OlOnGaPo MiSsIoN

 It helps knowing he loves it there! As a mom, I do worry about him being so far from home in another country. But reading and hearing the excitement that he has about serving the people of the Philippines, really helps! I'm glad he is where he wants to be, is happy, and as a bonus, he's making a difference!

Here's his letter:



I feel great after this awesome week... This week has been amazing and the blessings of obedience definitely showed! So the week started off with my companion telling me that the last missionaries at the house we stay in told him that in the middle of the night he woke up and saw someone unscrewing the nails to the window in our room and he screamed and the guy ran away and the bolts to this day are still undone haha. So the President put me in the most dangerous part of the mission because I'm a big guy haha. After that I stayed up a little later! There is a wall next to our room that's on the 2nd floor, so people can get up there easily.

Don't worry about food, because I'm in a ward that feeds us ALOT. Apparently missionaries leave this area 20 pounds bigger haha. I don't gain weight though and I'm still 200 lbs flat. I always go to the side shops and buy bread, its sooo good.

During my lessons I always have millions of flys on me... Idk how the Filipinos don't care if they land on them.. I always slap them off me! Its distracting but it's getting better. Also where ever you go there is someone singing karaoke with the speakers on 10. So there's always karaoke in the background of lessons too! haha.

So now to the miracles. We were walking down the road after a lesson and a lady stops us and says hey! Come meet my daughter! She had a dream that missionaries were gonna teach her! So we followed her down the skinny alleys in the dark and ended up at a house with 8 children. They told us about the dream and then we introduced ourselves and started to teach. We taught them lesson 1 princ. 1-2 and at the end the girl said I WANT TO BE BAPTIZED! Soooo, the next lesson we had with them we invited them for baptism on the 27th of October and they said yes! The WHOLE family of 8! and guess what? THEY came to church!! We also got 3 inactives to return to church! Oh, and the ward mission leaders mom is a born again and very unreceptive and I lead that lesson and she said, I know its true, because that boy has the gift of tongues! So SHE will also be baptized. I don't have pictures with my baptism last week yet sorry! So anyways. This week was amazing.
 

The next day we got cussed out by a man that owns a fan shop. I guess the previous missionaries argued with him. He said Joseph Smith isn't a prophet! The last prophet was Jesus Christ! then we said, Where in the bible does it say that? He stuttered and said, "if I find it I'll bash your heads together! (there's a word in Tagalog for bash your heads together hahah) Don't worry, I'm a foot taller than him haha. So we have good and bad days.

Not done yet! haha, I had to send that cause of the pictures. So another miracle, while we were teaching a less active member, after the lesson was done my companion and I had the impression to have her pray. So she prayed and after she was crying and felt so bad about not going to church and we stayed a bit longer and it was a sweet experience.

I saw a motorcycle crash prayed for him and as I was running to help him and he stood up and rode off. Another miracle. One more actually. A member asked me to bless his baby that was sick, so I did so and after the blessing the baby started starring at me and stopped crying and the dad took him in the other room and said thanks. Before we left I saw the baby smiling and playing again.

Everyone read Alma 48:17 and commit to me to be like Moroni in an email.

Soooo... In the middle of the lessons people breast feed their children every time... so awkward... and people are always peeing on the street! And you can't touch the dogs! ddiiiirty sila, (they are dirty).

So besides that nasty side note, basically every day's like a good day of church or a good family home evening and I could do it forever!

Something I noticed here is that in the Philippines people honk to save your life but in America, people honk because they want to take your life haha. Well we're working hard and had a 40+ lesson week. It's amazing here. There's lightning everyday haha, I love it.

The people either ignore you or are SUPER Nice! The phrases people always call me is HEY JOE! AMERICANO!! WhAT IS your naME??? HI!! YOUR HUGE! and they all stare at me.. Well I always reply with, Hey Philippino! if they say Joe, or I say saan? or Wheres a Joe? Joe means GI Joe the American war troops. I'm at the start of the bataan death march! Look up Abucay and see it on google maps maybe! I'm in Balanga City right now emailing with like 10 other missionaries.
Well I love you all! Be good! Realize I'm not distracted!

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