Piddig Week 31

Me on top of the carabao, the ride was fun.

 Me trying to get on a Carabao, it would not stop moving, it was really hard.

 The elders and the brothers killing the chicken for our picnic.

The brothers and elders at our picnic, Elder Liska, Elder Rigonan, Elder Aribbay, Me, Bro Ramsel, Bro. Mario, Bro Freding, and Little kid Adrian.

Kumusta Francis Family,

This week has been great, and bad. This week we had a lot of lessons - 41 lessons this week, and we found a lot of new investigators this week, 24 I think. So the Lord's work is growing like crazy and the harvesting grows daily. Our investigators are progressing a little bit.   Jennifer came to church again, we really need to teach her, she has been to church 4 times, so we really need to teach her all of the lessons and she will probably be baptized soon. But none of our other investigators came to church.  It's sad, but we will keep working and inviting and extending commitments to them.

This week I have been kinda frustrated with myself and the Elders in the apartment.  My language is still not that good, I feel like I can't really teach too much, because I am not that good with the doctrine and I am just really struggling.  The elders are always asking me come on lets trade ties or I will buy that from you, and they are always yelling and getting upset because I don't understand them, and they are always getting mad, and saying he doesn't understand anything, and I have learned that Filipinos and Americans do not get a long that well.  It's very true, and it just is very hard. So I have been taking some time by myself and studying scriptures and Preach my Gospel and praying a lot.  I am still really trying my best and working hard.  I am hoping that my next companion will be American or somebody I can get a long with a little bit better. I kinda like Piddig, the people are all really friendly and kind, but when you don't know the language too well they laugh.  I really do miss Santo Domingo so much, that was such a good area.


  

Tomorrow the whole mission has a meeting in Laoag, so I will get to see a lot of people I know, and Elder Aagard.  I am going to ask him how Santo Domingo is and the people.  I printed off a lot of pictures of the people and investigators in S.D. so I will be giving it to him to give to them. So I am super excited for tomorrow to see all of my friends and a lot of people I know. Right now we are teaching a little boy named Adrian his dad is a recent convert,m Bro. Freding and he wants to baptize his son.  The baptismal date is April 4th for now, so that will be really exciting, and a lot of other people we teach like Ivy, and Rochelle, Monalisa, Helen, Nyebes, Lea, Lizel, Jennifer, Roy, and a lot of other people. We have a lot of people to teach and are working hard.  I am hoping that my language will get better. I am studying really hard the doctrine so I can teach and help Elder Aribbay, and we can build a relationship. 

We have had a really fun week. 

Some of the things I did this week:

1. I got to ride on a carabao, which was really fun and the carabao was mabaho (smelly/stinky). 

2. We had a picnic today, with some of the members and recent converts of ours. 

3. For the picnic I got to witness them kill the chicken, and I got to eat the chickens feet, and the heart of the chicken. 

4. I got to pick some grass, leaves, herbs, and other green stuff for our picnic.  Here in the Philippines we can eat anything really we want of the trees or bushes or in the bukids. 

It sounds like you guys kind of had a good week, like dad going to Sacramento, and Emily having a fireside.  How was that, what did she learn from it?   And it sounds like your  school is getting really close to being finished. Keep having fun and be safe and keep me updated, and check my Facebook and see if anybody else added me, or you can talk to some of the people I taught in Santo Domingo, they are really good in English so you can talk to them. 

How is the family? How is the Ward? How are the dogs? How is Utah, and the weather?

Mahal Kita o Ay-Ayaten ka 

Ingat Po Palagi

Elder Francis 

P.S. I need some after shave, shampoo, deodorant, some of my favorite snacks, and my favorite drinks like jarritos, or gatorade.