Week 14

Well, the Tanauan 2nd Sisters should really just move to Tacloban and live in the AA Sisters apartment with how sick we keep getting. Sister Quijada has had a some sort of sickness for over a week now. She has had some fevers and rashes/hives, headaches, vomiting, dehydration,  body pains, all of it! The Doctors suspected Dengue fever, just like I had last week, or two weeks ago, but the test came out clear. Everything just pointed to UTI and viral infections. We have had to go to the hospital everyday for check up and monitoring and today they finally gave here the clear! But, she is still really weak and not doing so good. But, this week has been really good spiritually for the both of us! We have both been able to just dive into studying and growing our testimonies! Hahah, and have delicious food at the mission home! :) We had to go to church at the Tacloban 1st ward though... we miss Tanauan! WE got so many texts from the youth asking how we were doing and if we had been admitted into the hospital. They rock! They really are always so wanting to help with this work! SO AWESOME! 

From being in the Mission Office so much again this week, we were able to find out more about the coming plans for the mission....... Get this, 26 missionaries will be in the next batch. 17 are sisters. SEVENTEEN!! So guess what that means, 5 Sisters from my batch will be training in 4 1/2 weeks! Or we will be serving with someone from our batch, so someone from the MTC with me. We don't have follow up training anymore, we just go straight into work. So I could be training someone in like 4 weeks!! The only stuff I know in the language is gospel stuff, conversations are still super hard and I definitely don't know much of anything here yet. Hahah, but if the Lord calls, you answer! So I guess we will just wait and see and have A LOT of language study and praying and fasting Hahah :) 

On another note, I would like to give a shout out (s/o) to the greatest guy there ever is..... Mah Popsicle! I love you so much, Dad and I am so grateful for everything you have done for me and getting me to this point! It really means the absolute world to me. And being here, sharing all the my Heavenly Father has done for me makes me just as happy! I hope you all have had an amazing Fathers Day and Sunday and enjoy every bit of your coming week! I love you all times a million!!!

Sister Bray

Week 13

Maupay na Kolop bison mga tawo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Good afternoon everybody)

Well, this week has been awesome! And I loved hearing all the amazing emails from everybody! You are all truly amazing!

Something truly amazing happened this week! I have told you of the Solayao family before I believe in an email talking about Shera. But they have truly grown so much! Brother Solayao last week when we went to visit them on Saturday after I was better said "Guess that tomorrow is?" My first guess was his birthday, but that was the wrong answer. "No, it's fasting testimony meeting!" Sure enough, the next day he was the first to go up and share his testimony to our tiny congregation! It was about 50 that week, this week was a little less. and don’t forget, we are a ward of 600 members. So It is always sad to see people who made covenants, even in the temple, and them not coming to church. Even when inviting them and having them say that they will be there and they never show. But back to Brother Solayao! His testimony has truly strengthened my own. He shared again with every one of his inactivity form the church since his mission in Naga seven years ago and how he could tell his family has been missing something the last couple of months. He knew exactly what it was and was eager to find the missionaries to bless his family. He reached out to the bishop and asked for us to come to teach his family, especially his wife, Myrna. They both have grown so much in the gospel! The day after our first meeting with them, Sister Myrna told us of her experience with receiving a sure answer that this is truly the Lords church. And ever since has been striving even further to follow Christ. His testimony last Sunday though...... made me so happy! His family has received so many blessings in the past month since his reactivation and their coming unto the gospel. And they REALLY want all the gospel has to offer in their lives. So much that they have made ginormous sacrifices! They sold they phone, which with how distant everyone is here, is vital for most families. they have sacrificed something even bigger.... food. All for their marriage papers! So that they will be able to find Sister Myrna's records and they will be able to get married and she will be able to be baptized...... How amazing are they?? They make me cry all the time! Hahah, they have the biggest testimony of faith and love for the savior I have ever seen and I am so grateful for them and having them be my first actual family I have been able to teach. They have already blessed my life immensely and truly mean the world to me!

