August 26, 2013 Hello! Hello! Hello!

PHOTOS FROM ELDER & SISTER GORRINGE

With President and Sister Querido

PHOTOS FROM DANAI

Monitor Lizards - a culinary delicacy!

Transportation

4 days confined to the apartment

Out in flood with Sister Mafi and ward member Sister Eveleen

With Sister Eveleen

People kept riding bikes despite the flood

Dear Family,

Well, that typhoon that I was talking about two weeks ago didn't hit us but we got one last week.  Sunday it started pouring and then Monday morning we went out to the palengke (market) and then there was flooding in our area so we weren't allowed to go out and email.  We were then stuck in our house for 4 days!!!!  Four day!!!!   It was crazy.  It pretty much poured the entire week.  I've never seen rain like that.  Mom, I am sooooooo grateful that you sent me that waterproof bag....my scriptures would have been totally ruined if we hadn't bought that.  We were really lucky because our house is on a hill so the water never got close to coming into our house but in one area, the floods were up to the neck and so everyone's houses were very flooded.  Where our house is we only got it a little past the knees.  During the week we did a lot of studying and I happened to read in 3 Nephi 14:25-27 about the wise man and the foolish man.  Those verses about the rain and the floods suddenly had new meaning to me and it was very true about building your house on a rock (and a hill)!  But I really am grateful for the rain becasue that means that it isn't hot and it actually is really fun to be out in that kind of a rainstorm.

We got really creative while we were trapped inside and one creative outlet was our cooking.  I made chocolate peanut butter rice.  Yep.  It actually was really good and we might try it again with coconut milk!  When I suggested it to Sis Fuentes (the Filipino in our apartment) she was a little skeptical (they all were) which I don't know why because Filipinos eat the weirdest food combinations.  For instance, the other day we ate ramen noodles and put it on top of toast.  And we've also eaten cheetos stirred into our rice.  And since we eat hot dogs pretty much every day, I am learning every way under the sun to cook hot dogs.  Mom, I'm very excited to come home and make all the stuff we're eating here.  Don't worry, I'm writing them all down for you :)

When we were finally able to go out of the house, there were people fishing off the sides of the street and fish everywhere in the streets.  Kind of funny!  We also went to the mission home this week for a follow up training with Pres Querido which was even more exciting than it probably would have been becasue we'd been inside for so long.

Other than that, not much to report becuase we didn't go out.  Last week, when we went to a members house, his son drove up with some groceries and in a gunny sack he had four big, live monitor lizzards.  Apparently they are a delicacy here.  And speaking of lizzards, they're all over here and they just run up the walls in the houses.  They're really cute!

The exciting thing for this coming week is that we have a baptism!!  It's for our investigator who I committed to be baptized on like day 2 here so that's really exciting.  He is really excited and I can see the change in him in just the 4 weeks that I hve been here.  He seems so much happier and talks a lot more during our lessons with him.  It's been really neat to see the change that the gospel can bring to someone who hasn't had it before.  Hopefully we don't get another typhoon and nothing else happens to get in the way of the baptism!

Well, we have two weeks left until transfer day and then my trainer is going back home to Tonga.  I am really scared because that means I have to lead my area in just two weeks!  I still don't really know what any of the people are saying unless they're saying gospel words and even then a lot of time I don't understand because they talk so fast.  But I know with the help of the Lord I will be able to lead my area and do what the Lord needs me to do although I still can't understand or communicate well.  (But I am really happy because I had two Filipino sisters compliment my grammer at the mission home and ask what my studying secret was.  It's the gift of tongues truly!)

I am so sad that I missed the Lake Powell trip!  I look forward to that every year but thank you for the pics, Mom.  Pictures are golden here!  And all of us get excited for them...not just me! I can't believe that Dad read a book.  That's incredible.  A first for sure.  I send my condolences about the boat.  I'm sure that was a painful thing for him.  And Johnny, I'm sorry I missed your birthday!!!!  I was trapped in my house.  I hope you had a great birthday and I can't believe that you are 18.  Holy cow.  And off to college.  That is so weird.  Mom, how did the RS activity go? Are you still dizzy?  Hopefully it doesn't stay for a year.  And hopefully things calm down a little bit for you now that summer and vacations are over.  Sorry about the pictures not working....I don't know why.  I'm using a card reader this week.  Tell me if you can see them this time.  Oh man I miss you all so much!  I really miss doing family summer activities but I know that I am where I am supposed to be.  I've gotten used to life here and I think that I've adjusted quite well to being dirty and sweaty all the time.

