Hello from Tanza! This last week I got some pictures from home and they were awesome. I love pictures from home because it reminds me that I have a family back in the USA supporting me!! I’m getting twinges of homesickness throughout the day which is difficult to deal with because it distracts me a little. I think I’m being too serious lately, but I just want this mission experience to be meaningful. I want to lighten up, but I don’t want to be disobedient or loose sight of my purpose as a missionary.

Friends in the Philippines!

This is a photo of a family that we just helped reactivate in the church! They’re awesome! They were less active for 8 YEARS. We received their name from a list that the branch president provided and started making more contact with them. I believe that the husband is a tricycle driver, and I’m not sure what the wife does, but they’re always busy and hard working people! The younger daughter has the same birthday as me! Crazy right? It reminds me of Sarah Orgill sharing our birthday! We are also getting two new missionaries in Tanza, so we’re splitting up the area and that family won’t be in my area anymore – bummer!

The weather is a little bit drizzly here today, but still in the 80’s with about 80% humidity. The English language is getting more difficult to remember. I’m starting to understand how to use Tagalog grammar now so I’m getting pretty excited about it. Verb conjugation is definitely important!

Cute Filipino child with Elder Burbidge and his companion.

I’m eating pretty good for a missionary! We eat a lot of top ramen and rice, but the members feed us a lot and we pick up little things every once in a while to snack on. I’ve been feeling just a little bit queezy the last couple of days, but we were fasting so I think that was part of it. I’ve also felt more tired lately – more like fatigue tired rather than sleepy tired if that makes any sense!

We had another baptism yesterday of a man who had to wait a long time to be baptized. He’s 25 years old and had his appendix taken out so he had to wait basically 2 months after he was ready to be baptized for the actual thing. THAT TAKES A LOT OF FAITH! He’s diligent and works at a golf course in Cavite so we have to teach him at nights. He’s really cool and lives right on the beach so it’s fun to go and teach him!

We have a current investigator who is having a hard time seeing the blessings of the Book of Mormon and prayer. She has a really hard life, but incredible faith. We recently gave her grandson a blessing because he had a toothache, and right after the blessing he stopped crying and was playing with the other kids and stuff which was a testimony of the power of the Priesthood and prayer. We will keep working with her on her testimony and we appreciate all of your prayers on her behalf!

Well, that’s about it for this week. I love and appreciate all of my family and friends back home but am happy to be doing this work!

Love,

Elder Hunter Burbidge

Elder Burbidge resting on P-Day.