Anyways...
I have been transferred to the Island of Mindoro! Sweet! I am on an
Island! Mindoro is split into two missions, the right side is San Pablo
Mission,and the left is Manila Mission I think. My area is called
Victoria, Mindoro. It is pretty rural and it a lot different from the
city of Lucena! They don't really speak any english here then they did
in Lucena, so its been really hard to understand people, but I know I am
going to learn a lot of Tagalog here on the island because my new
companion is also Filipino! His name is Elder Oliva. He is a really cool
Elder and President has assigned me to be with him to fix a few things
(Otherwise known as a special assignment) he actually is pretty cool,
and we have been getting a long pretty well so far, so we will see what
happens with him! We also have bikes in my area! OH man, my butt hurts
so bad, I probably haven't ridden a bike since I was 16! It is really
nice though because Mindoro is so beautiful, it is all rice fields every
where you go, and it is just so quite and peaceful, there were times
when we had to bike for 20-30mins to get to an investigator and those
were so nice bike rides, its a good time to think. I am going to lose a
lot of weight here in Mindoro because they have no fast food restaurants
and stuff like that, so its all home cooked meals (Oatmeal). This is
my first Area where I have a meeting house instead of a chapel. Wow...
it is so small, and no wonder because there is only like 40 members in
our Branch! I love these members all ready, they have so much faith and
continue to go to church despite how small it is and how hard it is to
organize everything. The members here are super nice! There is one
member who literally feeds us everyday. If we don't go to her house to
eat, she will seriously get mad, and not go to church sooo... guess what
have to eat right? 
haha
Its a pretty crazy area, I have all ready seen water buffalo just
walking down the street by themselves and no one even bothers to look or
care hahaha The people here are crazy and the missionaries adapt to it
also! One example, the Zone Leaders picked us 5 missionaries at the dock
to take us to our areas. They have a pick up truck that is 4 door and a
bed with a cab. We shove everyone's luggage in the back and slam as
many missionaries as we can in the truck but there wasn't room for me
and one other elder, because we are big boys. So what they made us do is
put down the tail gate with luggage practically spilling out, and made
us sit on the tail gate. The was probably one of the scariest things I
have done on my mission! I could barely get my cheeks on that tailgate,
let alone anything to hold onto for dear life! They drove for a little
over 20mins with us on that tailgate going way to fast I almost fell off
while they were drive quite a few times because they were over passing
other cars and going over speed bumps and all sorts of crap, I was
getting mad, but I made it alive hahah soo yeah.. lots of new things
here in Mindoro I don't know how long I will be here, I might even be
here for my year mark, not sure... but I am looking forward to the next
few weeks, hopefully we can get some success out here on the island the
people here are really humble.
I am surely convinced that every missionary has an experience about getting.... (okay so I'm not sure what happened with the rest of his letter. Maybe he lost connection, he did tell me that" internet here is suuperr slow! bleh")
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| Picture of Parkers new area |
I love reading his letters. Everything he writes is so familiar. Thanks for sharing.
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