Kumusta po kayo! Sobrang maiint dito! Grabi naman pero okay lang
kasi mahal ko talaga and pilipinas! Hi fam! It has been another great week full
of the ups and downs of mission life. I know that it was conference weekend for
you all and I hope it was wonderful. We get to watch the broadcast’s this
coming weekend and I am anticipating it very much. Conference is wonderful
always but on the mission it is an extra dose of specia. It is over the last 10
months that I have truly gained a testimony of how significant it is that we
have a living prophet on the earth today. How grateful I am that I was not born
during the darkness and confusion the world faced prior to the Restoration. I
thank God for a living prophet on the earth today.
We
are in Naga City today trying to help one of our investigators get married. We spent
the morning waiting in the filipino version of the dmv(but worse) trying to get
a marriage license. I also needed new shoes ALREADY! Mine have holes; but
like dad said last week.... I think God prefers worn out shoes on missionaries.
We just wear rubber shoes here because it rains so much and we are mostly
walking on muddy dirt roads. The biggest size they have is (thank
goodness) perfect for me. It is so hot here; I cannot believe it. This is my first
summer in the pines and oh man - the heat is hot.
Because of the heat, we have
language study each day after lunch to take a small break from.
I sit on our small couch made of bamboo with the electric fan exactly 12 inches
away from my face, reading Tagalog out loud and writing and rewriting vocab
words to practice. During my afternoon cram session there is a chorus of
tinkeling bells out side my window. These bells are from the ice candy
sellers. Ice candy is essentially a homemade otter pop. These sellers walk
around the streets of Goa selling candy to overheated people. It is a sound
that I want to remember.
Crisanto was called into the Young Men’s presidency yesterday. For
the first time he bore his testimony during sacrament meeting yesterday and
once again got teary eyed. He spoke about how some of his friends tease him now
for not drinking and for going to church every Sunday but that he doesn’t mind
because he knows this is the truth. I am so proud of Crisanto. He is such a
strong person with unflinching faith. I was reminded yesterday as Crisanto stood
and received his first calling and then bore his first testimony of my own
conversion, the many “first”moments that have year after year added to my
conversion. These moments are seemingly small but quite significant; little
things that over time have made me into.... me. It has been such a special
experience to watch these “first” experiences unroll for brother cris.
I have been studying in Helaman 5 this week and the word REMEMBER
stuck out significantly to me. What we chose to remember and prioritize in our
lives shapes us as individuals. Frequently we hear from our less actives and
investigators that they were going to pray or go to church but they were busy.
It occurred to me this week that in order to truly remember our savior properly
we have to consciously and consistently prioritize Him and His gospel. I am
grateful for this small chunk of time in my life that I have to focus entirely
on the savior and his work. It is truly a blessing to be uplifted by these
people and their wonderful courage and faith.
The kids here are my favorite. It is summer vacation right now and
the blue sky is scattered with kites made out of sticks and plastic grocery
bags tied to tin cans. All of the children run through the streets with their
kites trailing behind. They are the kite runners of the Philippines. 
I met one of the new American sisters that
just came 4 weeks ago and she knows Nathaniel. She said to tell him hi. Her
name is sister Horst! She is so cute and it was so fun to laugh about the learning
curve of the first few weeks in the field. I loved being able to relate
to everything she is going through right now; having a comp from a different
culture and just not having a clue what is going on ever.
Well I love you all – I hope Meg and Speen are doing great. You
are in my prayers! Owey, stop growing! Bug – I have a picture of our family in
my scriptures and all the elders want to date you. Also some of the kids went
through my picture album trying to guess of the 2 of us which one was me haha!
Love ya twin.
Love from the Pines,
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