This week has honestly been one of the best I think I have had since I started the mission. For one, it was my birthday! So throughout the whole week, I had anxiously been counting down the days until the 16th, when I knew I would get to open the beautiful package I had received from my mom just a few weeks before. But before I talk about the contents of that beautiful box, I think I'll start from the beginning of this awesome week.
So for one, I have been having a lot of fun here in Iriga.
Smiles seem to come easier,
I am feeling super happy and everyone is SOOOOO nice!
In addition, my kabahays and companion are AWESOME! So we have been having a party here everyday.
One thing I have really loved here in Iriga is eating with my kabahays again. Almost every day--breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner--we all sit down together, eat, laugh and have a good time.
Honestly, I had forgotten how much I missed that from Goa. Having an awesome companion is great, but it's always nice to have a couple of other friends too.
This week, there has definitely been a huge focus on FINDING, which means we have been making an extra effort to smile and talk to everyone. Day after day, I have seen miracles, hardships, and met so many awesome people.
So looking back on the week, I feel happy with what we have accomplished.
Now, that doesn't mean that everything this week was happy. We also had our fair share of trials too. Like for example, when I woke up on Thursday covered in mosquito bites and then we walked around in the scorching sun all day only to be turned down at almost every house. I remember coming home that night feeling so discouraged. I asked myself why had we ended up so empty when we are doing everything we can to measure-up and to be exactly obedient missionaries.
So to be honest, I definitely woke up feeling a little stressed on Friday morning. As we went about our work, I couldn't help but feel that no matter what I did, it would not be enough to help the people here. Later that afternoon, I found myself opening up to President about the way I had been feeling in interviews and ended up getting some awesome advice from him.
After the interviews, I started to see a huge change in our work over the next couple of days. I started trying to stop stressing so much about all my inadequacies, and instead focus instead on all the things I can do to help the people here. I really started to see God's hand in our work as people seemed to start finding us instead of the other way around.
I remember one experience in particular when we were walking by the gas station and one of the members working there referred us to a kid sitting outside: John Michael. John is 12 and has been sleeping outside the gas station because his mom left him when he was still little and his dad got sent to jail last year, so John ended up being left an orphan.
As we sat in the park sharing with him the and listening to him share about his life, family and how if his dad weren't in prison, he would be able to study right now, I couldn't help but hold back a couple tears.
It's so weird to see the way people live in different parts of the world, and it definitely teaches you not to take anything for granted.
Here, many people have lost a child to sickness (because they couldn't afford medication), others don't have an education and some stopped early because they have to support their family.
I remember asking Sister Habla why they didn't finish school first, so that they could earn more money to provide for their loved ones, and she said that many people stop schooling here because they are forced to choose between life and future. If they don't work now, there won't be anyone to work for in the future. So for me, just seeing what some of the people here have to sacrifice for an education definitely makes me realize how lucky I am. And I definitely don't plan to take my education for granted again when I get home.
But anyways, Saturday FINALLY came around and I woke up with a huge smile on my face. Right after getting up, Sister Sosoter (my kabahay) ran into the room, yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" and gave me a big hug! I was honestly so excited I felt like I could explode! Later, I was surprised to find a sign saying "Happy Birthday Sister Matheny" downstairs, which Sister Sosoter had made for me, it made me SOOOO happy!
After a great morning of work, we ate at my favorite place (chow king), bought new umbrellas (because my last one broke so I have been frying in the sun this past week),
and headed home so I could open my beautiful package.
Inside, I found all types of awesome stuff, which made me so happy that I almost cried.
In addition, I was surprised and so happy to find letters from home inside the box. So thank you mom, dad, Carter, Lauren, my mom's primary class, Miss Denise, the Lukenbills, Sister Cole, the Groppe's, the Croft's, and the Wienerts (minions is my companion's FAVORITE, so she can't stop opening the singing card).
After that (and studies), we headed back out to work and had an awesome day! We were surprised when one of our investigators wrote a song about what they had learned from the restoration pamphlet, which was definitely a first! We also had another great lesson with John Michael, before buying some ice-cream and sio-pao on the way home. I had originally planned on using the sio-pao as a "cake" because I thought my mom might get mad if I didn't have one,
But soon after getting home, I was surprised when Sister Sosoter, Sister Segovia, and Elder and Sister Hanson walked in with a cake!
I was so happy that I almost cried! And after that, we got to finish an awesome birthday with cake and fried chicken.
I remember I went to bed that night thinking: "this has definitely been the best birthday ever!"
Every day, I grow to love this work more and more and have been happier and happier. ESPECIALLY when we are out sharing! It's weird, little by little, I have found myself serving out of LOVE instead of out of DUTY.
So all in all, I can definitely say that this has definitely been one of the best years of my life, and I'm excited for the one to come! I love you all and hope you have the best week ever!
Sincerely,
Sister Matheny
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