January 26th

FAMILY!!

I have to pray not to think of you all so much! It's a challenge right now. Everything is so so so different here I just wish I could tell you everything!! First off even my name is different here.. I've started introducing myself as Sister Jood. It's easier for the people to say for some reason. And to most people I'm Sister Judy. So it's whatevs. This week like all, have had it's ups and downs. So I thought of a couple of things that I didn't include from last week. Normal schedule here is wake up 6:30 work out till 7 breakfast until 7:30 then shower personal study at 8 companionship study at 9 and lunch at noon. Then we proselyte from1:30 to 8. Then plan until 9:30 then dinner and bed by 10:30. I actually have fallen asleep walking home at night. haha walking. We usually have an average of 13 appointments a day and working on having more! So the area that I'm in is the city- like with conveniences and nice houses with a reaaaaal good mix of the opposite in there. The majority of people live in little bamboo huts. Closer to the ocean they are usually raised and even directly above the water! (Story about that coming up). But there are REAL bukid (booney) areas in our mission.. like Sister Snow was put in the most bukid right off the bat! I pray for her.. because to me and to most Americans this IS bukid. But nope, Sister Cruz and I are in one of the nicest apartments. Crazy. So on Monday we went to an FHE at a part member house and shared a lesson, played fun games (they were a HOOT i was dying laughing) and then Sister Desaldes fed us dinner. My first member meal- spaghetti! But the spaghetti here is slightly different. It's really sweet. And they don't have cheese here.. well they say they do but they don't. haha So it had chunks of that cheese and I think beef. Oh and raisins. haha So She gives us each this heaping plate and we're eating and talking (I'm listening..) and Sister Desaldes asks me a question. I thought that she was asking me if I had ever had that before and so I smile so big and say "NO". She just looks at me with a blank face and asks me again. Same reaction. Then Sister Cruz grabs her arm and says Sister Judd is new she's only been here for 5 days.. and so Sister Deslades turns to me and slowly says "nanamit??" (which means yummy) and I turn bright red and exclaim "YES! Uhh.. I mean OO!!" (OO is yes). Everyone laughed and thankfully Sister Desaldes looked relieved. So of course when Sister Desaldes offered me more I quickly said yes and she gave me double what I got the first time. Boy. I was praying not to throw up from being so full- that would have been the cherry on top of embarrassing! So ya that was embarrassing!

Another embarrassing story. I'll only include 2.. well who knows if I have time I'll tell another:) I memorized this little saying that I might say in certain lessons that basically says I'm not good at the language but I know the message is true and when I went to say it this one time I said "Inda man ako sadja sa lingwahe" which means I'm not fun at the language. Ironic that I mess up the sentence about not being good at Ilonggo...

So I've started wearing earplugs at night. You know the ones I brought just in case my companion snores? Well it's for the roosters.. and the dogs. They are out of control. I have dreams that they will one day take over the Philippines because they are way over populated here!!! But the earplugs are effective so that's good. :) I stepped in poop for the first time this week. YUM! It was our first appointment of the day too so I got to walk around like that ALL evening. Lesson learned- watch where you walk! Oh and prepare yourselves for a story in the future where I break someone's house... because every day I come so close to breaking through someone's bamboo floor. So scary. And I will feel SOOO bad when it does happen. Seriously. People here are TIIIIIIINNNNYYY. We teach 11 year olds that are the size of a 6 year old. It's crazy! There's this boy that got baptized on Saturday and the water in the font was up to his chin- the poor thing was so afraid!! He will be 12 in 2 months.

So yesterday we went to a members house for a 15-minute visit and people have crazy dogs as guard dogs for their chickens and roosters and pigs.. they are on chains just BARELY long enough to where when Sister Cruz and I were walking on a tightrope against the other house so they wouldn't bite us! And the tight rope is bamboo. And we were above the ocean like I'd guess 5 feet. All I could do was laugh because I seriously felt like it was a bad dream, I can't even explain the fear I felt. hahahahaa

Also I hit my head on peoples roofs allll the time. It's really embarrassing! It was so bad this one time when we walked back between the houses after the appointment this man was shouting at me to watch my head and ran over and covered the corner of the roof where I had hit my head 20 minutes earlier.

