October 28, 2013

Family!!!!

Kmsta ba kayo!?!? Wow thanks for your emails! LOVE THEM!! Also GREAT NEWS!! Dad and Darla I got your letter!! I have yet to read it ha ha but it is in my bag and I'm looking forward to reading it soon-THANKS!!! Also you all say you have such boring weeks and what not, ha ha even if you think your emails are boring to me-I love it. I love hearing the little things you're doing daily. Keep it up! Thank you!!! 

Okay so ha ha tons of big changes happened in the last week! So ya! I got transferred again!!! WHAT?! Ya that was a big surprise. Sister Merwal was 100% sure she was being transferred as in she did all her laundry the day before, had been making BR's (like rememberances for members and missionaries-almost like you sign in the back of a year book) she made those for the last week to give to everybody in the branch and to all the missionaries, she had basically started packing and she had planned her farewell party... turns out she'll be there for another 12 weeks ha ha! Oh it was hilarious. Anyway. I was super surprised to leave Camiling. I was only there one transfer and I LOVED it. Oh well. I'll miss those people the most. Ha ha wow I'm amazed at how quickly I fall in love with these people. Oh well. Hopefully I'll see them again... or at least keep in communication with them! 

So check it out.. I'm back immediately in Tarlac! Ha ha funny. Except instead of going back to Ward 3, I'm in Lapaz Branch! Sister Naldoza (my new companion and my old roommate in Camiling!!!!) and I are opening this area!!! Ha ha it is awesome! Lapaz has never had Sisters here before it is awesome! So far so great! They love us and we love them!! Opening an area for sure has its challenges ha ha but the challenges are not even bad and sometimes the challenges are so ridiculous it is hilarious. Absolutely hilarious ha ha. 

It is just the 2 of us in our home which is different but its fun. It's a good thing we get along so well otherwise it would be super boring and quiet. But we laugh all the time and have fun. Our house is new. And by that I should just say new to missionaries. Ha ha ah man something funny for sure our house. It's kind of a bummer because they finished painting our house in Camiling this past week and it is sooo beautiful! And now Sister Naldoza and I just left it... darn. Oh well! Our house now... lets just say that the whole living in a tent for an entire summer definitely prepared me for this house. Ha ha it's hilarious. They weren't expecting Sisters to coming into the area until January so lots of things they wanted to change have yet to been changed. Hopefully soon they'll get the house looking better. But really it's great! 

Our branch-Lapaz is awesome! We actually got a new Branch President just last week and he is awesome! Ah man we have work to do here to help the branch. Our Branch President, President Campos, deserves so many blessings! He doesn't yet have any counselors, none of the auxillaries are yet filled with functioning leaders, and many of the functioning leaders have multiple callings. Ha ha I can't imagine running a branch with no counselors... what a man I'm impressed. Something I've learned so much here is that EVERY SINGLE CALLING in the Church is incredibly crucial.Seriously. Home and Visiting teaching-SO important. Functioning auxilaries-it's a blessing! Having functioning teachers for each class is important. Having Priesthood to bless and pass the Sacrament, having fellowshippers in YW, functioning Primary leaders, EVERY SINGLE CALLING is critical. I pray  we will all fulfill our callings, go to our meetings, and support our leaders. They need our support. The leaders have a hard time leading if there is no support."It takes courage to lead, and sometimes it takes faith to follow." Support our leaders, fulfill our callings! 

This past Sunday it sounds like it was the Primary program everywhere! Yesterday we also had our Primary Presentation! It was ADORABLE!!! Ha ha it reminded me that kids are kids no matter where you are, what culture you are, etc. Kids are always kids and I love it! In the small small group of kids singing their different adorable songs and saying adorable little testimonies I found a Kela look and act alike ha ha it was great. There was also the kid not paying attention but rather playing with his paper throwing it up in the air just to let it fall and repeat. Then there was the kid belting out the song. The kid who yelled into the microphone. the older kid who was ready to be out of primary. ha ha all of them. It was great! I loved it! I really admire our Primary leaders. If Yvonne Johanson is still the primary president-tell her I say good job and to keep going! The talents of primary leaders... wow-awesome. 

So sorry this is a super long email! Just a lot happened in the last week and it has been great! I love my new companion, I love my new area. These people are so much fun. I love being able to talk to everyone because I know they've never met us before so we can invite all of them to church! We are getting a ton of attention becasue we're new Sisters here and so the more the attention, the more opportunities to find and teach! This area has amazing potential and I am so blessed to be part of it. Wow the Church is true.

Pictures! And there are a lot. 

May FHE for Brother Jonathan's birthday and his family! 

2. Sister Kyla's uncle was just making these cool baskets out of bamboo right next to their house so I took a picture with them! The Filipinos are SO good with their hands. 

3. Camiling Zone after Transfer announcements!! I'm going to miss this Zone!!! 

4. This is how they dry all the rice after it comes out of the machine where it gets all separtated. Ha ha the explanation is a lot better than mine right here but I just find it funny and was shocked the first time I saw it. But ya, the roads are just full of rice like this drying in the sun! 

5. Sister Herlene!!!! She seriously is like my little sister and would work with us all the time! Super bummed to leave her.. oh well. She's great and is going to make one fantastic missionary in the future! 

last pictures with Sister Merwal... sad. But beautiful!

2. Okay so for Sister Merwal's farewell party she planned that turned out to be for me, I taught them how to make SMORES!!! SUCCESS!!! They loved it!! Sister Herlene's family and some other members and friends all gathered. We had a short spiritual thought then we made smores. They LOVED it. So much fun! ha ha it's fun teaching people how to make smores. And they're delicious. Everybody loves smores! and they're super easy. boom!

3. awesome!!!

4. smore smores!

5. I'm going to miss these adorable kids!!!

. Our BEAUTIFUL house in Camiling!! Living like queens there seriously!

2. A part member family that we're teaching! Okay so check it out, the sister on the far right in the strip blue-she's deaf! AND she knows ASL!!! I've met some deaf people here before but their sign is so different from what I learned that I can't really communicate with the. But this Sister is different! She actually knows ASL or at least somewhat. Ha ha and I'm amazed at how much ASL I've forgotten! Then it's hard b/c I'm changing the Tagalog in my head to English than back to ASL or I'll try to go from Tagalog to ASL which isn't working either. But anyway, we have had somewhat communications which has been great so far! Hopefully we can understand each other enough to communicate what we want to say! Sooo fun!

3 Ya they have a pet monkey I fed a piece of candy to! The monkey is so nice!

4. Can you see the round candy in his mouth?  

Back in Tarlac! With my anak and apo! LOVE THEM!

2. and SM is getting ready for Halloween!

3. Halloween is coming up!

4. Fun times!

That's all folks! Thanks again for your continuous love and support to me! I sincerely appreciate it. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that through Him we can recieve forgiveness for our sins. We can get rid of those feelings of guilt through the Atonement. Through prayer nothing is impossible. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. He knows what we need. He knows how to help us. He knows what is best for us. And most importantly He loves us. We are His children. He is our Father. I know this and I am so blessed to be able to share my testimony of this knowledge I've gained with those around me. If you want to be happy-read the Book of Mormon. 

I love you! Mahal ko kayo!

-Sister Davidson :)