Well the mission. I’m LIVING IN A 3rd world country. Lol I kind of realized that this morning when I was getting the herd of aunts off my tooth brush to brush my teeth. I hope I got them all off but its just protein isn’t it? That’s how I have to start thinking when I eat here. "Well I don’t think this will kill me". well I got my first own baptism this week, that was cool, I did it in tagalog and didn’t even mess up, I got them way under the water but I guess I messed up this one girls name, there names are so
hard to say. But that was cool. Oh this is my first baptism. I wanted to do the 2 little kids so that is who I baptized is the 2 little ones, the girl is so shy cause she thinks I'm guapo lol The feeling was pretty cool, oh man I was so fetching nervous, specially since I didn’t know I was doing it until right before and I hadn’t even memorized the prayer or had any time to memorize it but I ended up getting it pretty fast and I didn’t mess up so it was all good. Then in sacrament it was funny because we confirmed them and when they raised there hands to thank them or whatever people like throw both hands in the air and put there whole bodies into it. U just have to see it. sOOOO funny I couldn’t help but just bust up, cause I was doing sacrament so I was in the front to see them all.
Sending a comp home is such a weird experience, we left on good terms though so that was good. I was iffy though because right before he left it was just me and him in the apartment and I threw the whole deck of cards in his face and they went everywhere and he picked them up. Then we talked
about his pride problem and he said he was going to try to fix it lol but in the end we made up and I still love the guy. But it’s a long story, but he defiantly deserved it and he knew it that’s why he picked up all the cards.
I am in a 3 person now and they stink, but its all good I am teaching even more then before, my Tagalog is at another level now and I can pretty much say whatever I want and teach what I want to teach and they can understand and its just all so awesome now. The feeling is amazing, before I was so scared every day when I had to teach, do u know how hard it is to do this work when u are scared for ur turn, but now I cant wait for my turn and I love it. My comp was really good at letting me teach it’s just that my Tagalog stinks, it’s mostly just having confidence I’ve found out too. But it all came with a huge sacrifice, I can’t work out, talk, I can’t do anything anymore, its just all work and studying vocab and teaching to a wall and stuff. But this week has probably been my favorite of the mission just case I can finally teach.
I am always sick it seams like. No I don’t have malaria, and I’m all right, our AP was talking to me and said he had diarrhea for 8 months straight, and I don’t have that really right now, I’m not worried about my sickness it just hurts, and don’t send anything but candy in my packages lol I still have that oatmeal and I don’t eat it too much so don’t send more, I got ur package. Thank u so much but why did u send me that one candy lol, I mean I love it but that is just cause I’m in the Philippines, net time just send a ton of candy bars, and what happened to u loading that drive? Lol its brand new and u sent like 5 pics lol. And the whole thing melts but I put it all in the freezer and its better then new. I ate the candy bar, oh my gosh I can’t describe how good that was. And I do need medicine. I do take those vitamins, obviously they don’t help too much. I don’t have anything I am ok. I’m really ok like it’s not a big deal at all mom. I am never telling u I am sick again lol I will probably be sick my whole mission, big deal lol ill live.

Mom I really need my sim card number or I am in trouble. Did u not figure it out?
(Just a note. I haven’t seen that sim card number in probably two years. I looked upstairs in the attic and it was in the first file in the first box I looked in. If you have seen the attic, you know that was a miracle. )

Ill send pic home next week. Alright well I better go its been an hour. Even though ill probably stay in here for another half hour or so lol. Bye love ya. Tell Chelsea good luck in track!

