So this week was another awesome, fun, culture filled week in the Philippines. I am loving it here more and more every day!
Also, I am getting better at understanding Tagalog and am starting to get used to some of the differences in culture. For example, to say yes here Filipinos will raise their eyebrows, instead of nodding their head. Additionally, I can now cross the street without Sister Villa having to grab my arm the whole way. People just cross wherever here, so it is always fun trying to weave your way through all the traffic.
Here in the Philippines, we ride what is called a tricy everywhere. They are like the "taxis" of the Philippines. They are basically a motercycle with a side car attached. This week, there were six sister missionaries from the Goa area headed to Naga for a Sister Training Conference. We all went together so all six of us crammed into the tricy. Two in the cart, two on the back and two on the motorcycle with the driver. I FINALLY got to ride on the motorcycle and it was so fun! The only problem is, they are really not built for people my height so I had to duck the whole time, lol. Oh well, it was still really fun :)
It is gorgeous here. Every turn, twist, bend and path is gorgeous!
The mountains are nice and the view is always spectacular.
It is usually pretty hot here, and getting hotter, but it can get a little cool whenever it rains. I love the rain here because even when it is pouring, it is always straight down. So, you can always stay pretty dry with an umbrella.
I've learned, changed and grown so much this week. I also feel like I am getting an appreciation for my life back home more and more every day. I was talking to Sister Villa, my companion, and she was telling me about how hard she worked to earn the money to come on a mission. In the Philippines, it is 1800 pessos to come, which is roughly about 40 US dollars. I was shocked to hear the comparison and it put even more into perspective. Many people here cannot afford missions, I could have paid for the entire mission of a Filippino in half a day of work. It is so crazy! And Sister Stockhouse (my american roomate) and I were talking and she told me it was a shock for her to realize that a homeless man in America has more than the average Filippino here.
I always see people washing and doing laundry in the dirty lakes, wearing holey clothes, or with missing teeth because no one has enough here. Last week, we taught a lesson to a lady who broke down crying because her child is sick and she has no money to go make sure they are okay. I felt so bad. I have seen disabled children whose parents can't afford to help them, people living in what you can barely call a hut,
old ladies begging for money because they have denge fever and can't afford to treat it, and families offering to share their rice when they hardly have enough to meet their own needs. It is really sad and very hard to watch. I wish I could do more.
Additionally, despite all these people's problems, they are so loving and humble! It is amazing! They are all so kind, nice and willing to listen. They are patient with me learning Tagalog and always happy to get to know us. I love it. After talking to Sister Stockhouse (my American roommate), I agree when she says that American/other missionaries can have cars, nice houses, washing machines, flushing toilets, no spiders and cockroaches, I am so grateful I get to be serving these people. They truly are amazing.
Last Tuesday we taught Brother Emmanual (a born again Christian). During the lesson, he shared stories with us about how he came to have faith in Christ that were so touching, I almost cried. After the lesson though, he told us that next time would be the last. As he put it, we are really strong in our faith and he is really strong in his, so he doesn't think the discussions are going anywhere. I was so sad to hear him say that. Emmanuel is so amazing and I have so much respect for him! In these past few weeks teaching him, I have learned so much and really come to care for him. We still have one lesson, so I told him how important it is that he reads a chapter of the Book of Mormon before, and asks if it is true.
Before coming to the Philippines, I thought that the weather, the houses, hand-washing laundry, the bugs and the food would be the hardest part. But now that I am here, I realize how wrong I was. The hardest and best part of the mission are the people. As I said earlier, I am already coming to love them so much, and it is so hard to know how best to help each individual. I really REALLY want the best for these people, and it is hard watching the people you care about turn you away or say they have had enough.
On a brighter note, Sister Villa and I have also had a lot of successes this week.
We taught a lot of lessons, met a lot of really cool people and had some fun experiences. We were walking down the street on Wednsday night when a man shouted at us that we were beautiful. Sister Villa and I laughed so much! Also, someone asked me to marry them while I was walking down the street and I always have tons of kids following me around with huge eyes yelling "American! American!" It is really fun :)
Additionally, I got to eat balut again this week.
And this time there was an entire chick inside! Feathers, beak and bones. I was a little hesitant to try it, but it was actually pretty tasty. It was still soft, not crunchy like I had expected. I've been surprised at how good the food is here!
My favorite thing here to eat is definitely fried chicken and spaghetti.
The spaghetti here is sweet, so it is really good! But I think my all time favorites are gram cake and mango sago. So tasty! It is basically a tasty pudding with mango and jello balls.
Finally, we killed a rat this week! So about rats... they are all over our house! One pooped on Sister Stockhouses bed last week, I am always finding rat poop on my desk and we have seen them in the kitchen. Sister Villa called me to the bathroom last Wednesday because a rat had fallen asleep in our trash. So... super scared, I grabbed the trash bag and we tied it up. After that, we got rid of it. It was gross, but I am happy that there is one less rat in our bahay.
TAGALOG
I think the language is still the most frustrating part of being here. I know I am improving. I can now usually teach (mostly) in Tagalog with no problems, as long as the ideas are simple. And I can understand main ideas and simple phrases when people talk. Here, a normal greeting is to ask someone where they are going or coming from if you see them on the street. Also, it is not rude to ask peoples age here and it is not an insult to call someone fat, so I am getting really good at asking where people are coming from and going on the street.
I know everything comes in the Lord's timing and if I keep woring hard, I will learn Tagalog. I just need to learn to be patient until I get to that point :)
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT
I think for my spiritual thought I am going to share what I have been sharing with most people this week: The Book of Mormon is true. I know that with all my heart. I know if a person decides to take the time to read it, they will feel in their hearts and their minds that it is the word of God. I know it is. I don't know how many times I have testified of that this week, because I know that through that Book, people can find lasting happiness and joy in this life and for Eternity. As it says in 3 Nephi 12:16 "let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." That light is Christ. And by gaining a testimony and a love of him, we become capable of holding that light of peace, light of joy, light of happiness, light of CHRIST before the world for all to see. The Book of Mormon is another Testiment of Christ, and through it, we can gain a stronger testimony in and love of him.
I know The Book of Mormon is true, I could shout it day and night, but I know that it wouldn't make a difference. Each person must read the Book for themselves and pray to know if it is true. I know that if they do this, they will receive an answer.
To finish, I want to share a video clip with Elder Holland's testimony on the Book of Mormon:
I love you all, I love getting emails from you and hearing about how everyone's lives back home and on missions are going. I don't always have time to respond, but I always read them :)
Anyways, happy holidays! And I can't wait to write again next week
-Sincerely, Sister Matheny
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