A Picture Says 1,000 Words

Monday, July 26, 2010

Kumusta na po kayo,

Yes, I am excited to stay with my trainer. He is a good lad. He went to Red Mountain High School and was in the Salt River Stake. We get along good.

The week was good. We had 5 good investigators at church. I had a lot of fun teaching this week. The best is teaching mga tao ng Iglecia ni Cristo (church members of Iglesia ni Christo). It's the best! That kind of sounds like a pride thing but it's not. It is the best because everytime we teach Iglecia I feel very supported. I feel like truth is barfing out of my mouth uncontrollably and enlightening the room. It's great!

We got caught in the thunderstorm because we went to all our teaching appointments. The weather here in Infanta is very unpredictable as opposed to the rest of the Flip daw. Binili ko ang payong noong dalawang linggo na. (I bought an umbrella two weeks ago.) Ano ang landscape sa tagalog? (What is landscape in tagalog?) There was no baha(no flooding).

I will now send you pictures. Here are the captions:

I am very goofy. I did not take many pictures of my everyday work. In fact, I don't really take that many pictures.

So our investigators have been giving us things. We got these astig (cool) yellow polos.

This is after our first thunderstorm.

We played basketball with some investigators on p-day.

Maraming salamat po para sa package. The contents were a flavorful food delight. The pens were awesome. The little flashlight was very cool as well.

Special thanks to Sister Magleby and Ate.

Well...I bought a toy frisbee already... Mom I will ask my mission president's permission for the other frisbee I guess. I guarantee he will say yes... Sa palagay ko, It won't be a distraction... I feel very awkward that I have to ask for a frisbee again. I would not ask for things that would be detrimental to the work. Pero, I understand your concern, Ask Kuya. Kung hindi okay lang daw, I am fine with not having this frisbee.

I really don't know what to tell you about the work. There are no stories that I can go in intricate detail or anything pero let me just tell you, that there is a really really nice feeling when you find out your investigator keeps their commitments and feels like their prayer was answered. So... yeah that happened I guess with some investigators. I can't really elaborate on it. It just happened and it feels nice.

Anyways, Paalam my chinky fam and my white bayow (brother-in-law) and my alabaster hipag (sister-in-law) (probably shouldn't send chinky to anyone besides the fam)

Elder Roxas

Observing Light

Monday, July 19, 2010

Hi Family.

Oh Mr. Riley is too cute. Elder Holland told the missionaries "[we] don't have the right to let down the children that look up to [us]." When he said that I wrote down the names of Jaden and Riley.

This week was cool. I experienced my first Bagyo (storm), went with out electricity for 3 days and am currently living on emergency water. It's awesome. The landscape in some of my areas is completely different. Yesterday, I gave a talk in sacrament on the purpose of church/sacrament. It was good. The members said I was much better at tagalog.

Transfers were noong biyernes (last Friday). I did not got transfered and I am still with my trainer. After the bagyo I think we are going to get a cell phone up here in Infanta because we are very far away from everyone else.

Okay. This is what I wanted to share last week. So noong last last wednesday Alas mga 8:45 gabi (around 8:45pm) my companion and I were caught in a thunderstorm. It was really awesome. The lightning were streaks of bright green and bright purple caught in the sky. It was amazing. All the people that passed by were very worried we were going to get pasma. I always ask people if pasma is a bacterial disease or virus? It's great.

This week we had the most lessons we have ever had in a week.

Thanks for the cooking tips mother.

Ingat po, Mahal ko po kayo,
Elder Roxas

I bathe daily.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Infanta is good. Noong Sabado, We had a one day mission for the branch up here. The APs and zone came up here for it and it was good. We had mga 60 people attend sacrament, which is the most we have had in mga 3 years. It was great. So at zone conference there were about 15 americans (3 were AP's) and 55 natives. yup.

I won't be able to get a package hanggang a week from wednesday because my zone leaders have to get it from the mission home. I have not gotten a letter yet either. I wont get that til next district meeting that I go to which will be a week from wednesday din.

Umm you want to hear about my investigators and what not? haha okay. So, what we lack in the Infanta branch here is priesthood. Right now we have mga 10 progressing investigators and 9 of them are priesthood. One of them is Iglecia ni Cristo. One of them named Noel is really prepared. His wife is actually an inactive. He has a baptismal goal date and what not. He is astig. He is mga 30 years old. Mataas siya. Ano pa? I am not good at describing people. He is just really cool. We also have a family called the Parriras. The father is our progressing investigator. Right now, he is really confused about our very unique message, the restoration. He is smart though. It was just such a shock for him, which is a great reaction as opposed to many people who just are passive about the message.

