I'm dreaming of a whiiiiite Christmas..

So Christmas wasn't exactly "white"..actually it was one of the hotter days compared to the last month..It was good though..i saw a cow..like there are a lot of water buffalo but not as many cows so that was a nice change in scenery...

..No but really Christmas was so fun. This week we had Christmas conference...it was like the month of December stuffed into 3 hours. Like we watched a Christmas video ("Mr Krueger's Christmas") then had a Christmas Book read to us then made and decorated sugar cookies, and had Christmas photos and big Christmas lunch, we played Christmas jeopardy...lots of cookies afterwards..ya it was lots of fun! Then Christmas eve we had to come home early..curfew was at 6...and i made banana cream pie and we all brought our mattresses down and watched Doctrine and Covenants Videos and ate popcorn...it was a lot of fun!

Then Christmas was really nice too. We woke up and shared gifts then got ready for the day. I had skype so I got to speak with my family! it was crazy...but really nice! Then it was a normal work day! Our lessons were fun because they were Christmas-y and more centered around Christ and his life. More people were willing to listen and one family invited us in. One family fed us spaghetti and watermelon and some yummy desert. It was a good day! :)

Anyway..it was a great week filled with Christmas Spirit and deserts. Miss and love you all! :) Have a happy new year!

-sister norman

Christmas Eve with the other sisters.

 Kassidy and her companion

 The Christmas cookie she got to decorate

 Pretty things sa Guimba

 Kassidy and her companion

NEWs for this week

This week has been so crazy! On Wednesday Sister Gerardo got a phone call telling her she has a new calling. She is going to be a Sister Training Leader in Tarlac....that means not here in Guimba... So i got a new kasama this week! Annnnnd even though i am still in training, I have to lead the area. It was really sad saying good bye to my Nanay but my Step Nanay is really nice! She is from Bicol Philippines. She is very sweet! She stepped down from being an STL to by my step nanay. It was crazy! A lot of our investigators were really sad but it's important that they understand that they are not becoming converted to us; they should be converting themselves the Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Through this little change of pace, I have found out that i am a lot better at Tagalog than i have been giving myself credit for. I think i became so used to Sister Gerardo answering all of the questions, and teaching certain parts that i was too scared to, but sometimes Sister Salem (my new companion) doesn't know their situation yet, so i have to answer their questions..and i am doing it!

This week there was also a Christmas party at church! it was really fun! I participated in a couple of the games...i ended up having to eat Sampalok...its this really sour fruit similar to a lime or lemon only with a hard shell that you eat..it was not my favorite..it was apparently  really funny to watch though. 

I also went on my first splits...that was a bit scarier. i was with a couple sisters who didn't know english or the lessons...so i essentially had to teach by myself...but with their added testimonies, it went great! Anyway...that was my crazy week..This next week we have our Christmas Conference! I'm really excited! I get to see Sister Nuku! and a couple other people from my batch! We are singing Mary's Lullaby (not the one in the childrens song book) and get to be emersed in the spirit! I am so excited!

Anyway...ooo on other news...the garbage man hasn't come in over a week so we have a pile (hip high) of garbage...so thats good. ;) 

these are pictures of me and my new kasama and my Nanay.

Reunited and it feels so good

Reunited and it feels so good

So this week we had a Trainers and Trainees' meeting. I GOT TO SEE SISTER NUKU AGAIN! along with a few others from my district and batch. It was nice because i really missed her! Seeing them was great because I already see them growing into more mature missionaries and seeing their excitement for the work made me even more excited! it was really great! The workshops were really good too! Oh and after we went to Jollibee..it's a fastfood chain here that is bigger than McDonalds...pretty cool.

This week i also had exchanges. I learned a lot..no crazy stories about it though...

This week was full of miracles though! The tender mercies i get to witness everyday is amazing! Tatay Sonny is overcoming all of his Word of Wisdom trials (smoking, drinking) and came to church this week!! He is also participating more in the lessons and keeping up with his reading!  Sister Lourdes and Brother Benson are planning their wedding so they can get baptized as soon as possible! Sister Regine invited 2 of her friends to a lesson and reads the Book of Mormon everyday and her and Sister Lourdes share what they learned and write what they feel and learn as they read!   People have been amazing me all week!

Sister Avilina realllly likes feeding me..She brought out a huge plate of food (probably could have fed like 4 people) and expected Sister Gerardo and I to eat it all. It was kind of funny..until Sister Gerardo couldn't finish her soda and insisted that i finish it for her...ya that was interesting.

Since Sister Dalley, our roommate, doesn't have a companion right meow, she has been working with us and i love it! She is from St. George Utah and likes lots of the same things I do so it's fun to talk to her!

