October 26, 2014

Are you ever amazed at how fast time seems to be going???

It only goes fast when i get caught up in the work, but if it is a slow week and we arent teaching too many people then it GOES WAY TOO SLOW!!!!!!!!!!

How are you??? (Please use at least FOUR DIFFERENT adjectives to describe your current state.)

I am good, i have probably worked the hardest, been the most obedient, and struggled the most the last 4 days with my anak*kid!!! Also... I have started to lose my voice a little, especially later in the evenings because i speak so much!!! Elder Head (my anak*kid) gets really nervous when that happens!!!! But other than that we are both doing super well!!!!

How is the new companion???  Are you immersing him in the language???

Well.... lets just say that he worked really hard on the language in the MTC, so he knows a ton more than i did coming out of the MTC. He likes to SYL(speak your language) which means that he uses a lot of cebuano when he is speaking in English. So far it has been a lot of me speaking and teaching, then he comes in and shares at the last, but he is starting to gain confidence and speaking a lot more!!!

Please tell us about the area you are serving in...???

We are in the middle of the City, we get flooded every time it rains!!!! ummm. there are 6+ malls in the area, there is also a swamp in the center of the area, the first night that we were going out to work Elder Head my gwapong anak(*handsome kid) took a wrong step and ended up knee deep in the swamp!!! ummmmm.... i dont really know, it is super city!!!

What has been your most successful way of meeting investigators to start teaching them???

Ummm. define "Successful"... for me it has just been that i am a white guy that speaks Cebuano, they usually start a conversation with me and then i talk with them for a while and then we teach them...... yeah.....

What was the best thing about the last week???

I FINALLY HAD AN ANAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he is so awesome!!! i can't even describe to you how amazing my anak is! he is almost exactly like me, he follows my lead, and just everything about him is awesome!!!!

Did you have any moments where you felt The Spirit particularly strong directing you to do/not do something???

I do, but then i dont follow them!!!! joke!!! i do, and then it is hard to decide what it is saying..... i try my best to do the right thing, or at least what i feel is the right thing to do...

We are keeping the Barangan family and Sister Francis in our thoughts and prayers.   How is it going with them???

it is going ok with them, we havent taught Barangan in about a week because it has been a very busy week and they have been doing other things..

Anyone else you would like us to pray for???  Besides the obvious you, your companion, your brother, his companion, missionaries in general etc, etc...????

ummmmm. i guess president Tanner, he has a ton on his plate right now, and is working super hard....

Any news news from your mission???   Are you getting together for any of the upcoming holidays???

we do not have much going on... we work, and then we sleep.... not really until christmas....

Do the Filipino's have more holidays than we do in the states???  What holidays do they celebrate???

i am not sure... cause America has A TON of HOLIDAYS... the philippines has a ton though as well... this coming week we have KALAG-KALAG(ALL souls day{halloween}) that should be interesting!!!

Are there as many critters in this area??? (Remember we have seen the scorpion you held, the monkey that bit you and the geckos that climbed the walls of your apartment and ate the mosquitoes....)

there are not very many geckos... oh yeah that swamp, there is rats, frogs, goats, cows, pigs, and A TON of CHICKENS!!!!

Besides emailing us, what is your favorite P-day activity???

ummmmm. eating, then going out to work, and teaching!!!! most p-days are just lame........ i dont know!

 

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

PHILIPPINES CEBU EAST MISSION!!!! OCT 2013-OCT 2015 

October 21, 2014

How are you???  Please Use 2 COMPLETE SENTENCES TO COVEY YOUR PRESENT STATE OF BEING!

I am doing good, i found out that i will be TRAINING this transfer, so later today i will be going down to the MISSION HOME to pick up my anak *kid. This week was a little bit harder because our teaching pool has dropped off, and to add to the fun, we had a BAPTISM!!!

How is the work going???