Alright so what first? Thank u for the letters I love reading them. This week has been pretty crazy. First we had this huge festival here in our little Lugar and it was sweet. I have NEVER ate so much in my life, all these people use all there money to eat during this festival, and its good food, don’t like asking what it is though cause I’m afraid, but it is good. But dude its like I live in a camping trip, that is what elder Naylor always says and it is so true. When we eat its not sanitary at all, I cannot believe that I am not always sick. But festival stunk too cause we couldn’t teach anyone, they just wanted to feed us and send us off.
My comp leaves tomorrow. I hate having a comp that is going home cause it makes me think of going home and I don’t want to think about that, I have thought about my family so much, I really try to avoid it though, except when I am going to bed at night but whenever I feel down cause of something its just the best to start thinking about my family and its all good, I cant really describe it but its like that. I love hearing about ur guys's suess too. Chelsea is kicking butt it sounds that is way sweet.
My new comps are going to be so cool. Wait tell I send these pics and videos home you'll love them, this morning we killed the pig, don’t worry I got it all on video for u, and tonight we are eating it as a family home evening, I defiantly live in the Philippines everything I do I am like man this is so different then I’m used too but I am being watched over constantly. Well the pig is in a better place, its all good now lol
I don’t know what clicked this week, I guess God just got sick of hearing it and gave me this language but I am a whole different level now and I just need to talk more and get practice so its just like English without much thinking, oh the mission is hard but I love it all, I have learned what it is like to put your whole life in God’s hands and then see how he takes care of u, its awesome and I’m learning a ton.
Alright some funny things happened this week, first we went to this appointment during festival and our investigator was drunk and naked just sitting on the ground rolling around and stuff, we saw him from his entrance about 30 yards away and I have never seen anyone more drunk. It was so funny, oh and something really crazy happened this week to the other comp. They saved this guys life who really would’ve died, I cant describe it all but this is the picture, this guy with a baby and he is drunk, walking around with blood on his whole person, and its flowing out of his head like water and its 9 at night so its way dark and he has a machete in his hand, the whole story is really crazy, but they came in at night way late and they were quiet which is weird and they have the worst looks on there face and Naylor was just about to cry. They were way shookin up but they're alright now, the guy lived, they don’t know how they thought he was dead for sure.
Oh and then we had some storms this week and this caribou got struck by lighting, I thought that was funny there was blood all over the street. So they cooked it and ate it of course. Oh and then I saw this centipede the size of a baby snake. That’s actually what I thought it was at first until I saw it better. It was so huge.
Our teaching is progressing, we have gotten 3 more baptism dates this week and I have 6 this Saturday. We have had a ton lined up, we have also gotten a bunch dropped lol, but no I have been getting dates and stuff like crazy and we have a lot more then 9 lined up right now lol I think we got like 12 and then we have some that are close to getting dates

Well have fun at home, take care, and love ya all.

Man it was nice to talk to u guys today. I read it again in the white hand book after I called u and it say preferably 30-40 and I think that makes an exception for people with HUGE families. So I am going to talk to pres and see what he says in our next interview. It was awesome to hear from u guys though. By the next phone call I am going to be in the middle of my mission. That will be the best phone call ever cause after that the mission is just going to fly. I was mad I didn’t really get to talk to any of the kids. There my l\brothers and sisters I should be able to talk to them there was just no time. Nice to here Chelsea is getting so fast that is freaking awesme. Today is going to be so awesome right after we email were going home and then we are going to go to a huge river that is in the middle of nowhere. I think I am going to send the picture home next week if u get the package I sent by then. As soon as u receives the last one ill send this next one. That one doesn’t really have very much to look at but this next one is full of videos and stuff. I think you'll love. I love ya dad I hope ur week goes good. another year of school is almost over. Can u freakin believe that? SPRING BALL!

