It's P-day #3!!!  We always get excited on Wednesday nights because we know the next day is Sister Warner's P-day and we get an email from her!!!   Here is today's email:

Kamusta Kamo?!?!

First off, the suitcase! So the bookstore has one that is 27" and I haven't been to the Repair Shop yet...Sister Grigg and I will try to go there soon. I just have to completely unpack the first one and figure out where the Repair Shed is. I'll keep you posted...but maybe have an idea of one you could get me if necessary.

JUST SO YOU ARE ALL AWARE, JAYME'S WHEEL BROKE ON ONE OF HER SUITCASES LITERALLY WHEN WE WERE WHEELING IT TO THE CAR ON OUR WAY TO THE MTC!!!!  

Okay to the good stuff!!! This week has been crazy awesome!!! Thank you so much for the packages!!! And you, too Grammy Suzanne and Papa Woody!!! I needed that lotion and chapstick so bad :) and healthy snacks! But in my district, out of the International Missionaries, only Elder Ellis had ever celebrated Halloween before - and that was only one time when he was 7!! The others had never celebrated Halloween!!! It was so epic and everyone was so happy :D the picture I've included is from our little party we had funded by the packages you all sent!!! 

OH MY GOSH!!! ELDER NUGARA AND ELDER POLE'O CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT THE LETTERS THEY GOT FROM YOU! Especially Elder Pole'o. He was so happy!!! Every time I see him now he asks how you are and tells me he's writing you back and he talks about Miesha and the kitties and yeah. Totally made his MTC experience. He is just so happy!!!! When he writes you back you will have his exact address. Mom and Dad, if you want/have time, please write the Kiribati sisters in my district! Sister Rimai and Sister Tune - I was telling them about how you've been saying you want to serve a mission there for like 10 years now and they were so excited! They don't get a lot of mail and they both miss home a lot and they love to talk about their culture and home and all. They could tell you want it's like :D oh and was that where the Other Side of Heaven took place?

Oh how is my baby precious puppy?!? Is she okay??? And how is Lois? Happy now that she can go in my room? That naughty little beast...and how is Sugar?!?! FOR KATIE: Don't forget to give the doggies their medicine for November!!! How is everyone?!?! Great Aunt Joanne is so sweet and she writes me, too. And I get lots of letters from everyone and it's super happy! It makes me happy.

Umm....oh the Cinnamon Burst Bread was a HUGE hit!!! If you ever want to send anything, that would be a good choice :D I'm still enjoying the yummy treats from everyone :D Chocolates and delicious fruit mixes from, you, Grammy Suzanne and Papa Woody and my Survival kit from you, the Warners :D it's so great :D

So...it's been a pretty average week...we have two "investigators" that we teach just about every day and I love learning about the culture. Taylor, you would like it. They're much more open about bodily functions than we are in the U.S. ;) - don't put that last sentence on the blog. I can't wait to get there! We study a lot here...I just need to immerse my self. BUT I'M LOSING MY SPANISH!!!! It took me like 10 mins the other day just to remember how to start a prayer in Spanish! I was so sad...but that's okay cuz Camilla will just translate for me after we both get home :) Speaking of Camilla...HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?! Gosh I'm like over the moon!!!

Oh and as for money uses lately: I got a nasty cold/sinus infection, so I had a doctors visit, medication, and a prescription to pay for :( sorry!!!!

And just so you know how behind the DearElder letters are if you don't have the right unit number: Yesterday I got the one you wrote on October 17th!!! So it's over 10 days behind if the unit number is wrong. Unit #215, NOV18.

I miss and love you all <3

- Sister Warner -

We got a second quick email that said:    

Just two more things I forgot to mention earlier:

1) There's a new verse to "As Sister's in Zion" written just for Sister Missionaries. We sing it every Sunday! I'm trying to write it down so I can share :)

2)Share this with the family, but you know how in Despicable Me the minions always say funny stuff? I swear they speak Cebuano! Baboy means pig and they say it all the time! Not that we watch Despicable Me here, but we quote it a lot now :D

3)  Please sit down and watch (1) Hairspray (2) Oh Brother Where Art Though and (3) Sound of Music.  I swear the songs from those movies are sun and lines quoted every 5 minutes!!!  

