Hello Everyone

Hello all! This week felt like 20 days instead of 7, but in all good ways! We had heaps of things to do this week, starting on Tuesday when Luna started to flood from all of the rain we have been getting! On Tuesday, we spent the whole day in one of our areas called Rimos. We walked through water the whole time helping people move their things from their flooded house on to dry land. One family, the Hernandez family, had water all the way up to our thighs in their house. Luckily they have a loft up their stairs, so Elder Waite and I helped the father move everything up, as we did so, their some Jr who is about 4 years old, was jumping from the stairs into the water! It was like his own personal waterpark and I was pretty jealous that there was no water park in our house!
It was cool to see all of the children and parents in the flood if i might say. Their house were filled with water mixed with pigs, goats, dogs, (and everything that associates with having animals) and they all had smiles on their faces, this wasnt the first time this has happened to them, but it wouldnt matter how many times it did, they knew that the water would one day start to go away! After we helped them we walked (waded) over to the Casteneda family who were crying after laughter as they "saw two white Mormons walk through a flood in the Philippines!" I cant blame them though it was true!
The thunderstorms at night here are awesome, one second it will be bone dry and the next we are soaking wet eating outside! Seeing how we have no bikes, we have been walking mostly the whole day! I am not sure the exact distance, but you might be able to ask Elder Quinn Moreland who is now home, how far this walk was! Elder Waite and I walked from our house to a barangay called bongro, then from there we went to a place called mamay, and back to our house! It took forever to walk but that wasnt it! After we stopped at a members house by our bahay, we went to another barangay called Cantoria #4! All together I think we were walking longer than we werent walking, and we were so tired! But the exercise is good to keep the fat from building up too much on our bodies!
This weekend was stake conference in San Fernando so on Saturday we went down for the Priesthood session and adult session! Elder Schmutz from the Area Presidency and Seventy spoke to us about the importance of going to church and following the teachings of Christ. It was so good and so strong! It was also in English making it a lot easier to understand! haha
Then on sunday we went again to San Fernando as a Branch! We took a jeepny down and back. It was so fun to ride with the members of the Branch and to be with them!
I love it here and I love being a servant of the Lord.
Tagalog has been so fun to learn and everyday I feel more confident in talking to others. This week I started to read a book to learn how to speak Ilocano as well, a dialect that is very very common in our area and others! Most people here's first language is Ilocano so if I could learn it, I will! Hopefully it wont be too tough, but studying will be the best thing to do just like with Tagalog! I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Elder Waite has finally agreed to eating Balut, on his birthday in September! Its a little ways away but I am so excited to see his reaction, I could "Waite" till his Birthday to tell you!
Have a great week, Mahal ko kayo!


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Elder Pitt