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

Week 77

I just left my last area for the last time... and for the first time... I didn't cry.  I cried when I left Roxas, San Jose, and Oton!  I'm not exactly sure why I didn't this time. Maybe it's because I was only there for 6 weeks, one transfer, and I didn't feel as attached to it as I did to other areas... maybe because it hasn't hit me yet that I'm not going back. It's weird because I know that I have a week to go before I go back to the states... maybe that's another reason why it hasn't hit me yet.  I'm in a weird situation now... I'm actually not sure what I'm going to be doing this last week... President Aquino just told me to bring all my bags to the mission home just like the other 3 missionaries going home tomorrow.  I'm still attending all the departure interviews and orientation things today and tomorrow... and then... I think I'll be working in Oton again because it's the closest Sister's area to the mission home.  I hope that's what I'll do... I'll most likely be in a threesome.  I know there's still a lot of good service I can do in this last week... but it feels a lot different because I won't be in "my" area. The Oton area was split just after I left, so most of my investigators from Oton are now being taught by Elders, including Brother Reynaldo, Sister Remie... all of them.  I just hope and pray that they all come to church next Sunday and I'll get to see them all along with Brothers Romeo, Conrado, Vicinte... and all the other Recent Converts and members that I did get close to there. :D
 

So, my last week in Pavia was really actually wonderful!  We got a whole lot of new investigators through referrals and service.  Something we've gotten quite good at is finding through service which is my favorite way to get new investigators... although then they tend to be more poor, but that's okay. :D  This week it was really rainy and one day we were walking and saw a sikad in front of us stuck in the mud.  He was taking a woman and her baby home.  We caught up and pushed them quite a ways... getting our shoes stuck in the mud and our skirts quite dirty, haha. It was so much fun.  We were able to talk to the sikad driver and the woman and hopefully we'll be able to teach them (or Sister Karaponga with her new companion...) Then later that same day, we saw a man walking with some heavy bags and a box with a small child at his side.  We offerred to help him carry his stuff. He was really shy about it and acted like he didn't want us to... but we kind of just grabbed his stuff, haha.  We didn't give him a choice :)  When we got to his home, he was so grateful and let us wash our feet and then invited us inside and met his wife and we shared with them.  They said we were welcome any time.  I love people so much.
 

Church yesterday was good... Sister Bowen and I both were asked to share our testimonies in sacrament meeting.  Several less actives came to church.  And our investigator, Sister Iryn also came to church with her 3 children who enjoyed primary :)  I'm so glad I got to see them at church before leaving. They've been wanting to come for several weeks now and just never were able to :(  They want to be baptized, including her husband. I really love that family.  I'll miss them a lot.

We actually did feel the earthquake on Tuesday from Cebu. Sister Karaponga and I were walking to district meeting... we were walking really fast because we were late... :)  I saw above the trees that the electric wires and poles were moving a ton... my initial thought was that there were some men working on them.  I saw some people across the street kind of cowering and motioning for us to get to the side of the road.  Then we saw a big group of missionaries ahead... they were still waiting for the key to the gate to the church.  They yelled for us to stop.  We stopped walking and then I really felt it.  I got kinda dizzy and was like rocking back and forth... so cool! :D  But of course, we were all okay... I feel sad for all the people who died in Cebu though.  And there was a little damage to the temple as well... :(
 

Well, I'll most likely email one last time before going home. So, in the meantime everyone take care and don't miss me too much ;D  I love you all!!!!

 

Love, Sister McClellan

 

Week 76

Funny story. One day, Sister Karaponga and I were going home riding on the back of a motorbike, behind the driver on a tricycle.  As we were riding, Sis. Karaponga turns to me and says very calmly... "Sister, my skirt is caught in the wheel... should I tell the driver?" haha, she's so funny! I said..."uhhh... yeah! like now!" For the next 30 seconds or so, she's trying to explain to the driver what happened and ask him to stop, but he doesn't get it.  Finally I say "diri lang!" which basically means "just here" or "this is where we get off" He stops and her skirt is really stuck in there!  She was lucky it didn't get ripped off her! haha.  They end up pushing the tricycle backwards with her walking beside, until they could finally rip it out.. .so funny!  Her dress was ruined though :(  And another day... we were walking home in the dark, and I stepped in a hole of mud.  Gross!! We used this as an opportunity to talk to someone and ask for some water to clean off my foot and shoe. Missionary work is so fun!

 

Wednesday I went on exchanges with Sister Bowen.  It was super cool to be her companion again! We haven't had an experience like that since the MTC so it was really cool.  We've both definitely changed a lot in the last year and a half.  We've both for sure improved in the language and in teaching. :D

Then, on Thursday, we did a CSP (service project) for a less-active family.  We pulled some weeds and cut some plants that they sell at the market (I forget what it's called...).  It was fun talking with them - they're like my second family here in this area.  The BEST part though, was that I got to ride their carabou! I don't know if that's how it's spelled. They don't have this animal in the states. I have pictures on my camera... I guess you'll see it in a couple weeks, hehe.

Our investigator Iryn, is doing so well. She told us the other day that from the day that we met her husband and were welcomed in their home, they have been receiving so many blessings. She's been recognizing all the tender mercies and has connected it as having started the very day we met her husband.  So cool!  I love them a lot... we're going to have FHE with them tonight which should be loads of fun! :D

We have another investigator who is super rich... I thought he was about to drop us, but we did our very best to follow the spirit. It was the most unique lesson I've ever had. I only spoke to him in English and for the first time, he really listened to what I was saying instead of interrupting. Also, we decided to just answer his questions instead of giving the lesson we had planned. "Teaching People, not Lessons" made all the difference. I really felt the spirit in that lesson and expect him to start progressing soon. He seems much more interested now in what we're sharing and even thanked us for the new insights he gained.  It's funny how sometimes I feel like I keep learning the same lessons over and over again... hopefully, I won't need to learn that one again.

Time goes so fast, no? how many more letters like this will I be writing? 2? wow, what a concept. :D

BYE!!!!

Sister McClellan

Week 75

Dear Family,

 

I don't have much time to write this email. These last couple weeks have been very busy. I had to get fingerprinted this morning... even though I did just last month... and it took a really long time with all the other missionaries as well.  With our area so far away, we don't even have time to go home before our family home evenings... we just leave all our groceries and everything at the other sister's apartment here in Jaro and then take it home at night.  It's been crazy living here in Pavia.  But I love it. :D  It's so much fun and Sister Karaponga is so funny.  I love being her companion. :D

It was also a very VERY challenging week. I've experienced more rejection than I think I have in most of my mission put together... in just the last few days... haha.  I'm surprised though at how... desensitized.. I am.  Of course, it still hurts... but not as much as it used to.  It just gives us more drive to find others who are more prepared to accept the gospel.  It's been good because we've been able to keep a good attitude through it all.  We are still really enjoying the work.  We've switched our focus this last week... from finding new investigators, to contacting and teaching all the less actives in our area. That has been very difficult! haha. Finding them is challenging! They don't have addresses! haha. And then many of them have changed religions and don't want to listen to us... but we just smile and do our best and we've been able to teach many of them. :D  I expect them ALL to come back to church. :D  We will not give up on them because we need them!!! and they need the church! They need the gospel! :D  But... we would appreciate your prayers. :D

I love you all!!! I hope each of you have a fabulous week!

Sister McClellan