2014-10-20 Testimony of the Plan of Salvation

So It sounds like as soon as I leave everything gets more exciting especially with the open house and everything! That's so cool! While I've been here my Testimony of the Plan of Salvation has really been strengthened! I am so excited to be together for eternity! This has become so real to me while I've been here. I have seen changes in peoples lives, and I have realized what a life changing gift this is! As always, I miss you guys! But I'm sure glad I'm here not there! I love serving a mission! I have come to appreciate things in my life so much, Especially family, and just being with you guys and also menial things like a washing machine, air conditioning, toilet paper, and real milk with like Froot Loops or Cap'n Crunch Crunch Berries. Haha you can probably tell I'm hungry huh? I didn't have time to eat breakfast or lunch today. 

Anyways, sometimes I have wondered, like why don't more people get baptized, why doesn't everyone just recognize that we have a living prophet on the earth who communicates with God, and why don't people just flock to the church? haha Then I heard an excerpt from a talk to missionaries by Elder Holland. Basically it said that maybe the reason we have so many struggles in the mission like learning the language, and adapting to new conditions is because maybe we need to feel a tiny part of what Jesus felt when he atoned for us in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. It wasn't easy for him either. Most people didn't truly recognize him as their savior and many people spat on him and cursed him. And In the scriptures how often are the righteous people outnumbered? How often does the large majority of people reject the truth when is is directly under their nose because of the craftiness of men? I think this applies directly to our lives. We will most likely always be outnumbered and perhaps persecuted for our beliefs. This is another testament that we are on the strait and narrow. We need to experience a little of what Jesus Experienced. 

Anyways, this is what I have been pondering about recently. I love you guys so much! I love being here I have seen so much good happen here! I love it! Goodbye! I will send pictures next week! Also Please send me Information about William Thomas Clark our ancestor, and about Stanley Albert Clark too. Love you guys! Goodbye!

2014-10-13 Life in the Philipines

So This week was good! I don't have to much to write haha. We saw general conference the past two days. The Saturday and priesthood sessions were english, but the sunday sessions were in tagalog! That made me sad, i wanted to understand them... I understood partially, but it wasnt them same! We got a knew missionary here in Taytay this week. He's from Tonga. He speaks pretty good english too! Fun fact that he told me is that the Prince of Tonga, and only heir to the throne, was just baptized! 

So in answer to the following questions:

WHY would anyone eat worms.  Is it something they eat often?  Have you tried any new fruits or vegetables?  Send pictures of the place you live.  How do you cook your food?  Do you wash your own clothes?  What do you do on Sundays?  Do you teach primary?  How is the language coming? 

I ate worms to say that I did it. It's not actually eaten that often. I ate some guava today, but I can't really think of the names of the other fruits I've eaten, I actually have eaten coconut a few times, which I didn't really eat back at home. I will try to send pictures of where i live tomorrow. I cook my food over these fire stoves we have in our apartment, in just pans and whatever. I cook with garlic and onions, and oil to cook my ulam (this means rice toppings). I'm also getting good at cooking pancakes haha. On sundays I go to church, and no, I don't teach. I just go to sunday school, my companion teaches primary sometimes,  the church (house) is so small, I can see him while i'm sitting in sunday school, we're like 10 feet away. and there really isnt like seperate rooms haha. And the language is hard. I am getting better though. It just can be frustrating sometimes. It really does make you rely on the Lord a lot though! I know that although it is hard, I can do it! I can communicate some already but I am nowhere near fluent yet haha. Even missionaries that are going home are not fluent. Haha they just are able to communicate.

nakakapagbagabagag This is a new word that I read this week, it means bothersome.

Haha It's still hard to pronounce.

love you goodbye!

2014-10-06 Very busy teaching - P-Day on TayTay

That’s so cool that you got to see inside the temple! I bet it is beautiful! I have seen conference yet so don't spoil it too much for me! We will watch it this coming Saturday and Sunday! They have also decided to bring the english disc to us as well so us missionaries can watch it! So this week was good! We officially reactivated two people this week, and our investigator (The Twante's) are still coming to church, and keeping commitments. We also have many other really good investigators, its just hard to get them to church because we don’t have an actual building, although that shouldn’t be an excuse. We also have an average of like three full proselyting days a week, this week we only had two... We have gone to Puerto Princessa for Zone meeting etc... every week, but two, the whole time I've been here, and we are going again today. This is usually a three day trip, and so we rarely have full days to teach people it seems like! 

     Today we went to lake Danao and fished for P-day! That was legit! So many fish!!! But they are all tiny! I will send you pictures! The electricity has been better here, and we've have it all day! But I don't think that will last.. So this area is super beautiful, and i love it here!

     Oh, I almost forgot! This week I ate some pretty crazy stuff! You know when we watched "Bizarre Foods" in the Philippines? Well anyways, remember that disgusting slimy worm they pull out of the tree and eat completely raw? Well I ate that this week! It is called a Tamilok Worm. I will send you some pictures of it! I threw up the first time just because of the texture mostly, but then I got another one and ate the whole thing! I also ate Crocodile this week, that was really good! And I ate chicken intestines, also good, just nasty to think about! Anyways, I will try to send you pictures of everything, love you sorry it is a short letter again this week, but I'm super busy! Love you guys so much!!!!! I am so excited to live for eternity with you guys!!!!!

By the way, don't send me anything, I can buy anything I need here! It would just be more expensive for you to send it to me!

Teaching

Companion and Other Elders

Basketball?

This is the Crocodile that I ate, it was good.

P-Day - Fishing at Lake Danao

This is where we walk by the ocean and the building a fort from when the Spanish conquered the Philippines, it's really cool, Hopefully i will get to go inside soon!

Tamilok Worms - The last one is after I threw up. But i still got another one and ate it!!!!!

Tamilok Worms, they pull them out of a tree, very slimy

Getting ready to eat Tamilok Worms

Eating the Tamilok Worms

After throwing up the Tamilok Worms

Round two of eating Tamilok Worms