Week Sixty!!! 1-22-18

Hi, friends!! So really quick about my week, I got to go to Bambang last Monday to hike and then we got to go back that night as well because Sister Nida from Bambang is helping me with some physical therapy for my back pains as well as for my leg. So then President Butay, his wife, and Macko drove us home, and President Butay gave me this jacket that has Nueva Viscaya's colors, haha! So you can see me wearing it in pictures I'll send. Then we had splits with the other two sets of sisters from our zone which was really fun, especially because one of the sisters that I particularly love from our zone is Sister Salde and she is actually from Bacolod, so she always plans for when I will come visit her after our missions, haha. President and Sister Hiatt also came and attended our branch which was really cool.

Week Fifty-Nine!!! 1-15-18

Hello, friends! How are you this week? This last week was good, last Monday we went hiking at a shrine in our area which was fun so for this week. Earlier this morning we went with our other sisters that we are over as well as with some people in our branch to Bambang for a hike to the cross that we used to hike to when I was assigned in Bambang haha so that was really fun. On Tuesday last week we had our interviews with President and Sister Hiatt which was cool, and I learned a lot from them because they were able to give us some help and instructions for our area which wasn't doing very well before. Then we were able to have splits with 2 sets of our sisters on Wednesday and Friday. So it was really fun to work with them and learn with them in our area in Bayombong. I'm really grateful for them and the fun we all have together because one set of sisters that we have out in Almaguer I was kabahay with in Enrile that I liked so it's fun to be around her again. And then we got to have our other splits with the Bambang sisters, and me and them are just best buds so it was fun to be able to hang out with them as well. It was really fun this morning too because after we were done hiking we needed to find someone to cook the food that one of our members brought, so we went back into town and then I ran into one of the nanays here who I love and she invited us over to eat at their house so we got to go there which was so fun for me haha I still love Bambang with all my heart, and everyone who was with us was laughing at me because they said I know absolutely everyone here and everyone knows me as well, even though it was almost exactly a year ago that I first got here haha

Week Fifty-Eight!!! 1-8-18

Hi, friends! Hope you had a Happy New Year! I'm so glad to see that Mom is doing well after hurting her elbow, and it's really inspiring to see Conner getting ready for this semester of college. The knee's doing well, too, but it still hurts:( My best friend Sister Fukofuka told me that she wants to extend her mission until March 7 but I don't know if they'll approve of that, hahaha! Anyway, hope everything's going okay for you! I miss my good little horse dog Olly and I can't wait to see that super cute boxer puppy Zeus. Too bad he won't be small anymore when I get home, hahaha! I love you guys so much!!!

Week Fifty-Seven!!! Happy New Year!!! 1-1-18

The knee needs some help for sure. Sister Hiatt was really concerned about it when she came to stay with us. I also get like random shooting pain down my leg sometimes, and I have lower back pains all the time which she said is probably an issue too, but they can't do anything about it here. So, they just wrote me a prescription for more pain relievers... The area doctor told me to take 400mg of Ibuprofen 3 times a day, 500mg of Paracetamol 3 times a day, and then 50mg of the prescription painkiller 3 times a day... Sister Hiatt just said for me to see if you can deal with it until I go home and then she also said that maybe I should just go home a cycle early. But I told her I didn't want to do that. I wanted to see my mission all the way through, because that's what I came here to do. But I always do little exercises and lots of stretches every morning when I wake up, like pumping the water. 

Week Fifty-Six!!! Merry Christmas!!! 12-25-17

Hello family!


I just wanted to tell you a quick Merry Christmas. I'm so, so glad I was able to Skype with you. That meant so much for me. I'm so glad you all had a good Christmas, and that you guys have snow there, too. I'm SO jealous. It's so, so cold here for me, since I'm still pretty used to the heat of Tuguegarao. So I'm just cold, and there's still NO SNOW. I'm so excited that the next time I skype you guys, I will be SUPER close to coming home! Thank you for the very fun Skype call. My comp was jealous, because her family were barely talking on her Skype. She said we were all super loud and crazy, so I was like well, we were just really excited to see each other, and that's just how we are. Sorry I had to go so soon, but I still had a lot of fun skyping you guys. I love and miss you all with all my heart. I will talk to you guys next TUESDAY, which will be MONDAY for you all. Byeeeeee!

Week Fifty-Five!!! 12-18-17

Hello family,
I love you all very, very much!! The next time I talk to you guys will be on Christmas so, MERRY CHRISTMAS family!!!(: I am so, so glad that I have this opportunity to spend this Christmas in the Philippines, especially as a missionary. I think back to last year where I spent Christmas in the MTC also as a missionary and I really think about all that has changed in the past year and what I am grateful for this year is the greater love and appreciation that I have for our Savior as I celebrate Christmas compared to last year. I have spent a year learning about our Savior and Redeemer and have been striving every day to be more like him in all ways. I have grown to truly know Him through much study and prayer and service. I have grown a very deep appreciation for the life of our Savior which was spent in selfless service and given so freely for us. I have grown a true appreciation of Christ's Atonement and all it means to me. I understand more the perfect love that our Heavenly Father has for each of us even so that He gave us His only Begotten Son that we might be able to return to His presence one day. I am so grateful to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, I am grateful for the opportunity I have had this year to think of Him, learn of Him, and draw closer to Him not just during Christmas time this whole year.

Week Fifty-Four!!! 12-11-17

Okay, so our original schedule was that we have P-Day on Monday which is Christmas, and I was probably gonna Skype then, but now our P-Day is on Tuesday (the 26th). But, I can still Skype you guys on either of those days. A member offered us their laptop to use, so that's sorted out. So I can do it whenever you guys want, I think. ALSO, the next P-Day I have is this coming Saturday (not Monday), so I will be e-mailing you again this week on Saturday and not Monday. It's because transfer day has to be earlier next week, and it's hard for those going home to go through the airports when it is Christmas weekend. So transfer day is on Monday, and P-Day will be on Saturday, instead. Then after that, my P-Day will be on Tuesday for two weeks in a row, because Christmas and New Year's are both on a Monday, so we need to go out and work instead on those days.