4)Go watch Elder Holland's Testimony of the Book of Mormon! SO powerful!!!!

Alright. Love ya!

-Sister Warner-

                                          Elder Nielson, Elder Pole'o and Elder Nugara

 
                                 Sister Warner is learning to take photographs:  Elders at the MTC

We received two short letters from Jayme today; first, she said that her address HAS changed (again)!!!  Here it is:

Sister Jayme Warner

NOV18 PHI-CEBE

2011 North 900 East, Unit 215

Provo, UT  84602

The first letter said:

Kamusta Pamilya,

I got my CTR Ring (finally after 12 weeks!) and everything else - thank you.  Thank everyone for the cards, letters and emails.  Sister Grigg and I decided to write a bunch of letters on P-day and then mail them throughout the week; that way you hear from me more often.  

I sang in the choir when Elder Oaks spoke at an MTC devotional.  The devotional was broadcast to all of the MTC's around the world and guess what?  I was on the screen!!  Did Elder Dart see me?  It was way cool and a neat experience!  I love you all.

Amping!  Ayo-Ayo!

Sister Warner

The second letter had a drawing of Jayme and her companion - we will try to scan it in!  She said:

I love the MTC.  The artwork here is beautiful; have you ever heard of Joseph Brickley?  He has done most of the artwork here and it is amazing.  I love looking at it.  In fact, if you look at his artwork, we could be looking at the same thing at the same time!!!  Super Cool!.

She attached another picture and said:  Elder Jacobs and Elder Lasalosi enjoying our clock. It's dead, so we put it at 11:11. We can always make a wish! Our room is SOOOO ghetto! half of the lights flicker, the air is freezing cold, the clock is dead, half the time the sound doesn't work, but you know what? I love that room because of the people in it and the feeling that resides there.  I love you!  Sister Warner

Sister Warner at the MTC

Kamusta Pamilya!!!

I'm emailing for 30 mins now while my clothes are being washed and dried and then I'll try to email for 30 minutes later right before we go to the temple. 

Alright so first off, Brother Bahan, our "investigator" is now Brother Wilkes and is one of our teachers! It's been super great and I love his style. It turns out that we're Brother McBride's and Brother Wilkes's first district! They're so excited to be teaching us. Anyways, he said something the other day that really struck me, it's super cool! He said: "The Philippines are the Mexico of Asia." So funny cuz it's so true! The language is very much a mix of islandish, Spanish, Italian, German, and we have some tones, too. But yeah, I love it!

Also, the Hiligaynon district left on Monday - all but their solo Elder - Elder Young, who has been reassigned to Richmond, Virginia, English Speaking due to back problems. I was sad to see them go...but they took with them the Sister Training Leaders (Sister Viliami and Sister Ribelin). Sister Training Leaders are basically the Sister version of Zone Leaders. Well, I'll skip the long and only slightly interesting story to get right to the good stuff: Sister Grigg and I are the new Sister Training Leaders!!!!

It's been a crazy week because of that. One sister had to go home and we welcomed in a now Hiligaynon district! You'll never guess who's part of it...so I'll just tell you! It's Christina Jenkins, now Sister Jenkins, from Edith Bowen! She's going to the Ilo-Ilo mission! Sooo cool to see her again.

So yeah Sister Grigg and I with Elder Black and Elder Reupena (the Zone Leaders) went over and welcomed in the new district. It was way fun and super cool!!! I bought some candy at the book store to welcome in the new sisters, just like what my Sister Training Leaders did for me. 

And I got a cold, so I bought some medication and some orange TicTacs because that was a necessary item at the time...no, it wasn't, so I'm sorry, but I really wanted some! On the plus side, I feel about a million times better today, so obviously the medication is working. 

