Friday, February 7, 2014

Sister Courtnee Wood - New Area, New People and Ancient Computers

Sister Wood and her darling investigators

 
 
Wow I am typing this email on an ancient computer with slow internet, so I am of course really happy! J It has been a long week actually! I mean with the whole transfer and stuff. But really good. It has definitely been the most humbling week of my mission so far. Which is a good thing! Its been a week of a lot of learning. I was too used to things in Laoag, and thought I could do it all! Haha then that is when you are cut down and start from the ground again! The thing I have thought about this week is the Mormon message about the farmer pruning the bush. Haha that is exactly how I have felt. Right when I was growing and thought I was good at tagalog and at teaching and basically everything, I need to get cut down and grow again. I know that God has to cut us down or prune us so that we can grow up again into the person he wants us to be! It is such a humbling experience, but I know that going through it will help me become a better missionary and be the person he wants me to be! So my new companion is so great. Her name is Sister Bacalla from the southern Philippines. We get along so well, and she is helping me out so much with the language, and basically everything. Our area is Aparri, which is right along the ocean. So yeah it is pretty sweet. It is a VERY poor area. But I already love it. It definitely feels like I am in a whole new country though haha. 
My companion goes out to the beach with me in the morning and we exercise. Yes, it is awesome. Our apartment is not what I expected it to be, but it isn’t bad! It is just old. It doesn’t look nearly how it is from the outside. But I will tell you that in 10 minutes we saw two mice run across the floor, killed 1 large spider, and 1 giant cockroach. Not to mention that yesterday morning I woke up and rolled out of bed to pray, and there lays a dead  big cockroach in my bed.  Yeah I am sure you can guess my reaction. I couldn’t believe it. It had been in there when I was sleeping!!!!!!!!!! Don’t ask how, cause I don’t know. But I had even sprayed my sheets with permethrin!!! Today we are buying mouse traps and all sorts of stuff. On the flip side, we will be moving at the beginning of march! To a brand new apartment that is so cute! Basically just like the one in laoag! Has a spiral staircase too J So that is something to look forward to amongst all the grossness haha! I don’t know how I get so lucky with these brand new apartments! I will send photos of our “bathroom” next week.  The work up here is going good. It is so different, but the people are so great! SO SO GREAT. There are some great potential baptisms coming I just know it. Haha this week we worked so hard to invite as many  people to church as we could. Well as you can see in the picture that the only people who cam e to church were  children that we hadn’t even formally invited hahaha. So yeah sacrament meeting was basically babysitting! Its okay though, I love the kids here.
We have a baptism on February 22 for a young girl named mitch may. It was her that was the one that brough all of her young friends to church! She is so cute. I love talking to the kids because they are the only ones I can understand and can talk to haha! I am so grateful for all of the things I am learning in this area. With my awesome companion. We just started a new planner, so that is my 5th or 6th I think and for February I am writing in it in all red. Nothing else.  J Happy February! My almost favorite holiday is soon! I know that this church is true, I know that this is God’s work, and I am so lucky to be able to serve him. 
love sister wood!
Locals Drying Fish

No comments:

Post a Comment