Week 26: the essence of HAPPINESS

OH MY, I AM SOOOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!

Super duper highlights: Received a package from home. LOVE YOU, mom! Nothing like getting a little sumthin sumthin. I may or may not have opened it, in my dire excitement. Oops.... yeah, about that Christmas morning thing... didn´t even cross my mind. 

Also, we had TRANSFERS. Yeah, we were not expecting that. We thought for sure we'd have another transfer together, Hna. Rodriguez and I. So when they called us Wednesday and told us,it took us by surprise. 

¨Hermana Francisco, you have transfers!¨ 

     

............. wait, what? ..................... And... I may or may not have cried when I heard I was leaving. It was weird, to think that I wouldn't be in the area I was ´born´in. AKA my first area. With branch members I know and love love love, with investigators, my district, my companion. Sure, every day wasn't a thriller, but the majority of the time was wonderful. Good-byes tore my heart a little bit, but it´s for the best. I know Heavenly Father knows where He wants me to be, and I trust Him. 

So, we packed up, maybe into the early morning hours, and Friday morning we were off to the transfers. All the companionships that have a transfer or a ´change´, as we call it, meet together in a big ól building. It´s a whole lot of fun, because you see soooo many missionaries you know, companions, friends from districts, zones, etc. My first companion and I bought a teddy bear together, and every transfer we carry ¨Pancho¨with us to switch off with whom he goes. So, teddy bear in arms, we set off in the early morning with the pride of getting all my goods into TWO suitcases! (Our first day together, the suitcases of Hna. Rodriguez both lost their wheels, and I felt like it was my fault, since it had been my brilliant idea to walk with them in the streets inside of taking a taxi. °Cheap° °cough cough° ha ha. So, when I heard I had transfers, I couldn't bear with leaving her with two broken suitcases when it was my brilliant call and the cause of their broken-ness.) So, as a merry Christmas present, we switched suitcases, and so as we left off in the morning, we were with one broken suitcase and another that weighed probably as much as a small person. It was thrilling. And too early for taxis to help us out getting to the bus stop. Teddy bear, dragging a broken suitcase, two backpacks, I was good to go. Usually my prayer is that we get to the bus stop on time to make our bus. This time, my prayer was just get to the bus stop. period. That in itself would be a miracle. and yes, we prayed for a miracle as we left the house. 

So, I was pretty nervous when we got to the transfer meeting.... saw every hermana and thought 'this could be my next companion', 'I'll be having Christmas in her area... who is it? who could it be?¨

when they announce transfers, they put your picture on the projector, and then who your companion is going to be. 

So.... ¨Hermana Francisco, junior companion with... Hermana Lopez.....¨ I looked around to see who she was, not looking at the screen. And then I heard some unusual cheering/confusion/awkward moment. I looked at the screen, confused, too. And what did I see? Popcorn popping.... ha ha just kidding. 

I saw three pictures up there. Mine, and my MTC companion, the nurse, Hermana Tolliver. And a third picture. That´s right, we are in the only trio of the mission. And when we heard it, we started screaming, jumping for joy, and hugging. Nearly crying we are so happy. In our house, there is another companionship. Truly, this is the BEST transfer of the mission. Because Hermana Tolliver is the mission nurse, we spend some time in the mission office, so I get to participate and understand the workings of the office. Can I tell you I have been dreaming of the day I could be in the office for a looooong time?? And now, here we are. I am STOKED about my companionship, STOKED to spend time with Sister Veirs, the wife of our mission president, SUPER STOKED to work in the office, even if it is just one day of the week, and STOKED to live with more missionaries in a super nice house, STOKED for our trio. We´re unique in that regard... most people hear trios and think trouble, we hear trio and we think BLESSING, good times. I wonder if Heavenly Father is regretting this decision to put us in a trio. I am soooo happy with life, Christmas is here. We get to spend it with the mission president, President Veirs, and Sister Veirs. Seriously, everything is perfectly perfect. I feel rejuvenated to start this new year, to finish strong, and continue strong, too.