Week 78

Dear Family,

I lied last week when I said I just left my last area for the last time... I was transferred!!!! :D So... on Monday, I had my departure interview. Then Sister Bowen and I ate at Mang Inasal for the last time and then slept in the City Sister's apartment. It was actually a cool experience getting to their apartment. Neither of us really knew how to get there... I had been there a couple times before going on exchanges, but I couldn't really remember. I just remembered the first jeepney to get on. So we decided to go for it... and while we were riding in the jeepney, I started to get a little nervous because I thought maybe we had gone way too far or were supposed to switch jeepneys or something. Right at that moment, we both saw a road that looked familiar. We decided to take a chance and get off. We got off and... the road let right to the apartment! Of all the times in my whole mission when I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going, I've never gotten lost. God is really taking care of His missionaries. We were guided by the spirit. :D

Tuesday morning we went to the Career Workshop thing where we learned about job interviews and resumes and all that fun jazz. After that, we went back to the mission office and after waiting around for an hour or so we had a little devotional in the mission home with the APs and President and Sister Aquino. We all went around and had a little testimony meeting. There were tears and laughs.. it was a very well rounded meeting. :) After that, we all went out to eat at a nice restaurant at SM and then we went to the airport... I said goodbye to Sister Bowen... it was really hard! I know I'm going to see her in like a week, but I know how sad she was that she was about to leave Iloilo! Then the APs drove me to Oton where I spent the next day. I saw Nilo the dog and Mister the cat! And Brother John the French man and Connie his wife who made me mango float! :D

Wednesday, I went on splits with Sister Nonu. She is a new missionary, only been here 7 weeks from Samoa. Her trainer is Sister Winward who went with a member of the ward. It was so fun! I wasn't in my old area at all, but I was still familiar with their area and I still enjoyed it. I still got to see a few people I knew. Wednesday night I did get to go to my old area because Sister Veronica, the member who used to always work with us in Oton had an FHE with all 7 of us missionaries because now there are also two elders in that area. I was so happy to see her again! That night, all the brand new missionaries straight from the MTC came. Two of them slept in Oton Apartment with us along with some of the trainers who traveled from their areas so they could go to their meetings the next day. Thursday morning, I went to transfer meeting. And... I got transferred to Guimaras! Guimaras is a smaller island pretty close to the Panay Island. For several years only Elders have been allowed to go there, but this transfer it was opened again for Sisters. I was put in a threesome of course... because obviously I won't be staying the whole transfer. My new companions are Sister Nelson and Sister Orani. They are awesome and I have had SO much fun with them these last few days. Thursday after crossing the water in a boat, we spent the rest of the day fixing our apartment, waiting for furniture and water and cargo. We have a HUGE house... 7 bedrooms! And once I leave, there will only be the two sisters living there... but it's nice. :) Guimaras is so beautiful! There are so many trees!

  Friday and Saturday we had normal proselyting days, went to a baptism, met many members and the Branch President and Branch Mission Leader. They all seem so amazing! I wish I were staying here! Church yesterday was amazing! I enjoyed it, and all the members were so welcoming and excited to have sisters there again. We all shared our testimonies, of course. (I was so happy that after sacrament meeting a woman came up to me and told me if she had closed her eyes, she wouldn't have known I wasn't Filipino. That made me feel good. I guess I'm getting better at their accent!) The members are all so nice and were sad to find out that I'm not staying long. After church, 4 of the young women wanted to work with us... we would have gone on splits with them, but all of them were under the age of 18 so it wasn't allowed... so all 7 of us went to all our appointments. I was worried it would be a crowd at first, but it went really well. The young women are so good! And they all want to serve missions!

  And then this morning, my last P-Day and last day in the mission... we went to the beach! :D The beach here in Guimaras is gorgeous! My camera just can't capture it! I wish I was a professional photographer like some of my siblings at times like these. :D Later I'm going to eat my last Guimaras mango and start packing. Tonight we have an FHE with some members which should be super fun. And then tomorrow... I'm off. I might go to District Meeting first, but I need to be back to Iloilo pretty early. Tuesday night I'll be flying to Manila all alone... sleep in a hotel all alone... and then leave from Manila Wednesday morning... all alone... But it will be okay. I've had the best mission ever and no regrets. I will forever treasure the amazing experiences that I've had and the people that I have met. I will forever be grateful for the knowledge that I've gained and for my testimony which has been solidified. I am so grateful that I was able to serve God full-time for 18 months. They sure did fly by fast! Where did the time go!? I feel so old! hehe. :D Especially with all the 18 and 19 year olds coming now. Anyways... I'll see you all soon!

Love,
Sister McClellan