Sister Brown in the Philippines: Kumakain mga Langgam‏

Riding in the Tricycle

Kumain ako mga langgam para almusal, masarap sila! Meaning I ate ants for breakfast. You might think I'm joking. But I'm dead serious. I poured a bowl of cereal this morning and a bunch of tiny little ants started running around my bowl. So what did I do? I poured some milk and dug in! Extra protein, di ba? Cereal is a precious resource here and I wasn't about to let the ants win! Haha it's more fun in the Philippines. Which reminds me, I experienced the Filipino bluntness yesterday when one of the members told me "You used to be skinny when you got here, but now you're mahaba." Uh... thanks? And as for bagyo Yolanda, we survived. The whole mission had to stay in Friday because of it, but here's the thing. In the 'Bang, we live in a bubble. While the rest of the Philippines was getting ripped apart, Canlubang was experiencing some light rain and a nice breeze. So no worries. We're fine. The missions in the Visayas are pretty torn up though so keep them in your prayers please.

Speaking of work, it was a slow week. Everyone was busy so we mostly taught members and OYM'd so we've got some promising prospects for this week! Joel and Arianne even gave us a referral! They are seriously the greatest and I'll be honest, sometimes I'm afraid they're too good to be true and this will be the lesson they tell us not to come back. But Heavenly Father really does prepare people and I've gotta leave it in His hands.

Since I had some extra time Friday, I had time to read a talk. It was by Jeffrey R. Wilkes and it was about how we can be optimistic in a pessimistic world. I loved it! There was a great quote but unfortunately I left it at the apartment so next week.

Instead, I'm gonna give you all some tips. As a missionary, nothing really makes you happier than letters or emails from home on a bad day. But I know that a lot of people think "I don't know what to say. I'm not inspirational. They don't want to know about my life." But I think I speak for all missionaries when I say that we do! We don't care what you write about, tell us what you had for breakfast! A letter is a letter and it's just nice to be reminded you aren't forgotten when you're so far from home. But if the breakfast idea doesn't cut it, here are some other ideas. Share a missionary moment you had, no matter how simple it may have been, you're favorite scripture, quote, or story, tell a funny story or a joke (we need some laughs too), share what's happening on the home front, especially if the missionary is in another country, or just write about your life. Seriously, just write a missionary. You don't even have to know them. And I'm not begging for letters. You do pretty well (but I could always use more... :D) But maybe write my companion. Her email is madhura.meti@myldsmail.net. And her address is the same as mine.

Have a great week mga kaibigan ko! Mahal kita palagi!

XOXO, Sister Brown