Week 10 (June 17, 2013 Warden, WA)

Dearest Mother,

First, I love you and miss you.

Second, I haven't had a period since the first week of the MTC and I don't know what to think about that but it is kinda scary. I also have a hard time going to the bathroom if you know what I mean. I am not trying to be silly I promise. It is just kinda worrying me. I feel bloated a lot and I don't know if it's because I am actually gaining weight or what but I it's weird mom it's just weird.

Third, I am almost out of those acne pills and I am not sure what they are called but I can check next time and let you know.

Fourth, I am getting transferred!!! I will put it in the mass email but I just thought I would tell you first! I am going to Ephrata! That is so weird that I am already leaving Warden! I don't want to leave really but I will explain in the email. 

Questions:

Besides rent, what is your living allowance each month and do you have enough to eat and get by with?  Usually each person gets about $170 dollars a month but since I am a visa waiter and they don't know when I am leaving, I get about $80 for a two week time period. And they just put that money on Sis. Earl's card since I don't have one. We use that money to pay fast offerings and we can even buy personal supplies with it. We just can't just can't use it to buy clothes and that type of stuff. Like I needed face wash and so I was able to use the money that we get each month :) And oh yes we get enough to eat haha. TOO much to eat I think. That is why I tell you I am gaining weight darn it! Or at least I think I am, not sure yet haha. But did that answer your question? Not sure if I made sense or not sorry. 

You have your debit card, right?  I found one in your room, but am thinking it's your old one. Ya I have my card with me :) It must be an old one like you said. 

When you have a baptism, do you just choose the elders in you area to do the baptizing? No actually the investigator gets to choose. If they have a preference then they get to choose otherwise we just usually ask someone like the Elders or the bishop or something. But since there are no Elders in Warden, probably someone else in the ward if the investigator doesn't have a preference. Good question ;) 

Will you for sure be moved to the Kennewick mission regardless of where you are in the Spokane Mission?  Meaning, are the redividing the area or just giving the Kennewick mission extra missionaries? Well we found out last night that I am being transferred to Ephrata which is part of Ephrata stake and is NOW in the Kennewick Mission. It changes from Spokane to Kennewick on July 1 so I guess it has not happened yet. It is just a boundary change. Wenatchee, Ephrata, Moses Lake, and Othello stakes have been affected by this and Warden was in the Othello stake so that got changed as well. 

Dear Family and Friends,

 This email might be short because of lack of time but I will try to get everything in that I can!
My first piece of news is that I am being transferred to Ephrata tomorrow! I can't believe it. I will now be a part of the Kennewick Mission. I felt peace when I heard the news but the news was still hard. I didn't think i was going to leave Warden because I wasn't even here for an entire transfer but when we got the call last night I was told I was leaving so I I guess I am leaving ha! I must say that I shed a few tears because of the news. The Lord has helped us find so many people who are prepared and they are so close to baptism and now I am leaving. I was quite sad when I thought about that and thought about all these people I have become so close to and that they WILL get baptized and I might not get to see that happen. That is what made me sad. But I find comfort in knowing that it doesn't matter if I am there or not, it just matters that they are baptized and are baptized for the right reasons. I just hope it will happen with them! Hna. Earl is staying in Warden again!! She has been here since the MTC and that is 9 months now! She was so funny when she found out, she just flipped out pretty much and said she was going to die because she needs a change. She even prayed specifically to be transferred hahaha. That is probably why she is staying! This means I will be trained by a second trainer. I know that this is Heavenly Father's will for me. It will be so hard to leave some of these amazing people but I know is is His will. Once I get comfortable in a place with certain people it is hard for me leave that place and those people. Change is hard for me. And Heavenly Father knows that. And so I know that this change, no matter how hard, is going to be the best thing for me right now. Heavenly Father is helping me grow and learn through this experience and many others as well! So that is that :)

This week has been another busy one full of excitement and adventure and sweet experiences. The first one has to do with one of our awesome investigators named David Olivar Cruz. He is wonderful and our lessons with him go so well because he actually understands! ha. His date for baptism is July 20. I was mostly thinking of him when I found out about the transfer and that is what made me the most sad but as long as he gets baptized I am happy :) So anyway, we were teaching him a lesson and when we were bearing testimony at the end I told him that I was on a mission because I want people to know about the Gospel and how happy we can be because of the Gospel in our lives. I told him that I am happy because of it in my like and then I said "I am here because I know that these things are true." And then He just looked at me and Hna. Earl and said in the most sincere and sweet voice, "You know that this is true? I know that this is true too." Oh my goodness how wonderful that moment was. I was not even expecting him to say that or anything like that but when he did, my heart was filled with the spirit and the feeling I received was so beautiful and real and could have only come from the spirit. I told David that I had felt the spirit when he said that and I asked him if he felt it too. He said yes. That experience was beautiful and I felt the Savior's love so powerfully with David. He wants us to come everyday and teach him and is very excited to learn more :)

Marcelino did not come to church on Sunday because of his work and so he is not on date anymore :( Investigators have to come to church three times before they can be baptized and his date was June 22 and he has only come to church twice. That is the very hard thing about living in Warden. All of these people that we teach work in the fields and so they always have to work on Sunday and they can't come to church! It is so hard but we are praying for a miracle in that respect and hope that everything will work out with Marcelino as well.

I know that this email didn't talk about much but I hope it was okay nevertheless. I keep wanting to tell you about things that I learn in the scriptures but I never have time darn it. I need to be faster at this stuff.

We have seen many miracles here I am learning and growing each day. I am so thankful to have prayer and to be able to speak with Heavenly Father. I don't know how I would ever do this without Him and without prayer. I love Him and I know that he is here. Thank you all so much for everything! Love you all so much!

Love, Hermana Syphus 

Here is the new mission home address effective July 1:

8202 West Quinault Suite D

Kennewick, WA 99336