23 December 1999

The day started with the branch Christmas party.  It went okay, despite the late start and lack of planning.  It's a very friendly branch.  Fun people.  We had a companionship study afterwards.  This past week, we've been listening to the Gordon B. Hinckley biography on tape (bisan kon brown-out liwat!) ("even though brown-out still."  I think.) and we continued with it this afternoon.  I'm really enjoying it.  I've always looked up to the prophet and regarded him as a great man, but I've grown to admire him even more since learning more about his life.  He's my hero.

We did some tracting in the afternoon.  Contacted six people and made a return appointment.  Then we made a stop at a waiting shed to escape the rain for a few minutes.  It's been raining non-stop all day.  As we sat there, Greg (a really cool teenage boy we know) came and started talking with us.  We tired of the stand-byan (place of standing by; another term for "waiting shed"), so we came back here to the house.  Greg came with us.  We hung out here for maybe two hours, then decided we were hungry, so we took Greg to Ethell's Place.  When we got there, we saw some business type looking people there, and a sign that said "Welcome PNB."  PNB stands for Philippines National Bank.  We weren't sure if we should be there.  But then Ethell's sister Emily, who works at PNB, came up to us and said, "It's our Christmas party, but that's okay," and sent a waiter to us.  We ate, and it was very good.  We pointed out Aloha Lulu (Ethell's youngest sister) to Greg, and now he has a crush on her even though she's 22 and he's 16.  They gave us a discount again.  They're so nice.  As we were at the cashier paying, Emily came up to us and said, "Join our party."  "That's okay, we're full," we said.  "No, you will join us," she said.  "I'll get you some plates."  And that's exactly what she did.  So we went to the specially prepared buffet with the staff of the Guiuan branch of PNB.  There was crab, sweet & sour meatballs, fried chicken, and lechon baboy (spit-roasted pig).  It was so good!  And free.  I love Ethell and her sisters!  They're so nice!

It's still brown-out.  The power went off again at 8:30 last night, ans it hasn't come on since then.  At least it's not hot today.