Wednesday, December 3, 2014

December na!

Hello everyone, I sure have loved reading all of your emails this week. Glad everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving, and it seems like Christmas is now in full swing there! We've been celebrating Christmas for a little while here in the Philippines, but now that it's December jud, I feel like I can embrace it haha
We got transfer calls on Monday and Sister McCann is leaving me and going back to Cebu. I'll sure miss her! She's been such a fun companion and a great friend, and my only companion from Utah because...I'm getting a Filipinia companion tomorrow! Her name is Sister Linao and she is from Butuan. She's pretty new to the mission, she's batch with Sister Primero and I met her on her first day in the mission. This could be my last companion...you never know, but I am really excited for her to come! Kikay daw siya, malipayon kaayo ko kay kikay sad ko, haha. 
Also, Sister Tueller and Sister Wechsler both left this morning to return home. I'll miss them both so much!
We've had a lot of fun things happening this past week. Lots of goodbye dinners for Sister McCann, a birthday party for the cutest 2 year old named Princess, my 15 month "birthday" celebration with the Guia's, and touring a Taoist temple with the zone. We also have been busy finding new investigators and preparing Elena for her baptism.
Elena's story is quite interesting. I told you guys last week that she almost died when she was little in a gas explosion. Luckily she is still alive. She's just blind in one eye. Her husband left and disowned her and their 5 little boys a few months ago. She's been struggling to keep herself on her feet and her boys fed. It's really, really sad. Well this last week has been full of trials for her as she had no other choice but to send her children to live with family members so that their temporal needs could be taken care of. It's really quiet at her house now. But she is trying to find a job to hopefully sustain the kids and she is moving forward with her baptism. 
I think about my mission and how it has been characterized by so many single moms and single women living such hard lives. I got my mission call and really wondered why in the world was I being sent to the Philippines...it's really far from home, I am speaking a really crazy language, and I didn't know anyone who was assigned to my mission before or anything like that...but it really is amazing to see how well Heavenly Father knows me, He truly is my Father and he knew I needed to serve these women and give them some love and the gospel of Jesus Christ. When it was just me and my mom all those years ago, I just remember loving church and primary and young womens and seminary, and I know that was what kept me grounded through a rocky childhood. It's amazing to see how things come back full circle. I'm so thankful.
There's a storm coming in tomorrow night, but we are prepared and safe! Don't worry! 
That's all I have time for this week. Thank you so much everyone for all of your prayers, letters, love, and support. I'm so lucky! I love you all!
Love, Sister Joslyn Harris :)
 
Taoist Temple

Stormy weather

Cadayona Family & Pres Abirado

Dumegete Zone

Guia Family & Cadayona Family

Guia Family

Happy Birthday Princess

Beautiful

Skinny Me

Legaspi family

Baby Crab

Baby Crab

My 15th month feast

Princess 2nd birthday

Recent Converts Baby Rose & kids
 
Sis Guia & Sis Cadayona

Sis Lin

Sis McCann & Me

Storm rolling in
 

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