Elder Dallin Tracy

November 17, 2014 at 1:50

This week has been every emotion possible! Fast,homesick, frustrated,angry,doubtful,happy,excited,loving and but other than that, it's been great!!  I can't believe it's already 2 weeks!!  But the reason why I get down and start having a hard time is when I just sit there and think, and this happens a lot because I really don't know the language and I let Satan just work my mind, saying, "This sucks!!  I have to do laundry by hand, or I don't have toilet paper or a hot shower, or I'll never get this language, or I miss home and want to be home," but then the time is super fun and flies by when I work and don't think about myself(it got better through the week, I'm good now!!)  I'm not struggling, just some of those thoughts came to my head, and I didn't like it, but it definitely has given me a new found appreciation for you and dad and how much we are blessed and how much I took it for granted!!  I'm sorry for that!!  I will never not put my clothes a way again, or not do the dishes!!!  That's for sure!  Haha!! but now to the fun stuff

How is the language coming?

My talking has gotten so much better and I feel like I can at least get across some points I want to say and it's getting better everyday!  I'm learning illongo, and then I'll learn kray-a, but the hardest part is listening and understanding, cause its sooo fast and different!!  But that will come, I know it will just take some time!!
How is your teaching pool?

So we have a lot of people just contacted, but not progressing cause they haven't taught them enough!!  But we have 6,  I think?

James: He's a white guy from the US, and he speaks English, so I love teaching him!! Haha and at the end of the lesson I was talking to him about coming to church and he said I should go into politics or car sales, and I just started laughing, cuz you say that all the time!!  It was awesome!! He understands it all, but won't commit to a date yet!!  He wants to know more about President Thomas S. Monson and he's struggling making it to church!! 

Gabriel: He's a 35 Filipino and hes got a date for the 30th of December, which is awesome!!  I've only taught him once, but hes smart and understands!!  It's good!!  He has a word of wisdom problem and is going to church, but we are gonna keep working on him! 

Robert: 13 yr old boy, who wants to get baptized but his dad wont let him, but his mom was like a golden investigator!!   So we'll see how that goes!! 

Duran family: The dad and 2 little girls!!  They are awesome!!  We are gonna try and give them a date!!  I'll try and get pics with all these people 

How is the branch? Actually not good!!  That is our main concern as missionaries!!  In the branch there's lots of leadership problems, and no fellowshipping!!   They have over 350 members, but only about 80 active, so we spend a lot of time in rescuing and less active teaching, but once we can get the branch behind us, we will explode on the work!! 
Are you getting a feel for the town & the people?  Kinda!  I've got all the people we teach down, almost all their names, but the area is big, so it's kinda hard, but I've only been here 2 weeks!!  I think by another 2, I will for sure!! 

We had a FHE last Monday at a members house and had ice cream!  Which is a big deal here and played games!!   It was super fun!!  And, I had my first mango this week!! Haha!!  They are so good and sweat and juicy!! I love them!

We had zone conference and set a goal of 50 plus baptisms for December so we can have a white Christmas, so we all are working really hard for that.  It's hot all the time!!  I am always sweating!! Haha!! And it rained this week, and let me tell you, when it rains, it rains hard, and this isn't even the rainy season, so it got way muddy!!  I'm almost caught up from all the laundry and it's not that bad, just way time consuming.  We eat rice every meal!  I don't mind that, and I lost like 5 pounds this week which is good, cuz I put on like 15 in the MTC!!  We've met 2 people that would be basically golden investigators, but don't live in our area, so we just referred them over which sucks!  I got these otter pop like things, which are 4 pesos (like 2 cents) and they are so bomb on a hot day!!  You don't even know, hahal 

Funny story: So we teach and she's holding a baby with no pants, and the baby farts on her arm and then like 2 seconds later starts pooping and peeing on her!! Haha!!  It was one of the funnest things.  I love the kids here, they always make me happy and relieve any stress!!  They're way cute too!!  We did a service project for a less active to clean up their yard, and it was like 10x worse than grandpa's, haha!!  And we didn't have lawn mowers or weed wackers, we had machetes!!  So that was a fun time.  We had a couple inactives come to church, so that was awesome, and I spoke in church this week!! Haha in illongo, and I don't mind speaking, it's just difficult in a different language, but it went really well!!  We had 2 lessons on Sunday that really hit me.  The prodigal son and the 2,000 stripling warriors, and the reason why they hit me was cuz I related to them so much and I feel like they're are both like me.   I was way selfish and wanted it my way, now, and didn't care about others, but now, I'm starting to get away from that and come back!!  And then I thought about how you have prepared me for a mission by teaching me to have faith and love and trust God!  Already in this mission, I have found a new love for God and the scriptures and my Savior, Jesus Christ, but also, you guys, I can't explain how much I love you guys, but I know that because families can be together forever!!  I can give up 2 yrs of my life. 

love and miss you tons 

P.S. Give the picture of the power lines to papa and say "even in the Philippines it's not as beautiful as a eci line in Cedar" and tell Ryley to email him!! I'm in the same district as his last companion, and tell Miles I ran into Mark Christansen in Maniia.  He was going home!!  He should know who he is!! 

Love you guys!!  Keep the questions coming and put pics/videos in the drop box 

Elder Tracy