Pictures 12-8-13

    

    

                                       

                           

     

New Companion!! 12-8-13

I have a new companion now! Elder Orndorff from Spokane, Washington! He was in the same house as me a year ago in my second area. The government here is holding his moms donation and is demanding money (tax) before they give it to president. So make sure that you only send through LBC, LBC is totally fine. The government is super, super corrupt here.


Thanks for that awesome update about the fundraiser! I'm excited for this thing! That picture doesn't even depict the damage at all, I've seen things that came from real cameras that make that picture look like a 5 star hotel. there is literally no buildings standing in one area for miles. There are 2 survivors that moved to our branch because they don't have a house anymore. There is nothing standing and mom, 1,000 deaths is wrong. I asked the people coming from the storm and they said there are easily over 10,000 deaths. The government is lying, their are too many... The average house here has like 5 people in it so there are tens of thousands dead. Careful how you send things because the government will capture it and demand hundreds of dollars of taxes. President Querido is getting sick to his stomach because of this government.

Tell me how it goes!

We moved houses which was another miracle, I didn't like my old house, it was too small and hot. The other day President said, isn't your area closer to the house in the city? and we said yes, so he said go move there tomorrow. So now we live with the other zone leaders and its a party. We have 3 Americans and one sri langcin, he's suuper funny. I'm glad

to be there haha. How is the ward in University Place? Any new girls my age? hahahaha. Nope.

.

I'm hungry, we're going to Army and Navy today and eating burritos. I looove Olongapo haha.

I love you all! Your all in my prayers!

Elder Kapeliela

Dec 1st Part 2

Remember This email I sent you on Oct 7? 

"I just got back from the beach!!! We played volleyball and ate the best BBQ stake pig and fish mmm! I promise there will be pictures of this on President Querido's facebook page for the Olongapo mission! We got to go there as a zone for achieving the standard of excellence. This is the third time in four months that we achieved the standard the excellence as a zone!
 

We have had some very spiritual days this week that I would like to share with you.

Firstly, we went to a mountain in one of our areas and decided that we wanted to tract it because there were 100's of houses on this mountain and I've been in this area for over 5 months and I had not been up it yet. Well we decided to walk up it and try to teach there. As we were walking we saw a house with a tricycle on it (a dirt bike with a side car) so we decided to tract it since they could at least drive to church. Well he invited us in and we taught his whole family! There were about 6 of them and they all committed to baptism, and going to church. I then realized that he was a brother of a person I baptized in my last are Cabangan! It was totally meant to be that I met him! After that we decided to keep going up this huge mountain. While walking we saw a biker, he was going up a VERY, VERY steep hill so he was GOOD (he was the champion of the huge Baguio city race). We kept up with him and eventually came to the end of the street. We found out that there was absolutely not one person in any of the 100s of houses that we always saw on this huge mountain. The man had told us that he cursed God the night before for "ruining his life" (He divorced his wife, he lost his job as a secretary to the Governor, and has no kids at his new home). While teaching him he knew that we were sent from God and he commited to Baptism, and receiving the Priesthood one day and most importantly he accepted that God is loving. We changed a family's life and a bikers life on that one mountain and I will always remember how the Lord sent me to these wonderful people.
 

Don't forget that God is loving. We were all like rocks when we got on this earth and God chips us (gives us trials) that we might grow and become a beautiful statue and like our Lord Jesus Christ.

I love you all!
 

Elder Beau Kapeliela"

HE GOT BAPTIZED!!! This is his baptism picture!! Apparently on fast Sunday he shared the story of how we met him on that mountain and brought the gospel into his life. He got baptized in my 2nd area and will be such a strong member!

12-3 Surprise Email

 

I woke up to an email from my son! He said he was on because they were looking up transfer information, with this picture and paragraph! 

 

 

Here's the picture of the guy from the mountain!
He wrote about him in October.

 

Dec. 1st Happy December!

Dec 1 at 6:58 PM 

 

Hey everyone! It's December now so kids always come up to us singing Christmas songs and asking for money. If they're good I'll actually give them something! haha

I had an awesome week here in Olongapo! We got rejected a lot but I have never let it get me down since I know the message is true. What's the point of getting sad anyway, right? One thing that weirded me out last week was that a lady in the branch called us at 10 pm crying about her husband who she said left him. I don't know why she comes to us missionaries for personal problems... It really makes me realize how young I really am, I have no idea what she wanted from us 20 yr olds haha. Weird huh?
 

