Polatis Missionaries: ROBBED!! But still alive

Well, ROUGH week! Holy cow! So I will start by saying everything was going great! We get home Wednesday afternoon and Sister Arnold Put her keys down on the couch, we prayed then made lunch and did laundry! When we went to go out again at 5 we couldn't find the keys to the house, we thought she had just misplaced them so we grabbed the spare and went out to teach! We got home around 8 and when we went to go in the apartment both of us felt so sick and really nervous, we couldn't get inside, someone locked out apartment from the inside, so we book it out of there-- calledl the Elderly couple that is over us and we were freaking out, they came and we broke the chain that was locking us out and YES we were ROBBED!!:( They took everything! Not clothes or anything, but ALL my shoes, all the extra makeup i took, all my hairspray, gel, ALL the medicine, toothbrushes, paste all that I brought with me! Really all I have left is clothes! I need to go buy a new camera charger chord. But earlier that morning the office elders text me saying that they needed my passport So i took that out my passport holder and it has all my money and everything in it, but I had feeling not to just put it back into my suitcase so I had my ipod and speakers and my Passport holder with all my money and put it under my blanket and they didn't find it! So that was a blessing! But it has been pretty scary, Like we moved out that night because someone has the other set of keys! We are living with the sisters in Magsunay! We are moving to an apartment closer to the mission home that is guarded by security! We are going to the store to replace alot of the stuff that was taken! Sister Arnold has no shoes either and they stole her wallet but dropped it on the way out! They stole my backpack, that is how we think everything was carried out! The ward is all concerned with us! They were a little embarrassed that it happened my first 5 days, Welcome to the Philippines! I am trying to keep my head up! But it is still taking time to adjust! I stay as positive and happy as I can be! My birthday was good! We went and met up with some other elders for lunch, then shopped around for a little bit, alot of cute clothes that are cheap! Don't worry I am living like a missionary! I might need to splurge for new running shoes seeing that someone else needed mine more than I did! But as far as the teaching part, we are really focused on the Inactives! We have about 5 investigators and they are slowly progressing! Everyone says they will come to church, but I was disappointed yesterday because they didn't come! One couple doesn't want to get married because it is really expensive, a little 10 year old boy is so so interested and he comes to church all the time we are just waiting for his dad to get worthy so that he can baptize him! But I try to speak, the ward missionaries are pretty good at helping me learn new words and knowing when to use them! One of the ward missionaries served in Cebu with Gregs friend Dallin Hanson! Such a small world! Other than our little incident, I like it here! Just adjusting still! I think that will just take time! All the members are so nice and Church was better! I understood a little more! Played the piano again, their normal songs are different than the ones that we sing so i slaughter my way through most of them! I will get better I am sure! I did a piano musical number of I know that my Redeemer Lives! Ha I need more music to play when they ask me on the spot! We have been encouraging the ward members to come with us when we teach so that people know they have a friend at church! It has worked so far! I really just bear my testimony and pray when we teach, haha but everyday gets a little better! Sister Arnold is awesome! She has a really good idea of what people need to hear and it helps so much that the spirit is with us! It has been super muggy, raining alot! The picture of me standing in the rain wasn't even when it was the worst, it was like mid-calf for a long time of walking! Super pretty though! The way people live just amazes me! Little tin roofs and some barely have electricity! The main thing people struggle with here is faith! They all have so little so it is hard for them to go to church but if they just had faith and obeyed the commandments then they would know that the Lord will provide a way for them! This gospel is true! It would be so horrible to not know about it! We were sitting on a Jeepney all crowed with people and this white guy like squeezes in next to me, so i just started talking to him! He was from Germany, so I bore my testimony and gave him a Restoration Pamphlet! Hopefully he reads it and wants to learn more! He just moved here and was starting to work here I guess! Washing clothes by hand really isnt that bad, it just takes them forever to dry so I want to do it a little bit everyday so that I always have something to wear! But all is well! We are headed to the store for some toiletries, both of us were a little ticked that we now have nothing but maybe it was the Lords way of humbling me, even tho I feel that if I was humbled more I would be kissing the ground! haha So this week was fast and slow at the same time, I cant believe that it was P-Day again! I have almost been here for 2 weeks! Weird! Oh ya, one of our newest converts, he is an older guy but he always go to Central Market and buys us things, and when he found out we were robbed he was so mad, but at church yesterday he brought sister Arnold 2 shirts and me a sweatshirt, still wet from him washing it haha but it really does show that the people have nothing but will give you everything that they have! , Abby sounds great! I am glad she is liking it! Tate, ALMOST!!! AHHH! just be good and be obedient!~ Sam and Maddy I am anxious to hear how the elections went! I love you all! I miss you a lot this week! Tell everyone I say hi! Keep the letter coming! I love hearing from everyone! I will take more pictures of the area and send them next week! LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!! Be good and be safe!! Keep Praying for me!!! haha I feel like I need it a little more this week! Cant wait to hear from you!

Love Sarah