I told myself never again. And yet I keep doing it: waiting till the last minute to do everything.
Here I am in the Philippines at my cousin's house using their internet connection to complete my goal of inputting the latest on my life experiences.
Getting here was a pain in the tuckus. Paperwork after paperwork just so I can visit my family. I do understand though that it's part of the job. Since my arrival here I went to visit two of my former mission areas. As missionaries we were constantly transferred to one area after another. I visited the last two areas I served in. It was a joyful reunion. They all said the same thing: we didn't recognize you because you got fatter. I laughed and felt welcomed by their bluntness. I feel that sometimes we miss alot of things focusing on being politically correct. It was refreshing just to hear them talk without any malice but simply being straight to the point.
I went to visit one of the young man I taught. He was so happy just to have the opportunity of blessing and giving his first born son a name. We had a joyful reunion. I must admit, I got choked up when he thanked me for "making the sacrifices" to serve a mission.
I also met several who remembered me after all of these years. Several have progressed farther than I ever expected.
Travelling to and fro was enjoyable. I found a place in Makati for 25 dollars a night. It was actually a pretty nice place. Another man I met on the plane was paying $100/night. I stayed close to where I stayed during my internship three years ago.
It's good to be home and to eat. But also to rekindle family relationships.
I tried to surprise them but they knew that I was here before I could even surprise them.
I sang with my cousin's band in front of a real audience. His girlfriend insisted that we sing together. I love the Filipinos! The real-down-to-earth-no-malice-honest-confident Filipinos I am continually meeting. They love to laugh, to dance, and to enjoy life. It's good to just remember that there's more to life than just work or how popular one is at work.
