9-24-12

Sorry to all of you faithful blog followers that did not get a new post last week.  Elder Williams had a tooth filling fall out and had to visit the dentist last week and have it refilled. This caused his email time to be 5 minutes and only really had time to email Pres Martino.

hey I'm back from the dentist everything went great and there's no problems but I only have time to write to President Martino. Next week I'll recap everything from last week and this week na darating. I love you!

Monday was my last P-day with Elder Abuan. Nakakalungkot naman (Sadly again)... I went to the dentist to fix my tooth filling; I was super impressed with the dentist office! Based on my experience in this country, I expected an old, dusty office with a brother chair and leather straps to hold me down. But it was really awesome! The entire place was clean and professional, and the dentist even had a tiny camera and showed me all my teeth! After that we went to the mall, but neither of us bought groceries because transfers are coming up.

Tuesday was a pretty average day; we worked pretty hard considering transfers were Wednesday. In the morning we taught an old retired guy who is less active and he just preached to us from his weird bible. He doesn’t understand a word of English. After that we ate Litson Manok for lunch on the terrace in our apartment.  After that, we taught an investigator at his new house (he moved last week and didn't tell us). Then we came home and planned for tomorrow and I was up until 12:00 washing my clothes, but it wasn't that bad. It's the closest I can get to running by myself so it’s fine with me

Wednesday was transfer announcement! This morning we played basketball with the Dingalan Elders and some punks at the high school who kept asking us for lighters so they could smoke. While we were showering the ZL's called and announced transfers over the phone. Elder Abuan got transferred to my old area in Kaptian Pepe, and my new companion is Elder Bustillo. Elder Rabino's new companion is Elder Montierth, my ka-bahay  (my home) in Cabanatuan! So we said goodbye to all the members and got home around nine, even though our goal was to get home around 6. It’s amazing, last time we were companions he wasn't even 1 year in the mission, now he is basically pauwi na (almost home). He might be going to his last area.

Thursday we left Gobaldon around 6:30am for Cabanatuan, where we met all the other missionaries transferring to other areas. I spent a lot of time talking to Elder Johnson, we were nagka-zone in cabanatuan. About 9:00, the missionaries going to the other side of the mission got on a bus and left. Everyone coming from Tarlac should have been to Cabanatuan around 11, but they didn't show up until 12. Then I met Elder Bustillo, my new companion. He came from Paniqui Zone on the other side of the mission, and he's been here 4 and 1/2 months. I like him but he is masyadong tahimik. (very quiet)  On the way home we were sabay-sabay (simultaneously) with Dingalan Elders. I forgot how much Elder Montierth likes to talk but that is not a bad thing. When we got home, we ate dinner at President Someras house. After nightly planning, Elder Bustillo went right to sleep. nakakapagod kasi mag-byahe (tedious because to travel)

Friday we worked in Bugnan to invite people to the baptism. I found out Sister Marivi's maiden name is Bustillo, literally EVERYONE we talked to asked how they were related. I told Elder Bustillo to bring his camera, and he was a little reluctant because his last area was bukid (field) also. But then he saw the river rafts and was amazed!

Saturday was such a good day I didn’t even want to speak tagalog because I couldn’t express how happy I was. We had the baptismal service for 3 people. We took a Filipino tractor towards the mountains in Bugnan to some incredibly blue water. After the actual baptismal ordinance, they shared their testimonies and one of the baptismal candidates started crying!

Sunday we had a record high 90 people come to church! My first week we were only at 57. Then we had some meetings, choir practice, and worked a little bit. Elder Bustillo is still really confused about the area, but he'll figure it out. To end the day we had sopas at our branch president’s house. Last night was the first time I ever saw Elder Bustillo express any emotion. Maybe he's just shy because it’s a new area.

Mahal Kita

Elder Williams

thats a filipino version of a tractor. people use them in their bukids and if you're walking down the road and you see one going your way its totally cool to get on the back and makisakay (hitchhike) with him.