Also...I'm running out of notebook room already! Just a heads up, I'll probably buy a journal for devotionals and scripture study and stuff like that, and at least one more notebook for class. They fill up so fast....

Ummm...Oh it's Elder Pole'o and Elder Nugara (new-gara - no 't' in there) and they would love letters!!!! Especially Elder Pole'o!

I'll try to email more later!!!  I love you all!!!!

Sister Warner

                                            The drawing was done by Elder Lasalosi:

                               
                                  The name badges of everyone in Sister Warner's District.

                                                Sister Warner and her MTC District

                         Sister Grigg and Sister Warner:  companions and Sister Training Leaders

                Sister Warner and Sister Viliami (who was one of the Sister Training Leaders)

          The sisters in Sister Warner's district (along with a couple of other sister missionaries!)

We got a two pictures from Jayme today - she looks SO SO SO happy!  In this picture, she is with her Branch President and his wife.  They had been walking in the rain and she is a little wet.  This is nothing compared to what it will be like in the Philippines!

The other picture is of her District.  Left to right starting with the back row: Elder Lasalosi from Australia, Elder Archibald from Canada, Elder Ellis (our District Leader) from New Zealand, Elder Jacobs from California (Cousin Lori taught him seminary his freshman year of high school) then my kauban Sister Grigg! She's so awesome!  Front row: Sister Rimai from Kirabati (they say Kiripas), Sister Hamson from Salt Lake (she went to USU and she's going back after the mish!), Sister Riggs who's from Highland and actually goes to SUU, then Sister Tune from Kirabati, and finally, of course, yours truly! I love my district so much. They are awesomely epic! My zone is super cool, too :) 

Here is our first letter from Jayme - it came in the mail today!  Katie got it and was so excited!

Kamusta!

First off, please change my unit # on all my MTC addresses (blog, Facebook, email, etc.)  It is now 208.

Alright, so you know how I was 30 minutes late?  Well, I didn't have a host missionary or anything.  So I just left my luggage in the hallway.  I need a new suitcase maybe!  Find the warranty just in case because the stupid, brand-new suitcase won't roll at all!  I left a trail of black pieces from the wheel everywhere I went!  So I am going to see if someone here can replace the broken wheel; if not, I will need a new one.  

Did my CTR ring come?  Man, this language is hard!  Much harder and more guttural than I thought! Lots of the "kch" thing like the Germans do - it's weird!  Thank you for the "MTC Survival Kit"; I will enjoy it with my District.  Speaking of my District, they are awesome!  There are 10 of us - we have one Elder from Australia and one from New Zealand and two sisters from ????    ............   Tarawa, Kirabati!  Mom and Dad, you may want to rethink a mission there - that language is CRAZY!   If aliens in movies spoke a word-based language, it would be that one! 

My Zone is crazy!  Tons of New Zealanders, Australians, some Tongans and Samoans, a sister from the Marshall Islands, and Elder from Micronesia and an Elder from Sri Lanka, who is super funny!  It's definitely diverse!  Taylor, I met two girls from China going to Temple Square - they were new to the U.S. and didn't speak any English so they had a translator and I got to listen to a lot of Chinese!  

My companion is Sister Grigg - she is awesome!  Not only does she play the violin and sing, but she's also a pescatarian, she runs, she is super spiritual and very prepared!  It's great!  She has this thing called heel spurs so yesterday (10/9) we went to the student health center and today (10/10) we are taking a shuttle down to see a podiatrist.... which is where we are now.  We might have to go to another place, we will see.  But guess what?  Our shuttle driver just got back from San Pablo, Philippines and we got to talk to him for a bit - yeah, I am so excited! He said all the fresh fruit is the best in Cebu.

Honestly, I thought I would be a little depressed and I was for a tiny second when I was about to reach for my phone and text mom what time I would be done last night, then I realized that it was real and I am NOT going home.  But I don't think it's FULLY hit yet.  Obviously, I am not in the field yet and the MTC is just plain fun!

Here is my District:  there is Sister Grigg and I (the only companionship where both are from the U.S.; she is from Springville).  Sister Grigg and I are the only ones going to the Cebu East mission; everyone else is going to Cebu.  Then there is Sister Rigg from South Jordan and her companion is Sister Tune [Too-nay] from Kirabati.  Sister Humson is from Salt Lake and goes to USU!  Her companiion is Sister Rembai who is also from Kirabati.  Then there is Elder Jacobs from Southern California; I think cousin Lori was his seminary teacher and his companion is Elder Lasi-Losa (it means Lazerus) from Australia - both are great!  There is also Elder Archibald from Canada and his companion is Elder Ellis, the Kiwi (New Zealand).  That's my District!  

So my whole District loves to sing!  Today during personal study we sang the "Sisters in Zion/Army of Helaman" medley!  It was so, so cool!  We've decided that we're all singing in the MTC choir.  Also, we've decided that during our second personal study, we would share what we learned in our first personal study.  It was so spiritual; everyone shared really cool stuff.  I feel so under-prepared!  I wish I knew more!   These experiences are awesome, but I wish I had more to share!

Oh mom, we forgot to pack my towel in the MTC suitcase.  I just pulled one out of the Philippines suitcase and I am using one of those, so don't send me one!  I will be fine!  

We are still at the podiatrist and Sister Grigg has these little sockie things that she has to wear on her feet.  She has a tight Achilles tendon and it caused the bone spurs.  Hopefully it will work out soon!

Alright:  so the best way to describe the MTC right now is "organized chaos"!  We'll see how it goes after Sunday!  On Sunday evening, my District will be singing in the choir and I am so excited!  Please tell Camilla that one of my name tags is magnetic and is super cool!  They give you two - where do I order one that has my mission on it like dad's?

Tonight was awesome; everyone got up and talked about themselves and bore testimonies at our first Zone meeting with our Branch Presidency.  It was so neat!  Many serving are first generation members who gave up some sort of amazing opportunity to put the Lord first.  Even just within my own District.  Our District Leader, Elder Ellis (the Kiwi) was playing for a pro-basketball team in New Zealand; Elder Archibald (Canadian) gave up baseball after placing 2nd in a Canadian competition.  Elder Lasi-Losa was performing in Australia's version of "off Broadway" in a production of Hairspray.  It's crazy, really!

Okay, gotta go!  I have an appointment with the Lord in 7 minutes.  Just know that I am having the time of my life!  The language is hard, the Lord is good.  I love my companion and my District and my Zone!  Love you guys!  Sort of miss you, but I don't have time to think about it!  No, just kidding! - I do love and miss you!

Love,

Sister Warner

 

We received our first letter from Jayme (aka:  Sister Warner!)  We will post it, after we retype it.  
PLEASE NOTE:  Her Unit # is now 208.  If you write her, please use that unit number.

Thanks!

It was a wonderful day!  We picked up Camilla along the way, ran back to the house to get forgotten things, and then stopped to see SueAnn.  Then it was off to the U to say goodbye to Frank!  The last stop was to pull Neal out of a meeting to say goodbye.

The goodbye at the MTC was quick and a whirlwind!  We went through security gates and then a man was helping take Jayme's suitcases before we could get them out of the trunk!  Jayme gave quick hugs and was then walking away - we stood there for a few seconds trying to digest the fact that she is now off and running!  To celebrate, we went to In-N-Out and had cheeseburgers in her honor!

Last night was a beautiful experience as I was set apart as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Thank you to President Teeters and his wife, President Madrid, Bishop James and Joan, Troy and Colton, along with my family for making this such a special experience.  I felt a strong sense of peace when I was set apart by President Acevedo.

I received my address for the MTC.  

MTC Address

(October 9, 2013 - November 20, 2013)

Sister Jayme Warner

NOV20 PHI-CEBE

2011 N 900 E Unit 215

Provo, UT     84602

Just a few days left to buy last minute things and pack!  Yikes!!!