12-1-2019

Hello all! This week was so awesome, time is really starting to fly by. We had the opportunity to have Elder Bangerter attend zone conference and train us there. It was so amazing as the close to 100 missionaries learned how to better fulfill our callings from him. He gave us 5 tips to always stay close to god and even though they are simple I would like to share them with you because by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

1) Attend all church meetings

2) Hold and magnify a church calling

3) Pray... Every night, always

4) Set aside time daily to read your scriptures

5) Strive to attend the temple regularly

Lastly something he said that really struck a chord with me was that "We need to protect the private times in our lives" As I pondered this and why he said this here is what came to mind, those private times in our lives are the times are when the truth of the principles of the gospel are confirmed for us. Through this we may strengthen and grow our testimony.

Alma 34

26 But this is not all; ye must ^apour out your souls in your ^bclosets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your ^ahearts be ^bfull, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your ^cwelfare, and also for the welfare of ^dthose who are around you.

This week was full of fun. I got to go on exchanges with the zone leaders and while we were out proselyting we decided we needed to a quick pump to better convert the nanays in our area. So we did what any 19 year old kid does that wants to get a quick lift pump on, we did some curls with a cement and rebar dumbell. Also, as me and elder Java cooked rice this week for lunch (like always breakfast lunch and dinner here is always rice) we needed to get some ingredients for the side. So he started the stove and we went to go get the ingredients. When we came back he said oh shoot!! He lunged forward and ignited the stove (which had not been burning at all but just leaking propane). Immediately  we heard a WHHHOOOMMM as we watched a ring of fire ignite in a 2 foot radius around the propane stove. So that was awesome, nothing like almost accidentally destroying the cement missionary apartment with a propane stove bomb.

Love you all! 

Pictures for this week

Our branch in the jeepney on the way to stake conference.

A dude fishing with an air rifle that shoots a needle connected to fishing string... AWESOME!

The DAMP MATES- Elder Case Provo MTC  signature Phrase

A sweet piece of concrete and rebar for getting... SWOLL

My lifting buddy/ Zone Leader (Elder Adams) 

Last but not least, this is how my testimony feels everyday on my mission, getting stronger by the second.

11-24-2019

This week was another busy one for the books. We worked hard all week and managed to get 3 investigators and 2 less actives to church this Sunday which is a huge amount compared to normal so we were pumped about that. They are really trying their best to come closer to Christ and that is my purpose, that is why I am here.  I am not here to baptize people, it is not to impress others at home, it is to help people to come closer to Christ and work hard at this every day. 

I managed to accidentally hit a crab and kill it while biking to a lesson this week. Elder Java managed to accidentally step on and kill our friendly pet rat that hides in our apartment, so that was awesome. We were pumped because we think that was the last rat in the apartment. I almost got attacked by the same monkey in a couple emails back while biking past it one day (It literally jumped off of the pole and grazed my side bag as he swiped at me while I went past).  We accidentally got locked out of our own Bathroom and Elder Java had to hop the wall in the shower room to get into the bathroom and unlock it form the inside. We also biked through super tall grass this week.  It was as tall as we are and I laughed at myself when I realized that I was biking through grass as tall as me on bike in slacks, a white shirt and a tie. Last but not least I talked to a man who killed 3 people this last week. That was a new experience. Here in the Philippines if you use drugs people are allowed to kill you. He killed 2 drug users in Mindanao and he killed his neighbor in my area where we talked to him.

All is well.  Sorry the email is short I don't have a ton of time.  I will continue to work hard and I hope that you all will continue to be safe.

What happens when you give a rat a cookie (or rat posion and then you step on it).

The jungle trail we biked on to get to our first counselor's house.

The cows here sit in mud baths when it is really hot.  Too bad I can't do that.

Some crazy carpentry and wood work skills.

Elder Java after we went through the jungle and the interior and exterior on his bike tire fell off.

The classic Philippino rifle.

