Greetings from CATARMAN!!!
That's right, I'm back in my area with my anak (trainee) and these past two
days have probably been the happiest of my life. Crazy right? But honestly!
This week was just roller coaster! So, let's start in Manila, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were
just crazy because Monday and Wednesday were holidays and the
doctors weren't there and there was crazy flooding in Manila so on Tuesday there
weren't any doctors either. So it was so chill, we just stayed in inside and Tuesday and Wednesday we
got to go to the temple! Yeah! When I got there, I was afraid I wouldn't be
able to because it was closed and it's basically every missionary's dream haha
so I basically lived the dream. And it was just unreal how close everyone
became at the Missionary Recovery Center- I literally viewed Sister and Elder
Wood like our parents and it was just amazing the love and care they showed for
each one of us. On Thursday night, I slept over at a hospital for a
sleep test! Talk about weird! They hook you up to like a billion wires and I
was pulling glue out of my hair for days. Quite the experience. Tapos, Friday was
really awesome/ crazy. We went to S&R with the cook to get groceries aka
COSTCO! It blew my mind! And they are so nice that they even treated us to the
pizza and ice cream- literally exactly costco. And there were about a million
white people, it was so freaky! Then I went and helped out at the MTC with some
office work then that night, Elder and Sister Wood went out to dinner for their
anniversary and another senior couple came and babysat us. haha But really! We
ordered pizza hut pizza then played dominos until the other senior couples and
they brought us back J.Co donuts- so good! I realized that all my time in
manila I have kinda been treated like a child and it's kinda the best! For my
sickness, I don't really need to be watched over, but for some, in case of
emergency, there really needs to be someone there. And they also told me that
afternoon that I would be going back to my area! He said, "all your test
results don't come back until next week so rather than you just sit around here
all week, we'll send you back and slowly ease back into missionary work. And if
it doesn't get any better/ gets worse, we'll figure it out from there."
Seriously, ecstatic! I've missed my ward, all the missionaries, and just
missionary work in general so much! Even though it was kinda hard to be out of
missionary work for a whole month, especially not knowing my fate, I am SO
grateful for this experience because it will make me appreciate every single
day of my mission SO much more. Not to mention the power and prayer and to be
able to feel so much love.
So
saturday, I boarded a plane to Tacloban! and got there in the mission office
at. When I arrived, it was like people didn't even know I was coming back! But
they were all so happy to see me and to ask about Manila etc, then I saw one of
the Sister's living with Sister Doud (my companion)- I asked, "doesn't she
know I'm back?" "No! We knew nothing!" So... one of the office
elders called her to come get me and she got the shock of her life! She was
starting to think I wouldn't be back until after transfers! (which is this
wednesday) By 5, we hoped on a bus back to Catarman! And since, I've just been
so happy to be reunited with all the people I love so much! I really couldn't
stop smiling! It was awesome. Especially at church, so fun! It was really like
coming home, I felt so much love and concern from all the members, I'm just so
glad we have elders in our ward now so they could somewhat keep everyone in the
loop. And on Sunday, we took it really easy, only taught one lesson and visited
another family of investigators- she had her baby right when I got sick and I
can't believe it's already been a month! She's so big now! And they haven't
been able to come to church because the 3 months we've been teaching them, she
was really pregnant so couldn't go any where and then she couldn't go while the
baby was still new so without us even saying anything, she said they would all
go to church on Sunday! WOOHOO!! I just hope they actually do! And it was kinda
funny because when we had mcm(missionary coordination meeting), there are 3
ward missionaries who are preparing for their missions so they love working but
they haven't been able to with us gone so they were so excited so scheduled a
ton of times, especially on sunday. Then I got home and sat down and thought, "What
am I crazy?! Have I already forgotten they said, 'take it easy'?" So we
cancelled some of our appointments and rested and made a goal not to have more
than 2 lessons a day hahaha weirdest missionary goal ever! But I just know if I
don't set a goal like that, a limit, I just can't help myself and I'll push
myself too hard! It's so weird though.
And
it's been so good seeing all my missionary friends in the zone, they are just
the best! And maybe some of them will get transferred this week so it's SO good
to be back now. And then, right before I left for Manila, I got my FOOTBALL
from Jenny! I was so happy but so sad at the same time because I didn't know
when I would be able to use it! So today, they had a zone of activity of sports
and it was so awesome because we got to use it! I really like football because
you just stand there and throw it so I could do a sport I love, but not kill
myself. At first it was so funny because all the elders played volleyball and
we were teaching all the sisters to throw a football...usually it's opposite,
no? But later the Elders joined in and everyone loved it. So happy:) So thank
you so much! It's basically my prized possession. I'm actually so
shocked I didn't even play basketball even a little! So we just played outside a
chapel, talked with other missionaries and ate lunch that some members cooked-
bodulbodul style aka no plates and you just eat with your hands off banana
leaves. And it was just the best! Perfect last zone party/ reunion for me. And
that's about it. Seriously so good to be back and a missionary again, it's the
best feeling in the world. Thank you so much for all your love and prayers-
hopefully I'll be a full working missionary soon:)
Love,
Sister Pike
No comments:
Post a Comment