April 2, 2012

silly scripture of the week is 1 corinthians 14:34-35

today (which is yesterday back at home) my brother is either getting married or is married. either way it's also april fools over there. i'll be looking forward to pictures and whatnot from the wedding. happy wishes to the family and be safe.

well last week i got my tooth taken care of by an inept and incompetant dentist who was quite ansy with me and probably did a rather horrible job because she's a jerk. when i get home i'll have my own dentist fix what she ruined but for right now i can deal with it. i'll proabably also need to have my top wisdom teeth taken out once i get home. such is life.

afterwards, i spent some time shopping in robinsons, which is in my old area fifth ward and met sister grace and had lunch at a mexican food place. i forgot how much i missed that ward and the great people there. when i come back, i'll visit fifth ward and tour the city. it really is a nice place if your here on vacation or for a festival.

i forgot to mention before that tangub (my current area) is very close to alijis (my old area). actually, they touch each other and i go to the alijis chapel every week for district meetings. i'm also back in bacolod. most people don't spend this much of their mission in bacolod.

the roaches and rats that i mentioned last week are eaten every night by the chickens living around the house. it's science! it's actually quite interesting. but i think i killed most of them by now. they are slowing becoming less frequent.

i no longer have a washer machine in the apartment and have to do the laundry by hand again.... sadface. also, the toilet doesn't really flush too well. even when it's just water i have to use a plunger for like 30 minutes until it's clean. we received the water and electricity bills and they were really high. normally a water bill -for a two man apartment- should be around 300-500 but the water was 1100. i finally managed to get the previous elder to give his share of the payment (because he didn't leave any) but still, the amount was way too high to be paying for water that is at times black. i hate this apartment.

there's also this crazy lady named arlene that bugs me and elder esparas alot, it's not anything to be worried about, it's just creepy.

we finally got a filter but we have no way of attatching it to the water spout. it's not a faucet, it's a spout. they don't fit so i'll have to get some tools and supplies from the hardware store.

one thing that would be useful for anyone preparing to go on a mission would be to buy a leatherman or any multifunction tool that is at least of good quality. the tools here are all fake made in china stuff. i had a nice strong good quality one and i accidently snapped it in two trying to cut some metal. whoops

also, a lot of the times in packages i'm dissappointed at what is inside compared to the shipping cost. like if someone were to send a box of pens, or something, the shipping alone would buy 10 times more pens than can fit inside the box. sometimes, it's best to think outside the box and send money rather than packages.

i've been thinkabout about when i go home (maybe jan 3, 2013) but the thing is is that in 2012 everything will be crumbling around me when i'm on the plane, because they miscalculated the date, i'll also be going back through that time zone warp thing. like seriously, what's the point in going home if the worlds just gonna end. maybe just finland will be destroyed or something, oh noe not finran.

well i don't know what to do with my hands, but i've got to make like a tree and get out.

March 26, 2012

silly scripture of the week is Samuel 19:24

well this week i'm going to the dentist for a cavity that has been bothering me. the thing is is that the mission doesn't reimburse for dentist visits. so i'm gonna need to pay with this with my own money. problem is, is that i don't have much. well now is the time for me to ask for money. maybe even some change will do. just some change. does anyone have any change? change... change... change...

well for this week, nothing really exciting happened. i've been working hard everyday and i get tired. and then when i get home i go into VATS mode and kill all the radroaches and radrats, i used a permethrine spray but it's hit points are kinda low and it condition is low so it jams so i just use my melee skills. seriously this apartment is disgusting. i killed 25 roaches in one night and every other day i kill a rat or mouse. the water is literally black at times and we have a broken filter which the mission is too lazy to replace (jive turkeys). i'm not Augustus Goop and that wasn't chocolate. chocolate? that's doodoo baby. well this apartmen reminded me of the times when i used plunger to kill rats and the quote comes to mind "that's not a plunger, this is a plunger" because elder woodford is Australian.

this past week i realized hat i am now a shadow of my former self, i have grown weak from not working out and living here. i miss high school and all the people back there and it's sad to think that we all won't ever be together again like it was back then. but on to bigger and better thing. i've been thinking about my plan for after my mission ( i know, really far ahead but not soo far) and i am still not sure of what i'm going to do. weird. i'll get back to you on that one...

