January 25th

I AM SO JEALOUS of the snow. Really. But I am loving this new area! and loving my new companion. My companion was sick one day so we spend the day inside the whole day. Kinda boring but I got some good studying/pondering in. Then our Mission President came and gave her a blessing and checked up on us. Such a great person! I love our President and his wife. Told me that I may be transferring again this next transfer, which is sad, cause  I really like the area, but I don't know yet for sure. 

I did chastize the ward leaders yesterday in church, so they may not love me anymore, but it had to be done. They wanted us to give them personal information about one of the part member families in the ward we are teaching and I refused - then they went off on me. I explained the purpose of the meeting is not for us to gossip about the investigators but to figure out how the missionaries and members can work together to best help the investigators. Luckily, I had five other missionaries in the ward backing me up (there are six of us in one ward). Oh man, I am going to work a lot better with the missionaries when I get home, and I WILL ALWAYS DO MY VISITING TEACHING! Hold me to that. 

Hope you are getting better. Hopefully you can find a place in Provo or something for my future husband and I... joke, but I think I will probs live at home for a little bit when I get back... Forgive me, my thoughts are a little bit trunky, cuz my companion is going home and it is all she talks about. So sometimes I plan for that, but then I remember I still have a long time and need not to stress about that. 

Keep me updated on your progress personally and with your projects. Love you and hope all is well. Everything is good on this end:))) 

Here is a pic of my comp and me.

The good, bad and the ugly this week...

Hello my dearest family and friends, thanks for all being on chatting me at the same time. Your pictures were GREAT and now I am a bit trunky so thanks for that. 

Have you ever had a week where you just keep messing up? That has been this week for me. But it is more funny that upsetting. 

It all started with the day I didnt take a shower. Everyone knows if I don't take a shower, my whole day is RUINED. I have bad luck the entire day. I forgot to set the alarm on our phone and we woke up late (that is a very serious sin on the mission, cause then you have to report to God and people that He potentially prepared for you might be missed cause you started your day late) so feeling guilty, I knew I would have to skip the shower cuz I needed to start my studies on time. Bad choice. not only did I feel gross, but everything went wrong that day.  I fell like billion times. Left our house door wide open, toilet was broken because you can't flush toilet paper here (but I refuse to not use toilet paper) and as I was trying to fix the toilet, I dropped the lid and it shattered. My fingernail got infected and is now falling off  And in one of our lessons, my Tagalog was so confusing that the members and my companion and I just started laughing so no spirit.... Then at a dinner appointment, I broke the members chair that I was sitting on... That was the day I didnt shower and that is the last time I ever skip a shower again. 

But luckily there were good days this week too. 

We did a service project in the "bukid" or the corn field. Thats were all the really poor people work and it is HARD WORK. MY goodness! You are pulling out like these thorny weeds and you have to do it for a whole corn field... We got like a 5 square foot area done after two hours. I will never complain about yard work again after that. An American in the bukid is something very exciting for the filipinos. 

We also taught this really amazing lesson this week to this man about the Restoration. On your mission, you teach the Restoration easily 3-4 times in one day. so it sometimes becomes a bit redundant, so we have been wokring on slowing down and really thinking about the words we say, especially when reciting the first vision. So we taught this lesson and it was so powerful! Honestly one of the most poweferul lessons I have taught on the mission. During the first vision, the spirit was so strong, afterwards we watched as he kind of exhaled and explained that he felt so light, he felt so loved. It was just one of the greatest lessons I have been in, the spirit was there and the spirit was teaching. There is a lot this man is going to have change in order to fully except the gospel but if we can help him feel that, miracles will occur for him.

That's about it for the highlights of my week. I'll do better at emailing. Even if it is just a few highlights. 

LOVE YOU ALL!

 Riding a bike, trike thing. NOT supposed to in a skirt but Wala akong pakialam

My last zone conference, these are the missionaries that are in my batch going home one year from now.

Sending all my pictures.

This is a caribou - native to Philippines

Beautiful,..

beautiful...

friends. 

My life in Villasis

Six month anniversary.  Time is flying and it makes me sad.  But I still get a full year.  My companion made a sign, wrote me a letter and sang to me...Dramatic!

It's Fiesta time, so all the baby chicks are dyed florescent colors!  Everyone has some right now... Only 30 pesos. Maybe chicks don't count as a pet (not allowed) 

Sister Untong and I out in one of our areas. The other day a very drunk and possibly high man followed us around and even joined some of our lessons...counted as a new investigator.

Transfer Day!!

I just got transferred on Thursday.  Everything I own is on this trike and this nice man will be taking me to my new area.  I am in VILLASIS.  It is the area right next to Urdaneta and we are close to the office. The apartment is SOOO nice. They are brand-new and they have a running shower. THANK THE LORD!!! My new companion is a massive blessing. We get along and our teaching is good.  I am so grateful for this transfer.  I am sad and miss Mapandan but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that this transfer is going to be a blessing. We are in an open area, with little investigators and an un-updated area book, but we are happy and optimistic about this transfer. Just so grateful!! 

I have a lot to learn and to continue to improve on. Everyday there is something new learned. 

LOVE YOU! Sorry, I stink at emailing. 

BUT I LOVE YOU!

Sister Gentry