Afternoon folks.
So this week has been pretty good. We spent most of it in training actually. We had training from Thursday morning until Friday night. Then Saturday night was crazy. Because we got soooooo freakin stuffed. The Catantan Family in our ward just pounded food on our plate. I ate until I was full and then ate some more. There was fish (isda), lentil soup (monggos), lumpia (...lumpia) and a bunch of rice. I chowed. It was so good and then as if that wasn't enough they busted out some ice cream and FORCED US to eat ice cream. FORCED us. I swear.
But it was nothing compared to Sunday night.
We went over to our bishop's house for Family Home Evening which was crazy. They did it all in English. It's weird. I've gotten to the point where in a Filipino setting I prefer to speak Visayan rather than English. Its just more comfortable. I feel very out of place. Even if everyone around me is speaking English. They had me share a story about unity and I told the story of the Gadianton Robbers trying to kill the Nephites but Lachoneus had them united in the city so nobody was killed. It was good. So then we finished and (by the way, our bishop has a monster Samsung Flat Screen) then we sat down for dinner. Everything on the table was covered with tin foil. Sister Ramirez uncovered the first thing. Fish. Okay. Plausible. Second. Rice. Didn't take a genius to guess. And then three--spaghetti. Now let me first tell you that Filipinos love spaghetti. But not good spaghetti. The spaghetti here is sweet and has hot dogs in it and its just gross. So I picked some up and put it on my plate. It was not sweet. It was legit Italian spaghetti. Then she uncovered the next dish. Salad. I almost dropped out of my chair. I haven't had salad since the MTC! Then grapes. I haven't had grapes since home! And then oranges. Home as well! I ate. and ate....and ate....and ate... I ate more than I have eaten since....I don't know. They were amazed. They just kept telling me to eat more and adding more. So then I finish. I'm looking like a balloon. I'm sure. Then Sister Ramirez says its time for desert and pulls out another pan. She pulls off the tin foil and its some kind of yellow thing. Like brownies but not. She cuts me a block and you'll never guess what it was........it was sweet potato pie. My favorite. But Verna is the only one I know who knows how to make it! When I told her that we have that in America
So then on Monday was had another Family Home Evening at the Salde home. It was great because it was this middle age member, Sister Salde, her grandkids who were recently baptized, their friends who were recently baptized and THEIR friends who were either not baptized or not 8 yet. It was packed. Almost 15 kids. And then one of the dads came over too. You would have cried Mom. Usually everyone sings Love at Home as the opening song for Family Home Evening. But the kids were BEGGING us to let them sing I Know That My Redeemer Lives. 15 Primary kids. So we sang it. Those kids sang so loud. Even the nonmembers who had never been to church were singing. LOUD. I have it on camera. Sister Salde got kind of emotional. Here was a bunch of kids. Some of them were only 8 or 9 and the only members in their family. But here they were--singing at the top of their lungs that they KNOW that their Redeemer lives. It was great. Then Elder Atanacio taught about prayer and then I led the game 'Gubat! Gubat!' ( War! War!) which they loved. So we finished the game and I asked what song they wanted to sing. I was expecting Familie Can Be Together Forever. But they wanted to sing Come Follow Me. So we sang that one too. It was great. Christ would have loved it.
Then yesterday we just did lots of tracting. So not so eventful outside of the lessons that we have taught so far this week and the great Family Home Evenings. I love Family Home Evening. Its a great missionary opportunity.
So Greg! You know, I knew about Shay a long time ago. At least I think so. You'll have to let me know Greg. (You better be reading this) Thats awesome! I was expecting to be home before he got married. Dang. Can't win them all I guess. Sweet. That means next year I'm the most eligible bachelor in the family. Score.
Dad. Holy cow. I was just salivating reading about RPM. We are going when I get home. I was reading that story about the crash and was just imagining the two of them glancing back and forth at each other just daring the other to back down...dumb. Props to Ben for giving it to the old guys. Nice work Ben.
So if anyone is wondering what they could send in a Christmas package, I always am down for old polyester neckties. If you think its ugly, its probably amazing. When in doubt, its awesome.
Love you all,
