We are the Wanderers

Can I just say how much I love the subject line? Yes, it could be the name of a band. And if Sister Sabio and I were to make a band, that would be the name!

I cannot believe that is already August and that the Olympics are going on WITHOUT me...that makes me sad....give me updates....like about the underage and underfed Chinese gymnasts....about Michael Phelps....about all of the drama.....

This week has been a crazy one. Every day we just walked and walked and walked. And in between the walking we asked and asked and asked for directions. I love the Philippines. Can you imagine on your Church Record your address just being: South Jordan. Or actually some of the records the address is Bohol, Philippines. JUST THAT. Haha, so I feel like we are on a man hunt all of the time trying to find those less actives. I am just going to give you some highlights:

1. We were very excited to find a less-active and she seemed pretty friendly and open UNTIL she started to talk about how the members of the Church are good people but that they have friends who have evil spirits so when she came back to church those evil spirits stole her singing voice. Once I think about it, she does resemble Queen Ersula from Little Mermaid. My companion is just so shy and timid that I had to be the one to put an end to it all and of course we left laughing. Don't worry we didn't sing for her so even though she did write down our names she can't accuse us of stealing her singing voice. Interesting.

2. We found yet another less-active. Did I ever mention that there are 600,000 plus members here in the PI but only 100,000 are active? So yes, there are many. Anyway we went to find this less-active family and the dad was very upset with the church and told us that if we ever came back he'd take out his machete. Of course he was mixing in Tagalog so I couldn't understand him but of course I was the one to put an end to it all and we had a good laugh after. Don't be too worried, our mission gave us pepper spray last transfer....

3. There has been a baggiuo or storm here in the PI and I love it!! It has been so cool with drizzling rain. Love it.

Ummm I think that is about all I thought of writing to all of you. Our area here is so huge and I can't believe how far some of the members live. Our branch only has 150 members total so our teaching pool is a lot smaller than my last area but I know there are so many people here waiting and willing to listen and learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. This area is definitely more challenging than Balamban but I love it here so much.

I am so grateful I decided to serve a mission. I have learned more in these (almost) 7 months than I think I learned in 5 years back at home. I love being able to read my scriptures and learn the doctrine of the Savior Jesus Christ. I know this Church is true. It is so obvious! Our lives are so different and so much happier than those around us because we have the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm not sure who reads these emails outside of my family, but if you have any kind of desire, YOU SHOULD GO ON A MISSION!!! Best decision I have made and I'm still in the beginning.

Thank you all for your support and love. Thanks for the time you take to write me. I am so happy to hear that things are going well at home for all of you who are at home....haha...Nate, Josh, Rachel! I love my family and feel so blessed to have you in my life. Now, write me an email, dangit :)

Love
Nicole

(no subject)

Maajong Buntag family!!

Well....I fee like so much has happened in this past week. Wow! So I will try to update you all on the happenings of the exciting life of Sister Trayner! (pronounced here: Seeeester Trayyyyner)

When I got to Cebu City for transfers President Schmutz asked me to come talk to him in his office at the mission home because he wanted to talk to me about my new assignment in Bohol. He told me that we were switching out the elders in Cortes and of course just told me all of the problems of the area...all of them just adding up to that there has been no progression in the Cortes Branch in over 2 years and that the Branch was having some issues. But he reassured me that our apartment was clean and ready for sisters. So I met up with my new companion, Sister Sabio, at transfer meeting.

We arrived in our area Friday night at 11pm (it was a LONG day...I woke up at the 3am that morning to travel to Cebu!). Yes, we took a ferry! It was really fun. Our ZLs have a van so they were able to drive us to our apartment. When we got to the apartment it was basically the opposite of what President had described, haha. So we went to bed and the next morning we woke up and cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more. Then we looked at the Area Book. Yeah, that thing has only been slightly touched. There are hardly any teaching or progress records..and just no updates. So we started to realize...we are starting from step one. One of the elders who was last assigned was able to come and show us around, but of course they drove the ZLs van so it is just a lot different from walking. I tried SO hard to memorize the places, the names, and the members in the different areas.

Long story short....we have asked for directions a BILLION times. I am not even kidding. We even had to ask where our church is. I am sure they were all just thinking, "How is it they don't even know where their own church is?" haha....then we got lost going home and so we had to ask the people "Where do the American missionaries live?" And of course, they all knew and we were able to return home in safely!