I had a crazy week and I want to share loll. It all started with our way home from p-day. We were going and all the sudden the jeep slams on its brakes and everyone was saying this crazy Tagalog word which means under the water or into the water and this bike drove down into this HUGE River. That was different. Next we started getting so ulan this week. Rain and the storms here are like none other vie ever seen. The whole night lights up the without stopping for like hours with lighting it is crazy. It’s the coolest thing in the world; it’s like a strobe light. And the fast and testimony was pretty crazy., this crazy old women tells us how she died of some sickness when she is 13 and she goes to heaven and god or someone tells her its not her time and her parents are sad and she needs to go be with them so she got brought back to life. And this week is election week. This place is pretty corrupt so we are in lock down tonight cause there will most likely be some killing tonight. It’s a really big deal in my area because the mayor’s house got raided last week and they found ALL kinds of guns and bad stuff. Saw a cobra that was about a foot away from me while we were tracking and it was HUGE. Almost died in a tricycle wreck with a kaliglig. Then I got really sick this weak. Really sick. and so my comp called the mission pres wife cause he didn’t think I should work so he called her and she yelled at me for not calling sooner and made us stay in the house the rest of the day so I came up with the BEST prank ever and played it on the other elders, it was so awesome. We wrote a note that I got really sick and had to go to the hospital and I left it on there desk and we waited outside when they got home. And they were freaking out. The best was I got it all on a hidden tape but they found the hidden tape and almost deleted it but I saved it, until later when I was watching it and accidently deleted it. But the best of the week was getting screamed at and blessed by a crazy pastor. Oh man I can’t describe the experience but that is dactyl what happened I got screamed and blessed by a pastor from a different church. It was so awesome and funny and a sweet experience. It really builds my testimony for some reason lol. Oh and then we did something else that was pretty crazy that I forgot to tell to my parents. We are currently raising a pig. I know that it is bawal to have a pet but it’s ok because it’s not one it’s just our food. We are keeping it behind our apartment until next peeday. I got put in charge of it after they saw that I was able to work with pigs when I picked it up by its ears and carried it to be we needed it. It was the funniest thing one morning after talking about eating a whole pig we decided to all buy one. That was an interesting morning but it was so fun. But anyways we are raising a pig and I can’t wait until next week when we get to kill it and eat it. Not sure how we are going to do those things yet but we still got a while. It’s slowly turning into a pet though lol especially for my "Oh so obedient" companion. It’s really funny to think we are raising a pig right now loll. Man the mission is awesome. Its so hard like I say all the time but I am learning so much EVERY day and it’s awesome. God had blessing me so much it’s awesome to be able to see how when u put ur trust in him and faith. How he takes care of u. well love u all. Its was awesome to talk with u today. Take care and stay out of trouble. ELDER RINER

Colton called for Mother's Day today. He said that he sleeps with bugs every night. There are spiders there the size of your palm and it doesn't bother him to sleep with them. The other night he felt something on him while he was sleeping and thought it was a spider and it would eventually move on. Then he felt it crawling around on his foot and looked up because it tickled. It was a giant cockroach. It freaked him out. How come a spider is no big deal but I cockroach grosses him out, I don't know.
He said that for a child there to not have some disease or something wrong with them is almost unheard of. Everyone seems to have some kind of ailment. The sanitation there is bad and everyone just pees anywhere they feel like. I asked why they were all so sick. He said you should see what they sleep in.
The mission is really hard in that area because the elders that were in the area before them baptised everyone in the area that even came close to showing interest in the gospel, so they are all baptized but don't come to church. This made the rules for baptism change there so it's hard to meet the requirements to baptize someone.
Colton got sick and had a fever so his companion made called the mission president's wife and told him that Colton was sick. She told them to go home and rest. They went back to the apartment and wrote a note to the other companions that told them they had taken Colton to the doctor. Then they put the video camera up to record their reaction when they saw the note and hid in the back room. They started freaking out when they saw it and thought Colton was really sick. Then they saw the camera and tried to erase it. It sounds like they are having a fun time. He said they make it fun or else it would be really hard. They leave their apartment early in the morning and don't return until eight at night. In between they are sweating all day long and can't drink the water from the other people's houses so they have to take a water pouch with them where ever they go.
He says it's crazy there and he loves it. We only got to talk to him for 40 minutes because that's what the instructions are in the white book. He's trying to be obedient. Amazing!

