Email November 2nd

Hi, so I suddenly realized that my email last week didn't make lot of sense. Sister Mabalot and Sister Abad would like five tops and five bottoms each of garments -- I figure you did understand that because I continued on by explaining sizes best I could and that they want the silky ones but I just thought I'd make sure. I also thought that I really need some sticky notes, not the pad of big ones but the little ones that are square that I can use to stick in people's books to mark their assignment -- I can't find any here and I'm running low. I made an amazing discovery, there is such a thing as slips in shorts style -- I'm wearing Sister Thompson's right now and it's AMAZING, I'm not sure what makes the slip so much better like this but I'm a fan. I'm wearing hers because my one and only one is being washed right now. As for Sister Thompson, we get along too well maybe, haha. We have to be careful not to talk too much (especially in English :) hehe and get everything else done we need to. Of course we're different people but it's really easy to get along with someone that understands everything you say, haha. I miss Sister Victorino and I miss having someone who always understood everything going on but we're learning a lot and we feel really strongly that something about our companionship is going to help our struggling but humble area. As for the area, it's Pola not palo and I'm not sure if you just typed it wrong or what but maybe there is a place palo that you've looked up that is
that tourist place you are speaking of because although I'm sure there are tourist places somewhere on the island Pola is not one of them -- furthest thing from it. It's really hard to even get there so I doubt many people go there unless they have to. There also really isn't anything to do there at all including work so many people are split families with one working abroad or they work in a field an then eat what they grow or sell it to try to make money . Our Branch President for instance doens't work at all, his wife does, and he focuses entirely on his
calling. He couldn't find work before and every since being called has lots of offers that would force him to leave but they've decided they need to stay here and work it out, he acts as branch clerk too and his counselors don't always come -- they also don't have a compute or printer or anything here so our records are really fun to try to keep -- and I have no idea where my apartment is in relation to what you described...sorry. There is a huge cemetery on a hill and we live a little further down the road and to the left of it but that's the best mark I can think of.
Something really fun that recently started happening is that everything I own contracted mold, I'm trying to salvage it all but I wish I could just throw everything but my scriptures and one dress away -- that would be the life. I felt inspired by mom's email to tell you something I don't think I specifically did before. It was kind of interesting and I didn't think too much about it
but back a while ago when Elder Teh was here and he interviewed me he asked me a lot about my family and school and what I planned to do after my mission and something about our conversation lead me to say something to him that I hadn't vocalized or thought much about and is really a simple statement but I had thought about it a little at the MTC but in a different sense and about more the entire family - I guess I started realizing how your entire family is blesses if you sacrifice to serve but it was just a realization and then here actually on my mission and mostly during my interview when I said it -- well what I told him was "I think one of the biggest reasons I'm here is for my mother...and for our relationship..." kind of like that and then I told him it was interesting because dad was the one who always really wanted me to go and I knew it and I knew you'd be so excited