in other news, i might need new shoes sometime in the future. the hushpuppies i have are really resilient and have lasted a long time but i've had them for a really long time. other than that, i miss mass effect

March 19, 2012

silly scripture of the week is Numbers 22:22-35

when i left himamaylan, i tried fixing up a lot of the gossip that happened with elder reyes and things started to improve, but his reputation there is still a bit tarnished. like i said last week, that's what you get when you don't stop things like that. i raised the warning voice so my conscience is clear. a lil bit of info about him is that his family is big in the military but also is known as corrupt.

well this week was ok. I got transfered back to bacolod but not to where i wanted to transfer. i was under the impression that one of the spots in the office (supply) was going to be open and that i would fill it. oh well maybe next transfer. i am close enough to where it may be a possibility. for my whole mission, i've been put in good areas, actually all the areas that the AP's were put into. for instance: 3rd ward - AP's area, 5th ward - President's area with elder stradling (AP), alijis - elder hernandez (AP) and Ili's (AP) areas, Himamaylan - elder esling's (AP) area, tangub - elder hinkley's (AP) area. so in my viewpoint, these areas can't be bad because he put his AP's into those areas before they became his assistants.

i am now currently in tangub ward. it's a good area with a lot of nice members and a nice chapel. it's one of the nicer ones that i've seen. the only one nicer that i saw was kabankalan chapel. the only bad thing is that there are squatters again, and it leaves the chapel a mess with stuff littering the grounds and broken/stolen property all the time. i also don't like the apartment. i remember visiting this house when i was in alijis and thinking to myself "this apartment sucks, i'm glad that i don't live here" and now i live here.

but the area is a nice area none the less. i've been in squatters zones, subdivision and bukid. now that i've experience all of them, i come to an area with all of them in one spot. it's kinda nifty. some areas remind me of sector 7 slums in final fantasy 7. if you haven't played it then you wouldn't understand. i also eat a lot of datiles cherries all the time, because there are a bunch here. sorry i don't know how to explain what they taste like except "good."

now that i'm back in the city, i have to get used to kids chasing after me and grabbing me all the time. that was one thing that i didn't miss in himamaylan. after living like this, i can say that some of those shows or movies or videos of celebrities running from crowds of people have some truth to them, because i've experienced that myself. it sucks.

Here right now, baptisms will probably start slowing down across the whole mission because now we are doing nothing but less active work. the only problem is that the LA people are harder than actual investigators. sometimes when teaching them, i wonder really hard at how they actually got baptized and if the elders actually taught them or anything. some of the answers that they give are ridiculous.

this past week i ate american food. trix, peanut butter, mashed potatoes and PEZ. i feel like i'm back in america because that's just about the kind of food that i ate all the time. candy, cereal, peanut butter and some preprocessed food.

but i do miss america right now. i'm at the point in my mission where i still have a long time to go but i want to be done now. there's a lot of things that i'm missing back at home. i'm even gonna miss my brothers wedding on april fools. or maybe not, it is april fools... i also miss playing video games.

foods that i like are:
lenaga - jackfruit and beef
pochero - potatoish banana and pork

March 12, 2012

silly scripture of the week is Deuteronomy 23:1

1 baptism this week: Erika Labiga Pama.

well well well transfer week is coming up this week and i'm really excited for transfers! i'm not gonna say what i think will happen but i'm gonna say that more than likely "good things will happen" if i start next week's blog by "this week was ok" then nothing good happened and i got my hopes up for nothing. but for sure this week i will get a new companion. at this point in my mission, I'm not stressing out over anything or having immense trouble with anything but i am TIRED OUT. the next past year in the philippines has went by quick and the next few months will probably go by just as quick but it feels like an awfully long time when you've been doing this day in and day out for over a year.

i would like to thank all of the people back at home for all of the support that they show me. even though i can't really explain my gratitude to well through my blog, i do thank you for your sacrifices and time. i rtemmeber how busy it was back at home and how i forgot to write or send anything to friends when they left from home and now that i'm on the receiving end, it's really great to have friends and family who will send me packages and letters and even just e-mails of support.

