FLIGHT PLANS!!!

Aking Pamilya!!!!

I have only two words for this week.....FLIGHT PLANS!!!! I can't even believe there here!! It's about time, I swear we checked the mail about a million times yesterday before they finally showed up! Haha. So here's the deal. We leave Tues, August 16. Out first flight leaves SLC at 8:30 I think and then we go to San Fran. There we have a layover from 9:30-1:30 AM.....This will be the time I'll be calling you so you better just plan on staying up late because I plan on talking. It just happens to be what I do best. Then we head to Hong Kong, have a 2 hour layover there, and then to Manilla!! Seriously, I'm so excited! I can't lie though, I'm a little bit nervous. I don't know this language near as much as I need to or should by this point and I'm still a little nervous about my teaching; but I've decided I just need to have a little more faith and in the end who cares, I'm actually going to the Philippines! I'm just ready to be a real missionary you know; don't get me wrong, I've loved the MTC, but I'm ready to really speak the language and teach real people that really need the gospel. It's going to be awesome. I'm so sad though because one of our Elders, Elder Gallacher, just found out yesterday that he has a hernia and he can't leave with us. Yeah, found that out about 30 minutes before we got our flight plans. I just wanted to cry for him. He gets surgery in 2 weeks and then it will be another 2-3 weeks after that for recovery. I feel like I'm leaving part of my family behind. Poor kid. It'll go by fast though, it seems to do that in here.

 Now for getting my stuff out.....They haven't given us our adjusted schedule, which is annoying. But just from previous groups leaving, I think my P-day will be this next Saturday, the 13th? I won't have class til 5ish, so if Skanchy could meet up with me anytime before that, that'd work great. If not, Sunday sacrament meeting is over by 2:45 and then devotional isn't til 7 so anytime between there. And I'm sure we'll have time on Tuesday before we leave. I think we get that whole day to prepare and get everything packed. So yeah, call him and ask him what time would work best for him and then just DearElder it to me? If I find anything else out, I'll write a letter and send it snail mail. Oh yeah, and tell him to plan an extra 20 minutes or so into his schedule when he meets me so that I can actually talk to the kid for a second :) Salamat.

Ok, other things. Yes, I know the McKiffs. I've only met sister Mckiff in person, but they're part of the MTC Presidency so we see them a lot. Crazy small world. .

Now for this week! It's been a good week.  I can't lie. Last Sunday I got to speak in sacrament meeting. They randomly pick two people each week and you have to give a talk in Tagalog. No pressure right? Well, it gets even better. There was a sister visiting the MTC from the Philippines that wanted to come meet us and hear us speak in Sacrament meeting. Lucky me, right? haha. I did ok. I still am struggling getting the words to come out of my mouth, but it was good practice. Sundays are funny though because all of the sisters in the MTC really break out their "cute" outfits and I swear, all these girls wear heels! I just sit there and think to myself, A: where in heavens name are you going that you think you can wear a pair of heels around for 14 hours a day. Visitors centers, they have to be. And B: How the heck are you going to fit that in a suitcase that can only be 50 lbs? There's not room. It bewilders me, I have to be honest. But also pretty funny.

Our speaker this week for the devotional was Gerald N Lund. Haha, I just laughed because honest to goodness, No one knew really who he was. And I was sitting in a room full of mormons! Go figure. It's was good though. He talked about faith and the process of faith. If i had more time, I'd fill you in, but alas. Walang horas.

So we got some new roommates this week. For the past little while sister Losefa and I have had the whole room to ourselves so we're once again adjusting. It's kind of nice just having two people. Anyway, ironically enough, one of my roommates is Alicia Watterson, you know, Brian Green’s girlfriend that I met who's headed to Taiwan and already knows Chinese? Small world. And then our other roommate happens to be really good friends with our teacher, Brother Nordstrom. Haha, yes! Which means we got all the dirt on this life. This week we're going to start "operation-freak-out-Bro-Nordstrom-with-how-much-we-know-about-his-life". Haha, we're just going to drop random facts here and there and see how he reacts. It's going to be hilaroius. Oh the things you come up with for entertainment in the MTC :) Anyway, times up. Mahal Mahal ko Kayo!!!! Til next week!!