Elder Dallin Tracy

November 10, 2014 at 12:20:08

Holy cow! its been a long time since I emailed!! Sorry we didn't get a chance to email when we arrived in iloilo.
Where is your first area?
Hamtic, Antique
What is your companions name?
Elder Tolentino
Where is his from?
He's Filipino
How do you get your mission money? On a card or cash?
We go and withdraw 8000 peso a month and then have cash for the jeepnys and trics
What is your apartment like?
Not bad really, it's a nicer one I think
What is the city like?
Awesome! there's bukid moutains and also beach in my area and kinda city so it's cool and it's way beautiful!Is it true there is no toilet paper?
Ya no paper! That was a weird experience, but hey, what ever gets the job done haha!!
How is the food?
So good!!  I haven't had a thing yet that I haven't liked, well except for this one a members house and it was good, but the texture was like snot!
Are you speaking ilongo?
I try to speak illongo but they speak karry-a(ya different language haha!! I told you it would happen)
Are you sweating constantly?
There is really not a lot of time when I'm not and this is the cold season haha!! but I don't mind it
Did you get the greenie package?
Yes, thank you!  I loved it and I actually have a list of things, if you could send one more by chance... if not ok A micro fiber towel like a big one, I like the small you sent but for like showers.  A small sized Book Of Mormon, Old and New Testament, but hard backs because the big ones are so heavy to carry everyday.  A consecrated oil can to carry, I lost my on the trip. And 1 set of unopened g's for a 72 hour kit!  I know it's a lot, but that would be nice!!
Are you in a branch or a ward?
Branch, it's kinda small, like 80 that attend and the rest are all inactive
Have you have any night terrors?
I don't think so, but i have so weird dreams haha!!
What is your favorite thing so far?
The people!  They're so nice and try and help me understand!
Have you had any fresh fruit?
I just bought some mangos today!! I haven't had them yet, but I'll let you know
Are there big bugs?
Not really, but lots of spiders and flies and mesquitos!
How is your pink eye?
It's gone!  We're all good!
Have you been sick?
No, not yet!   I feel great and I haven't even had lbm yet (the poops) but i was like constipated for a little cuz all the rice I have been eating, but don't worry it's all good now!