for other nifty foods that i've tried and will hopefully bring back to america and open up a restraunt:

maja: coconut juice, corn starch, sugar, corn. (it's like a jello cake)
giphang: malangkot/pilit (sticky rice) it's like a rice crispies treat and a Quaker rice cake. but the rice is naturally sticky.
dinakdakan: Liempo (grilled pork with skin), mayonaise, onion, calamansi, chili

pork sinigan: pork, papaya, raddish, kamote, chili, chili leaves, ocra, squash, eggplant, onion, garlic.

last week i talked about how here in the philippines that gossip spreads like wildfire. especially about missionaries because we're held to a higher standard. sometimes though things get out of hand, like people thinking that i'm stuck up for not talking too much. i'm a quite person, so what. well since i've been here long enough, people have found out that i'm not stuck up, they actually respect me a lot here and one sister (who is easily offended and was offended by the current AP right before i arrived) actually said that i was the only good missionary that she's ever seen. many members were surprised at that because, according to them, it is notoriously HARD to please her. well this is all good for me, i am at least respected for my diligence, attitude, work ethic, obedience, spirituality and respect.

but... at this time, there are rumors circulating about my companion and a recent convert. the thing is is that she has been really close to him and i've been repeatedly telling both if them (especially the sister) to keep their distance. well what happens when neither one of them listens, gossip starts spreading about them and it's not good for the work. now i'm her saying "i told you so" to them. And the mother of the sister doesn't understand when i say that it's not allowed for missionaries to return to marry anyone on their mission. And they wonder why there's gossip!?!?


if anyone can understand what this means then you will know what is playing in the internet cafe right now. it's tagolog though, not hilagaynon- Nagmahal Ako Ng Bakla (Mga Tambay Lang Kami) it's actually pretty funny! and then there is also another song "shower me with your love" ambot sa tagiya, palagpat gid siya daw agi!

March 5, 2012

Silly Scripture of the week is Leviticus 21:20 and i would also like to include Numbers 15:38 as a scripture for last week.

some of the spelling and font colors and formatting in the blog is a little messed up from what i made, i had it formatted, but through e-mail/idk some of the formatting was lost. but you get the gist of it all.

i would like to make mention of the loss of weekly reports, for any Returned missionary, weekly reports are the only way to stay in touch with your mission president when you are away from the city. well the area presidency ousted those and instead implemented IMOS which is a computer based messaging system used by the church to send in our work numbers and report. we the thing is... is that it NEVER works EVER. a lil frustrating.

pretty soon we will be getting a new mission president. i really like president Tobias and when he leaves, i'll miss him but oh well, all good things must come to an end, and who knows, the next one could be just as good or even better. his name is President Lopez (not 100% sure) and he's from Hawaii. he may be Filipino.

this week, i finally finished reading the bible from front to back (new and old testaments). before, i had never fully read the bible. now, no one can say anything to me about bible reading because i've read it from front to back. now i need to read the book of mormon and doctrine and covenants. from everything i've read, i have learned that the lord hates covenant breakers, idols, and hypocrites.

this week, i also realized that i have around 300 days left of my mission. not a long time when you think about it. i hit my 1 year and 2 months mark already! i still feel brand new out of the MTC, except kinda tired of being on a mission. but time will fly by fast.

also, one thing that i also don't like is that the people here gossip like they are still in the 7th grade. some people never grow up.

also, i would like to answer a few question from letters. i wont include names or speak about anyone's personal life but i can't really reply to letters because:

as a missionary, i don't have very much time, energy or money. i need to focus on the basic necessities to sustain myself and to do the work. to spend time and money on letters while here in the Philippines would be a very burdensome task.

it's easier and quicker here.
i'd need to buy paper
i'd need to write it
i'd need to buy an envelope
i'd need to pay shipping
i'd need to make a trip to the post office
the letter probably wouldn't arrive anyways, if it did, it'd be 6 months later.

they celebrate valentines and Christmas here. the main differences is that with Christmas, it's still hot and there aren't as many lights. also, they use little firecrackers or noise makes. they also sometimes have jesus impersonators who carry a cross around and crucify themselves. also, no temple light and there is no temple on my island so i can't go until my mission ends. also for deaths, they gamble for 40 days and nights next to the body.

