Jessica's Ninth Email! December 8th, 2013

Hi family. I will start by saying how sorry I am to hear about Grandpa's passing. But as you all said in your encouraging emails, I know that this is for the best and he can finally receive the perfect body that he has been struggling to live without for the past few years. I hope that the funeral service goes well for all of you and especially Grandma. Please give her a HUGE hug for me! And dad, as you said, what a miracle that his wife and all 5 kids could be there as he passed away. I am so grateful for Grandpa for the example he has been to me and to all of us. I know that he would want this to push me to work even harder to tell even more people about the Plan of Happiness that we are so lucky to know, especially at times like this. What a great man. Can't wait to see him again one day.

In some lighter news... Happy Birthday to Sister Taylor! Haha we haven't done much to celebrate yet, but tonight we have some legit family home evenings lined up!! Haha the 21st birthday in the life of a missionary. Nothing better!
And the best news of all!! (Remember how I mentioned mad dog's playoffs analogy last week?!) Well yesterday... WE WON THE SUPERBOWL!!!!! Haha it was seriously the best day. Like top 10 best days in my life I think. We had seven of our investigators come to church this week!!! And 19 less actives. Ahh it was such a miracle. Each one trickled in and Sis Taylor and me just looked at each other, jaws dropped, so excited. Haha such an amazing feeling. There are a lot of pictures we took with them after church. Three different families. I will tell you more about church, but I'll start with the beginning of the week.

So Monday after we emailed, we travelled to Goa to go to the ATM. Oh yea, our town is so small it doesn't even have an ATM haha. So we took a Jeepnie to Goa, which is like 20 minutes away. THERE ARE REAL STORES IN THE PHILIPPINES!! Ahhh I was so relieved to see this place called LCC! It's a grocery store. But like, a real one. Price tags, tiles, the real deal. And attached is a department store. It was crazy. Clothes and bags and appliances and ahh. As I said. Such a relief to see. And they have real things there. Like ingredients that we have in America and stuff. So Christie, can you do me a HUGE favor?! Can you go on my Pinterest and find the no bake recipe. The one with the pic of like 6 no bakes stacked on top of each other in my yum folder I think. And can you please send that to me. We have no oven so that will do! And dad. I would love the rocky road recipe because they have angel food cake here! Ok so if you could send me those 2 that would be great. So we were in Goa, but the ATM was offline. Apparently it happens all the time where they just run out of money so you have to wait for them to get more. So we had about 3 hours to kill. We went to this store that sells used clothes, kinda like a thrift shop. Sister Taylor and I each got a grandma dress haha but we love them! So light and easy. We wore them Sunday. Don't worry, we did some hard core cleaning first. And. They were each only like 1 American dollar! Can't beat that haha.

Then Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty normal. It rained like non-stop for 10 days but yesterday and today have been sunny.

Thursday we had interviews so we got to see President and Sister Reeder, which was so fun! And! Sister Reeder brought us homemade chocolate chip cookies. Apparently she does it every time we have interviews. So Delicious!!!! Also! We got our mail!!!! I had letters from Mary and Megan. And the Berthas sent me their Christmas card! SO fun! It's hanging up on my wall! Anyone who wants to make my day, feel free to send your family Christmas card haha. And family! I had better be on your mailing list this year! :)

We had exchanges on Friday. So I went back to Goa and I worked with Sister Viola. She is great. From the Philippines. Going home in like 2 weeks. When she was at our apartment before we left she saw the picture of our family hanging on my wall. She was asking who everyone was and when she got to you mom, she said. Oh my! So fun! You have a twin sister?! And she was being so serious haha. So hopefully that makes your day mom. It's like when someone saw our family picture and said it was so sad that this man's wife died and he was left with their 6 kids. Hahah. Sorry dad!!!! I don't think you look your age if that counts for anything. So exchanges were good. This one lady LOVES the missionaries. Haha she kept asking me to take pictures with her and then she wants me to send them to her so she can put it up on her wall with the other missionary pictures. She is a recent convert. So funny.

