How is this possible? I'm in the Philippines and I am so so so so cold. I'll explain soon why.
First.. holy crap. Excuse my language , but that picture of the family blew my mind. Zach was big last time we went out , and Jordan has been older for a while , but what in the world happened to Zoe. How did she get so big!? That's insane. How old is she now? I thought she was still 5. Weird. Everyone looks about the same though , ha , that was fun to see. Andrea and Dad and Callie and the rest of the family that is part of this family that don't read these emails , ha , are lacking on the pictures. Just send one ... I'm curious what this place looks like that they tell me I'm from... I don't believe it. I'm Filipino.
Momma that's awesome that you got the email from Sister Noreen I think , haha. She's way nice and we always ate at their house on Fridays. Very very good food. So I told a bunch of members to add you on facebook , ha , I'd figure you'd enjoy the extra friends. Translate your words online and send it to them , it'd probly give em a good laugh. But they're all so nice and I loved serving in that area... which means (from grammatical past-tense context) that I'm no longer in San Quintin , that I did get transferred. I'll say where pretty soon.
Questions first:
1. Would you like a camelback backpack? I've been hearing that many missionaries there prefer those so they have water all day.
- You guys bought me a camelback in Utah.. haha remember? It's what I use most days.. but I'm no nooby I don't lug around that water jug thing haha. I'd rather not look like some exploring tourist.
2. Have you helped with a funeral yet?
- I've attended two , and said a prayer at one.
3. Is the crazy guy (can't remember his name now...) still making you feel in danger?
- Ha.. he's okay. The first counselor talked to him and he backed off. Kind've became inactive again , but I don't think he had the holiest intentions anyways when he did come back. He has a lot of WoW problems.
4. Have you received your package yet?
- Not yet.. but hopefully soon!
5. I'm thinking that for christmas I might send your companion a camera (not expensive). What do you think?
- Mm... most have cameras already. I haven't met one that doesn't have one , so that's okay. If they don't have one when they come in (filipinos) they save up their support money (very bad) and buy a camera (very very bad)... but they've got their agency , ha. But almost every missionary here has a camera. I'll keep thinking if there's something I think they'd like for christmas. Thanks for thinking of them.
6. Give me a "filipino" experience. Something you saw, something you ate, something you heard.
- Hmm... a drunk guy came out of no where the other night hugged me , almost kissed me , and told me "you're heart is pure , baby" .. that interesting. I get "hey Joe!" 'd a lot .. but those are always just free opportunities to shock people that you speak Tagalog and talk to them about the gospel ... so usually I enjoy it. Seriously ... nothing here is all that shocking anymore. Ha .. it's like you eventually become used to it... and it starts to make sense.
7. Is it raining every day? How are your feet holding up? Foot rot? (gosh, hope not!)
- Yep , rains every day. Feet are good. Rot is not... just kidding there's none.
8. Do you sleep with your mattress over you as well? haha
- Ha.. that was because he wouldn't wake up. So I flipped it on him and took a pitcha.
9. How are the bug bites? Are you getting eatin alive? At night?
- Sometimes , but it's okay. Nothing bad. At night ... sometimes too. But I used the fan in my last area so it just blew them away usually. It's cold at nights though , especially when it rains.
10. What is your favorite food/meal so far?
- Mm... there's always rice. But my favorite ulam (the food that's on top of the rice) is Adobong Sitaw or Chop Suey. I'm not the biggest fan of meat , though sometimes it's good.
Okay... let's talk about ME! Boring.
So last week was good. Tuesday it rained haarrdd , so we got punted a lot. Ended the day with a Family Home Evening and then eating at Mumzy's (her nickname is mumzy.. not sure why but her husband is tutzy.. its awesome. That'll be you [mom] and dad when you're older to my kids.) Then wednesday we arrive at district meeting in Rosales , as a zone which is always way fun , for transfer awareness [whose being transferred] and some workshops. The three district leaders in the zone give short workshops that they had prepared and then we started the transfer awareness.... andddddd of course ako! [me]. It was pretty much obvious that I was being transferred , but a big part of me wanted to stay. I loved San Quintin , and so many baptisms will be coming in the next transfer or two. But afterwards , the zone leaders had a surprise for us.. and had spent about 4000 pesos on food ! haha. So we had pizza hut and stuff and was crazy good... the zone leaders are on the richer side , haha. So earlier that morning we had gotten a text from President Jensen saying that a baguio was coming through (storm) and that it'd be getting there around 2... it did. ha. As w were leaving district meeting it began to POUR. Very very hard. It was fun. I had my wimpy umbrella that holds up fine against regular rain , but as soon as strong winds and rain sets it ... hahah useless. We got on a tryke and headed to the SM to wait for a bus to get back to the area. we were soaked. We make it back and then got to work. during the day though we had to stop by a few member's houses to say goodbye and stuff , so it was way sad haha. I really liked San Quintin. I've loved both my areas so far.. I would love to come back to either San Quintin or Malimpec. So Thursday we wake up and Brother William came over (first counselor) to cook lunch for us and a couple members. So we ate outside our house (no one's allowd to enter except the bishopric) and it was fun to have a last meal with them. Also Mumzy and Nanay Mendoza gave me a ton of clothes , haha , as SRs (simple remembrance). So now I've got an additional like 5 shirts and 2 polos. Afterwards we worked , and said goodbye to more members and investigators , took pictures , and last appointment was with the Rabilas Family (the elect family Elder Laodeno found). So we go over , and as always haha we ate dinner with them which happened to be spaghetti and adobong sitaw. The spaghetti was for the birthday of her ex husband (they're like still husband/wife .. but don't live together). Filipino spaghetti is a bit different than italian... it's very very sweet. So afterwards we shared a lesson which was way good and then took pictures. Haha she (nanay rablilas) was so sad when I said I was leaving and like hugged my arm for 5 minutes ,ahaha. Awkward , but she's way nice. I hope I come back to the area someday.
Anways , then packed (took a long time... my stuff almost doesn't fit) then went to bed. Woke up friday , did some last minute stuff , the jeepney arrived , and I was on my way to transfer meeting. Get there and got to talk to a lot of the friends that I never see anymore. Everyone loves transfer meeting , it's way fun. Also Elder Faber was there , because he's an office elder , so I finally got a picture with him. Haha he's got maad zits. It's okay. He's like famous here in the mission because he's so different and funny. Everyone's got a story about him. Anyways he became a district leader , so he's stressing about handling being office elder and district leader haha. Hopefully we'll be companions one day. Got a few more pictures and then found out where I'm going... alam mo ba? BAGUIO! Dang. It is so cold here. I'm also a follow-up trainer for Elder Iray. He's from Aklan , Ilo-Ilo mission and has been on a mission for about 3 months. So I'm the guy who follows up his trainer who just went home .. and wow it's awesome. haha! I was kind of surprised I was following up so early ... but doesn't depend on me. His trainer was okay , but there's a lot of correcting to do haha. But he's awesome , seriously. So so so humble and loves being obedient. I really hope nothing goes wrong in the transfer between us , because it's been an awesome weekend. Baguio issss.... cold. Very very cold. I'm sure it feels good to those not from the blazing heat of the lowlands , but up here on the hill it's very cold. I'm buying heavy clothes today. Hahaha and this area might kill me. My legs will be rocks when I'm done here , it is nothing but steep steep steep hills and staircases. It really looks like asia , finally , haha. But people here are nice (very rich) and the church is crazy. It has underground parking and is just so nice. The ward is big and a little proud , haha , but they're nice too. I'm excited for this area , but it wears me out every day hahaha. My calfs hurt a bit today. But him and his trainer never really left before 3 or 4 in the afternoon , haha , so having us leave in the morning is new to him , but it's awesome. It's a great area and I'm very excited to see what will happen.