Ok!  So we got to Manila at like 11 at night, after like a whole day of traveling!  I took a couple pics!!  We saw a truck full of pigs haha!!  That was my first experience in the PI, and then we got to the hotel and had dinner and then crashed haha!!  We had to get up at 05:30 a.m., so we got like no sleep, but we stayed in a way nice hotel for the PI and had running water and hot showers and great food.  We went to the MTC and basically had orientation all over again.  So that was boring, but after that we got the great opportunity to go prosylete in taglog, in the Quezon City Mission and that was a trip!!  We just walked around, didn't say a word, but it was still way cool!!  The kids loved us cause we are white!  Next day I woke up like sick, sore throat and head ache!!  It was a great Sunday though!  We had some great speakers and lessons.  Haha but then Monday, on our way to the MTC we hit a car and really I wasn't surprised at all!!  The traffic here is a joke!  They had 6 lanes in a 4 lane road and it's a mad house!!  No one follows the laws.  Well, I'm not even sure if there are laws.  That was a great day, cause we went and finalized our visa's and so we got to got to Central Manilla and the immigration office was guarded by a guy will at m-16!!   I wish I could of got a pic!!   It looked like a movie with all the people and stuff and inside!!   It was straight up like the Division of Motor Vehicles x100 and you just know how much I love the DMV!!   After, on the way back, our district convinced the driver to get us krispy creme donuts haha!! So that was a great day!!  They were soo good!!  Then we just practiced teaching the rest of the day.  Nov. 4th! So this was the day I got pink eye!  Ya, the Manila MTC kinda sucked cause I was sick the whole time, but I got drops for it and ok, so this actually turns into a hilarious story!!  So they give us alcohol to wash our hands in like a little drop bottle (similar to my eye drops) and they both had the caps off and I wasn't paying attention and yes, I accidently put it in my eye!! Wow that burned hahah!!  I wouldn't advise that for anyone!!  Then we got to go to the temple and both my eyes are just super red, so I look like the devil.  The temple was so sweet!!  You don't wear a regular white shirt, it's like a Chinese style dress shirt!  It's kind of hard to explain, but way comfy, and no tie.  It was weird to think that was my last temple trip in 2 years, but even weird to think, like the next time I go, it will be with Cade, so I thought that was kinda cool.  Then we played basketball with Filipinos for like 2 hrs!!  They're actually pretty good. That was the end of the Manila MTC, so we had to pack again and then wake up at 03:30 again!! Ha, I loved it. The flight was like 1 hr, not bad compared to what we just did. 
We got there and were met by the office staff and our mission president!   He's a cool guy, I like him.  Then we got our first jeepny ride to the mission home!  Jeepnys are sweet, it was fun!  Then we had another orientation, but it was more mission stuff, so it was ok.  I met Elder Singley!!  I know his sister from high school, and then after that we got to go on splits and tract!!   It was fun and I could actually say stuff cause they speak illongo and we had this one lesson with a recent convert and her daughter, shes 16!!   She was so funny and sassy!! She reminded me of Elle a lot!  After that, we went and stayed in our hotel, and let me tell you, it was not even close to as nice!  We got to experience our first bucket showers!!  They aren't that bad, just kinda an inconvienence.  Next morning, we got to meet our trainers, and mine was called late, so he was late by like a couple of hours, so I had no idea with whom or where I was going.  But turns out, it was Elder Tolentino from Manila!  He's been out 5 months!  He's a great teacher, and fun too, but we are assigned in Hamptic B area in Antique where they speak Karry-a!  We took a 4 hour bus to our area.  I stood like the whole way, cause it was full, but when we got there we went and bought food for the week, and I had no idea what to get, so I was just following my trainer haha!!   Then I got time to unpack and thank you for the mattress covers, they're just old foam pads and kinda gross so I really appreciated those!  After I settled in, we went to the old branch president's house.  His son just died, well 3 weeks ago, and they still haven't buried him, but that's kinda normal.  Deaths are usually like 2-3 week things, and I just sat and smiled the whole time cuz I had no idea what they were saying!!   That's kinda of the main theme of this week, but its ok!   It's so pretty here and so green!!   I love just walking around, cuz I just look at mountains, or the beach!!   It's pretty, and very hot haha!!  I'm always sweating and I like that there are 1/5 only white people here so I kinda stand out!!  But the kids love me and people love trying out there English on me!!  It's super funny. The next day was like the first real day, and I had no idea what to really expect.  But we got punted like 6 times in a row, but it gave us time to just oym (street contact) well for my companion to, haha!!  I said very little.  We ran in to this sweet old lady, Elizan, and it was a great lesson and we're going back to teach her here tomorrow. Then we went to the Akolan family and there 4 kids that just got baptized!!   They are the funnest kids ever!!  I love them and they just messed with me like the whole time!  I can't really tell you much about the investigators, because I didn't understand much, but every lesson went really good!!  Our Progression investigators are James, Gabreal, Robert and 2 girls (I cant remember their names), but James actually doesn't speak Filipino, he speaks ENGLISH!!  So that was awesome haha!!!  I actually taught and we taught about tithing and fast offerings.  He has a concern that  President Monson isn't a true prophet and I really taught a lot!!  It was awesome!!  He also asked a lot of difficult questions, like what's the church's stand on the death penalty and abortion.  But I answered them really good, and it felt so good to actually understand someone and then teach and help with their needs.  With Gabriel we set a baptism date for Dec. 30!!  That was really exciting!!  That was last night, but he has a word of wisdom problem that we are really trying to help him through.  I haven't taught Robert yet, and with the 2 girls, it was just the second lesson, but they are awesome!  The next day my trainer said that I was going to take the lead on lesson and try to introduce it and explain it a little!!  I was really nervous, but it actually went ok, and I felt like I did good!  And I had to do the oyms, and if I was struggling he would help, which was like everytime haha!!  It was a better day cause I actually was saying things, and not just sitting there quiet, and you know for me that is pretty hard and I just think and so the days go slow, but it was faster that day!!  Sunday was a good day though, and it seems like each day is just getting better!!  At church, I got to introduce myself and bear my testimony and I wasn't nervous really!!  It went well.  But then we went to a less active family, and we thought it was just gonna be a basic lesson, but then they really opened up and said there concerns and during the lesson I didn't really understand the problem, but I just felt the spirit and I just went for what I was feeling and it turned out to be exactly what we were talking about and I was super happy!!  It just shows the power of the spirit haha!!
Ya!!  So it's been a long time since I last emailed, but I think that's all of my week.  My trainer said, though, I'm actually really good at the language, and he wouldn't be surprised if I was like good in 6 weeks.  He says already I'm better than the other trainey who's in my apartment, who's been out 6 weeks, just cause I actually open my mouth and am confident.  I love these people so much and this place so much already!!  I can't wait till I can actually understand, and I'm not just sitting there thinking all day, cause I don't like it!  The cultural change hasn't really affected me much!!  I'm good with everything.  Just working hard and trying my best!!  l
Love and miss you!!  Happy birthday Dad!!!  Love you!!  
If you have any other questions ask! 

Love from the other side of the world
Elder Tracy 

P.S. Brian, I know there is a lot of spelling errors!! I had to type way fast to fit it all in an hr!!  I'm sorry!!