February 13, 2011
Investigators love giving us snacks. I think it's just part of the culture here to feed people who come to the house. These snacks often consist of soda and saltine-like-crackers. Some investigators give us a good bit more though. This week was particularly exciting in the snacks we received.
To start with Brother P. He's a long time investigator who actually was out of town for the last two months. This week was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Brother P. He was really fun to talk to, especially because he is one of those Filipinos who insists on trying to speak as much English as he can. He's actually not too bad, but it's pretty obvious that he understand Hiligaynon a lot better. After the lesson he told us not to leave because he wanted to give us snacks. He ran inside and brought out Toblerones! Can you believe it- real chocolate. It was cool.
Then, just yesterday, we met Brother K. We received a referral from some other country where this brother's mother is working. She met the missionaries and was recently baptized and wanted her son to be taught also. He's living with his grandparents and attending school. The best part is that they really are all fluent in English. The grandparents actually lived and worked in America for 10 years. After teaching Brother K, the grandmother insisted on giving us food. We walked over to the table where a buffet of snacks awaited us. As we ate she continued to bring out more food. When we said we needed to leave she insisted that we take anything left on the table that was packaged. We stuck it all in our bags and then spent the afternoon finding little kids to give it too. The very last thing was actually given to the jeepnee driver who took us home. He was so surprised when we handed him a treat as we hopped of the jeepnee. It was a lot of fun.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
An Interesting Week
February 6,2011
This week has been really hard. Though I suppose I shouldn't really complain. Having difficult weeks is a fact of missionary work. The most difficult thing is that the 7 investigators we had with baptismal dates no longer have baptismal dates.
Having weeks like this really wears you down. It's interesting how you can be physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out all at the same time. Especially since all you are really doing is walking from empty house to empty house.
The week was not without it's highlights though. We visited some previous investigators who were more than eager to listen to us again. The wife even told us she had been praying we would come back. We also got permission to go to this super huge mall in the neighboring zone to buy some supplies for our new house. We still are living out of suitcases, but it's starting to look more like a functioning household.
Life is difficult- but we can look for all the simple little miracles that fill each day. They are harder to find on some days, but they are always there.
ANOTHER THOUGHT
This week's reading took me through 3rd Nephi, one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. The thing that stuck out to me most was chapters 8-10. These are the chapters just prior to Christ's Coming. The world is filled with storms and earthquakes as a sign of Christ's death. After the storms, the people experience 3 days of darkness. The scriptures describe it as a veil of darkness that pressed upon them. The people could literally feel the weight of it. I tried to imagine what it might have been like for the world to feel so dark and hopeless. I think many of them probably wondered if the light would ever come back, or if they were just doomed to a world of darkness forever.
But Christ came, he spoke to them with words of peace and comfort. Through his power, the darkness dispersed and the weight went away. He came to them and healed them and comforted them after they experienced so much.
Sometimes in life, we go through really tough trials. Sometimes we feel the weight of it is too much. Often, I've felt like the things I'm going through have lasted so long and that they will never end. I wonder if I'll have to live the rest of my life with the pressure of that problem on my shoulders. But that's not true. Christ came to earth, he died for us, and he lives so that we might live. Through him every burden can be eased, every illness taken away, and even the darkest nights will end with a glorious sunrise.
Lotsa love and hope everyone there is well.
ps- I'd really appreciate it if you could include a date when you send me a dear elder, otherwise I have no way of knowing when it was sent to me. Love ya!
This week has been really hard. Though I suppose I shouldn't really complain. Having difficult weeks is a fact of missionary work. The most difficult thing is that the 7 investigators we had with baptismal dates no longer have baptismal dates.
Having weeks like this really wears you down. It's interesting how you can be physically, mentally, and emotionally worn out all at the same time. Especially since all you are really doing is walking from empty house to empty house.
The week was not without it's highlights though. We visited some previous investigators who were more than eager to listen to us again. The wife even told us she had been praying we would come back. We also got permission to go to this super huge mall in the neighboring zone to buy some supplies for our new house. We still are living out of suitcases, but it's starting to look more like a functioning household.
Life is difficult- but we can look for all the simple little miracles that fill each day. They are harder to find on some days, but they are always there.
