missions are a lot fun!

we've had some internet issues and some busy-ness issues this week so i'm a bit slow in getting this out but i begin with some things strictly filipino ... a hard hat that is surely as good as a motorcycle helmet, rainy season roads, and halo-halo (hollow-hollow).  

okay ... probably a third of the vehicles on the roads here are motorcycles and, if they wear anything at all, there are some of the oddest things worn as helmets that the person obviously thinks will protect them! hard hats are my favorite ... they won't fall off if i crash, right?  and one version of rainy season roads ... no explanation necessary!  

the picture doesn't do the halo-halo justice!  it translates to 'everything mixed together' (that's close enough!).  let me describe it for you ... in a dish, place a scoop of shaved ice then cover it with sweetened condensed milk.  add 3 types of boiled sweet beans/chickpeas, corn, yams, nata de coco (envision coconut flavored gelatin cubes), plantains, mashed sweet rice ... really anything at all that you have on hand! then top it off with, in the case above, ube (oo-bay)(which is like a purple yam) ice cream and some sweetened rice krispies for good measure! just about every restaurant has their version of it.  i think it's the nation's favorite dessert! 

next, we took the newbies, president and sister lacanienta, to a farewell dinner for the perrero's and wright's who were being released.   

and the reason we are all here ... joy in the work of bringing souls to Jesus Christ!

next, we had three days of zone conferences so the lacanienta's and all the missionaries could meet.  as has been said before, being with the young missionaries is our favorite thing so these are always great days.  our most unique companionship is elder rigby and elder lomibao! they just make me smile! a couple of pics of missionaries waiting for meetings to begin and one of our favorites, elder vaoiva, helping to clean up after a delicious lunch!

while getting acquainted was THE highlight, another highlight of the day was that we got to receive flu shots! sister rollins (l) is our mission nurse and sister miller and i handled the paperwork and moral support.  some of the reactions were priceless, but of course i felt badly for them!  and finally, preparing for zone photos sometimes takes awhile and people with ADD can get a little bored.  notice the bad influences in the second row?

like i said, missions are a lot of fun!  the people i've met will influence me for life.  the things i'm learning, about my Savior, myself, the world and life in general are, hopefully, indelibly written on my heart.  i'm so grateful to be on this journey!