Week 20 - Welcome to the DANGER ZONE!

Hey fam,

My new area is awesome. I'm in Hamilton East ward, in Glenview stake, it's a huge ward, the highest baptizing ward in the mission and probably in New Zealand... Hope I don't stuff it up. And we have a MEAL ROSTER!!!! What a blessing and a curse. But the first night I got here we had MCM and the Ward Mission Leader shakes my hand and says, "welcome to the danger zone." Not even lying, he was so serious hahaha. He's way in to it and serious about the work. That meeting was one I'll never forget, but obviously his crazy antics work because they have so much success.
My new comp is SO CUTE. She's from the Philippines and learning English (so i have to basically teach everyone) and she gets excited about the littlest things. She is from a pretty poor area that gets hit with typhoons a lot so she didn't come with much and I told her everything I have is hers to use. My eyes just keep getting more and more open to how fortunate I am. Her favorite word is, "Oh no!" So at any little problem she'll say it and i just crack up laughing. But she's great at giving me driving directions to everywhere we need to be! Our area is huge and we have so many investigators that have been taught all the lessons but just won't take that next step to be baptized. So that's our focus right now. But I'm shocked at how fast it all goes here! The people actually see us as missionaries with a purpose rather than just friends or cute girls, so that's nice to do real missionary work haha. I bore my testimony in my new ward slash introduced myself and man it's just huge. Way different than a branch. Wishing I was back in my branch haha.
Leaving my first area was way sad but I was ready I think for the faster paced work and to see a different area/culture. And because I'm in Hamilton, we get to go to the Visitors center for Christmas firesides if we bring investigators and we get to walk around the temple talking with everyone for temple lights!!! I'm so stoked for that.
The only thing that is kind of a struggle is getting to know everyone and taking over the area. Sister Urgel's last comp was her trainer and is a really, really outgoing and talkative person so she kind of did everything and led the companionship. Sister Urgel is really trying to help out but the language barrier and newness is going to take some getting used to. Other than that it's been a fantastic week!
Read your scriptures. Pray everyday. The church is true.

Arohanui,
Sister Machen