Dear Family: I have some questions that you have answered before possibly but I need to ask them again because they are either lost or I forgot, sorry. This type writer is fabulous... I have to really PUNCH every key for it to work.
1. What is the full name of the stake president so I can send his letter to him? Ummm, I actually can't think of any other questions... ha-ha... maybe later.
I'm pretty sad I won't get to see this fabulous play, it sounds like it's going to be pretty good. I like river rafting, don't so much like 17 year-old boys that pull you in but that's always a part of it, and I like 4-wheeling, and camping, and hiking. Then there is that other side of me that loves dance concerts and being refined to some degree and clean and dressed up... that part of me will come back one day after my mission, for now the camping side of me is useful :)
We will meet our new President this week, I'm sure he will have some great influence on my mission since he's in charge of it, but I wonder what the impression of yours implies :) Hmmmm, only time will tell as with most things. I don't have a lot of fabulous stories right now. It is just a slow and continual process of trying to have more patience in learning the language and getting used to new-ness of all things all the time and making slow but important changes to the way some things are done so that baptisms will happen! I printed some more pictures today that I can send you along with a hurried one we took so you can at least see the face of my new companion; we don't have many pictures yet though.
I will finally remember in my next letter to send you my card numbers so you can try to activate it so it will work at the ATM's because I really need to just get out some cash and use that... nothing major important but it would be simpler for a few things. Guess what we did for service the other day? We dug holes in the ground for the poles of someone’s new home since theirs was destroyed in the storm. I dug dirt out with half a coconut shell... amazing!
Here is something insane... at the end of this next month I will have been gone for half a year! That's so fast. Thirteen months still seems far away so I don't feel like it's all going TOO fast yet, but isn't it mean how life works. It will go slow until I feel comfortable speaking and then it will be gone! I was reading the Liahona in Tagalog yesterday during part of ward council (that was a-okay with everyone, no worries...their meetings aren't altogether formal to say the least) and it got me so excited about school and working with Church publishing. I don't know that it is something I will end up actually wanting to or even being able to do but just having for once an actual purpose for my studies really add to my desire to learn. I also really love language, we communicate a lot without it but I was in the book store getting myself a small Tagalog bible and saw some books/authors I love and remembered they existed and how much I love to read and write and although I love non-verbal communication through art and danceI LOVE language and learning a new one really helps you appreciate your own and how amazing language is. I also understand English better than I did before.
So, the Stake Pres said something in my blessing when he set me apart that I wonder about sometimes. It kind of scared me thinking about it that night after and still has me wondering in what way, dramatic or more subtle etc. that it will come about. But, he said that there will be times on my mission that I will feel like I cannot put another foot forward, take another step etc. but my strength will be in pulling others with me... anyway, that's the gist of it. I don't think I've experienced something where I just don't think I can keep going -- not everything is pleasant but it's all bearable.
Sometimes we get really set in a schedule and pattern of how things should go and will go and we visualize our future that same way to some degree... I feel as though I can picture what my next year of life will be in some way because we do the same basic things every day but really a lot of things I can't imagine or expect will happen and people will come into my life that I can't imagine yet it's just an odd thing to think about actually so this really isn't going anywhere, sorry :)
Well, I'm going to write some hand written letters now because I'm really behind and I don't have much to say in email, sorry. I'm glad your hot summer seems to be going well and I love you all too. Even though times are hard and won't get easier, but harder, we're awfully lucky to have the proper perspective and proper place for trust through the true gospel.
