I am very happy today :)
Today is transfer day, and I was
really expecting that either Sister Serrano or I would be transferred because
President kind of made it sound like we would only be together for one
transfer, but last Saturday we found out that we get to stay here in San Nicolas
together for another transfer! I'm so happy! Sister Serrano is happy too
because she will go home in May, and she really wanted this to be her last
area. I am so so so so so so so happy! I love Sister Serrano so much. And I
love San Nicolas too. The members here are really kind and supportive to the
missionaries. They love to feed us. We had dinner last night at our bishop's
house. He had mangoes for dessert because he has a business making fruit
shakes, and so he always has fruit at his house. I love mangoes! Bishop knows
that, so he kept telling me to eat more. I was obedient. I ate six slices of
mango. It was so yummy! And he gave us about 10 mangoes to take home. We are
going to make a mango cake with graham crackers, cream, and condensed milk (and
mangoes of course). It's really yummy. I'm excited.
So, funny moment of the century.
First, some background. So the places we walk are usually kind of sandy, so I
get sand in my shoes a lot, so I just take off my shoe for a second and kind of
kick it to make it roll over so all the sand will come out. So anyway, we were
walking to Barabar last Saturday. It's the farthest place we go to proselyte.
We were walking part of the way because there weren't any tricycles or jeepneys
that we could find to ride on. Anyway, it was really windy--it was the windiest
I have ever seen it. We were trying to use our umbrellas to keep the sun off,
but it was really hard because the wind was blowing so hard. Well, anyway, my
shoe had some sand in it, and not thinking anything of it, I took it off to get
the sand out. But as soon as I took my foot out, it started blowing away, and
before I knew it, it was across the road (and it was a big highway that we were
walking by). So there I was standing with only one shoe, and some guys standing
by the side of the road who had seen it were laughing, and actually we were
laughing too, but I wasn't sure how to get my shoe back. Luckily, one of the
guys who laughed at me was kind enough to go across the road to get it for me.
Seriously, if you had been there, you would have been dying, because it was one
of the funniest things that has happened to me on my mission so far.
Anyway, life is still great. I am
learning so much. I've really been learning how important it is to be unified
in a companionship. If companions are unified, everything is happy and
wonderful, but if there is any contention, nothing goes right. The song
"Love at Home" is really true--even for a missionary companionship.
I'm so thankful to have Sister Serrano as my companion. She is such an angel. I
am so thankful to be a missionary. It is definitely the hardest thing I've ever
done, but it is definitely worth it. I've grown a lot.
Thank you for all your letters and
emails and everything! You are the best family in the whole wide world!
Love, Sister Boekweg