PHOTOS FROM ELDER & SISTER GORRINGE
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| With President and Sister Querido |
PHOTOS FROM DANAI
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| Monitor Lizards - a culinary delicacy! |
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| Transportation |
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| 4 days confined to the apartment |
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| Out in flood with Sister Mafi and ward member Sister Eveleen |
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| With Sister Eveleen |
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| 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!
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