I Love SJA

September 18, 2011

SJA= San Jose A, my current area here in the Antique Zone. And I love it. I still miss Oton, but it's definitely getting easier not to miss it every day.

Why do I love SJA? Lots and Lots of reasons.

First, it's absolutely beautiful. It's quite and peaceful and very different from my first two areas. Jaro was right on the edge of Iloilo and was very big and busy all the time. Oton was a little further out of the city, and a much smaller town. As a result, it was cute and quaint and had no grocery store or fast food chains because you could just go into the city if you wanted any of that. San Jose is the middle ground. It has the feeling of being a small town where the people are spread out and the streets are only two lanes wide. It's also far enough away from Iloilo that it has it's own mall, restaurants, ect. so that what we need is easy to find.

Next, the people. They are so sweet. And that both refers to the current missionaries I'm serving with and to the people who live here. My current companion is Sister McBride, and we get along really well. Meal times have consisted of more laughter than eating. We also both have really strong desires to get the area strong and progressing. A few months ago, she injured her back, but she still is excited to work and won't let anything get in her way. We sometimes have to take time out of our days for physical therapy, but as soon as it's over- we are back on the streets helping share the gospel to the world. The other missionaries in the apartment consist of my "nanay" or trainer- and it's way awesome to be housemates with her again. Her companion, Sister Puig, is also super sweet and joins in to all the jokes and silly things we come up with.
The members are really nice and have a great desire to do good. The deaf members are particularly sweet. They love teaching people how to communicate with them and are always excited to spend time with us. Their sign language is a little different from ASL, which only makes them more excited to talk to me. They teach me a sign and then immediately ask if it's the same in ASL. They also have super good memories. They use the ASL signs they've learned from me when the talk to me and the PSL (Philippine sign language) when they talk to each other.

Last, I love San Jose just because it's San Jose. It's nothing like my first two areas. It has it's own perks and problems, it's own joys and challenges. And it already has it's own memories, distinct and unique from anywhere else. I will always remember San Jose as the place my companion and I tried to teach the two Filipino sisters how to speak English with a British accent. It will always stand out as being the apartment where the sink got clogged and we discovered it was because my companions sock was down the drain. It's where I'm meant to be today, despite all that I left behind (which happens to include my camera and my alarm clock, but no worries- my previous companion is sending them to me). Isn't life fun!

Palangga Ko Kamo!