Philippines Week 30

Hi everyone!  Not much happened this week. Transfers ended up not really effecting us. Sister Bautista and I are still together for the next 4 weeks. It's a four week transfer because we are getting a new Mission President. He is a lawyer from SLC but he lives in Lehi.  I think that I will be here in Abucay/Mabatang for 12 more weeks.  So that means probably only four areas my whole mission. Crazy.  
          The work of the Lord is progressing here in the Philippines.  So far this month, my mission has baptized 188 souls.  It's crazy to see how things are happening faster. I know that the Lord is preparing people to accept the gospel.  I love you all. 

Sister Raynor

Happy Birthday to Lindsay!  

I love you all.

Week 25 Arizona

          I am now in Tempe with Hermana Arellano. This last week has been so awesome. I'm pretty sure I have spoken more Spanish in the last 4 days that she and I have been companions, than I did in the entire last transfer. It has been so awesome. The new ward that I work in is sweet too, though there are a lot more white people in it, mostly RM's and their families (the bishop, ward mission leader, etc). Hermana Arellano is awesome. She is from Mexico City but her English is almost perfect.  

          She has 3 months left in the mission and she wants to go out with a bang, so we decided we want to find and baptize a family. Our plan is essentially to work till we're dead. We get up at 6am so we can have more time for companion study, we take 30 minutes for breakfast, 30 minutes for lunch, 30 minutes for online, and 30 minutes for dinner (when we don't have it).  We are making every Sunday fast Sunday. She is just as dedicated to becoming consecrated as I am...Its awesome. Each night, as soon as we finish planning, I kid you not, as soon as my head hits the pillow, I am dead asleep. It feels good to be working hard and to feel like I'm contributing again. 

          So right now they have us living in a house with a member just until the end of the month, then we will be able to get into a new apartment. It was super funny (not really though,) we didn't know we were moving (we were in an apartment with other sisters) so our first day together was all packing. We got to Sister Brown's house (super old lady) and we knocked on her door and she said she didn't know that we were coming...and that she has a scorpion problem!! So we called the housing coordinators and they said we weren't supposed to move...the AP's messed up. So we made some more phone calls and we ended up staying there, with Sister Brown and the scorpions. Also this lady (80's) has the most food storage in the world! Mom, it puts you to shame!  We counted, she has 96 lbs of peanut butter, from the 90's. It is crazy...

That's all I got for this week.

Con Amor,

Hermana Raynor

  

Week 24 Arizona

The mission home address:  Hermana Ashley Raynor 

                                              Arizona Tempe Mission Home

                                              1871 E. Del Rio Drive 

                                              Tempe, Az 85282

So this has been a crazy week...and I'll just work backwards and start off with the craziest part, Sunday night. On Sunday we got to go to the Mission President's devotional at ASU. It was super good. I got to see some members from Arizona City and I got to see a few of my favorite missionaries. Also, Sunday was the last day of the transfer and... I'm getting transferred...again. We have 6 missionaries in our ward right now and they have decided that there is just not enough work for 6 so they are pulling a companionship out. So we'll have to wait until next week to find out where I go!

This weekend was stake conference, and it was super awesome. I got to see almost everyone from my first area. The Phoenix stake is massive, and so it is broken up into 2 zones, and so at stake conference... Everyone from my first area was there! It was super fun to see everyone.

On Friday we had a baptism! Victor is this man we've been teaching for a while. He is 20, he just got married like 2 weeks ago, and the baptism was interesting. In all honesty, I thought he was just getting baptized because his wife is a member.  He is super shy and the whole time, I thought he didn't really care. When we were planning his baptism, he said that he didn't want it announced and that he didn't really want too many people to be there. So, only the people who were in the program were there.  His wife gave a talk, the Bishop did the actual baptism, the ward mission leader conducted the program, and all 6 missionaries -  the two witnesses, the music chorister, the pianist, the opening and closing prayer, and the second talk were the only ones in attendance.  It was really an interesting baptism, but the best part was when we were singing the closing song, Victor started crying. It turns out that Victor's mother is LDS and what he wants more than anything is to go to the temple and be sealed to his mother and wife and her daughter (she's not his biological daughter.)  It was super sweet and special baptism.