ANOTHER THOUGHT
This week's reading took me through 3rd Nephi, one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. The thing that stuck out to me most was chapters 8-10. These are the chapters just prior to Christ's Coming. The world is filled with storms and earthquakes as a sign of Christ's death. After the storms, the people experience 3 days of darkness. The scriptures describe it as a veil of darkness that pressed upon them. The people could literally feel the weight of it. I tried to imagine what it might have been like for the world to feel so dark and hopeless. I think many of them probably wondered if the light would ever come back, or if they were just doomed to a world of darkness forever.
But Christ came, he spoke to them with words of peace and comfort. Through his power, the darkness dispersed and the weight went away. He came to them and healed them and comforted them after they experienced so much.
Sometimes in life, we go through really tough trials. Sometimes we feel the weight of it is too much. Often, I've felt like the things I'm going through have lasted so long and that they will never end. I wonder if I'll have to live the rest of my life with the pressure of that problem on my shoulders. But that's not true. Christ came to earth, he died for us, and he lives so that we might live. Through him every burden can be eased, every illness taken away, and even the darkest nights will end with a glorious sunrise.
Lotsa love and hope everyone there is well.
ps- I'd really appreciate it if you could include a date when you send me a dear elder, otherwise I have no way of knowing when it was sent to me. Love ya!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Some days are hard...
January 30, 2011
...but all days are worth it. Some times you walk all over Jaro and don't find a single person home, but the strangers on the street still wave and some even listen to your message when you offer it. I'm not sure what makes this work so much fun despite the exhaustion, rejection, and what not- but it is.
This will probably be short, I have less time than I thought.
Guess what! we moved this week.... no joke.
So- We received a text on Tuesday letting us know that we were moving. So- Thursday night we packed up and Friday morning we moved. It was really fun, and really cool how we are able to move so quickly from one place to another. The new house is really nice. It's a house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It's still in the process of becoming a decent living space, but it should be really nice once everything is organized. The biggest problem is that the previous apartment was partially furnished, so we don't really have any furniture. We do have mattresses though, and the bed frames are supposed to be delivered this afternoon!
Other exciting things that happened this week include interview with the mission president, a service project in an investigators fields pulling weeds, and getting sick. But have no worries- I am already getting better and today is p-day anyways, so I don't need to be topnotch till tomorrow.
Just a quick note to all of you- I miss you all so much. There is nothing greater than sharing the gospel with the whole world, but there are days when all your investigators cancel, your feet ache, and you've run to the end of your rope. These sort of days leave me really missing hugs from family, fresh baked rolls, and the ability to call and talk to whomever I wish. I'm glad that these things will all be waiting for me when I get home. Until then- I hope you are able to see the blessings from God in your lives as much as I can in mine. He's really given us so much.
This is really all I have time for, love you lots and hope this week goes well for you all.
Palangga Ko Kamo!
...but all days are worth it. Some times you walk all over Jaro and don't find a single person home, but the strangers on the street still wave and some even listen to your message when you offer it. I'm not sure what makes this work so much fun despite the exhaustion, rejection, and what not- but it is.
This will probably be short, I have less time than I thought.
Guess what! we moved this week.... no joke.
So- We received a text on Tuesday letting us know that we were moving. So- Thursday night we packed up and Friday morning we moved. It was really fun, and really cool how we are able to move so quickly from one place to another. The new house is really nice. It's a house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It's still in the process of becoming a decent living space, but it should be really nice once everything is organized. The biggest problem is that the previous apartment was partially furnished, so we don't really have any furniture. We do have mattresses though, and the bed frames are supposed to be delivered this afternoon!
Other exciting things that happened this week include interview with the mission president, a service project in an investigators fields pulling weeds, and getting sick. But have no worries- I am already getting better and today is p-day anyways, so I don't need to be topnotch till tomorrow.
Just a quick note to all of you- I miss you all so much. There is nothing greater than sharing the gospel with the whole world, but there are days when all your investigators cancel, your feet ache, and you've run to the end of your rope. These sort of days leave me really missing hugs from family, fresh baked rolls, and the ability to call and talk to whomever I wish. I'm glad that these things will all be waiting for me when I get home. Until then- I hope you are able to see the blessings from God in your lives as much as I can in mine. He's really given us so much.
This is really all I have time for, love you lots and hope this week goes well for you all.
Palangga Ko Kamo!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Bites, Bruises, Sore Eyes, and Hyper-acidity
January 23, 2011
This weeks been... really fun! Between all the teaching, talking, studying, practicing Hiligaynon, and occasional sleep, my companion and I... read the title of the post again and you might have some idea.
