fog, eating laing, & prep for holy week

look at this wonderful place. i have like a million pics of this view 

but i can't stop, i never get tired of taking pics of it! 

Hello! It's pday again what the heck. Where does the time go? 

This week was good, at the start of it it rained (halelu!) and it was super foggy, it looked like all of the clouds fell out of the sky and were rolling down the mountains. It was dreary and foggy and I felt like it was seeping into my ears to my brain because it felt all foggy in there too. Same places, same short cuts, same rejection, same same same everything. I was just feeling super, blah. Like I was making no difference, just sort of in a funk. We walked to Bahay for what feels like the millionth time, got lots of spiderwebs in my face yet again and I don't even flinch when bugs hit me anymore. The only difference what felt like in that whole day was I lost my grey cardigan somewhere in the dark on the way home :( kawawa. theres no getting it back now! Good thing the next day was zone conference which snapped me out of my fog! Whoo hoo I felt so pumped after that thing! 

me and sis s, one of the last american sisters, after 

she leaves next week there will only be 3 of us left 

Guess what!!!! We watched Meet the Mormons! President is the coolest and let us see it :D:D:D I felt so involved in the movie, it was like the best movie I've ever seen in my life, I cried, laughed, got like 100% into it. and its like, a documentary. What is the real world like again? Anyways I wish I could watch it again, it was like the best thing ever! 

They announced the Because He Lives initiative, we are carrying around our dvd player and showing the tagalog version of the video to people for oyms and stuff. Man the church is so cool!  We also give out little cards with the Because He Lives thing on it. Its been fun to go around talking to people about Jesus' resurrection, not just his suffering on the cross. It's like, all the people's minds cut off after the Crucifixion, rarely do they remember the Resurrection. Its been odd talking to them because they know so much about his life and death but hardly anything about his life again and what it means for all of us. 

Anyways. what else. Oh yes, trying to plan a wedding yet again for our investigators so they can start living the law of chastity and start getting ready for baptism. Such a long process. They say as missionaries here we plan more weddings than baptisms haha :)  

Baptism

Actually we did have a baptism this Saturday, for the kids we have been teaching! Finally! They are sooo crazy and insane I can't believe we made it to the end of the lessons alive. Up until the ceremony we were stressing that the priesthood holders would come, that there would be water, that the kids would actually come, all that. We got there at the start and there was a ping pong table up and the tank was still filling, no ward mission leader, anyways we did some chair setting up and cleaning, had to go find baptismal clothes small enough but there were only two...so after the 2 girls went (one girl was already a member) we took the wet suits and gave em to the boys. All 3 adults that came spoke and said prayers and stuff, good thing a priest was there too to witness and another guy to baptize. Good thing the kids came, but not their dad, he was working in the rice field and couldn't come. Just the kids, came on their own to their baptism happy as ever. Anyways after lots of stress and telling them to sit and stop running around and getting everything into order they were finally baptized. whoow! Now its just all the new member lessons haha :)

magaaaandaaang areaaa!~ 

What else, we had exchanges this week with our kabahay the STL's- I was with Sis Marzan! She's so nice I love that sister. It was so nice to work in an area other than mine and just sort of take the back seat as we went to appointments. I actually got to teach! It was so nice! It had been so long since I'd taught temples and marriage haha :) It was fun!

It's graduation time over here, everyone is having parties (no matter what grade you are, if you can afford it you have a party) so it means lots of spaghetti and lots of videoke. Classic ppines for you. 

here's some corn we ate, yum.

This week we had a dinner appointment! I got to eat my favorite- laing!! Its so good! we actually made it the day before and so I had it for dinner, bfast, lunch, and then dinner again at the appointment haha :) I HAVE to find a way to make it when I come home.  You milk the coconut shavings and boil meat in the milk, then add gabi leaves and chilies and its just sooo goood. If there's a will theres a way!!! I crave it all the time!

Here's a little segment-"It's more fun in the ppines" for you: when our recent convert girl has to wait a year to start college because they are still fatting up the pig they are going to sell for her tuition. Mom, have we got a pig yet for Hannah's education fund? haha oh this place :)

oh here's another- I saw corn and cheese ice cream. Bleh! also I ate cantaloupe and chocolate swirl ice cream this week, yum! It's so funny, cheese is like a totally normal flavor for ice cream, like they don't even look twice. So weird.d.d.d.

Ok that's about all for the week! I hope the pics came through- I always have such a wrestle with this computer to get it to work and load and everything. 

Thank you for the prayers on my behalf! I love you love you love you family! 

ab matt liv, HAPPY BDAYY!!!!! I can't believe you are so so old! 14?? no wayy!! I am still 14!! Seriously feels like yesterday. I really can't believe you are that old already, I remember when you were all born! Wish I could celebrate the big day with you all and eat some cake! 
Love you guys and hope you have a wonderful wonderful bday :) You are the coolest little siblings ever and my best buddies! (ahem, you too Han :)) LOVE YOU!!!!

love sis mcg

catching a kambing