for me and had all the reasons and had also served and hopefully our family would be blessed spiritually with callings etc. and financially which all seemed to relate to Dad. Mom, on the other hand, may have liked me to stay home and get married and have a baby boy or something, not that she was against me going but I guess I never thought it would affect you so much that I did rather than didn't -- who knows. I realize this paragraph is a mess but I don't have time to fix it and am choosing not to delete it, haha! As for leaving my mark, I hope I'm leaving the gospel mark, I hope we're planting seeds and at least for a moment helping people know that God love's them even if they never progress while I'm here or ever from that point on but I feel less and less like I have anything to do with it and that anything about me has anything to do about it every day, so I'm not sure what mark I specifically would make of my own. I have a very AMERICAN mark on them because they all love Americans and it's really difficult to speak or express or explain how I might in Tagalog and so instead I say what I can or what I have a little help from the spirit saying about God's message to them but I'm having a great mark made on me which I'm leaving here and will bring back with me and that is a mark cemented deeper than it was, but one that was already there. I love this gospel, I know it's true, I have a desire to not doubt and to improve and to help others and to not falter and it do what I am meant to even if I don't always understand why and that is the kind of mark I have at this point. By the way, Sister Thompson is from Smithfield near Logan not Smithville - retraction from my last letter. As for our apartment -- President and Sister Anderson came
to visit and Sister Anderson really wants us to find a new apartment, but I don't think we'll find better here and it's hard to move. As for water, we often don't have any, depends on the time of day. There are frequent burn-outs so sometimes no electricity. We hope it continues but our one great success story from this Sunday -- well there is a family of members but the father is not active, the older son is recently act ive again and one of the older daughters is married to a born again preacher. They have been the focus family for the last three months Sister Thompson has been here. Their daughter is about my age and the young women president here, she's kind of spunky and really funny to talk to, she wants me to leave my blouses with her, haha. We visited and taught them once and then Saturday we were in the area and we talked to him again and told him to come to church with us and I told him jokingly (because it makes more sense in Tagalog and doesn't sound as weird and it's their personality) that I would give him a prize if he came and I knew his family would be happy and something like that... well the next day he was there at Church and Sister Thompson was so surprised, it is the first time he has come to church in basically forever and his wife shared her testimony and said that it's amazing because that morning she had been tired and was having issues getting to shower
and almost didn't come which means he may not have, oh how the adversary works in all ways to stop progression, but then she found out he was going and quickly changed her ways and was again an example to her husband and as a family they came to church, because he'd promised the sisters he'd come, haha. We taught them and their born again preacher, it would be so much easier to answer his questions if I could speak English, haha! Well, I'm sorry but i'm going to have to close right now. We're emailing kind of late and so we have to leave early. I'll try to finish up answering questions and stuff later and tell Savanna that I'll reply to her email another day and thanks for the pictures, Elli is beatuiful! and they're all so big, wow. I love you all, bye
Britney