It started with my companion getting a really bad stomach ache which we think was caused by hyper-acidity. We had to come home early that day to make sure she had time to get better. She's doing great now, and for this I'm really glad. When I first realized that the new-be was in charge I was a little worried. But we got home safely and I know enough about life to figure out how to call the mission presidents wife, text the other sisters in the apartment to get medicine, and text the district leader to let him know what was happening. It was the first time I was totally in charge and I didn't even need to know Hiligaynon to survive.
After that, the bugs once again decided they like the way I taste enough to eat me through the bug repellent. I have another beautiful collection of itchy red dots on my legs. The Philippine bugs love me as much as the Philippinos do.
Then it was my companions turn again. Her eyes started to hurt her really bad and we are concerned she might have sore-eye, the philippine term for pink-eye. If she does- she has to stay home till it's gone and I'll be expected to find ward members to work with, then I'll really be in charge. I'm just praying she's okay.
Finally- I woke up yesterday morning and managed to bang my back on the bunk bed. The bruise is a wonderful shade of purple, I'm just glad it's in a place no one can see it.
So- that's was our exciting week. We managed to keep busy between all the injuries and illnesses and still got a lot of missionary work done. I really love our investigators. I'm so excited for them to get baptized, but I'm sad too because then we don't get to visit them every other day any more. But, we can find new investigators who are hopefully just as wonderful. I feel so blessed to be here and meet these people. They might think that I'm beautiful because of my pale skin and gold hair, I just wish they could see themselves through my eyes. These are people worth meeting, worth talking to, listening to. I can't wait until I really can understand their stories because they are amazing. Some of these people own less than I have with me in my two suitcases, yet their smiles shine through the rainiest days.
I'm trying to use more Hiligaynon in my every day language so that I get more comfortable using it. So far- I'm pretending it's helping, I don't really know. This week has been long and busy. However, I'm pretty sure that is what every week will feel like until I go home.
The work however has been wonderful... mostly. This week was a little depressing in that we had all of our members who were planning on working with us cancel. We also visited several empty houses, had 2 investigators tell us they weren't interested any more, and lots of people not come to church who said they would. This last statistic is due to the festival which was this weekend. Even some of the members went to it instead of church. But on the brighter side, we have 4 new investigators, 2 or which are actually the spouses of other investigators who decided they want to listen too, teaching couples is so exciting. It's so wonderful to know of the blessings that they will receive by continuing to listen to the lessons and eventually going to the temple.
Well, that's the general gist of the week- sorry this isn't as long as normal. To be honest, I've been so busy I just don't remember it all!
This weeks been... really fun! Between all the teaching, talking, studying, practicing Hiligaynon, and occasional sleep, my companion and I... read the title of the post again and you might have some idea.
It started with my companion getting a really bad stomach ache which we think was caused by hyper-acidity. We had to come home early that day to make sure she had time to get better. She's doing great now, and for this I'm really glad. When I first realized that the new-be was in charge I was a little worried. But we got home safely and I know enough about life to figure out how to call the mission presidents wife, text the other sisters in the apartment to get medicine, and text the district leader to let him know what was happening. It was the first time I was totally in charge and I didn't even need to know Hiligaynon to survive.
After that, the bugs once again decided they like the way I taste enough to eat me through the bug repellent. I have another beautiful collection of itchy red dots on my legs. The Philippine bugs love me as much as the Philippinos do.
Then it was my companions turn again. Her eyes started to hurt her really bad and we are concerned she might have sore-eye, the philippine term for pink-eye. If she does- she has to stay home till it's gone and I'll be expected to find ward members to work with, then I'll really be in charge. I'm just praying she's okay.
Finally- I woke up yesterday morning and managed to bang my back on the bunk bed. The bruise is a wonderful shade of purple, I'm just glad it's in a place no one can see it.
So- that's was our exciting week. We managed to keep busy between all the injuries and illnesses and still got a lot of missionary work done. I really love our investigators. I'm so excited for them to get baptized, but I'm sad too because then we don't get to visit them every other day any more. But, we can find new investigators who are hopefully just as wonderful. I feel so blessed to be here and meet these people. They might think that I'm beautiful because of my pale skin and gold hair, I just wish they could see themselves through my eyes. These are people worth meeting, worth talking to, listening to. I can't wait until I really can understand their stories because they are amazing. Some of these people own less than I have with me in my two suitcases, yet their smiles shine through the rainiest days.
