Beauty and Balut

Hello Everyone-

Thank you for writing! My new area is in Bagong Nayon, and we are in the Cogeo zone.



I am so excited to see Jaden's birthday. Maddy is almost 16?!



I was able to write Sister Flores today, and the whole letter was in Tagalog, which is getting easier. The understanding of it is coming a lot faster than the speaking part.


Since the new rule of emailing I have been emailing a lot of my friends, I cant believe that some of them are already out in the field. I have been emailing Cole as well, pretty awesome!

This first picture is of me and Elder McDonald from Payson, Utah

The second is of the house we are in now, its a bit of a downgrade from the last house

This third picture is of a member cutting my hair, the hair cutters here are like artists

 Bucket showers every day!!! Next thing about this new area is that it is huge!! We have to take Jeepnies everywhere! Its a little hard on the budget! But Elder McDonald has spent 10 months in this area so I think I will be okay.

This next picture is of this really old Book of Mormon that Elder McDonald gave to me. I think its like 1976 edition.

When we went up into the mountain a little further it becomes a jungle. Its beautiful here!

Balut is actually pretty good, but the after effects weren't -haha

A picture of me:D

 ... and a picture of my new frog wallet!

 So far our biggest focus in this area is retention of the members, but we do have some people that are really interested, and we will have a few soon with baptism dates. Looks like a jungle from the top, but once you start walking around its just a bunch of concrete houses. When we went up into the mountain a little further it becomes a jungle. Its beautiful here!

 *Mom- my favorite scriptures would either be: 1 Nephi 17:13

   "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

or... 2 Nephi 22:2 

 " Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation."


Love you all---more news next week!
 -Elder Roy

April 15, 2013

Well its Monday morning and I have some crazy stories to tell!  It's 8:30 pm Sunday there. I'll start with some pictures first and try to tell some stories about whats going on with pictures.

This was me standing on the Tatalon Bridge, I am not sure if  I already sent this one but here it is, its a cool picture!

Elder Kmetzsch eating halo-halo at chow king, they have THE best halo-halo

These next two are of me acting like a model:D

This one is when we threw Elder Niar up onto my bed

This guy is friends with Cam and is from Cedar City, I gave him a note to give to Cam.

I ate way too much at this dinner appointment!

Transfer day happened and this was my new companion Elder Lynn from RIVERTON, Utah, but his parents moved to California.

  This was at the baptism of Brian Gopo, super cool!

haha this was painted on a gate close to our church building

Me and Elder Lynn

Us eating at Manginasal

 I changed my resolution to a little bit higher on my camera again so I am not sure if I will be able to send the last two. Anyway I'll get into the good part of the story. 

So I was so excited to be Elder Lynn's companion, because he trained Elder Iosefa (My MTC Companion) and came to follow up train me, and Elder Kmetsch went to follow up train Elder Iosefa. Pretty crazy that that would happen! So we were 4 days in on Saturday and we were already doing awesome, but then after the priesthood session of conference the assistants to the president came and asked if they could talk to us. They told me I would be emergency transferring to a new area. I couldn't tell if they were for real. I loved my area and I didn't want to leave it. I am still a little shocked. 

Anyway I am now in a area called Bagong Nayon, it is a pretty beautiful place, but I just don't want to have to get to know a bunch of people again!:D -and now my new companion is Elder McDonald from Payson Utah.

More news soon,
-Elder Roy

April 9th, 2013

Alright its time to write you all. I will be getting a new companion tomorrow and leading... (leaving? not sure if this is a typo-Dolly) the area!!! I am a little scared, but I will be ok. Next week  P-day will again be on Monday. Also, thank you all for all the letters! Thank you Maddy for the skype info! I cant wait until Mothers Day!!!!

 Next- we haven't yet seen conference yet, that will be this weekend, and I am so excited to hear all about it- and I cant wait to go through the Cedar City Temple! (Is it going to be back behind the hill by the stake center? or up on the hill?)

