A whirlwind of a week in my new area, Iriga!

Wow! What a crazy week here in Iriga! Starting from last Monday, it has been a bit of a whirlwind as I have needed to get everything packed up, 

say my last goodbyes,

~ Sister Raneses & Sister Matheny ~

  and head out to Iriga.

To be honest, when I first heard that I would be transferring here, I was more than a little nervous. I had heard that Iriga was the hottest area in the Naga mission and was a little nervous to experience working in a branch, since I have never been to a branch before.

 But upon arriving here and spending a couple of days adjusting to this beautiful place, all my doubts were soon washed away.

For one, I was excited to learn that Sister Sosoter would be moving out to Iriga with me and that we would be Kabahays again. She was my kabahay for a transfer in Naga and is super nice, sweet, and fun to be around.  In fact, I love all my kabahay's (roommates)...

Sister Segovia & Sister Matheny

~ Sister Sosoter & Sister Habla ~

  For another, as I looked out the window on the bus ride out here, I remember being in awww as I saw all the beautiful trees, hills, rice fields,

 and eventually: Mount Isarog.

From our apartment here in Iriga, we have a perfect view of the mountain, surrounding rice fields and live withing walking distance of the church, which is really nice! 

I had honesty forgotten how much I missed that from Goa... but that isn't going to last long because we are planning on moving to a new apartment at the end of this month! In my opinion, our apartment is awesome, but everyone else seems to think it is an old dump...

 Apparently, the new apartment is really nice, has never been lived in, and is right next door to the senior couple, which I think will be really fun! They even have an oven there, so I might get to try and bake something (if I can remember how).

Besides that, my companion here is SISTER HABLA! And just in the past week, I have already come to love her! She really is an awesome companion!  All of her other companions have also been foreigners apparently, so she is really good at helping me learn the language. Also, she is super adorable! Sister Habla is really little, so I honestly feel like kind of a giant next to her, haha! Oh well... this is the Philippines, so I'm kind of used to feeling like a giant by now. Actually, it kind of freaks me out when I meet people taller than I am now.

~ Sister Sosoter, Sister Segovia, Sister Habla, & Sister Matheny ~

I remember we met a guy last night at a teaching appointment that was 6'1" and it actually made me a little nervous to be around him because he was SOOOOO tall! So when I found out his height, I actually almost cried as I thought about how hard it will be when I have to come home to a bunch of giants. 

Anyways, besides being little, Sister Habla is super sweet, really easy going and super nice. So I don't think we are going to have trouble getting along at all. She is also really good at seeing the good in people right when she meets them, which is an awesome quality and something I really think I can learn from her. Also, she is really patient and loving, especially with helping our less-active families, which is not always something I am super awesome at. SO all in all, I think we are going to have a really fun transfer and I will have a great opportunity to learn a ton from her!

So finally, about our area here: it's HUGE!!!! The biggest I have had so far. Here in Iriga, we have 8 barangays to proselyte in, so to be honest, my first few days I was feeling a little overwhelmed just by the sheer size (especially since I only had 1 barangay in Goa and 3 in Naga).

Additionally, on the way here, I was really freaked out because I had heard that Iriga was made up of a bunch of rich people, and rich people can sometimes be a little harder to talk to. In fact, the only thing I really prayed for before moving here was that God would not send me somewhere with a bunch of rich people. So naturally, I got sent somewhere with a bunch of rich people.

A lot of the houses out here in Iriga are HUGE! And I can't help but stare with wide eyes as we walk past some of them everyday. II think this is the closest I have felt to living in America since I left home!

But despite the big houses, the people here are SUPER NICE and SUPER AWESOME!  Even their pets are sweet . . .

 

 Just after this past week, I have seen that this area really does have so much potential to grow, it's just going to take a couple of missionaries working twice as hard as usual to make it happen which I think we can do.

One advantage I definitely have here is my "white powers", which I have definitely using in full. 

It has been a while since any white sisters have been assigned here, so everyone is always shocked to see me and a lot more friendly than they usually would be, leaving Sister Habla and I with lots of great teaching opportunities.

 Just in this past week we have met so many awesome people that really do have a ton of potential, so I am excited to see what lays in store for the weeks to come.

I know one thing that definitely helped add to a warm-welcome here in Iriga was the members. They are all SUPER friendly, and I have really made it a goal to get to know them while I am here. Last night, one of the families in the ward invited us over for dinner and fed us crab, which was super tasty! 

 Especially since here in the Philippines, you don't have to use tons of fancy tools to eat crab you just crack it open and go for it with your hands. So fun! If there's one thing I have learned in the Philippines, it's that silverware is WAY over-rated! (I'm probably going to have TERRIBLE table manners by the time I get home... sorry mom)

Anyways, besides that, I am just so grateful to God for the opportunity to serve here. I really have seen/felt His hand guiding me along throughout the whole mission and just in this past week, I have really felt that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

It's funny... God really does work in mysterious ways, and he always manages to answer prayers in the best ways possible. So we should never cease to pray/to ask for the things we need and then to LISTEN for the answers. Because he will always give one, we just need to make sure we are paying attention for it.

I think that is probably what I have learned the most this week: there really is a huge difference between just going through the motions and actually making a conscious effort to listen to the spirit and those around you.

I love all of you and am so grateful for the time you have taken to listen to me throughout the mission so have a great week, and I can't wait to hear from home again next week! 

Sincerely,

Sister Matheny