The work is going good, it has been going slow, and it is going to be a rough couple of weeks until we rebuild our teaching pool!!! We are planning to TRACT, FIND, SEEK, SEARCH, LOOK, TALK, and EXPLORE.... well yeah...

What was the highlight of your last week???

We had the BAPTISM of Bethsheva Edralin Fabe, it was different, we had planned that it would start at 3:00, but then no one even showed up until about 3:30, so it started late. Attendance at the baptism was a total of 9 people; 4 missionaries, 1 bishopric(and his wife), the bunyagan*(person being baptized), her mom and lola*(grandma), and our WML(Ward Mission Leader). I was the one who performed the Baptism, lets just say that the water was a little bit cold!!!

So on Sunday, i was texting bishop during sunday school and priesthood, and right before sacrament started, asking who would be the one to confirm her. I told him to have Elder Edoloverio confirm her, but he said that i would be the to confirm her... THAT WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST FEELINGS EVER!!!! I COULD NOT DESCRIBE THE FEELING IF I TRIED MY HARDEST!!!

Will you please share a scripture with us (even just the reference would be ok) that touched your heart this week???

ummmmmmmmmmm..... i dont read still.............. haha dont be angry!!!

JUST KIDDING, I HAVE GROWN A LOVE FOR READING!!!!

2NEPHI28:30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

This last week i was asked to give a Workshop for our District Meeting, I gave it on "Improve upon your Talents," and i used that scripture and a quote from President Brigham Young; "President Brigham Young said that the Lord 'gives a little to his humble followers today, and if they improve upon it, tomorrow he will give them a little more, and the next day a little more. He does not add to that which they do not improve upon.'"

It was a really good workshop they said..... that was super fun!!!!

What was the best food you ate in the last week???

MANG INASAL!!! it is a restraunt here, i wish we had it in the states!!!! it is delicious, i got a Pork Barbeque, it is so unreal!!!

What was the WORST food you ate in the last week???

I ate some pan*(bread)... we ran out of Gasul, so.... WE COULDNT COOK THIS WEEK, and we didnt have any dinner appointments planned, so we basically survived of pan*(bread)

Have your taste buds become fire proof???  (A lot of spicy foods from what you have been saying?)

YES, SPICY DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ME BLUSH ANY MORE!!! I love it so much, every time we eat out i always ask for EXTRA sili!!!!

How is your companion???

He is good, super sad that he will be leaving Mandaue, but excited for the new change, and going to Comotez!!! 

Is there anyone in particular we can pray for???

1. The BARANGAN family, they are amazing, they just dont want to accept baptism yet...
2. Sister Frances, she knows it is true, she is just caught up with work, and can't simba*(come to church)

Do you find ways to PRODUCTIVELY use your machetes in the city???  (Do you still have your machetes?)

I have them still, but they are in the bottom of my suitcase right now, they are just waiting to come home!!!

What are your CSP (Community Service Projects) like in your area???

they consist of a new kind of CSP (Companionship Sleeping Programs) just kidding, we dont have any CSP's that are actual CSP's.

I do bumba*(hand pump) water from a puso*(well)

What has been the most surprising thing you have learned so far about the Filipino culture???

Most suprising, well seeing that i cant tell you that because then i would become BUGOY*(disobedient) i will just keep that one a secret, maybe i will tell you when i get home... if you want some advice, read the BOM about the APOSTACY in 4Nephi.

TRANSFER WEEK!!!!1 - WHERE are you???

I AM IN A COMPUTER/INTERNET CAFE, in MANDAUE CITY!!! JAJA!!! I am going to be here for a couple more transfers, because i am going to have a KID!!!!!!

2 - Did you two get separated???

YES, ELDER EDOLOVERIO is going to Comotez Island, one of the most desired areas in the mission... His new companion is so amazing!!!

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

October 12, 2014

How was your "Half Way" Celebration???  What did you do???