Email October 27th

Something "Tricky" did end up happening. It must be because it was the October transfer. I mentioned the few things I thought would happen to me at transfers and then I said if that didn't happen something tricky might and that's just what happened. I had it all worked out,who might be my new companion and where I would be going and then the names kept getting knocked off, there seemed to be no places left for me and I was a bit confused... and then I was going to the "other" island. I thought there was a chance at the one but I knew the other was not possible -- oh was I wrong. So here I am in Pola Mindoro with Sister Thompson, an American! She hasn't really been here that much longer than me. Ten months meaning she's at her one year mark if you include the MTC. Life is definitely different on the Island, and if you end up not getting an email one week don't be too worried. I don't think it will happen but the email place is now really far away and who knows, so just to warn you ahead of time so you don't call the mission or anything. I also don't think i'll be sending pictures quite as often as I used to because only when we go off the island is that possible, but who knows. I talked about how the spiders are also huge here but I didn't know huge until I got to the apartment on the Island. My first night there was a nice big one crawling around on our ceiling with something white attached to it. That would be its egg sack so when we knocked it down from the ceiling and smashed it all the little spiders went all over and I started spraying the floor as we stepped on them all. Later there was another large one by my bed, I can't smash the big ones it completely grosses me out so I'm pretty glad that Sister Thompson has no problem with it, anymore. She's from Utah, Smithville, and turned 22 this October. She went to Utah State University before her mission and we both just kind of struggle with the language, we both have no idea why we were put together since there are only five American sisters in the entire mission -- but maybe we'll get some insight as time goes on and maybe from president tomorrow at our zone interviews. The branch here is what you call starting out and President called STP - Same Ten people... they just trade around the callings every year and have multiple ones and try to get everyone else to help out. I played the keyboard for sacrament, shared my testimony and then taught one of the classes later that day as Sister Thompson taught another -- they are good and patient with my language skills, for now. I get the feeling I'm going tobe forced to teach myself for now and it's going to be good, yes it will be good we just keep telling ourselves it will be good, right, good? Haha, I was so shocked at the meeting that when I stood up to greet her and move seats my legs were shaky and I felt a bit hot. As for you coming here again-- I need to tell Sister Victorino something about what you think about having her be your tour guide and what your plans are, I don't really know what's going on with that for you. As for the package -- I think I sent a letter talking about some more things I would appreciate and don't know if you got it get or what I said in it for sure and also the official best thing to wear here on a day to day basis, especially on the island where it is not easy to wash my clothes and dry them and be hot all the time -- Jody Dresses -- I have two but if you want to send me another it wouldn't hurt my feelings. If they are super long, well I had the ones I bought altered to be shorter just because it's easier here anyway Sister Abad and Sister Mabalot would like 5 tops and 5 bottoms each, meaning 20 pieces total and I'm pretty sure they want caranessa bottoms and the silk tops -- and that they don't really understand the sizes because sizes are different here. Sister Mabalot and Abad are about my height, not super short like others, and Abad is a little bit bigger, if you have pictures you can compare her to me. My bottoms are the hmmm... XS 24/26 or something i that is a size or maybe the S also, I'm thinking that's more what sister Abad would need and then Mabalot is tiny so maybe more like Mom's size or a little bit smaller as for tops I don't really know -- :) how do you like that information? I'm glad Maddie enjoyed her birthday and dad survived the movie, truthfully those are not my favorite either :) I remember the first time I saw it was because I was trapped on the couch after jaw surgery and the girls were watching it over and over again, haha. As for speaking when I come home, am I really going to end up speaking in your ward?Hmmm, and don't expect anything from me that might just disappoint you, haha a talk just comes out as it does when it does kind of like teaching does sometimes here, and not to mention if I do speak it would have to be pretty quickly if I end up going back to Provo and it's strange to teach in straight English right now, because you express life different in Tagalog and that's what I'm around all the time -- who knows. Anyway, if you haven't noticed about my personality I don't really like to have people have expectations of me, it's kind of a bad personality trait and makes me try to avoid letting people know much about what i'm doing, or feeling like I have to live up to something because it stresses me out and then I feel like I'm doing things for the wrong reasons, well I can'texplain this but anyway that's how I feel and probably part of why way back when I didn't really want to speak when I left either, but I did, and now you're moving so I'll never see those people again. I'm kind of excited for the moving part to be over and hear how everything is going, it's like limbo right now but I'm here so life is going fast fast fast -- half way like you said, but some days are still slow slow slow. Thanks for the letters and the emails and the package, yes i got the package at transfers and already ate all the licorice and the american Elders were really excited to eat some starbursts for the first time in forever also -- they've been here longer than me. As for that necklace from your letter way back when, when I got it there was a huge hole in the envelope like it had been ripped through then taped again and there was a chain, a small chain necklace and that's it and I wore the chain for a while until the sweat make it irritating to my skin like all the necklaces do if I wear them here and then i put it away in a safe place but if there was a vile attatched I never saw it, it probably didn't travel well in just a normal envelope. I don't have too much more to talk about because life has been full of travel and unpacking and cleaning and that's about it for now and I'm feeling a bit crowded at this internet place because there are tons of little boys crowded around the chairs to the side of me playing internet games and it's kind of hot so i'll try to write more about things, maybe you can ask specific questions about something you would like to know so I'll know what you want to know and good luck to everyone with everything else and that's about it for now, love Britney