Also the extremely elect investigator that we gave away is up here and got baptized here a couple weeks ago! So he's in the area of the sister missionaries here , but I'm hoping I can see him before he or I leave. Man he was an awesome investigator.
What else... the ward is okay. in the gospel principles class yesterday , this 20 year old kid was supposed to teach the Lord's Law of Health (word of wisdom) ... but instead spent an hour rattling off nutritional facts that he read on the internet and telling us that everything was bad to eat and we're only allowed to eat meat during the winter and stuff... hahaha. It was bad. Also most of their sacrament meeting is in english .. hahaha .. I hate it. But there are some koreans and stuff here that don't speak tagalog. One of them is Brother Go who introduced himself to me. Said he'd gone from NYC to Boston a little while ago and passed through CT on the train. Probably went through Stamford. But again , it's an awesome area , and I'll probably be here until December.
JUNE! Where do your grandparents and uncle live in Japan? And what are their names? There's a lot of Japanese here... so it'd be fun to meet someone who knows them. And I almost bought a japanese/english dictionary earlier at the book store. Haha I'm eager to learn a new language. Tagalog is pretty.. set .. haha. There's always improvements to be made but I'll probly start studying Pangasinan or Illocano soon. Baguio is all english/tagalog/illocano , with a ton of other asian areas. Also... there are so so so many americans and foreigners here at the SM hahahaha. It's hilarious. 50 year old man , 20 year old girl. You guys should drop by Baguio on your way home from China... it's crazy beautiful here.
That's all for now? I think? The mission is awesome. Days are hard , but it's worth every moment.
Mahal ko kayo lahat!
-Elder White
(P.S... please don't remind me I'm 9 months out. I just left the MTC yesterday.)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Mabuhay!
Pasensiya! I'm way late again... but we had another activity today. We got to the church , here in Tayug , around 8 to play basketball and watch some church movies. We're only allowed to watch movies that are like church movies (the RM or The best two years.. like that) and if we're in a group like district or zone. So I was excited to watch.. it's been a while since I've seen any movies. So we watched the Errand of Angels and One Man's Treasure. The errand of angels is about sister missionaries in Austria and One Man's Treasure about some weird treasure hunt with missionaries in Pennsyvania. So ... of course ... both were incredibly mormon , haha , and with happy messages - but it was still way nice to watch a movie again.
Maybe I'll talk about other things before that. Have the week make more sense.
Before that... request. Let's start something new. Please send me a picture every week. That means from Callie , Andrea , Mom , Dad ... whoever will. I would just love to see what's going on. When I saw the pictures that Andrea sent I was like shocked , haha , home looks so weird now to me. So please do me a favor and just send me a picture every week of either the house , the yard , wilton , utah , the family , wolf , anything. I just would love to see home , haha. Don't worry , it won't make me trunky... my mission means quite too much to me than that .. and if I start to get homesick (ha..) I'll let you know.
So this week was pretty crazy , as usual. Monday we didn't get back to the are until 7 in which we had to book it to a family home evening. It started late... as they always do.. which then killed all our time. Dropped by a few houses , with no luck , so ended up with nothing getting done that day. Tuesday was another way way weak day , in which we got punted from about 13 appointments and got two lessons in. Also we had Tatay Marquez work with us , which is this 72 year old man who I've told you about in the past. He's very poor , very hard to understand , but hysterical. So of course we treat him to drinks and snacks and stuff every time he works with us which he loves. He does have a tendancy to let his senile[ness] override his thoughts , though , during lessons and will often go off on a tangent in which we've got to backtrack and help regain the investigator's focus. We love him , though. Wednesday - because of how weak Tuesday and Monday were I was in a poorer mood and needed us to work harder.. which we did.. and reaped the benefits. Got a lot of lessons in and a lot of new investigators and stuff. Okay .. this is boring. I really hate talking about daily stuff , haha. Basically - I think I'm going to be transferred.. it's like a 85% chance I'll be transferred and a 15% chance something unexpected happens , which it often does in missionary work. But seeing as every missionary in this area gets transferred after 3 transfers , I can't see myself breaking that streak. Then again I've got this feeling like I'm staying. About 75% of me wants to transfer and 25% stay. We've finally built up a lot of good investigators that will probably be baptized next transfer. Actually almost definitely about 10 within in the next two months. Which is really saddening because I've been here now 4 months and we've had one baptism , which really just fell into our laps. But we gave away 4 golden investigators who either got baptized or will soon , and we have so many that will be baptized soon. Also , they tell me the church in the area will be finished and open for church in late August or early September... so a big part of me is dying to see the opening and when the attendance triples with 1/2 being investigators. Right now there are about a stready 80 - 90 people that come to church each week , but it's so hard to get investigators because they live farther away and it doesn't look like a real church to them. And the church under construction here is big (of course for filipino size) and beautiful. So that's the real church to them. So.. when it's done.. so so so many baptisms. That's okay though , I'm still happy to be apart of their conversion process even if I'm not here for the actual baptism.
So , I do kind of want to transfer. Not because I'm tired of the area (it really is an awesome area.. they all are) but I'm ready for a new experience. New assignments , new responsibilities , new tests , challenges , people. It's always just exciting to start new. So.. I'm not positive what will happen , but whatever happens I'll be happy with it. We find out on Wednesday who is being transferred , so I'll let you know next Monday if I'm still in San Quintin or in a new area! My companion is still good. We've had a few tiffs , ha , but it's been mostly okay. It's so hard to be a good companion and expect a good companion at the same time. It's very much the hardest part of a mission. Especially with so much culture barrier in the way. We're just very different people with very different personalities. But he's mostly a happy person , sometimes jokes way too much , but it's been okay. I miss my first transfer , though .. haha. I feel like I've shouldered the work in the areas ever since and it's exhausting. He is a really good companion , tho , so I'm grateful. I've been blessed.
Some other news... I finished that 500+ page book of Alma and Mosiah in about two weeks , the Book of Mormon Made Easier one. I love reading those books and reading faster. When I read from my scriptures I feel the need to highlight everything and read so slow and reread and reread and reread and understand and pray , hahaha. But with this other book I love finishing 6 - 10 chapters in an hour in addition to all his insights. Brilliant guy and he's got a lot of great stuff to add. Oh man , haha , I love Capt Moroni. I forgot how much I loved chapter [60?] of Alma. Where all he does is chastize Pahoran beacause he thinks it's his fault. Though , I remember crossing out the word "complains" in my personal set when I first read it. [in the chapter summary/heading it says capt moroni complains to pahoran] and writing verbally slaps. I think , when the mission is over because we're not allowed while we're on a mission to write to gen authorities , that I'll write to the first persidency and suggest to have my wording put in. ahaha , I hate that word complains.
Hmm... what else. So yeah. We're here in Tayug , as a district , and it's way fun to be with them. A mission is pretty amazing. Not only the experiences but you make really really close friends. Though after the mission it's so awkward to see them again , ahaha. I remember going to eat with a couple of my roommates up at school the first semester , and one of that had contacted his buddy from the mission and they were gonna meet up and he would eat with us... so awkward. They didn't know what to say , ahaha , and it was weird they weren't calling eachother elder they said. I wonder what it will be like to see Cody and Cameron and John and Faber and all my other friends from college that are now on missions. Though I still call Faber 'Faber' ... not Elder Faber. Probably should , but it's a hard habit to break. Doesn't sound right. He's been an office elder for a while now , and so if I get transferred on Friday I'll see him at transfer meeting.
