um, I am in the Philipines! hurray!
so what happened this week?ummmm....
Well, not a ton has changed latly, I still fall asleep during our daily planning at 9:30. (I sent a picture of a good example.)
um I am starting to realise that, not a tons different from philipines and back home. Example. I saw a dog run over to a diper, that was in the middle of the street. it seemed to have been ... eaten earlyer. But this dog was not after it, to eat. It seems he just wanted to move the diper to a move confortable part of the street, and then to roll on its back, back and forth on the diper. I am sure that must have made him feel good. sorta like spot.haha.
um but really it doesnt feel as four-an anymore. Maybe i am just getting used to it.But for my tagalog.. this last week has made all the difference. ... well in reality, my tagalog hasnt really improved very much. But .. I didnt realise that earlyer this week. So I was able to talk to people.
It helped that I changed my study tacitics too. Instead of studying for lessions or more of what if situations, I started studying for.. example, (BRT) or talking with jerem before the lession (studyed stuff like, surfing, movies, and questions about his work in bagio). So much easyer.
Another thing I did... was a littttle craazy. um So people keep telling me, study 10 words a day, or study 5 words a day.. little by little you will learn tagalog. Well I usally try that for a week, and on day on I have 8 words, and by day 3,i am at 2 words, and i cant really remember them, or find a time to use them.... so I figured if i couldnt learn 5 words in a day,... what about 500 words in a week? well thats what i have been doing. I took a couple hours and found, i think over 500 words, and I just try to study them, every day. Well, so far, I can tell you that for sure, I have at least learned, 0 of those words 100%. But, I now can reconise them from what people are saying. so I think its helpful.
Also, in this time, where i forgot I didnt know how to speak tagalog, I started making convertions with people. And I figured something out. If I am making convertion with someone, with the purpose of listening to them, People actally try to listen to me.(instead of trying to use them as a dictionary). And people still can understand, even if the tagalog is 100% correct. (also people now are speaking the 10 words or 100s they know in english, to help me try to understand... its sweet!).
Still, its hard for me to jump into a converstion, or talk when there is 3 or more people there (including me), but when there is just 2,and i can control the converstion.. its sooo much easyer. (yes there is a lot of hand signs and waveing of the arm, and acting like a chickin and stuff).
The other day I had a converstion with one of our investigator's dad (jerem is in a part-member family). I felt like dad (my dad) in the way I was talking... or maybe he sounded like dad... or maybe its was just a dad(larry) converstion. We talked about work,and his family, our family, coconuts and the ocean... or something. I dont know exactly what we talked about any more but the language isnt really a barrior anymore.
OH I also learned something, that I should have known a long time ago (someone just menched it today too, paul, i think.) When I am trying to learn a word, or to speak... not only will i prolly say it wrong.. I have to say it wrong, if i really want to understand. cause if i say it right, no one says anything, and i dont know if they understood,or if it was sorta right... But When talking about ...i dont know... eating, and trying to figure out what fork is, all i have to do is say, "ohhh you want me to eat the rice with the chair." then they tell me what it is, and usally give an example indirectly. (or other times i say things backwords on purpose just to see if it should be forwards,or someother way.) And if I have no idea, I just make up some sounds and try to act it out. I Never ask, "what is this in tagalog"anymore. ether no one understands, what i am saying,or they ignore it. Maybe this is how grandpa can get around anywhere in the world.
anyways theres a little bit about my language... actally, I got a one more thing.
so there is word in tagalog "sa-yang". Some here, a philipino, asked me how to say this in english. its sorta means, ah too bad, or only if that didnt happen. But then he asked if the english translation is "tisk tisk tisk tisk" (or a very quiet clicking noise with your mouth 4 times while slowly nodding your head)....true. English is the werid language.
ok so this week we should have a baptism. It was scudled for friday.. but the mission prez. is coming on this way, and today asked if we could move it to saterday and to the river (instead of the batsmal font). hmm well we'll we might have a baptism in the river this week. (this is for jorell, 11 year old boy. Him and his cusins really like larryD's familys photos, and asked for a copy of merindas.hehehe. I eventally gave the group of them, a photo of all 6 pictures in it.haha. They also all really like cassie)
Another investigater we have is jarem. He is from a part member family. His brother is on a mission.The family is inactive mostly... I think because they are fairly far from the church. We went there to teach a friend of his sister's,and he kinda just showed up too. Hes the only non member, in the family. In a lot of ways he reminds me a lot of andy, in the fact that He is really quiet. And had a lot of problems too...like drinking and smoking and coffie. We really werent sure where this was going to go.. but he's been really awesome. He is 18. he dropped out of school a couple years ago. In the last week, he has done like 4 reading assiments, which most people we teach never really do the readings. He has dropped a bunch of friends that he drinks with, and has quit drinking and smoking and coffe. Another cool thing about him, is that another one of our new investigaters last week was a friend of his, so we invited him to come with us. Its like a 25 mintue walk from his house to a bigger part of town (we live, the church, and his friend). Well his friend didnt really go anywhere... but we invited him to work with us again. He said sure. yesterday (sunday) he worked with us for the 3rd time. He worked with us yesterday from 3-9. Istig! I dont know if i have ever worked with an investigator before.. but what ever. I think he will completely get rid of his drinking (well we arentsure if he has yet), soon and will be baptised after i leave the area.
hmm well mom is emaling me now.. .so i will just hit send.
luke
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