I love you all and alam ko po na mahal po tayo ng Diyos!  Send everyone my love!

Mahal kita!!

Sister Sirrine

PS I don't sanitize my emails for the blog.  This is really how life is..  Of course I've had discouraging moments but I've found that it's just best to think about the happy ones :)

PPS I don't really know what I'm doing about the mosquito problem.  I've been putting IcyHot on the bites which helps so much.  I'm going to try and look for mosquito spray this week.  I know they have some but it might be really expensive.  We'll see!  I'm pretty much just used to being itchy all the time now


Pictures sent:
This is during our flood when we were walking around.  (the Filipino is a member named sister eveleen)
Also, you can see how deep the water was outside our apartment but people still rode bikes and tricycles through it regardless!

August 11 2013 I made it through another week

4 sisters in the Jeepney

Doing Laundry

Jeepney:  There are two benches inside and you just cram in as many people as you can

Philippine cemetery

Dear Family,

Oh man, I am super jealous that you are in Lake Powell right now.  I really really really want to be there right now.  Sigh.  Oh well!  I'm off on an adventure in the Philippines instead so that's exciting!!!  Haha.   Sounds like the house has been crazy lately.  Is Johnny ready for college??  Sounds like he had a super succesful summer with carpet cleaning. 

So time for the funny language mistake I make this week.  One elder in district conference asked me if I had a boyfriend back at home.  I meant to say "wala" (I don't have) but I said "wahlo" (eight) instead.  Super funny and they all laughed at me.  So far I think that's the only funny mistake I've made.  The rest are all gramatical.  

As far as food, I mostly like it here.  Good thing I like rice!  But5 the other day, we went to a members house and she gave us something that looked like huge deep fried chips.  I asked sister Mafi what it was and she said it was deep fried pig skin.  They eat every part of the pig here.  It didn't taste that bad but just knowing what it was, I didn't like it.  Luckily it didn't have any hair left on it!  Also, this is going to surprise a lot of people....but my favorite thing that I have eaten here has been french toast!  I think I was missing American food and knowing that it wasn't going to make me sick.  I always say a prayer before I eat anything here and pray that I won't get sick from it.  The sanitation isn't the same here.  

Probably my favorite part of the week was doing our laundry.  It was kind of fun to do our laundry by hand and that was the only time during the week pretty much that i felt clean.  This week I also saw a funeral procession.  When someone dies, they have the hearse drive down the street and everyone walks behind it moaning and mourning.  It was kind of cool to see.  Also, their cemetaries are above ground.  They just build a cement box and put the person inside it.  Maybe it's because it rains so much so digging a hole wouldn't work.  

This week we had a brownout where they turned the power off for the whole day.  It was suuuuper hot with no fans.  I learned the literal meaning of the phrase "Modest is hottest".  I also had an exchange with Sister Greene the other American in our house.  She's only been out for 3 months so it was a little scary to be out teaching by ourselves.  After a few appointments a member came with us and he helped out soooo much.  

Also, everyone here has funny names like Jun Jun, Apple, etc.  One of the members here has a son named Astin Martin.  I laughed at that one.  And a member last night told us that a typhoon is supposed to hit the Philippines in a day or two.  So I'm really curious to see if it hits Gua Gua.  I really don't want it to flood.....

I'm starting to be able to participate a lot more in the lessons.  Unfortunately, I don't understand Filipinos when they talk to me.  I can just talk to them.  Part of the problem is that they talk so quietly and the other problem is that they don't speak gospel language which is all that I learned at the MTC.  But it will come.  I can pretty much always understand my companion in the lessons so that's an improvement!  And this week, our senior missionaries came to help us for a day and we got to ride in a car with ari conditioning!  We felt super spoiled.  I'd forgotten what AC felt like and what silence sounded like.  

We had many lessons fall through this week but they were made up by some really spiritual lessons that happened because we didn't go to the other appointments.  The problem is here that people feel the spirit but they always say they can't afford the fare to get to church.  Trials are real!

Well, I love you all and I wish I could be in Powell with you.  Thanks for the emails!!

Mahal Kita

Sister Sirrine

PS - Dad, toilet paper is super expensive here so we go by the 4 square rule.  I thought you would find that funny! 

