Elder Parker Kikel: Calauag continues....

Hey! Let's get started....

Things have been good in this area and I am going to start off with this thought; I was pondering about what I e-mailed last week to everyone and I felt that I was complaining a little bit about this area because I have been given another assignment with challenges. I have recently finished the Book of Mormon and have started again, and I was reading in the Book of Nephi when nephi talks about his brothers and even is Father murmuring at times, but never did Nephi complain, why? because he knew it was the will of the Father. Nephi received an assignment many times and even though we can imagine the difficulty of the task that has been given Nephi said " I Will go and Do!" and never complained. Thats how I need to be, despite the constant assignments from President, challenging areas, stress, frustration, constant prayers, and exercising Faith in Jesus Chirst, I should be honored and bless to know the not only does President Mangum trust me to do these things but the Lord as well, so I think myself and all of us should always go forth with a better attitude about our circumstances in life.

okay what else... umm...

The work has been okay, its still running the same. The ward has been really helpful, and I am actually really excited now to work in this area because for the first time in my mission I finally am in a ward the properly does the meetings, and their correlation meetings! With functioning leaders! I don't know if I have ever mentioned that before but that has been a problem in all my areas. The leaders and members of the Ward are very helpful especially on the topic of missionary work, this will make our work much easier. They have been helpful in showing us to farther areas, introducing us to less active members, and also coordinating ideas of how we can get referrals because that is the Ideal Situation (PMG) I was able to have another Personal Interview with President Mangum because he was in the area and he just told me straight up that I am going to be here for a while hahahaha soo that probably means I am going to be here for a little over 6 months if i go 4 full transfers here. Thats Elder Kikel just sitting in Outer Darkness getting his hands dirty. Most of my batch coming into the Misison like Elder Perez my companion in the MTC are Zone Leaders, District Leaders and stuff like that so sometimes its kind of hard seeing myself where I am but then again I know I helping President Mangum out that maybe they can't do ;) haha jokelang...

All right I got a funny story for you guys listen up, I think you will like this one. So there is a famous saying in the mission that goes like this " If you haven't eaten Balut or pooped your pants, you haven't served a true mission." well I have come very close to fulfilling that statement last week... hem... haha

umm.... (Imagine me laughing) umm... haha... well a member was showing us where some less actives were and we were walking in the middle of no where in a forest like surrounding, and all of a sudden something just hit me like Mike Tyson! LBM (Loose Bowel Movements) and here in the Philippines its like laxatives you can't control it, and we were still really far from the house and I knew I wasn't going to make it.... I told my companion and the member we were with that i was going to blow, and the member we were with was a return missionary so he had his experiences as well, and in Tagalog he pretty much just told me to go poop in the woods haha, and thats what I did.... Good thing I learned valuable skill in scouts or else I would of forgotten the grab the tree and squat maneuver! hahahahahah and thank goodness for the emergency tissues I have been carrying around with me for the last year! So it was a close call but I am still on the run hahaha suckas! phew, it was a relief and an easy clean up! ;) haha

Also its been SUPER hot lately and we have no water at the House! even though we have a pump! So this whole last week we have had to wake up multiple times during the night to fill up the giant buckets with water the drips out of a faucet outside of our house and also fetching water from a neighbor who has a well haha... my companion said this that made me laugh "Its like we're camping!" so that has been a interesting experience, and some of the perks if you serve in the Philippines! Some people say it might last for a couple months because there is a drought kind of thing going on! I sure hope not or its going to be a rough couple of months.

Well thats all everyone, ill try and send some pics today, apparently the last typhoon to hit the Philippines was centered in this area, and it was destroyed its crazy. House completely gone, tore down, and destroyed. Massives trees uprooted and fallen over, just a giant mess and everyone repairing houses. I took a few pics and I will try to send them as well as others.

Love you all have a good week!

Mom this one is for you! I totally forgot to tell you about it!

Remember that red spiky fruit that mikes brother showed us on my laptop! its called rambultan! and its so freaking delicious look it up on google images its a crazy looking fruit, and I also finally got myself to eat some durian that stinking fruit stuff, and it sure was stinking and it didn't taste very good either, after i ate it a few times it wasn't to bad but I don't see how the Filipinos think its soo delicious! IT really does stink super bad and makes it hard to eat haha Elder Bituen wanted to throw up when he ate it ha

Sweet room, yeah that green thing is my bed haha its not much but hey its a bed!

Living room of our apartment! Here in the Philippines this is a really expensive house. It is sweet!

So I have been seeing these coke cans with names an it and I found one for Babe, I am not quite sure yet but can someone figure out for me who this coke is for ;) haha!