Happy New Year

Hello! Happy 2017 everybody! I am so excited for this year! And this week was so much fun! I will start it off with Monday when we went to the Stake Christmas Party in Candon! While we were there, we were able to use Brother Rambos wifi hotspot to skype our families! It was so so much fun being able to talk to my family and hear their voices! I hope everyone again had a great Christmas! After the Christmas Party, we came back to Narvacan, got groceries, and then went out to work!
On Tuesday, the ward had a youth camping activity, but needed to have a first aid portion on the first day, so Elder Scott and I went out their during lunch and taught first aid! I knew that Eagle Scout award and first aid merit badge would come in handy some day! hahah it was so much fun, and also dont worry not one person got injured at the camp! After we got back, we went on a long distance walk to some new areas that we hadnt been to before! A couple days ago, we saw an American guy from Oregon at a restauarunt and he told us to go visit him and his family! They live in a barangay called San Pedro and while we were trying to find his house.. We ran into a different American guy! It was awesome! His name is Raymond and is from Mississippi! Him and his family we so nice and welcoming. We werent able to find the other American, Charles, but theres more to that story later!
On Wednesday, we woke up at 4am for a service project/activity with the ward! #Dedication! hahah all of the youth had an activity where as they climb the mountain here, Noah, they had to pick up garbage on the path. So before they started their hike, us 4 Missionaries went with some youth leaders and left flags with treasures around them for the youth to find. It was so fun watching the sun rise and being able to be with the ward! We came back to the bayan, showered, got ready, and had our District Meeting here in Narvacan. It was a really fun time learning from one another and practicing teaching, tagalog, and other things! During the day we visited a family who was baptized last December 2015. We celebrated their 1 year as a member of the Church with them and they also showed us around more where they live and all of their family they have around. Elder Scott did a great job teaching, and during his lesson, he said about 5 or 6 straight sentences all in Tagalog and correct grammar. All of us were so so excited and happy! It was a really cool experience to see that "click" in his head and watch him fire off all of the sentences he wanted to say! Then he killed it in our lesson with the Alafriz family, and was able to help all of us at the lesson see the importance in keeping the Lords commandments. Needles to say that right as we got home and got everything finished we went straight to bed!
Thursday was a very good day. At night the Mina Famile invited  us over to dinner and their cousin and her husband were in town. When we got to their house we found out that her husband is from just north of Washington State, in Vancouver Canada! They met while he was on a tour here and it was so much fun to talk with him. Zach and his wife Aiza were so nice and open to listen to us talk. They were willing to listen and also to ask questions in order to further understand why it is that us members of the LDS Church do what we do. I am so grateful that we were able to meet them and share with them a message about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ###### On Friday I went on exchanges with Elder Calo in Santa Maria! Our first appointment was pretty far away but thats no problem for missionaries! Especially when we have bikes! Like the elders in Santa Maria do hahah. After our first discussion while riding away, history repeated itself and the bike that I was using broke! I really need to get serious about losing weight I tell yah! hahah The whole day we walked around with our bikes! Their house was too far away to go all the way there and back but it did make for some good stares from people who probably thought one of us didnt know how to ride a bike! Elder Calo is an awesome misisonary and such a hard worker. I am so glad that I was able to learn from him and be with him on Friday.
Saturday was New Years Eve! I got back from Santa Maria and we went straight to work! The joke "see you next year" did not get old in 2016 because everyone kept saying it to us during the day haha. That night, our land lady Sister Leah invited us over to eat with her and her family! It was so nice of them to do on New Years Eve! The apartment that we live in has been rented out by missionaries for almost 15 years now! We ate a delicious dinner and also played games and got to come close to their family throughout the night. Elder Scott is full of black magic tricks and different games so it is really fun to play when we are at Family Home Evenings or just out on the street talking to people! We stayed up until 12 to watch the fireworks, and man alive were there so many! We stood on our balcony and watched in every direction different fireworks go off! So many people we outside and I wont forget seeing all of the lights and fireworks and people! Happy New Year everyone!
On Sunday, we went to church! The Maaghops were also there! It was so good to see them as a whole family attend church and also classes after Sacrament Meeting! We learned about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how He Lives now. I loved the different insights from each person in the class and I love the people here so much. I hope you all have a great 2017 and dont forget to make a new years resolution! Mine is: Not to drink soda in 2017! I think it might be impossible here in the Philippines but I will try it and see how it goes! Love you all! Ingat!                                          



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Elder Pitt