Barefoot

(This letter is from 10/19/14)

This week was a week full of adventure!

First of all, I got that package, Mom! Thank you so much! It was nice to have some America here. And some good food.

There was so much rain again this week! At one point earlier this week, I had two options presented to me: wet shoes and socks for the rest of the day, or take those shoes off and barefoot it like a man. Needless to say, I took the more manly option and tromped through the mud and rain. Of course, I did not look manly at all with my man purse and rolled up pant legs. That's okay though.  I will attach a picture for your enjoyment.

I had a super cool experience yesterday. I had to give a talk for sacrament meeting (there's an answer to one of your questions, mom) and so I wrote it out in English and I thought it was pretty good. I planned on giving it in English because I'm still not confident enough just to get up there and speak whatever I want. But during the sacrament I had a thought come to my head that I should just try it in Hiligaynon anyway. So, I said a prayer asking for help, that if I opened my mouth, it would be filled with what I needed. I was shocked to realize that at the end of my talk, I had just given the entire thing in the language! I truly have witnessed the gift of tongues, and it was awesome! HOWEVER... even though this experience was quite the faith-builder, I have dug myself into a bit of the hole. After having given this talk, people now assume that I can understand fluently. Little do they know, I have no idea what they are talking about 70% of the time. So now, I need to catch up a little on the understanding part hahaha. But people said I had a really good accent compared to a lot of the Americans they've met, so that was cool!

So, to some of your questions, mom:

What type of technology do Filipinos have where you are?  

The Filipinos have some technology here, a lot of the stuff we have in America. The only difference is it's about a solid 10 years behind, give or take. The Nokia cellphones of the early 2000's are what we carry around as missionaries and what the majority of people have here. Also, the computers are super old here, usually. I saw a computer running Windows 2000 today in the "hospital." There are quotations around that for a reason...

How long will you be with your trainer?

From what my trainer was told when the President talked to him, he will most likely be transferred on November 5th, the end of this transfer. So, following this, I will be leading the area and trying to figure out what to do!

Have you done any service projects?

No service projects yet!

(We'd love to hear  about who you are teaching or a particular experience)

And teaching people, I have plenty of stories to tell! I wish I could explain this place to you guys! It's so hard to explain in words. I am so excited to talk to you all at Christmas, so I will try to write some notes of what to talk about!

That's about all for this week! Love you guys!

Elder Welton