My investigators... like I said we have a lot preparing for baptism right now. Most want to wait until the church is finished to come to church , which is hard , but it's real soon now. One family , the Rabilas Family , that I've told you about is really amazing. It's the mom and two kids. The mom and dad are legally anulled [their marriage] and so he's over sometimes. We always get the strongest feeling both the mom and dad want to patch things up and get back together , but it's the trickiest situation possible. They went to such lengths to get it annulled that to come back would almost be impossible. But the mom cries almost every time we're over and is so sweet. Not to mention always cooks dinner for her family and insists we eat with them. So , they're one family that will be baptized within the next few months. Oh yeah... I gave a talk on sunday about family and stuff. It was okay. AHaha. Not sure how many people listened. The stake president then was after me and chastized the branch for not giving more fast offerings and stuff. He's very good at chastizing. Most stake presidents are.
I think that's about it for the week. Life is good :)
Note to Caitlin.. can I send my ipod to you and request to have EFY music and talks and stuff put on? Haha. Also what's your address in utah? I don't want to delete all the music you put on , but the ipod's setting is so that I can't add any music to it without deleting. So lemme know if that's a possibility!!!!!!!!!
Okay , I think that's all..
Love you all , talk to you next week!
Maybe I'll talk about other things before that. Have the week make more sense.
Before that... request. Let's start something new. Please send me a picture every week. That means from Callie , Andrea , Mom , Dad ... whoever will. I would just love to see what's going on. When I saw the pictures that Andrea sent I was like shocked , haha , home looks so weird now to me. So please do me a favor and just send me a picture every week of either the house , the yard , wilton , utah , the family , wolf , anything. I just would love to see home , haha. Don't worry , it won't make me trunky... my mission means quite too much to me than that .. and if I start to get homesick (ha..) I'll let you know.
So this week was pretty crazy , as usual. Monday we didn't get back to the are until 7 in which we had to book it to a family home evening. It started late... as they always do.. which then killed all our time. Dropped by a few houses , with no luck , so ended up with nothing getting done that day. Tuesday was another way way weak day , in which we got punted from about 13 appointments and got two lessons in. Also we had Tatay Marquez work with us , which is this 72 year old man who I've told you about in the past. He's very poor , very hard to understand , but hysterical. So of course we treat him to drinks and snacks and stuff every time he works with us which he loves. He does have a tendancy to let his senile[ness] override his thoughts , though , during lessons and will often go off on a tangent in which we've got to backtrack and help regain the investigator's focus. We love him , though. Wednesday - because of how weak Tuesday and Monday were I was in a poorer mood and needed us to work harder.. which we did.. and reaped the benefits. Got a lot of lessons in and a lot of new investigators and stuff. Okay .. this is boring. I really hate talking about daily stuff , haha. Basically - I think I'm going to be transferred.. it's like a 85% chance I'll be transferred and a 15% chance something unexpected happens , which it often does in missionary work. But seeing as every missionary in this area gets transferred after 3 transfers , I can't see myself breaking that streak. Then again I've got this feeling like I'm staying. About 75% of me wants to transfer and 25% stay. We've finally built up a lot of good investigators that will probably be baptized next transfer. Actually almost definitely about 10 within in the next two months. Which is really saddening because I've been here now 4 months and we've had one baptism , which really just fell into our laps. But we gave away 4 golden investigators who either got baptized or will soon , and we have so many that will be baptized soon. Also , they tell me the church in the area will be finished and open for church in late August or early September... so a big part of me is dying to see the opening and when the attendance triples with 1/2 being investigators. Right now there are about a stready 80 - 90 people that come to church each week , but it's so hard to get investigators because they live farther away and it doesn't look like a real church to them. And the church under construction here is big (of course for filipino size) and beautiful. So that's the real church to them. So.. when it's done.. so so so many baptisms. That's okay though , I'm still happy to be apart of their conversion process even if I'm not here for the actual baptism.
So , I do kind of want to transfer. Not because I'm tired of the area (it really is an awesome area.. they all are) but I'm ready for a new experience. New assignments , new responsibilities , new tests , challenges , people. It's always just exciting to start new. So.. I'm not positive what will happen , but whatever happens I'll be happy with it. We find out on Wednesday who is being transferred , so I'll let you know next Monday if I'm still in San Quintin or in a new area! My companion is still good. We've had a few tiffs , ha , but it's been mostly okay. It's so hard to be a good companion and expect a good companion at the same time. It's very much the hardest part of a mission. Especially with so much culture barrier in the way. We're just very different people with very different personalities. But he's mostly a happy person , sometimes jokes way too much , but it's been okay. I miss my first transfer , though .. haha. I feel like I've shouldered the work in the areas ever since and it's exhausting. He is a really good companion , tho , so I'm grateful. I've been blessed.
Some other news... I finished that 500+ page book of Alma and Mosiah in about two weeks , the Book of Mormon Made Easier one. I love reading those books and reading faster. When I read from my scriptures I feel the need to highlight everything and read so slow and reread and reread and reread and understand and pray , hahaha. But with this other book I love finishing 6 - 10 chapters in an hour in addition to all his insights. Brilliant guy and he's got a lot of great stuff to add. Oh man , haha , I love Capt Moroni. I forgot how much I loved chapter [60?] of Alma. Where all he does is chastize Pahoran beacause he thinks it's his fault. Though , I remember crossing out the word "complains" in my personal set when I first read it. [in the chapter summary/heading it says capt moroni complains to pahoran] and writing verbally slaps. I think , when the mission is over because we're not allowed while we're on a mission to write to gen authorities , that I'll write to the first persidency and suggest to have my wording put in. ahaha , I hate that word complains.
Hmm... what else. So yeah. We're here in Tayug , as a district , and it's way fun to be with them. A mission is pretty amazing. Not only the experiences but you make really really close friends. Though after the mission it's so awkward to see them again , ahaha. I remember going to eat with a couple of my roommates up at school the first semester , and one of that had contacted his buddy from the mission and they were gonna meet up and he would eat with us... so awkward. They didn't know what to say , ahaha , and it was weird they weren't calling eachother elder they said. I wonder what it will be like to see Cody and Cameron and John and Faber and all my other friends from college that are now on missions. Though I still call Faber 'Faber' ... not Elder Faber. Probably should , but it's a hard habit to break. Doesn't sound right. He's been an office elder for a while now , and so if I get transferred on Friday I'll see him at transfer meeting.
My investigators... like I said we have a lot preparing for baptism right now. Most want to wait until the church is finished to come to church , which is hard , but it's real soon now. One family , the Rabilas Family , that I've told you about is really amazing. It's the mom and two kids. The mom and dad are legally anulled [their marriage] and so he's over sometimes. We always get the strongest feeling both the mom and dad want to patch things up and get back together , but it's the trickiest situation possible. They went to such lengths to get it annulled that to come back would almost be impossible. But the mom cries almost every time we're over and is so sweet. Not to mention always cooks dinner for her family and insists we eat with them. So , they're one family that will be baptized within the next few months. Oh yeah... I gave a talk on sunday about family and stuff. It was okay. AHaha. Not sure how many people listened. The stake president then was after me and chastized the branch for not giving more fast offerings and stuff. He's very good at chastizing. Most stake presidents are.
I think that's about it for the week. Life is good :)
Note to Caitlin.. can I send my ipod to you and request to have EFY music and talks and stuff put on? Haha. Also what's your address in utah? I don't want to delete all the music you put on , but the ipod's setting is so that I can't add any music to it without deleting. So lemme know if that's a possibility!!!!!!!!!
Okay , I think that's all..
Love you all , talk to you next week!
Monday, July 18, 2011
HELLO
Wow... sorry for the lateness today. Couldn't be helped.
First off , and very importantly , I got a lot of letters today! Hahaha. My zone was there when I got them and was like .. uhh.. is that seriously all for you. JUNE! Thank youuu. Finally , haha , but I got a ton of letters from her , Andrea , I saw one from Caitlin , and Sister Sturges! So thank you thank you. Momma - please ask Sister Edwards to ask Travis if he got my letter. Or better yet email him yourself and he'll respond thru his momma!
Okay , I'll describe my day and work back a little.