I love it here! everyday seems sort of like a dream where there is a crazy language, really warm weather, and lots of miracles!

Love and miss all of you!

These 2 pictures:

Ayag Family. Recent converts and so smart and sweet! Love their Family!

-Sister Norman

(Kassidy said she sent the picture of the family, but it wasn't received, here are two pictures she did send though)

REAL MILK kind of

So we just got back from a Water Buffalo Milk place...it was magical...I haven't had real milk since before I left. Even though water buffalo milk is crazy creamy/fatty, it wasn't half bad..it's as close to real milk as i'm going to get! Sister Dalley and I shared some icecream annnnd Carrot cake! it was a party. Speaking of parties, somehow we always seem to stumble across them. This week we had a huge lunch (someone gave us pancakes so we had breakfast for lunch) but we got to an investigators house where there was a party going on. They insisted we eat...they brought out the biggest heap of pansit and Bekoh...so yummy but...SO MUCH FOOD! Oh ya..by to everyone who is nervous about the typhoon in the Philippines, it's not in my area..it's only been a bit cloudy here, which has actually been a really nice break from the sun! It's still crazy how beautiful it is here...i still just end up staring at the sky or big rice fields or getting distracted by all the water buffalo, goats, and ducks.

This week i got the opportunity to work with both of the Sister Training leaders. My roommate's companion went to Australia this week (where she was actually called) and so when my companion and roommate had to go sing in Tarlac for a Christmas party, I got to go to the STL's area! it was great! i learned so much! One of them is my Lola (granny..she is the trainer of my trainer...Here you call trainers Nanay [mom] or Tatay [dad])

Anyway...it's been a really good week over all!  Miss and Love you! Be safe on all those slick roads! OOO and send me your adresses please!!

I Am Part Water Buffalo

WOW! this week has been so great! I don't even knooww where to begin!

This week was my first baptisms! It was Sister Ofelia, Sister Krisna, Brother Kelvin. They are such a beautiful family! It was on saturday and Saturday was just an all around good day! We taught a lot of investigators and recent converts. We went to Nanay Avilina and she fed us and fed us and fed us! then we hobbled to our next appointment with a man named  Carlito. He's so sweet! We met him and he was so welcoming! he was excited to tell us he had a Book of Mormon that he reads everyday! He said he's also been taught by missionaries before...by before apparently he meant back in 1999! We told him he shouldn't be smoking and when we went back to him Saturday, he had quit cold turkey! Speaking of turkey...Happy late thanks giving..I found some pretty awesome turkey cracker things that i ate for dinner...that was my thanksgiving dinner! hah anyway back to saturday, We also got to teach outside for Tatay Carlito so i got to see a big water buffalo up close...speaking of water buffalo...So brother amado (He's in the picture with the family out side), made us some interesting soup for dinner. We didn't have time to stay and eat so we took it home...I didn't think much of it when i took a big bite of 'mushrooms' that were in the soup..it was NOT mushrooms. It was water buffalo..hence I am part Water Buffalo.

OO so in everysingle house we go in to, there are little lizards on the wall. They are so funny to watch! We had one in our house...Her name is Janelope..pero i don't know where janelope went. sad day.

annyway..love all of you! I am loving my mission! Have a great week!

-Sister Norman

Ps If any of you have time, i would invite you to read alma 26...it's pretty much exactly how this week has felt for me:)

okey bye meow

(Not so) Itsy bitsy spider

excitement has been high this week! when i was washing my clothes in the back part of our apartment, i bumped another bucket and it flipped over...now make your hand like you are playing the piano..or spider-like...Yup...a spider was in the bucket...and not kidding, it was as big as my hand ...when i first saw it, i thought it was a mouse...i think it was a tarantula but we aren't sure...it ran away before we could get the cameras....we don't know where he went...which is terrifying....so now when ever something brushes my arm or foot, reasonably, i automatically freak. More excitement is that 3 of our investigators, Sister Ofelia and two of her children Krishna and Kelvin, had their baptismal interviews. And while they were in their interviews, I taught a spiritual thought all by myself in Tagalog....ok not by myself at all...the kids i was teaching helped me tons...but then i also did magic tricks for them and they loved it!  it was so much fun! I love the children here! More to the excitement is the actual baptism...it's on Saturday! 

