August 30th, 2008

“Lilipat Kayo!” That means you will move again -- the subject that is. I'm pretty impressed with myself, I will have been interviewed, set apart and now released by different stake presidents. I'm pretty sad that my poor car will be gone, lots of memories (thinking -- pondering -- done) and does that mean Savanna has actually taken my advice and decided to live in Provo with me? I bought some material today with the card so I can have our ward mission leader make me some skirts and pants -- if he does a good job I might do more because the material is SO cheap to buy here and they custom sew it! Anyway I'm pretty excited all the Elders have reallyfancy pants sewn for them so I figure I can get in with the action and get myself some good clothes -- some of my skirts are already starting to look a little shabbyfrom sitting in dirt and riding in trikes etc. What's funny is we are emailing super late so you probably didn't need to rush to get the mails off to me. I'm pretty anxious to hear more about how all this moving will go (and my things sitting there on that book shelf of mine, posters journals etc. I'm really sorry now I didn't pack them up better for you but yes please be nice to them :) it sounds like dad is moving up there to work before everyone else and funny as it is I actually had that very thought about buying Grandma and Grandpa's old house and it would be extremely funny -- going back to your roots! I want to hear how everyone is feeling about it, when will everyone else move, I guess that depends on when you get a house? I feel like I don't have much to say -- I wrote letters to the girls earlier and from what I wrote last week in emails and letters that you should be getting there just isn't much else. Mostly I have questions now but I guess I'llfind out at transfers (because that's the next time I will get mail from all of you). Transfers are September 12th now and I expect we will have one still but even if we don't those who go to transfers will bring back our mail. Last time they brought us mail it was my smallest amount yet, only one and from mom – Mom always pulls through for me :) I was also thinking about BYU -- I'm missing the reign of Max Hall, what a shame :) I was there for two amazing triumphs over Utah though so I'm pretty sure I can't complain. I mentioned BYU football starting at our last district meeting, last Wednesday and Elder Collins was pretty happy for me, that I like Football that is. Do you know who you plan to vote for? Maybe someone who can help the gas prices go down (do presidents have those powers?) They are high here also which means it costs us more to ride trikes and jeeps/busses if we travel far. The president here is a woman. I have noticed that women in the Philippines often take one the strong position while men are more easy going; they have a lot of female leadersand often their leaders are also actresses and actors. The most recent Philippines "myth" that I won't listen to is that if I wash my face at night I will go blind/get blurred vision -- I already can't shower at night ever without getting in trouble, I'm not going to stop washingmy face , haha. I will be working with Sister Abad tomorrow, we are doing an exchange which they allow once a transfer. Sister Abad is my same batch to go home and Sister Odo, my current companion, trained her. Sister Matapule is from Tonga and is a go home batch with Sister Odo so they want to work together also -- exchanges and zone conferences etc. are always a nice change of pace and to learn something from the way others do things. Alaiza was baptized Sunday. I don't know how much I've said about Alaiza. I will write more later I think but we've been teaching her the entire time I've been here. She is Olivia's age almost exactly and comes to church alone every week -- although her parents are members they aren't active at all. We had the baptism all ready and no here still so we went up to her house and she was not ready at all and didn't say much to us just looked at us with sad eyes kind of and went and changed then came back crying. Her father had gone to look for people to drive around, he's a driver and that's his work, her mother was washing clothes and wasn't going to come because she's ashamed to go to church or something -- they aren't much support to her and she was very upset she really wanted them to come. Her mother followed us there after waiting and we did the baptism. Michael baptized her. He is a recent convert, one year now I think and often helps us. He is the only member of his family also and wants to serve a mission but is a bit older now for boys and doesn't have much money to do it so he's frustrated. He did such a good job, he'd memorized it all perfect and I just felt really peaceful and calm, like a clarity of happiness as I watched and then I realized that feeling was the spirit now present and that's when my heart sped up a bit and tears came to my eyes for only a moment. The feelings of the spirit were the pure happiness the clarity of thought and the calmness throughout my body but recognizing that it was the spirit brought the rush; it was an interesting realization of how the spirit feels to me. Alaiza shared her testimony after and cried -- and so did her mother. She said she knows this is the church that will help her make her life better and it's Christ's Church and he lives. Well -- that's all for now I'll write again next week. Love - Britney