Two quick side notes. Here they do merienda (snack time) like 10 times a day haha. So a lot of people give us like crackers and some juice or orange soda, which is huge here. It's great cause we get a quick PACKAGED snack that doesn't have any suspicious contents. The people really are so sweet here. And the other thing, mom, you should be pleased to know I use hand sanitizer like all the time. Maybe obsessively haha. I remember how much you told me to use it when I was leaving for London but here, oh boy. Here you would REALLY want me using it haha.

Oh I forgot to tell you about the sister’s apartment I stayed in during exchanges. It is so nice!! It was tile floors. There were no leaks in the ceiling. They had light fixtures! Like decorative ones. They have a shower! AND their toilet flushes haha. It was so nice to stay there. Felt like a weekend getaway haha. But anyway, our house is a lot bigger so it all evens out somehow I'm sure. (Not really)

Saturday a lot of our appointments started falling through but then great things started happening! We ended up having 3 really good lessons with people who were going through so much and I think really needed a little pick-me-up. So it ended up being a great day. Oh my. I haven't told you but all the people here have hammocks. And their babies are always sleeping in them. The life! For sure gonna get one before I leave here.

We ate super well this week. Taco bell tacos. Fajitas. Homemade salsa. Curry. It was a good week. Don't worry I weighed myself at interviews and I haven't gained wait. But it might happen, fair warning haha. Good food week for sure!
MOM! Thank you so much for those Christmas stickers you sent in the MTC. The kids go crazy for them!!! Sister Taylor has a ton of pictures this week that you should get off her sky drive. There are a few with like a million little kids and I'm giving them stickers. Sums up pretty well what happens 10 times a day when I whip em out haha. It's great until they start asking me questions in Tagalog. Then I just say yayyy more stickers to change the subject haha.

Okay so church yesterday. We had like maybe 3 people who actually committed to go. The rest were iffy. So we're at church and like 20 minutes before it even starts, Phillip and Miles come strollin in with their daughter. Phillip is the one from Australia I wrote about last week. So then relief society starts (first hour) and Sister Taylor ended up teaching. She saw one of our investigators, Jessie Lou walk in so I quickly went and grabbed her. She had her 2 kids with her but her husband had to work. He is a padyak driver. So then a few more minutes into RS Jenivie walks in, with her 4 kids!!!!! SO I showed the kids where primary is and then got her into RS. So amazing. We had only briefly mentioned to her when and where church was but hadn't even really taught her yet so figured she wouldn't go. But she did!!! AND she didn't have fare to padyak so she walked with her 4 little kids. The sacrifice of these people really is remarkable sometimes. So it was the primary program, which was perfect that they all came. Phillip and Miles's daughter ended up being in the program! HAHA I looked up and saw her and was like.. Hmmm ok. Looks good to me. So Sister Taylor was the pianist for the performance so I sat with Jenivie. I missed most of the program trying to keep her kids from escaping but it's all good haha. Well it was all good until her baby peed on the floor because like nobody here uses diapers. So I had to run and find something to clean it up. Stress Central haha. All in all it was a good day. AND! After church when we went out teaching we ended up meeting 3 new investigators through a member referral. They are solid. Can't wait to teach them. It's really crazy how many miracles we saw yesterday. I can't express how grateful I am.

Well that's about all I've got for his week. Be strong family. Thank you for the emails and encouragement. Let's all be happy as grandpa would have us be! He was always so close to the Lord and I hope that can be an encouragement to us all to read more, pray harder, and live better like he always did.

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER. That keeps me goin. I love and miss you all so much.
Have a great week!

Love, Sister Richmond



Top 10
1. Church attendance
2. New investigators
3. Hand written letters from friends
4. Rain= not so hot
5. Great food this week
6. Shopping in Goa
7. Seeing President and Sister Reeder
8. Knowledge of the plan of happiness at this hard time
9. The opportunity I have to teach that plan
10. Sister Taylor's birthday


PS- Thanks for putting pictures on the sky drive Christie!!! Don, those rugby shorts are questionably short hahah. And the Christmas party looked fun. Glad the boys survived. Nugs is still a cutie!!!! <3 Now time for a cute baby!!! Slashhh in like 16 months.