Yeah I’m still in that area and it’s pretty hard but it’s alright. And I am living proof u can do anything with heavenly fathers help. I see is all the time. There is no way I could live here, and be healthy, and not get completely frustrated, cause I have this awesome message to tell and I can’t get the words out. but I have been jumping barriers in my language it has been awesome I am learning a ton and growing in the language almost daily but I’ve never been through anything harder in my life. It gets really frustrating and sometimes u feel like you are doing awesome and then u just get humbled again. But I am actually doing really good. I can tell I am getting it a lot faster then a lot of other elders. I can speak with someone and understand everything and we can just sit and talk I actually do that sometimes but it just that its not always right and its not fast and there are probably better words I could use, but like I said it is coming way better and I am seeing huge improvement. I hope by the end of a couple more transfers to have it down. I actually got my first comment on it. This guy told me that a person can learn it for 10 years and not have it as good as me. But I don’t think the guy knew too much. My goal would be the end of this cycle. I could do it if it’s the Lord’s will though. I know I will learn this language when God thinks I have done enough to learn it and I have struggled enough. Then I’m going to learn illicano the next language its pretty crazy I have been recording a ton to send home to u in a few weeks. You will like it But I still have a long, long way to go to get where I want to be.

But this week was pretty cool. I have never seen storms in my life like we have had this week. It’s so awesome it will be completely light then in 15 min pitch black and no light. Then it will rain like no other and the whole sky will be lit up with lightning. Sometimes we have to run before it pours too much to our next appointment, but we haven’t stopped working, we just come home when time is up soaked as can be. We even tract sometimes in it if our last appointment falls through, people look at us so funny but I love it.
Our lessons are going good. We teach awesome lessons that the people refuse. Sometimes I am like what, why? What did u not get? But lots of the people just aren’t ready for it. This week was a lot of seeing people get so close then just backing out. Its frustrating, people just don’t want to think to hard about what’s going to happen. They are too caught up in the world. I think we can all learn something from that. we just need to stop and look at the big picture sometimes and not get so caught up in everything we forget what we do all these things for. I tell people that all the time. Tatay, what is our purpose here on earth, why are we here. I love getting people to think of that. U can tell most people don’t like to very much. Then they just get really defensive especially if there not doing good things in life,


We are making my comp trunky lol its so funny me and Elder Naylor made him a trunky chain and its has how many days he has left and each one has a question and he has to open it in the morning then close it at night and we talk about it all day lol its so funny. U wouldn’t believe our conversations though. I learn most by myself which is harder but better for me. I know how to do everything perfect, and he is a really hard worker, it’s nothing like that. He is perfect but its hard to explain lol he has all the preach my gospel and white handbook memorized so I can’t do anything, and he even twists rules I swear.

Hey by the end of this month I might have to take out like 20 bucks but I swear it will be the last time for a while. I’m buying a pair of pants and some water buffalo belts that are more spendy. But there so awesome wait tell u see them, but ya just so u know. I am going to buy another pair of pants today and this week I’m going to buy these sweet belts that everyone had to buy when there here on there mission cause there made out of the water buffaloes horn.
There candy is weird. Dude wait tell the pictures u will see. One of my favorite things is ice cream in bread. Its home made ice-cream but its pretty good and it is in bread.
We’re looking for old couple missionaries, ours are sooooooo cool but they’re all going home really soon. gtg talk to u next week.

