Philippines!

  This is the first letter I recieved from Beau in the Philippines.

Sunday, September 23, 2012 7:26 PM

Well its SUPPPPPPPPPPEEEERRR poor here,  but I love it and its just what I wanted! Its is so hot that I just gave up hahaha I sweat literally 24/7, I loove it (nacho libre voice). haha. The people are SOOO nice and they are ALWAYS smiling and laughing, its great! I love these people so much. Everyday all day there has been a thunder/lightning storm bigger than I've ever seen and they're so astig! Awesome* I pick up enough in what they say to understand the concept but how they talk is how I would talk if I was making up some crazy language!

 

My companion is Elder Rosales from Bacolud which is in the middle of the country and his first language is Hiligaynon, but it's his last transfer before he goes home so he's fluent at English and tagalog. He's pretty awesome, but he's starting to get trunky, haha pero okay lang! Its just fine*

 

Well, we taught over 15 lessons in this short week and guess what? There are over 700 members but only 60 are active. INSANE. So we mostly go to inactive members homes. Once I'm fluent, I have ALOT to say to these inactives. They are SO stubborn. I was at a home recently, and I finally go and pick up a guitar and played it for an older couple. They were 85 and inactive. They were "offended" But I played them like 3 Hawaiian songs and they fell in love with each other again! haha. These people were in the military in Olongapo first.

 

Oh ya, my area is Abucay and It's awesome. It's a little city with a million jeepnys and tricial motor bike things haha. Its pretty funny. They drive crazier than I've ever seen. Maybe go on youtube and search Manila driving, its insane!

 

 I threw up like 6 times on the trip here. It was miserable, but I didn't stop smiling. haha my companion and I have a song called, "Were smiling, and were not stopping and we don't know why were smiling" hahaha its astig! haha. This is for Aroha, hahah I got proposed to 5 times already hahahaha, we say BAWAL YAN and walk away laughing haha.

There are SOOOOO many dogs walking around, always about 20 in eye sight, and cats, they are all starving, its so sad... I saw a chicken fighting arena too, it's right by our house. Man, I could go on forever.

 The food is just rice and fish and adobo and random seafood. Its masarap (delicious!) My house is pretty nice but the inside is like a hurricane, but oh well. I hand washed my clothes this morning and I have cuts all over my hands, haha. Our neighbors are REALLY nice members! OH ya, I got my first baptism on Saturday. You'll see pictures soon, haha. His name is Jessie Boy Rojas Asor. He is great, we're best friends haha. I did the baptism in Tagalog haha I'm literally a foot taller than everyone. I haven't met ONE Filipino taller than me or even close haha.

When I walk past kids they all scream and run at me shouting all the enlish they know haha," WHATS YOUR NAME! HOW OLD ARE YOU! HEY JOE! YOUR WHITE!" haha I say "saan ang nanay mo??! Where is your mother hahaha. They go crazy when they hear me speak tagalog haha. Man, I ve never been so grateful for the things I have at home..... We are sooo blessed, period. I love this work to death and I'll work even if the lightning hits me. I love these people and I want their salvation more than mine. They are so hard working, NEVER complain and always think about there family first. I wanna be just like them. Anyways, I love you all!

1st area, 1st companion

It was so wonderful to get a phone call from the Mission President!! He let me know Beau got there safely! He told me Beau only wanted him to speak Tagalog to him. His Mission President is from the Philippines. He said I would be surprised how well Beau speaks Tagalog. This was from the email
I received:


Elder Kapeliela has been assigned to Abucay Area, Balanga District in the Balanga Zone. His companion is Elder Paul Rosales.

Now I can track him! lol

On his way!

And the adventure begins!

Beau left the MTC on Sept 17th. He sent an email letting me know he would be calling, but didn't say when! So all day I had my phone in my hand or right by me! I checked it over and over just in case!! lol! I dropped my phone and half of the screen blacked out, I was freaked out and wondered if I broke it and it wouldn't ring! An hour later at 11:30pm I got the call! All the emotion came out and relief of getting to hear his voice! I was fortunate to talk with him for about an hour. The person on the phone, my son, sounded so much older and wiser! I hadn't talked with him for 2 months, and I swear it seemed longer!! (It was the longest I've gone without talking with him). He seemed excited and happy to begin his service in the Philippines.

He bore his testimony in Tagalog and I couldn't believe how good it was. He told me he and his companion at the MTC only spoke Tagalog together for a week and really learned it well. Besides the 14 hours of classes and studying for 2 months!

He talked to me about his time at the MTC and Sunday to sang a solo in front of the 2,500 other missionaries and leaders. I asked him if it was recorded and he said yes!!!! Now, if he'll just send it!!!
I asked him if he had everything he needed and he said yes! I hope so! Also, I heard it can take 2+ months to get a package, so I told him to think about what he may need and tell me soon, because I'll be sending his Christmas box the end of October!