 At the thrift shop place. Seems practical in the Philippines.

 Watermelon smoothie and photo bomber in the back. Obviously Goa because it's a restaurant.

LCC the shopping center in Goa

 Taco bell. This one's for the boyz: Case, Don and Audz

 Kinda an idea of what we teach in. But this house is bigger than most.

 Mystery Fruit everywhere.

 These things are so annoying when we teach! This is Alexis, one of our investigators.

 Fun family!

 Seriously wasn't planned at all! We both walked into the kitchen and were like what theee. haha

 Somehow ended up here the other day.

Sister Viola

 Just casually walking to one of their investigators houses... through the FOREST!

 Rice Fields

 Sister Viola and me

 The lady who kept wanting pictures haha

 Again, casually walking to an investigators house over a river on a plank.

 Sister Viola's first ever PB&J sandwich

 Primary

 Two of Jenevie's kids

 All of our investigators at church! Jessie Lou on the left. Phillip and Miles middle, and Jenevie right.

 Jenevie and her kids

 Alexis

 Alexis

 Jessies Lou's husband picking them up from church. 

He drove Jenevie and her kids home since they walked. So nice!

 A member, Jackie and her baby

 I LIVE HERE!!!

 Giving the kids stickers

 They liked the stickers

 With the zone for interviews with the mission president

 Happy Birthday Sister Taylor

Jessica's Eighth Email! December 1st, 2013

It was quite the week here in Tigaon. I still don't speak Tagalog, I still shower in a bucket, and I still love it here. 

I was feeling pretty down on Thanksgiving feeling badly for myself because you were all together eating real food and all of that. We went to teach this nanay (mom/ grandma) and she was blind in one eye. She is Catholic and we were talking to her about prayer. I can pick up on some Tagalog and I heard her say that she is so grateful for the trials God has given her. She is blind. I cannot even imagine how hard that must be when you have to walk through muddy hills and trees and all sorts of things just to get to her house. I realized how blessed I am and she's the one thanking God for her trials. This is when I realized I need to suck it up. These people don't get to leave in 16 months and go back to La Jolla. This is their life. These things that I feel like I can't get through (showers, bugs, etc.) are thing that they deal with everyday and will continue to deal with. I'm grateful that God is placing these people in our path and I really am learning so much from them. 

We did, however, make the most of Thanksgiving here. Sis Taylor and I made a feast and the other 2 sisters in our house are from Fiji and Manila, so they didn't understand haha. But we taught them all about Thanksgiving! And we kept up tradition by going around the table and saying what we are thankful for. We made mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, and bought soe rolls. It was the best!!! AND, for dessert, I had a pumpkin bar that Heidi Hachtman sent me in the MTC. Almost like a nice slice of pumpkin pie haha. Almost. While we were eating there was a brownout. Same thing as a blackout but they call them brownouts here and they happen all the time. Luckily it only lasted a few minutes so we could get on with the feast!!! There have been like 8 maybe since I got here. They are annoying haha. There was one the other night and Sis Taylor and I both woke up cause it was so hot without the fans. Like SO hot. Didn't really matter though cause I haven't had a full night of sleep since I got here. I usually wake up at 5 and do some dishes or something. Hindi Mabuti (not good) but hopefully it doesn't last for the next year and a half! I'm soooo tired haha. 

Okay there are a few things here that I know would kill you dad! There are cross-dressers everywhere!!! It's horrible haha. You would also not be pleased with motorcycle safety here. Nobody wears helmets and there are whole families on one motorcycle. Like a dad driving, then a mom just holding a newborn, and a few kids stuffed between them. It is insane. And lastly, the dogs. Ahh they are the worst. Worse than Molly! They bark at us all the time. It's terrifying. 