11-17-2019

This week was full of blessings. The work was good, we taught a lot more lessons than last week, and I can finally basically interact with the people and their language. This week we had a small earthquake which is funny because the day before we had the small earthquake, I thought an earthquake happened when a large truck drove by and shook the soft ground. Fortunately I was prepared for the exact same thing but a real earthquake the next day. I got fresh milk this week. REAL MILK. It has been a month since I have drank real milk and it felt like I almost lost a part of me. Until the troops arrived. The branch president's wife bought fresh milk for me and brought it from Tacloban which is a 2 hour drive, I payed her back and wala, fresh milk. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. I am counting my blessings daily and there is no end them. 

The street dogs here are better trained than dogs in america. When teaching in a house sometimes a street dog will wander in, but if you say CHET very aggressively they immediately turn around and leave. The street dogs here are gross because a lot of them have sarna. My companion calls them zombie dogs.

This week the spiritual message I would like to leave with you is regarding hugot nga pagtuo or FAITH. In James 2 it reads, 

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that ^afaith without ^bworks is dead?

Me and my companion shared this scripture last night and it has really been bouncing around in my mind. Something I learned in the Mtc is that god cannot guide idle feet. Faith is based on works. Works are to faith as the piston is to the motor, as the starbucks is to the classic white girl, and the foundation to a house. If our faith is not built on a foundation of works, on a foundation of Christ, our house will fall. I know that as we build our foundation of good works our faith will be built daily. As we move forward we will receive guidance. I know that god knows and loves each and every one of you. 

P.S. Almost accidentally walked out of a store this last week with a peanut butter jar that I hadn't bought, the lady of course started talking frantically when I realized she had given me back a second peanut butter jar that I didn't want to buy so I would put it away. Nothing like almost accidentally stealing as a missionary

I love you all. Stay safe ya'll.

Fresh milk!!!

The classic rat pellet shower after I was done patching the holes

My amazing photography skills

My amazing photography skills...again 

 I cut my hand on this fan, it is sharper than it looks.

11-10-2019

PIGS TEETH AND SHOWERING IN RAT PELLETS

Hey all! Sorry I havent emailed in a while! I have been super busy the last two p-days traveling and such. The last week was tough because it was a holiday week here in the Philippines, a lot of people were busy so we were out working all day and didn't get many lessons at all. I Know that the area will grow in the lord's time as the missionaries continue to work hard. A couple fun things that happened this week, I finally cleaned my apartment of all of the trash that was there when I moved in! HOOOOORRRRAAAYYYY! Maybe one of the grossest things I have ever done, picking up trash in the shed that rats had been eating for at least the last year. Also I sealed the holes in the vents in the ceiling on our second floor with wood so that the rats can't sneak in to our second floor. Probably the grossest thing I have ever done, because the vent/passageway in the ceiling is full of poop so as I hammered the wood to the ceiling to close the holes, it rained rat poop on me. Nothing like showering in rat poop to boost your immune system. 

Last but not least as I was eating a meal provided by a member this week I was munching on pork when I bit something hard in the meat. I spat it out and to my horror found out that it was a pig's tooth that I had felt... Kinda gross that I was eating a pig's tooth. 

you will have to wait until next week to get the picture sorry

The Philippines is amazing so far, the people are even more so!

1- Picture from the Manila MTC that has an elder that looks exactly like me ( meant to send earlier hahaha)

2- The classic district picture

3-classic sunset in the jungle picture

4- Longest bridge in the Philippines, San Juanico bridge

5- The reason why I am fat

6- Me and the batch mates

7- Zone pic

8- Birthday party with food, food, and you guessed it more food

9- Me and Elder Java multitasking, posing while biking, me looking like a dork

10- Me and Elder Java absolutely soaked in proselyting clothes during a rain storm

11 and 12- Pretty pictures at night

11-3-2019

No new letter from Jordan this week to me.  I spoke to him though and he is doing great!  He is dealing with things like how to get an investigator to turn off a movie while they are there and whether or not he should buy a webcam so he can communicate with us better.  Things are going well for him. 