Well our zone got 17 baptisms and 27 Less Active Returns so that means we reached the standard of excellence. We're going to a huge sports place later on the Subic base to play tennis, football basketball and stuff, it should be really fun! This is the sixth time in a row that we reached the standard of excellence! We're on fire!

Last Saturday we baptized Ed Cenon (39 yrs old) and Marvin (18 yrs old). Ed was the final addition to his family (we baptized his wife and 2 kids last month so now we completed the family!!!!) He will be a great mel priesthood holder in the future and we're hoping Marvin will be a missionary next year.
 

Well we're not allowed to jog in this mission so I've been having a hard time losing weight except for the mountains we climb. I weigh 94 kilos!!!!! I left at like 85 so I am doing the 8 months to sexy diet/ workout haha. So if you got some ideas, throw them at me.

This Wednesday is transfers so stand-by for the info next week!
 

I miss you all!

Elder Kapeliela

November 24th, 2013 Hello

Nov 24 

 

How's everyone doing?! I miss you all! Tell me how everything is! Happy Thanksgiving by the way! Eat a ton! Next week we have a dinner appointment to a steak house, ya I'm loving it here in mini America haha.

This is the story how I heard it.

There's a girl in our mission that came from Tacloban mission that had a crazy story! She was in her house with 9 other sisters when the storm hit and the rains came downs and the floods really came up. They went to the 2nd floor when the rain started to get really bad but they realized that their is no way out of the house but the bottom and by the time they realized that the water was in the 2nd hip neck high. There was no way for them to get out from the top because all windows in the Philippines have grills (those cage things like the ones on the hales at byu-h). So she swam down the stairs a couple times and finally into the laundry room and punched a window in and went back up stairs to tell them what she found. Half of those girls couldn't swim so they had someone that could take them. She lead each of them through the flooded 2 story house (the flood was close to reaching the top) and out the laundry room outside and they went and sat on their roof, ya, it was that high of a flood. But apparently the worst part was holding on top of the roof while world record winds and rain slammed on them for 3 hours till they were saved. She saved all 9 of them, isn't that crazy?! Well, shes companions now with her cousin here in this mission (Sister Lowe) apparently she got super traumatized so the area 70 sent her to her cousin. I feel bad because its a complete different language here. Anyways, that's the cool story I have for you.

I'm glad your all caught up on the news! I'm so excited to hear about that event you are having, mom! If it's indoors maybe dad could sell shave ice! Who's gonna participate? Update me when you can about it!

Well our work got so much better! I knew It would! Our investigators went to church! We will now baptize a father of 4 this Saturday to complete their family, the Cenon family! We baptized his wife last month, I sent you that picture. So we will have baptized his entire family! At first when I got here he had a bad smoking problem and was really shy around us but we really focused on him. His wife was awesome and always supported and helped him out! We bought him a ton of mentos so he wouldn't smoke and he miraculously in time quit smoking with-in a week and is now interviewed and ready to get baptized! Another potential priesthood holder will get baptized this Saturday. His name is Marvin! He's a boyfriend of an active member. He comes to church with a white button up and tie! He already looks like a member so all the members didn't know he was only an investigator!

The other day we ate some tim tam slams. they are too good to be described. We have a house mate from Australia named Elder Lockley who got some from his mom. When I get home we will eat them too!

Other than that I've been having fun with my companion and zone. We will again achieve the standard of excellence as a zone and this will be my 5th time in a row as a zone leader! All my zones are on fire and they are all training except for one companionship haha. We will have 18 baptisms as a zone and 26 less actives return. I'm just happy the work is back to its strength again. It really is good to struggle sometimes though, it helps you grow and be even more obedient.

I love you guys a lot, keep living the gospel!

Elder Kapeliela

11-24 Tacloban Missionaries in Olongapo Now

 

These are part of the missionaries displaced from the Typhoon and they are in the Olongapo Mission now. The girl with the blond hair is the girl who saved the 9 girls in the flooded apartment.