Email October 20th

Well, we really weren't expecting it to happen but I am being transferred! Ugggg, that's just how it works, things start picking up and you find this fabulous family you've been praying for your entire mission and you love your companion and you only get one transfer with them and no time to see the family progress haha! Neither of us were expecting it really and both cried right when we saw my name, so it's to Alaminos I go on Friday and who knows after that. I have very few options actually, I'll become the companion of Sister Hill's current companion in San Pablo or go to the island -- or something tricky might happen and I'll be in a threesome who knows where. It's kind of funny because all three American's in our district are being transferred out at the same time. As for BYU -- since Utah didn't lose it just means they have it coming at our game and we'll be tied, one loss and one loss but their loss will be worse becauseit will be against their rivals :) Who knows but I guess we all require humility even in football -- Elder Bringhurst will be very upset (one of the couples) and he watches all the games on the internet, haha. As for your visit here, what are you current and continous thoughts on it because we've had some fabulous revelation. Sister Victorino is from Manila so she said she could be your tour guide, you can pay for her transportation to Alaminos with you as payment for guiding maybe and she'll lead you to the mission home then we'll all go together back to our area here in Lucban and when finished take her back to Manila at the temple and fly out from there. If you get here Monday early Philippines time and we stayed only until Thursday or Friday that would probably work well, anyway tell me what you think. I'll have to work it out with her from a distance now because I'm being transferred, blah :( haha transfers are what life is all about I guess but clearly I'm taking this one hard, I like Lucban and my companion and the other sisters here and our investigators and I'll love all my new ones too, right? I'll miss the baptism coming up also but that's not the important part I suppose, it's that it happens and the retention after even if I never see any of them. As for Christmas cheer, there is plenty of it here, rainy, green style beause they have no other holidays in the way, christmas lights and jingle bells right now, wow. What is it Maddie had to say about me in her talk? They finished their primary program here, the best part was that the Bishop sat up on the stand still and the children were behind him, he lip sang or really sang all the songs with them while he sat there, it was great. I noticed something about Alma this week that I really appreciate. He's consistently telling the people that he hopes they do not think he knows the things he's teaching of himsef, then teaches them of his study, fasting and of the spirit which is how he knows all things and they can know it also. As teachers of the gospel we must consistently acknowledge how we know, all comes from God through His spirit and that is how others will know also. As for your sale and the selling of all my belongings, I bet you'd make a lot off of Carin's painting and all my journals, it's all art :) just kidding but when you first started listing items I thought you had seriously sold my things-- you really can't sell the computer it contains all my life information, hundreds of dollars of music and pictures and journals et. very important to me :) good luck with the moving, with the scrapbooking, with the house remodeling and the new job and the finishing school before break and I'll keep trying to learn Tagalog and tell you abut my new area next week. Love from me, Britney/Sister Landrum.

Wait, although there are many dogs they usually don't chase me but we have a great story about our ROUS's here, rodents of unusual size such as the mouse that ate all my shampoo! It ate a hole in our door then ruined all our bathroom supplies, but was never caught. So one day we came home for lunch and I opened the door only to scare a mouse or rat the size and fatness of a slightly grown up puppy! It was so huge and scared to death of my screaming. I sat there and yelled at it in Tagalog while Sister Victorino stood on the stairs away from it trying to think of what to do. Finally we heated up some water to throw on it but I told her just to get the neighboor to help us. Ferdinand came over and locked himself in the bathroom with a stick and killed it. We made him clean the blood with our hot water then we both cleaned it again a couple of times and still didn't want to use it. That night there was a nice large cockroach in our bedroom even though I sprayed after the rat experience -- so we sprayed it and it started flying around the room as I chased it out the door and finally it went on the floor where sister. Vic smashed it a couple times before it died as it continued to leap around, they are so strong it's ridiculous. Well, I enjoy my rodents of unusual and terrible sizes. Everything comes in huge size here, rats, cockroaches, spiders but the dogs are all small, just diseased. All right, sorry that ended up being my closing I had forgotten about it though. Good bye for real this time - Britney

The Philippines from an outsiders view

I saw this posted on the internet and thought it was very interesting to read. Therefore, I thought others might gain insights as to where Brit is by reading it also. Hope you enjoy.