So we are teaching this adorable little family and while we were waiting for the mom to come home from work one night we poked our heads in the neighbors house (there is no such thing as privacy here) and started chatting with their family. We asked if we could come back and didn't return for lie 5 days or so. When we came back the mom (Sister Medina) started crying after we said the opening prayer and expressed how she has been praying for those two girls to come back and help their family. She was telling us all about their financial problems and when she said the closing prayer she thanked Heavenly Father for sending her 2 angels. Usually I can't understand everything that people pray for whether it be because I actually cannot HEAR them or cannot understand the language.. but I caught that and was so touched! The message of the gospel is for everyone and some people don't know that they need it or are searching for it but it's up to us to share it! Such a humbling and damo (huge) task/responsibility.




Thanks again family for the letters!!! Congrats Heber on starting football! Gwen, my camera should be in one of my boxes.. sorry I'm not sure which one. But it should be in that shoulder case that I bought for it. Hang in there- try and enjoy highschool! Even if you find joy in the idiots that you're surrounded by:) (I mean.. children of God gilit). (gilit is used when you meant to say something else). Dad and SWAT? Macho man in the hizouse!! Keep me updated!! Okay and for food. The food is soo good! I am ashamed to say how completely worthless I feel when it comes to cooking. I feel so dumb. But I am trying to learn from my companion! She cooks soooo good Filippino dishes and I have been writing down the recipes so when she isn't there to cook I won't starve. I'm going to try and find enough ingredients to make her Hawaiian Haystacks this week. And maybe fried chicken? It would be way helpful if you could give me ideas of what I can do with rice and then a skillet over the stovetop. They have meats of all sorts here but the spices are way different. I don't know if you have any ideas but any would be helpful!!! The fruit here is sooo good. Mangoes. I eat one once a day and look way pretty doing it I'm sure- sucking on the pit and all. haha The oranges here are way better too! I eat an orange a day as well. Oh and Grandma barbara I think that I forgot to thank you for the package you sent to the MTC right before I left! The chewy granola bars and nuts have helped me a lot here. The eating schedule is wayyyy different than the MTC and what I'm used to. I have one more chewy bar left and I think I might cry when I eat it. haha Mom crocs have been the best thing ever for here and even the mtc. not one blister and they're so light weight and easy to clean here.

Kids tell me I have a taas ilong (long nose). Flattering huh:) Also when the sun goes down here every one says tugnaw tugnaw tugnaw (cold cold cold). But I am just barely not sweating anymore. It's really funny to me. Also my companion uses an umbrella in the sun. haha They are so afraid of being dark here! So opposite. Burping mid sentence is a normal occurance here. Like it's almost like people try and burp while they're talking. The first time it happened I looked around to everyone in the room and no one even flinched. haha People have pigs in there houses. Like sleeping next to them. Trying to teach the restoration over the sound of farm animals isn't easy for me yet. Also people's houses are these chungee's which the front part is a little store and they sleep in the back half of the house and so it's akward when kids yell what they want to buy during a prayer.. daily. Also we get mauled when we walk through the playgrounds here! I love it. haha We sing to them and it's just a group of like 40 kids staring up at us handled at our side (my knees) haha. I always want to take a picture of them but I feel Sister Cruz wouldn't like it. By the way Sister Cruz is awesome! She is so so diligent and sweet. I learn so much from her! And we like to laugh at each other- lots of bloopers to spice up the day! :)




Love you all!!!!!!!

Love, Sister Judd


Here are some pictures that Sister Judd sent!



We walk (or sikad) this road every day. Just a glimpse of the plant life. But in the neighborhoods it turns into a jungle. For real. I'll try and capture the different scenery!





Me doing laundry! Don't judge the way I look- just worked out and haven't showered! But yes this is soo hard and takes a really long time. There are many women here that do this all day everyday to make a living.. I don't know how! I didn't last more than an hour and a half. My companion has done this all her life and had a good laugh at me as I struggled.


SISTER MANWARING SISTER MANWARING SISTER MANWARING!!!!!!!! This made life SO much easier here after running into her. It was like magic. I get to see her again today at the market when we shop for food:) YAY!! Love Pdays... even if we have to do laundry..