Well I wanted to tell you all about these crazy fruits and chips they have here and how my companion and I play in the rain and everyone freaks out cuz of "pasma" but now I am out of time. but yeah the work is good. I eat rice and ulam everyday... I bathe daily... I go to the palengke every Monday to buy food for the week.

Anyways Paalam,
Elder Roxas

Answering Hard Questions with Faith

Monday, July 5, 2010

Sa aking pinakamamahal na pamilya,

I'm glad to hear all is well.

Zone conference was sick; connotating excellence. The AP workshops are very legit; as in slang for applicable to my life. During zone conference, President Anderson feeds the world lunch; meaning he feeds us lunch. It was very nice of him. Furthermore the food is absolutely ridiculously (intensifier) good. The food is catered and there was beef. That was the first time I had beef since being in the mission home when I first arrived. Ano pa? Oh I bore my testimony at zone conference. Twas spiritual that it was. I did not see Elder Judd. It was an unfortunate turn of events.

To be honest right now tons of things are going through my mind right now. I have no idea what to write. Did I tell you I am huge? I think I said that noong buon, but like seriously. I am huge. People are tiny. Malakas na malakas ako.

Ang Missionary work ay masaya (fun or happy). So, I thought this question was an
interesting question an investigator asked. I will now share it with
you.

paraphrase:
"Throughout all time Jesus has appeared to people, but never has God the father. I believe that Joseph Smith could have seen Jesus, but how and why did Joseph Smith see God the Father?"

We answered with the BofM about how we are all backed up to a wall of faith and to know you read the AnM (Aklat ni Mormon, BM), but that's not why i wanted to tell you this. We know Joseph Smith did see God the Father and Jesus, but why did God the father appear? Are there other instances where he manifested his physical body to a prophet? Was it because it was the restitution of all things, implying something more? I don't know haha. I just thought it was interesting and I haven't had time to really look into it, but I thought it was cool. Tell me your thoughts.

Anyways, Mahal ko po kayo.

Ingat po kayo,
Elder Roxas

Gathering the Mangoes

Monday, June 28, 2010

Maganda Pong Hapon Po!! (Good afternoon!!)

Can I do that? Use po as a linker? sorry for the informality of noong nakaraan. Okay so...

Nagbinyag ang aking kasame sa kanila. yup. (My companion baptized them.)

so... Yea the ward is quaint. meaning small, but also cozy. There is about 4 priesthood holders. haha nanay. hindi po kayo naalala tunkol sa aking tagalog. Its horrible haha, pero it comes with time and being masipag. wala akong misyonero na dinner dito pero pretty much everyone feeds us merienda. i am never hungry. Though an investigator told me I look way skinnier. ... haha huwag po ninyong maalala.

Infanta is safe. Dont forget i am set apart as an elder meaning defender of the faith. Also it would be really cool to be taken to the edge of a cliff by a bunch of pharisees or something and they want to throw me off but then just say "my hour is not yet come" and somehow just walk away. That would be awesome!! I have been reading
Jesus the Christ in the mornings during breakfast. Wow its really cool... Like ridiculously cool. But more importantly mother is the relationship I am building with my savior. As I have been laboring here in this vineyard and gathering those mangos(I would say figs but that alludes to the house of israel and literal children of abraham. I could say figs i guess)...figs, to be honest there are times where
I feel very related to peter or some of the seventy jesus sent out. Its crazy I feel part of the apostolic circle of the title elder. I feel closer to the Son of Man then I have ever have before.

My shoes are really good mother. They are to good of quality. It makes me sad. When I get home I hope they have giant holes in them and other awesomeness like spencer w. kimball. Then I can say my mission is like my shoes worn out in the service of my god, worn out in the service of others. And I can also say how beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of those who publisheth peace.

This thursday is zone conference and i get to take a 4 hour trip to san pablo. Yeah! and then I also might get to see elder Judd.

I would send some pics pero i cant dahil the internet is slow in this cafe and would take too much oras.

anyways kitakits. Everything is going well. These next couple of weeks we are going to make the ward blossom into a gerber daisy.

Ingat po kayo,

Elder Roxas

"I hab been searching por de trud my hole lipe."

Monday, June 21, 2010

Hoy Pamilia! (Hey Family)

Siyempre, Alam ko na Nagserve ang aking tatay sa Cebu! (I know that Dad served in Cebu.)

