September 4-9

Kamusta y'all
  Well this week has been pretty crazy. We spent a lot of time traveling because we had to leave our area so many times. We spent Tuesday night in Santiago with the Sister training leaders because we had to be in Cauayan City at 8 in the morning on Wednesday for a mission conference. Then we had interviews with President Hiatt on Friday. It was fun to see other missionaries a bunch and have some excitement in our schedule, but because of that we weren't out proselyting as much as normal which was rough. Sunday was great because we found several people that were so kind and seemed really interested in what we were teaching. It's so interesting how people here are willing to stop what they're doing and listen to us for a few minutes. We just have to be able to tell if they're actually interested or not.
    One of the sisters we're teaching had her baptismal interview on Saturday! Her name is Karene and her baptism is scheduled for this Saturday. She is so sweet and I've learned a lot from her as we've answered her questions. Her husband is an inactive RM and they have a cute baby girl. We're so excited to help their family come to church and receive the blessings of the gospel.
   The Diffun area is pretty rural. There's a decent sized city center, and a few "neighborhoods" spread out around it. This last week we went to a neighborhood that is out by the rice fields near the mountains and it was so pretty! Every day I look around and am just amazed by how beautiful everything is. The people here have so much fun with the littlest things. And I think it's all pretty well summed up by something a brother we're teaching said, "Even though we are poor, we are happy."
   Tagalog is still a challenge, but I'm already seeing improvement in my ability to understand. I'm getting more familiar with the area, and the members are so generous. Sister Tampus' native language is Bisaya, so she had to learn Tagalog when she got here. And though she speaks pretty English pretty well, she's working on that too. And she's learned some Ilokano. So she's pretty awesome. But when she says things sometimes I have to ask which language she's speaking. And occasionally we have to look up words in the dictionary in order to communicate! It's so crazy but also pretty fun.
   I've learned so much in just the short time I've been here, and I'm so excited to continue learning and growing. I know that as I try my best, the Lord will use my limited abilities to perform miracles here in Diffun. I am so grateful for the privilege of serving the Lord here and the opportunity to see the way the gospel changes lives.
  Ingat po!
       Sister Harrison
1. Our roomates are the lizards
2. Rice fields and mountains
4. Preparing meat to barbecue (I didn't ask what it was...)
5. Sister Tampus is just a little crazy :)
 
 

 
 



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sa Tagalog!

Kamusta y'all!      I'm not sure if this has been the longest or shortest week ever. But I have learned so much everyday. My kasama, Sister Topham, is so fun and because we're both new we get to struggle and figure things out together.    I've been told the work here goes in waves, and right now we're on the downhill. Which means we haven't found any new people to teach, most of the people we're teaching are busy and don't make time to talk to us, and some of the people we're teaching have dropped us. That isn't the most fun thing ever, but we just keep on working.     This last week we've met with the members a lot in order for me to get some practice teaching, and to ask for any referrals. The members in the St. Johns ward are so nice and generous. Apparently during most of the year they feed us almost every day, but because it's summer we've been getting fed about four times a week. We're pretty spoiled. But I will warn y...
Read more

Surprise!

Kamusta,     So, President Lee gave me permission to email you. Mama gets a birthday call tomorrow , because I'll be spending a lot of time in the airport... because I'm going to the Philippines! Feel free to be in shock, because I'm in more shock. Saturday night we had our transfer call, where President Lee just tells everyone where they're going. And "Sister Harrison is being transferred to her mission in the Philippines" Apparently he found out on Friday . I'm really excited and really terrified. I'm going to miss the Florida Jacksonville Mission so much! I don't know if I'll be doing any emailing tomorrow ... I'll figure that out. But I'll send my travel plans and you can tell me when to call you, I think it'd be best for me to call in San Francisco because I have more time there. But let me know what works... :)    Mahal kita!       Sister Harrison
Read more

Pagpapasalamat

Image
  Kamusta y'all!         Although I almost forgot about Thanksgiving (because there's no Thanksgiving in the Philippines), this week has still been a week of gratitude. As I've been experiencing so many "lasts", my heart has been filled with gratitude to my Heavenly Father. How privileged I am that Heavenly Father has given me this opportunity to be a part of His great work. I have learned so much about myself, the gospel, and my Savior. I have been blessed to build so many relationships, and to learn how to see life differently. It has been so wonderful to share the gospel with so many people, and see the way it changes their lives.The Philippines really is such a special place, and Filipinos are so unique. I'm so grateful I've had the chance to be a part of their lives and be changed by them. And I'm grateful for all the support I  have felt from my family and friends back home. I have constantly been strengthened and encouraged by yo...
Read more