We had another zone activity today , so that's why I'm so late. We usually do these once a transfer for zone unity and for everyone to have a good time feeling like regular guys again , ha. So we went to a zoo! ahaha. It's not at all what zoo's are like back home... I saw deer... a turtle... birds... a snake... a crocodile... something called a bearcat (Awesome)... and an OSTRICH! The ostrich was sweet. I'm so sosososososososo sorry that I don't have my cord today. We had to book it out of the apartment today and scramble to grab a hundred things before we left , and I forgot the cord. Needless to say... when I do finally email the pictures there will be a lot. Including an epic one of me and an ostrich. We then took a bit of a hike , took some pictures , then went down to some picnic spot and had lunch. One of my zone leaders' uncles lives in Rosales , here , so he paid for everything (kind of rich, daw) so it was way nice. Took more pictures then headed back to Rosales. Oh , before then we played basketball and stuff. Then got back to the Zone Leaders' apartment and showered and booked it here to the SM. We've only got like 2 hours left of Pday and I know we're going to be late getting back to the area... gah bad.
FAST SIDE NOTE THAT'S IMPORTANT!
1. I'm turning into dad. It's bad. Here's how I know:
- I'm incredibly (if you can actually believe it) anal (sp?) about time-management. My companion is pretty dang slow and it annoys me so fast , ha. I need to divine help when that happens.
- Obedience , as you know , is a big deal to me here
- For some reason I've never , really in my life , been able to trust anyone to do anything the way I want it done. If I want something done out here , I really just do it myself.
- I've stopped using my wallet , ha. I know keep my cards and cash and stuff separate.
Okay , that's all actually.
It did make me laugh though when I realized all the things I've adapted from dad. Oh yeah , Mr. Culp wrote me too! I just rememberd that. I haven't had a moment to read the letters yet , but I will later on. That was so nice of him and I'm excited to read it.
Okay so this week has been good. I'm always positive now that I'll be transferred next week , but as always it's not up to me. We've had some pretty basic lessons this week and some good ones too. This family , Rabilas , is amazing. They don't rush anything , but steadily they're so receptive and the lessons are just some of the most spiritually powerful experiences one can ever pray for. Almost every lesson or every other lesson the mom starts to tear up because she can feel the message and it's just amazing. The mom is Gladys and the two kids are Kisses (the older daughter away from home is Hersey's) and Paulu , the boy. She has a husband , but their marraige is legally anulled. Becaue divorce is illegal in this country they have to get it anulled. It's actually so hard to make that happen , so it's amazing to find someone who has. But they came to church on sunday (the mom and son) along with 4 other investigators , so it was just a great great day. It's so discouraging when you labor and stress and worry and pray and pray and pray for all of your investigators and less-actives during the week and then they decide not to come on Sunday. But they came , and it was awesome. Also... the branch president was the last to speak during sacrament meeting , and I'm not sure how he knew.. but he gave THE most perfect talk for their family. The split of the mom and dad has been so hard on the whole family , and the mom still tries to keep the dad apart of their lives because she understands the importance of it. And President Dan spoke about family and how we need to talk with our kids frequently and all this stuff and she was taking notes like crazy during it and I think she started tearing up. Then the relief society just took over and she felt so at home. It made me think of our ward's back home... I don't think I've ever seen a convert? Have you guys ever fellowshipped? Ahaha... Weird.
Anyways I'll find out on the 27th if I'm being transferred and the 29th is transfer day. I've loved San Quintin , but I'm definitely read for a new experience. New zone , new things. I would also love to go back to Pangasinan (kind of like a state? or general area where pangalatok is spoken). Right now I'm in Ilocano area , and the people (maybe this is sterotypical and generalizing) but they're kind of more hard-headed and richer here. By richer I do not mean rich , but I do mean 70% their houses are about made of concrete and they can afford chicken. Of course not every day. That would bankrupt them. Then again we have investigators that make appaulingly (wow..sp?) low income. It's saddening , but it's life. They still find the bright side of each day and live happily. I really do love these people. I can't imagine having been assigned anywhere else. I find the times where I really appreciate where I am is during bus rides early in the morning when the sun is rising. Such an... awesome time of day. I love bus rides , ha. This is such a beautiful country and I'm so proud to speak their language walk their streets and teach their humble.
I think that's all for this week , sorry it's just a little but we're so short on time. Love you all and talk to you next week!!
[P.S... is it okay if I take out so money for a lot of necessities for I transfer? Like shoes with holes.. ha.. facewash , deo , contact solution , and christmas gifts for you guys? I should probly send that package by september and this will be my last transfer meeting before then (they sell very cool stuff at transfer meeting)
HOPE ITS OKAY! ]
Wow... sorry for the lateness today. Couldn't be helped.
First off , and very importantly , I got a lot of letters today! Hahaha. My zone was there when I got them and was like .. uhh.. is that seriously all for you. JUNE! Thank youuu. Finally , haha , but I got a ton of letters from her , Andrea , I saw one from Caitlin , and Sister Sturges! So thank you thank you. Momma - please ask Sister Edwards to ask Travis if he got my letter. Or better yet email him yourself and he'll respond thru his momma!
Okay , I'll describe my day and work back a little.
We had another zone activity today , so that's why I'm so late. We usually do these once a transfer for zone unity and for everyone to have a good time feeling like regular guys again , ha. So we went to a zoo! ahaha. It's not at all what zoo's are like back home... I saw deer... a turtle... birds... a snake... a crocodile... something called a bearcat (Awesome)... and an OSTRICH! The ostrich was sweet. I'm so sosososososososo sorry that I don't have my cord today. We had to book it out of the apartment today and scramble to grab a hundred things before we left , and I forgot the cord. Needless to say... when I do finally email the pictures there will be a lot. Including an epic one of me and an ostrich. We then took a bit of a hike , took some pictures , then went down to some picnic spot and had lunch. One of my zone leaders' uncles lives in Rosales , here , so he paid for everything (kind of rich, daw) so it was way nice. Took more pictures then headed back to Rosales. Oh , before then we played basketball and stuff. Then got back to the Zone Leaders' apartment and showered and booked it here to the SM. We've only got like 2 hours left of Pday and I know we're going to be late getting back to the area... gah bad.
FAST SIDE NOTE THAT'S IMPORTANT!
1. I'm turning into dad. It's bad. Here's how I know:
- I'm incredibly (if you can actually believe it) anal (sp?) about time-management. My companion is pretty dang slow and it annoys me so fast , ha. I need to divine help when that happens.
- Obedience , as you know , is a big deal to me here
- For some reason I've never , really in my life , been able to trust anyone to do anything the way I want it done. If I want something done out here , I really just do it myself.
- I've stopped using my wallet , ha. I know keep my cards and cash and stuff separate.
Okay , that's all actually.
It did make me laugh though when I realized all the things I've adapted from dad. Oh yeah , Mr. Culp wrote me too! I just rememberd that. I haven't had a moment to read the letters yet , but I will later on. That was so nice of him and I'm excited to read it.
Okay so this week has been good. I'm always positive now that I'll be transferred next week , but as always it's not up to me. We've had some pretty basic lessons this week and some good ones too. This family , Rabilas , is amazing. They don't rush anything , but steadily they're so receptive and the lessons are just some of the most spiritually powerful experiences one can ever pray for. Almost every lesson or every other lesson the mom starts to tear up because she can feel the message and it's just amazing. The mom is Gladys and the two kids are Kisses (the older daughter away from home is Hersey's) and Paulu , the boy. She has a husband , but their marraige is legally anulled. Becaue divorce is illegal in this country they have to get it anulled. It's actually so hard to make that happen , so it's amazing to find someone who has. But they came to church on sunday (the mom and son) along with 4 other investigators , so it was just a great great day. It's so discouraging when you labor and stress and worry and pray and pray and pray for all of your investigators and less-actives during the week and then they decide not to come on Sunday. But they came , and it was awesome. Also... the branch president was the last to speak during sacrament meeting , and I'm not sure how he knew.. but he gave THE most perfect talk for their family. The split of the mom and dad has been so hard on the whole family , and the mom still tries to keep the dad apart of their lives because she understands the importance of it. And President Dan spoke about family and how we need to talk with our kids frequently and all this stuff and she was taking notes like crazy during it and I think she started tearing up. Then the relief society just took over and she felt so at home. It made me think of our ward's back home... I don't think I've ever seen a convert? Have you guys ever fellowshipped? Ahaha... Weird.
