Heyo

Hey , I'm back in Dagupan on some computer that's pretty crummy. The computers earlier in Malasiqui were way good so I got done the little stuff that I needed. Now I just have a few minutes to write the family email. We went bowling again earlier... ha. We'll probably take a few weeks off , but I got a new record : 203. I'm getting better. And now I'm tired... This week has been pretty good , but before I start I'll answer your questions. 1] Mom , Dad , Callie , and June by email. Garret's written me once after I wrote him and I've got to write him home ... but I literally have zero time to write letters anymore. I only have Mondays and our Mondays are filled... next week I'll have more time. Also Grandma and Caitlin and a couple others write me by letter as well. I have a request for you , mom! Next week I'll send you the address , but could you send a small package to a missionary for me? He was a ward missionary in my first area , Malimpec , and I'm sure I told you about him - Franco Maure. He's on a mission now in the Naga Mission and is awesome. Most young men / mission age men I've met here are pretty immature and don't really have too much of a future in mind or at least planning ... but Franco is one of the first people I met here and is incredibly smart , he just needs schooling behind it. But he's a really hard worker and super obedient in his mission [which is a little rare sometimes for filipinos] so he's one of my favorite people. Also I'm one of the only people who writes to him on his mission through letters , so I was wondering if you could get a little package together , it doesn't have to be big , but just include maybe a picture of our family when we're all together and then a letter saying you're my mom and stuff and we wanted to send him a package. Just some food and maybe a couple ties and whatever you think of. If you could do that , just substitute that for whatever future package you'd send me. He's way way awesome and I know he'd be so so happy to get that because his family is incredibly ... challenged for money. Members are supporting his mission and for filipinos that's only 5 - 12 dollars / month ... and for his family that can't be done by them alone. Thanks so much Mom and I'll send you the address next week. Anyways this week has been pretty good and fast. We're back to 4 hours / day studies which takes a toll on you when you're now waking up at 5:30 AM - but we're managing. Wait: this is the address. Philippines Naga Mission Office Panganiban Dr, Naga City 4400 Okay , so the area is pretty awesome and the people still so humble. It amazes me their faith. These people live a payday away but they still come to church. They don't really understand WHY they come to church , nor do they seemingly get much out of it , but they feel the spirit and they love the comradery [sp?]. We're doing the best we can to help them understand why they're doing what they're doing and change their minds from the Catholic mentality of this nation. It's a challenge when you're deep in the farm countries where the education is low and the churches a plenty. But they are super duper sweet and love our visits. Nothing too amazing has happened this week , unfortunately , but we taught a few great lessons where the spirit was really able to do the teaching and not us. One of them was to the Esma brothers that are both about 55. They both have families that are all members but in active. We're teaching the two of them together because their families never really want to join in , but these two brothers are coming back and their families will follow. Their education is super low and it's hard to get too much across because they don't understand too too much [I mean they're not mentally challenged , but when you dip into stuff deeper than just faith and family you run into challenges] but we taught a lesson about obedience and connecting it to the Word of Wisdom and Nephi's story and they really felt the essence of it. Romeo was crazy excited to come to church on Sunday and we asked them how they felt during the lesson and Romeo was like I can't explain it's just like I keep wanting to learn more and go to church on Sunday. Another family we're working with is the Macaranas family and they father has dipped into inactivity in the past couples months. What we've done is helped to get him a calling in the Elders Quorum and so now he's come three weeks straight and is way stoked to keep coming , haha , he's so funny. We saw him at church last week and he was like ELDERS QUORUM FIRST COUNSELOR! SUSTAINING ME NEXT WEEK! He was excited. Callings really are the secret in getting people out of inactivity. But it's got to come from a bishop/branch president that makes the calling seem noble. Ours is doing a great job. Another family is the Macaranas family [their cousins] in which the whole family is inactive , but in the past month we've gotten the father to come back and he's bringing his 3 kids. When he's stable our target is the mom and to get them a temple date set. That's a huge challenge , because the temple is a large salary away for them and not easy to take that work off. But to see these people running the church , despite being so so humble , is really an amazing thing. Yeah , a few things are done a little silly , but they get the essence of it and they really want to do what the prophet expects of them. They're so humble and it's quite inspiring. It'll be a challenge to come back to a little ... haughty .. area. But I know members back home aren't prideful.. hopefully. My companion is a little ball of energy , ha , he's way silly. But I keep him balanced with my boringness , haha . Actually I was told by a member that I need to not be so serious all the time , haha , so we'll see what happens there. I don't think I'm very serious ... I just like to work and not sit around at members houses for hours talking. The branch is pretty awesome still , and we'll probably move into our new area pretty soon [ our house ] . We've talked to the owner of a house waaay deep into our area , but it's tiny and really nice [ it's got AirCon ] so it might happen in the next few weeks. It'll be nice , as well , getting out of a 4-person apartment. I loved it at first , but with 3 filipinos and 1 american it's just kind of rambunxious [sp?] and sometimes causes set backs. Also our traveling to and from the area every day causes some times losses. My health isn't bad [I gotta stop drinking the water .. ha] and for the past month I've worked out pretty consistently every day. I'll be honest , I'm bored to tears from lifting weights ... but I just do push ups and situps and dumbbells every day and am finally seeing muscle come into my body for the first time in my life , haha. But I still can't wait to run when I get home .. no matter how cold it is. I'm dying to be able to diet and run again. My stomach is enormous. Dad .. you'd be proud. How's your weight by the way. That's my one wish ... lose weight before I come home. [Alma 38:21] I'll probably be with my trainee until June and then odds are just one more area. That's freaky. The thought pops in sometimes that I have 6 months left , but it still doesn't feel real that I'll be coming " home " one day. 92% of me still thinks that missions don't have an ending. And that's coolio with me ... just until I see the whole mission and am assigned everywhere. Haha members ask when I go home and I consistently say 2046 or 2052 ... then a quick visit to see the parents and I'll be back within the month haha. But then I seriously tell them and they tell me I'm " pauwi " which means currently heading home and it's depressing. But I love training because it really keeps my thoughts away and as soon as they do start thinking about it I think about him and how he needs to keep his thoughts away from home and it helps. He's a really good guy with a great voice and likes all the same music I do , so it's a good companionship. Obviously a lot of things are hard , yes you're right momma , but you deal with it and "swallow you're pride" [name that song]. No but seriously pride is awful. Humility is the only way to get through a mission , and seemingly life. Life sucks , haha , it's really really unfair in a lot of ways ... but through the atonement all things will be made up. Trust in that and go on. I like the atonement ... hopefully I'll be able to read the Infinite Atonement soon! [if not soon then at home] Also , mom , even though I don't like thinking about it I need you to just look into BYU-Idaho stuff and find out when you need to sign me up for classes and stuff. Also if you can get Mitch's email and Cody Storm's email I'd love you for that. I'll ask my misison president for permission to email them about rooming information. Okay. I love you all, -Elder A White