Philippines!!!

Kumusta pamilya!

I am in the Philippines! It was a long journey to get here, and now I am here and it is great. It is so great. I am so blessed. And I miss you and wish you could experience the Philippines with me! I vote we come to the Philippines after my mission. 

Traveling... was awesome. I really did love it. Also I loved being able to talk to you and wish that it could have been longer. It was hard for me because there were so many things I wanted to tell you but because we didn't have anytime I didn't know what to say with the time that I had. But I'm glad we were able to talk. Dad are you in Moab right now by the way? Ever since traveling my days have been messed up and I haven't a clue what time it is at home or what day it is. Anyway, traveling was great. We left the MTC at 6:30pm and got to the Mission home about 32 hours later. It was a looong time. Oh ya, the LAX airport was sooo big also! It was fun to be in the international portal thing and see all the different destinations in the world. The plane ride from LAX to Hong Kong was awesome! We were so lucky, a missionary and I sat in the same row and the person who was supposed to sit in between us never came, so we had the row to ourselves! We were on a 747 I think? It was a ginormous plane. They served us an amazing dinner (with Haggan Dans ice cream!) and for a snack Cup of Noodles (but the brand actually from China) and a delicious breakfast. Wow it was soo delicious. And the chairs were super comfortable and reclined. And there was a TV on the back of the seat in front of us and we didn't watch TV or anything, but there was a map of where we were on the flight, how much longer we had to go, etc. which was super fun to watch. Everything was in Chinese and English. I was blessed to sleep for a long time. And it was still tiring. It was fun to look at the map and see we were above Japan and then to look down and see all the lights from the city. On the flight we sat in front of 2 people from Mexico and one from the Philippines and they were so funny! We talked to them a lot and it was great. Then we got to Hong Kong! (By the way I took some pictures and due to poor planning I failed to bring my card reader and therefore and unable to send pictures this week. I'm so sorry!) Hong Kong was cool. All through flying we never had a layover for more than like 45 min before we started boarding. So I was in Hong Kong for a couple of hours if you count the time when we landed to when we took off. It was fun. Ha ha I didn't actually see much. The airport was right on the coast so I saw ocean, and the city kind of off in the distance. But it was cloudy or smoggy, I'm not sure which, and it was cool to realize that we were in Hong Kong freaking China. It was awesome. Then on the flight to Manila I sat next to 2 Filipinos. One older lady and one younger one. The whole time they taught me Tagalog and were funny to talk to. Also on that flight we had a delicious lunch. Man, Cathay Airlines is the way to go. Granted that is all I've ever flown, but it was sweet service. The two ladies I sat next to were so sweet and it got me excited for the Philippines. 

Manila! We landed, got out luggage, went out, and all 23 of us had no clue what to do next. Ha ha I was so happy that I was not the Travel Leader. I just stayed in the back of the group, laughed at everything, soaked in the fact that I was actually in Manila and had no clue what was being said around me, it was pretty hot, and I was finally there. I couldn't stop smiling I was so excited! We found our ride that took us to the Manila MTC to pick up the other missionaries there and then we headed out to the mission home. Ha ha everything was so... Filipino I guess. Ha ha I am so blessed that I don't really feel like I have had culture shock. Everything seems normal to me, a little different, but everything seems normal. Yesterday I saw a little girl squat down and pee right there where we were eating, and I thought to myself, "okay that's kind of gross... oh well." Jared was right about that movie with the part filmed in the Philippines. It was like that. The driving felt crazy when I first got here but now it is normal to me. To me it seems like the driving, is just drive. I haven't really picked up on organized patterns although i'm sure there are some, but it seems like if you are trying to get somewhere, just get there. Ha ha it's funny. 

At the Manila MTC (right next to the beautiful Manila temple!) and picked up I think 7 missionaries from that MTC. Then all 30 of us (biggest number the mission has ever received) and headed to the mission home. By the way the mission home address HAS changed. The Tarlac City one I sent you is correct. And I learned that that is actually the mission office address which is where all the mail is sent. 

F. TAÑEDO STREET

BRGY. SAN NICOLAS

TARLAC CITY, TARLAC 2300

PHILIPPINES 

I hope that that is the same address I sent you earlier... 

So ya, we went to the beautiful mission home after a looong drive, and we met President and Sister Martino. They are very kind to us. We had a lot of orientation, ate dinner, and went to bed. Then in the morning, more orientation, breakfast, then went to have more orientation, meet our new kasama and then head out to our new areas. 