Love,
Sister Landrum
Monday, June 30, 2008
June 29th email
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Brit's 2nd area; Lucban
Legend has it that the town derived its name from Lucban or Pomelo fruit tree. Three hunters from Majayjay, Laguna named Marcos Tigla, Luis Gamba and Lucas Manawa came upon a plain at the northeast foot of Mount Banahaw after they lost their way following the trail of some wild game. Resting under a tree, they saw a black crow or "uwak" up on a tree, and believing this to be a bad omen, they moved to another location and rested once more. While resting under a large shady pomelo or lucban tree, the trio were attracted to a couple of kingfishers (salaksak) singing. Fascinated by the lovely rhythmic chirps of the birds, the supertitious hunters took the incident as a sign of good fortune and decided to settle in the place and named it "Lucban." The people of Lucban accepted the story as true. Marcos Tigla was the first gobernadorcillo in 1596, then Lucas Manawa took over the responsibility for four years. Today Lucban is a thriving community surrounded by its pristine environment and retaining its historic beauty.
Lucban celebrates the Pahiyas Festival every May 15 in honor of the patron saint of farmers, St. Isidore. This festival showcases a street of houses which are adorned with fruits, vegetables, agricultural products, handicrafts and kiping, a rice-made decoration, which afterwards can be eaten grilled or fried. The houses are judged and the best one is proclaimed the winner. Every year, tourists roam the municipality to witness the decoration of houses.
Brit's 1st area: Lemery
Monday, June 23, 2008
June 22nd email
Huwag Kayo Magalala means don't worry :) We did have a Typhooon...well actually it wasn't a typhoon where I am. They had a typhoon in the mission very far north of our mission and the sisters are sleeping in the chapel, exciting eh? We had a baguio which means lots of wind and rain. They have levels 1-5 or something and I think that measures the wind level. Here in my new area, Lucban we got to about level 2 during the night and didn't have electricity for a day and a half but no major damage. We till don't have power for cell phones or internet so right now we are in the area of the Elder's to email our families etc. I don't know how it is in Lemery, I hear it was worse there but the sisters are safe. Lemery is on the sea and it floods easily plus there are many homes there that would easily be destroyed so I'm a little worried about some of our members and investigators that I know will have suffered. My new area is in the mountains and not near the sea. It is COLD here...haha. I went from the hottest mission to the coldest and I'm sure my body has changed because you would probably not think it was cold, but I do know. We have to heatup our water before we shower so I heat up a pot of water while I eat, dump it in my bucket fill the rest up with the ice cold water and use that small amount to bathe...it's exciting. My new apartment isn't as new or nice as in Lemery. We have lots of cockroaches and mice but I spray the pemethrin frequently :) My first Sunday here was an interesting experience because of the storm. Nobody showed up at first so we only had two meetings in the end and about 30 at sacrament meeting. The bishop made me speak...not just share my testimony, haha. I think this area will make me STREEEEETCH myself. Sister Odo is my new companion and she knows deeper tagalog than Sister Mabalot did, she's also not as good at English and talks VERY fast so that will hopefully help me to learn faster. It's nice to have a start over with meeting people because when I met all the members in Lemery I didn't know how to say anything basically and didn't understand them...I was also very shy to try speaking if I knew it was wrong. I've been praying to be bold and just talk to people. It's hard to leave an area...especially so fast. We had a lot of upcoming baptisms and I finally felt comfortable, I'm once again lost but that's okay. This area is also not progressing as well although we seem to have more support from the leaders than we did in Lemery. As for helping the people here, we're actually told not to have our families send help, etc. for problems here. As we take care of things here you can focus on things at home. As for at home, the news doesn't make me very excited to return indeed...it sounds like nasty times to return to and try to finish school, find jobs and start a family in. It really will take strong youth to live faithfully through these upcoming times. Sister Odo's teaching skills are very good...it's interesting how you give and take with each different person. I may have mentioned my pondering about this before but it's interesting how it's both easier to be obedient and disobedient on your own, when not watched and also when not hindered by others. However, we can't be saved alone, we know that...and you must be together in a companionship of marriage to have eternal life so it's ultimately not good enough to be the best you can be, you have to also help someone else be just as good because you're only as good as