Sunday

We went to church today.  It turns out we were at the first meeting of this ward!  It  was just created and this was the week of organization.  We meet in a rented building.  There are about 75 members (from what I could see. )  This stake hopes to have another ward by the end of the year.  The work is growing so fast!  The members say that if they get 800 new members, they will get a stake here in Lapu Lapu.  Pretty cool!

This ward spoke quite a bit more English than the other ward but there were still whole talks that were not in English.  The boys loved primary because they spoke English the whole time!

A quick funny on Hannah.  I don't know if it's that she looks like Elsa from the movie Frozen or that her name sounds like the name Anna from Frozen, but wherever we are, kids start singing "do you want to build a snowman?" to her.  It's hilarious.  Even little street children that see us.

It is quite an amazing culture shock here.  First of all, there are SO many people on such a small island.  It is unfathomable to my country-girl mind how crowded it is.  The other shock is the contrast between wealthy and poor.  There is true poverty all around us and it is totally side by side with wealth.  It can be very unsettling to see it so ever-present.  Hannah was wise though.  She pointed out to me that the people seem very happy.  I suppose you don't need stuff to be happy!  :-)

I have thought much about our trip here.  Russ and I have felt often that the Lord wants us to be here in the Philippines.  Most of you know that I am not a very "venturesome lass".  I could be forever content in my own little hobbit-hole.  I don't need adventures or travel.  So this trip has stretched me quite a bit.  But even though there have been several opportunities that we could have chosen to abort the trip, we have felt we really needed to do this.  On the night that Caleb was set apart for his mission, our stake president spoke of the fact that he felt that the Lord wanted us here.  As difficult as this has been (and it HAS been difficult!) we have felt the Lord sustaining us and guiding us to find the right people and go to the right places.  I know that HE will continue to watch over us and sustain us.

Well enough of that for today!  Have a great Sabbath!

W