I am getting really good at washing my clothes. And my fingers aren’t getting so bad now. I actually love doing it now. We sit there and talk and wash and listen to Disney. First thing I am doing when I get home is not shaving or cutting my hair until I start looking for a wife
Man this week has been a roller coaster I swear so much has happened. But it’s like this every week lol I think back on it and I’m like holy cow no way was that all in a week but it was. First of all I want to get that jump rope thing from u dad again lol I think I remember most of it and I do it every night right after stuff and I love it hurts but its awesome. My comp was like man if that is what it takes to look like u I don’t want it ha-ha I've actually gotten stronger since I’ve been here I think but man I have the worst Farmers tan u wouldn’t believe it lol its pangit. That's ugly. Oh and I want to know how far each dot is for that dot drill so I can make one and do it.
Alright so this week.... Well Wednesday I went on this exchange cause my comp is about to go home and so I went on this exchange in Cauayan with the missionaries that stay with the APs and so we went out and did NOTHING lol I felt so disobedient but I didn’t even do anything bad. I didn’t even know what to do. Actually the only thing we did all day was OYM and I’m the one that did it lol. I did buy this sick bag though ill show it too u when I send my picks home its sweet. But that whole day everyone I talked to knew me and my comp, and I got bombarded with questions from everyone and I knew none of them. Then I hung out with the APs. They like me for some reason lol because they talk about me a lot I guess with all the other people that why like everyone in this mission knows me. Oh ya and that is what I found out is that everyone in the mission knows me lol. So we had transfers and my comp leaves in 3 weeks in the middle of one and I found out that pres was going to have 3 aps for a while then the oldest one that was about to go home was going to train me. I was like the what did I do wrong lol but things changed at the last second and now I don’t know what is going to happen. Then transfer day came and my elder Pincock left and is a Zone leader now and Naylor came back with a new comp. He was like Elder RIner the whole mission knows u lol he said people kept coming up to him and was like hey how is elder Riner. And he was like who the freak are u lol I just started laughing when I heard that. He said people were saying that before my comp goes home one of us is going to kill the other cause we are SOOO different its nuts.
But anyways this week has also been good with my Tagalog. I jumped another level this week and I almost got grammar down which is the hardest part. In about one more transfer I hope to have it so I don’t have to rely so much on my comp. I wake up early to study language and then study it at night too. I really want to get it. It’s the most frustrating thing in this world.
Man I want to hear about Nate. He kind of knows my situation. SO HOT all the time its stupid. Oh I ate some interesting things. First I ate a whole fish like the side flippers things and stuff and my comp ate the head like everything I kid u not but the tail and the bones. Then we ate a WHOLE chicken. I guess u can eat the whole thing except bones and the big intestine. that mean the legs and everything well I guess u cant eat the beak.... but ya I was chewing on this thing and I was like hmm hey what is this and my comp was like that is the neck, I was like what. But it was pretty good so it was alright then I was eating something else and I was like what is this. But it was good too and I didn’t want to ruin it so I just don’t ask anymore. As long as its edible and it won’t kill me. I’m good with it now. Oh then I ate frog. HMMMMM frog was the best I loved it so much. The bones are weird in the frog though. Oh this is how u eats things. U put it in urn mouth then chews and chew then spit out the bones. It took a little getting use too. I’ve gotten really good at cooking stuff. I just hate how long it takes. I just want to EAT it. Uh no I didn’t eat the dog I told you about last week. I would have thrown up it smelled like horrible wet dog, and over 75 percent of the dogs here u can’t eat because they have diseases and they are naked. Like no hair cause of their sicknesses, dude dogs here are so ugly, and there are only mutts. Nothing else they’re all soooo ugly.
Oh and then there is teaching. Ill tell u about one guy because we teach about 20 or more lessons a week and that would take forever. But this guy had pretty much given up on life, he was so old and he had had a hard life his whole life, like u can’t understand. Think of rouging wheat all day in the hottest day, that is what this guy has done him whole life and barely has enough food to eat. so he didn’t believe in a life after and he kept saying, I have no hope and stuff like that. Man we taught him this lesson and just bore testimonies and by the end he was smiling and u can see him completely change. Then he came to church this Sunday, Man that is what the mission is all about. Ill go through any kind of hardship in this world to give someone that hope, all of this is so worth it for little things like that.

Oh, about mothers day we only get to talk for like 30 to 40 min lol sorry but that’s what it says in the white hand book. Uh this week has been pretty good, u asked what i eat... u don’t want to know. I like saving my money so i usually just eat a ton of rice and a ulam which is just stuff to put on it. and its just out of a can, sometimes i eat pancakes too. i found the mix here so i was happy about that, i got sick this week, it was hard i was so weak and stuff but i still worked, my comp wanted to stay, he kept saying i was just going to make it worse, but i have different faith then that lol i just think he wanted a break, Man u guys wouldn’t believe how hot it ALWYAS is here its bad, we always have a fan on us and if we don’t u just SWEAT like no ones business. but I’m defiantly going through my testing time. Everything is so hard. EVERYTHING lol but i have gained the biggest testimonies how these trials are what grows us, i keep asked heavenly father for this faith in Christ, and this testimony that will help me on my mission and i know these trials are what is going to give me that faith and testimony(2cor,12:10 i think). ITs so hard though to keep that faith and know its all going to end up working out. Ur faith always gets put to the test, But i still love it all. i will only come home in a casket lol and i just dont drink the water at all, even though the other americans do, and i do eat fruit lol mangoes are the BEST

So how is school and everything? how is reading> did u study that prayer section in preach my gospel? its page 96 i think it PRAY WITH FAITH. I promise if u use prayer right, like in all ur studies and before a test and stuff u will be AMAZED at what will happen lol, pray before u study and everything god will help u and i promise,,, he knows algebra. Ask his help in everything. My favorite motto " pray like everything depends on God, then work like everything depends on u".