And there I was. Not on a white sandy beach. Not in a funky Filipino hotel. Not prepping to dive the coast of Palawan in the morning. But instead, sitting on the faded blue seatcover of a lazy old couch in the living room of this Filipino family in the town of Pola 3 Hours from Puerto Galera, my intended destination, with the sun long gone behind me, and the sound of tropical insects buzzing outside the screen door. Kathy's mother was extremely surprised to see her daughter hop out of the tricycle with a large white girl in tow, but graciously accepted me into her home. I must admit, I was a little stunned to be sitting there. Kathy's 11 year old brother was insanely shy, and although he learns english in school, you would have thought he was mute. When her father came through the door he was also somewhat shocked. "Dirty!" he said in english. "Our house is very very dirty!" They felt very sorry for my having to stay with them in their poverty. Me, a rich Canadian girl out to travel the world... having to stay here... in a town consisting of one street. I was so happy to be with these people though. When would I ever have had this kind of chance if I had stayed at some ridiculous all inclusive resort?? After explaining how thankful I was to be there, they wanted to serve me dinner, and disregarding my calls of "im not hungry", we jumped on a tricycle to buy a roasted chicken from their neighbors down the street. Alas, it was just wasted gas, as the chickens had been sold out. We settled instead, on canned tuna from the tiny shop run out of someones home near the road. Tuna and rice, and it was time for bed. This house has three rooms. A dusty living room with 2.5 couches, a small table, a scratchy tv, and 3 kindergarten graduation photos of the children. Next, around the corner, is the kitchen. which has a sink, a table, and a pantry cupboard. This room also has a plastic children's mirror sitting above a box with some toiletries on it. (Bathroom? I thought?) Next, pass under a curtain and you are in the bedroom. Yes, thee bedroom. There is only one. This house has 2 parents, and three children, 2 boys and a girl. and ONE double bed. They offered it to me, with no chance of my declining. Fortunately Kathy accepted to sleep on the other side of the bed, but that meant that Mom, Dad, and little boy slept somewhere in the living room... probably on the concrete floor. The fan blew all night, but it was no contest for the humid air that covered my face in about an inch of sweat and grime by the time I awoke early the next morning. With little boy off to school, Kathy and I went to the "store" to get some instant coffee. Breakfast was luxurious with our coffee, some fried eggs from their chickens, and these little sweet buns. I had two buns with half an egg in each. mmmmm... dee-lish. One of the greatest things I can say about living with these people was that you could see where all of the food you ate came from. The eggs from the chickens, the rice from the feild out back, the soy sauce from a fruit on the tree in the backyard. The milk from the coconut tree out back. The fish from the fisherman at the market. All local. All organic. All full of vitamins. No processing. No packaging. Food - the way it should be. To provide nourishment. Momsies had to go to work, she works at her sisters store in the nearby town, so we all hopped on the tricycle to drop her off. "Later Mom!!" Next, over to the gas station for 100 pesos of gas ($2.50ish) and then on a tour of the town. Since it was Holy Week, the whole town was out and about for the Mariones festival... where big dudes dress up in elaborate costumes to scare kids and parade through the town. We stopped to watch, but suddenly the crowd closed in around me, and I became the attraction. This group of little schoolboys was tugging at my arm while the Mariones dudes stared at me and shook my hand. Walking through the nearby park, a group of older women yelled out to us and Kathy translated, "They want to touch your nose. They are pregnant and want their babies to have a nose like yours." The little school boys could be seen hiding behind trees as they followed... it was all very very strange. I don't know the words to describe it. You might think the attention was great... but I felt guilty... that these people were attracted to something I had. Something inherent in me that came not from my knowledge or learning, but was owed to where I was born, and the colour of my skin. My skin as a symbol of a life full of opportunity. We left the park shortly after. Stopped for some pritong sagging (fried bananas with brown sugar), and headed back home. The kids next door played marbles and Pops worked on the tricycle... the sun shone, and the chickens made chicken noises. A day in the life. To an extent - it reminded me of metchosin. Except it would be basil and strawberries in place of rice... and hiking through devonian park in place of marbles... and now im just rambling again. Anyway, it was really neat to be in Pola. I learned a lot (I hope!). Kathy is 19 and all she wants is to go to University or college - but has no idea how to find a sponsor to fund her - and wants to be able to support her family. Things we take for granted at home. The rest of my trip played out pretty safe... Their older son Roosevelt and I took some vans and jeepneys up to Peurto Galera and I found that funky hostel, met that old fisherman who chartered our boat to a private piece of sand, scorched my body (got a crazy fever and will NEVER tan without sunscreen again!), ate some halo-halo (dee-lish filipino treat), ate some pig blood and organ stew on rice.... , woke up with black nasty mouse eating peanuts out my purse, and wandered some streets carrying a watermelon in my shawl. If anyone wants to head back to the Philippines with me, at any time *and potentially this JUNE for 3 weeks?!* I am down. But instead, we can learn to dive in Palawan, and hike trails in Romblon, and head to the rice terraces in Banaue and Baguio.... OK? cosmic love and photosynthesis, Gala

