Well, maraming natutonan ko ngayon lingo (I learned a lot this week)
My success of the week: My Tagalog has improved this week-- but it was truly the gift of tongues that helped me speak so much this week! Thank you Mom, your fast truly has helped. I have a lot of vocab to learn, and I don't understand everything, but I was able to answer the questions my investigators asked me this week! I know it isn't me though.. I recognize the gift of tongues during lessons. I say things in the lessons I couldn't outside of lessons. God is real!
I had to learn a lot of patience this week: Sometimes it's so easy to get frustrated when people don't want to read the Book of Mormon when you ask, or you get frustrated with yourself when your capabilities or time isn't exactly what you wish it was. But I have realized that everything is in the Lord's time and not mine. We can just love people no matter what and think about all the hardships in their lives. I know that I didn't understand just how important God's Plan was before I left on my mission, and it takes time to learn it. I just want to be an effective missionary but I know the Lord knows my heart and He knows yours too.
I just want you all to know that praying and reading the Book of Mormon is the only way you will know and understand what I am doing as a missionary. I promise that miracles come from it.
Cultural Note of the Week:
Filipino Time is worse than Mormon standard time. People show up to things over an hour after the designated time. It's real. Also, People share everything here! So selfless it's seriously amazing!
Second Cultural Note of the Week: So a member fed me chicken liver and gizzard this week hahaha and it was definitely interesting. The fruits and veggies here are the best-- varieties you don't get anywhere else in the world. Singkamas are a sweet watery root I eat like an apple. It kinda looks like a turnip. Luzones are delicious! They look like big yellow grape bunches with hard skins. Camote is a sweet potato I eat all the time! It's a staple food for poorer Filipinos, and I just boil it and eat it all day hahaha.
Spiritual Note of the Week;
I loved a talk by L Whitney Clayton. I finally got to watch General Conference hahaha. It's in English and not many people understand but they love the feeling from watching it and there's a few small TVs with Tagalog subtitles, but they call it Deep Tagalog because street Tagalog is WAY different than written Tagalog or translated Tagalog. So it's still hard to understand haha. Plus people speak Ilakano here. Tagalog is like Swahili in Africa -- it's like a compromise language for the Philippines. You identify yourself by your language--- it's your people and your home. For example, my companion speaks Wari-Wari in Tacloban. But there are SO MANY dialects it's insane -- Bisaya, Elongo and Hiligaynon, Ilakano, Cebuano.....
Anyway, He told the story of Jesus turning water into wine. Mary told the servants to do anything he asked. She had complete confidence that Jesus could solve any problem, even a simple one at a wedding feast/ She didn't ask specific questions of how things would turn out, she just had a simple trust in God. Simple acts of faith and belief in the Savior will turn into miracles --- just showing God you are willing to do what he asks even if you don't understand how things will turn out. Ating pagkilos ng pananampalataya at paniniwala sa Tagapagliktas natin ay magiging mga himala sa ating buhay. Right now I'm not sure how to help my investigators perfectly understand, or how my mission will turn out in the end. But I know that if I'm obedient and just trust in Him everything will turn out right in the end. Kung akoy magiging masurunin at magtitiwala sa Kanya! You will become what God knows you can become. Little things we do turn out to bring miracles or big consequences that may seem unrelated. Magtiwala kayo sa Diyos! We can trust in God!!!! And we should love others and see their potential just like Jesus did to everyone he saw. He never turned away in disgust or frustration. He just LOVED them, and he does the same for us.
LOVE YOU ALL! Your prayers for my health, and for the people I meet are so so appreciated! I felt the miracles from it this week!
Sister Porter
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