Philippines Week 66

I feel like I have written a billion letters home over the last 17 months. That is probably a little bit of an over statement but none the less here is my letter. I am going to try to keep this simple... probably. But I just want to let everyone know that I love you all and I am getting a little bit (understatement) excited to see you all next month.

This is whats up--

• TRANSFERS!!! I did not transfer. So that means that I will only have three areas in my mission with 6 months in each area. So Calapacuan will be my last area about a 5 minute walk to the mission home. Sister Hart and Elder Christensen also did not transfer and so I will end with the same people that I started my mission with. Pretty cool. 
• My new companion is Sister Manilingan. Its funny because I actually went on exchanges with her a few weeks ago and recommended her to be a Sister Training Leader and now I am the one training her. But she is great. She is still obsessed with David Archuleta and the color purple. She actually told some children in a lesson the other day not to look at bad, dirty pictures but just look at pictures of good things...like David Archuleta-maganda iyan.
• Brother Eman was baptized he is the 5th member of his family to be baptized. There are about 7 more of their family members that will be baptized in the next few months. 
• I was put in charge of doing a fireside for the branch. So yesterday, it finally all came together. It turned out to be very fun. We had a few speakers and then I gave a workshop for 2 hours. By the end of the fireside, my voice was so weak and shaky that they ended up setting up an extra mic. 
• I got to see some more batchmates: Sister Empalmado, SIster Udall and Elder hill. 
• We also spent some time with my Tatay here in the Philippines. Tatay Mercurio. He informed me that he is throwing a goodbye party for me and has already invited half the branch. I love that guy. He is going to the temple in November.
• This week was filled with a lot of incredibly spiritual lessons. I love it when the Spirit takes over. We were able to invite a lot of people to be baptized. 
• This week, we have President Arden of the Area Presidency and another member of the 70 coming to speak to us. There are a lot of random events coming up-super fun.

Well, those are the highlights from this week. Lots of other crazy other things have happened. But overall, I am just happy to be here. I just want to work harder and harder everyday until I hit that long plane ride home. 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the same church that Christ established in his lifetime. I know that God has restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. 

I know that it is more fun in the Philippines.