Anyways I'll find out on the 27th if I'm being transferred and the 29th is transfer day. I've loved San Quintin , but I'm definitely read for a new experience. New zone , new things. I would also love to go back to Pangasinan (kind of like a state? or general area where pangalatok is spoken). Right now I'm in Ilocano area , and the people (maybe this is sterotypical and generalizing) but they're kind of more hard-headed and richer here. By richer I do not mean rich , but I do mean 70% their houses are about made of concrete and they can afford chicken. Of course not every day. That would bankrupt them. Then again we have investigators that make appaulingly (wow..sp?) low income. It's saddening , but it's life. They still find the bright side of each day and live happily. I really do love these people. I can't imagine having been assigned anywhere else. I find the times where I really appreciate where I am is during bus rides early in the morning when the sun is rising. Such an... awesome time of day. I love bus rides , ha. This is such a beautiful country and I'm so proud to speak their language walk their streets and teach their humble.
I think that's all for this week , sorry it's just a little but we're so short on time. Love you all and talk to you next week!!
[P.S... is it okay if I take out so money for a lot of necessities for I transfer? Like shoes with holes.. ha.. facewash , deo , contact solution , and christmas gifts for you guys? I should probly send that package by september and this will be my last transfer meeting before then (they sell very cool stuff at transfer meeting)
HOPE ITS OKAY! ]
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Weekly Email!
Hey , sorry it took a little longer today. We're in Tayug right now
and the computers are acting weird for some reason. Write now I'm
writing this in a word document and hoping to just copy and paste when
the thing is loaded. It says I received your emails 15 hours ago.. so
not sure how long you've been waiting for , ha. Mom that thing is
crazy expensive , so don't worry about it. Thank you though for
looking for it! I thought it was like a 20$ thing from staples or
something. I have enough time here on Mondays to get everything done ,
so thanks anyways. Haha - I guess I'll address what I said last week
about Erwin. He is a member and insists on working with us alot. Haha
... he's not going to actually kill me , but he stares at me ... alot
... and then I'll say like how are you , erwin ... and he'll just
start laughing. ahaha. His brain is a little fried , but he's
harmless. And I've probably only got about 3 more weeks in this area.
It doesn't feel like I've been here al that long .. but at the same
time kind of does. The area is great , but I'm ready for a new
experience. I also like , Mom , what Matt Oakes wrote. That's a pretty
dang true quote. I have had so so so many days where all I wanted to
do was stop ... but there's a reason for everything. Everything I've
read ... everything I've experienced ... it all points to the fact
that there is a reason is everything. It's funny how I've finally
gotten to a point in my life where I actually want to search and to
learn , and as I do it all makes sense finally. It's literally
baffling how anyone can say the book of mormon isn't true , first of
all. Seriously... maybe I'm beig naive here but you've got to be the
most ignorant person on earth to actually believe Joseph Smith wrote
it. In order to actually deny the fact that it's not true means that
you just want nothing to do with the religion. It's not that the book
isn't true in your sight , but admitting it's true would commit you to
a lifestyle that you don't want. I think , often , that all Catholic
leaders and leaders of other religions must have read the book of
mormon. And it's funny to think , that although they are leaders of a
mass group of people in a search for God ... that they themselves are
willing to deny themselves the eternal blessings that come from this
book. It's amazing the testimonies of the early pioneers of the church
, especially the ones that fell away. If you read about Oliver Cowdry
and Martin Harris and David Whitmer... it's crazy. All three fell away
, but two came back. And although David Whitmer (I think , maybe it
was M.H) never came back ... he never denied his testimony of the gold
plates. It got to a point , that actually near the end of his life he
got so annoyed with all the rumors flying around saying he had denied
his testimony that he rented space in the chicago sun or something and
printed an article stating how he still knew the book of mormon was
true. He had differences with the church and with Joseph Smith , or
something , but the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon never
changed in his mind. How is that not convincing evidence enough of
it's truthfullness? How can someone actually read that and still think
that it's fake? On top of the fact that Joseph Smith was only 14 when
he made his claim. What 14 year old would lie like that? And then
continue to endure the most impossible trials and tribulations to come
to a man. All because he wanted to be popular? Or was he crazy? If he
was crazy let's tack genius onto that for being able to write a book
that includes 100s of quotes scriptures , styles of writing unknown to
anyone in his area because they date back hundreds of centuries ...
points of doctrine not yet known , but later accepted by other
religions. Then prophecys that are unfolding in our day. I can't
remember what scholar said it , but they stated that no man can fake
history. No man can write a book (especially of over 500 pages) of
documented history and not cross himself at least once. It's not
possible. This is testimony , mom and dad , that we struggle to find
the words to say each day. Why can people not understand this? I've
come to the conclusion , that really it's not about the book. That
although if it is true , it means everything else is true. Because if
the book of mormon is true it means Joseph Smith saw what he said he
saw. He had power come to him from God. If power was given to him to
translate and to lead this restored church , it means that God would
have taken that power away at the first moment the church went astray.
We would know if we were being led down the wrong path. The fact is
it's true ... but that's not enough to most people. Our finite minds
cannot comprehend eternity , and it is because of that we look no
farther than 24 hours. When the truthfulness of a book will affect our
weekend , it no longer becomes true in our minds and common sense is
out the window. I'm thankful , Mom and Dad , for these experiences
because a mission really is hard. I had a pretty hard week this week
because we stayed in on Monday and Tuesday because Elder Laodeno was
sick. That wasn't why the week was hard , although we were so bored ha
, but afterwards we had to play catch up all week long. Which ended up
in a lack of effort in other areas which brought me down a bit , and
then Sunday just had a bad day. But it's insane what this gospel is ,
because it is Medicine. We got punted for a few hours after meetings
on Sunday and then as soon as we taught our first lesson and I was
able to bear witness of the truthfulness of this book the spirit
instantly came back into me and I couldn't stop beaming. Gosh it feels
so good to just say what you want to say and not hold anything back.
As members we restrain ourselves daily from what we actually want to
say because we live in a society that opresses freedom of speech when
it is not what we want to hear. That seems like a stupid thought , but
looking back I can't believe how scared I was to talk to anyone really
about the church unless they were close friends. We need to understand
that this life is the shortest thing we can imagine in the grand
scheme of Everything ... and because of that it's not up to us to
decide who we talk to and who we don't. It doesn't mean we need to
scream it at everyone but when we feel prompted , when we have the
opportunity there is no reason to not say what you want to say about
what you know is truth. The book of mormon is true , this church is
true , and because of that one fact. Because the book of mormon is
true , means that nothing else matters. It means that no struggle is
not worth it. It means that this mission is worth it. Oh how I want to
just speak english to this people and spiritually slap them in the
face when they tell me my savior was only a person. But we do what we
can and it becomes worth it. This work , as Matt says , is being done
in the Lord's way because that is His will. When it goes out of line
of that His spirit is withdrawn and the work goes astray and nothing
gets accomplished. I'm seeing during this transfer how much we lacked
the spirit when Elder Salde was my companion. It literally kills me to
think he wears my savior's name on his chest everyday because some of
the things he's done on his mission is so counterproductive and
saddening. But the spirit is real , the church is true , and my
testimony is firm.
