THE PHILIPPINES WILL TRY TO KILL YOU

I AM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Every morning I have to look out my window and remind myself of that! I am on the other side of the world and it blows my mind!

TRAVEL:

We had a few hiccups along the way, but everything ended up all working out thankfully! :) One of my favorite parts was getting off the bus with 50+ other missionaries into the airport. We got some stares, but it was the best feeling being out in public and wearing Jesus Christ's name on my heart! This was my first time ever on a plane, and all the missionaries around me said they were happy they got to sit by me to see my reaction. They said I made their flight a lot more enjoyable haha! Being up in the air blew my mind! I was able to see out the window, and there was an orange sunset bouncing off the clouds and I just thought "how can people think there isn't a supreme creator after seeing this?!" It was beautiful!! The plane ride from San Francisco to the Philippines was SO LONG! like..... SO LONG! I tried to sleep but I'd wake up every hour. I was in a middle seat, sitting in between two people who were from the Philippines. I talked to the woman a lot and got really close with her! I ended up giving her the first lesson about the restoration of the church and Joseph Smith! I gave the lesson to the man sitting next to me as well! It was a great experience! The flight attendant liked to talk to me a lot. He said he was really impressed with how much Tagalog I knew in just 6 weeks and he also had a lot of questions about our church and missionary work! I got to answer a lot of his questions!! In San Francisco, I was on a bus and there was this pregnant woman sitting next to me with her husband and young son. I started talking to them and ended up being able to talk to them about the church! It felt so goo being able to talk to them about the gospel and share my testimony when they asked me why I would spend a year and a half of my life in the Philippines! I love being a missionary!

BUS RIDE TO THE MANILA MTC:

When we got off the plane, we got on a bus that took us to the mission home. The traffic is INSANE!!! People are honking all the time and no one really stays in the lanes and there are people and kids just walking in the street!! I got SO car sick!! The windows on the bus had zero tint, and EVERYONE on the streets would stare at us through the windows! Filipinos just stare at you!! One guy even blew me a kiss!! haha!

I can't even explain how different it is here. People live in conditions that I didn't even think were possible. The culture is so different too. I feel like I'm living on a different planet! I already love the people so much though. I can't wait to get to know the people and their culture better!

MANILA MTC:

I've been at the Manila MTC since I arrived and will stay here until Wendesday morning! After that, I meet my mission president and trainer then I'm out it the field! The Manila MTC is beautiful! I feel so sheltered though! It's like a little oasis in the middle of chaos! I'm super interested to see how I'll be living once I'm out in the field. I'm not quite liking the food yet.... it's really different. Our first meal was breakfast and it was rice and hot dogs! We have balut tomorrow (boiled, fertilized duck/chicken egg). I'm still not sure if I'm going to be able to eat it!!!!! I'll try though haha!

It is SO HUMID!!!! Every time I walk outside, it's like walking into an indoor pool. It's the weirdest feeling!! I think I like the humidity though! Also the plants and flowers here are so beautiful! Everything just thrives here because there is so much water. I saw a snail the other day that was about the size of my palm!!

THE PHILIPPINES WILL TRY TO KILL YOU:

My first day here, we had a meeting that told us about how the Philippines is going to try to kill us. So they told us everything we need to do if we want to stay alive hahaha. One thing that I thought they were joking about is how I have to bleach my produce and some other foods before I eat it. I thought that was really extreme! Apparently we need to avoid standing in water after it rains because it has rat pee in it which carries this disease that kills 10% of people who get it. I literally heard a bunch of stuff like this and was laughing and crying at the same time throughout the whole presentation, because I really thought he was joking around but he was actually dead serious. What a day :') LOL

THE BEST EXPERIENCE:

Our second day here, we got to go proselyting in Metro Manila with missionaries from the Manila mission for 6 hours. I was in a trio with one of my companions from the MTC, then the experienced missionary. Her name is Sister Schwalger and she is from Samoa. She has been on her mission for 9 months. We sat down before we headed out and said that we'd each be giving out a Book of Mormon today. I was SO excited!! We made a goal to talk to 20 people. Walking out on the streets was crazy! I got so many stares! We talked to a lot of people! We street contacted the whole time. I love watching how Sister Schwalger talked to the people. She would talk to them and then tell them me and my companion were going to share our testimonies. She didn't tell us about this before! I was caught off guard, but it was such an amazing experience sharing my testimony to each person we talked with. The people we talked to were so surprised when we started speaking Tagalog! 

My favorite part was when we walked by a basketball court with a bunch of little kids playing. We went onto the court and they all gathered up, sat on the concrete, and we shared with them about the gospel, Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith. That was the best moment in the world sitting there with all of them and sharing the Gospel. The Spirit was the strongest for me then. My heart burst with the Spirit and happiness in that moment!

The kids we taught were ages 7-12. Most of them were boys and there were 3 girls. One of the little girls came up to me after we taught and said "you are so pretty." I gave her a hug and told her she was pretty too. After the hug I gave her the Book of Mormon and told her to read it. She told me her and the friends with her were going to read it together. My heart burst again!

The little boys were TOO funny! The whole time they kept saying they wanted a kiss! They stood in line to give me a handshake and then I would see them get back in the end of the line to get another hand shake. One of the boys came up behind me and said "Hey baby girl." I died!!! It was hilarious! All the little boys went crazy when they found out my name is Sister Durrant. They were like: "Like Kevin?!" One of the Elders in my district came across those boys we taught after us and said they all asked him if he knew "Sister Durrant." It's not just the little boys that mention Kevin Durant, almost every Filipino mentioned Kevin after I told them my name! 

I got a picture with me and the little kids, but it hasn't been sent to me yet. I will try to send that out next week if I get it :)

Around the time we were to go back to the church, it started down-pouring! We got soaked! Sister Schwalger had never been in the area we were in and got a little lost, so we took a trike! It was my first time! I was squished in the side car with my companion and soaking wet, but I still had a smile on my face and having the greatest time!

Going out in Metro Manila was the best experience. I was so humbled, and my love for these people grew so much. There are so many churches here, it just made me think how prepared the Philippines is for the Gospel. They love God and are searching for truth, and it makes me so happy that I am able to bring the truth, this restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, to them. I can't wait to get out in the field and talk to people everyday about Jesus Christ and His Gospel. 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church restored on the earth and has the fullness of the everlasting gospel. I can't even express how thankful I am to be a missionary and bring his gospel to the people in the Philippines. I am doing great here! I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be!! :)

Thanks for all your love and support!

Love,

Sister Durrant