We will be moving into a new apartment today due to the fact that our last just isn't safe....don't worry we are fine! But someone did try to break in one of the nights...probably just some drunk. Mom, don't worry...they were NOT successful.....they just forgot to take the bobby pin out of the door handle...haha! These past couple of nights we've been traveling to the city of the other sisters in our district and sleeping there.

We just have so much to do here and it just is a little bit overwhelming! Neither of us know our area, and my companion is more reserved than my last 3 so I am the one who asks questions. It's a great opportunity for me to grow! I feel bad that our investigators and Less-actives have been neglected these past few days due to our other tasks but I know once we get this move over with we will get to work.

My companion is awesome. She is from Ilongopo and is a Tagolog speaker. She will go home this transfer...which means I have a curse of 6 week companions. Haha! She is awesome. She has quite the life story....she was taught by the missionaries for 5 years and was actually going to become a nun! Haha,  very cool, huh! Her name is Sister Sabio. I have so much to learn from her!

BOHOL IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I love it here. It is so clean and the people are so nice! I am so excited to come back here with Mom and Dad (hah, yes I am already planning my return trip) The branch here is small...only about 30 on average go to church each week so there is so much work to be done! But I know we can do it with the Lord's help. President Schmutz did tell me that I will be here for a while which is great. Because it's not a big dirty city :)

I love you a lot and think of you all often. Don't worry about me...the Lord has given me a challenge but I am not alone in this :) Thank you for your prayers! I love you all!
Love
Sister Trayner

Monkeys and Chocolate Hills, oh my!

Well dearest family!! How are you all doing back there in the good ol' USA?

Before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nate and Megan tomorrow.  I hope
that you both have a great birthday tomorrow and that you do something
fun. Love you both.

Also. We got transfer calls this morning. I am transfering to BOHOL!
Supposedly it is the coolest island in our mission...I don't know how
much I believe that because I love it here in Balamban. So yes, I will
be getting a new companion. 4th transfer, 4th companion. Go me! And
from what I've heard Sister Sabio (my new comp) will be going home
next transfer meaning....I think I am cursed? Or that I am only good
enough for 6 weeks and then they all get rid of me? Haha I don't know.

Anyway I am really sad to be leaving Balamban. I love this place! It
is close enough to Cebu City that we can go to the temple every month
but also far away enough that it is a different life style here. I
have learned so much in my first area. I've had 3 great companions who
have all taught me so much. The members here have been so kind and
accepting of me and I just love them. It's hard to imagine the rest of
my mission without them! But of course I am very excited for this next
transfer. It will be a time for me to start again. And at least I
understand Visaya now so it will be a lot easier to adjust...they just
have a different accent. They put j's into the words. Awesome. I am
excited.

Also, I have some other great news. Next month we have a visitor
coming to the mission. DAVID A BEDNAR. Yes, THE David A Bednar. The
Cebu Philippines mission is the best! They've had 3 Apostles here in
the past 10 months. Crazy stuff. I am so excited!!! He will come when
it is the next transfer and he will be with the missionaries for 3
hours. SO EXCITING!!!!

We've had some great sucess here in Balamban including 2 fantastic new
investigators...from Less-Active families. I know they will continue
to learn about the gospel and hopefully I will receive pictures of
them in their baptismal clothes :)

We continue to plug along with those Less Actives. Which you know is
great fun. Haha some are just so hard headed but I do love them. We
had 2 really old ladies just show up at church last week....supposedly
they were baptized way back when (they cant remember which year) in
the ocean but they don't have any records of them being baptized.
Haha, oh the Philippines.

Well I am doing fine here. I have lots of things to do now and to
prepare for...and lots of goodbyes to say...especially to our
investigator Rachel and her kids. I will miss them so much! Please
keep her in your prayers...she is looking for work and we are not sure
what will happen with her "husband".

I love you all so much. Thanks for your emails and letters. I have the
best family and friends HANDS DOWN.

Love
Sister Trayner

6

Hello dearest ones!!!

Another week has come and gone and I can't believe how fast time is going by. My subject is the number 6 because.... I have been out for 6 months officially today!! It has gone by so fast. I have officially been gone for as long as I was for China. (Is my English making sense? I don't know) Crazy how much faster this experience has gone!

