ello again everyone :)

llifes good here and im enjoying things. i was walking looking and all the coconut trees with grooves cut into them for people to climb up with nothing but a itak (machete) to get the buko (coconut) and at the people all outside under tents gambling and drinking at a patay ( when someone dies here they have like a week long viewing where every family member neighbor and their dog comes to talk and stay up all night playing cards drinking and mingling, and people walking home from their bukid (rice field) with so often their carabao (water buffalo) walking behind them.. and it was one of those thoughts like im leaving this place some day and ill miss it. aside from all the spiritual things that ive learned and am learning.. there are also many life lessons that are really cool that come from l;iving in a foreign country that you just couldnt learn if you hadnt experienced it first hand. 

washing clothes by hand is terrible and thats the thing im looking forward to the most about america. a washer and dryer. man spoiled ha ha.  having to have money budgeted out and knowing how much you can spend and finding different wqays to make food last longer and seperating the wants from the needs.. then like earlier stoping by the farmacy to by paracetamol ( anti fever ) in case we get sick sometime. simple things like that that you dont have to even consider when your living at home. 

just being friendly and talking with people and saying magandang umaga po ( good morning) and asking how they are doing and hows their family and really caring about the answer ( that didnt come all at once you have to develop that love for people i guess ) 

being able to tell people you want to pay less than what they asked and them accepting. and buying ties for about 80 cents that are nicer quality than the ties i brought with me that were 20 dollars a piece.. and tindahans that have all sorts of candy and bread and different odds and ends you can buy that is just right next to your house.. having people going house to house selling fruit and pandesal ( fresh bakery bread hot in the morning ) and having poeple openly talk to you about financial problems ( which would never happen with american pride ha ha) 

i often think about how marvelous a work and a wonder this is that people are willing to talk about their problems, and their secrets, and their sins and their mistakes, their feelings and beliefs and somehow make the change in their life to sweitch to a different religion which is something i couldnt even imagine, ( and dont have to i guess because i grew up in the truth ) but i cant even imagine what a hard thing that would really be for someone to leave their familys traditions and teaching because some 20 year old kids got to know them and started sharing their testimony and asking them to do things. its really a wonderful thing and im greatful to be here.

out of time... until next week.... elder landeen