Week 4!!

Family, 

   Hi, Elder Jones commin at you from Baguio City. 

        So the reason I'm so late emailing is because we played basketball for ever today. We play every P-day with a bunch of Gangsta thugzzzzzzz. It's fun cause I'm like a center and the biggest guy every time, and I've always been the smallest playing b-ball.

        The blog is pretty cool Mother, keep up the work, looks great, and sorry for anyone I didn't email last week I got into a little tiff with the Zone leader, it's a long story, but he made me stop emailing. It's no big deal, It's not even my Zone leaders. My Zone leaders are cool beans. 

       And Jolene, (mom) I sent you a card for your birthday last week, but considering I haven't even gotten any mail yet, or the package you sent me my first week, I'll assume mail takes a while here in Philla-land.. 

         How's my Tagalog.... well I can understand a good amount now,--75% of gospel, and probably 55% of everyday stuff. but can I speak it yet... NOOOOOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But it's fine. Everyone has told me three months is when foreigners start getting the hang of it, and 1 year (to be) fluent, so I have a long way to go.. but ya it's goin good. 

         So transfers are this coming friday, so I will figure out if I  leave or get a new companion. I hope not-- me and my companion are killing it right now. 

          5 investigators came to church including 4 of the Montano family. They said they enjoyed church and it was huge that they came because they have baptismal dates, and it shows their sacrifice because they literally have no money. We gave their dad an IBD--he said yes, so almost their whole family has a baptismal date. It's just if they go to church or not (Dad to answer your question you need to go to church 4 times in a row and you need to do a bunch of other stuff before baptism) so ya it's good stuff.... We just need to put the nail in the coffin.

        So usually trainers are supposed to train for 12 weeks, but my trainer doesn't know if he or I will be transfered cause we aren't sure what president will do.

        We had a tri zone conference and a Filipino Area Presidency guy who is in the Quorum of the Seventy elder Echohawk, ya coolest last name ever, but he came and talked to 3 zones and it was way good. He told some crazy stories about  how they pick people's missions. He told this story of President Cook (of the Twelve) when they were picking missions for missionaries, one missionary came up and he was way qualified-- he knew like 3 languages and had way good grades and stuff-- so Elder Echohawk said, "lets send hime to Russia or Japan or something like that" than President Cook stopped and just sat there and thought. As time passed by he said "No. Des Moines Iowa is the mission he needs to go to, he will be disappointed when he opens his call, but he will bring someone of great importance to the church." So that was a crazy story! So tell Kevin Harper that haha... it's probably him.

         So at lunch that day president Balledos picked me,  another Elder and another Sister to sit at the front of everyone on our own table and eat with Elder and Sister Echohawk. It was kinda weird cause I was just pounding food because it was way good and they kept talking to me but I was starving so I didn't really talk to them. But turns out they're from Orem. Nice people..

          Anyways this week wasn't too crazy. Oh I saw a spider like as big as my hand and a lizard almost get into a fight... that was cool... and yes mom I can have I-pods. I was going to ask you to send me one actually, but they have to be like shuffles okay. I'll send you a list of songs to put on later because we can listen to some other stuyff besides Motab. Oh, and when convient send me my temple clothes please (: my white pants and tie, because I forgot them...(: thanks... love you guys!

Elder Jones