PPS  Probably the best way to talk is through emails but letters will get here I think within two weeks.  But then I have to wait for someone to come up from the mission office and bring the letter so usually that doesn't happen for six weeks.  So letters work fine but I might not get them for a while!  Also, I mailed you guys a insurance reimbursment form for the shot I had to get in the MTC.  I don't know if you got it but could you mail that in and then put the money back into my checking account?  Thanks!

Pictures:  This is a picture of their cemetaries, me doing my laundry, us four sister in the jeepney and the inside of a jeepney.

August 4, 2013 I'm definitely not in America Anymore

Last Picture in the MTC

With Sister Howlett in Japan

Apartment in the Philippines

Dear Family,

Holy cow.  The Philippines could not be more different from America.  Everyday I have been here has been crazy.  But first, I have to tell you about our release from the MTC!  It was super weird to go out into the real world and to pass by my house for the last time.  When we got to the airport, we arrived with 100+ missionaries and so the airport was flooded with us.  Everyone stared at us and lots of the kids would point at us and want to give us high fives.  My kasama went to go buy a water from a store in the ariport and a man stepped forward and paid for it for her.  Everyone was suuuuper nice in the SLC airport!  Everything was great until we boarded the plane to go to San Fran.  The pilot came over the intercom and said that the SF airport wouldn't let us land for 3 hours so we were going to have to wait.  Well it ended up being only one hours that we had to just sit in the SLC airport but my layover in SF was only an hour long.  So all of us misionaries were super stressed that we were going to miss our flight to Japan.  Our plane landed 30 min before our next plane was supposed to leave and since there were 54 of us on the plane that were supposed to be on the next plane, they sent an agent to run us through the airport, rush us through security and get on the waiting plane.  It was absolutely crazy!  54 missionaries running through the SF airport.  But we did make it on the plane and everything was fine from there.  We ended up flying for about 20 hours and we landed in Manila around 10:30 their time.  Then someone came and picked up the Olongapo missionaries, took us to a hotel and said that we had to be ready to be on a bus at 3:30 am.  So we got a 2 hour nap. Then we had a four hour bus ride to Olongapo.  And we had been flying through the night as far as Utah time, so b\y the time we got to the mission home, we hadn't slept in two days (planes aren't conducive to sleep) and we were super tired.  We met President Querido and his wife and they are super nice.  I love them already.  Also, we met Elder and Sister Gorringe who are related to the Gorringes in our ward at home.  Then our trainers came and I was assigned to Sister Mafi who is from Tonga.  I really like her a lot and she speaks English quite well (actually everyone here does) so I haven't been completely lost for the last few days.  But still, English isn't her native language so she talks in Tagalog most of the time, which is good.  By the time we drove to my apartment in Gua Gua (my area) I was exhausted and had been traveling for 29 hours.  I felt really bad for Sister Mafi because I was pretty quiet and didn't talk much but I think that she understood.  Thank goodness we didn't have to go out and work that day.  We got back late so we just went to the store for some food and then went to bed.  

The next day we went out and taught some people and I have absolutely no idea what they are saying.  none at all.  First of all, they talk really fast, they usually aren't talking in gospel language (which is what i learned in the MTC....not normal everyday conversation), and they talk really quiet and it is sooooooooo loud here! I am in a city and it is super loud.  So I just kind of smile and try to pick out a word or two.  In our first lesson, my kasama told me to ask the man to be baptized.  So I did and he said yes. At least I think I asked him to be baptized.  But the philipinos are so nice that they don't want to offend you by saying no so we'll see if that really happens.  Everyone here stares at me.  Everyone.  Wherever we go, people stare at me and they'll say "Amerikana!" They love to just yell out any English that they know to me.  "Hey girl!", "Hey Joe!" (from WW2 when there were GI Joes here), "I love you.", "What is your name?" and on and on.  Also, pretty much everyone tells me I look like Barbie.  And my last name is super hard for them to say so sometimes they'll just call me Sister Barbie.  The little kids love touching my hair when I have it in two french braids.  They also touch my arms because they love my skin color.  It's only been 5 days and I'm already getting tired of the attention.  My companion said that she is grateful that she is not white.  i'm wishing I was Tongan right about now!  

