I'll be back

So I'm sure you all can guess what happened. The worst day of my mission so far :( I am being transferred. We got our packing calls on Saturday and when they said sister standage packing my heart sank and I cried all the tears my body had. I was so sad to leave this place they are quite literally family to me. But I'll be back I can feel it. 

But this week was probably the coolest one ever!! Also sorry my email last week didnt send. I can't send group ones from my phone apparently?! Ya idk why. But anyways I hope you read both of these. Well for Christmas eve all of us missionaries got to spend the day with the McMullins and Copelands two of the sweetest families here! We went into town and handed our cards, cookies and water. Cause no one here needs hats and gloves! Haha but that was really cool and also really funny cause so many people said no to free water.. I dont think I've ever done that. But after we had dinner and played games. It was fun having all of us there and very rowdy during the games.. I think all us missionaries forgot that we should be so competitive. But it all ended with love and the elders sharing the Christmas story. The perfect way to end the night. With the McMullins at least then we got invited to go have dinner with the cutest Filipino family we ate and ate and ate and ate.. literally brother tomarong wouldn't let us not have food in front of us. I gained at least 10 kilos. But it was delicious. We hung out and had fun and had lots of laughs! Then home to bed stuffed and Exhausted!! 

Christmas was awesome, got to talk to the family. They are all weird as ever for those of you who haven't seen them in awhile.. this is for you family.. they are WEIRD AS. you're welcome. After that we went to the Seumanutafas for the biggest yummiest meal ever. The Anzac Elders were there as well and elder Wharekuras plate was MILES height he ate so much food the bones and shells were stacked it was so funny we thought we'd have to roll him out of the house. But funny thing was the food didnt stop there. This amazing lady that has known the missionaries for 16 years has a big Christmas feed every year for friends and the missionaries and the 4 of us couldn't eat anymore. We were stuffed!! So we left it up to the Lyndavale elders to eat! Haha but it was awesome. Brother Archibald was there (he's a member) and he photographs dingos so he brought some photos over and we were looking at them and talking about the travels he's done and dingos and kangaroos and wallabies. All the normal Alice springs stuff you know. But he is now adopted as my Alice springs grandpa! He's incredible. After Cillas yummy food. We went home changed and headed to the Clark's we got to watch incredibles 2, took a break from movies then had a ginger bread house competiton.. I won easy but then if you ask elder bryner he will probably say he won.. then we ate some KANGAROO TAIL. PICTURE WILL BE INCLUDED. This is a delicacy for the aboriginals and it was DELICIOUS! if you come to Alice you have to try it and I did and it was the greatest thing ever! I think I'd still choose a Texas roadhouse steak over it but it was good! After our stomachs were filled to the brim we watched beauty and the beast to finish the night off. It was still very good and all the seasoned missionaries were in heaven! Haha. Fun night.

Crazy day on Wednesday we got up at 4:40 and hit the road at 5:30 for ULURU. to all of you it's probably nothing cause you dont know about it. But to me and the people here its culture! This massive rock (look it up) is a huge part of their background and story and culture and we got to go see what takes a big part of so many of the people we work with culture. It was beautiful and well worth the drive. We actually went to Kata Tjuta (cat-uh jew-tuh) first and did a little hike. Was massive as well. Then we went to the cultural center for lunch then went to uluru.. I really can't explain it other than its FULL of culture and history, its massive and it was hot. We were just about the only ones dumb enough to go out in the heat but hey I went to uluru. It was incredible. Then we drove home. Crazy day! 

Thursday was so hard we were so sick from all the food we had and exhausted from the heat but the work goes on. Friday was the same. 

But Saturday that's a whole nother story. We started the day in town street contacting. Not effective no one is here, they are all still on summer holiday. But we had a great lesson with melissa and abby we had to drop Melissa's date cause of health reasons but abby is still keen and we reckon she will be baptized this transfer. Shes incredible. After that we biked from braitling to larapinta. There was a way the map said was shorter so we went the short way and let me tell you I experienced literal hell on earth. It was not a short cut at all there was no shade and we had little water. Sister saoloto was crying but she didnt want me to know so when she caught up I gave her some of my water and that helped a bit but after about an hour we made it to larapinta. We knocked on the first door we saw and asked for water. Drank that real quick then went to a member down the street for more. Thank goodness they were home! Then we tried a few more people but ultimately just biked back (on the true path never using maps again) and made it to town to see our two crazy kungas, we sat with them and sang heaps. It was incredible and singing with them is awesome. I can sing a song in pintabe laritja (pretty sure I spelled that wrong...) it's beautiful. But after them we went home for dinner and packing calls leading to the worst night of my mission so far. After the calls the elders kept calling us and we couldn't even talk we we crying so hard. That night I couldn't sleep I was so sad to leave. 

But Sunday was awesome I had the chance to share my testimony and they are family. My favorite thing was that the members (that are still here which aren't many) where shocked when they said I was leaving they were crying and my heart broke. I'll be back I will be back. Missionary or not I'll be back. So the whole day was goodbyes and tears and so hard. But I found out I'm going to mildura. Or a little town near mildura. Small farm town I hear. But i hear it's a good place to me. I'm on the plane now and you'll get this email hours later. But I'm excited. Cried leaving this place is home but here I come Renmark. 

More to come next Monday.. happy new year

Also even with all that food and parties and hikes we did this Christmas season was perfect, we were able to do a lot of service and really be able to share the Christmas season. Bringing the spirit into as many members homes as we could was so special. I am sad I'll only be a missionary for one Christmas but this one was a special one. A good final hurrah in Alice..

Also I'm an STL now. So pray for me! 

Xoxo Sister Standage

The queen of Alice springs