Email October 13th

So, we had a super busy week of travel and then they had a zone activity with the assistants today for p-day so I've had hardly a moment to think about or de-jumble any of it. We have another transfer coming up and that happened super fast... and we have no idea if i'll be transferred now or not so I guess we'll just find out next Monday what my fate is. Snow! Haha, sounds kind of like last year because I have pictures at a football game early in the season where it snowed like crazy on us -- oh the diligent fans who stayed to the end :) and the crazy pre-mish freshman who took their shirts off and turned red and then had to leave so they wouldn't get sick, haha. Wow, wow...that's so exciting that they are doing so well it's going to be an absolute nail biter I'm sure the last two years of Utah BYU games were ridiculously close. AS far as work goes I don't have a lot to report because we were so busy with other things. We've been working on really using the Book of Mormon earlier and better in each principle we teach and our study sessions have been so uplifting just as we search for them and consider how each verse might improve our teaching and the lives of our investigators. We tried it out this week in some of our tracting lessons and it worked so beautifully, ha!

At zone conference we performed our fancy version of Praise to the Man and everyone thought it was really great. I was thinking about how we really did work hard at it but I'm not amazing pianist despite trying to make it a little fancy and they're not professional singers by any means..however we were singing about truths of the gospel and missionaries are promised that as they share messages of truth the spirit will make it stronger, it was a strong performance. Then came conference, the general one :) The tabernacle choir makes me home sick-ish, haha and I noticed in all of the talks, most particularly of the twelve and first presidency that they were like missionaries, they would testify of the last to speak then start, they would leave commitments of sorts at the end, they share testimony of what they teach, missionaries. Their messages definitely focused on holding on to hope, gaining hope, being hopeful and cheerful in a world of despair. I was thinking that without all of that and the great fulfillment just listening and considering their words brings my life would be rather empty and wondered how other people survive and how they can hear those things even and not see how important it all is. Elder Bringhurst mentioned that for us we are so used to the spirit in some ways we forget that others don't have it as a promise to be with them always, constantly teaching them and bringing those things to them and making them clear. Then I also considered how i do have it all and yet much of what they talk about I struggle with and am not perfect in following, and yet I know that if I would just do it and let go of my sins and not give into my weaknesses that I would be happier, I know it and I still fail...maybe that means my knowledge is not yet perfect but that's why we develop faith first and our faith brings us knowledge bit by bit until the day that we can be perfect. By the way, according to my time it's Dad's birthday so happy birthday again! I'm glad to hear the card got to you before your birthday...which for you is tomorrow still but maybe that's when you'll read this anyway. Okay, well I'm going to finish off here and not forget to give mom my small list that I have come up with so far so I'll do it now becuase I almost just forgot

-Stephens hot chocolate (for christmas) and either the mint or raspberry...those
good flavors
-Another white undershirt (yes I know another one) xs fits me best
-Blue Red and black BIC pens and a notebook of normal paper for writing letters
on.
-Crest blue paste toothpaste, they only have colgate here or filipino style and
I miss crest
-As slip to go under my skirts...I only have one and would like two

I cannot currently think of anything else, thanks!
I love you all and hope you are following all the counsel from conference.
-Britney

Transfer day

Brit is now on the Island of Mindoro which as you can see is across the sea below the main Island where she served in her first 2 areas. She is now in Pola which has white sand beaches and thrives on tourism. It is quite interesting to look at using Google Earth. She has her first American companion (from Utah) and her email discussing this transfer is quite enjoyable to read.

Family and friend challenge!

Hi.

Yes, I love my missionary daughter and on her behalf I offer you a challenge. With Christmas and Brit's birthday (December 30th) on it's way I would appreciate any extra effort you could make to send Brit a letter or even a small gift box so she doesn't miss home during this time. As you can see they are already in the Christmas season over there so no need to wait until December. It would be great if she receives "stuff" between now and her birthday. It takes packages up to 8 weeks to get there. Letters usually within 7 days. Thanks for loving and supporting our amazing daughter!