Transfer Two Begins

Hello, hello! Week eight begins!  Thank you to everyone who has emailed/ written me! As a missionary, its so exciting to get mail. It's like, proof that you actually all exist. Weird. Haha, joke-lang. I know you exist. 

So this week has been so hectic! What with transfers and leading the area and a baptism, I've barely had time to breath. 

So, I have a long list of stories to tell you on a sticky note in my planner. I'm sorry if this is a little disorganized, but I'm starting to run out of time so I'm going to go fast.

First, is my embarrassing fumble with the lovely Tagalog language. I usually have quite a few fumbles everyday, telling someone goodnight when it's really morning, or saying "po" (sir) to children. But, every once and a while, I just tank it. Monday, I tanked. We have the most amazing Relief Society President. I really, really love her so much and because Sister Williams was leaving and I was soon going to Lead the Area, I wanted to get to know her better. DO NOT try to get to know someone better on a tricycle, ESPECIALLY if you don't speak their language very well. There we were, bumping along inches from the ground with the sound of a motor blazing in our ears and she started saying something about Sister Williams and I. I caught "I'm sorry." I thought that she was saying that she was sorry about missing an appointment or something. So I patted her knee and very enthusiastically said, "Ayos lang, ayos lang, talaga!" (Means, it's okay, it's okay really! Basically, don't worry, I'm fine about it.) 

Turns out, she was actually saying "I'm sorry Sister Williams is transferring." Um... yeah.Sister Williams nearly and I nearly peed our pants laughing about it later. I don't think I'm very good at making first impressions out here. 

Second, most cartoon network cartoons are made here in the Philippines! So cool! A councilor in the bishopric is an animator for one of the directors and was showing us his animation. I can't remember all the shows he said, but I remember Johnny Test. Whatever that is. Do you boys know it? Oh yes, and transformers. He does transformers. In fact, he designed it I think. So cool. 

Third, The tricycle ride in the rain. I love the rain here because it cools us off in the heat and since we are always wet, it doesn't really matter if we get soaked. EXCEPT if you are riding on the outside of a tricycle. Then you get really, really soaked. Basically, it was like riding splash mountain or something. It was super fun and adventurous- even though our bread from the bakery was a little on the soggy side. 

Fourth, my new companion, my lava lava, and humming hymns. My new companion is named Sister Feinga. She is the best. I love her truly! She is from Tonga and is really good at Tagalog, and pretty fair at English too. No "ayos lang" situations with her around, thankfully. She always, always hums hymns. But, like really. Always. While she's brushing her teeth, while she's eating breakfast, doing her personal study... twice I'm even sure she was humming during the prayer! I'm pretty sure she hums the whole hymn book in one day. And maybe the children's song book too. She also is very loving and giving and always is doing service. The first service was teaching me how to tie my lava-lava. She actually LAUGHED at the way it was tied when I came down into the kitchen that first night and without a word, came over and UNTIED IT. Um, hello. I'm in my garments. In the kitchen. No biggy. Then she proceeded to tie it until it was basically cutting off my blood supply. But hey, at least it stayed on all night. :) 

Fifth, Leading the area and a baptism. This week was a little hectic what with Sister Williams leaving, Sister Feinga coming, and a baptism! 

The hardest part was that I was suddenly in charge of everything. Texting, speaking, setting up appointments, and directing the baptism. Stress is an understatement. Just like in the MTC, the goal was make it to P-DAY. Don't worry, here we are- alive and well. So no worries, I'm okay. As long as I can find a good bakery, we're covered. 

Our amazing investigator that I've been talking about forever is now a member of this church. I'm so happy for her and grateful to God for the opportunity I had to witness her flourish in this gospel. She read the entire 3rd Nephi this past week leading up to her baptism. What a champ! As she bore her testimony after the baptism, I noticed a very big difference in her witness of Jesus Christ and of this true church. She really, really knows it now! That bore witness to me that it really is the Book of Mormon that changes hearts and converts the people, nothing else. 

At first, she didn't read much of the Book of Mormon. We were getting close to her baptism and she knew it was true, but we knew that her testimony could be stronger. We decided to set aside a lesson for the Book of Mormon again. Through that lesson we found out that she couldn't understand the tagalog very well. We gave her an English one and she diligently read after that. 
She invited her friend and her mother to the baptism and afterward gave her mother the Book of Mormon in Tagalog after bearing testimony that it was true. SHE. IS. AWESOME. 
I think Heavenly Father allowed us to give her a tagalog Book of Mormon so that she would have it to give to her mother. Her mom was sincerely interested in the church and when she moves here in June, she wants us to teach her. ( She lives far away from a church currently). I love this work! It is so humbling and fulfilling to be apart of it! 

Well, whoops out of time now.

Love you, 

Sister Beaumont