Sister Hannah Lynne Andersen

Monday, February 3, 2014~Week 25
Quezon City; 1:27 PM Mon (PH); 10: 27 PM Sun (US)

Heyyyyyyyyy everyone! HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!! I'm slightly sad that I missed the movie watching but I honestly have seen that movie so many times that I can practically just watch in my head and have it be the same. I'm excited to watch next year though! I can't believe that in like a week, I'll be home in a year! Whaaaaaaaaaat? How did that happen so stinkin' fast?! I've almost been out for 6 months! I don't even know where the time went! And by the end of this transfer, I will have been out for 7 months and will have been in this area for 6 months! Soooooo weird! I don't even know what to do with myself!

TODAY!

I'm a dog!

Anyway, this week had it's ups and downs just like every week does! The biggest down probably being that Hepworth left us. I got to go with her to say goodbye to her Balacuit children while the other sister's went to PEC meeting. It was actually really sad. And you know me, I'm a crier. (Thanks Mom.) And so I cried with her while she said goodbye, cried with her on the way home, cried with her when we got ice cream, cried with her while we ate ice cream and then laughed with her at the end of the night because we were both cried out. I miss her the most out of all of us I think but it's okay because I'll see her again on the 12th at Zone Conference! I'm excited!

But there were so many ups too! One of them being Sister Campbell! She's from Boise, Idaho but she's half Filipino. Sister Campbell is on her last transfer in the field! She goes home at the end of this one. Her last companion was Sister Jones and they were STLs! She's been an STL for a long time but for her last transfer, she's just here finishing up Sister Monticalbo's training! I seriously loved her from the moment she walked in the house though! She's great! She is just ALWAYS happy and loves missionary work and life and is so excited about the gospel! She's not trunky at all! She's soooooo funny! And soooo bold! She's just a really awesome and great missionary! We're excited to have her here!

On Saturday we got to do a Missionary Fireside for some of the ward and it went pretty well I think. It's just really awesome to see the ward and the ward leaders focusing so much on missionary work! It's amazing! Hahaha and then yesterday ALL the ward missionaries and other members of the ward were asking to work with us because they said that the second coming is fast approaching and they need to repent and fulfill their calling. Hahaha it was great. I just love watching people catch onto the spirit of missionary work!

Angela with her Aklat ni Mormon

RJ!

Jessica!

Probably my favorite part of the whole week though was when Jenie, the recent convert whose husband we're teaching now, got up in fast and testimony meeting and bore her testimony in front of the ward for the first time EVER! It was so amazing! She was so so scared and so shy to do it but she just got up and did it and expressed her gratitude to her Heavenly Father for answering her prayers. She's just so happy to have her family back together and complete and she's so grateful that her husband, Arnel, wants to learn and understand the gospel and be baptized so that he can go to the temple and make it possible to be with his family forever. It was the sweetest testimony and I was so proud of her. She is such a strength to her family and such an incredible example to Arnel. I absolutely LOVE her! Sister Tibungcog promised to come back for when they get sealed in the temple and they'd put me on skype so that I could see them all that day since I won't be here! I'm so stinkin happy for them though!

More children!

Lahat ng mga bata!

This gospel is the most incredible thing in the world. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the fact that I'm a missionary and have this opportunity to help people come closer to their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There is nothing else in the world that I would rather be doing and I actually dread the day that I have to take off my name tag. There's just a certain power that comes with bearing the name of Jesus Christ with the authority bestowed upon us by God's servants. Anyone and everyone can share the gospel. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be set apart from the world and give ALL my time and talents to the Lord and nothing else. I am just so blessed. I know that this gospel is true with my whole heart. I hope that you all have such a great week!! I miss you all but I know that I'll see you in no time! Thanks for the constant love and support! I'm more grateful for you than you know!! Love you all so much!!!!