So this week i went to probs my last new area. it was weird. the first day i just felt like i was on exchanges. then the second day it started sinking in. i was in meycauayan for a long time! i kinda felt like i was cheating on them at church this week... 

But that's ok! im super stoked to be here. the area is suuuper pretty. and my comp is great and we're ready to work!!! cuz along with being super pretty, our area is... in it's growing stage!! parang palagi [like always]... that's ok :) 

I get to go on exchanges in malanday! they really just can't get rid of me. last transfer i was in that stake and now im going to work there again! that'll be fun. 

This week was pretty normal. just getting settled in. we didn't go grocery shopping yet so i was living off any food that the last sisters left lolz but we'll go today :) 

We're teaching a dude that has lived here a few years but he's from nepal and doesn't speak a lick of tagalog. it was super hilarious cuz he's totally aware of the fact that he's at least doubled if not tripled my time here in the philippines but...... still can't speak or understand anything!! we talked about the Holy Ghost in sunday school and i just showed him the verse on the gift of tongues and said that's what he's missing. just has to go on a mission!! 

We're also teaching a ton of people that are not married. like more than ever before that is the number one hadlang [barrier]  in this area. we invite people to be baptized and literally our next question is are you married? and they're like no.......... cool. we'll work on that. 

The members here seem super great, it's a branch working on becoming a ward! they have a few missionaries out right now and a guy just got his call yesterday and they have a few more working on their papers! pretty impressive for the small group that they are. 

We're singing at the wedding reception of the first counselor in the branch presidencytomorrow..... you should probs pray for us..... we've got a loud and proud tone deaf kwan. oh well! 

have a great week!

-sister jones

Transferred--off to Manggahan and a new companion too.

Well. it's been a great three transfers. but now, im headin to Manggahan. my new comp is sister pacinio and i will still be an stl. surprise!!! lolz 

should be tight, it's really pretty there daw. and it will be my first small area. (geographically.... all my areas have been pretty giant and this one is TINY) that's over where that dam is that we went to the other week (wa-wa) and i'm actually taking sister mower's place! so that's cool. bummer she goes home tomorrow. 

sorry for the silence last week. it was just a crazy one. but hey now i should have lots of great stories to tell you about!  

Sunday was stake conference and Elder Ardern presided (of the area presidency) so that was super awesome. they did a great job. 

highlight: he and his wife have really great new zealand accents.

low-light: this kid preparing for a mission taking waaaaay too much time about how all he did before he worked with missionaries was play video games.... 

low-light take two: not a single less-active or investigator came... laaaaaame. but!!!! a recently returned less active that we're working with got the Priesthood. so awesome. he's preparing to go on a mission. lame though, no one in his family bothered to come. 

So there are three of us leaving the ward (out of six) and one of them is elder qaqa who is going home! and yesterday was his birthday. so obviously we had a huge fhe going away/birthday party. it was crazy! elder qaqa loved it. they made masks of his face and sang him a song..... it was a more than gentle reminder to me of my less than love of large groups.... whatevs! happy birthday elder qaqa! 

Last week we finished up our exchanges in plaridel and pulilan and that was great! i worked with a lil mexican sister from vegas. she was super funny. and she's never had an american comp so it was really entertaining to see her experience that for the first ish time. (people doing the whole oh heck it's a white person thing) there was a slight possibility that that was my last exchanges ever.... joke lang marami pa pala!! 

Also on exchanges that same sister was like hey so we have this investigator that we dropped cuz she just didn't get it. but you seem like you could do something there so we're gonna go back to her. we went back. and did work! it was super interesting. but probs the most interesting part was the random stuff this sister has heard about me to make her think that.... everyone has a reputation i guess..........

last Sunday! we went to this new investigator family that we have. they're super nice but the dad's only day off is wed. so we were expecting him not to be there. so we get there and we can see inside the house they're having this suuuuuper weird chanty prayer song ritual thing to a statue in the living room with candles........ the kid told us it was almost over and asked us to wait cuz they wanted us to teach...... so we waited outside... and watched this craziness... kinda creepy immabehonestwithyou. and then after we could hear the mom (she was the one doing the chanty stuff) telling her friends not to worry cuz she was just listening to us but will never leave their group.... that's what you think now! sister oliphant said in the bible they use, they took that commandment out of the ten commandments... and just made the last commandment into two... is that true?? craziness. 

ok well that's super long. have a great week! 

-sister jones

Tree of Life Meyccauayan Feb 2014

Pictures! Water Buffalo and Baptisms

Baptisms--Angie, Ruby, Carlyn and Gold

Mission Conference @ Christmas

Pico Family