The hardest thing for me has been how dirty it is here.  I knew it would be but i think it is dirtier than I expected.  And of course it's hot (although I was suuuuper lucky to come during rainy season which means that it's a lot cooler right now) so you're just always wet from sweat or rain.  Everyone carries umbrellas here, either for protection from the rain or protection from the sun.  They all hate that they are brown so they shade themselves.  And it is a lot cooler to have some shade.  I got rid of makeup on day 1 here except for mascara.  You just sweat it off and it makes you feel disgusting.  And I'm in a city so I think that it's a lot dirtier here than other places.  Lots of pollution from the motorcycles, trucks, cars, etc.  I shower twice a day here and we don't have hot water but that's totally fine because you're so hot all the time you want a cold shower.  I feel super lucky that I have a real shower and I don't have to do bucket showers.  At least not in this area.  And since it is rainy season, there are lots of mosquitos.  And they love me.  My legs look like I have leprosy and everyone asks me what happened.  For some reason they don't bother the Filipinos, I don't know why.  

The food here is really good.  So far I haven't gotten sick from the water or anything and I hope that continues.  Of course they eat rice for every meal and so I've had a lot of rice lately.  They also love to eat hot dogs.  I've had hot dogs for almost every meal too.  One member made us an avocado shake which is avocado, milk, sugar and ice and it was super good.  I've also had to drink a lot of soda here because the water isn't safe to drink unless it is filtered.  And the sodas are cold so they taste really good.  

Something that is super fun here is the transportation.  They have jeepneys which look like small buses that have two benches inside that you sit on.  I'll try and get a picture.  And also tricycles which are literally a motorcycle with a side car built onto it.  So you just get in either one and they take you where you want to go.  You just tell them to stop whenever.  I'm surprised that I haven't been killed yet because they are crazy drivers here but somehow it all works and it's pretty safe.  

Yesterday we had church and since I was a new missionary in the area of course I had to get up and bear my testimony.  Everyone told me I spoke Tagalog so well afterward but they're just nice like that.  I didn't really understand what was going on during church, except for in Sunday School becasue the lesson was on charity and we studied that in the MTC.  The members are super nice here.  

Next time I'll try and get some pictures.  It's just wild here.  I really can't believe that I am living here for the next 16 months.....

Mahal Kita!

July 31, 2013 From the Family: Danai arrived in Philippines

From the Family:  We received an email  from the Philippines Olongapo Mission notifying us Danai arrived safely on Tuesday, July 31st.   Just a few hours later we were forwarded photos of Danai from a missionary couple, Gary and Margene Gorringe, serving in her mission (brother of Jan Gorringe in our ward).  Imagine getting photos the day she lands in her mission!  Thank you all Gorringes for looking out for our daughter!  

Sister Sirrine and her companion Sister Mafi

 and the whole group and their trainers

Email is the quickest way to write Danai:  she will be checking it weekly.

Excerpts from the mission President letter:

Sister Sirrine has been assigned to Gua-Gua 2 Area, Dinalupihan District in the Dinalapihan Zone. Her companion is Sister Lose Tolofi Mafi. 

All mail and Packages sent through the Postal Service should be sent to:

Philippines Olongapo Mission

Km. 140 National Highway, Mangan-Vaca

2209, Subic, Zambales

Philippines

Pouch is available.  Please do NOT use Fed Ex or any other mail service because it is expensive to receive the packages.  Be aware that packages sent containing foodstuffs will be attacked by rodents during shipping.  Pack accordingly.  Enclosing your package completely with tape is recommended.

31 July 2013

July 27, 2013

Our threesome:  Me, Sister Carr and Sister Howlett

This is me and sister Howlett with our ties on (I tied my tie.  Doesn't it look pretty good???  Thanks to my BYU friends for teaching me how.....)

This is my district when we got flight plans

Our teacher Brother Trebas gave each of us a tie as a parting gift.  He's a tie-a-holic so he has a TON of ties

Kumusta pamilya ko!!!!

 

Well, they haven't told me that my visa hasn't come so i'm officially leaving on Monday!!!!!  I can't believe that i'm down to about 50 hours left in America and then i won't be back for a year and a half.  Crazy how fast time flies.  This week was suuuuuuper hard for my district to focus because we all just want to leave so badly but it was a good week.  yesterday we had our in field orientation and it finally felt like this is going to be real.  I think that was the first time I've felt really nervous about my mission because before now it has seemed like I've had the option to back out if I wanted to (not that I would) but once I get on that plane, it's for real!  Our teachers showed us lots of pictures of the Philippines and it is GORGEOUS!!!! Oh man I am super excited!  They also told us a lot about the culture.  We were taught how to barter because they always say a super high price and you have to barter it down to what it should be.  That is going to be scary!  And we were told that the ultimate compliment there is that you are fat and white because that means that you don't have to work outside and you have an easy life.  And they all want to be white.  So they'll all come up to you and say "You are so fat!" (except they say "pat" because f's are p's in Tagalog).  Kind of a weird compliment. 