I'm trying to use more Hiligaynon in my every day language so that I get more comfortable using it. So far- I'm pretending it's helping, I don't really know. This week has been long and busy. However, I'm pretty sure that is what every week will feel like until I go home.
The work however has been wonderful... mostly. This week was a little depressing in that we had all of our members who were planning on working with us cancel. We also visited several empty houses, had 2 investigators tell us they weren't interested any more, and lots of people not come to church who said they would. This last statistic is due to the festival which was this weekend. Even some of the members went to it instead of church. But on the brighter side, we have 4 new investigators, 2 or which are actually the spouses of other investigators who decided they want to listen too, teaching couples is so exciting. It's so wonderful to know of the blessings that they will receive by continuing to listen to the lessons and eventually going to the temple.
Well, that's the general gist of the week- sorry this isn't as long as normal. To be honest, I've been so busy I just don't remember it all!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Another week in the Philippines
January 17, 2011
A few quick stories I wanted to share about this week.
Family Home Evening: This week we had FHE with one of our investigators. Another family from the ward joined us and gave us a ride there on their tricycle. Now, a philippino tricycle is very different than an american one. It is essentially a motorcycle with a very large side car. (Large enough that I've seen as many as 14 or 15 people on one sometimes). Not to long after we climbed on and started to drive it started to rain. I gotta say- riding in the side car of a motorcycle in the rain is a pretty exciting experience. The rain was fairly light, so I didn't get to wet. It was nearly as exciting as riding through a storm in an open top jeep, but it still wins in overall awesomeness because it's in the Philippines (shout out to Evan, Evan, and Chris!)
Later this week my companion went to a training meeting so that she could better know how to train me. While she was gone I spent my time with the other companionship in my apartment and was able to see their area. I discovered it was incredibly different from mine. My area is incredibly muddy, and I assumed this was just what the Philippines was like- lotsa rain, lotsa mud. Their area was more in the city, so most places had paved roads leading up to them. I also got to show them around my area a little. The best part about this was seeing their reactions to the mud. As we nearly lost shoes in the mud, slipped, almost fell over, got stuck, and crossed a large flooded field on a make shift bamboo bridge I learned just how unique these experiences really are. One of the missionaries I was with is less than 3 months away from going home. I definitely did not expect to show her anything she had not experienced already, but she seemed to really enjoy being introduced to a new idea of what the Philippines is like through the sister who has only been here 2 and a half weeks.
I wish everyone had a chance to serve a mission in the Philippines, or at least a chance to be here interacting with the people and really understanding how they live. Being a missionary really is one of the greatest things I could have hoped for. It's difficult- I've never done anything harder- but it's worth it.
This morning I voiced some concerns I've had with the language and missionary work in general. I received some very helpful advice in return. I can't recall exactly what was said- but the person I spoke with related real life to physics, which of course went straight to my heart. For every force there is an equal and opposite force. Previously, I kept thinking that the harder I worked, the easier things would get. I'm not sure where I came up with this idea, but somehow it was there in my head. I convinced myself I must not be working hard enough because everything was still to difficult. This simple physics law set my mind straight. No matter how hard I push, I will feel a force pushing back on me. The harder I push, the harder that backwards force will be. There is someone here who knows the great things I will do and is trying to keep me from doing them. He doesn't want me here. The harder I work, the more he will fight against me. Working harder will not make anything feel easier. It only feels easier to those who aren't pushing very hard, and they won't get very far.
I'm here to do the Lord's work, to push his purpose forward. Of course I will experience resistance, but Christ will help me through. I am here for him. He has not called me to fail.
A few quick stories I wanted to share about this week.
Family Home Evening: This week we had FHE with one of our investigators. Another family from the ward joined us and gave us a ride there on their tricycle. Now, a philippino tricycle is very different than an american one. It is essentially a motorcycle with a very large side car. (Large enough that I've seen as many as 14 or 15 people on one sometimes). Not to long after we climbed on and started to drive it started to rain. I gotta say- riding in the side car of a motorcycle in the rain is a pretty exciting experience. The rain was fairly light, so I didn't get to wet. It was nearly as exciting as riding through a storm in an open top jeep, but it still wins in overall awesomeness because it's in the Philippines (shout out to Evan, Evan, and Chris!)