Today for our pday activity, we had a hunger games/ amazing race Scavenger hunt around the town of Guimba! it was so much fun! My group won...or prizes were bragging rights, flour all over our faces, sweaty clothes, and lots of memories...which is fine by me:)

oo..had another unexpected party this week! It was great though...we got to sister Helen's house just to find out it was her birthday buuut she let us come in the house so we didn't have to be in a party atmosphere and let us teach her a quick lesson annnnnd brought us food! it was great! Another family of recent converts let us teach them yesterday. They have such a great family. The children are so respectful. After the lesson they heard that we were going to an investigator's house annnd offered to come with, which is great! They bore their testimonies on things that I personally haven't experienced and they brought the spirit with their testimonies. After that they gave us peanut brittle...People here love feeding the American...

This picture is of My kasama/Nanay (companion/mama) Sister Gerardo, her Nanay/My Lola (Her mama/my granny), and Me:) 

Nanay is what you call your trainer out in the field. It's really sweet.

anyway. Love and miss all of you! have a great week! 

-sister norman

High of 98 degrees :)

Wow! Already Pday again! The days are flying by..which is weird considering how long they are! This week has been full of miracles, disappointments, and learning experiences. So many people are progressing but it's so hard when they don't come to church!! But than a few people not coming to church, it has been a great week! We are working 3 investigators from the same family towards their baptism goal date of the 29th! They are all so great and willing to learn. The fact that everyone is very humble here makes it easy to teach them! 

I am so thankful for all the tender mercies I find through out each day. It's great seeking them out and really feeling taken care of by our Heavenly Father. 

So we unintentionally went to 2 filipino parties. One was supposed to be a lunch appointment and ended up being a baby's 1 month celebration...they seated us at a spot with a full set of dining supplies ( fork spoon cup etc) and got desert at the end just to find out that we were the only ones seated there who weren't the Godparents of the baby..haha they treat us so great here! and the food is so awesome! The other one was actually for a Nanay who was turning 99! She is adorable and still has a skip in step! 

I love trying to speak tagalog even though i'm not good. The kids i talk to will giggle and correct me, which is great, and ask me to talk more..while they try to reply sa english. It's fun:) This sunday was the primary presentation and it was precious. I loved it. They did it in english..Hymns here are sang sa english as well as a lot of the opening exercises of church meetings. 

The amount of water buffalo and goats here is incredible...i want a water buffalo now. 

 I love teaching families and children. They are so kind when it comes to me messing up and encourage me to keep trying. haha

The other day i helped teach quite a bit with quite a bit more help from my companion. She's really helpful..she's sort of my life line out here! 

Anyway..really wish i could add some photos but i don't have a cord or card reader! sorry! but for all the cold areas...Today's high is 98 degrees...:) some humidity and no wind...enjoy the cold! ;)

Love and miss all of you

-sister norman 

In Angeles!

hey all! So it's so beautiful here! my new area is Guimba! Great people with  alot of love and so humble. most of the houses here are made of bamboo or bricks that they make themselves. Rarely will anyone have AC or Lighting in their house...or bathrooms...yet they are the happiest people i have ever met. Suprisingly there hasn't been like any rain!

This last sunday i had to share my testimony infront of the congregation of the branch.  I really regret not learning how to cook before coming here...i burnt rice...and the pork....and my grilled cheese..

Meep leaving my old home at the mtc was pretty rough...Hot showers now = cold bucket showers  (which feel actually really great at the long of a hot day); AC which now = a fan (most every family has 1 fan per person that they carry and plug in where ever they go around the house) ; One change that was my favorite is my fake investigator now = Real people with real desires to do good!\

I also lost my last companion, but gained a new one! Leaving sister Nuku was really tough PERO my new kasama ko is also really great! She is quite different from Sis Nuku (baby baby). Sister Gerardo, New kasama ko, is 26 native Filipino who is teaching me the ways of serving a mission in the Philippines! I really enjoy being her kasama. She is taking good care of me! I love talking...[attempting to talk...to everyone here! I met one lovely lil old man..or Tatay...his name is Brother Alfredo. he is so kind and humble. he lives in a 3 walled home with a bed made of bamboo and a tarp as a roof. He is so happy...he has had missionaries teach him before but never got baptized.He didn't say yes or no to our invitation for baptism yet pero i know that as he reads the Book of Mormon, the Spirit will testify to him that it is the right thing to do.

It's crazy how much i love these people and i don't even know them. I am super blessed to be part of this great work...even if it does mean bucket showers, bug bites, and burnt food...i love it all the better

I do need to improve with Tagalog pero that will just come with time! .

I don't have much time to think about home but I hope everyone is doing well!

Mailing: for packages and such: LBC

love all of you...and if someone could send me a flash drive, that'd be great...and possiby another sd card for my camera!!! it's going to get full fast!

Sister Kassidy Ariel Norman

Philippines Angeles Mission

F. Tanedo Street

Barangay San Nicolas

Tarlac City, Tarlac 2300

Philippines