on valentines it is roughly the same as in america but i wouldn't know, i didn't participate. although i did receive a few valentines from some of the young women in the ward. surprising because i didn't flirt with them or anything. i suppose i am their crush because they do try to talk to me a lot.

about animal interruptions in lessons. a dog is tame to the things we see here. i've had two fighting chickens run up into a lesson and fight each other in front of us. (no talons on) we've also been interrupting by other animals such as pigs, dogs, cats, goats, snakes, ducks, and goats. so far there have been no carrabaw or cows interrupting us, but it is still very possible. also, there have been plenty of human interruptions as well, such as naked kids running around or breast feeding or people getting into fights. not that i'm complaining, i think all this is funny and it makes for good stories.

dengue fever sucks. looking back, it wasn't full blown dengue but that may be becausemy immune system is stronger than average or that it was a different strain of the virus. either way it still sucked.

i played varsity as a freshman as well, i was brought up after the season and didn't get much playing time. i know how it feels to be in that situation. it may be intimidating to be in that position but it's also a chance to showcase your skills and to improve. the coaches though that i was good enough to go up and that definitely meant that i as good. but even so, don't ever get a head bigger than your helmet. or don't get a big ego or get cocky.

February 27, 2012

silly scripture of the week is Deuteronomy 22:11-12

now, here is where i talk about a few of the silly scriptures that i have used. many of these verses are silly because of the depravity of the ancient israelites at the time and hence, the lord had to give them strict laws. some are silly because of translations, as someone who is bilingual, translation are definitely sometimes tricky because languages are very different in more than just the words, but also structure and meaning. many of these scriptures seem unrelated to the gospel (and truly they are) and are sometimes very silly, but they are still scripture none the less. (except for the song of solomon that's not) wearing certain clothing administered by the lord is not something silly or new. many of these commandments are very symbolic and the deeper meaning can be known only through deep study of the scriptures. for jesus himself said (when speaking to his apostles) that "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables" so there are many secrets hidden by the lord so that they can be revealed to us. the world around us is full of symbols you are looking at symbols right now. a few lines put together make a letter, a few letters put together make a word, a few words put together make a thought. it is through these small symbols that we build big thoughts.and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. as we look at symbols in the bible, we need not suppose that these symbols cannot be used in today's' application. i have also included an excerpt from preparing to enter into the holy temple.

On one occasion one of the brethren was invited to speak to the faculty and staff of the Navy Chaplains Training School in Newport, Rhode Island. The audience included a number of high-ranking naval chaplains from the Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faiths.

In the question-and-answer period one of the chaplains asked, “Can you tell us something about the special underwear that some Mormon servicemen wear?” The implication was, “Why do you do that? Isn’t it strange? Doesn’t that present a problem?”

To the chaplain who made the inquiry he responded with a question: “Which church do you represent?” In response he named one of the Protestant churches.

He said, “In civilian life and also when conducting the meetings in the military service you wear clerical clothing, do you not?” The chaplain said that he did.

He continued: “I would suppose that that has some importance to you, that in a sense it sets you apart from the rest of your congregation. It is your uniform, as it were, of the ministry. Also, I suppose it may have a much more important place. It reminds you of who you are and what your obligations and covenants are. It is a continual reminder that you are a member of the clergy, that you regard yourself as a servant of the Lord, and that you are responsible to live in such a way as to be worthy of your ordination.”

He then told them: “You should be able to understand at least one of our reasons why Latter-day Saints have a deep spiritual commitment concerning the garment. A major difference between your churches and ours is that we do not have a professional clergy, as you do. The congregations are all presided over by local leaders. They are men called from all walks of life. Yet they are ordained to the priesthood. They hold offices in the priesthood. They are set apart to presiding positions as presidents, counselors, and leaders in various categories. The women, too, share in that responsibility and in those obligations. The man who heads our congregation on Sunday as the bishop may go to work on Monday as a postal clerk, as an office worker, a farmer, a doctor; or he may be an air force pilot or a naval officer. By our standard he is as much an ordained minister as you are by your standard. He is recognized as such by most governments. We draw something of the same benefits from this special clothing as you would draw from your clerical vestments. The difference is that we wear ours under our clothing instead of outside, for we are employed in various occupations in addition to our service in the Church. These sacred things we do not wish to parade before the world.”