Later this week my companion went to a training meeting so that she could better know how to train me. While she was gone I spent my time with the other companionship in my apartment and was able to see their area. I discovered it was incredibly different from mine. My area is incredibly muddy, and I assumed this was just what the Philippines was like- lotsa rain, lotsa mud. Their area was more in the city, so most places had paved roads leading up to them. I also got to show them around my area a little. The best part about this was seeing their reactions to the mud. As we nearly lost shoes in the mud, slipped, almost fell over, got stuck, and crossed a large flooded field on a make shift bamboo bridge I learned just how unique these experiences really are. One of the missionaries I was with is less than 3 months away from going home. I definitely did not expect to show her anything she had not experienced already, but she seemed to really enjoy being introduced to a new idea of what the Philippines is like through the sister who has only been here 2 and a half weeks.
I wish everyone had a chance to serve a mission in the Philippines, or at least a chance to be here interacting with the people and really understanding how they live. Being a missionary really is one of the greatest things I could have hoped for. It's difficult- I've never done anything harder- but it's worth it.
This morning I voiced some concerns I've had with the language and missionary work in general. I received some very helpful advice in return. I can't recall exactly what was said- but the person I spoke with related real life to physics, which of course went straight to my heart. For every force there is an equal and opposite force. Previously, I kept thinking that the harder I worked, the easier things would get. I'm not sure where I came up with this idea, but somehow it was there in my head. I convinced myself I must not be working hard enough because everything was still to difficult. This simple physics law set my mind straight. No matter how hard I push, I will feel a force pushing back on me. The harder I push, the harder that backwards force will be. There is someone here who knows the great things I will do and is trying to keep me from doing them. He doesn't want me here. The harder I work, the more he will fight against me. Working harder will not make anything feel easier. It only feels easier to those who aren't pushing very hard, and they won't get very far.
I'm here to do the Lord's work, to push his purpose forward. Of course I will experience resistance, but Christ will help me through. I am here for him. He has not called me to fail.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Additional Info
Hey this is Elora's Mom and here are a few items from our email I would like to share with you. From her first email from the Phillipines:
"First- I just want to let you know that I am in the philippines and I am still alive. 2nd- no freaking out allowed- somewhere between salt lake and manila one of my suitcases went missing, this happens to be the suitcase with most of my clothing in it. theoretically- it'll show up sometime in the near future. And fortunately one of the sisters in our apartment is about the same size and she is letting me borrow some of her clothes.
This week has been way stressful. I've lost my luggage, I don't know this language (literally, they don't speak Tagalog they speak Hiligayon, or hilikayon, I'm not sure how it's spelled), my trainer has only been in the field 3 months and really feels like she's inadequate for what she has been asked to do (and she's this adorable 5 foot Filipina who cooks amazing food, apparently she was originally terrified of having an american companion because she thought I wouldn't want to eat philippino food). but I'm doing good. stressed, but good. I know the lord is looking out for me and I know that somehow I will eventually know this language, I'm just not sure how long that will take."
I got this email the next day:
"I've just been informed that my luggage has been found and will be delivered to me this evening (it's not yet 6 pm here- monday night, if I'm doing the math right, I think it's sometime fairly early in the morning there) hopefully- all my stuff is still in it, I'm assuming it will be."
This means she was 6 days without her luggage!
This is part of the email I got this morning:
"The bugs here seem to like the taste of my blood, the American sister in my apartment recommended having you buy "oderless garlic" pills, it helps you naturally repel bugs, if you could buy those (if they aren't to pricey) and send them to me as soon as possible, it would be really really nice, I'm quickly getting tired of itchy legs. also- whenever you get around to sending me a package, include kit kats, please."
I guess the insect repellent she took with her isn't working!
"First- I just want to let you know that I am in the philippines and I am still alive. 2nd- no freaking out allowed- somewhere between salt lake and manila one of my suitcases went missing, this happens to be the suitcase with most of my clothing in it. theoretically- it'll show up sometime in the near future. And fortunately one of the sisters in our apartment is about the same size and she is letting me borrow some of her clothes.
