March 15, 2010

Dude this place is a freaking TRIP. I don’t even know were to start. Alright first of all the flight was pretty crazy but it wasn’t too bad. Then when we got to manilla the CRAZYNESS started. There were a billion people first of all. I got all my bags and went through check in and stuff and for some reason the MTC was closed so we stayed at this hotel where we started showering and stuff. Dang I guess I can’t go into detail because I have so much to write! So anyways ill skip a lot of crazy stuff but we stayed at the hotel messing around and stuff for about 3 hours then this guy picked us up to take us to get on our 10 hour bus ride. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SCARED IN A CAR IN MY LIFE. And you’re going to laugh at that I think I'm exaggerating when I am not at all. I don’t know how I could describe it to u. I DO NOT KNOW HOW WE DIDNT WRECK. It was crazy, people just pull out in front of people cut in and out of people motorcycles EVERYWHER are swerving in and out everyone comes within 4 inches and that’s not an exaggeration either. IT IS CRAZY. And then u see like these sky scrapers a mile in the distance then u see the GUETTO OF THE GUETTO right out side your window. This place is freaking nuts. Then we finally got to the bus and found out we had a 3 hour wait so we sat there and tried to talk to people. IT was soooo hard. But I was actually doing ok. I use ok like compared to everyone else but it was way bad. But anyways me and one of the elders. Of course, decide were going to cross this crazy freaking street. Make no mistake it was stupid lol but the guy told us to if we were hungry. We weren’t hungry we just wanted to do it. It took us forever. People were going and we were like watch out and someone would seriously come like inches from death like 5 times. And so finally we got across and we tried to talk to people but it was hard. Then we sat around forever for 3 hours in total confusion and finally our bus come and we got on. It was SOOOO hot outside it was horrible. But then we got on the bus and the AC was Blazing we were like yes. Until an hour passed and we started FREEZING!!! No one could sleep we were so cold. We stayed up all night. Not to mention the driver was even crazier then before. Get this the BIG! Busses are the fasts thing on the road here and pass everyone. There is no speed limit you go as fast as u can without crashing and that is what everyone does. And we were driving right by the cliff of this huge mountain like feet away it was nuts not to mention there favorite time to pass is on turn when u have no idea if there is coming or not I kid u not. and there is trees there is no way they can tell they just do it and people stop or we stop but it is nuts. But anyways that’s just the driving at the begging of the bus like half hour after I got on I was like man I have to pee. Then it just started getting worse and worse and I was like wait. We have 8 hours left. So I was like hey elder ward let me see that bottle. And no joke I was going to use it but he said it fell and he lost it so I sat there in pain but like 5 min later we took a pit stop so it was all good. Then we finally arrived at 3:30. And the AP and his comp and stuff meet us and the pres and we get are stuff and go to the mission home and then we sat down and they brought out milk and cookies and then we ate. Then we got run downs and interviews and stuff then we go in to get our comps. Alright so the AP at that time had been the AP for 11 months. So he was like way experienced. and so he is naming off all the assignment and then he said Elder Riner and Elder Salapa and I was like sweet a Pilipino but no one came up to meet me so I was like what the. Then everyone just told me to sit down in the front with everyone else so I did and I was confused and then this philo dude turns to me and was like man your lucky magaling si elder salapa/ I was like who the heck is he and it was the AP, the same one who had been it for the last 11 months just before. I was like man that...actually I didn’t know what to think of it. But I had a billion people tell me that I was lucky and stuff so I figured it was good. Then I met him and he is way cool. Dude I don’t know what the heck I did to deserve this guy but imaging the perfect missionary.... Then imaging that white guy as a Pilipino and that is my comp hahaha no for real this guy is absolutely perfect. And I’m paying the price for it lol. Its hard lol but I never complain and never slow down and I still try all I can. Seriously this guy is perfect. He leaves pretty soon so ill be with him a transfer in a half, he said ill be with him still next transfer because he is going to tell the mission president to keep us together because we are setting all our baptisms tell the week after transfer. haha. And don’t even ask me how many baptisms cause I aint telling lol I decided I want to just keep it to myself whatever it is. But u would laugh at how easy it is to talk to people here. I laugh at it all the time and my comp thinks I’m crazy sometimes lol but we have already had two families sitting in there houses call US in and they want to join our church and be baptized lol 2 families its nuts. But our area is actually kind of hard I just think the holy ghost just fallows my comp around and that’s why stuff just falls in our hands I really believe that. But we are kind of having to build the place up because the earlier elders ruined stuff. It’s a long story how and stuff but lets just say they went to having like 10 baptisms a week to idk how many now but my comp said after a few weeks well get it back to there. Oh the language. The language is awesome. I Get it lol and I can talk really good all I really need now is focus and a TON of practice. And everyday I can understand people better. Now I can almost understand everyone but the worst thing is my area isn’t tagalog its ilicano. Ill learn that language later for sure. Man I have so many more stories but I hate typing lol I want to go ;) but I will defiantly talk to u guys next week. Thank u so much for the letters. Oh and next week I'll be able to send letters through this I know how it’s easy. Albright ill talk to u next week and if u get on around d this time this will be the time I get on and they said I can talk with u like back and forth. Oh man I almost forgot to tell u about my room mates. THEY ARE SICK. I love them so much we stayed up until 12 last night. Which was bad and I kept wanting to go to bed but they were like no talk to us. Because they wanted to talk to me without my comp cause he was asleep. They always tell me they don’t know how I can work with him. I tell u we work hard physically and mentally just sitting there planning EVERYTHING out no joke and I crash as soon as I hit my bed. My comp makes me do so much I have already committed like 20 people to church like 5 to pray about Joseph and the BoM and all kind of things. Oh ya and I he almost made me give a baptism commitment but we never got to it. This guy is the best trainer I hope I learn everything from him in 8 weeks. Oh btw his secret is preach my gospel. I kid u not that thing can help anyone if they use it. Even u guys. It would help dad a ton with his class too. Well anyway my hand is killing later. Love ya all. Hope Chelsea did good even though I know she didn’t. lol jokes long....