I heard the mangoes we have at home are terrible compared to here too and the bananas here are way, way better and everything here is just way sweeter tasting. they have the weirdest fruits in the world, oh and i have so pics of pineapple plants, ill send them home with the next batch of pics, im sending a CD home today of pics so it will get there later.
oh my gosh i miss that soooo much and i miss the people in that pick. WHo is at the bottom? Man its so crazy to see them, that’s what i want. i want pictures of like me with long hair and me in sports and i want pictures of friends and then of course u guys but i already of pictures of u, and i want and just all kinds of different pictures like that, SPORTS, FRIENDS, FAMILY. Those categories. Man i miss u guys, i didn’t even miss life until i saw this picture. I bought a ton of stuff today. I can’t wait to wear this stuff when i get home. I’m buying all kinds of weird Pilipino stuff lol. I don’t know what u want to hear about my week. We blessed someone with week and i anointed the oil on his head that was cool, then one of our investigators had her baby, it was so cute. and the place is getting ugly and everything is dyeing cause no rain. The people are still really nice here. Oh i saw a dog after it was killed and all fried up, the head was sitting in a pot and it looked so horrible but it was awesome and the whole place smelled like horrible wet dog, oh and then i saw this mother kill a chicken. its so cruel they just cut a little slit in its neck and squeeze the blood out tell it dies and it coughs it out and stuff ill send the video home i recorded it i think. i saw a guy here with a spokane washington hat on lol that was crazy and he was in my area we were just tracting I’m like dude i live there and he didn’t even know what the hat said. Oh and dude the people here have the weirdest diseases like u couldn’t even believe it, u know when dad flips his eyes out, well there is a kid here stuck like that and i have seen him try to fix it and it stays fixed for a little then it just goes back to flipped out it is so gross. we always walk by there and one time at night when we walked by he stuck his head out his window and i almost peed my pants, oh and that kid with that big lump on his chest that i send home died, people die here all the time. like ALL the time and the people were white things around there heads, the other thing is people get married here all the time and what they do for weddings is they play music all night and in the morning its still going and uh can here it in the whole barangy its soooooo loud and i swear there all over out house but it doesn’t help out t house is kinda in the middle, oh i was talking to this old grandpa and his teeth kept falling it out it was crazy he was mumbling so bad cause he was trying to talk and keep them in while talking. Oh and last time i got on this and i was emailing u i had a different missionary sitting right by me and he was setting up a facebook hhahahahaha loser. Oh and like stupid is like our f word lol and so everyone calls each other like fat and ugly like that’s not bad, there was this time and we were talking to this father and were like were is ur wife he was like that Mataba witch is fat and she was standing right behind him and she just smiled, how awesome is that, we would get slapped and also here u can ask anyone there age and they will tell u its not a problem at all> oh and then something else happened funny yesterday, this guy we have taught twice now the first time we taught him when he was done he was like i want to tell u something i feel and were like yes then he was like. when ever ur here i cant speak, he was like I’m really good at tagalog but whenever were here he just cant do it and he was like struggling saying this, he is actually in charge of this whole baragy and then were like wow that’s weird then this next time when we returned yesterday i could just tell he was like mad from the beginning and then it came out he was like, what kind of curse are u putting on me, why can i not speak, then we found out later that if he could he would just argue with us that is what a member told us about him so we think the spirit is just telling him to listen... See why i don’t tell u everything lol this is about a good 3 days worth of stuff can u believe if i told u everything of every week lol, Lets just leave it at THIS PLACE IS CRAZY, i see the craziest stuff just about every day lol. Well i have to go, love ya see ya BEY