3 months?? WOW

pictures: 

*The 4 sisters over the Taguig Ward (and roommates)

*Typical hanging meat display

*Pigs feet....its what's for dinner 🤢

*Sydney's washing machine (they are very spoiled to have one)

email: sydney.stewart@missionary.org

HEYYYYYY Y'ALL!! I am so happy and so grateful for just... LIFE! I love life. Transfer week this week! Sister Nagareda is going to Mindoro!!! The island!! It's exciting and sad at the same time. Sister Smoot is coming in as Sister Baptista's follow up trainer and I met her once. She seems so sweet and fun! We will definitely miss Sister Nagareda. Anyways, by request, I am to explain some fun/interesting/different things about the Philippines. But there's so many!! I'll pick a few of my favorites...

There's an election happening soon, and each candidate produces a catchy song and these hired drivers blast it on the streets. So I always have one of these songs stuck in my head, but they are actually such good songs so I don't mind too bad!! I kind of wish America did this, but I don't know if the songs would be as good.

"Hey Joe" is a common greeting I get, which they say to any foreigner, male or female. I'm trying to think of a very common but short Filipino name so that I could say "Hoy (insert name)!" back. Please help me if you know a name I could use! 

Eskinitas... these are really skinny alleyways where homes are. I love them!! It's super interesting. There's always interesting smells and dripping roofs. And there's random big holes in the cemented ground, so you have to constantly watch your step. AND YOUR HEAD!! One day I hit my head sooooo hard on something because I was focusing too much on the ground. OUCH!

The food is delicious! Some interesting things are pig ear, balut (look it up), liver (EWW that's the one thing I really don't like), intestines, full fried fish (mom you'd die if you saw some of the fish I eat), etc. Oh and the other day, at a market, there were all these fish laid out on a table and they were alive!! It was so weird. They just kept splashing them with water. 

Ok I'll save some more for later!

We got to watch General Conference this weekend yayyy!! This is where all the members of the Church all tune in the hear Prophet Russell M. Nelson and the apostles speak the things that God has told him to tell us. I have never been so excited for Conference in my entire life, and it was truly everything I hoped for. I love our prophet so much and every time I hear him and the apostles speak it's reaffirmed to me that they are truly called of God and are speaking His words. My favorite talk was Elder Holland's, especially when he talked about the name the Lamb of God and what that really means. I often feel overwhelmed (the good kind) when I think of God's sacrifice for us. I thank Him everyday for giving us what is most precious to Him and being willing to watch His Son suffer for people who are almost nothing in comparison. It just shows how valuable we truly are in His eyes. I truly believe that He gave us everything when He gave us His Son. The least we can do is give Him back everything, even though in comparison it is only bread crumbs.

Sister Stewart