So as I mentioned, my Tagalog is struggling haha. I have said some embarrassing things. Two that happened during lessons were especially bad. I was trying to say that my family is the most beautiful gift I have been given. Kindaaaa forgot the gift so we ended up with something like I have the most beautiful family. Hopefully they just can't understand at all because of my accent. Another was a closing prayer of a lesson. I thought I said we love you very much... turns out I said we love us very much. So I guess Tagalog is just making me really conceited or something. 

There are a few culture things I have noticed that I'll tell ya about. One- for some reason everyone will be talking totally normal but then the second they start to say a prayer they start whispering so quietly. I just have to sit and watch them until they stop talking so I know when to say amen. Another thing is the nursing. Oh my! The moms just start nursing anywhere, anytime, in front of anyone. It's kind of awkward sometimes haha. The poor elders!! Another thing is that not everything translates over so nicely. We went to a member’s house and his shirt was the most inappropriate shirt I think I've ever seen in my life haha. And he had no idea. The whole play on words thing was missed I think. Everyone in the town yells at us because we are the only foreigners in the town, it's a pretty small town too. They try to use English so they say one of these things, seesterssss!!! OR good morning! (No matter what time of day it is haha) or they just yell I love you babyy!! It's funny. When it gets annoying I just remember, at least they're not spitting on us or something! Another thing they do here is bless older people. So sometimes when we go to shake a kid's hand they grab it and touch it to their forehead to bless us. It's pretty cute haha. 

We stared running in the mornings!!! There is the most beautiful little road that we run out on with nothing around but green fields and beautiful trees and all sorts of pretty plants. I love it! Hopefully it will make it so I don't get fat from only eating carbs. OH! We did laundry for the first time.... washboard, bucket, clothesline. Like for real. Haha I love washing machines so much. I never knew hand washing was so much work. When your tag says hand wash only, ignore it! So not worth it haha. And it takes forever to dry here. But it's all good!! I think I'll be a laundry pro in no time!! The other day we were walking down the street and I heard a rebelution song! Ahh it was so nice haha. Usually we just hear like Miley Cyrus or dumb music, but hearing that was nice. 

So yesterday was my first Sunday in the ward because last week was stake conference! They had me bear my testimony haha. Short and sweet!! I really gotta learn Tagalog! But the ward is no 7th ward, let me tell ya!! I know that it will grow on me but it's hard coming from such a strong ward. I recognized almost everyone from our less active visits!! To give you an idea of what I mean, the "returning members" include the elder’s quorum president, relief society president, and counselor to the bishop (and he's the only counselor). The young men and young women's presidents are both around 17 or 18. It's so different. But I know that if we work as hard as we can, we can strengthen this ward! And that is one reason we are here in Tigaon! We have been working really hard. We taught 23 lessons this week and that's after a lot of people punted us (had an appt but they weren't there). A few weeks ago in Madison's email home she wrote about how Sunday is like the playoffs in missionary life. You work so hard during the week to get people to church on Sunday and then you just gotta wait and see who shows up. SO true. Well let me tell ya, we lost BAD yesterday haha. It was so disappointing. We had so many people commit to come to church and nobody did. It was sad. They will come, you'll see!!!! Mom! One of our investigators is named Jessie Lou! That's what you always call me so it was funny when she introduced herself. We just started teaching her on Friday. I think she's a promising one!! She's awesome and she actually read like she said she would. Nobody does that!!! Another investigator is Phillip. He is from Australia but is married to a Filipino. They wanted us to stop by their daughter's first birthday party the other day. His wife's mom is less active so we went cause we could meet her and it would be perfect. Well we got there and there was a little bit of drinking going on so we turned to leave but Phillip called us over. Okay there was a lot of drinking haha he was quite drunk. He started saying all this stuff about how we can't give up on him and how he's not silly, he knows we want him to become Mormon, and how we should keep coming to teach because he will come around eventually hahahha. He doesn't remember anything from the party, he told us the next day. Greatttt. But don't you worry! We're not going anywhere haha. Chris! We have used that wood plan of salvation thing you gave me a few times! It's a big hit haha. Thank you so much.