We are having a good time here in Balamban and of course we are still working hard! We have met a few more Less-Actives and their families. Last week we were walking down a street after a Less-Active family had told us they were "busy" and this man, John Jay, and his wife, LynnLynn pulled over on their motorcycle and started to talk to us. John Jay has been a member for a long time but of course has been inactive. His wife is a non-member and at first she would hide from the missionaries. Anyway THEY asked US to come teach them. We weren't able to teach them before Sunday but guess what?! John Jay came to church by himself! Simply amazing!! So we taught him and his wife one lesson and she seems to be pretty open. I am very happy to see a Less-Active come back to church without us even visiting him....he didn't even know anyone in the branch!!

This past week I have started to realize how much I have learned on my mission. I can't believe I am almost 1/3 finished. That is just crazy! I am so grateful I chose to serve a mission. I have learned so much about myself, about the gospel, and about the Church. Helping the Less-actives and the Branches here has been a good (yet at times very frustrating) experience for me. I know the Church is true. It is so evident in the lives of the faithful members here. They are so different. They are different because they have the light of Christ. The light of the gospel!

Right now we are here in Cebu City and we went to the temple. It was so fantastic! It's amazing. Here on my mission my mind has just been enlightened. I am learning so much and learning it so fast.I can't even explain it but sometimes it is just overwhelming. 

Our investigators are having some drama. First, our investigator Rachel has split from her less-active "husband" because it came out that he has another girlfriend. It is a sad thing to see... a family being split apart....but now the good news is that after talking with President Schumtz, she can be baptized this month as long as she commits to live the Law of Chasity. We retaught the law of Chastity again yesterday and she told us she had been waiting for us to say something about it after her split with her husband. So we will see. I only want the best for her and her family. She is an amazing lady and has such a strong testimony of the gospel. I love her and her kids so much!

Our other investigator, Cyrus, just needs to practice a little bit more faith. So as missionaries we will help him grow his faith.

I love being a missionary! Our Less-actives are doing so well and the branch is starting to blossom. As the visiting teaching continues....and hopefully the home teaching starts....miracles will happen here in Balamban!!

Thank you for all of your emails and kind words to me. I am the luckiest Sister missionary out in the field right now. HANDS DOWN. Love you all so much! Until next week!

Love

Sister Trayner

pictures

23

People from the Land That I Love!!!!


Hello family!! And Happy Fourth of July from the Philippines! Yes, this morning in companionship study I made my companion (yes she is Filipina) sing God Bless America....it was so beautiful. And of course it was me singing a solo as she is Filipina and does not know our patriotic songs. I love America! It is a land of comfort, and land of yummy food, and land of freedom!

Anyway. My birthday here was GREAT. We went to Toledo for Zone Interviews so I got to spend most of the day with fellow missionaries and my two favorites, President and Sister Schmutz. It was so great. And to make it even better, the APs brought my packages so during our down time I opened my birthday presents with Sister Schmutz. It was great. Thanks for the packages Mom!!
Then after interviews we were in a rush to get to our baptism...and guess who was able to attend? The Schmutzs! (how to pluralize their last name??) It was so great. Everything turned out so fantastically well. President was able to give his testimony and the people in our Branch were SOOOOOOOOO excited to see him. Mission presidents here are like celebrities, fyi. It was so great! Then of course we partied. I love Balamban Branch, they are the best! They had a cake made for me and also they had tons of food and drinks. President and Sister Schmutz also were able to participate! I had the best 23rd birthday.

I am just so happy right now thinking about Brother Wilson. He received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday and I am so so so happy for him and his family. They are just glowing right now and extremely excited to prepare for the temple. The baptism went so well and Brother Wilson's testimony was so wonderful. He is going to make such an impact on the church here in the Philippines!

We are still working hard with those hard-headed Less-Actives which means teaching LOTS of lessons about Sabbath Day and Word of Wisdom. I never really thought as missionary we'd have so much authority while teaching the commandments but we do. As my cute companion says "kasugoan is kasugoan" ="commandment is commandment"

Things are going great here. Sometimes I feel like I've been gone forever and still have forever to go, but I have learned so much. Missionary work is hard work but it is rewarding. I am learning to love it more and more each day.

I have a favor to ask Rachel, Brittney, or Megan...if ever your RS is looking for service opportunities it would be so great if they could make those little folder puzzle things that Mercedes has...with Church pictures and then the  velcro puzzle pieces...do you know what I am talking about? The kids here have nothing to play with and I think it would be so fun to be able to give them to the kids to help them learn about the gospel! So if you are ever looking for a service project think of me here in the Philippines :)

Anyway thank you for your support and love and thanks to all of you who wrote me! I love you all. Next week we will be in Cebu City at the temple :) And the next week...ay, I could transfer :(

Love you all
Sister Trayner