Day 474 Can-Avid, Borongan Zone, Philippines Dumplings anyone?

Dearest Family,

What a crazy long week. First off, I got to go with the departing missionaries to the airport to drop them off and then wait for the new missionaries. While we were waiting outside, we saw one sister missionary by herself. Then President remarked, "That looks like an RM. . ." And sure enough, it was Sister Robidillo!!!! (one of my Cebu companions from Tolosa Zone). I met her sister and saw her after she was released by President Maurer. She brought me a cute elephant carving covered in shells from Cebu. :)

Sister Robinson and I were in charge of all the new sister missionaries' studies and we also got to go on splits with them. I went with Sister Chu (Taiwanese) and Sister Abitria (Filipina). They are incredible and bring a lot of fresh ideas and energy to the mission. All the trainers and trainees attended a testimony meeting where all the new missionaries bore their testimonies. Sister Chu's was the funniest. The whole mission has heard that there is a Taiwanese sister coming, but doesn't speak English. When she started her testimony, she started speaking Mandarin Chinese and then said, "Don't worry, I speak English." We all died laughing as she continued speaking fluent English. Apparently, she lived in Australia and also Manila for a few years.

Friday morning we received our transfer assignments:

My companion is Sister Chu and we are assigned to a group in Can-Avid, Borongan Zone!!!!

Travel to Borongan is 4 hours from Tacloban by van on the bumpiest road around the coast of Samar island. We stayed the night in the sisters apartment there and then traveled another 2 hours to Can-Avid the next day after a typhoon passed. Every P-day we travel back to Borongan to email and then have district meeting the next day. And elders are back in Guiuan now.

We are speaking a different form of Waray2x. they say it is pure waray2x Just a few new words and shortcuts. Slightly different accent. We are in the middle of nowhere! hahaha but I love being back in the green bukid. I miss the green. I didn't realize how sad Tacloban looks. Our house is sweet! This is probably the nicest place i've stayed in Tacloban mission. We have an actual house that we share with another companionship of trainer/trainee (Sister Sprouse and her Filipina anak). It's huge and spacious but. . .  there's nothing inside. There are two mattresses on the floor. No bowls, desks, shower buckets, etc. The shipment was supposed to arrive last week, but it was delayed. Plus the elders that lived here before just got by with hardly anything. (Don't worry we got things figured out and we will be living rather creatively for the next week until our supplies arrive.) We are whitewashing and splitting an elders' area. (Meaning, there were elders here before, but now we are figuring out the area by ourselves and there is an extra companionship working here too.)

I was so surprised to find out that Sister Chu is my new companion! And this is the first time I’ll be assigned in a group. I love changes and new things this is an adventure for me. I’ve never trained before so this will be fun and challenging. I feel like I’m just as busy as when I was an STL, but I’m doing different things. So I’m definitely being stretched to reach different capacities. I love the 12 weeks program so it helps Sister Chu be excited about 4 hour studies.

Sister Chu is adorable. I love her so much already! She is a recent convert of 4 years and has been living on her own since her parents died of some sickness 3 years ago. She is very clean, poised, and refined so the Philippines is a bit of an adjustment for her, especially with handwashing clothes, different food, not as many comforts, etc. (She wants to buy her own washing machine and an American mop haha. . .) But that’s to be expected. I love how hard working she is and she knows how to study effectively. And she’s a great cook! She has already offered to teach the branch how to cook dumplings (from scratch!!!)for an activity to invite their friends to. She’s very healthy so that’ll help me stay healthy and active. I love how many new ideas she brings to the mission so I feel like she’s a breath of fresh air—exactly what both I and the area needs right now. I feel like she has a lot to offer and there is a lot of potential in her.

We haven’t had much chance to work in our area yet because we didn’t arrive in our apartment until Saturday afternoon! Supplies are still coming for the apartment so we should be getting everything we need soon. For church we attended both the branch in DapDap (Dolores) and then the special sacrament for the group in Can-Avid. The leaders are very active and helpful. The moment we arrived there have been members helping us. One of the recent converts waited near our apartment for nearly 3 hours because she heard we were on our way.

Dad, your pictures look AWESOME!! *slightly jealous but not really because i'm in the Philippines* I love the sunrise and lizard and sand and star pictures. Southern utah is such a different landscape. . .

Anyhoo, I hope you all stop getting sick so often, haha. Keep up the good missionary work! And way to go Ashley for her talk in stake conference. 'Atta Boy, Luther! Nice haircut Alex. Keep it short. :) And I love Moo. How's Jared? Thanks for the insights! Sorry i don't have much time to respond back to the letters you send, but know that i read and cherish them! (usually i print them off when i have more time to read what you say).

Love always,
Sister Amanda Smith

With my new comp Sister Chu! from TAIWAN!!! The first ever in the Philippiness haha
This is right after we went to McArthur Park to be matched up with our new companions.
Also, i don't know if i'll be able to send you pictures for the rest of  my mission. . . just by snail mail because the internet is sooooo slow here! I'm in Borongan right now (2 hours south) and even here the internet is awful.