Week 94

Hello Family!

So this letter is coming to you all from a newly assigned Guimaras Elder! I am now assigned on that little island under Panay called Guimaras.  Home to the best mangoes in the entire world.  They are literally supposed to be the sweetest mangoes in the entire world.  I hear that the White House and Buckenheim Palace don't accept any mangoes that are not from here.  So I am pretty lucky to have so of the best fruit in the world for a dollar a kilogram... not to make you jealous or anything.  I am assigned in the capital of the island in a little place called Jordan.  I have a new companion named Elder Johnson from Washington State.  Things seem to be going well so far and I am excited to get more familiarized with this area and live up my last couple transfers in the mission field.  I was also called to be the district leader here... so I am back to planning for and teaching district meetings every Tuesday morning.  I was really sad to leave Antique... I really would rather have stayed in Hamtic for the rest of my mission.  I am not a very big fan of taking boat rides every time we have to go to the city.  It is just a short ride about 15 minutes long... but I do always get a queezy feeling on the boats and I would really not be happy if it decides to storm one day when we have to take the trip.  The boats are pretty big and make out of wood... I will just have to send a picture for you all to get what they look like.  They are pretty ghetto though and you just have to trust that they will hold up... haha.

I don't know too much about the new area yet but it seems like an ideal place to wrap up my mission.  It is still just a small branch here and we are part of the stake from Iloilo city.  Guimaras island is still pretty undeveloped and still just lots of agriculture.  It does attract some foreigners though and there are supposed to be some really nice condos tucked away on private beaches all around the island.  This would be a way cool place to build a house someday if I ever had the money and ability to do it.  It really does have that island paradise feel to it.  The branch here had a very warm welcome for me this last weekend and we were lucky as well that we had two missionaries come home from their missions this last week as well.  So they are a very missionary excited branch right now and I expect to see lots of missionary work done over the next few months because of it.  I am also in the same house right now with Elder Faran (my companion when I was in Molo) and also Elder Doig who is a fellow Canadian from Cardston Alberta!  He knows Uncle Lorin and Tayt and all them... so it is a small world.  

I am way excited for these next couple months to be able to serve here on Guimaras.  I know the language... it is just Ilonggo and the people seem to be way nice here.  I do just love this country so much.  It will be such a reality check to leave here one day.  I will just miss they way they do everything here.  I admire everything about these people and all their weird little cultures.  It is funny being with a newer missionary and trying to explain to him why the people here do things the way they do.  ANd some Americans really just don't like the way things are done sometimes so it is always a challenge to help them just look at things from the Filipino perspective and help the newbie understand the culture a bit more.  I really want to come back to the Philippines so bad someday and get to just go around and explore more than I am able to do as a missionary.  I wanna be able to experience life in the Philippines and be able to mingle with my friends here more than you are allowed to as a missionary.  Right now that will be a big goal for when I go home... to get back to the Philippines for a vacation.  I have enough people that I know that could offer me sleeping places and food that I don't even think it would be THAT expensive other than for the travel expenses.  So everyone start saving their money for a Philippines road trip if you are interested.  

Well I miss you all and love you all so much.  I am glad that you all emailed me and let me know what is going on in good ol' Georgia.  That is crazy that Steven got married!  Congrats pal!  I can't wait to come and meet your new wife.  It seems like I am the only bachelor left haha.  I'm not gonna think about that anymore.  I hope this next week is awesome for everyone and you don't miss me TOO much.  If you do just imagine me eating the best mangoes in the world... it will make you happy.  

Love you!

Halong,

Elder Lowry