Hey everyone!
This week has gone ridiculously fast, ridiculously bad, and ridiculously awesome! More on the awesome side of course, but it's been like the fastest week ever cuz we were superrrr busy alllll the time!
I only had a couple questions asked from my parents so let's answer those first.
Well first of all, they were complaining AGAIN about my preparation day being on Saturday. Which was actually done by the mission president, so obviously it's inspired....so get over it! =D hahaha But then they asked Speaking of P-Day's are there sightseeing things to do in Manila? "What do you do? I only got to Seoul once during my mission and was way jealous of the Seoul missionaries. They had access to all of the western fast food restaurants and some of the best shopping in the country. Hopefully Manila is like that for you. I already know you have all the fast food places available to you."
Well there may be sightseeing but...we don't have a whole lot of chance to do stuff on preparation day. It usually goes like this: hear alarm, think evil thoughts at my alarm, repent..(getting ready process)...Personal Study, Companionship Study, wash clothes/get clothes washed, go to the mall and buy food and other junk for the week, come home, get clothes, eat, go to the office, email, do all the office work we have, and then work. And that's pretty much our day. It varies little by little like today after emailing hopefully I'll get to shoot hoops while Elder Spencer plays piano. Crap. I forgot my shoes... =( So looks like I'll just write some letters/BRs to peeps/Coron/whoever else. So hopefully we'll find time to do cool stuff sometime! And the shopping here is great! They go like all out on malls here, like they're all better than malls in America it's funny. And you can get pretty much everything you could possibly want here.
"I imagine that the language isn't perfect but that you are pretty proficient by now. Is that accurate? Keep working hard on that."
Yeah it's nowhere near perfect/nowhere near where I want to be by the time I go home. I'm goin sound like a pure Filipino by the time I go home! But I've got a long way to go for that...haha Like the people I talk to are always impressed when they ask how long I've been here and I tell them around 7 months, but still I'mma get way good! So I'm still workin hard and praying for it and trying my best to pick up on all the little expressions/ways they say words/like the ways they use certain words and stuff like that. Cuz it's pretty easy to take an English sentance and just put it in Tagalog but they don't necessarily say it the same way we would so that's not speaking Filipino that's speaking English but translating it into Tagalog. So that's kinda where I'm trying to get to, I'm pumped! I love the language! Kahit super frustrating siya.
Ayos! So I gotta start you guys off with last Saturday, apparently it was after I had emailed you guys already cuz I didn't mention it last time. But I just wrote down one thing on my Notes to Journal. It was "Relief Society Tribute Song." Okay if you haven't heard this yet, you have GOT to check it out! So Elder Spencer and I were looking at music for a CD and we were looking at Alex Boyé cuz he's pretty legit. So I saw a song called Relief Society Tribute Song and I was like check that out! Kinda jokingly and then we sampled it and I loveddd it! I'm totes bumpin to that when I get back home! Spence wasn't a big fan...But Sister Dietrich thought it was hilarious. So seriously, check it out! It's totally not the Alex Boyé that I had heard before but I loved it!
Then Sunday was awesome! The week before we hadn't been able to go out and visit like anyone cuz of going-home missionaries, transfer days, and then new missionaries coming in, but come Sunday morning our legit investigator Palma texted us and was like hey is there church this morning?? We were like YES! And so he came! And then another In-active family, the Locanlale family, made it to church again! That's the second time in a row, and they're really committed to returning to church. They even brought an investigator with them. Church was awesome! In Priesthood we spent the entire time, playing an activity (typical Priesthood lesson, huh? haha). So Elder Spencer sat there and talked to Palma and I sat there and talked to our slightly, less-active Ward Mission Leader, Brother Arnold, about swimming cuz he's an avid swimmer. But from the planning that was going on I did get one thing. It's called BYOR. In the States you've probably heard BYOB but here it's BYOR, Bring Your Own Rice...hahaha I loved it! The Dietrich's were nice enough to have us over for lunch and then that night there was a fireside. We weren't able to make it, but the 2nd Counselor in the General Young Womens Presidency, or better known as the prophet's daughter...haha But she came out to do a fireside and apparently that was pretty cool.
Monday was fairly uneventful, cuz we spent half the morning/afternoon in the car...haha We had to go up to the Area Office and I missed a turn without even thinking, and cuz of traffic it took us 45 mintutes just to turn around and get going the direction we needed to go...haha Apartments were annoying on Monday (even more so later in the week). And that night I was reading Jesus the Christ, and I'm LOVIN it! It's soooo good! This week I marveled a lot at the Lord. Later in the week I was reading in the Book of Mormon and Matthew 18 and I was like WOW! His love is so unreal. Specifically in Matthew its recorded of the people calling him a drunk, a devil worshiper, the people tried to stone him more than once, everything! But he still loved them so much to take upon Him all that and Atone for their sins. Inspite of all that, he still lived a perfect, spotless, blameless life! I was truly just like whoa...that's the Savior's true love, that's the love that I need to develop. He truly knows everything that I'm experiencing it, he knows it so perfectly that I can say I am not alone in anything, that's one of the many miracles of the Atonement. And I'm grateful for that.
