSO. McKenna, you CAN'T be driving!! You're not big enough yet! That's INSANE! 

One cool thing about this week is that we had this excommunicated member that we had been teaching before. We had taught him a couple times before and he was good but he said he just would decided whether he wanted to come to church or not and that was all. The last time we went to see him we were just really bold and said that marraige is a commandment and they need to have an actual lawful wedding. The wife didn't want to because she's super catholic and was afraid that she had to be married in the "mormons". But when we came back to them she ran up to us and basically said "We're getting married in the Mormons! And we're going to church with the Mormons too! " And they did! It was such a miracle!!! They looked really happy too! We'll keep praying for them! They already got their papers I guess! 

We had 9 investigators come to church last Sunday! And it was a really good uplifting Sunday so I was really glad to have them all there! 

We have a date for Maria Amairia on MARCH 29! That's right Kait, celebrating your birthday with a bunyag! She is so cute! But she's also really pregnant so we're afraid that her belly might not be able to go under the water then someone will push it down and she'll go into labor.. Hahah jk but I guess that really happened. We're just hoping she can get baptised before she has her baby. Her mother in law is a member and they're really close. Even though she can't read her MOL reads to her! And testifies to her all the time. Super awesome support system. We watched the Restoration with her and she cried and said she knows it's true! Super exciting! 

Okay sorry so short! Love you all so much!!! 

Sister Sprouse

temple trip with

Hello Everyone! This week was.. interesting. A lot of stuff happened but I don't really feel like a lot was happening in our area. We had transfer calls on Monday and I'm just staying put. That is until I am returned to Tacloban. I think that's the reason why they didn't move me or Sister McCurdy.

So this week, Joann almost got baptized. I was really sad that it didn't go through. She got really sick the day of and so she couldn't. (This is all what I'm hearing from Sister T because obviously I'm not in that area anymore) She now has to wait four more weeks for complications or something like that. I'm not sure; Sister T was never a big one for details haha. But the cool story is that when she had her Baptismal interview she told the DL that during our first lesson with her I had told her that God wants to help her with anything she has a problem with. So her husband came home from work with a problem and she remembered that I had told her that and she prayed. I guess at like 2 in the morning someone texted her husband with the solution to his problem. So that was really cool! I am going to write her an encouraging letter and give it to the sisters in that area now so that hopefully she will continue. 

Like the title, we went to the temple on Friday. We didn't get to go inside, but it was really cool because Sister Tagalog (Jeaneveb's mom) had a sister who died and so we went to the Family History center and she was able to print out her name for her sister to get her work done. It was a really good trip. We took a lot of good photos, But I don't know if this computer will be good for sending them. Maybe I will just print them and send them to you like usual. Also, I hope that maybe you guys can save all the photos I send because sometimes a theif steals them from my camera.. Haha. So I would really appreciate that. 

Oh also, we have this little boy we're teaching. He's 8 years old and he has a brother who is 12 who passes the sacrament every week. He's really cute. I call him ungoy (monkey) and sometimes he hangs on my arm like a monkey and I walk around carrying him places. I have a really cute photo of it I will have to send it to you. But he's going to be baptized. If I hang out long enough here I will get to see it! The only problem is when I got that package from Suz and Ralph I gave them all some of the chocolate so whenever his older brother sees me he asks me where the chocolate is.. Haha. It's pretty funny. 

So that's about it for this week! I love you all! 

Sister Sprouse

Magandang Semana

Hello Everyone! I am going to apologize right now, because this email won't be long.. It's really hard switching from 2 to 1 hours.. Haha.

But this week was good! We got a lot of work done and had a lot of good life experiences.

We got 9 new investigators! (:

I got bit by a monkey

We found this new investigator but she didn't understand our prayers so she tried to repeat me when I opened.. It was really weird haha I didn't know what to do

We committed one of our investigators to be baptized on April 5!! (:

It's been really good! I am really sorry about the lack of details but I am doing well and I am happy, even if Tagalog is hard to learn without textbooks.. Haha.

I love you all tons! Never doubt that. Have a wonderful week!

Sister Sprouse