It was just like any other day, we did missionary work... we also did have dinner at one of our Investigators houses. In which i bought the food, i bought 2 kilos of Pork Chops to feed us... which is surprisingly cheep here!!! I spent about 400 pesos to buy 2 kilos of pork chops, 2-2 liters of coke, and some cookies... it was super cheep!!! Sister Jingle added a ton of SILI*(small pepper SUPER SPICY) halang gyud*very spicy. but then Elder Edoloverio(my wonderful companion) challanged me to eat one raw, well last week at the Perez family i ate one, and i felt like i was going to die from the spicy. But this one that i ate was no terrible, i ate it and i only cried a little.... haha, i blamed it that i was so happy that i was at one year!!!

What (other than the Half Way Celebration) was the highlight of the last week???

The highlight is that on saturday and sunday we had GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! that was so awesome to listen to all of them!!!

How is the work going???

The work is going well, we have a baptism this Saturday, she is from a Part Member Family. SISTER BETHSHEVA FABE, she chose me to be the one to DUNK her, i feel super honored but at the same time i feel bad for Elder Edoloverio, cause he has been here longer. so i was trying to convince her to choose him...

What (other than emailing US) is the best part of P-day???

well, i dont really know... some weeks are a ton better than others, but usually the best part is being able to go and work at the end of the day and to start the week off with a couple of lessons....

Do you have anything special planned for the next week???

This week we have our one baptism on saturday, but other than that we do not have much planned... we just have lessons, and then we come home and sleep... that is about it!!!

Today is supposed to be pretty good weather in your area.  Do you see much sunshine in between the rainstorms??? 

Good weather?! as in no rain?! that will be a first in a while!!! usually if it is rainy we dont see the sun for a couple of days... it is super awesome

Is the rain constant or just bursts of really hard rain with nice in between???

It is usually HARD RAIN with no breaks, so CONSTANT HARD RAIN!!! it makes life a little me more basa*wet. but it is more interesting.

Do the flooded areas just keep filling up, or have they drained???

The flooded areas drain, but then the next storm they are filled right back up with super dirty water!

Have you heard of the movie "Meet The Mormons" in your area???

I have not heard of it, except through LDS.org... how is it?! have you seen it?!

Please list FIVE adjectives to describe your current state.

I AM GOOD, TIRED, EXCITED, and... i dont know. i forgot what adjectives are... just kidding. i just dont know what else i am right now... libug na lang ko!!!

GOOD-this last week has been one for the records....

TIRED-waking up at 5:00 to play basketball is super exciting, but towards the end of the day is no fun!!!!

EXCITED-this week we have a baptism, and it is only 12 days until TRANSFERS!!! ahhhhhh

Please use FIVE adjectives to describe your companion.  (We would like to get to know him better too!!)

UMMM, gwapo, buotan, HARD WORKING, KUGIHAN and PAGKAMASULUNDON...

GWAPO(HANDSOME)-he looks good

BUOTAN(NICE/KIND)-he is super kind to everyone

HARD WORKING/KUGIHAN(DILIGENT)-every day he is ready to go out and work

PAGKAMASULUNDON(OBEDIENT)-he makes sure he follows mission rules always!!!

What language did you watch Conference in???  Who did you watch Conference with???  Where did you watch Conference???

We watched it in English, and Cebuano. i downloaded it to my SD card. so i have heard the conference in english, and cebuano now. i think i might try and download it in Tagalog today...

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

October 4, 2014

How are you? (Please use 2 complete sentences.)
I am good, my knee has been super sore, but mainly because there has been some major storms rolling through. Also i had a case of LBM, my stomach is not feeling too good, but it is starting to feel better slowly!!!