Tuesday was pretty interesting. I was pretty proud of myself that morning when I made myself a sandwich. Check it out mom, I happily ate a peanut butter sandwich with wheat bread AND cruchy peanut butter! Crazy huh?? hahaha I got my package on Tuesday from my parents and realized why I went to EFY like every year I could......so I could have the CDs for my mission! duh! hahaha Just kidding I loveddd EFY, but the CDs are definitely a big plus now. I started a project that kinda got pushed onto me because it kinda got forgotten/they didn't think it was important/Elder Stirland didn't really know how to do it. But now I've gotta figure out how to get/do Social Security payments and all the other benefits paid for President Stucki's house-help. I've gotta like get it started and set-up and paid and everything I don't even know where to start! But I've got my help at the Area Office to help me. Also I had a good 'ol TMoL (Tender Mercy of the Lord), I had lost my black binder that had a bunch of not necessarily important stuff but very helpful and useful...And I couldn't find it for like almost a week! But then as I was looking for it again today I just thought to look by my filing cabinet and there it was! Woo! That night when we went out to work we tried to stop by Ponce cuz he'd come back to church but then missed like the last two weeks. We found out that he's just been pretty sick the last to weeks so that was a relief! That night I was laying in bed, just thinking and what not and I realized that I have zero, like literally zero finance experience....I didn't take any high school classes, I took Econ 110 at BYU but that's too general to help much, so I was like crap, what have I gotten myself into...welp, it'll be a great time to learn to trust in the Lord and just hope that He will help my solve problems and learn quickly.
Wednesday was like ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I had an awesome Personal Study in 3 Nephi 17 and Matthew 18, so good! And then starting at 9, my phone went crazy! I got a call from a couple elders with problems. Then I get a call from some Sisters that were freaking out about their water bill, it's rather hard to understand Tagalog on the phone let alone when people are freaking out...haha And then they called again, a little more calm about how they hate their apartment and really need to find a new one. I told them to hurry up (cuz they were already supposed to be looking for one). Then they called me back again like shortly after saying that they found one haha. At the same time I'm trying to update the Spencers (the senior couple that when things go right, make my job a whole lot easier with apartments) and call UCPB to get my checks and call Office Haven to pay for a bill. It was like crazy! I didn't like it! haha I already didn't like talking on the phone but I definitely realized I don't like talking on the phone in Tagalog even more! haha Then I got to the office and iMOS is down! That's a church run thingy that I HAVE to have to do like anything! So I was not happy. Then it finally came back, and I cheered....literally. The Dietrich's laughed at me. Then I finally was able to pick-up the checks. And the one check I needed, I really needed just this one check, the others could wait. But the ONE check I needed wasn't there! AGH!! So I email Venus at the Area Office and was like ummm...I really need that check. (paraphrasing of course) and she's like well they had like an error in Salt Lake and it couldn't be printed...but this is what we're goin do! So we figured that out and they were going to have that check for me on Thursday. So the whole day was like: "Problem! Freak-out! Solution?" It was a roller coaster...good thing I loveee roller coasters...hahaha The highlight of the day for sure was well we got out support. So Elder Spencer and I were out paying bills and we were at a mall-ish area to pay for some phone bills. Well right across the way is one, an ATM and two, and Krispy Kream! So we literally walked 200 feet to the ATM, withdraw our support, walked another 30 seconds further and bought Krispy Kream. Definitely the best way to spend freshly-received support! hahaha =D After all that, we actually were able to get out to our area and work! We visited the Locanlale's and Sister Gozon and her family! It was great! But because of upcoming ZLC after working out in the area for a little while, Elder Spencer had to go back to the office and wrap up a couple things. WEDNESDAY WAS CRAZY!