Okay 2 more things about Sundays. Church is a mixture of English, Tagalog, and Bicol (the dialect here) so that makes it even harder. And, I have realized these last 2 months that I am a big believer of Sunday naps! Haha It just doesn't feel right being awake on a Sunday afternoon. Oh well. It's good! We get to go teach so that's better. 

Mom and Grandma! We decorated for Christmas! Thank you both for your decorations!! I love the Santa head from Grandma and the advent calendars are so fun mom! Thanks!!! 

Okay quick story from last night. We were going to contact a referral and there was like a full on rave in the middle of the neighborhood! But all little kids. Then the next neighborhood... and the next. So weird. Just your average Sunday night raves I guess? But when we finally got to the house it was too loud to teach. Sis Taylor was talking to the lady to reschedule so I was standing right behind her. About 30 kids just came up and circled us and were just staring. They were asking me all sorts of things in Tagalog and I just stood there. Then I went to shake one of their hands and not even exaggerating, all 30 of them grabbed my hand haha. It was a mixture of really cute and really weird. All I can say is good thing I've always got my hand sanitizer!

A lot of you asked about the food. We just eat at home, never at member's houses or anything, so it's not too bad because we choose what we eat. We mostly eat eggs and potatoes, or pasta with this really good basil sauce Sister Taylor makes. We'll find more things I like I hope, for her sake at least haha. I'm trying! I promise! 

Okay I was reading a conference talk and found this and really liked it. It's president Uchtdorf, "First doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." Really though! It's easy to get doubting why you do certain things but just remember what you believe and the rest will come easier! And the M. Russell Ballard quote I mentioned a few weeks ago. From Oct 2013 conference, "Brothers and sisters, fear will be replaced with faith and confidence when members and the full-time missionaries kneel in prayer and ask the Lord to bless them with missionary opportunities." Such a good one. Sharing the gospel can be scary but I really believe that this is true. I have never prayed so much as I have these past 2 weeks and I know that is what is helping me love the work. 
 
I totally forgot top 10 last week. Sorry!

1. Thanksgiving dinner
2. The kids
3. Sister Taylor's help
4. Rained a few days so it wasn't too hot
5. December!
6. Jessie Lou- new investigator
7. Emails from all my favorite people
8. Learning my way around Tigaon
9. Getting to know investigators better
10- Deep cleaned for 3 hours this morning so the house doesn't creep me out as much now! 


Okay I love you all so much!!!! Thanks for your love and support. You are the best!

Love, Sister Richmond

So we were going to take a way cute Christmas picture but totally covered the tree. 

And we tried self timer but some man came to our rescue. Fail of a picture.

Lumpia

Balut

Yummy

I ate it. Eww never. The other two in our house did though.

One of our investigators, Maricar, and her kids and mom

Here Piggy Piggy

Smelled so bad. We walk past this every time we go to Mary Jane's.

Mary Jane's House

A boy climbing a tree to get us some fresh coconuts haha

A member who came with us to her friend's house to teach her. At the house they gave us coconut.

Dad and the boys would be in coconut heaven

This is how we get to one of our investigator's houses. Killer when it's raining!!!

Keeping track of my bites haha

Legit how people get around. This is called a Jeepnie

Their form of security. Glass shards cemented to the top of a wall

You buy drinks in the bag here

FEAST!

The other 2 sisters we live with. Left- from Philippines. Right- from Fiji. 

Big fans of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

Narrow barb wire fence lined pathways, rain, and a wide umbrella make for some struggles.

Church building

Church building 5 minutes later... bipolar weather

Christmas!

Sister Taylor is playing for the primary program so we had practice yesterday haha. 

So cute.

First ride on a tricie. Its a motorcycle with a little side-cart.

Risking my life to rid our house of the awful spider webs.