November 23, 2009

Family,
It's been quite an interesting week and to respond to the email that I got from you, yeah the world is getting crazy I've especially seen it here, really no respect for woman it drives me mad and I usually say something to the men who disrespect them, and really no respect for their bodies it's disgusting but all is well I suppose. In regards to what I need..I don't need anything the Lord has blessed me with so much...but I would like Cliff Bars or some kind of protein bar to eat during lunch time or dinner to avoid over eating, banana chips would be amazing, deodorant/shampoo/college (honestly anything would work) toothpast, I know it's cheap here but I know you get it free there. Also my mission president told me this week regarding packages that if you declare that it's under 50$ they don't charge you anything? Yeah I don't really understand that but he told me to tell you to just do that. He was suppose to send you a picture the other day or shoot an email at you I'm not sure if he did. I miss you all very much, Yeah I am planning on sending a recording home and my pictures sorry I wasn't able to send em they are too big I've taken probably 500 since the MTC so get ready for scrapbooking haha I'll try to include one in this email. So news, my diet is still going well I guess :/ haha I kind of slip when we go to members houses, but I've lossed 25lbs since the mtc so that makes me feel good, I've also switched over to brown rice whenever I eat rice which is usually never. The reason the email took so long today is because early this morning we went over to the Patriarchs house he's a really good artist and hung out with them it was nice and then we went shopping in Lipa which is merely an hour away from Santo Tomas and we have to take a bus. Speaking of buses I've had some interesting experiences the last 2 days. So on sunday we went to lipa for stake conference. Elder Bondoc and I take the No AIrcon bus because we are cheap so the rule on that is "you can always fit one more" so we stuff inside this really hot tour bus and it's like 3 to a seat sometimes. Well on the way back this man fell asleep on me over and over again of course I didn't say anything because whenever I got annoyed the verse kept popping into my head "I am my brothers Keeper" so oh well he eventually moved haha, But today was horrible. I must have really look good because everyone seems to love me here girls and boys the same...or i'm american one of the two. I'd rahter go with the 1st because it makes me feel good ;) So going to Lipa today I had my headphones on and was just zoning out thinking about you guys and this guy probably 21 years old keeps moving close to me and I keep looking at him and kind of giving him like uhh? looks. Then he starts talking to me and I feel bad because I thought he just wanted to talk so I take my headphones out, we chat for 15 minutes then he gets really touchy and I'm basically hanging out of the window and slapping his hand away from me, and then he gives me his # haha when that happened I yelled "BONDOC, KAILANGAN NAMING MAG-PlANO Para Sa Araw Ngayon" or in other words BONDOC WE NEED TO PLAN TODAY!! and I jump up and run to him, meanwhile I see him cracking up the whole time, the man is wrong. Hopefully that may cheer you up or scare you as much as it did me.

On a more serious note, it's very interesting how the Lord's plans work out, it seems we are at the right place at the right time. Time and time again we run into people who need help or they say oh I want a book of mormon or I want you to teach my family it's odd. But the event that happened this week was weird. So we were walking home 1:15pm for lunch which is odd because usually we are never late for lunch EVER haha, but we decided to teach one more person before we left. So right as we are leaving we walk by a members house, and we can see people are panicking so we ask what's wrong, to which was replied "One of your members is having a heart attack" Woah that was quite a reply so Elder Bondoc and I run over and we give her a priesthood blessing, as I said the words in the blessing and as I laid my hands upon her head I could feel the spirit of the Lord within me and the words flew it was a very interesting experience. After which she got rushed to the Hospital, we visited her yesteday expressed our love and it turns out she now has diabetes, so wasn't really a heart attack really I don't know what it was. But it was my first time in a Filipino Hospital....hahaha Not pretty. Ants on the wall, Hot and humid, no Aircon just 1 fan per room, and no soap in the bathroom ahah.

About last week we got Bro. Zalito baptized, I was the one to do it because our Ward Mission Leader is basically inactive now. I decided to give all my baptisms to the ward because they will be the one who stay in the area and grow to know this person, but i don't mind doing it every now and then. Anyways this week has been fairly good to me. But a lot of crazy things have happened this week, some that I can never forget, some I wish I never saw, some I don't want to retell, and some that has brought so much joy to my soul it's invigorating. Just know your Son is happy and safe here in the Philippines this backwards and confused nation.

I got your letters this week so thank you so much I'm going to answer Zach's question. What do I do on an average day but I'll do a week for you all.

Monday: P-day! I usually wake up at 5:30am Jog/Work out then 6:30 Shower 7:00 eat 7:30 we usually just hang in the appartment for awhile email shop just hang out for P-day. and we usually go to work for a while at 7-8 and then return and go to sleep:
Tuesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday: wake up 5:30-7:30 same schedudle work out jog eat shower at 8:00 I have Personal study where I study the Bible/Book of Mormon and right now I'm in the Old testament trying desperately to finish it because it's rather dry sometimes, I've finished the New Testament/Book of Mormon back in the MTC then 9:00 I Have language study--Vocab/Grammar book/ etc 10:00 we have Companion study basically I teach Bondoc the lessons we'll teach today.
11:00 we go tracting or go from house to house and find people to teach which usually results in 1 or 2 lessons if we are lucky if not it usually leads me to being angry ahah.
1:00 we return for lunch, I usually just eat some kind of bar/crackers+peanut butter and sleep for an hour :)
2:00-8:00 we either tract or have lessons schedule
8:00-8:30 we return and I usually write letters hang out with bondoc, eat food until 10:30 then we go to sleep and repeat it.
Wednesday: wake up 5:30 repeat the cycle until 9:00--then we take a bus to Lipa for District meeting where we meet the other Elders in the Zone have meetings express concerns about our investigators etc. that starts at 10:00 goes till 11:30 Then we all go to the mall eat and hang out till 1:00 or 2:00 then take the bus home and work starts at 3:00
Sunday: I sleep in till 6:30 :) wake up eat food shower leave at 8:30 for church! after church at 12:00 we have PEC a meeting with the bishop and ward to talk about missionary work and what they can do to help us, but they never help us so it's pointless! haha we get home at 1:00 have lunch/sleep till 2:00 then after 2:00 we WORK!

WORK WORK WORK THAT IS THE SECRET!

I love you so much guys and miss you terrible, I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving I'll be going to KFC and stuffing my face, so expect a charge from the Card.

A quick question how do you want me to send your stuff home? C.O.D. Or pay for it here?

Hope you have a wonderful time I love you all so much!