Palawan. Oh man. When I went back to my old area for a day and saw two of the people who were baptized while I was there, it was like.... I can't describe it. But some of my feelings and attitudes of my mission have been changing because of it. I've really seen how I've changed, and how people were commenting that A. My Tagalog was a tooon better (almost a Filipina now) and that B. I am a lot happier. Both true, but a whole lot else has changed too since I was in my first area, mostly for the better.
Some stuff that's the same back on Palawan:
1.The old apartment looks exactly the same... but they've moved the desks around some
2.We wrote our names (in pencil) beside our heights on one of the walls a year ago,and it's still there.
3.The posts Elder Burt put up for my mosquito net are still there on the one bed
4.Found my old Preach My Gospel I'd left behind when I transferred
5. They're still teaching a lot of the same people Sis Ordiz and I used to teach over there
6. The fam who was baptized while I was there had a new house built for them which the missionaries built for them
Some... interesting things that happened:
1. One night there were not extra mattresses in one of the apartments so Sister Grant and I slept on the tile floor with just our sheets (that was a reallllllyyyy awesome night's sleep, hahhahaa), you're probably not a real Philippines missionary until you've slept on the floor
2.Some of the apartments had no toilet paper. Nuff said. Filipinos generally don't use it.
3.We were walking on this one part of the area where it's plywood boards hooked together and suspended on bamboo poles about 7 feet above the ocean. I was walking on one (no railings or anything, just two boards below your feet) when suddenly... I wasn't walking anymore. My whole entire leg had popped through a week spot in the bamboo and I was super stuck. A member and the Sister I was on exchanges with helped me out, but I just about fell all the way through into the water. Got some sweet bruises from that and a good shock to the system. Adventure!
4. We accidentally walked on some wet cement because the member we were working with said it was fine. The guy who laid the cement did't think that was so fine. Like... classic cartoon style the falling through the bamboo and walking on wet cement.
Good stuff:
1. Ran into the middle of the road and we met halfway to hug one of the sisters I was there to teach before her baptism
2. In my old area, at one point there were 5 members who I had met and been pretty close with who went with us to one lesson
3. Couldn't stop smiling for one whole day
And... when we got back from Palawan, we were both pretty toast, and I came down with a fever on Sunday. There's another pretty good story with that, but it'll have to wait until after my mission.
Learned a lot this week; seen where I came from as compared to where I came from and where I want to be going. I really feel your contiuing support and encouragement, and thanks for sticking it out this long to everyone. There's a lot I'm learning that I don't have the time or energy to articulate right now, but we just got a new mission president yesterday, and I can tell a lot is gonna change and it's gonna be a great growing experience for everyone in the mission.
Love you all! This has been probably the most stressful and most amazing week of my whole life thus far. I know Heavenly Father watches out for and protects and guides us, no matter what.
Love,
Sister Larsen
P.S. The picture is the sunrise at Baywalk, where we rode bikes Saturday morning for our exercise (sooo awesome)
Sister Grant and I... what a great week
Some of the people from Santa Monica branch... maybe you'll recognize them from a year ago. The one on the far right we taught (he's still not baptized yet) but he turned into a pirate (?) (hahah) while I was gone (not really just looks like it) and put thatched roofing on his trike. What a hipster.
With some members in Mandaluyong
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