It's been really exciting being in the field! I can't believe I'm actually out and doing missionary work. It's truly the biggest thrill! There's SO much to say and I don't know where to start! My first area is Caloocan City, La Mesa ward in the Dela Costa/Capitol subd. It's not nearly as bad as the area we tracted while in the MTC. Even though it's cleaner, it's really dangerous. Sometimes I wonder how I'm allowed to be there. XD There was a shooting and a stabbing in my proselyting area over the weekend. Not to worry though, I know grandpa and grandma are my angels here. :)
It's soooooo hot. I just so happened to come at the peak of summer... Philippines summer. It's pretty brutal. We each have a small fan in our apartment but it just blows hot air. It feels like being at girl's camp because we take cold bucket showers (which actually ends up being refreshing in the heat...) and we always feel dirty. But it's been the best experience! I absolutely love it. :)
The mission Pres. and his wife are the best!!! So full of love and patience. I loved them from the moment I arrived at the mission home. (We only spent 6 hours there the first day - we went out to work the very first night!) Recently (in the past 6 months) the President had to deal with something huge - a group of missionaries in our mission started a secret combination, literally. They decided to band together to see who could break the biggest rule without getting caught. They were communicating through letters so they wouldn't get caught. Pres. Sperry didn't want to send them home because he has such faith in the power of the atonement, but the church sent them home.
I live with 5 other sisters and they're all from Utah. We have the biggest apartment in the mission. It's kind of like living in a zoo! We're surrounded by goats, wild pigs, chickens, and even a monkey. We named him Chaio (spelling?) based on The Testaments. It's beautiful around here. I love our morning runs because it's like walking around a nature park. I'm so grateful that I got to experience room mates because I was already used to living with lots of girls (Lauren - one of them is a ballerina!). My companion/trainer, Sister Surio, is absolutely amazing. She was born in the Philippines and moved to California at age 9 so she speaks perfect English AND perfect Tagalog - score! :) We're so similar that it's kind of scary. Studying the same subject, both music lovers, we have the same glasses, love the same shows... she's Asian me. Or I'm Caucasian her. (We're getting t-shirts made about that...) Anyway, we're definitely gonna be best friends by the end of my training! We had to do a spur-of-the-moment musical number in Sacrament meeting yesterday and it was amazing. She sings like Mandi Moore - no joke. We're a great team!
The people are fantastic. The members of the church are so kind and so loving. They feed us something every time we stop by. We have 5 investigators with a baptismal date so I came at a really exciting time! One of them is a family, They make a great sacrifice to come to church on Sunday because the father makes a living off of his ice cream cart that he rides to the mall each day. If he doesn't work, they don't eat. They live in very small quarters with no furniture. There's cardboard to cover the floors and one lightbulb. When we were teaching them the other night, they pulled out what little food they had left and shared it with us. I couldn't take it from them seeing the 3 small kids. The spirit was so strong and I don't think I've been happier in my life than when I was sitting in their home. It's so bizarre that by the end of the day, we're dripping sweat, covered in mosquito bites and dirt, exhausted from walking and being chased by stray dogs 2-3 times a day, but we're just so happy. It doesn't make any sense. This really is the Lord's work and I was called here by inspiration. We experience so many tender mercies every single day.
Hmm... I think the funniest thing that's happened so far is with this little toothless old lady. She's like 80 and she was out wandering around. Me and my companion helped her get home. When we got there, we asked her how her BoM reading was going. She said, "Well it was good but I didn't understand the end so I just started over." She was reading the index. Lol! We asked her to come to church with us and she said, "I can't. I'm so old. And I have to pee all the time."
Today we got to play sports with our zone. Our mostly American zone so of course we played football. ;) It was a blast. They're fantastic! I love them all! We went to the mega mall to have lunch together afterward and now I'm here. I think that's it for this time. So yeah, everything is going great and I am completely in love with my mission. :) Not to worry. Mahal ko kayo! Stay safe.
Sister Wilson
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