Eating on the beach

This past week we had out zone activity.  It was in Narra.  We went to the beach and had food and games.  It was really fun.  I found some cool shells and a few small sand dollars.  The ocean here is warm just like in Belize.  We cooked the food on the beach over coals.  We roasted chickens over coals by turning them on a stick.  When all the food was cooked we ate in the traditional philippino way.  We laid banana leaves on the table and dumped the rice and all the food on it.  Everyone ate with their hands.  One thing that I don't understand is why philippinos still eat with their hands.  For meals in the appartment sometimes the elders eat with their hands.  I can't stand having food on my hands.  Anyway, the zone activity was fun and it was a nice break from missionary work. 

I have still been adjusting to the food here.  Sometimes I get sick of eating rice for every meal.  Occasionaly I will make something else for a meal.  sometimes the other elders think the food I make is weird.  I jokingly tell them that they can't think my food is weird because they eat intestines, pure fat, balut (duck egg with a duck inside), and a lot of other weird things.  For the most part the food here is really good.  There is a lot of rice but there is also a lot of good stuff to go with the rice.

On Wednesday it rained almost all day.  There was so much water in the streets my pants got soaked near the bottom.  For the first time I was actually a little cold.  It was pretty surprising.  We taught a lot of lessons.

On Thursday I had been on my mission for three months.  It seems like it was really long and really short at the same time.  It is weird to think that time is still passing at home.  It is also weird to think that it is getting colder at home and will always be warm here.

Friday was and awesome day.  When we went out we taught a great lesson to an investigator who will be baptized this Saturday.  After that we had a dinner appointment with another two investigators that are progressing very well.  The lesson went well and at the end the two investigators' daughter opened her mission call.  There have been four mission call openings while I have been here.  They are all to the Philippines.  

Saturday and Sunday we were able to watch general conference.  I was so happy that I got to watch it in English.  It was really good.  It did make me a little homesick but it was really motivating.

This past week I saw a really scary looking zombie dog.  When Elder Beltran and I were walking I noticed it.  As we got closer I could see sores and open wounds on its head and on its body.  On the side of the dog there was a gaping hole that when I looked into it I could clearly see one of the dog's ribs.  The dog was just standing there like nothing at all was wrong.  It was an image that took a while to get out of my head.  Some of the dogs here are really freaky.  The other week I saw one that was half skinned.  The dogs get in vicious fights.  There truly is a zombie dog apocalypse here.

This past week was good and I am really liking this area.  The members and people are nice and my Tagalog is coming along.  I am starting to understand bits and pieces of what people say.

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Love, Elder Harkness