 

 

9-10-12

hello! sorry we're late, we nagpunta (went) to the dagat (SEA) earlier. I am super sunburned.

This week was awesome. I got the new debit card today! Also we got a new cellphone! Man I learned something awesome this week. So I don't know what the problem is, but I get canker sores about once a month. This one old lady gave me this idea to cook rice, and when its cooked I put a spoon in the pot and collect steam; when the spoon is hot I put it on the canker sore. It works really well, actually. you should try it sometime when you're cooking rice and you have a canker sore at the same time. (but what are the chances, right??)

So we have this  guy that is getting ready to enter the temple in December and we teach him about once a week. He's kind of losing hair but not quite bald. (Almost nobody is bald here... weird.)

So I lost a tooth filling this week. Remember the one that fell out in college? It's the same one. I don't know what the problem is but this is the second time it's fallen out.

I have to tell you the funniest thing ever. So every day we have language study after lunch, and Elder Abuan has this voice recorder he uses for different things. Anyway this week he did this thing where he asked questions in English to the recorder, and he would try to answer them in English as well. Seriously the funniest thing ever. It was like he was having a conversation with himself through a voice recorder. He speaks way better English than he did last time we were companions.

This week we had Zone Conference, it was sweet. President Martino and Elder Howell (who is the Perpetual Education Fund representative for a few missions in the Philippines) both spoke to us. 

Earlier we went to the beach, it was awesome. The same beach we went to last time, so I didn't take too many pictures. But go ahead and check the server, there's some pictures from Zone Conference and two awesome videos. 

Sister Lutz is the best. Last Friday we had house checks and then companion exchanges, so we just got a ride with them to Dingalan. Her and I had the best conversation ever in their truck:

"Sister Lutz, do you eat rice very often?"

"Oh sure, we cooked rice last night!"

"Really? What do you usually put on it?"

"Oh, sometimes we have vegetables or I'll cook some meat or something"

"How often do you eat rice? Have you ever had it for breakfast?"

"Breakfast?!?! NO!! Who in the WORLD eats rice for BREAKFAST?"

"....Can I tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday?"

"Oh sure, go ahead."

"We had rice, and we ate it with hot dogs, eggs, and ketchup"

"What?! Don't you have bread or something? Eggs are good with toast for breakfast, but not RICE! "

"Actually, I used to eat bread all the time, but lately I haven't felt a need to eat bread. Its been about two weeks since I've bought a bread loaf and I don't mind it at all. Plus hot dogs are good for the nighttime when I'm too tired to cook a meal. It's quick and not too messy."

"I don't understand!! Don't you just have bread and peanut butter so you can make a sandwich when you're too tired to cook?"

"We don't buy peanut butter often, it's too expensive for the amount of money that we have each month"

"Well, we don't really look when we buy things at the store.. So what are you eating for lunch today?"
"A lady down the street from us cooks ulam every day, we'll probably just buy from her, and then cook rice when we get home. It's way cheap, too! Only 15 pesos for 1 ulam"

"So she just cooks chicken or whatever and you just cook your own rice? I guess that's a pretty good idea."

"Yeah we eat it about 3 or 4 times a week. Want to try it?"

"But our house is an hour away! Where would I put it?"

"She'll put it in a plastic bag for you, so you don't need to worry about it."

"I can't handle that, its too long. If I had a cooler or something.."

"Sister Lutz I can tell her to double bag it if you'd like!"

"No. No no no. It's too much for me. What if the food is cold by the time we get home??"

"Then when your rice is cooked you put the ulam on top of the rice and let the steam warm it up. For us it usually takes about 5-7 minutes"

(Then we got out of the car and didn't finish the conversation. Sister Lutz is great. I also attached a picture of when we cooked the mac and cheese a few weeks ago.

