Week 79: Tuesday December 9, 2014

Dear Family,

   I am happy to say that I am alive and well! As I'm sure you can imagine, it's been a pretty crazy week. What made it even more hectic and difficult is that this week was transfer week! We received transfer calls and Monday and the missionaries were set to transfer to their new areas on Thursday. By Monday morning, of course there was already talk of the storm that was heading our way, but it was still pretty far out and transfers were set to continue on Thursday.

   As zone leaders in our area, we had the responsibility of arranging everyone's travel plans and driving the missionaries that were transferring both in and out, to and from the barge in San Carlos which is about and hour and a half away. As Wednesday afternoon rolled around, we were all wondering if transfers were going to be postponed due to the storm. We received instruction to go ahead and do all that we could to get the missionaries to their new areas as soon as possible. Early Wednesday morning at approximately 4:00 am, we set out for San Carlos hoping to catch the 7:00 am boat going across to Cebu. We pulled up at around 6:00 am only to find out that there were no boats going across despite the clear weather. At a loss, we headed to the apartment of the Senior couple living not too far from the dock. Our spirits were somewhat lifted as they made us pancakes, and even more so when we received a call that there was a smaller boat making a special trip across. We dropped our pancakes (hardest decision I made that day) and made it in time to get them on the boat to Cebu.

   To make a long story a little shorter, we spent the next 2 days traveling to and from San Carlos running errands, picking up missionaries, and taking them to their areas. We made that trip a total of 5 times (back and forth) in 48 hours. Needless to say, it was borderline exhausting.

   But that was only the first few days of the week!

   As the storm approached us, we received instruction that we were to stay in our apartments. Since our apartment is not dangerously close to the ocean, we moved a few of the Elders to our apartment for a few days. The next few days were not filled with much - cards, games, talk, and sleep. In all honesty, it was nice to have a few days to rest. As for the storm itself, it was nothing to say your final prayers over. The wind was strong, the rain not so much, but it made for a nice cool breeze coming in through the window. It was actually very comparable to the storm that we experienced last year. Now that it is all said and done, everyone is safe and the work can continue!

   We are actually headed to Cebu for the next few days for our meetings. I'm so excited! After that, we will be heading to Dumagete on Sunday for our Christmas conference. I'm excited for that as well, but not so excited about the 6 hour bus ride. travel. travel. travel.  It's tiring, but it's fun. It's been an exciting and memorable week. Thanks for the prayers and letters! I love you!

Elder Staheli.