 So last week I think I told you about Elder Niar and how he sleeps through everything, I will send you pictures of him up on the bunk bed haha!

   

That is way awesome that Jaden is learning to read so fast! I have only been out for 4 months on my mission! From what I have been reading it sounds like the blessings are in abundant supply.

We have a baptism this coming Friday, it is for Brian Gopo, he is 15 and his little sister and his uncles family are already members. They had been teaching him I think since November of last year, and he didn't really start going to church until about the time I got here. We had a little trouble getting the ok from his parents, but they finally said he could attend. He is really awesome and really smart. He has almost finished all of second Nephi! (the Tagalog Book of Mormon is like 200+ pages longer than the English one.) His uncle is going to be baptizing him.

I dont have spell check so sorry if some of this looks like crap.

I can't really think of anything crazy, or crazy stories, everything seems normal now.

Oh I got one...There is this tatay that we see that is about 75 years old, he has 2 beard hairs that are about 5 inches each, its one of the coolest things I have ever seen!

Alright pictures.

Never mind my camera died! no!!!!!!!!!!! Alright I will send them next week when I have a new comp and after we watch conference! I love you all and hope you are all safe and such, and I am thankful you all sent me emails!
-Elder Roy

April 2, 2013

 I forgot my camera! But that's ok... I have some things to talk about!

First of all, we got to go to the temple today and it was AWESOME!

So- last week was Holy Week here, it was quite the experience. We have heard of people in Pangpanga that nail themselves to cross's or whip their own backs. We saw some people driving around with big crucifix's and even a Black Nazareth Crucifixion, that was a first. 

On Holy Friday, (first let me explain that movies don't really have ratings here), we went to a member's house to visit- and they happened to be watching The Passion of the Christ, So it was kinda weird, but I guess in a way its about the Atonement.

On Friday to Sunday...everything was quiet, and the roads were a bit barren. It was too quiet!

Transfer day is coming up next week!!!!!!!!!!! We should find out who is transferring next Monday! oh on temple day and transfer day we have p day on Tuesday, so after next week it should go back to Monday p days again!

 So a few weeks ago, I was new to the train system here, and I almost got left behind! The thing was crammed packed like a sardine can, and I was like there is no way I am getting on there and my comp and Elder Niar and Elder Latu got on, and I was just standing there! The door starts to close and I got my foot in the way of it closing just in time! Then I had to shove in to the dumb thing! I am not the smallest guy around!:D

Next story- Elder Niar falls asleep and is out cold! You can slap him and punch him and he doesn't even wake up. So we decided we would move him to another bed, so we moved him into the one below mine. It was pretty funny, but we wanted to see if we could get him up onto the top bunk! So we did and we put him up on my bed under the mosquito net. I have pictures that I will send next week. Anyway when he woke up he was so confused... we laughed for a while and that's is pretty much it.

I have seen a lot of different things here, like rooster fights! but I will talk more about the crazy stuff after my mission.

Next month is Mothers Day and we get to Skype!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway I love you all! goodbye...Love-Elder Roy

March 25, 2013

Sounds like everything is going great there! It was way awesome to see pictures. The people in this computer shop are being really noisy and my feet are wet since its been raining a little. Anyway, I am going to take a little time to write about every picture I post and maybe I will think of some stuff to write about as I post them.

This week has completely flown by just like every other week! I love the people here and the members. I am never hungry since we are always eating. I love hearing from you, and they just announced to us that we can give our emails to friends and family and church leaders now, I wouldn't like it to be posted anywhere, but if anyone asks for it, its ok to give to them.  I love you all, and I always look forward to the next p-day when I can look at all the pictures letters from everyone!
-Elder Roy

Picture is from our roof top, we hang all our clothes up there to dry.

Elder Kmetzsch and I at an investigators house

Me acting like a model

Me and Elder Kmetzsch getting a tricycle ride

Crazy rain

A cool picture from the church we were at

Me climbing a cool steeple thing at the church

Elder Kmetzsch and I right now as I write this letter:D Bye!!