Sister Harris // Philippines Cebu Mission: hapit na ang pasko!‏

Merry Christmas to my dear family and friends, kamusta man mo diha? It's been a great and busy week this week. Filled completely with the spirit of Christmas.

I wish all of you could experience a Christmas in the Philippines. Things are so much more simple, much less commercialized. It's hard to explain. There is just a special spirit here and especially during Christmastime. Hearts are softened and miracles are just bound to happen every single day.

We had the Henrichsen's (senior couple assigned here) work with us last Thursday. It was such a fun day! They are amazing, and they added so much to our lessons and really helped our investigators.

Friday we had the Bacong Christmas Party and let me just tell you, when Bacong throws a party...they party. Every family and every auxiliary was required to do a talent. Including the missionaries. So me, Sister Linao, Elder Robson, and Elder Parayno sang "Mountains to Climb" and during the song, the guy dressed up as Santa threw candy right in front of us and so kids were running around screaming and trying to get the candy but we just kept singing. It was kinda funny. One of those "you had to be there" moments that I will always remember haha. Classic Philippines.

Saturday and Sunday was the Dumaguete Stake Conference. Saturday we had 2 members from Bacong attend and that worried me a bit, but then Sunday rolled around and we had a ton of people there. They are so cute, they all wanted to save money for plete (fare) to go on Sunday and there were some members who stayed in Dumaguete until the first presidency Christmas Devotional that evening. I think you guys got to watch the Christmas Devotional last week in the US but everything is better in the Philippines. As we were watching the Christmas Devotional in the Dumaguete Stake Center, there was a fireworks show going on outside, so we got a fireworks show and a super awesome uplifting devotional.

Monday was our Negros Island Christmas Conference. President and Sister McCurdy and the assistants came over here to Negros and all of the missionaries serving here got together and we had an awesome conference and a really fun talent show too. Dumaguete Zone (my zone) performed a Samoan clapping dance thing, kinda similar to patty cake. :) I guess you could say it was "unique". Haha. All of the zones performed and it was really fun. The highlight of the talent show was when the Anderson's (another senior couple) hypnotized two wild chickens. I sent photos. It was hilarious.

This week I've gone on a few exchanges. Sunday I was able to work with Sister Hayes who is just starting her 2nd transfer on the mission. We had a lot of fun together. She is super cute and I don't know how her makeup looks so good in the Philippines! She went to the U before her mission so good to know I have another UofU fan friend here in the mission.

Yesterday I worked with Sister Cabrera who is assigned in the area next to Bacong and it was fun being with her too. She is my batch going home so we had lots of fun talking about our missions and everything we've learned and how much we have grown these past 16 or so months.

That's all for this week. Enjoy your christmas season. It goes by too fast. Enjoy every moment and miracle that comes into your life and BE HAPPY! I love you all so much.

Love, Sister Harris