. . . the sweetest prayer

Magandang Umaga Family!
     Yes, it has been quite the week for CHANGE! As you all know, it was really hard for me to leave Sta Monica! Tuesday we went out visiting our different investigators, and it was a chance for me to say goodbye to them all. I was doing really good not crying but just sharing and saying goodbye. Well our last appointment was with Maryjane and Nic. We got into their cute little house, and they were still outside going to grab something and just being in their house and thinking it was the last time I started crying. Renz, I'm sure, was thinking, “Man, this sister is crazy!” haha, but I pulled it together by the time they came in. We told them we wanted to share. Brother Nic asked if they were still going ahead with the transfer day, and I told him of course. He said they were hoping because of all of the storms in Manila, they were just going to have to keep me here in Palawan. haha I wish that's how it was. But yes so we shared a quick lesson, and then I asked Maryjane to give the closing prayer. She just gave the sweetest prayer coming from her heart. She asked Heavenly Father to help me in my new area to find families who would accept the gospel just like their family has, and by the end of the prayer she was in tears; I was in tears; and to my surprise even her husband Nic was in tears (that's the first time I've seen that). That family is just so so special to me. It was really hard to leave them! But Maryjane promised me she'd write me. Renz got my Facebook information and said he was going to make a Facebook just so we could be friends when I get back. I know this family will all get baptized! Even though I won't be able to be there, I have seen a huge change take place in their lives. I couldn't ask for anything more than that! Heavenly Father has a lot more planned for this cute family! Renz will be a missionary one day I just know it! Oh and when I was walking out, even little Nicole (3 years old) started crying. She's so stinkin' cute! So yeah that was the hardest.

    And then you're right, it was really hard as well to leave the Montilla family and all the other wonderful families in our branch. President Maico sent me a really nice text the night before I left. I will miss them all! But I do feel VERY blessed I was assigned in Palawan even if it did go by SO fast!

 

     So yes, I am now back on the Mainland, and, yes, there are FLOODS!!! So the first thing you should know is last week they were really bad! But the thing with Palawan is whatever storms, typhoons, floods hit the Philippines by the time it gets over to Palawan, it's just a hard rainstorm and that's it. So my last couple of days in Palawan everyone was watching the news and talking about the floods, but in Palawan it was nice and sunny and not affected. But once I got off the plain, my day went from bright and sunny to dark and gloomy and raining. We went straight to the mission home where we were going to go out and work with the missionaries in Makati, but the sisters said that the floods were up to their waste so they were back at the apartment. That was a bummer because I would have worked with Sister Ronquillo again which would have been so fun. But a bunch of the missionaries came to the mission home that night because they had worked earlier with the new missionaries, so it was a lot of fun just chatting with all of them again. I'm not used to so many missionaries! It was fun catching up on where everyone is assigned and how they're all doing! Then the next morning was transfer meeting, and my new companion is... SISTER DYER!!! She was the American sister that I lived with my first transfer in Palawan who is from Orem and knows Natalie! We're assigned in Novaleta, Cavite. She's so great. I'm so excited for our transfer together! And this is my first time being assigned to a ward! There are so many members. Yesterday the attendance was 170 and just two missionaries in our ward. My last two areas there've been around 100 in attendance with 4 missionaries. So yeah I have my work cut out for me:) but I'm really excited!

     We have the most hard working ward mission leader I've ever even heard of—Brother Willmar, and he's actually the assistant right now. He just works everyday with us; he always has referrals; he knows so many people; he sets up service projects for us; and, man, he just does so much more. Then we have our actual ward mission leader who is getting ready to serve his mission in September, Richard, and another ward missionary, Melvin, who is also leaving in September for his mission. Between the three of them, they are just so diligent and want to help us and are always working with us. It's so impressive!
     We had an auxiliaries meeting yesterday that ended up being from 3pm - 7pm. which was super long, but we just got a new bishop. Everything's just getting up and rolling, and I'm so excited! The bishop is really catching the vision of helping these less actives to come back, and we came up with names yesterday we want to focus on and did a lot of good things at our meeting. So yeah I'm super excited to get working here and get to know everyone here in Novaleta!
     All the flooding actually happened right before I got here so I didn't get to experience it. Sister Dyer and her last companion spent the first part of the week visiting everyone and taking food and clothes around to members. But Brother Willmar called this morning, and there's supposed to be a storm coming later today so we'll see what happens this week. I guess I just had to come here so I could actually experience rainy season in the Philippines (because in Palawan they missed all of the storms). Please pray for these families here. We'll be alright, but there are some here that are in a lot worse situations. They could use the prayers!
     So yeah I think I've just kind of rambled off a million things but that's kind of my last week. Yesterday at church was great! We had a lot of less active members and a lot of investigators! Last Saturday we went to teach an investigator, Sister Jhenalyn, who is getting ready for baptism, and she lives right behind the church. Well she has about a million cousins, and they all live right by each other. They all wanted to listen in on our lesson so we ended up having our lesson at the church with probably 25 little kids and just watched the restoration and taught about it. Well at church all those little kids came... haha it was a mad house! haha But it was a lot of fun too! They all just loved it, and now our task this week is to try and find a time when their parents are at their houses and meet them and teach them. So yes little kids are a great way to get in the door:) Yeah I can't really catch you up on investigators here because I don't really know all about them yet or have even taught them all yet, but there will be more stories to come...:)
     And yeah as hard and as sad as it was to leave Palawan, I know there are good things about to come. Oh and it was really hard to leave Sister Culango again:( I just hope and pray that she's not there until she leaves to go home. She goes home in December so she very well could be or if we're lucky, she'll have one transfer here in the mainland where we can see each other one more time! But yeah I'm happy to be here and meet all these new amazing people! I'm excited to be here with Sister Dyer! I know we'll have a lot of fun together, and I know I'll learn a lot from her!
     Well I love you all so much! It sounds like Tennessee was a lot of fun, and I definitely think we'll have to make it out there when I get home!:) Have a great week! I don't have any pictures because my phone is dead, I was going to buy one today, but the buses going out to the mall are shut down so hopefully next week. I asked Sister Stonick to send me pictures so hopefully she'll remember. Take care!

Mahal na mahal ko kayo lahat!
Sister Stromberg