the worse of the two, you have to do it all together. Thus, we can only save ourselves by saving someone else...everything comes down to some kind of service and even if it seems selfish it leads you to sacrifice and unselfish actions. I don't have much money here at the end of the month of money and after transfers because that takes extra money so I haven't printed pictures and probably can't send a letter this week. For sure I will next week...and I'll start writing them all now. Ay Pala! I received the package along with a lot of mail at transfers. Except, mom said in her letter that there were skirts in the package and there were not so maybe you sent two or I don't know what happened. I got pictures with your Tagalog phrases, they are cute... the only problem with them is grammar :) The plan of salvation props are great also, they are the same as Sister Mabalot's which were given to her by an American so that makes sense. I had another letter from Amanda and it sounds like she still hasn't received any of my letters... hopefully she'll get at least one of them soon and if not I'll try sending mail again next week, like I said before. Also, once again if you could give me the name of the stake president, you may have actually but I think I accidentally erased some of your emails, sorry. I'm kind of annoyed with myself for that. Hmmm... what else about Lucban, here it is less Americanized than Lemery was and the people seem to be a little better off... or there aren't any who struggle as much it's all kind of middle ground. It's also a little more how I think I imagined the Philippines, here in the mountain Jungle area and the Tagalog is very deep in this area and the culture is seen more, like for the old, you "bless"them by putting their hand on your forehead. Have I ever told you my fabulous idea? Well...if I ever end up getting married I want my gifts to be food storage supplies. It would be somewhat difficult to fully supply yourself with the proper food and safety storage right at the beginning of a marriage so if that's what you were given for your gifts it would be great! Before district meeting last week I read a little bit of John I don't spend a lot of time in the New Testament these days and as I read just a few chapters the Savior's life and ministry came alive to me again. It's amazing how all I have to do is read about it and I know it all happened. That faith for me has always simple and exists but sometimes I have to realize it again. I know that Christ lived, that his life was essential and central part of a great plan for all of us, the Father's accepted plan, that Christ also gave honor to his Father who sent him and in return the message of the Father to all of us is always of his son and to listen and follow him because he is the means provided for us to return to the Father and become like him obtaining all he has -- which is his Work and Glory, I know he lives even now and our lives should be spent in coming to understand the miracle of his sacrifice in our lives and learning to use it to its full extent while sacrificing all we are in return -- Romans 8: as we suffer with Christ we become Heirs with him, we fulfill our work just as he fulfilled his...doing all the Father asked of him. Well, I have to go now, bye. Love Britney
p.s. I'm sure there are many adventures to come in my mission but don't spend too much time worrying -- I probably won't tell you about them all now anyway just so you won't; and they will be great stories another day :)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Typhoon Fengshen
Sunday, June 15, 2008
June 15th email
So, first news is that I'm being transferred on Thursday so next Monday I'll tell you all about my new companion, new area, etc. I'm pretty sad to be leaving our progressing investigators, Leondard's family who will soon be baptized also and especially the children but I'm sure the new experience will help push meto a new level of ability in all aspects, especially language. Still no package but maybe Thursday :) The pictures worked! There was only the one with the family and I had to open them as an attatchment...but that didn't work at the MTC so maybe it's because here there isn't a filter like at the MTC. So, we had zone interviews on the 12th and Andrea's wedding announcement came, that same day she was getting married...it was kind of unfair that way with everyone there and I couldn't help but cry but it wasn't until I woke up Friday morning that I knew all of my friends and family would be there at the reception...but I went right to reading my scriptures in Tagalog and didn't think about it again :) Hooray for me, haha. Probably the boy was Steve, darker skin, tall :) I've written to Amanda but I think she hasn't gotten them yet because she keeps moving :) haha, I'm glad she's been able to hear news of me now with the great internet technology. Shaela and Tyler are nearing a year of marriage now, crazy. It sounds like it was great and I'm pleased to hear the pictures I gave them were included in the video and that they had pudding on the rice which was a "US" college thing and Becca told me that she was planning