Bloom Where You are Planted

Hello hello from the other side of the world! Today's theme is, "bloom where you are planted". My district leader is awesome. Even if it's been rough, I’m still enjoying this transfer.  I got both packages just this morning. I haven't had time to open them, but as always, super excited and super grateful. I feel so spoiled when compared to the other missionaries here. Love you all :) Can't believe it's my birthday either. Shoot, seems like just yesterday Huss and Hay were giving me a lap dance to Usher.... Bahahaha. Good times.  Oh yeah. And about Wendy...my goodness. Count my many blessings. For reals, I have an entire list of topics I want to study but I just don't have any time for. Maybe I'll send it to her, give her a few ideas. Ha. Ouch. 

So for this week! We had quite the week. It always feels like nothing happens, but at the same time so much. Pres. DeLaMare came to church yesterday. I think it was a result of my plea for help in my last report to him. Haha. But for reals though. He talked about the city of Enoch, or Zion. Then said, we as the church are Zion. And in Zion, I don't think there was chismis (gossiping). I think in Zion, everyone fulfilled their callings. I think I Zion, everyone paid their tithing. Ah, it was just so refreshing to have a bit of backup.  He's so phenomenal and I have a ton of respect for him. The person for this week is Sister Santiago. I don't have a picture for you or anything because we just met her last Saturday. She was baptized in the late 1990's and was super gung ho. When the elders came, she basically told them, you're just kids. What can you possibly teach me? So they just gave her a Book of Mormon and said, read this. She's a scholar, so later that night, she was reading in the Bible about Christ when he teaches in the temple when he's just 12  and she goes, ok, maybe they do have something worthwhile. So she read the Book of Mormon and bam, converted. She was super active in the church, endowed, you name it. But was having serious problems with her husband and family because of her religion. She made a really hard choice to fix her broken family and gave up the church. But even now she says, I'm still Mormon at heart. She teaches the kids how to pray, that rebolto...idols, like saints, shoot I forgot the word, well whatever, that they're bawal. Oh my goodness, I can't speak English. Ha. She teaches them the plan of salvation, uses primary songs, hymns. You name it. It's honestly hilarious. She said that's her way of sharing the gospel and the truth. We were just laughing. I was honestly shocked. But her husband died almost 2 years ago, so I'm thinking it's the right timing for us to show up. Time to do some work for the dead and start living the gospel again. Haha. Too funny. 

So I basically live in a tropical wonderland. Let me just tell you....so one of the days this week we took tally of all the fruits we came across while walking between appointments. It's getting summer, so they're all starting to come out. This is our list. Guaynabo, mango, eggplant, star apple, guava, banana, pomegranate, papaya, coconut, tomatoes, sugarcane, grapefruit, dates, and of course, palaya (rice). Um, can you say crazy. I feel like I'm walking in the middle of a jamba juice shake. 

So you know how I once told you that we tend to have a lot of miscommunications with the language barriers and all. Haha. Here are two very small, but kind of funny examples. First: so last week Sister Shoukat was showing her Pakistani outfit to Sister Joseph. (She has a few of her clothes here. Don't you worry, we're going to play dress up and do a picture taking session. Yep, I still haven't grown up. Ha). Anyway, Sister Shoukat says to me, "Do you want to see my birthday suit?!". And I'm just laughing knowing that's not what she's talking about at all, but can you imagine if that was said to just any random person? Bahaha. I just laughed and explained to her what that means to us. Not so much the same.  Second: we were washing the dishes and I was thinking, man this would take forever if you had to wash the dishes of an entire family. And then I remember, oh wait a second; dishwashers exist in America (I’d forgotten. ha). So I asked Sister Shoukat, "Do you have dishwashers in Pakistan?" and she goes, "Of course. but we do all the cooking". And I’m going, well duh, of course! Took me a second to figure out, she was talking about a person while I was talking about a machine. Haha, we had a good laugh about that one. Oh man, there is way too much culture going on in this place. But I enjoy it. 

So yep, that's all for now I think. I can't believe it's already April. Shoot, speaking of April! You lucky ducks have general conference this weekend I'm super excited, there are no words. Eat some of dad's yummy food for me, eh? :) Mahal ko kayo at sana magiging maganda ang linggo ninyo! Bye!! :)

Oh yeah, p.s. We taught someone who knew about the quorum of the 70's. What the?! People barely know about the apostles, let alone the 70's. And then he asks, so how do you know if you have authority to preach the word of Christ? Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints my friend. We're going back this week. Of course :)