Wednesday, January 1, 2014

CarCar week 4 Happy New Year

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!!!
 
I'm just going to start givin' ya tons of information so GET READY!
 
First of all, transfer calls came on Monday after district meeting and...for this next transfer I will be staying in Carcar (amen) Sister Smith and Sister Zamora will still be here too. Sister Minguez, my dear companion, is transferring to Siaton (pronounced shatahn, on Negros) to be a sister training leader! I am super happy for her. However, this means I will be getting a new companion. Guess who my companion is. None other than my MTC companion, Sister Sepulveda. It will be interesting.
Elder Millan is going to the City Zone to be a zone leader there for his last transfer before he goes home. Elder Glines will still be here, and his new companion is Elder Mingus! I really like Elder Mingus and I have heard a ton of good things about him so if anything, I have great people surrounding me this transfer. And I can feel your prayers and your love from home so thank you for lifting me up :) I have been on my knees a lot this week and I do feel peace and comfort so I know this is what I need to grow this transfer.
 
There will now be 9 missionaries in Carcar...there is a tri-companionship of Elders coming here, one elder named Elder Snyder will be training 2 elders. It will be interesting but fun I'm sure.
Sister Minguez and I got companionship tshirts this week. They are light pink and they have two Barbie princesses on them- one American and one Filipina :) They are way cute. Sister Minguez has been teaching me a little Tagalog too...it's funny. One night the ZL's called and she told me to tell them something in Tagalog, so I said it.. and then her and Sister Zamora were laughing so hard they were crying. I asked Sister Minguez what I told the ZL's and apparently I told them that they were ugly in Tagalog...haha she is so funny. I will miss her a lot. She wrote me the sweetest letter and put it on my bed last night. LOVE her.
So we had zone conference on Saturday, which means there were 4 zones that got together at the temple complex for a day of workshops and lessons from President Schmutz, Sister Schmutz, the AP's, and the area DR. We also had lunch...chicken curry. It was way yummy. It was such a fun day and I love seeing the other missionaries. This is where I saw Elder Peck haha.
After zone conference was over, we were there from 8am to 6pm. After it was over there was a really cute girl who came up to us when we were walking out of the mission office and asked us if we wanted to go to dinner with her. I do not know this person but she seemed nice and it was in a public place so we said yes. We went to a restaraunt and her brother met us there. Her name is Era, she is 23 and she is a return missionary, she served in the Quezon City mission and just recently got home. She is in the Talamban ward (in the city) We were just having fun talking and getting to know these new people when I decided to get out my photo book of my family and friends (I take it everywhere) and she was looking at my pictures. Remember this last summer when me and those other sisters who were called to Cebu went to the SLC temple for a session and we met that cute Filipina sister from Cebu? Well, that is Era's best friend! It really is such a small world. Maybe someday I will get to serve in Talamban. I would love that. But for now I'm just glad I get to stay in Carcar another transfer. The people here are absolutely amazing.
 
I realize I haven't told you about any investigators or less actives in the last few emails and I do apologize for that! I just totally forget... so here ya go:
  1. Sister Cabansag- I met Sister Cabansag when I went on splits for the first time with Sister Flores (R.S. president) she is a less active who hasn't come to church in a very long time but we talked about the sacrament and why do we REALLY go to church...well she has come to church 2 times now and last week she even brought her pregnant daughter. So there comes a new teaching opportunity to teach someone about eternal families. I am super excited and happy she is coming back to church.
  2. Lermie and Melinda- So I always carry toys with me to give to kids on the street, so I gave Lermie (7 year old girl) a ring, and I gave her 2 sisters a ring too. Well that was my first week in Carcar, and since then when we go to Lermie's neighborhood, she has been following us to our teaching appointments. We asked her this last week where her house was and she took us to her house, and her mom Melinda was there. We have been teaching them and it is super fun. Melinda reads the Book of Mormon and they are coming to church and activities. Melinda's husband works in Mabolo (Cebu City) which is a few hours away and he only comes home a few times a month, but we went to their house the day I skyped you guys and he was home, and he wants his family to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just have a soft spot in my heart for teaching girls...especially moms with daughters because it reminds me of my own mom. Melinda has the weight of the world on her shoulders, raising these daughters but as we have been teaching her I have seen a change in her eyes. It's been amazing and that is something you guys were apart of because a teaching moment came from your rings...I sent a picture a few weeks ago there are 3 of them in the picture. I sent a picture this week titled "teaching a cute family of all girls!" that is them. They are great.
  3. Christine- she is our investigator who should be getting baptized on January 18th, but she needs to get married. She has had a live-in for 10 years and they have a son, but he is a painter and works away from home so he is rarely home. Well he was home this week and we committed them to get married and as soon as they are married she can be baptized. He is interested in the church too so hopefully he will be home enough times for us to teach him.
Yesterday was New Years eve! We had so much fun. Sister Neri (our Sister Training Leader) came and I got to stay with her all day at our apartment and cook Filipino foods while Sister Minguez and Sister Sousa (her comp) went on splits. We cooked and cooked and had so much fun.
We then took our food to the Carcar chapel where the entire Carcar zone met for a super fun movie night and games. We watched the movie Frozen- I've heard a few of you mention this movie in your emails. It was super cute. I loved it but it was funny because nobody knew what it was about and nobody had seen the previews for it. :) Missionaries.

Since New Years in the Philippines is full of drunk crazy men, CRAZY fireworks, parades, loud music and other crazy things, the ZL's decided that ALL the sisters in the Carcar zone (18 sisters) would stay at our apartment for the night...the zone leaders took us 4 at a time to our apartment and we layed out everyone's mattresses downstairs and we all got to celebrate New Year's together. We went on our balcony and watched firework show after firework show, loud loud fireworks, and even at 1 am...a parade came past the apartment. Our neighbors bought some roman candles and we talked them (from the balcony) into lighting them off for us haha. Great fun. There are no rules here with fireworks, it's like 10 pesos for 50 firecrackers and they all come in a package in a line and you just light off one and it lights off all of them. It's crazy here but I love it haha. Only in the Philippines.
Well I am sorry this is really long but a lot has happened and I want to make sure I don't leave anything out. :) Thank you so much, SO SO much for your prayers and love and support. I am so lucky to have a loving wonderful support system cheering me on here. Remember we are all in this together. This isn't just my mission. I encourage you to find ways to serve the people around you...smile at everyone, be a friend, be an example. I LOVE YOU ALL!
Nahigugma jud ko ninyo...Sister Joslyn Harris :)

Christmas Party at the Wellers


Elder Glines said "here hold this"

Elder Peck at the Mission Home

Cute companion tshirts

hand made Allie's new shoes

At the Cebu Temple

Dinner with friends

Cute family teaching them now

18 Sisters sleep over. No sleep that night.

Me Cooking....yep on New Years Eve

No comments:

Post a Comment