to do it. Hey Garyn, thanks for the email and I'm glad to hear you're experiencing the heat now also, although I'm sure mine is wetter heat :) Good luck with finding a job, it's great that you're so dedicated to working hard, hopefully that transfers into all areas of your life, especially gospel related. I always wanted to work really hard and do everything but often that pushed aside time I could have spent on religious things and it's only now that I realize how much time I maybe wasted, even as I was doing things. My thought for the week...my stake president said something to us before our missionary interview. He asked all of us why we were serving and afterwards told us that we all have good reasons to serve missions, or sometimes we don't...but our reason should become to baptize, ultimately that is the goal and the purpose, to baptize, baptize, baptize and pres Hinckley added...retain! We can do good things for the wrong reasons, or even for good reasons but not the best ones and we will need the best reasons and the right reasons to become ours so we remain... they said to go on a mission for whatever reason but stay on your mission for the right reasons. Okay, so all these thoughts put together got me thinking about why it is we do everything we do, why do I write a letter, why do I smile at someone, why do I wash my clothes or prepare a lesson or anything at all and all of these have good reasons, and sometimes not so good and somewhat selfish reasons attached but as we strive to have all we do be for the ultimate reason; that we love God and in loving God we also come to love others because he loves all of us, then all we do will have greater purpose, we will discover what we were meant to complete while here on earth, remember what we promised God we would do as we left his presence to come on this journey, and it will become easier to give up entirely the things we shouldn't do and prioritize the others. We had district conference broadcast from SLC yesterday, Father's day, and it was wonderful to hear from both Elder Oaks and Uchtdorf and members of the seventy, especially to hear news specific for the members of this country. President Hinckley's gifts were nice to read, thanks... especially gratitude for parents/family or people in general really. The thing is I've always been concerned about my pride and often it rules my actions, my thoughts first which lead to my actions and it is frustrating. I have a hard time understanding humilityand have spent a lot of time in the scriptures researching the topic. The most amazing realization, for me, came early on while being here which is that Humility and Gratitude are linked especially close, all virtuous things and traits are but as my gratitude grew for all of my blessings and those in my life, or as I came to realize my gratitude in new ways, gratitude that was already there, I began to understand humility and it became easier to be humble. Back to conference: Sister Mabalot's favorite quote was when they were talking to the members about being the parents of the rising generation and he said "you parents are the full time missionaries and your children are your investigators! "This added to my thoughts about my patriarchal blessing and wondering if a mission was really where I was supposed to end up -- and I realize that there is nothing about a mission that isn't preparing me to better do the missions I will be called to do after. I see in myself the potential to get stuck in mission mode, and have a hard time going back to normal life so I try to remember that I must do the best where I am and fulfill what I can here then leave it to someone else and find joy and fulfill my duty in other areas later and one is not greater or of more importance than another, just different. When we view another calling as more important or essential it limits us from truly magnifying the great call we have and doing all we must to strengthen the whole from where we are placed at any given time. Adventure hour now: WE were walking home from an appointment, it was near to our curfew and suddenly we had a flash flood or sorts, rain like crazy and then all of the electricity in the city went out so here we are running down the middle of the street, darkness, holding hands and not even bothering with the umbrella...it was rather exciting. We then used candles in our apartment to try to plan for the next day and find our dry clothes :) We took pictures first, however...we couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph our sogginess. Sadly enough, but really happy, the electricity came back so we had light to finish our night but the candle discovery has been great since we have no light in the bathroom now and we're too short to change it, so now we use a candle in there when we shower, or bath, or dump water on ourselves or really it sounds best to say it in Tagalog now..."Maligo ko" All right I think this shall be all for today we have much to do, especially since I'm leaving Lemery, the city by the sea for another unknown land. I love everyone, so tell everyone that for me...thanks! Brit (known to all here as Sister Landrum).