 

This week i got to be a host to the new incoming missionaries.  So it was my job to pick up a sister, take her away from her family, and throw her into MTC life.  It was really fun but super sad to see all the families crying (Mom, Dad....thanks for not doing that!) and it was worse to see all the elders crying!!!  It was sadder than when i was dropped off.  I felt so bad for all the mothers that drove past me wiping away tears. 

 

I think I forgot to write last week about the protestors that have been standing outside the Provo temple with crosses.  They know that all the missionaries walk to the temple on Sundays and so they stand out there and yell at us that we only have to believe in Jesus and we'll be saved.  And that if we go to any Christian church, they talk about the cross.  We just all shake our heads because obviously they know nothing about mormons and what we believe.  And it's really sad to me how antagonistic they are about it.  Like that's going to make any of us believe them!  But i'd never seen protestors except for outside General Conference so that was super unusual. 

 

I was in the bathroom one morning and a sister walked past and said hello to a different sister in Portuguese and the sister responded in Spanish.  And then i speak Tagalog.  the spanish sister turned to me and said "It's like the tower of Babel inn here!" It was super funny and sooooo true!  none of us understand each other but we all live in the same place. haha

 

My big spiritual realization for the week was that for the last 6 weeks I have been overhearing all the sisters tell how they decided to come serve a mission.  For the elders they just know that they are supposed to go but every sister here has a story.  And what I've realized the last 6 weeks is that almost every sister here (with the exception of those that just knew all their lives that they were going) starting thinking this past summer (before the announcement) that they should serve a mission.  And for thsoe that were 19 it didn't make sense because that was still 2 or 3 years away.  And then the announcement was made.  But if this church wasn't true, how could several thousand girls all start thinking the same thing at roughly the same time???  That just doesn't happen.  And who would ever send their child to live somewhere where they don't know the language, or where they are going to be living or what they will eat for 18 months/2 year?  That is strange.  So it was a huge testament to me that this church is true and that every sister here is here for a reason.  We were all called of God to serve these missions and we have a sacred assignment to do the task that He has in mind for us.  I know that I am supposed to serve in the Philippines and there is a job for me to do that only I could do over there. 

 

Okay, I have to go because we're supposed to be packing today and we've got a lot to do.  Thanks for all the support and letters from you all.  It is so nice to have the support of family and friends on this crazy adventure.

 

Mahal kita!!!

 

Sister Sirrine

Mom and Dad,

 

So I can call you from the SLC and San Francisco airport on Monday.  But it is SUPER expensive to call so we have to get the timing right.  I'll call first with quarters to make sure you pick up and then call with a phone card.  I'll have the most time probably in SLC.  I think we'll get to the airport around 9 and our flight is at 11:22am.  Then I'll get to San Fran at 1:20 pm Utah time and leave an hour later.  So Dad, keep your cell phone on you at work because I lose a lot of money every time I make a phone call.  And mom, will you coordinate with Dad times that you're available to talk?  I'll call Dad first in the morning and then he can let me know if you'll have coverage to talk because I don't know where you'll be in Iowa. Idk.  We'll make it work!!!  I can't wait to talk to you!

 

Love,

 

Danai

July 20, 2013

My District

I seriously cannot believe that it is P-day.  The weeks go by so fast.  AND!!!!! We got our flight plans yesterday!!!!!!!  We leave not this Monday, but next!  Once we actually had those flight plans, it felt real that we are actually going to the Philippines.  So crazy.  I'm the only missionary in my zone going to Olongapo so I was afraid that I would have to fly at a different time than everyone else in my district but we all leave for the airport at the same time.  And i'm flying with two people in my district to San Francisco and then to Tokyo, Japan.  I'm going to Japan.  Weird!!!  And then in Tokyo, we meet back up with everyone in my district and fly to Manila on the same flight.  So I will get to see them one more time before we split up for the next year and a half.  I am going to miss them so much! Especially my kasama.  Everyone else in my district is going to Cauayan mission and I'm the odd one out.  But that's okay.  Also, I found out that in the airport we get to call home!  So, Mom/Dad you better be available to talk!  The crazy thing about flying to the Philippines is that we leave Monday morning and get there Wednesday morning.  So I will never live Tuesday.  And when we come home from the Philippines, we will leave on a Wednesday morning say at 10 am and get back on Wednesday morning at 8 am.  So then I'll get to live Wednesday again!  What a weird time difference. 