Love you, 

Hermana Raynor

Philippines Week 29

Hi everyone! 
          So this last week was great because I got to talk to mom, Caroline, Thomas and...ASHLEY!  I only have a few minutes because I put off writing so that I could "instant" message with mom.  We have transfers on Wednesday.  I'm kind of nervous just because I will be getting a new companion.  
          We had Zone Conference this past week and it was just so good to get to see some of my "batch-mates" from the MTC along with Elder Jarvi - from Grants Pass and Sister Johnson. It was just so good to catch up with them.  Sister Calauan my co-apartment mate finished her mission and went home.  That was super sad but it was so cool to see at the same time; what an exciting time in her life!  She was such a good example.  
          We taught Jess a lot, our little old investigator with no teeth...  He tried to tell us that he didn't want to be taught anymore--it turns out that he was drunk.  He was so apologetic afterwards. We still need to work on his Word of Wisdom... :) 
          I hope every one is doing well. Sorry that this is so short. 
Cubo and love to you all.

Sister Katie

Weeks 23 and 28 MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

How fun it was to listen to Ashley and Katie talk to each other today.  How wonderful it was to talk to each of them, knowing they are serving the Lord and working hard.  What beautiful sisters.  

Arizona Week 22

So this week...I had menudo for the first time!! It was nasty! overall the soup was good but that was after I ate all the meat chunks out...gross. I have a picture.  So the Spanish is going well, I learn more everyday. This was a super long week, we had interviews with President Toone and so we had meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (ward meeting), and Friday. 

          Funny thing, so a lot of the ward members will hear English swear words and not know that they are bad, and so they will say them (totally innocently,) but anyways on Sunday, we were in primary (my companion was playing piano) and this little sunbeam says "what the h*ll" like 4 times. Super funny. Then we were waiting for Relief Society to end and this little boy walks up to us and we ask him what his name was, and he says "handsome."  We busted up laughing, so funny...  Sorry its gonna be a short one, I had a really long letter to write to the President.

Love you

Hermana Raynor

Philippines Week 27

Hi family! This week has gone by so fast but has been so long at the same time.  So I'm just going to hit the main points of my week:

• Jess - Jess is our 70 year old investigator. He is really progressing.  He is supposed to be baptized on June 17. He went from two packs of cigarettes a day to 2 cigarettes a day in two weeks.  He has completely given up alcohol and coffee. He also doesn't have teeth.  Like any teeth.  His rich brother was going to buy him some dentures but then Jess got drunk and so his brother decided not to. But Jess is super sarcastic and hilarious.  He is also kind of crazy. We taught him the ten commandments and  to obey and honor the law this week.  After "obey and honor the law" we told him to follow the laws (we are talking laws of the land here...) no matter where you go.  He then stood up and yelled, while pointing his finger: "When you are in Rome act like a Roman!" I love Jess. We were in class on Sunday talking about service and how sometimes, a smile is a way to serve others.  Jess then asked, "Ano gawin mo kung walang ngipin?" (What do you do if you don't have teeth?)  CLASSIC 
• I went on exchanges with Sister Panal. She is about three feet tall. That was an interesting day. And that's all I have to say about that...
• Tomorrow marks the third week that I have had the flu.
• I got a lot of pouch mail--mail from other missionaries. So that was super exciting. Including some letters from my recent converts in San Felipe and 5 letters from Sister Hart.  I miss that girl.

Well that is just about it. I love you all.  Mom--I will skype you next Sunday 8pm your time.  

Cubo.  Sister Raynor

PS: Sorry no pictures because this computer isn't very good. next week.  Cubo.
Happy Birthday to my man BART on May 9th!  (I miss you and my second mom Lisa).

Also, a special shout out to Seth Sherry. Just because I've been thinking about him a lot and I think that he is awesome.  Also my Zone Leader looks a lot like Seth.  

Love you guys, Sister Raynor

                                               Sister Raynor, Sister Panal, Sister Bautista