Not sure why the email went in that direction ... but as I said I'm
trying to be more in tune every day and stop limiting myself from whom
I will talk to and what I will say. This life is too short to always
hold back our thoughts when all they are is testimony of truth. I hope
I haven't offended anyone in this letter , no offense or targeting of
anyone was intended , seriously. It's just insane what feelings run
through me while I'm out here doing this work.
I'm sorry it's taken a little longer for me to get this email out
today. I love you all and I'll write ya next week!
-Elder White
and the computers are acting weird for some reason. Write now I'm
writing this in a word document and hoping to just copy and paste when
the thing is loaded. It says I received your emails 15 hours ago.. so
not sure how long you've been waiting for , ha. Mom that thing is
crazy expensive , so don't worry about it. Thank you though for
looking for it! I thought it was like a 20$ thing from staples or
something. I have enough time here on Mondays to get everything done ,
so thanks anyways. Haha - I guess I'll address what I said last week
about Erwin. He is a member and insists on working with us alot. Haha
... he's not going to actually kill me , but he stares at me ... alot
... and then I'll say like how are you , erwin ... and he'll just
start laughing. ahaha. His brain is a little fried , but he's
harmless. And I've probably only got about 3 more weeks in this area.
It doesn't feel like I've been here al that long .. but at the same
time kind of does. The area is great , but I'm ready for a new
experience. I also like , Mom , what Matt Oakes wrote. That's a pretty
dang true quote. I have had so so so many days where all I wanted to
do was stop ... but there's a reason for everything. Everything I've
read ... everything I've experienced ... it all points to the fact
that there is a reason is everything. It's funny how I've finally
gotten to a point in my life where I actually want to search and to
learn , and as I do it all makes sense finally. It's literally
baffling how anyone can say the book of mormon isn't true , first of
all. Seriously... maybe I'm beig naive here but you've got to be the
most ignorant person on earth to actually believe Joseph Smith wrote
it. In order to actually deny the fact that it's not true means that
you just want nothing to do with the religion. It's not that the book
isn't true in your sight , but admitting it's true would commit you to
a lifestyle that you don't want. I think , often , that all Catholic
leaders and leaders of other religions must have read the book of
mormon. And it's funny to think , that although they are leaders of a
mass group of people in a search for God ... that they themselves are
willing to deny themselves the eternal blessings that come from this
book. It's amazing the testimonies of the early pioneers of the church
, especially the ones that fell away. If you read about Oliver Cowdry
and Martin Harris and David Whitmer... it's crazy. All three fell away
, but two came back. And although David Whitmer (I think , maybe it
was M.H) never came back ... he never denied his testimony of the gold
plates. It got to a point , that actually near the end of his life he
got so annoyed with all the rumors flying around saying he had denied
his testimony that he rented space in the chicago sun or something and
printed an article stating how he still knew the book of mormon was
true. He had differences with the church and with Joseph Smith , or
something , but the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon never
changed in his mind. How is that not convincing evidence enough of
it's truthfullness? How can someone actually read that and still think
that it's fake? On top of the fact that Joseph Smith was only 14 when
he made his claim. What 14 year old would lie like that? And then
continue to endure the most impossible trials and tribulations to come
to a man. All because he wanted to be popular? Or was he crazy? If he
was crazy let's tack genius onto that for being able to write a book
that includes 100s of quotes scriptures , styles of writing unknown to
anyone in his area because they date back hundreds of centuries ...
points of doctrine not yet known , but later accepted by other
religions. Then prophecys that are unfolding in our day. I can't
remember what scholar said it , but they stated that no man can fake
history. No man can write a book (especially of over 500 pages) of
documented history and not cross himself at least once. It's not
possible. This is testimony , mom and dad , that we struggle to find
the words to say each day. Why can people not understand this? I've
come to the conclusion , that really it's not about the book. That
although if it is true , it means everything else is true. Because if
the book of mormon is true it means Joseph Smith saw what he said he
saw. He had power come to him from God. If power was given to him to
translate and to lead this restored church , it means that God would
have taken that power away at the first moment the church went astray.
We would know if we were being led down the wrong path. The fact is
it's true ... but that's not enough to most people. Our finite minds
cannot comprehend eternity , and it is because of that we look no
farther than 24 hours. When the truthfulness of a book will affect our
weekend , it no longer becomes true in our minds and common sense is
out the window. I'm thankful , Mom and Dad , for these experiences
because a mission really is hard. I had a pretty hard week this week
because we stayed in on Monday and Tuesday because Elder Laodeno was
sick. That wasn't why the week was hard , although we were so bored ha
, but afterwards we had to play catch up all week long. Which ended up
in a lack of effort in other areas which brought me down a bit , and
then Sunday just had a bad day. But it's insane what this gospel is ,
because it is Medicine. We got punted for a few hours after meetings
on Sunday and then as soon as we taught our first lesson and I was
able to bear witness of the truthfulness of this book the spirit
instantly came back into me and I couldn't stop beaming. Gosh it feels
so good to just say what you want to say and not hold anything back.
As members we restrain ourselves daily from what we actually want to
say because we live in a society that opresses freedom of speech when
it is not what we want to hear. That seems like a stupid thought , but
looking back I can't believe how scared I was to talk to anyone really
about the church unless they were close friends. We need to understand
that this life is the shortest thing we can imagine in the grand
scheme of Everything ... and because of that it's not up to us to
decide who we talk to and who we don't. It doesn't mean we need to
scream it at everyone but when we feel prompted , when we have the
opportunity there is no reason to not say what you want to say about
what you know is truth. The book of mormon is true , this church is
true , and because of that one fact. Because the book of mormon is
true , means that nothing else matters. It means that no struggle is
not worth it. It means that this mission is worth it. Oh how I want to
just speak english to this people and spiritually slap them in the
face when they tell me my savior was only a person. But we do what we
can and it becomes worth it. This work , as Matt says , is being done
in the Lord's way because that is His will. When it goes out of line
of that His spirit is withdrawn and the work goes astray and nothing
gets accomplished. I'm seeing during this transfer how much we lacked
the spirit when Elder Salde was my companion. It literally kills me to
think he wears my savior's name on his chest everyday because some of
the things he's done on his mission is so counterproductive and
saddening. But the spirit is real , the church is true , and my
testimony is firm.
Not sure why the email went in that direction ... but as I said I'm
trying to be more in tune every day and stop limiting myself from whom
I will talk to and what I will say. This life is too short to always
hold back our thoughts when all they are is testimony of truth. I hope
I haven't offended anyone in this letter , no offense or targeting of
anyone was intended , seriously. It's just insane what feelings run
through me while I'm out here doing this work.
I'm sorry it's taken a little longer for me to get this email out
today. I love you all and I'll write ya next week!
-Elder White
Monday, July 4, 2011
Family Email
Oh man my hands are so cold... this feels like winter back in Middle School where I'd play counter strike for hours on snow days. They've got aircon in here and it's cold. Anyways like I said before we missed the bus coming out of the area this morning for the SM because my companion said he was feeling sick... so despite me ironing his clothes and cleaning his shoes and updating the area book from the lessons from the past week ... he still couldn't get out the door by 9:45. Ha. It's okay , he's still my best companion yet so I have no reason to complain. He works hard and is really nice.
To Mom: I really want Garrett's address , so as soon as you can get it , please do!
Things (if it's not too late) I would love in the package:
-pictures of anything and everything going on back home. of the house , family , I just have no pictures haha
- a box of Good + Plenty!
iyan lang for now (that's all). IMPORTANT MOM! Please ask Sister Schneiber about the little type computer thing erik had while in the MTC. It made it so he could type his letter during the week and then plug it into a usb and send it right away. There's a lot of stuff that I either forget or don't have time to say , and if that was allowed in the MTC I'll ask if it's allowed here. It's not a computer , but really a keyboard with a tiny screen. Erik was telling me about I'm pretty sure.
