transfer day means LOTS of waiting

Hellloooo my family!!!!!!!
So let me tell you about transfer day.
You know it's coming, you know there is a possibility of change and you are so scared for it. You know it's in the Lord's plan but you just want to KNOW the Lord's plan; if you're leaving, if you're staying, if you're getting a new companion, if you're training, if you're going to be in a unknown... it's the worst. And Tuesday morning waiting for the call from our zone leaders is torture. Studies are hard, knowing the call is coming! So we will either get a call and our Zone leaders will tell us the change or we will get a text saying that the calls were made and if we did not get a call we are staying. Anticipation: it's the worst. Today our zone leaders took FOREVER to call us. We actually called them to make sure they were okay. It took that long and all the sisters were texting us to see if we had any changes. And we were just like, WE DON'T KNOW AND IT'S KILLING US!!!
Finally, three hours later, they called us, and guess what... I'm getting transferred!
Saddest day ever. I'm leaving one of the coolest companions, coolest areas, coolest zones, coolest wards, and coolest missionaries and investigators! It definitely chipped at my heart a little bit. But that's okay! I'm going where the Lord wants me to go and I'm going to be happy about it! :)
I'll let you know next week what happens! :)

[editor's note:  from a parent's perspective, waiting a week to hear what happened to your missionary daughter after she says she is being transferred is much MUCH worse than waiting a few hours for a phone call from the zone leaders.]

Man, I love missions. They are just the best. Everyone needs to go on one, whether they have wrinkles or not! I'm definitely serving another one when I have more wrinkles!! They are the best change for your life. Anyway, HOW IS EVERYONE???
Thanks so much for all the love in emails and letters. I always love Tuesdays and hearing how everyone is doing and how fun life is!
I love my areas. I feel like I've been sent to two of the best areas in the whole entire mission. The missionaries in my zone are so very humble, it's a pleasure to learn from all of them. The leaders in these wards are always here for us and always willing to do whatever we ask of them. I hope to be as good of a member as they all are. To be honest thought it's hard to picture life not being a missionary--this is what I want to do all the time because I've never been more happy in my life!
So finally we did something fun on p-day besides play sports at the church. Not that I don't enjoy that, but I do like getting out of my area sometimes. Last Tuesday we went to Balboa Park, a really pretty nature park with a bunch of museums. On Tuesdays they are free to the residents of California! (Can you believe I'm technically a resident of California? Weird.)

Sister Whitcomb in Balboa Park

One of the elders who went home today wanted to go to the Air and Space museum, so we did. It was okay. Not picture worthy. My companion reminded me that it wasn't going to be the Smithsonian or anything. I guess living out East puts your expectations high. Then we also went to the Car museum. It was actually pretty cool and I found a sign that said Boston on it, so of course I took a picture!

Then we heard there were cultural houses that we could walk through. They are basically houses from all over the world, like Iran, Sweden, Poland, China etc. It just shows what their houses and cultures are like. Only the Iran house was open. The concept was really cool. Of course I took a picture near the Sweden house!

There is a person in every house who answers questions. The man in the Iran house was really into the cultural part, and it just so happens that the Hillsdale Ward was having a cultural night on Friday, where members of our Ward volunteered to set up booths about a country they really know well, whether they served a mission or it's where their relatives are from. It was an awesome activity! And I had the thought to invite him to it, so I pulled out a flyer and Sister Wardinsky and I invited him. No rest for missionary work! Even on p-day! And guess what: HE ACTUALLY CAME! The Arabic Elders were able to show him around, and he actually knew one of our former investigators that came to the activity as well! It was a great activity. Our ward mission leader planned it and he did a great job! All the booths were beautifully set up, there was live guitar music in the background, Puawai, the WML's daughter performed a Samoan dance and it was sooo cool!
They handed out passports so people going around to the booths and trying the foods could get their passports stamped and write down a fact about each country. It was a really cool idea! At the end of the night we had a trivia game about all the countries. Super fun! And we were in charge of counting nonmembers in attendance, and we counted 23! It was awesome, for their first cultural activity, it was a great success!
You know you're a missionary when you feel guilty for updating your iPad and then you get the text telling you not to update. I felt guilty ALLL day. It was bad. In the end it didn't matter because my iPad was fine, but other people who updated ended up with frozen iPads. Being a missionary makes me feel guilty with every little mistake I make! It's good for me, I guess.
Wednesdays are always our busy days in Jamul. We call them our PB&J days because we are so busy out in Jamul which is no where near our house, and there is no restaurant there. We just stop at a rest stop, (the only one for miles and miles) sit on the picnic bench and pull out the PB&Js. It's always a great day to be a missionary--especially when you are busy! We had several lessons that day, got lost multiple times, and we drove on the bumpiest dirt roads I've ever been on. But I loved it all! We had dinner at an investigator's house, with his awesome kids! It was so cool to see that side of them and so nice to see that they actually like us enough to have us over for dinner! It was sweet!
Thursday was a day of cancellations and weekly planning. Also a day full of moments of growth and revelation. Those are the best days, I love to reflect on them! I definitely had a great journal entry on that day!
Friday we had an awesome lesson with an investigator in Jamul. She is getting baptized soon! I can feel it. We also had district meeting and beforehand my district leader asked me to prepare to be in a role play; to think of being someone who is nice but not interested in the message. It was really revelatory. I picked someone close to my heart and had a great testimony builder for how members play an important role. I had my companion play the role of a member and during the role play she just piped up and asked me really inspired questions. It just testifies to me the importance of members knowing investigators and members being at lessons and introducing their friends to the missionaries. Makes things so much better!
Saturday finally came! We had been waiting forever for the General Womens' Broadcast and it was so worth the wait! All of you need to watch it, male or female! We had an investigator watch it at the church with all the ladies and the talks totally fit her needs and struggles. It was PERFECT! I love inspired people, especially women, they are the best! Also we went to a recent convert's house. We hadn't seen her at church so we were checking up on her. She's the sweetest!
She was just a little sick but is amazing now! We commented on her reading, it was a Teachings of the Presidents book, I believe Harold B. Lee, and she just goes, "Isn't he handsome?" (referring to the prophet's picture on the front) "He's such a fox!" I died. It was HILARIOUS! I love people!
Sunday we were on splits again and the members are always so wonderful to go out with us! It's really fun. :)
I was in Hillsdale Ward. Unfortunately we had no investigators but we had two in Jamul! And the Arabic Elders had three investigators there! Now that is really a miracle. Arabic work is hard. And I just have to share their experience with all of you. So a pair of the Elders get a phone call at 10 pm one night and it's this Chaldean man who relates this experience to them. So apparently this Chaldean man saw an older man get hit by a car, he goes out to help him, and this other man comes as well. And the other man has an Arabic book, and it so happens to be The Book of Mormon. He asks if he can have it and of course the man gives it to him. Inside the book is a card with the Arabic Elders phone number on it. He calls it, and he tells them he wants to learn more! So crazy, right! I talked to him at church and he loved it! I can't wait to see what will happen! Fast and Testimony meeting is always awesome! Almost all the missionaries got up to bear their testimonies, including me! It was awesome, all of us have super strong testimonies of our Savior. It's legit! I love it. :)
Yesterday was a slow but not slow day. We got to watch Elder Scott's funeral. It was really sad. He was such a great man! And then our appointment cancelled on us, but we got to do service for Ednis Smith at La Vida Real! She's so sassy I love it! She always makes my day better. :) And we added a British man last night! Missionary work is alive and well here! And I love and feel so honored to be a part of it.
I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Never change. Always follow our Savior and you'll be the happiest you've ever been!
Love,
Sister Whitcomb