So, being stuck up in the mountains in The Philippines can be hard. We don’t have wifi or hot showers. In order to get wifi, we have to take two jeepneys (like little bus things). They are hot and cramped, and to get to the mall to get wifi usually takes over an hour. This is in stark contrast to having wifi at our home in Albania. It has been different, to say the least. I can’t text whoever I want from home whenever I want, or post passive-aggressive political Tweets all the time (yes, I have been known to do that). Jason has a fairly extensive movie collection on his hard drive, but even movies get boring after a while.
In contrast to life in the US, which is fast-paced, and filled to the brim with busyness, life here is laid back and relaxed. Yes, we have been doing ministry, and that has been great. This week we had nine girls here to hang out, and it was super fun to play games, swim in the river, and do worship with them. But when we don’t have ministry, there isn’t a ton to do. As a person who has always lived a pretty busy life, I find myself feeling guilty about all of the free time we have.
So, what do I spend my time doing? Just this last week, I have started reading. First I read an interesting novel about the end of the world, as predicted in Ezekiel. I honestly haven’t read a book in at least six months, and it felt so good to jump back in. Now I am reading a book about what made the company Caterpillar successful, and what this can teach investors about recognizing good companies to invest in, based on their management and organizational structure. Yes, I actually find that very interesting. Mostly, I just find that reading is a very good escape and pass time.
Not being home this week for Thanksgiving was pretty hard. I missed eating cinnamon rolls and grapefruit while watching the parade. I missed cooking enough food for 20 people, despite only having six people actually there. I miss my family, who I’ve never spent a Thanksgiving apart from. But, we did have a great Thanksgiving here. We were invited to an American missionsary’s house, along with tons of other missionaries. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and tons of other great food. It was delicious, and it was amazing to celebrate Thanksgiving in a country where most people haven’t even heard of it.
