First Transfer - April 26, 2010

The transfer!!!!!!
So I think this transfer is really to help me grow! Nothing is the same and it has been hard but I know that the Lord has a purpose for me here! I am in Cabuyao Zone and in Calamba First Ward. My new companion is Sister Gepiga.
So let us just start from the beginning. The baptism was so great and Sister Anabell bore her testimony and she thanked me and it was so sweet and I just love them and I love the Pakil Branch. Then I led the music for the closing him trying hard not to cry just smiling at everyone as my heart was breaking. Then after we took pictures with the Rubio family, then one of the youth was calling me so I went to see why and they said go to the bathroom. So I did and Sherlyn, Julie Fe, Maryann, and Jovelyn were all crying. I burst into tears and we all just cried together for a little while. Then sister Macabenta and I had some things we needed to get taken care of before transfers so we went to our various places and then back to our apartment and all the youth were there to say good bye it was so cute! I love them. Surprisingly I didn’t cry. I think because it didn’t feel real.
Anywoo, I packed and the next day was transfers. It was so hard to leave Pakil but like I said it didn’t really feel real. I did see Sister Clave and was so excited! I cried, I love her so much! She is amazing! She is still on Mindoro Island. Then I got my new comp Sister Gepiga, she is very quite. The zone leaders took us to my new area and it is a big city!!!!! Yuck!!!!! Ha-ha. I am really sad that I am in a city. We have an amusement park in our area, a mall, a Walter Mart (which I'm assuming is like a Wal-Mart) we also have a Burger King and 7 Eleven! There are so many people and so many cars I don’t really like it. But I know I will learn to love it!
My apartment is not as nice as the one in Pakil but it isn’t bad. We didn’t have any toilet paper, I had to go buy some and the shower isn’t that great so I pretty much just use the bucket. But it is not a problem.
The one thing about this area is that it is supper hot!!! They say it is one of the hottest areas in the mission. My companion was on an island before and she says it is hotter here! I hope I can get used to it. Its hard to sleep it is so so hot. We have a ward and they are all really nice we had a baptism my first Sunday and that was awesome her name is Tintin and she is a little 8 year old girl from a part member family. We have it on Sunday because I guess no one will come if it is on a different day. I met the bishop and he is really nice and we have some sweet youth too! Two girls just got mission calls. So I’m excited to get to know the people in the ward better. We have had so many dinner appointments and I guess we have one almost every night so that is nice.
However, it is a hard area they say. We don’t have many progressing investigators and my companion said that we meet new people and come back to teach and they aren’t there so we do a lot of walking. The people here are a lot different than the people in Pakil. Everyone in Pakil said hi and was super nice but people here just look at you like your crazy. So I’m hoping that we can just soften the hearts of the people.
One cool thing yet hard too, this was Sister Clayton's last area. So it is cool that I get to take her place after hearing so much about her. However, she was much better in Tagalog and I think everyone is expecting me to be the same. Sister Gepiga is from Cebu so she didn’t speak Tagalog before either but it was taught to her in school, so she said sometimes she would ask her companion and now I’m her companion and I can't give her that same help but I am trying.
This change is so different and it is going to be hard but I know I can do it and I just stay positive. I think my companion is having a hard time with the fact that she is still here in this area and she doesn’t like it and I do try to be positive because she gets discouraged every time we go to a house and the person isn’t home. I just tell her that we have someone else the Lord needs us to teach. And even if we walk all day and get rejected all day we are still working hard and that is what is important.
We had a dinner appointment last night and some of the young single adult girls were there and the bishop and they are so nice! I love them. They told me we will get along well plus bishop gave us a referral! So I don’t think it will be that bad I just have to get used to the change.
My companion says that our zone isn’t close so that’s sad. But maybe it will change. I am in a district with two of my batch, one American and one Filipino. They are companions. Elder Muller is my new district leader he is my batch. Oh speaking of district leaders. Elder French is transferred to San Pablo and he is the zone leader, companions with one of his friends from back home.
Well I have to go I hope I answer all your questions. I love you all! I’m okay really don’t worry! I will talk to you soon!!!!

Love, Sister Andreasen