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| 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.
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