Dear Family and Friends:
McDonald's delivers here. It's the best/worst thing ever.
Haha anyways...I don't really know where to start for this letter. Everything is just different. And not in a bad way, of course. Just really different.
I'll start with my companion. Her name is Sister Mahoni and she's a Tongan from New Zealand. So she has that awesome accent, which I love. But she has only 5 months left, so she really knows what she's doing by now. I call her "nanay" which means mom and she calls me "anak" which means child. Technically they want you to call each other "sister (whatever)" or "trainer" and "trainee". And we would probably be chastised for not doing that. But I think it has really helped us to become close to be able to call each other by the more endearing terms "anak" and "nanay".
I thought originally I would want a Filipina trainer in the beginning so I would be forced to learn Tagalog really fast. But God knew that I needed someone who I could deeply communicate with to get past this training period and not have a mental breakdown. Figures.
The men pee everywhere here. Like anywhere and everywhere. They will just get off the jeepney or tricycle, do their business on a wall, and come back. The other day we were walking down the street and we saw a little kid standing on the top of a tricycle cab and going off into the middle of the street. It was so funny I just burst out laughing. Sorry mom, but I had to share that. And if you don't know what a tricycle or jeepney is, look it up.
Around here my whiteness attracts SO much attention. The kids call me "mami" which means "the most beautiful" or "Barbie". Don't be surprised if I come back thinking I'm pretty much the best thing to ever happen! ;)
Now to the real reason I'm here.
I decided that I wasn't going to wait to open my mouth until I knew more Tagalog. On the very first day, I participated in lessons that we would teach our investigators. I have been really blessed with the ability to understand what people are saying. I just can't speak well yet. But I know that when my nanay stops talking during a lesson and looks over at me that I just need to bear my testimony the best I can about whatever I understood in the lesson. It's hard sometimes, but I find that the less I concentrate on trying to speak correctly, the faster my words come. Talk about putting full trust in God to fill your mouth...
They had me bear my testimony in church on Sunday because I'm new. So I got up there and the first thing I said was, "Alam ko na sobrang puti ako. Pero kung makakain ako ng mas rice na magiging ako ng filipino." Translation: "I know that I am super white, but if I will eat more rice, I will become a filipino."
I'm pretty sure that won them over.
I was reading in 2 Nephi the other day for personal study and I came across a verse that I really loved. It's 2 Nephi 16:8. I would encourage you to go there with your families and relate it to yourselves, asking yourselves the question, "Will I answer the call?" It's awesome the inspiration you can get from a single verse.
Anyways, thank you all for the prayers. If you want to know something specific to pray for, pray that my training goes by quickly for me so I can work to the best of my abilities.
~Sister Lefebvre
McDonald's delivers here. It's the best/worst thing ever.
Haha anyways...I don't really know where to start for this letter. Everything is just different. And not in a bad way, of course. Just really different.
I'll start with my companion. Her name is Sister Mahoni and she's a Tongan from New Zealand. So she has that awesome accent, which I love. But she has only 5 months left, so she really knows what she's doing by now. I call her "nanay" which means mom and she calls me "anak" which means child. Technically they want you to call each other "sister (whatever)" or "trainer" and "trainee". And we would probably be chastised for not doing that. But I think it has really helped us to become close to be able to call each other by the more endearing terms "anak" and "nanay".
I thought originally I would want a Filipina trainer in the beginning so I would be forced to learn Tagalog really fast. But God knew that I needed someone who I could deeply communicate with to get past this training period and not have a mental breakdown. Figures.
The men pee everywhere here. Like anywhere and everywhere. They will just get off the jeepney or tricycle, do their business on a wall, and come back. The other day we were walking down the street and we saw a little kid standing on the top of a tricycle cab and going off into the middle of the street. It was so funny I just burst out laughing. Sorry mom, but I had to share that. And if you don't know what a tricycle or jeepney is, look it up.
Around here my whiteness attracts SO much attention. The kids call me "mami" which means "the most beautiful" or "Barbie". Don't be surprised if I come back thinking I'm pretty much the best thing to ever happen! ;)
Now to the real reason I'm here.
I decided that I wasn't going to wait to open my mouth until I knew more Tagalog. On the very first day, I participated in lessons that we would teach our investigators. I have been really blessed with the ability to understand what people are saying. I just can't speak well yet. But I know that when my nanay stops talking during a lesson and looks over at me that I just need to bear my testimony the best I can about whatever I understood in the lesson. It's hard sometimes, but I find that the less I concentrate on trying to speak correctly, the faster my words come. Talk about putting full trust in God to fill your mouth...
They had me bear my testimony in church on Sunday because I'm new. So I got up there and the first thing I said was, "Alam ko na sobrang puti ako. Pero kung makakain ako ng mas rice na magiging ako ng filipino." Translation: "I know that I am super white, but if I will eat more rice, I will become a filipino."
I'm pretty sure that won them over.
I was reading in 2 Nephi the other day for personal study and I came across a verse that I really loved. It's 2 Nephi 16:8. I would encourage you to go there with your families and relate it to yourselves, asking yourselves the question, "Will I answer the call?" It's awesome the inspiration you can get from a single verse.
Anyways, thank you all for the prayers. If you want to know something specific to pray for, pray that my training goes by quickly for me so I can work to the best of my abilities.
~Sister Lefebvre