Questions:
- They have an independence day here , I'm pretty sure , but I don't remember when it is and don't think it's that big of a deal.
- The name Elder Gilliland sounds familiar , but I don't think I've ever met him. Probably just seen his name on the transfer sheet.
- Fudgie bars are just ... a snack you buy. It's a little cupcake thing. They're okay ... loaded with sugar ... as is everything here
- Of course I use the mattress cover! I swap it with the mattress cover I bought here when I get them cleaned. It's good that I have it , but Taylor's mattresses must have been more disgusting , the ones here are okay. They're not clean , but I can just use mattress covers here. But I thank you anyway for it!
I think that was all your questions , so I'll talk a little about my week. You always ask for weird things that I experience ... and really it IS getting to a point where the things they do are starting to make sense. For instance keeping the tooth brush in the fridge ... along with everything else. It makes sense. Everything tastes better when it's cold (for the most part). But my bread , peanut butter , toothbrush , most everything stays in the fridge. Also it's to keep rats and bugs and stuff away from it. But one thing that was weird , but as usual good , this week was me eating wood. Ahaha. What they do is take bamboo and shave it down into smaller pieces then boil it and cook it with sugar and stuff. Turns into this sticky/soft combo thing and is actually very very good. Ha. High in fiber , though , I think. I think it's called tubik? And there's was another variety of it that I ate , but I forget the name. I didn't believe them ... because they were like yes it's wood (kahoy) would then I watched one of them cook it .. and lo and behold they do not lie. So , maybe look up the recipe if you're in the mood .... for tree.
Okay , so my week.
Oh.. message to my other siblings : Alma 60:6.
So Monday was okay ... taught 3 lessons and it was a pretty beautiful day. Tuesday... geeze. That was one of my more tiring days of the mission , ha. Found 8 new investigators , taught 8 lessons , and walked a combined probly 4 - 6 miles. We trecked out faaar into a barangay (kind of means like town) that we don't usually work because it's very far for someone to come to church , in which they will most likely walk unless they're rich. And we get out there for a referral we receive ... couldn't end up finding the referral (despite the person who gave us the referral being there with us) but ended up talking to like everyone along the way because I've never met any of them before. So that was a pretty crazy day. On the way back we got a lift for about a 1/2 mile in ambulance , ha. Ambulances are ... different ... here ... ha. Wednesday we worked with the second counselor of the branch presidency who is about 72 and is hysterical. I understand about every 9th word of what he says because he has no teeth and mumbles like crazy , but is the funniest and happiest man on earth. Especially when he describes someone who does drugs (I thinkkkkk that's the point he's trying to make) in which he makes the funniest noise and whips his head around like in cartoons when bugs bunny or something gets slapped.
We also met , this past week , a woman named Alma (which I ended up reading on Friday is a common woman's name in spanish and a main argument people had about the book of mormon until the 1970s or 80s in which they found a scroll in the middle east with the name alma dating back a looong time. Anyways , she's actually been a member of so many churches and finally settled with the Church of Christ , which came closest to the church that Christ established she says. She's been looking for that. We were like uhhh .... awesome. Unfortunately she went back down to Manila , but we gave her a book of mormon and hopefully she'll find interest and attend church down there.
Hm.. now I guess I'll talk about Erwin. I think this is the first time I've mentioned him. He's a member who was baptized in 2009. He's 27. He was less-active (until since) since 2010. When I came into this area he was perfectly normal , and his brother is an awesome investigator that's been an investigator for like 2 years now and doesn't want to commit. Anyways , Erwin. About 2 months ago he joined the army here and went to basic training up in the mountains for 3 weeks. He came back. His brain is now messed up. We're trying to figure out what happened , but now he's turned into a bakla (means basically a man who acts like a girl. it does not make him gay , just incredibly flambouyant) and tells us he loves us all the time and STARES AT ME ALL THE TIME. Then when I say whats up erwin , he laughs and continues to stare. I think he might murder me. But on Thursday (despite us saying it would be a horrible idea) our 'awesome' branch mission leader had him work with us. Wow ... quite an experience. Not good. So on FRIDAY! We have splits in which the district leader works with me in the area ... we have plans to work with the RS president and 1st counselor of the branch presidency. We meet them at the RS President's house (nanay mendoze) and whose there ... ERWIN! Apparently he had asked brother william who was working with us and found out where to be to meet us. So there he was ... tagging along again for a few hours. It's like bringing a person of an insane assylum to try and convert people to religion that focuses on truth , happiness , and family. and sanity. Actually ... that's quite exactly what it was. So at 6 we had a dinner appointment , and there was no way we could bring erwin , so the 1st counselor told him we were all going home now ... day's over ... and we went our different ways. I felt bad about lying to him , but it's so dangerous for him to work with us. HE REALLY MIGHT KILL ME! But here was the highlight of the week: Friday night. Elder Sipe is our district leader , and I'm a big fan of his style. A common misconception of missionaries is that when there's silence to talk. mm..wrong. It happens a lot when a missionary gets nervous , too. They just keep talking and seriously constricts the spirit. We talk and they get bored and their mind wanders. The key is to get them to talk. And that is Elder Sipe's style too , so I was stoked. The Investigator: Rabilas Family. Elder Laodeno had talked to the mom while on the bus last week and we had visited them twice. Such a strong spirit during those two lessons ,but nothing compared to on Friday. We planned to teach one thing , but they asked a question about baptism that directed our lesson in that direction. We took the opportunity to teach about 2nd Nephi 31 (staple chapter) and about Christ and following his example. Basically , we talked maybe 15% of the time and there was so much silence and them talking. At one point I asked what her feelings were at that time about what we had taught and what she expected out of the lessons and why she had invited us back. And she talked for about 15 seconds then stopped. We said nothing. And after about 20 seconds of silence she continued ... until she started crying. I can't believe how strong the spirit was. I haven't felt anything that strong since my first transfer. At the close of the lesson the look in her eyes and her husbands was amazing. As they thanked us goodbye you could just feel the sincerity radiating from them and it literally made everything worth it.
As I've written now in my journal ... this mission is hard. Ha. I'm yet to have a day in which I haven't been discouraged by at least something huge. Every day fighting the language , getting yelled out by people because I stand out , worrying about investigators , members , relationships with them all including my companion , people back home , living every mission rule , fighting off every inch of me that so badly misses things from back home , COLD SHOWERS EVERY DAY EVEN WHEN IT'S FREEZING OUTSIDE .... everything. But in that one lesson , it all comes full circle and is more than worth it. I've said it before mom and dad , but seriously thank you for everything you've done in getting me on a mission. I feel like I was an infant in my testimony and spirituality before I entered the MTC. Knowledge has nothing to do with it , but the closeness I can feel to my savior. I love this mission "as I'm sure no one ever has or will" [elder holland] but I'm serious. I can't believe what I'm able to do here every day. To bring this unimaginable happiness into the lives of people that either want it or don't. One way or another we fulfill prophecy and represent Him that we love. I can't imagine what I'd be doing right now , but nothing possible can compare. Again , every day is so so so hard. It drains everything mental , physical , and spiritual out of you. But it's worth it. THank you and thank you again.
That's all I've got for this week. Saturday and Sunday were good as well , but nothing beats Friday. I feel like only twice I've had a glimpse of what maybe 1/100000th of celestial happiness might be. My mind cannot begin to comprehend what it will be like after we leave this earth. But I'm excited to share with everyone here my testimony of it :)
Love you all,
Elder White
To Mom: I really want Garrett's address , so as soon as you can get it , please do!