This week has been way stressful. I've lost my luggage, I don't know this language (literally, they don't speak Tagalog they speak Hiligayon, or hilikayon, I'm not sure how it's spelled), my trainer has only been in the field 3 months and really feels like she's inadequate for what she has been asked to do (and she's this adorable 5 foot Filipina who cooks amazing food, apparently she was originally terrified of having an american companion because she thought I wouldn't want to eat philippino food). but I'm doing good. stressed, but good. I know the lord is looking out for me and I know that somehow I will eventually know this language, I'm just not sure how long that will take."
I got this email the next day:
"I've just been informed that my luggage has been found and will be delivered to me this evening (it's not yet 6 pm here- monday night, if I'm doing the math right, I think it's sometime fairly early in the morning there) hopefully- all my stuff is still in it, I'm assuming it will be."
This means she was 6 days without her luggage!
This is part of the email I got this morning:
"The bugs here seem to like the taste of my blood, the American sister in my apartment recommended having you buy "oderless garlic" pills, it helps you naturally repel bugs, if you could buy those (if they aren't to pricey) and send them to me as soon as possible, it would be really really nice, I'm quickly getting tired of itchy legs. also- whenever you get around to sending me a package, include kit kats, please."
I guess the insect repellent she took with her isn't working!
Dear Family "Gwapa Ka"
January 10,2011
so- the philippines has continued to be a beautiful place. It rains nearly every day, I've gotten stuck in the mud-literally- several times, and I don't know this language at all, but It has been so much fun regardless of this. we have wonderful investigators, I have a great companion, and the spirit of the lord is with us in all that we do.
It's difficult to give a specific experience that happened this week. The main reason for this is that i don't speak this language so I really never quite know what is going on. Despite this, One of my favorite experiences of this past week has been teaching Sister Jennifer. She told us the other day when we checked if she did the reading that we didn't need to ask any more. She said she would always be more than glad to read whatever we asked her to. We are having FHE with her and her family later tonight, I'm really looking forward to it.
The Philippines in general is filled with daily adventures. I've been chased by a goose, caught in the rain, and called Kana more times than I can count. This is my unofficial nickname from the children, it's short for Americana, a female American (the k is intentional, there is no c in their alphabet). the Filipino people really love white people. For the women of the family, if you ever need a self-confidence boost, come to the Philippines and be aware of the fact that "Gwapa Ka" means you're beautiful. I get it from people of all ages and genders. They are amazed by my pale skin, light curly hair, and especially my freckles. My companion has had several people ask her what happened to my arms to cause them to have spots, and sometimes the little children try to see if they can rub them off.
Well, I'll send you another update next Monday, hopefully by then I'll be able to tell you at least a little of what is going on around me and in our lessons. I really want to learn this language as fast as I can so I can talk to everyone I see. But, alas, I have to have patience with myself. I guess I can't really expect to learn a language in 1 week.
Palangga ko Kamo (I love you all)
so- the philippines has continued to be a beautiful place. It rains nearly every day, I've gotten stuck in the mud-literally- several times, and I don't know this language at all, but It has been so much fun regardless of this. we have wonderful investigators, I have a great companion, and the spirit of the lord is with us in all that we do.
It's difficult to give a specific experience that happened this week. The main reason for this is that i don't speak this language so I really never quite know what is going on. Despite this, One of my favorite experiences of this past week has been teaching Sister Jennifer. She told us the other day when we checked if she did the reading that we didn't need to ask any more. She said she would always be more than glad to read whatever we asked her to. We are having FHE with her and her family later tonight, I'm really looking forward to it.
The Philippines in general is filled with daily adventures. I've been chased by a goose, caught in the rain, and called Kana more times than I can count. This is my unofficial nickname from the children, it's short for Americana, a female American (the k is intentional, there is no c in their alphabet). the Filipino people really love white people. For the women of the family, if you ever need a self-confidence boost, come to the Philippines and be aware of the fact that "Gwapa Ka" means you're beautiful. I get it from people of all ages and genders. They are amazed by my pale skin, light curly hair, and especially my freckles. My companion has had several people ask her what happened to my arms to cause them to have spots, and sometimes the little children try to see if they can rub them off.
Well, I'll send you another update next Monday, hopefully by then I'll be able to tell you at least a little of what is going on around me and in our lessons. I really want to learn this language as fast as I can so I can talk to everyone I see. But, alas, I have to have patience with myself. I guess I can't really expect to learn a language in 1 week.
Palangga ko Kamo (I love you all)
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