October 21, 2013 Wow! I've been here 12 weeks!

The entire Dinalupihan Zone here in Pampanga, Philippines

Me and Sis Salado

Somehow we stuffed four of us inside a tricycle

Dear family,

I cannot believe that my 12 weeks is up.  That means I am officially out of training...whatever that means.  I feel like I still have a lot of training to do.  But I am officially a "regular" missionary and not a "trainee".  We have transfer day on Wednesday and I feel fairly certain that Sister Salado will train one of the new missionaries coming in (there's 30+ coming in I think) and so I think that I will get a new companion again this transfer.  But that's good, I learn a lot from every companion that I have.  Also, there's a big change coming to my area: We are receiving 2 or 4 new missionaries to the Gua Gua area which means that my area will be split into three smaller areas.  It's really good because my area is so big, but I am going to miss all the people that we've been teaching in Sta Rita!  The rumor is that they are going to put elders there and all the sister will stay in Gua Gua.  Unfortunately, we really focused on the Sta Rita area and we have baptisms next month which means that the new missionaries will get to baptize them.  Stolen baptisms!  Also, we didn't focus very much on the Gua Gua part of our area and so it's going to be like opening a new area which means a LOT of street contacting.  My favorite.  But it will be an exciting change.

FHE with Candelaria & Rodriguez families at Malig's home

This week was good because we had FHE with two less active families at a members house.  They are two REALLY poor families and they have a lot of family problems but they all had so much fun at the FHE.  They were laughing and all seemed really close as a family which is the first time I've seen that.  The teenage sons are kind of hard for their mom to deal with but at the FHE they were all so happy and enjoying each other's company.  On Sunday, we went and visited the family again and I asked how the FHE was.  The youngest daughter said "Ulitin! Ulitin!" (Repeat! Repeat!) So it was a really big hit.  And of course I was so grateful to the member family who opened up their home and cooked dinner for us all and are just such great friends to these less active families (hint, hint...).  They didn't come to church on Sunday but I feel like they will return.  They just need the missionaries, time, and some friends in the church.

This week we did a lot of follow up visits to street contacts.  I'm getting pretty good at teaching the Restoration in Tagalog.  We were also a lot busier this week and had a lot more lessons which is so good.  The key to happiness on the mission is definitely work!  The days where we don't have appointments and we do a lot of street contacting feel a lot longer than the days when we are busy.  And we don't get rejected as much in lessons as we do in street contacting!   We also visited a less active family that just moved here from Bataan.  Here they are surrounded by the husband's family who are not members and so they don't go to church.  If they are in Bataan they attend church.  But the greatest thing about them is their boys' names.  They have five boys and the fourth is named Mohonri Moriancomr.  The Filipinos really like to name their children unique names.

And we have the Tapiador family who is really progressing.  The daughters are super excited for their baptism and one of them told us that she wants to serve a mission!  I also noticed that one daughter used to wear three earrings in each ear but now she only wears one.  I'm pretty sure her step mom told her that we only wear one earring but she is so willing to do everything to prepare for her baptism. We haven't even taught her the law of chastity lesson and she's already trying to follow it!   They really are golden kids!  If only we could find more families like them.  It's fun to teach part member families because they have someone at home who can help them with all the commitments that we give them because we can't be there all the time to help them.

Palay on the streets!

Cultural note for the week:  Here in the Philippines they do not call rice "rice" at all stages.  When it is in the field and in the husk, it is called "Palay".  The husk is a yellow color.  After they gather up all the palay, they spread it out onto the street and let the sun dry it.  Once it is dry they husk it.  When is is out of the husk, it is called "Bigas" or uncooked rice.  And when it is cooked, it is called "kanin".  So complicated!  But lately there has been a lot of palay in the streets drying because we haven't had much rain.  Also, to all of you at home, please rinse your rice before you cook it!  It has been on the ground and it is super dusty.

Well, that is the report from the Philippines!  I am excited for the transfer day, I think that I will get a new companion which makes me really sad but it's kind of fun too.  And hopefully I stay in the Gua Gua area, but I guess we'll see what happens!

I know that the Church is true and I am so grateful to be here in the Philippines sharing the gospel with the people here.  It is so true the saying that the first convert on your mission is yourself.  I have already learned so so much and my testimony has been strengthened so much in just the short time that I have been here.  I know that Christ is our Savior and that He loves all of us so much and He wants all of us to magkaroon ng buhay ng walang hanggang!

Mahal ko kayo!

Sister Danai Sirrine


Danai's response to Parent's question about big earthquake in  Philippines:  "Yes yes, the earthquake was very far away from us and on a different island.  So we were totally unaffected by it.  We didn't even know it happened until the members told us about it."