Infanta is good. Did I tell you we had 2 baptisms? A 17 year old babae (girl)named Nikki and a petite lalaki (boy)named John Henry. We found these 2 awesome investigators week na ito (this week)! one guy was like "I hab been searching por de trud my hole lipe." Like he has been going to tons of ibang simbahan looking for the totoong simbahan.(He has been going to a lot of different churches looking for the true church.) The other guy said he was thinking about joining the church and he knew a lot of members back where he was from. Astig! (awesome)

Today, I am in Sinuloan because my companion has to renew his visa in Manila. I am really hoping he gets me a grilled stuffed burrito from taco bell. I am just spending my p day with some Filipinos. Last night, we worked and I had so much fun working with other missionaries seeing the way they taught and adding my two cents and what not. It was a good experience. Sa huwebes na ito, maroon po tayong unang zone conference at aking unang district meeting. (This Thursday, I will have my first Zone conference and first district meeting. Because infanta is malayo (too far) we only go to 2 district meetings a transfer and one zone conference. We will see how that is.

Happy Belated Fathers Day!

I have actually played the piano for the baptism meeting.

Umm ano pa..... Masarap ang saging.(Bananas here are yummy).... there are tons of different bananas here. Grabe(ridiculous).

Laundry is like the funnest thing to do here as in it is absolutely ridiculous. It is very time consuming and kinda mahal (expensive) to get all the soaps and what not. I enjoy the tabo (small pail with handle)for showers and toilet paper. It feels very nice cause it is sobrang mainit dito (too hot over here.

A new frisbee would be really awesome... Also you should put in some american food in there. Halim bawa such as chips dahil Ina Ko! sobrang mahal ang american na pagkain. Haha. (For example, chips because American food are so expensive here.) I am very good at budgeting my money. I set up a budget and stuff. Its weird I never did any of these things before but now like i keep track of how much i spend everyday and keep track of expenses and what not. I feel like I am growing in every aspect like life skills and spiritual life skills. Also, I wouldn't mind some nice pens. I have grown a fancy or affiliation for pens.

Anyways kita kits. Ingat po kayo sa mga bakla.

Elder Roxas

How Beautiful Upon the Mountain Are Their Feet

Monday, June 14, 2010

Kumusta po kayo,

ang bahay namin nasa barangay. yup. its an apartment. not in the meeting house at all. The apartment is nice. naglinis lang sina elder perry at elder roxas kanina. We do laundry. It takes forever........seriously. and yes we cook as well. Lots of longanisa and itlog (eggs). Umm we dont eat out much. Pinakagusto ko ng spanish bread. (My favorite is Spanish bread.)

Infanta is cool. We went to the stake center yesterday for the temple dedication and it was awesome. The whole active branch fit in one jeepney. Its kinda sad pero kinda quaint and cozy the way jeepneys are. So we went to the air conditioned stake center.... It was sobrang astig. Napakalamig. yups. It was cool. haha get it? Yea and then the speakers were good. There was that one Asian general authority and he talked about a swan... haha. Asians.... but yea he was talking about how sobrang maganda (so beautiful) a swan is on water and how the tubig (water) barely moves and what not. But he said, don't forget about the feet of the swan. The feet of the swan are doing so much work to make the swan look so beautiful on the water. Parentals. I am the swan... I am beautiful, I can't even handle it haha joke lang...I am a disciple of JC... you are the feet. Thanks haha. I really like feet I decided. so here is my scripture or what not. Isaiah 52:7

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! "

and then I would like a quote by Spencer W. Kimball

“I feel that my life is like my shoes—to be worn out in service to others.”

instead of "to others" maybe replace it with [of my god]

what do you think? ano ang inisip?

ok now mahalagang bagay (important things). umm.... the town has nothing... walang (no) chowking at lahat. They have like there own restaurants and what not bero walang macdo and what not. I am in an internet cafe ngayon nagsusulat. (I am here at the internet cafe writing.)

They have scheduled brown outs here... garabe... ridiculous.

the area is huge. tatlong bayins (three towns). We mainly take trikes everywhere.

Last P-day we went to Tatlong Krus or 3 crosses. and its basically at a top of a mountain overlooking a valley. It was pretty sweet. the climb though was ridiculous. It was Frodo and Sam status climbing the hidden steps or the forgotten stairway to mordor or whatever its called. I don't remember. It was ridiculous. It was seriously mahirap (hard).

So Elder Perry has been out 8 months. He is a good lad.

Gusto ko po ng frisbee at ng inyo pong conversion story at ng whatever else... I dont know haha. I just want a frisbee haha.

One more thing... Our prophet told us at the Cebu temple dedication to remember the Filipino people who served in world war II aka our ancestors. So.... we(you all) should do their work if we haven't yet.... yeah.

Ingat po (Take care)

Elder Roxas