So this week Sister Howlett and I got a new companion so we are a threesome until we leave.  Her name is Sister Carr and she was in the distrcit older that left this last Monday but she wasn't supposed to come into the MTC when she did because she's going to a new mission.  so they thought that they could send her two weeks early but no one will be there to pick her up so they made her stay two extra weeks here in the MTC.  That was really sad for her. It was a little awkward to add a third person to our companionship, but I think we've mostly worked it out. 

Tagalog is coming along pretty good.  Yesterday, one of our teachers gave a teaching demonstration in Tagalog and spoke for 30 min in Tagalog (fairly fast Tagalog) and i understood all but three words of it.  So I'm feeling a little better about Tagalog (church Tagalog anyway) but I know once I get to the Philippines I'll feel like I know nothing.  It will be good for my patience.  I've finally gotten to the point that Spanish isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I try to say something in Tagalog.  It's kind of weird because i think that you have a foreign language bank in your head and sometimes you're brain can't differentiate between the languages.  It's just not a word that is English.  I inserted a lot of Spanish words into some lessons and I'm sure it was a little confusing.  On Thursday, my whole district had a no English day.  It was SUPER hard.  I definitely had a headache at the end of the day.  At breakfast, a sister came up to me and asked me where the bowls were but I couldn't speak in English so I tried to point and said "over there" in Tagalog.  Of course she didn't understand so I had to say "Hindi Ingles" to her and her eyes got REALLY big and she was like "Really???!!! Wow!  Oh my goodness!" She totally thought that i didn't speak any English at all.  I tried to explain that it was just for today, but of course she didn't understand so she just kind of walked over to where I was pointing.  It was super hilarious.  My companion is doing a lot better with Tagalog and is speaking a lot in our lessons which is so good.  One day she was praying for the whole district and she said "Paki-basbasan po ninyo kami ng kasalanin" (Please bless us with sin) instead of "Paki-basbasan po ninyo kami ng kalakasan".  It was so funny and I just started laughing so hard during the prayer.  Not very reverent and everone else was trying not to laugh and she had no idea what she said.  So she just ended the prayer and said "What did I say?"  So now it's a joke that we say evertime someone prays.  "Don't pray for sin!" But actually it is really hard because all of the words start with m, k, or p and they have lots of a's and l's and k's in them.  They're pretty much the same except for the order of a few letters. 

This week was fun because I got to see Shaylee (my roommate) at the MTC devotional on Tuesday.  It was fun to see a friend from the outside worlds and have it be okay!  Also, we looked up the names of the seasons in our Tagalog textbook and all we could find was hot season and rainy season.  Hmmm.  I guess I should have figured that out on my own.  And, we play basketball or four square pretty much everyday during gym time, and I have to say, I am getting quite good at lightning.  I can pretty much make all my three pointers now.  But anything inside of the foul line I struggle with....

I think that Becca told you but Carole Mikita, the KSL religion news anchor, came and spoke at Relief Society.  It was really good.  We have so many amazing people come speak to us.  I really liked what she talked about planting seeds in the minds of those that you teach.  We can't get disappointed if people don't immediately accept what we have to tell them.  they will remember how they felt about what you said and someday they will be receptive to the message.  I think that will be important for me to remember in the Philippines when I can't see the results of what I am doing, but i just have to remember that everything will work out when the timing is right. 

Well, everyone keep praying for my visa.  Even though I have my flight plans, that doesn't mean my visa came.  And I probably won't find out if it didn't come until this Friday. 

Mom, thank you soooo much for all the stuff that you sent me.  Everything got here on Thursday and the bag is perfect.  And you were right, the email receipt for it was super funny.  Also, I had been thinking all week that I wanted to go get some pringles and chips and salsa.  So I'm pretty sure you're psychic or something.  I love you so much!

Have a great week!  Totoo ang Simbahan ni Jesucristo at ibinibigay niya ang mga biyaya sa atin buhay!

mahal kita!

Sister Sirrine

PS forgive my typing mistakes.  I don't have that long to write so I have to do it fast. But i do know how to spell right.