Manila Mission: Frog legs, anyone?

We’re being invaded! There have been two typhoons through the area in the past week and a half and so there is water everywhere. The frogs are thriving. Our doors are not the tightest fits in the world and so the critters come in with surprising frequency. They are fast hoppers too. It takes a bit of agility to chase them down and redirect them back outside. It has given us something new and exciting to do. So far none of them has asked to hear about anything from Preach My Gospel.

As usual, the Elder’s in our Zone are fabulous. Monday night was Zone FHE. We had a Mexican Fiesta. We fixed fajitas, mini chili tacos, nachos, refried beans, Spanish rice and the trimmings. The American lads really went crazy and the natives were very good sports. Most of them liked the flavors and certainly ate plenty. Had a good lesson and played games. The Elders requested that we sing “Horsey, Horsey” as the closing song again this time. Such fun!

We had a good choir practice on Tuesday and then went with the Elders from Ternate to visit less active members. We got rained on quite a bit but wasn’t too bad. We were thrilled today at Church when one of the families we had visited showed up for meeting. Thursday we went with the Hussey’s to Cavite City and areas surrounding to do apartment checks. Was so fun to visit and meet new missionaries. We got lost in one area and went down a very long street that was not designed for large vehicles. Elder Hussey got a couple of dings in his SUV.

Friday we had a FHE activity at the Naic Branch. They had games, lesson and dinner. We were sitting there enjoying ourselves when the brother in charge said, “Now, Elder and Sister Smith will tell us about why they love the Book of Mormon.” Okay,… no warning mind you,… so, we did. Elder talked about a couple of his favorite scriptures and bore his testimony then I got up and being the serious minded one, I invited the primary children to come sit on the floor in front of me. We then proceeded to sing and do all the actions to Book of Mormon Stories. The kids were great sports and we had fun.

Saturday was a baptism in Ternate Branch. This family is one we have visited with in their home. It is made from bamboo and is so cool. 5 of the family were baptized including the Tatay, Nanay, and 3 kids. The oldest son is 22 and excited about going on a mission next year. Very special baptism with a great spirit. We sang “Love is Spoken Here” (at the request of the Branch President).

New month, new fruit! Mangosteen! It’s strange looking but sort of pretty too. If you gently press on the outside and it “smushes” a bit, it’s ripe. The sides peel off easily and expose a 5 sectioned inside. One of the sections has the seed and the other 4 are seedless. Is actually pretty tasty if you like citrus. Is a bit like a mild pink grapefruit with a pinch of a zing in it.