10-27-2019

Jordan didn't write a group letter last week.  I think he wanted to spend more individual time writing personal letters and also talking to us.  So, I'm not going to complain.  I am going to share some excerpts from the letters he wrote Brad and me and some excerpts from his conversation with Brad and I last Sunday that he couldn't speak, but that he could only type.

Let me preface this a little bit so you don't just think Jordan is mean.  Going to a foreign country is hard.  There is a lot of culture shock.  The poorer the country the more difficult it is for someone to go there.  Jordan is going through this culture shock now.  It is helpful when you have a companion from the United States to help you make this transition.  However, I recognize that this is not always possible in missions.  Many times it is helpful to have a native companion that can speak the language, knows the customs and cultures and knows the mission.  Anyway, many times new missionaries are so miserable as they try to accustom themselves to the reality they now live in, they dislike their first companions and more so if that companion cannot even begin to relate to what you are experiencing.  I had 7 companions, 3 americans and 4 natives.  Of the 7, the only one I hated was my first companion.  I hated her.  I don't hate her now.  I don't think I would have hated her had I not been going through such a difficult time.  While Jordan does not hate his companion as of right now (at least, not that he admits), he is certainly trying to understand him.

Other quick note, I know Jordan is doing better because instead of being on the verge of tears as he asked us questions, he would ask us a question and then say, wait I want to tell you something.  Then he would type something and laugh as he typed it finding humor in the things that were driving him crazy.

Anyway, here is his last letter to me:

Mom that sounds crazy! I can't believe you almost got burnt by bacon oil. I am glad you still looked pretty as ever when I talked you today. I love and miss you all so much. As I already told you lots of small drama with my philipino companion this week but I am over it. I really don't hate him just sometimes when he tries to be my mother or tell me what to do, or tell me I am to loud it really bugs me.

Let me stop here and share a conversation with Jordan that he typed to us over email:

Jordan:  He (referring to his companion) says I am too loud and it drives away the spirit.  Also he always tells me to be quiet like less loud when talking in warray warray.  Everybody mumbles their prayers here, missionaries included.

I told him that he will probably come back mumbling.  Anyway, back to Jordan's letter. 

Like I said I told a member I knew exactly how many months away from going home I would be during both of my birthdays and she called me trunkee. I am not trunkee. To make matters worse I asked my companion if he thinks I am trunkee (trunkee is a missionary term which means longing for home) and he said I don't know which means yes. 

Let me stop here.  One of the issues of humans I think is judging others.  Of course, in our church this happens too and especially on the mission.  Here is some of the things he typed to me about how he feels the pressure to fit in.

Jordan:  My district leader says he hates P days and doesn't look forward to them.  He talked about how you are a bad missionary as well if you have an MP3 player, a speaker and if you don't wear your garments all the friggin time in 100 degree weather while jumproping.

Back to the letter.

He is 21 but we are not super good friends just friendly enough, half of me wants to start problems and fight him when he says annoying little things but I know it is not worth it. I don't think he likes me a whole lot but that is ok. 

Back to Jordan's conversation with me that shows how hard this is:

Jordan:  I don't think he likes me.  He doesn't sit by me on the bus.  I have been getting up at 6 instead of 6:30.  He says this is bad adn to stick to the schedule.  Is it bad to get up early?

To be fair, it's probably not just his companion, I'm sure Jordan frustrates his companion too:

Jordan: My companion is so Slooowwww at biking.  I hate it.  He is slower than Jake up the hills.  I leave him sometimes cause he is annoying. 

Jordan:  My companion is so slow when daily planning.  I tried to go faster and he said we can't receive revelation if we are rushing.  