Love you

Elder Williams

One year in the Philippines

Elder Williams has officially been in the Philippines for 1 year now. Last year he left the MTC on Labor Day and had a 2 day journey to Angeles City.  Sometimes it is hard to believe we only have 10 1/2 months left of his mission and other times it feels like he will never come home.  We would not want him anywhere else and love the journey of the good and bad.  

Hello!

We are way early today because we aren't going back to Gobaldon later this evening. We have Zone Conference tomorrow, so we're just going to stay in Cabanatuan instead of spending money going back and forth. Later this evening we have a Family Home Evening with the zone in Kalikid (one of the areas in Bongabon Zone) so we want to get everything done early today.

School started already? That’s weird... Christmas started here in the Philippines! We were in the mall for a few minutes and they played Christmas music the entire time we were there.  No we didn’t get flooded here, I never even heard about the earthquake. I feel like the entire Philippines is just getting destroyed except for my mission.

I am putting pictures in the Gobaldon folder. I made a folder that says sep 2.

Remember how I told you the water sucks here? And we just have a tank that sometimes has water and sometimes doesn’t? So when the tank is full it’s like 200 gallons and lasts for about 8 days. We haven’t had water in about 9. We get like little bits of water every day, and we use that to wash dishes and clean and stuff. I only showered at my apartment twice this week. (One day we showered at the ZL's home after a meeting and one day I didn’t get to shower. The other 3 days we showered at the church) 

What do you have for the package already? Here's a list we made last night:

a few (4 or 5) boxes of mac and cheese

Granola

two pairs of long sleeved garments

two pocket sized book of mormon

anbesol

Oreos

Oh btw I dropped our cell phone in the river last week.  We never got it back. It was night time and the water was deep. We have to pay like 3 or 400 pesos, so it’s actually not that bad.  I am trying to think of things to email I don’t know what to say... I forgot my journal and can't think of anything worth writing..

 

Monday we had zone goal setting and I realized why I hate p-day. We get together as a zone and nobody can make a decision. We wanted to find a place to email together, so the zl's said we should go to the place near their apartment. Then someone suggested Cabanatuan, since we were going to the mall anyway. But hey, Cabanatuan has tons of great Computer shops (and each missionary has his own favorite), so which one do we choose? But the elders in Bongabon were going home first, so we should just stay in Palayan and email together. Super nakaka-asar (frustrating).  Tuesday was a good day,  We visit this less active family  and they always say they'll come to church or have family prayer or read the book of Mormon, but they don’t. The parents basically don’t care anymore and honestly it breaks my heart. I just want to take away their free agency for one Sunday morning and make them come to church. How could they have gone so far away they don’t want to listen anymore? We always teach their children and its great, but they won’t come to church without their parents.

Wednesday we worked with nanay, she came with us to teach a family.  After that we visited this part member family.

Thursday we had a meeting in Palayan, and showered at the ZL's house because we don’t have any water in our apartment. Then we went to Bugnan and it was weird. I feel like nobody wanted to talk to us.

Friday we had weekly planning, and then taught Tatay. This week he asked how the book of Mormon and bible would become one 

Saturday the branch went to Manila and took one of the members to the MTC. She is serving in the manila Philippines mission. We worked in Bungan and got a ride with President Riparip in his tricycle, on the way home it was raining and he ran out of gas (the way home is sort of uphill) and then he got a flat tire. So that was a good day

Sunday we went on splits and I worked with President Garcia, the second counselor in the branch presidency. We visited the less actives and told them about the temple preparation class and committed them to come to the temple in December. Then we defrosted our fridge and packed for today and tomorrow.

We have a baptism on Sept 15, the two kids we've been teaching for a few weeks now.   I don't know what’s going on with the water, nobody will tell me anything. we buy drinking water (25 pesos for 10 liters, I don’t want to make jokes but that’s dirt cheap).

 thanks for your help. I have to go now. man it feels like no time passes when I email. I love you!