I can't even tell you how wonderful the call was! Now if I can wait until the first email to let me know he got there alright! It was a long trip. He left Provo, and flew to San Fransisco, where he called me! He had over an hour lay over. Flew to Hong Kong, Manila, then a 3 hour bus ride to Olongapo! It was over 24 hours of traveling. It's 15 hours ahead there, so he almost lost a day!

Aloha,

Elder Kapeliela's mom :-)

MTC life

 

 

 

Week 8

So today was an amazing day. After the temple at 6:30 an elder in our zones mother got converted while he was in the MTC. I've been waiting to tell you this story until it actually happened. So his mom, after years and years of rejecting the missionaries was converted and was wanting to get baptized from her son (the Antoigues). They are from Guam, but now in Texas the past 6 years. So the missionary teaching his mom in Texas called the Mission Training Center president, president Brown and asked if her son who is in the MTC could baptize her. and they got permission!! And he is leaving in 6 days!! The baptism was today and it was all just a miracle. The 2 witnesses were the 2 fathers of the missionaries who converted her in Texas! Their families were there and the missionary who converted elder Antoigue was here too because he's from Provo! He got converted less than 2 years ago from being strong in the Catholic Church. Its such a miracle to see families become eternal. His dad is very stubborn and would reject the missionaries but guess what!! He came to watch! Me and 3 elders from New Zealand (Harris, Tipene, and Smiler) sang "When I am Baptized" from the children's handbook and "polyfied" it. haha! It was beautiful and we added key changes and everything, it was seriously beautiful. But the most special part of it all was when he baptized her in the primary room with all 100 elders and sisters in our zone there. When he said in the name of the Father, Son, And the Holy Ghost I could feel each separate spirit enter into my body and I know that the spirit was there. The most amazing part was when she came straightway out of the water and they cried with exceeding joy. I've never felt the spirit so strong in my life and after this baptism he bore his testimony to everyone with the greatest spirit I have witnessed and I bore a 10 minute testimony to his father about our true church and our plan of happiness and that there family can be together forever and I know that his father felt the spirit and I will get back to you with his conversion story next time :)
 It was simply amazing and I know this church is true and that we have the happiest message on this planet and there is NOTHING I would rather be doing than this. NOTHING in this world brings more happiness than seeing a family become eternal, nothing makes you happier than seeing people come unto Christ. This church is true. After the true church was taken off the church in Christs time it has been put back on the face of the earth now as the bible said, and it is all part of Gods perfect plan. I'm so grateful that I got to witness someone be baptized by one with the authority of God, and I love this work.
My next letter will be from the Philippines!

At the MTC

 Pointing to Hawaii          Sister Len Wai

The Philippines!!

Week 7

 

 

 

This week has been very special for me. I've learned some valuable lessons from my studies that I know will help everyone reading this. But first I want to tell you about the fun parts of my week. I went to the temple and it was great although too early haha. I also got to watch the prophets 85th birthday celebration in the devotional gym and got to hear some mean opera and great singers. I also got way better at the language and my companion and I are best friends. So on to what I've learned. SO, I got mad at somebody the other day because he said something completely bawal and I didn't know how to steam all of the anger off, so I just read the scriptures and turned to Matthew and ended up reading the whole thing. Nothing has ever hit me so hard in my life. I realized that there is only 1 person that has ever lived on this earth that had a reason to be angry. And that is the savior. After only helping people and healing them and teaching them things of great worth his own apostles fell asleep on him in the garden during his atonement and he didn't even think of getting mad. His own apostle betray him and he didn't get phazed. He was beaten and wiped to the point where a mortal man would die and he forgave them. People tempted him telling him that if he was the son of god to deliver himself from the cross, and he only loved them. He is the only person in this world that deserves to get angry. What right do we have to be angry? NONE. I haven't been mad since and I can't imagine how Jesus feels when were angry when he knows that its for no reason. I cant be a hypocrite and will not be.
In Ether 3 it talks about the Jaredites deliverance from Israel. They built there barges "tight, like unto a dish" and therefore there barge could not be opened or harassed. When the mountanous waves crashed on them, when the winds blew like unto a hurricane, when the rains came down like a single drop covering the air into water these trials could not touch the barges because they were "tight, like unto a dish" and in fact these winds, waves, and rains were pushing them to the promised land. When we have waves and winds and rains falling on us be "tight like unto a dish" and let those trials take you to you "promised land". Always choose the right, because the church is true, and the commandments are true. Don't ever doubt that, cause I know its true. If you read the book of mormon everyday, elder bednar promises you will NEVER fall away. I know these things are true, in the name of jesus christ amen