Barugo Week 1 - 11/1/2010

Request: please send me some simple recipes that I might be able to cook here. Of some cookies or american food, like french toast! ;P Toaster oven recipes or rice pudding. Is thanksgiving the 3rd or 4th Thursday of the month?
So you might have noticed that my title that I'm at a different place now! Oh my!!
It was a pretty interesting transfer day actually. They tell us on Wednesday morning if there is a transfer, because there is a transfer meeting in Tacloban on Friday. So we got the call and the Zone leaders told us that we were not transferring! So I thought: okay, got some more time in Palompon now!~ And we spent the rest of the day teaching people etc. And then Thursday morning, we had weekly planning. So we planned everything we would teach and what we would do and we had companionship inventory. Spent the rest of the day teaching people. Then on Friday, we were all finished with our studies and about to go teach our investigator (Lolong Pajaron) about priesthood authority (cuz he doesn't really believe it) and I was all excited because we made a great lesson plan, when I looked at the phone before we walked out the door and I saw that there were 14 missed calls and 1 text. I thought: oh my. They were from the ZLs. The text said: "Sisters! Call us, It's an emergency!" Soooo we called them back and E. Stringham was like: Sister! You are transferring!!
So we just dropped everything so I could go and pack and we could get a companion for S. Christianson while I'm leaving, and I was just a little freaked out. I left as soon as I could to get to my new zone, Carigara! Which is Waray by the way. We spent the night in Carigara because there were no more trikes available in the evening. My new area is called Barugo. It's only a 10 peso ride from Carigara, so it's fairly close.
The members in Barugo actually go to church in Carigara. Which can have some problems. Relatively, it's far for investigators to come to church, and almost impossible for families (at 10 pesos each, a family could easily cost 60 pesos one way). We have very few members in Barugo compared to Carigara. It's literally on the border of missionary work! Not even a branch yet. haha. o_O So, there's a lot of work a head of us here. haha. We didn't have any set appointments when I got here because Sis Garcia was sick for a whole week before she transferred. So I felt a little bit like we're opening the area. But Sis Sacayanan knows where things are. haha.
Sis Sacayanan is so cute! :) She always has this little smile on her face when she looks at me. I'll try to get some pictures for next week. the suffix -an in the language means: location, or place. Sakay means to ride, Sakayan means vehicle, and so when I saw her name, Sacayanan, I figured out it must mean terminal or bus stop! :D She's from Mindenaw, (sp) So Cebuano is her native langugage.
Waray is actually NOT as hard as I thought it would be. They have some words that are similar, just pronounced differently, and they have
other words that are completely different, but the foundation is the same. So I think that I'll be able to transition well.:)
My companions so far:
S Holden (trainer!) 1 transfer - Hilongos
S Taunan (first native companion!) 1 transfer - Hilongos
S Malicdem (first companion for 2 transfers instead of 1!) 2 transfers - Hilongos
S Farnworth (first junior companion!) 2 transfers - Palompon
S Christianson (my trainee!) 1 transfer - Palompon
S Sacayanan (my companion now!) We will see how many transfers! - Barugo
I'm not counting my companions in the MTC, but I did have 4 of them! oh my. That would make 6 so far in the mission field, and 10 total, hahah. I still have 4 transfers left too, so i dunno what will happen! Maybe I'll be with S. Sacayanan for the rest of my mission. haha.
Last Saturday night/Sunday morning, it was about 4 am and this Catholic group of people were just marching down the street or something singing a song about Maria in a microphone. I don't think that group was very considerate of those who might be sleeping! Sis Sacayanan said they do that every Sunday.
We met a girl named Lauran who is volunteering here from GERMANY when we were riding home from Carigara yesterday. The members riding with us were pretty excited, another person to speak English with. haha. We actually set an appointment with her for tonight at 8 oclock. This would be the second person I would be able to teach in English. :) I'm excited.
Filipinos don't really do anything for Halloween, Oct 31. There was a disco going on last night thought, which was pretty loud. Some people dress up aparently, but not alot. There's also Nov 1 and 2, which is pretty big here. It's called Kalag Kalag (soul soul) or in English, All souls day. Everyone goes to the cemetary to clean the tombstone and area of their deceased family. Alot of families come together for it. It also has a Catholic base though, apparently they do some praying that their family will go to heaven too.
I love you!! But the hours up. Hahah
I'll see you next week
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~the end~

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I am a LDS sister missionary serving in the Philippines Tacloban area. I made this blog so that I may share my experiences with my friends and loved ones and anyone who may need to hear my story. My sister will be updating this blog with letters that I'll be writing home.