My first kasama is Sister Frejas from the Philippines! I am her last companion and I hope so badly that she will not have any regrets with me as her last companion. She is so good to me. She speaks English very well which I am sooo thankful for! She is very kind, she loves me a lot, and she wants to train me so that I can be a future leader. She treats me quite literally like her child. We live in a really nice apartment in a really pretty place. Our area is Tarlac 3rd ward which is the biggest area in our zone. We spend a lot of money on transportation because it is such a large area. The members here are so very kind. Also so very involved in missionary work. it is soo neat. The people we are teaching are very kind. Bless her heart my kasama does basically all the teaching. Tagalog... I don't know anything. It has been overwhelming that I can't communicate with the people we teach. But I love it when I am able to feel the Spirit regardless that I have no clue what is being said. I am so grateful that I can pray and share my testimony in Tagalog. That has been about all I have to contribute at this point. Which is helping me learn patience. I want to know Tagalog right now and that is not happening. It is hard and that is all that needs to be said about that. :) 

The people are so very kind here. They are so easy to walk up and talk to. I am so thankful that I love talking to random people and I consider it a talent the Lord has given me. When we're riding a trike, the driver always lets me practice talking to him. Then my kasama will clear up basically everything I have said after I've finished. A lot of people look at us and when I'm talking they stare intently, I think because the way I speak is so funny. Ha ha I really have no clue how to communicate in Tagalog. Regardless the people are so kind and I am so blessed. 

We have 2 hours of internet use here. And they have the works here as in i can open word documents, pictures, etc... so please write me!  At the MTC physical letters and dearelders were the best. Here I think emails are best. Also, a new rule they added to the White Handbook. We can email family AND friends now! You can tell people if they want to write me they can email! Will you please tell Makenzie that especially? I want to hear about her wedding. Like I don't know how you will tell her, but if you could that would be great, ha ha thanks. I would tell her but I can't remember her email address.

How was the Jeep Safari? How was Easter!? My kasama didn't know what Easter was really. Here they (the other church) celebrated Holy Week. Which was actually an interesting week to arrive for us. There were many many people walking and parading in the streets singing with loud microphones, carrying crosses and whipping or hitting their backs until they bled all over. Good Friday especially. But how was Easter? What did you do? Grandma's house? How is Jr.? How goes preparing for grad school? How are Dallon and Jared? How is Genie? How is getting ready for 6th graders? How goes the 3rd grade Opera? Did you get the video I sent you from Sister Martino? Oh man I feel so bad, I was still so tired, and they took pictures of us that night for them to use all throughout our mission... good thing we can only get better looking from there. Yuck it was bad. And when I sent the video I was so tired so I probably seemed very unenthusiastic, my apologies. 

Anyway, I love you so so much! Thank you for your love and support. The Philippines is great. The people are great. My kasama is great. The atmosphere is great. Different, and great. The culture is great. Different, and still great. 

Thanks for all you do for me. I love you!

-Sister Davidson :)

P.S. Some other things I remembered last minute... Although there are a million things I actually want to say but have forgotten.

P-Days are Mondays.

Rice is an every meal type of thing. Yesterday I ate some type of fish that I don't know, muscles, and something else I'm not sure what it was and I ate it all with my fingers. My kasama taught me how as I never knew there was a technique to it. Ha ha the food was Filipino. I remind myself that I only have to eat it while I'm on my mission so I only have to like it for that much time. Then once I get home I don't ever have to like it again if I don't want to. Ha ha I'm praying that I acquire a love for the food. I'm too shy and don't know if it is rude to not eat, so I eat whatever my kasama puts on my plate and pray that I won't get sick. :) Ha ha I'll be fine. It'll be grand. I like rice so I've found that if I don't love a type of food, just put enough rice in the same bite and swallow as quickly as possible. Then it is fine! I think I'll grow to love the food, with time. That is my goal with my mission, and I guess it is a good life long goal as well... to love everything. Love everything so much that it will be hard when it is over. For example, I want to love my area so much that I never want to leave it. Or love my kasama so much that I never want to leave her. Or love the food so much that I will miss it terribly. I want to be able to look back at things and be sad to leave, but more so I want to look back and be so happy and grateful for the experience that I had. 

There are sooo many chickens, roosters, dogs, and cats here! They are everywhere! There is an LDS short movie about faith that Jared told me about that describes the Philippines perfectly. I watched it and he was right. It's a short 2 min movie about faith or something like that where the girl didn't have enough money to buy her food and pay to get to church but she had faith and through a miracle from the Lord she had enough money. Check it out. 

Also, I'm a giant here. In about a third of the Trikes I have to duck my head. Also to get in and out of many doorways I have to duck. I look over most everybody. I can't imagine what it would be like if I were actually tall! 

It is hot but really it is not as bad as I anticipated. I am loving the weather. 

I love you!