How was your week?
This last week we were killing it! We went on splits a couple of times! and we finished the week with 23 lessons... the only problem with our area is we have one entire part that no one wants us to teach them. (TIPOLO) on Friday we went on splits and ended up teaching 1 lesson total, even though we were both with a ward missionary. Today we went to the TEMPLE (i believe that this is #22 or #23 of my mission going to the temple

What was the best thing about the last week???
WE HAD THE BEST DINNER APPOINTMENT!!!  we had a very dato/Kwartahan (rich/wealthy) member take us out to eat. we went to an ALL YOU CAN EAT restaurant, and ALL YOU CAN DRINK (FREE REFILLS {over here there are no free refills}) I ate 4 plates FULL!!! I ATE crab, fish, pork, shrimp, sushi, rice, squid, octopus, ginamus, lobster, clams.

it was all so good, i know... dont be judging

I MADE SURE TO EAT MY 300 pesos worth of food... really it was super cheep for an all you can eat....

How often did you eat at members homes?
it depends some weeks we eat every night, right now we are trying to figure out a calendar or some type of schedule so it is even. the main problem is that all the active members and all the dinner appointments are in the sisters area...

Do you feel more settled in the city yet???
I feel more settled but... IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE AREA!!! It is unreal and scary how much more money i have spent in this area so far... it is so sad how being in a city and being able to walk by an ATM. in Panglao there was 1 ATM, and it was in the other area. here i could pull money if i had it (and if i needed it) whenever.

How are things with your Comp???  Is the language getting easier for both of you to understand each other???
language is not a problem anymore, i just speak cebuano all the time, and i will mix in some english... it is super crazy living in a house with all Filipinos, and what is worse is they think that i am super DATO (KWARTAHAN)*rich because i am an American... as i said earlier in the letter, this area is expensive....
I HAVE SPENT 5,532 pesos in the last 13 days, our support is 3,900 pesos...

So are you in a 2 floor apartment in an apartment building???
yes, we are in a 2 floor building, we in an amazing house/apartment complex.. they are almost like town houses.



-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

October 1, 2014

How are you? (Please use 2 complete sentences.)

I am good, my knee has been super sore, but mainly because there has been some major storms rolling through. Also i had a case of LBM, my stomach is not feeling too good, but it is starting to feel better slowly!!!

How was your week?

This last week we were killing it! We went on splits a couple of times! and we finished the week with 23 lessons... the only problem with our area is we have one entire part that no one wants us to teach them. (TIPOLO) on Friday we went on splits and ended up teaching 1 lesson total, even though we were both with a ward missionary. Today we went to the TEMPLE (i believe that this is #22 or #23 of my mission going to the temple

What was the best thing about the last week???

WE HAD THE BEST DINNER APPOINTMENT!!!  we had a very dato/Kwartahan (rich/wealthy) member take us out to eat. we went to an ALL YOU CAN EAT restaurant, and ALL YOU CAN DRINK (FREE REFILLS {over here there are no free refills}) I ate 4 plates FULL!!! I ATE crab, fish, pork, shrimp, sushi, rice, squid, octopus, ginamus, lobster, clams.

it was all so good, i know... dont be judging

I MADE SURE TO EAT MY 300 pesos worth of food... really it was super cheep for an all you can eat....

How often did you eat at members homes?

it depends some weeks we eat every night, right now we are trying to figure out a calendar or some type of schedule so it is even. the main problem is that all the active members and all the dinner appointments are in the sisters area...

Do you feel more settled in the city yet???

I feel more settled but... IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE AREA!!! It is unreal and scary how much more money i have spent in this area so far... it is so sad how being in a city and being able to walk by an ATM. in Panglao there was 1 ATM, and it was in the other area. here i could pull money if i had it (and if i needed it) whenever.

How are things with your Comp???  Is the language getting easier for both of you to understand each other???

language is not a problem anymore, i just speak cebuano all the time, and i will mix in some english... it is super crazy living in a house with all Filipinos, and what is worse is they think that i am super DATO (KWARTAHAN)*rich because i am an American... as i said earlier in the letter, this area is expensive....

I HAVE SPENT 5,532 pesos in the last 13 days, our support is 3,900 pesos...

So are you in a 2 floor apartment in an apartment building???

yes, we are in a 2 floor building, we in an amazing house/apartment complex.. they are almost like town houses.

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER