Complete and Utter Shock

Dear Readers,

 

Transfer announcements is an intense time for a missionary. At transfer announcements you find out if your companion will change or if you will move to a new area. Both dramatically effect your life. In my mission we get transfer announcements on Wednesday morning, which means we have less then a 24 hour warning because the changes happen on early Thursday morning.

So this last Wednesday morning my entire zone gathered together in Tarlac. When it was time for the Zone leaders to make the announcement they had us all sit in a big circle, next to our companion. Then they had us stand up, a companionship at a time and they announced what our fate would be. When it was our turn, me and Sister Calinisan stood up. They announced that Sister Calinisan would be transferring to a new area. We were expecting that so it wasn't a big surprise. What was a big surprise though, was what they announced for me.

"Sister Curtis, you will be training." WHAT!!!!!!!! I took a couple steps back as if I had just been hit. (I felt like I had been) And then I quickly had to sit down, or maybe I would have fainted or something. My eyes began to water and a couple of tears leaked out. There was a testimony meeting afterwards, but I wasn't concentrating much on it. My head was busy spinning.

You may be wondering why I freaked out so much about training. Well to remind you, I just finished being trained myself. I was looking forward to having a much needed follow-up trainer, but instead I am a trainer myself. Another reason is because I still can't speak Tagalog very well! How am I supposed to be an example of how to teach a lesson if I can't even do it very well myself. I feel pretty inadequate and for sure cried harder that night than I have for anything else on my whole mission.

Even though I feel the enormous weight that comes from being a trainer, I have also felt a huge comfort from our Father in Heaven. I am humbled that He trusts me enough to make me a trainer already. I've been a trainer for 5 days now. Let me tell you a little about it.

My wonderful new companion is Sister Ocampo. She is from here in the Philippines so her Tagalog is perfect and I am happy about that. She is actually half Chinese though, so that is pretty neat. She used to be the worship leader at her Born Again church, but she was baptized just two years ago as a Latter-Day Saint. She is amazing and I absolutely love her.

This is how we are successfully able to teach lessons: Companion study is a crucial part of our day. We will look at the lessons we are teaching for the day and prepare for them. Even though I don't know the language perfectly, I know what a lesson should be like. We will study a particular principle, then I will demonstrate teaching (I'm actually surprised at how much I can do in Tagalog) What I can't do in Tagalog I explain in English so that she still knows everything she needs. Then she will have a turn to practice teaching. She does so good!

She has the knowledge about the language, and I have the knowledge about how to be a missionary. We make a good team. Each day we are both getting better and better at what we lack. It's exciting.

Love you all. Pray for me please. I'm praying for you.

Mahal ko kayo!

Sister Abish "Trainer" Curtis

 

Pictures:

1-Me and my anak

2-This is the house I live in. It is split into two apartments and there are four of us missionaries who live on the left half. It is great.