Thursday was pretty crazy as well, but in comparison it was like the calm between the storms of Wednesday and ZLC on Friday...haha The Senior Couples out on Palawan got in and it was cool to see them, but at the same time that added some more work that I needed to do for them that I had totally forgotten about, but it wasn't bad at all....well, except for when all the problems popped up on Friday, just you wait...haha I picked up the check I needed from the Area Office, it was actually support for one of the Zones out on Palawan (Narra) and a couple other areas in the other Palawan Zone (Taytay and Roxas). These elders don't have ATMs out where their serving (crazy huh?! I totes wanna go there now...) so I have to get their support and send it to them using a service called Palawan Pawnshop. So I got that checked and cashed it...well it's ChinaBank and it is like a "Made in China" kinda bank...haha So they were short 1000 peso bills so I got like 70% of the support in 500 peso bills....it was pretty ridiculous. I tried to put it in my bag and like my bad was like bulging, it was funny. But at least I had what I needed! Then we were walking back to our car and ran into a nice Senior Missionary who worked for the Missionary Recovery Center. And for those of you who don't know (probably all of you....haha) but the Philippines is right about to open their new MTC, and so I asked him about that and he said it was super nice! He also said that it's going to be the 2nd biggest MTC in the world of course behind Provo. How legit is that?? I'm tellin ya, the Philippines is where it's at! In the Area Broadcast at the beginning of the year one of the Area Presidency had remarked that the day will come that the gospel will be preached in Asia, mostly by Filipinos, and that the Philippines is the country that is opening the door to take the gospel to all of Asia largely due to the Philippines being the one or one of only a few Christian Asian countries. Pretty cool! I got a call that afternoon from a Branch President, and it was President Nepomuceno from Coron!! It was awesome! But then Sister Dietrich told me that the lead singer of the Monkees died....and I was sad... =( But I got to sing a couple Monkees songs for the office cuz the other people besides me and the Dietrich's didn't know who they were! My big triumph of the day is that I fixed one of the major apartment problems! We had an apartment in Tondo (apparently it's like the Compton of the Philippines so I REALLY wanna be assigned there!) that the owner was kinda harassing the missionaries there about payments, when we were actually paid up to date. But I was lookin at stuff and saw where the confusion was coming from and solved it! It was great! And relieving!
Friday was not good. But great, of course! =D hahaha Even these crazy days where everything goes wrong I loveeee it! It's kinda weird. I'm just happy =). So I was rushing to get checks ready for both the Spencers (senior apartment helper couple) as well as the Zone Leaders in Palawan who were visiting. So I did everything right, I got it requested, approved, and prepared to be picked up Friday morning....I get to the bank....and...."We're sorry sir. We couldn't print the checks, our system had an error, we're trying to fix it." (Can I quote people in English if they said it in Tagalog? Basta...I'm goin do it..haha) AHHHH! One top of the checks for the Palawan peeps, I had a couple others that the Spencers reallyyyy needed for new apartments but because of system errors they've had to wait like two weeks. So I had to tell them that their checks weren't ready either and they were not happy...And it's not even my fault! But I'm the one people are frustrated with! So I was kinda complaining to Elder Spencer and he was like well I've learned that from everything that happens, there's a reason and an opportunity to learn...Ugh! I know that! But I don't wanna learn right now! I just want my stupid checks! So to be honest I'm still trying to figure out what I'm learning from that but there's probably somethin. Elder Spencer drove Friday...well kinda (I drive like 13 out of 14 days), after he hit 3 curbs and got pulled over once, he decided to call it a day...hahaha But Elder Spencer's a smart guy! It was his one year mark that day and we had some bonding experiences sharing our deep dark secrets, just kidding, but we did have some great bonding and sharing about each other. I like talkin with him, he's great! In spite of all the craziness, we made it out to our area and got to watch the Restoration video with the Locanlale family! It was a pretty hectic lesson, they have a 4 yr old that is absolutely terrible, but it was awesome! And we spent a little extra time there just kinda hanging out with them and it was so good! Like they opened up, Nanay was mockingly singing grenade by Bruno Marz, her daughter was more comfortable than we've ever seen her, and everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves and it was awesome! We came out of that lesson like on cloud 9! I loveee this work so much! I can't say that this work isn't true when you have like a terrible day, nothing goes right, but you have one good lesson and you just can't help but be beaming. It's so true and so awesome! Only the gospel can make one so happy, so simply.
Well that was my long hectic week. I've heard complaints about my parents not posting stuff on the blog, so hopefully this will get posted before april...haha just kidding! I'm doing AWESOME! Miss you all, but loveee it here! =D
Love,
<----Am I legit or what? I made it myself, be jealous...hahaha
Pictures - Not too many but a few!
4769 - The shirt Elder Stirland and I bought for Elder Spencer for his birthday cuz he loves Converse, it's pretty legit!
4770 - Hey look it's the temple!
4771/4772 - So in the states intersections are like a kinda strict thing, you stay in your lane, stay between the lines and all that jazz. Well here....it's not the intersection itself that's the most dangerous part about driving but it's right before the intersection. Everyone just kinda goes where ever they feel like and it's really usually super sketch...haha The first one is the intersection right before we get to the office. And the second one is on the way to our area where they actually have two, two-lane roads that merge into one, three-lane road....at the intersection...that one is NOT fun! haha
4775 - The assistants really burnt their rice and I thought it was funny...cuz it's kinda hard to burn rice in a rice cooker...
4777 - Look at Elder Spencer!
4778 - One of my spreadsheets,I just wanted to take a picture mostly..
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