Silaw. Liwang.

  Lately I have been missing Laoag. I am craving an empanada- the Filipino style pictured above. I miss walking near the rice fields in the far parts of the areas I lived in the city. I even miss the crazy, but convenient transportation. But most of all I miss my friends! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be a missionary in the Philippines! I think about it everyday and have no regret that I chose to serve a full-time mission and very thankful for where the Lord called me. A part of me is there and a part of the PI is with me.

Six. Amin. Roku.

Six years ago today I entered the MTC. Six years...at times it feels like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in that basement classroom studying the scriptures and Tagalog and laughing with people who would become some of my greatest friends. I loved my MTC experience! I learned many things why I was there and since I have left. Serving a mission is the greatest decision and also a difficult one I have made in my life thus far. I do not regret at all choosing to follow the Lord's command for me and serve a full-time mission. I am the woman I am today, because of that decision and the experiences I had while serving and what I still learn from it today. It has helped me in other decisions and experiences. Each day I think of it and at times long for my friends in the Philippines. I'm thankful Heavenly Father lead me to serving a mission and for the experiences I had while serving- the awesome positive ones and the not so awesome positive ones. :) And the things I continue to learn from them. Masaya Ang Aking Puso :)

*This picture I took this morning- being late for class has it's blessings and this is one them.

Namimiss Ko Kayo

Recently I have been missing extra extra people I know from the mission. All of my mission pictures are not yet digital- so the pictures below are ones from my co-Laoag missionaries. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to serve a full-time mission and that I was able to serve in the Philippines. On Friday night I was blessed to chat with five of my Filipino co-missionaries on facebook all at the same time. I miss them! I am grateful for the technology that allows them to seem so close.

The top picture is after I received my trainer (nanay) with my batch and her nanay. Sister Miguela was a lot of fun! I learned many things in our short six weeks together. The below picture is of Sister Fuentes (who later became my companion), my nanay, and my anak (trainee) Sister Alburo.

This is a tricycle. If we weren't walking we took these. I miss the easiness of getting around the city.

This is one of my favorites! We loved the mentos power gum. Here we are posing with it in front of the mission home, right down the street from our house. (Hancock another anak of mine, Fuentes who was my current companion at the time, and Kahalan- batch of Sister Fuentes and I)
This picture is of Sister Fuentes and I at my last district meeting before returning home. It happened to be two days after my birthday so we had to have cake! This is another one of my favorite pictures! I hope to soon have all my mission pictures digital. I'm glad that I have them though even if they're not at least I have them in a big book and get to enjoy them :)
Masaya Ang Aking Puso :)