With love, Sister Teo : New

Dear family,

Be Careful What You Wish For

Heavenly Father is the genie of all genies because he gives you exactly what you want. My new area covers the CITY. Literally. Buildings. Cars. HIGHWAYS. We walk under highways and right by the train tracks and walk by business people and by tall business buildings and there are a million people everywhere. Sound like Shanghai? Yes.

I just think that God has such a sense of humor that you can't really compete with him. I remember filling out my mission application and adding on it that I wanted to serve city. I wrote down how much of a "city girl" I am. Well. BAM. Guess who's in the citiest-city area there could be in our mission. Hola!

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Like Mother, Like Daughter

Remember how I told you guys that here in the Philippines they call trainers "Nanay" (meaning mother) and the new missionaries "Anak" (meaning child)?

Well.... my Nanay, Sister Lockwood...was the missionary I replaced here in this area! (But of course Mommy already knows that because she stalks Sister Lockwood's blog. No shame, Mom.)

Sister Lockwood was here four transfers and that's a long time and people here LOVE her. It's a bit intimidating coming in and trying to top her great work, but...like mother like daughter, right? She has been one of my role models here on the mission and if she could do it here, I can, too. I just have to step up to the plate!

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No Place Like Bonifacio

I won't lie, though. I've been missing Bonifacio alot. Like, alot. But I'll go where the Lord wants me to go. This past Wednesday, we attended a New Trainers meeting for all of the newly called leaders, and President started off the meeting by saying how we need to accept God's will in all of our assignments.

I felt like he was speaking directly to me, especially because he KNOWS how I feel about my last area. He even singled me out halfway while speaking and said, "I'm sure Sister Teo knows what I mean, right?" I loved those people in that ward and in that area. I finally know what it means to have loved people so much that they have become a part of you.

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Spiritual Overload

Okay, so get this: I go to six hours of church every Sunday now. SIX. Yes, 6. Double church, every week.

My area - or AREAS- consists of the Makati 3rd ward (filipino ward) and the Makati 4th ward (foreigner ward). The 3rd ward meets every Sunday from 9 am to 12 pm, and the 4th ward meets every Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm. Double sacrament, double Sunday School, and double Relief Society. I left church feeling so tired yesterday, but it was a good tired. The kind of happy tired. The kind of tired that makes you feel GLAD that you are tired. A spiritual overload. It's kind of like having alot of chocolate but never getting sick of it. That's me with six hours of church.

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Running Up & Down

And so, on that note - the memebrs of the Makati 4th ward, consisting of all the expatriates living here in Manila, live ALL around the city. And so as long as they live within mission boundaries, Sister Pamesa and I can visit them. The same rule applies to investigators who come to church there. Whether they live all the way across the other side of Manila, Sister Pamesa and I can go to them. We are basically in charge of all the foreigners in this city. All. Okay. Let's cry happy tears now. (If Sister Lockwood could do this, so can I!)

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Cold Hands, Trembling Legs

And on ANOTHER related note, guess who I go to church with every Sunday? Other than with President and Sister Ostler? (I'm so happy I get to be so close to them!) Guesses?

THE QUOROM OF THE SEVENTY.

No biggie. I just go to church with the Area Presidency every Sunday. If I weren't a missionary I might break out into squeals and go all fangirl-crazy that I attend church with these leaders! To make things even better, yesterday was fast and testimony Sunday and President had texted all the missionaries to advice them to bear their testimonies if they were new to the ward/branch...and I walked up, feet shaking, palms sweaty, and bore my testimony with those three men behind me. It was so great that I got to do it in English! But STILL! AHHHHHH. So many new changes! The Lord is so funny!

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Heritage: God Never Lets You Forget

Dad, you're going to love this.

We have Chinese investigators.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen. I'm not just trying to bilingual anymore. I'm juggling MULTILINGUAL now. English. Tagalog. Chinese.

I almost cried myself silly when I first tried to speak Chinese this past week. I can't, anymore. I'm sorry Dad! My Chinese is not Chinese anymore! I remember feeling so ashamed of myself that sentences that I would have used to be able to form SO EASILY before now struggle to roll off the tip of my tongue!

Good thing, though, that our progressing Chinese investigator now - Jerry - speaks English. So he gets us. But yesterday he brought to church TWO of his friends, Kon and Candy, and they only speak Chinese! It was such. a. struggle. But good thing the Spirit works better than us normal human beings do because I know that Kon and Candy had a relatively good time despite not really understanding everything. Also, the only Chinese couple in the ward (the Hos from Taiwan) are moving OUT of the ward next month!!!!!!

HELP?!?!??! I am going to buy me a Chinese dictionary later. Not kidding.

Also, President just forwarded me a referral of this Chinese woman that a member met that "is anxious to learn about God and the Bible" and they are hoping that "two of our fine missionaries can contact her soon."

Um.......please pray for me. PLEASE.

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These past few days have definitely been transitory and full of new things that I need to get used to. But it's been great thus far. Sister Pamesa goes home in October (when I hit my year mark) and so I am wondering if I will be her last companion of the mission or not. We'll see.