Sunday, June 8, 2008
June 8th email
All right...thanks for editing my emails :) picky ako eh? Please tell grandma that I got her email and thank-you for sharing the experience. We played basketball with some of the sisters and Elders in our zone today...it was SOOOO HOT! haha...but really fun. We don't usually do activities all together because it takes away all our time for other things in the day like writing letters :( but Elder Figuracion and Sister Nielsen are both going home next transfer which is June 19ish I think? They are our zone leader and one of the sisters...I will miss them both. I'm sure I was supposed to meet them and wouldn't have if I had stayed to do EFY and see Andrea's wedding. Elder Figuracion has a great story about his father's re-conversion story while on his mission etc. that he shared with all of us at Zone Conference...he got everyone crying. It was a sad zone conference because our MissionPresident is going home July 1 and President Anderson will be here instead, changes changes. We won't know until next Monday if we are transferred and the package wasn't here yet but we have zone interviews on Thursday so if it comes before then I might get it then and then for transfer Sister Antonio could maybe pick it up for me if we aren't transferred and it's there then...I've heard some crazy stories about packages though, sometimes getting here months and months after they were sent and after going all the way around the world with lots of stamps on them first. Sister Ganir (one of the couple sisters) told me to ask if you sent it by boat or air...if it was sent boat it will take a long time to get here.
Anyway, we've been a little bit sick...my stomach and Sister Mabalot's throat...she has no voice haha...that makes teaching really exciting. We had two baptisms on Friday. Usually we do them Sunday but it was his birthday and the other one just followed suit so we didn't have to plan two. Leonard's family all came to church on Sunday! Hooray, we've really been praying and fasting for them to find a way to come even though everything is against them to do so. Thankfullythey live really close to the chapel so they can walk because they definitely don't have money for travel. As for Andrea's wedding, I have to force myself not to think about it. I kept wondering when she would go through the temple, she probably has by now etc. and it's really hard not to in some ways because I spent so many years helping her plan it that I can imagine it so well and in another sense I can't imagine it at all. She asked me to give her your address before I left so she could send you an invitation so I know she wanted to, but I can't remember if I actually gave it to her and she's likely been busy and occupied so if you still have not received one I need you to try to call her family or something because I really want you to go and say I love her for me etc. take a picture you know all of that. I want a first hand account if possible. I expect she will eventually get around to telling my herself which will be great so I guess if it really can't happen I will understand.
What else happened? Lots of travel because of zone conference...a lot of drunk men that wanted me to marry their sons. It was the week of meeting maraming Iglesiaand maraming lasing....lasing is drunk and iglesia means the members of the iglesia ni cristo Church who are either really mean to us, won't let us in or they try to convert us....I think everyone we talked to one day was iglesia. We talked to one little boy, asking him some questions so we could understand them a little better. If they are born into the church they don't have to be baptized...and if they marry someone outside their faith they are excommunicated! Interesting twist of doctrine that is, born into the covenant and marrying outside the covenant and somewhere along the line they lost the real purpose for baptism and for the covenant of marriage and sealing of families together. We also taught the plan of salvation to this older lady, she was smoking and used to be Catholic but now is an inactive member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo...her grandfathermaybe or great grandfather was LDS...lots of different faiths in her background. Well Sister Mabalot usually asks, after teaching the three kingdoms, where they would like to go and she said "Kahit Saan." "wherever" so she explained a little more thinking maybe her lack of caring meant she hadn't understood well enough but really she seemed to not care. Then comes the challenge of tryingto help people really understand what we can't comprehend, we have to believe that God is, that he was and that he is all powerful and his ways are not our ways and trust that following his plan is what will make us happiest. It is an interesting challenge to teach these concepts to all different people with different religious backgrounds, education levels, desires and family situations etc. I think I shall enjoy it far more once I understand what they are saying better so I can fit our lessons to their needs and really teach for understanding, language muna, languagelanguage :)
Okay... Well, I can't think of much today so I'll leave it at this I think. Olivia probably didn't get her birthday card yet so tell her happy birthday for me here and hopefully the card will come soon and Happy Father's day Sunday...thatone will for sure be late. I didn't get the package but I did get letters from mom and another from Grandpa Jim...mom and Grandpa are officially the best at writing to me, I'm not sure I would have guessed the second but he's really risen to the occasion :) Love, Britney
