Piddig Week 50

Naimbag nga Bigat or Magandang Umaga po Francis Family, 

This week has been great.   I had a great birthday and especially spending it at MLC with all of the zone leaders and STL's in the mission.  Then after that we went to MCDO (McDonald's), so that was my treat and we went out for ice cream when we got home and I really had a great birthday.  Thank you for the birthday wishes. 

 

 

This week has been great and it really is different than Piddig.  I miss all the people there and I really miss Santo Domingo too, because they sent me a birthday card and I started to tear up a little..  I love it here in Paoay as my area.  We have the biggest Catholic church ever and my area is green too, but the work here is really hard and the people have hard hearts and I felt like "man this area is hard", but I think what I heard from President Barrientos that attitude is the key and if I have a bad attitude that's what my work will be like and i will have a hard time.  But if you go in and say like okay, I can do this and have confidence and are happy to serve where the lord wants you to serve you will have success and everything will work out well. 

 

 

I think it is different being a zone leader too, I have to be a good example too all the missionaries and be strictly obedient to everything and I have a lot of stuff I have to do like calling and exchanges and a lot of other stuff. But I really love my area and Elder Tago is super friendly and really funny.  We have had a great time and funny stories especially one time we were walking through the bukids and we were kicking frogs and I kicked one and it went flying.  Then we saw another one and he said Elder Francis I got this one and he went to kick it and his shoe went with it too and he lost his shoe in the bukids with water and poop and all other kind of stuff.  Then another time he also fell in the bukids and I laughed because it makes me think of Piddig when I fell in the bukids and got really dirty and smelly. The mission life really is full of trials and happiness and I love the work even when it is super hot and we walk through the bukids and we get all dirty and wet and my shoes get dirty.  I really love this new area and the people and the members too. 

 

 

On Sunday we got to watch Meet The Mormons and I was really happy to see that.  We also had the best lesson this week when we taught a drunk guy and we saw a guy underneath his house and we asked him sino po iyan (who is that), he said that is a cop and then we told him that we where the FBI and he was really scared and he said they were looking for him, then we said jokelang po brother, then I told him that I am related to Pope Francis and he believed me and said lets call him. Then during the lesson he started to talk about the golden holy bible or (the golden plates), he said he went to look for it and he couldn't find it and he prayed to god to find it and then we asked him what his name was and he said he doesn't have one and we started to laugh so hard. It was really such a funny lesson and I love drunk people. 

 

 

Also here in Paoay me and Elder Tago saw a white Carabao and that is the first white carabao I have seen in the Philippines - super cool.  So we got a picture with it and the owner. This week has just been fun and full of laughter and I love the mission life and I'm enjoying the Philippines and the food too. I have had carabao, snake, dragon lizard, ...dog and cat, and a lot of other stuff, it really is more fun in the Philippines and the people are all so happy and love Americans. Elder Tago's birthday is on Friday and that is when I have a year left of my mission left like WOW!!!, the time has gone by so fast and I just love the time here in the Mission. Something else is that everyday we only eat hot dogs and rice and eggs.  That is what we eat everyday because this area is super poor and not too much here, but a huge church and a seven eleven. 

It sounds like you guys are doing great and enjoying summer and I am always praying for you and Emily will make the soccer team, just work hard and do the best you can and leave it all out on the field and never give up either. Have a good rest of the summer and I will keep you updated. Ingat po kayo palagi at mamimiss ako sa inyong lahat at mahal kita. 

Elder Francis