I love it here! This week for some reason has finally made me love the Philippines! Heat and all! Even being in an air con for 10 minutes makes me freezing now! So coming home to Utah in September I may be in a sweater and sweats a lot Hahah :) But I truly have grown this week in having a love for everything that the Philippines has in store for me and for all the people here. I wish I could share every piece of this with all of you, but tying so much really cramps up your hands! So I will share every bit of it with all of you when I get home!

I Love you all and wish you the very best of weeks!

That Picture is of the sunset as it was raining! Rain season has started this week and every night it looks just like this! GORGEOUS!

Week 12

Well, this week was reeeeeeeeaally boring! So last Thursday the same day I had Balut, I woke up and my legs looked like I was a leper. No joke! My mosquito bites were wack! I didn't even think they were mosquito bites because of how different they were! They didn't itch and they were red and just.. yucks! SO we went about our day as usual, but near the end of the day I was just crashing! My back was hurting so bad and I just couldn't work. We went home early because of it! While planning I kept falling asleep, which is normal sometimes, but this time I really just could not hack it. MY eyes were hurting and they just wouldn't stay open! So we quickly finished and I hurried through my nightly routine, half-bath and climb into bed. But this time when I went to take my usual half-bath bucket shower with cold water, I was freezing! This water felt like glacier water! IT woke me up with the first pour. And I knew right then, "Oh sweet. I have a fever..." SO I went and took my temperature after that and sure enough, 101. So I took some fever reducer and slept it off! The rest of the week until Tuesday, I felt normal. I was weak, but I figured that was from my back going crazy. I guess my fever never wore off, and from the heat, I didn't really notice it. But Tuesday, my whole body felt so weak. We were in district meeting and I just was dying! M whole body was crashing down I felt so weak. So when we got home, which was about 30minutes later cause the jeepney ride takes forever, I ate some grub and went straight to my bed. I was later woken up to Sister Baylon, a sister who lives with Sister Quijada and I, rubbing my neck. I had rashes covering my arms, torso, and legs and was burning up! I had to stay in bed all day Tuesday because of it. The next day we went to Tacloban to go to the doctor  to see what the heck was going on, and they said the words I never wanted to hear.... Dengue Fever! It's a sickness from mosquitos and I guess I was in the last part of it with the rashes. Go look it up! Apparently I had it easy and my case wasn't nearly as bad as it could get. Plus, I am no where remotely near a Dengue area. I am the first ever in Tacloban Zone to ever get Dengue. Super weird! So we had to spend the week in Tacloban so we could be near the hospital. They had to monitor my blood every morning and every evening. So my fingers are dead! They have so many holes in them needles and taking blood! These needles were safe though! SO don't worry!

We finally were able to come home to Tanauan on Saturday night! We missed everybody so much!! We got off the jeep and saw little Shera Mei and she was the best thing I could have asked for! She said, "I miss you! Where you been?" So then we told her and she just gave me a big squeeze!  "Oh, Sister Bray. Diri maupay! You need to rest ngan tubig! Yana!" And I just started laughing! Cause that is all anyone had told me to do all week, and now a 14 year old was telling me the same thing! Hahah, But all is well now! I am finally able to get back to work and do something!

Because we were in Tacloban all this week, I was able to get my mail!! I was so happy! I could not wait another week to get everything! I wanted to hear from everyone now! I still have to wait until July-ish for packages though. But Still I was super happy!

Well, like I said, this week was really super boring, but I did get McDonald's twice! And it was freaking delicious!! :) I missed McDo so much!!! Well, I love you all so much and I am so grateful for all of you and for your constant prayers! They have really meant a lot this week! And I am so grateful for your emails and letters and your constant encouragement! Y'all are awesome!! I'll tell you all more next week!!!! 

LOVE YOU, SISTER BRAY!