Hello Urdaneta!

January 3, 2016

SO! I honestly don't have much time because I have to write my Mission President first and that takes a million minutes. 

My first area is Aguilar 2B. My companion is Sister Latorre [pronounced Luh-tour-ay] who is a Filipino which is SO nice because she can help me with my Tagalog a lot better than a foreigner could. She is honestly so fun! I'm SO glad she's my trainer. We are both the first sisters to ever serve in the area.. Yikes. It's not the best feeling knowing my trainer doesn't always know where we're going either.. Haha! 

Sister Latorre

And.. What's even more wonderful and exciting about the area is we have to have a priesthood holder with us after 6:00 (when it gets dark) because it's not a safe area. (; I guess there's a lot of drug and other sketchy stuff that goes on here. BUT! We live in a SUPER nice house with two other sisters. Sister Junio is from the Philippines also and Sister Hunt is a Samoan from Australia. They all speak English really well which I AM SO THANKFUL FOR! If they didn't speak English I would be so dang lonely. 

I saw my first monkey..
Can you believe people here have monkeys as pets!? :D

So! One thing I have definitely noticed about the Philippines is they love Americans. ALL day they'll stare at me and honk their horns as they drive by. ALL DAY. At first it made me feel really good, but now I just feel like I need some privacy. Haha. 

We have a baptismal date set for Justin which is really exciting! He's a 19-year old boy that is literally the shyest person I have ever met in my entire life. And it does't help that we don't speak the same language. But! I could have my first baptism on January 16th! :D 

I love you all and I hope you had a super fun New Years, because I did! We had to be in our houses at 6:00 because there are too many fireworks going off (which are SO DANG LOUD AT 2 AM), so I got to go to bed early! WOOOOO! :D 

This is my branch president and his family. The Dariano's. 

I love you so much dad! I literally laugh out loud multiple times when I read your journals! That makes me happy that Kwan cares about me. (: AND! The stars here.. They literally twinkle! No joke, the stars here twinkle in the sky. EVERY single one! It is SOOOOOO gorgeous!

Elder Sabiano and Elder Mcbride from Tooele (I went to high school with him)
He was the one that picked me up at the bus stop when I
arrived in Urdaneta! :D

Sister Latorre (front), Mayra Fe, Lanea (pink)
 Mayra is my best bud here. She's a member that has been showing
us the area, doing member recent lessons with us, and helping us meet the members.  (: