Shinguards to Sandals: Miracles Happen

A Happy day with Sister Shrack

I love this picture of Sister Wood - she looks so happy!!

Her caption for this photo was - MUD!!

Alright, so just in case any of you care, I put my other memory card in my pocket, and it fell out when i was riding the tricey over here, so i was really sad just about 10 minutes ago, but now I am fine and realize that it is just a memory card, not a huge deal. And now I am totally fine, and totally excited to tell you all about our week that was full of some awesome miracles. :)

So the most amazing thing happened this week when we were up in our furthest area. In Sarrat. When we go we usually spend the whole morning there. We had taught some lessons and then were walking out of the huge barangay. There was this big nice house that I have always had my eye on because I am always anxious to go and try and teach the rich people. Haha. So I tell my companion to stop so that we could ask the people who were at the store next door to the house. So when I do finding, I usually just make up a name and usually use the name of some of my friends, then just pair it with a Filipino last name. So literally on the spot I was just like hey do you know ________ and then the last name that just flew into my head was "ROMERO". So I asked them. And I kid you not, "ROMERO" is the name of all of the people that live in the compound of this big house. I just looked at my companion like what the? Is this really happening? I just made that up! I had to just play it cool like it was nothing, That was miracle #1. But just wait... so the girl takes us to the house and we go behind it and we meet these pretty women sitting there. We start talking to them and the lady says, I have seen you before.. Listen. The lady living here had seen SISTER FUCHS AND I IN LAOAG at the fabric store when we were getting stuff for our skirts. She completely remembered me. Seriously what are the chances of that? We ended up having an awesome lesson with them. It was pushing 12 o'clock and that is when we should be home for lunch, and we were worried after the lesson, because it is really hard to get a jeepney going back to San Nicolas. As we were walking to the main road I said a prayer in my heart that we would have a jeep ASAP. Literally we walk up to the road, and a jeep is already on its way towards us. Stops, picks us up, and we were home in no time. I just sat in AWWWW telling my companion all of that was such a miracle. Brought to us by Heavenly Father, but we were lucky enough to be the instruments. :) Like come on, out of all the names in the world, and I happen to pick the right one that was living where we wanted to visit? Yeah that is not a coincidence.

So that same morning we passed by this jeepney and I was dying and had to stop and take photos of it! Isn't it so cool! Canada Edmonton. I tried to BRT them. I found out that the owner of the jeep is living in Alberta. Me knowing that my brother is there and struggling to have lessons hahaha I tried to get him a referral! But the dang people wouldn't give me the address. Baka magagalit sila! Maybe they will be angry! Anyways, we told them to ask the people living there if it is okay that missionaries visit them. So we are following up with that this week Stet, and I will let you know what they say.

There were many instances with animals this week... I found out that it is really hard to kill a duck... and I had never seen a live duck plucked haha that is how they do it here. they pluck it when it is alive. The thing would not die! They cut it's throat, stabbed its eyes and brains, and finally after forever it died. I would never eat the duck here though. And one sound that will never leave my ears is the sound of the pigs here screaming when they are being pulled to take to the slaughter..... ugh it is the most wretched thing. And also I found out this week that it is illegal to eat dog here, and if you are caught killing a dog and eating it, you will go to jail. One of the Recent convert families here has no money, so they sold their dog to a drinker who wanted to eat it. Gross right? They were so sad about it, but they said they had to sell it so they could have money. And then the same family, (the dad) got on the topic of guns and was so thrilled to tell me that he had a gun because he used to be a body guard. He pulled it out "it even had ammunition" hahaha. Guns are so rare here, so he thought i had never seen one, and i told them that our Dad gives us a gun when we are 8 years old hahaha. It was a hand gun. I told him that I have shot one like it.

Another miracle is a less active family that came to church on Sunday. This family has been suppposedly having baptist services at their house and having the baptist missionaries over. It is kind of annoying, but we have just kept visiting them and becoming their friend. I ordered some things from her to take home to my sisters and mom. But anyways, this family came to church on Sunday. We kind of looked at each other like wait, really? Why are they here? Haha because we thought they were completely gonners. Just goes to show that there is hope no matter how far from the right path you go. It was a good sunday. Sister Jonalyn and her family came to church again, so they are pretty set for August 30th. They are the only ones progressing right now. And she is way good at washing my clothes. :) Haha.

Oh, and we also had exchanges this week. Sister Shrack and I got to go. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. It is so amazing to see how far we have both come from the MTC. Our knowledge, our Tagalog, our maturity. Man, I look back and I was like a child in the MTC haha oh my gosh. It was such a fun exchange. We are dorks.

I finished my 4th journal this week! So I started a new one. :) Those things are like my pride and joy.

Well, that is all for now. Miss you all. Love you all.

Sister Wood

xoxox