Week 27 - February 8, 2016

From: Jordan Mark Merrill [mailto:merrill.j@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 10:32 PM
To: Lauri Merrill <lauri.merrill@usu.edu>
Subject: Re: February 7, 2016

Hello:) so this week was a lot better than last week. Even though last week wasn’t even bad. We’re finally familiar with the area and now we know most of the members. I thought my camera memory card had a virus from last week because it said "card protected" and I couldn’t take any pictures so I didn’t take any all week. Today I went to the computer shop and complained to them that their shop ruined my card then she said look, and she took the card, and did the little white switch which protects or unprotects it. I felt so dumb. Ha-ha So easy and this whole time I was blaming them. Ya we finally found all the sources where the animals were getting in and blocked them all. The Mayon volcano is still in site but a lot smaller. It’s still amazing though. Being a trainer is sooo fun:) It’s not hard at all like I thought it would, I’m learning so much from teaching him too. I have a request for everyone. Tell to look up unique scriptures for me. I’ve asked it before but I didn’t really get what I was expecting. Just anything, if the list is huge it’s ok. SO I didn’t bring my picture converter because I thought I wouldn’t be sending pictures. But for our activity this week, some of our branch came with us and showed us this place called "Kawa Kawa" I’ll let you look for yourself online but it was sooooo cool. I took about 5000 pictures but sadly I don’t have my converter so next week for sure. It’s basically like a hike in this bowl type mountain with a ton of kind of nativity scenes. I’m sure it’s on the internet. My comp is the best. The term here for trainers and trainees is I’m the father or dad, and he’s my son. So all the members refer him to me as "anak mo" it means your son. For me I’m not allowed to speak English to him and he’s not allowed to speak Tagalog to me. It’s really fun trying to hear him form sentences: D and I’m sure at the same time I don’t sound too good either. His jokes are soooo dang dumb and he laughs his head off and I have no clue what they mean. We always find so many things to laugh about every day we basically have a party ha-ha. Despite our haunted apartment, all the members tell us all the past missionaries had stories about them seeing a "friend" and all the missionaries hate the Tula Tula apartment cause it has “masamang spirits" or "bad spirits" and I believe it! The feeling is so weird but its fun:) we always say we will die there. Of course as a trainee he doesn’t know all the rules so it’s nice to "be in charge" and set him right ha-ha. Every day we have a 2 hour comp study and I learn so much from teaching him. I think I finally found out how to be a good missionary/person. Every day I grow stronger in this gospel. This next week I think we have a member of the 12 coming. I think Elder Russell M. Nelson. He’s going to speak to the Legazpi mission. I’m not sure the details but that’s what I’ve heard. From Saturday until yesterday we did a branch aux fast and I did it for 25 hours. I almost died but I was actually really strong:) Our branch here is really suffering so our goal is to build it back up. Of course I can’t forget to bear my testimony to you:) I’ll make it short n sweet:)
I know this is the true church and through it, it blesses lives every day. Through my mission I’m becoming the kind of man I would want my daughter to date. I think that’s my new motto "Become the man you would want your daughter to date" ha. So ya:)I love you very much. Keep up the good work and don’t stress:) every day is part of god’s plan and everything happens for a reason.
**Elder Merrill**