Things (if it's not too late) I would love in the package:
-pictures of anything and everything going on back home. of the house , family , I just have no pictures haha
- a box of Good + Plenty!
iyan lang for now (that's all). IMPORTANT MOM! Please ask Sister Schneiber about the little type computer thing erik had while in the MTC. It made it so he could type his letter during the week and then plug it into a usb and send it right away. There's a lot of stuff that I either forget or don't have time to say , and if that was allowed in the MTC I'll ask if it's allowed here. It's not a computer , but really a keyboard with a tiny screen. Erik was telling me about I'm pretty sure.
Questions:
- They have an independence day here , I'm pretty sure , but I don't remember when it is and don't think it's that big of a deal.
- The name Elder Gilliland sounds familiar , but I don't think I've ever met him. Probably just seen his name on the transfer sheet.
- Fudgie bars are just ... a snack you buy. It's a little cupcake thing. They're okay ... loaded with sugar ... as is everything here
- Of course I use the mattress cover! I swap it with the mattress cover I bought here when I get them cleaned. It's good that I have it , but Taylor's mattresses must have been more disgusting , the ones here are okay. They're not clean , but I can just use mattress covers here. But I thank you anyway for it!
I think that was all your questions , so I'll talk a little about my week. You always ask for weird things that I experience ... and really it IS getting to a point where the things they do are starting to make sense. For instance keeping the tooth brush in the fridge ... along with everything else. It makes sense. Everything tastes better when it's cold (for the most part). But my bread , peanut butter , toothbrush , most everything stays in the fridge. Also it's to keep rats and bugs and stuff away from it. But one thing that was weird , but as usual good , this week was me eating wood. Ahaha. What they do is take bamboo and shave it down into smaller pieces then boil it and cook it with sugar and stuff. Turns into this sticky/soft combo thing and is actually very very good. Ha. High in fiber , though , I think. I think it's called tubik? And there's was another variety of it that I ate , but I forget the name. I didn't believe them ... because they were like yes it's wood (kahoy) would then I watched one of them cook it .. and lo and behold they do not lie. So , maybe look up the recipe if you're in the mood .... for tree.
Okay , so my week.
Oh.. message to my other siblings : Alma 60:6.
So Monday was okay ... taught 3 lessons and it was a pretty beautiful day. Tuesday... geeze. That was one of my more tiring days of the mission , ha. Found 8 new investigators , taught 8 lessons , and walked a combined probly 4 - 6 miles. We trecked out faaar into a barangay (kind of means like town) that we don't usually work because it's very far for someone to come to church , in which they will most likely walk unless they're rich. And we get out there for a referral we receive ... couldn't end up finding the referral (despite the person who gave us the referral being there with us) but ended up talking to like everyone along the way because I've never met any of them before. So that was a pretty crazy day. On the way back we got a lift for about a 1/2 mile in ambulance , ha. Ambulances are ... different ... here ... ha. Wednesday we worked with the second counselor of the branch presidency who is about 72 and is hysterical. I understand about every 9th word of what he says because he has no teeth and mumbles like crazy , but is the funniest and happiest man on earth. Especially when he describes someone who does drugs (I thinkkkkk that's the point he's trying to make) in which he makes the funniest noise and whips his head around like in cartoons when bugs bunny or something gets slapped.
We also met , this past week , a woman named Alma (which I ended up reading on Friday is a common woman's name in spanish and a main argument people had about the book of mormon until the 1970s or 80s in which they found a scroll in the middle east with the name alma dating back a looong time. Anyways , she's actually been a member of so many churches and finally settled with the Church of Christ , which came closest to the church that Christ established she says. She's been looking for that. We were like uhhh .... awesome. Unfortunately she went back down to Manila , but we gave her a book of mormon and hopefully she'll find interest and attend church down there.
Hm.. now I guess I'll talk about Erwin. I think this is the first time I've mentioned him. He's a member who was baptized in 2009. He's 27. He was less-active (until since) since 2010. When I came into this area he was perfectly normal , and his brother is an awesome investigator that's been an investigator for like 2 years now and doesn't want to commit. Anyways , Erwin. About 2 months ago he joined the army here and went to basic training up in the mountains for 3 weeks. He came back. His brain is now messed up. We're trying to figure out what happened , but now he's turned into a bakla (means basically a man who acts like a girl. it does not make him gay , just incredibly flambouyant) and tells us he loves us all the time and STARES AT ME ALL THE TIME. Then when I say whats up erwin , he laughs and continues to stare. I think he might murder me. But on Thursday (despite us saying it would be a horrible idea) our 'awesome' branch mission leader had him work with us. Wow ... quite an experience. Not good. So on FRIDAY! We have splits in which the district leader works with me in the area ... we have plans to work with the RS president and 1st counselor of the branch presidency. We meet them at the RS President's house (nanay mendoze) and whose there ... ERWIN! Apparently he had asked brother william who was working with us and found out where to be to meet us. So there he was ... tagging along again for a few hours. It's like bringing a person of an insane assylum to try and convert people to religion that focuses on truth , happiness , and family. and sanity. Actually ... that's quite exactly what it was. So at 6 we had a dinner appointment , and there was no way we could bring erwin , so the 1st counselor told him we were all going home now ... day's over ... and we went our different ways. I felt bad about lying to him , but it's so dangerous for him to work with us. HE REALLY MIGHT KILL ME! But here was the highlight of the week: Friday night. Elder Sipe is our district leader , and I'm a big fan of his style. A common misconception of missionaries is that when there's silence to talk. mm..wrong. It happens a lot when a missionary gets nervous , too. They just keep talking and seriously constricts the spirit. We talk and they get bored and their mind wanders. The key is to get them to talk. And that is Elder Sipe's style too , so I was stoked. The Investigator: Rabilas Family. Elder Laodeno had talked to the mom while on the bus last week and we had visited them twice. Such a strong spirit during those two lessons ,but nothing compared to on Friday. We planned to teach one thing , but they asked a question about baptism that directed our lesson in that direction. We took the opportunity to teach about 2nd Nephi 31 (staple chapter) and about Christ and following his example. Basically , we talked maybe 15% of the time and there was so much silence and them talking. At one point I asked what her feelings were at that time about what we had taught and what she expected out of the lessons and why she had invited us back. And she talked for about 15 seconds then stopped. We said nothing. And after about 20 seconds of silence she continued ... until she started crying. I can't believe how strong the spirit was. I haven't felt anything that strong since my first transfer. At the close of the lesson the look in her eyes and her husbands was amazing. As they thanked us goodbye you could just feel the sincerity radiating from them and it literally made everything worth it.
As I've written now in my journal ... this mission is hard. Ha. I'm yet to have a day in which I haven't been discouraged by at least something huge. Every day fighting the language , getting yelled out by people because I stand out , worrying about investigators , members , relationships with them all including my companion , people back home , living every mission rule , fighting off every inch of me that so badly misses things from back home , COLD SHOWERS EVERY DAY EVEN WHEN IT'S FREEZING OUTSIDE .... everything. But in that one lesson , it all comes full circle and is more than worth it. I've said it before mom and dad , but seriously thank you for everything you've done in getting me on a mission. I feel like I was an infant in my testimony and spirituality before I entered the MTC. Knowledge has nothing to do with it , but the closeness I can feel to my savior. I love this mission "as I'm sure no one ever has or will" [elder holland] but I'm serious. I can't believe what I'm able to do here every day. To bring this unimaginable happiness into the lives of people that either want it or don't. One way or another we fulfill prophecy and represent Him that we love. I can't imagine what I'd be doing right now , but nothing possible can compare. Again , every day is so so so hard. It drains everything mental , physical , and spiritual out of you. But it's worth it. THank you and thank you again.
That's all I've got for this week. Saturday and Sunday were good as well , but nothing beats Friday. I feel like only twice I've had a glimpse of what maybe 1/100000th of celestial happiness might be. My mind cannot begin to comprehend what it will be like after we leave this earth. But I'm excited to share with everyone here my testimony of it :)
Love you all,
Elder White
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