Sister Mashayla Young: Baha... Means flood in Hiligaynon

So, my week has been a crazy series of events!!!

last monday my companion and I got pedicures for like 1.50 in american monies. It was great because she got my ingrown toenail out(: hahah It feels much better now. And the people that worked in the salon were so amazed that I could speak their language and they all wanted my eyelashes, thanks, mom. (: then one of the guys asked my companion if he could fix her eyebrows... and then he fixed mine too, and i guess they really needed to be fixed because he had to get his shears out and TRIM my EYEBROWS... it was so embarrassing. but they all thought it was funny... haha ugh!

On tuesday we had exchanges. I went with Sister Hogge to her area and we had a blast!!! She is such a great missionary. She is originally from Tacloban Mission, and We think that she is going back today cause she is transferring. I am so sad, she is such a great friend, and I love her. But while we were teaching this one family they have this little baby dog... and it was so cold and its mom wouldn't let it snuggle with her so it found my feet and snuggled up against them. I prayed through that whole lesson for that dog... i'm so silly someitmes. haha. but it really needed my prayers.

So, we got the Liahona, philippines edition and guess who is in it?!? Yep, I am! haha actually... just barely. I think you might be able to find me... i'm in the pictures of the missionaries at the coming of elder andersen in the far left hand side, i did a little happy dance. and put it in my journal(:

Yesterday, I have a new calling in the church... I'm the ward PIANIST... um..... yeah, basically I stink, but heavenly father has really blessed me with talent. at first trying to read the notes was so hard and I used to eb a fluent note reader,.... but i have been getting better. its not scary anymore either!

Did you know that "baha" means flood in Hiligaynon? Well... I found that out early saturday morning, about 3am.

Friday night we had a fun night of getting coconuts and getting drenched in the rain cause we forgot our umbrellas... and then all of our investigators told us there was going to be another typhoon. no biggie though...

we went home and I left the phone down stairs on my desk and I fell asleep on my bed which happens to just be three foam things on the ground, and my companion usually brings it up when she comes up.

I remember that night it was raining so hard and I had a bad dream that our house got flooded. So I was just awake in my bed just listening to the rain when I felt a prompting to check the phone. I thought, why would I do that? But I reached my hand over to the floor next to her bed to get it and my hand went right into water.


re-inactment of waking up at 3:00 am

All i could hear was the water coming down so hard and in my mind I kept thinking about "I'm on the top floor and my room is flooded and I can't find the phone... its down stairs and its flooded... waht do I do?" and then the words of Cc.."I bet you were wondering how much water it would take to hurt you..." she told me that after the big yolanda.... I was sitting up on my bed, and finally had to look out side, so I grabbed my wet glasses and looked out the window across the room walking through water... it was no power out side all I could see was glistening as if it was almost at the second story window.. the water level.

I walked over to the light switch and turned it on... no light. finally I had to wake my companion up. When she sat up she started crying. she is so afraid of water and teh ocean and everything.

I didn't know what to do... the phone was down stairs... my bed was getting soaked... I had to look down stairs.. but I was so scared... if the second floor was flooding.. everything down stairs is ruined. I opened the door and I couldn't tell cause it was so dark. I dipped my foot down the second step and no water! thank goodness!!!! I ran down stairs and found the phone and grabbed our wash basin and ran up the stairs...

The balcony drain was not working and that was what was causing the 4 inches of water all over the second floor. we got most of the water out of the balcony so it would stop coming into our house and then We sat on her bed and I told her everything was going to be okay... I didn't really know what to do so I texted Elder Anderson, a couple missionary that is like a grandpa to me. they called right away.

He told me to plunge the drain and to get the water out of the house really fast. So for the next hour and a half we worked to get the water out.. the power finally came on... my poor companion stopped crying.. They called again and I told them the situation that we were okay now.

We prayed before we went back to bed and went to sleep with the light on because she was so scared..

WHen we woke up at 6:30 outside was so flooded... We had to walk in it to buy phone load so we could call and text people to tell them we were okay.

I couldn't help to think about being prepared. When I had heeded the prompting to look for the phone and then realized what was happening I got scared. I thought. I'm not ready to die... I wont make it to the celestial kingdom. I am not clean... I can't die.. what about my family... what about my investigators... what about me?

It was so scary, I'm glad that I had to experience that... becasuse it has made me really start preparing myself better.

I think we can all learn from this experience... a lot of the people here have been asking us how they can prepare themselves.... and it is a simple answer

read

pray

repent

repeat.

Are you willing to do that?

you are the only one that can prepare yourself.

I love you all,

Love, your sister missionary,

Sister Young