He then explained that there are some deeper spiritual meanings as well, connecting the practice of wearing this garment with covenants that are made in the temple. We wouldn’t find it necessary to discuss these—not that they are secret, he repeated, but because they are sacred.

The garment, covering the body, is a visual and tactile reminder of these covenants. For many Church members the garment has formed a barrier of protection when the wearer has been faced with temptation. Among other things it symbolizes our deep respect for the laws of God—among them the moral standard.

i will change subjects now. many people have tried to disprove the book of Mormon by very clever means and a lot of the time, very idiotic means. but for each and every argument, it has withstood the test of time. many of the old arguments that i have heard are now obsolete. people laugh about horses on the american continent because everybody knows that the Spanish brought horses to the Americas. but not everyone knows that before that, there is evidence of horses living and then gradually becoming extinct before the Spanish arrived. some laugh at translation mistakes but no one remembers all the incorrect words in the bible, for instance, i have created a long list of scriptures which show bad translations in my silly scriptures. when i get home, i would invite anyone to try to disprove my religion and then i will tear apart theirs and show how what they believe is little more than smoke and mirrors. and that the catholic church is little more than a false church which has VERY far away from the truth. i could spend more time going into detail about things like this but i must get going.

well for this week, there is no real news. just been working on helping ALOT of less active members return to church. there's talk of me going into the office, i'm not sure what yet though. maybe i'll step up soon. but it's still just talk right now, nothing is finalized.

sometime this week, i found out that most American missionaries have embraced the Filipino culture of bathroom etiquette. meaning that they don't use toilet paper, "oh well when in rome." i propose this question though, if you can buy it every week, why not use it. and why also do you use your hands to eat as well. check and mate. as for me, i will still use toilet paper and kitchen utensils. for people preparing to go on a mission, either prepare yourself in advance, or make a promise to yourself that you will continue to utilize proper hygienic procedures. like i did. all you need to do is plan in advance.

one thing that annoys me is that people are still like children here. it is true that many are children raised by children with very little schooling. but that is no excuse for not having any manners. many people make fun of my accent, obviously i'm an american, i'm not native, so i will speak a little differently. many also grab things out of people's hand without even asking. like a child grabbing a toy from his sibling. even adults do this. a lot of the time the thing that they are grabbing at is a very expensive and very delicate thing like a camera. then they fight over it when it's not even theirs and it ends up breaking. advice to prepare for a mission, get used to things like this.

February 20, 2012

silly scripture of the week is Dueteronomy 22:5

this week, i had the privilege to baptize Jay-Ar Datiles Donato and Claudette Dominique Seva Monton and Elder Reyes baptized Joshua Seva Monton.

so as a little clarification, MT Kanlaon is the active volcano on th eisland if anyone wants to know.

something funny that happened last week. my companion receive a letter from his girlfriend back at home. it was a dear john, the main reason for breaking up was that she "needed space" which brings up the question, how much space does she need? 500 miles and one letter a week is too suffocating for her?!?!? for anyone planning on breaking up with someone on a mission or in the armed services, do not use the stupid "i need space excuse" it's rude and it's an obvious lie and shows just how little respect that person has for the other.

for people planning on going on a mission.

i haven't tried it but prickly heat powder might help for the prickly heat.

also, if i haven't already said this, read "first twelve weeks" it is basically the training for missionaries

for people sending packages. please include a detailed list of things inside the package (and put it inside the package) this will help curb elders from taking stuff out of packages. this is because the supply manager is palagput gid. what this mean is that he doesn't know what he's doing. also, many things are sent in packages, not all of these things are useful. sometimes, when sending a package, it is best not to include things which are made in china and are prone to breaking. it would be best to include strong resilient things which can withstand shipment.

in mission news. it is now forbidden to tract. some people may not understand this so i will explain. i no longer have to talk to everyone i see and ask them if i can share to them. i only can share to members, meaning inactive members. also,zone activities are now no longer allowed. stupid missionaries ruining things for the rest of us. there are a lot of dungle (disobedient) missionaries in my mission which ruin everything for everyone.