#SurvivorRewardChallenge

Hi team!

So what a week, as usual! I don’t know if I ever mentioned this, but
in the week leading up to transfers I’m always a stress case. Not
because I’m worried because transfers always work out for the best,
but because I JUST CAN’T HANDLE THE SUSPENSE! Just found out like,
right now, and I’m getting my first islander!! I’m literally over the
moon. We were batch in the MTC but I didn't know her that well, but I
hear shes wicked so its gonna be good. I need an islander to keep it
loud while we wait for our other sister and her new baby to come home
on the weekend.

So just yesterday we watched the Women's Conference broadcast, and
being the goober I am I just cried like a baby the whole thing.
Nothing like listening to an hour and a half about the temple to make
me just miss it so much. And those little Korean kids singing would do
it to anybody. I just loved it. I am so obscenely excited for
conference this weekend, and blessing that I'm serving in an area
where they do the right thing and play it in Tagalog for everyone. I
am ready for a feast.

So my favourite thing that ever happened ever happened this week. So
were in Cagayan, home of Survivor, and one of the AP's was showing me
his camera the other day from when they were filming and it was in his
area! He has pictures of all the cast and crew and all of it. Then
Sister Lainhart's zone WENT there last week for a zone activity and
all got Survivor shirts.  I'm so close but so far. BUT THEN. The best
thing happened. So we were on split exchanges this week - its the new
rage here, me and my comp split and go with a different companionship
each instead of regular exchange - so I was staying with these two
other sisters. For some reason at lunch time they change into
lava-lavas, just to make it all the more islandy. Then Sister Vaka
comes out of the bedroom and accidentally locks the door behind her.
The study tables are in there and its almost time to study so time is
already against us. She left the keys on the desk inside the room.
LUCKILY there is a big hole in the wall above the door, and we found
some sticks for decoration in the corner, and it was just out of
reach, so just like a Survivor challenge we tied all the sticks
together with rope and managed to loop the keys onto the end and got
in just in time to start studies exactly at 1pm! SO HAPPY! Best ever.

We were teaching an investigator and her little son was playing with
our shoes that we left outside. Now, most people here don't use
nappies for their kids, or anything. They just put shorts on their
kids and when the kid pees they just change the shorts and wipe it up.
So the kid peed directly into my shoes. Now this isn't the first time
this has happened, but the mum just picked them up & shook them out a
little bit and then expected me to just put them back on. I didn't
want to offend her. But the plus side is, I hate wearing shoes in
lessons and people always try to get me to keep them on, so all day I
had an excuse. When they tried to tell me I just said a kid peed in
them earlier and they felt that was an acceptable excuse. Great times.
I also had an unfortunate event where I was on exchanges for two and a
half days without going home, and in my haste to leave at 5.30am I
didn't notice I'd put on two different ones. So thats about a good
indicator of where my head was at this week haha.

This transfer had been one of the hardest for me work wise, I feel
like were doing our best in teaching but were just struggling with our
investigators. Part of the problem is we haven't had a week were we've
had nearly enough teaching time because we've had a lot going on, and
we've also got a lot of hard people who we don't want to give up on,
like husbands of members, parents of members, etc. So this transfer
we're gonna have to push it like nothing else to get this area moving
again. In the ultimate blessing though we've had a rediculous amount
of success with our RC's who had fallen away and helping them to get
back. Progress is progress whether or not it shows in the numbers.

So my sweet little comp is leaving, so here are some of my favourite
memories from this transfer from our dear sister.
- A few transfers ago a recent convert family allowed her to name
their baby because they wanted a Book of Mormon name. She chose
Sherrizzah. As in, the tower of Sherrizzah from Moroni 9 where
everyone went crazy and ate their children and families. The family
thought it was super cute, all the other sisters had to change the
topic when they asked what the story was. At the time they were only
up to Alma, but the latest news is they just finished the Book of
Mormon, and the baby now goes by another name.
- It was avocado season so we went crazy and had guocamole every day!
The Philippino sister loved it and it became their new favourite food,
except they couldn't say it. Every time they would ask for it some new
word would come out and we would laugh and laugh. They finally know it
now but they have to say mochamolia before they remember what the real
word is.

Love you all, cheers to another great transfer in this beautiful country!
Sister McKim

Survivor challenge!
So this cool thing happened! We were teaching an RC and he pulled out
a Book of Mormon that he had from way before he was investigator, the
first one he ever had. Checked to see the name and IT WAS MY NAME! We
had given it away to their neighbour on exchanges in March and somehow
it ended up in his house. Hes baptised now, whaaat!
Elder failing the burger challenge. Has to be done in 5 minutes.
Saw a 9 year old member in our area driving around this motorbike with
all these tiny kids on it. Uhh probs doesn't have a licence, hey ...