Back to Jordan's letter:

 My area is hard. We had one sister who was supposed to be baptized this week but didn't show up to her pre-baptismal interview.  Not sure if she wants to be baptized still or her parents said she couldn't she is 15. It is tough work, especially where I am but I know I can do all things through the lord. My biking is fast but guaranteed if I came home I would get wrecked by the elevation change. I really hope I don't get sick here.  I seriously cant wait to see your beautiful faces again. I love the bread here. They dont have a lot of meat that is cheap but the bread and rolls here are always so goooooddddd.

PROMISE ME YOU AND DAD WILL MAKE PAN DE COCO ON CHRISTMAS

 IT IS SO GOOD

https://www.google.com/search?q=pan+de+coco&rlz=1C1CHBD_enPH871PH871&oq=PAN+DE+COCO&aqs=chrome.0.0l4j46j0.3184j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 

 Love you guys so much talk to you next week! 

Some things Jordan asked me about last week that shows just what he is dealing with.  These are things I don't have the answers to.

How do you keep rats off of your kitchen counter?

Where do I put my garbage?  We just throw it in a room here.

He did say he is learning to communicate with the people there and coming to really love them.  He said they are humble and kind.

10-20-2019

From Jordan to all:

Spiders and Crabs and Monkeys OH MY!

Hello all! This week has been tough for sure but definitely ten times easier than last week. I have officially been spit on! We were biking through a small barangay (town) and looking for an investigator family, when a 4 or 5 year old girl singled me out of the crowd and spat on my leg as I biked by. I was taken back but just took it and moved on. I know that some people hate the missionaries, and some people love them. Just because we are ridiculed and spat upon does not mean we will give up. We are persistent. We continue to share his message with unwavering faith. Our happiness cannot be crushed because we though we are in this world we are not of it. The world will see our happiness and ask why. The reason why is Christ. As I have focused on Christ this last week, I have nbeen able to stay happy and keep an eternal perspective. I am happy because I have Christ in my life, because I am a vessel through which his message can be carried to his people. I am happy because I can share just a little bit of the joy that I have experienced in the gospel with others who do not have that joy. Through Christ we can find an unending joy.

 As missionaries and members our charge is to as 2 Nephi 25:26 states so well

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

I know as I and as you do this we will see more blessings in our lives from it.

He loves you and he knows your pains and sorrows. 

My favorite line from a hymn named be still my soul reads "Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end"

That is the biggest message I got from conference this week is if we endure our pains and our afflictions with happiness we will find unending joy through Christ and through his gospel.

This week was good. The good news is my butt does not hurt as much from biking 24/7. The bad news is there are spiders here as large as my hand that are poisonous. There are crabs in people's houses ( I saw one in my branch president's house as we ate dinner last night). I almost got strangled by a monkey yesterday. I saw a pet monkey on a chain and took a picture by him. Right after I took the picture he lunged the length of his chain for me, growling ferosciously. It was quite scary. 

I love this place. I love this people. I love and miss you all. Most of all the lord knows and loves you all.

Until next week amigos.

Pictures

1) The monkey

2) Me posing in front of the killer monkey (moments after this picture was taken he lunged)

3) A stellar picture taken by a stellar photographer.

His letter to me:

I miss you guys a lot, but I am doing much better than last week. You guys look cold in the pictures. My companion is nice, I don't hate him, sometimes I am not sure if he loves me or not, little things like he always takes the best seat or sets his bag in the chair next to him or doesn't sit next to me all of the time. Sometimes I can't tell if he doesn't know the language or doesn't want to tell me the word. I feel like he gets frustrated with me sometimes so that stresses me out. He is awesome, a really cool guy, I want to be best friends but I don't know if he wants that. He is also slower than me on  the bike which bugs me because I want to go places quickly and sit on the seat as little as possible. I am excited for zone conference to see my friends and I am excited to get your package. I will never take anything we have in America for granted ever again. The people here are so poor, they have so little but they are so happy so that is a huge example for me. The area here is pretty. I eat rice and fish almost every night. I am a ninja. We killed a rat a couple of days ago we caught in our apartment. We can always here them scuttling in the vents upstairs. I miss you all and love you all so much.