Things are going pretty good.

This week we had our Christmas devo on Tuesday. It was really good. The first part was spiritual and then after lunch we played some games and each zone had to make a skit. Some were really funny.

On wednesday my companion lost his voice and his throat was hurting so we werent able to work.

On thursday he still couldnt talk haha but the Ap's had us in the mission office. The senior couples, president and them were away so we got to go be in charge there. It was really boring and we ended up playing ping pong and scrabble.

But with all that happening we were able to get two new families to teach.

Love you guys!

Hey, Things are going good.

This week we had a mission tour with Elder Bowen of the 70. It was really good. We talked about the house of israel, 12 tribes, and the oath and covenant of the priesthood. He was a great teacher.

The first cycle of training is just about over. The cycle ends on wednesday. Things are going great. I enjoy being with my kid haha although he does act like dallin. Just doing annoying stuff that little brothers do.

We had 3 baptisms this week. With a total of 8 in our branch. I wish i could send pictures but the computer doesnt wasnt to read the card. They are doing great they. The two boys (17 and 15) both said they want to go on missions and they work with us about 2 times a week.

Ya I can skype with you guys christmas night. I can call around 6 pm your time.

Love you guys

Umm there wasnt really a typhoon here. Its just been a bit rainy. I wish there was though haha

Things are going good. This week was super busy.

Wednesday we had a trainers/training meeting. They just retaught what they did in the other one and asked us how things were going. Then after that we had to help the Ap's drive elders and sisters back to their area because it was to late to catch a bus.

On friday we had splits with the Zl's in their area. Elder Allred and I got to use the truck so that was pretty awesome. I enjoyed going on splits with him.

Then on saturday we got to travel to santiago for Elder Martizo's patriarchal blessing. We got to eat at McDo and work with the Zls in santiago.  Elder Martizo got his patriarchal blessing on sunday.

Its been freezing cold the last few days. Probably around 70 haha but that is freezing here and im not use to it! We have 3 baptisms coming up on saturday. They all passed their interview.

Love you guys!

Things are going great here. On tuesday we had splits with our district leader. There are isnt that great. It was hard to get lessons. It was a pretty long day of just trying to find new people for them to teach.

On wednesday we had a service project. We went and worked at one of the elementary schools. We did weeding and built a fence for them. It took about 3 and a half hrs. It was fun though. Some of the students helped us.

On thrusday we were invited to thanksgiving dinner. In our our there is an american so he invited us over for dinner. It was great and we got stuffed. He is a member and him and his wife are getting sealed this January.

On friday we had some of our investigators work with us. Two teenage boys. One is 17 and the other is 15. It was a really good time and they enjoyed it. They asked when they could work with us again! They also have a baptism date for Dec 17 along with their sister.

On saturday the sisters had a baptism and they asked my companion if he could do it. It was his first time so he was nervous haha and when he was doing it he dunked her really fast haha. Everyone was like "woah!" It was funny but everything went fine.

At church on sunday we had 7 investigators attend and several of our less active familes. At church there was over 280 people which is really really good here. We also got a new family to teach. A guy walked up to us and said he wanted to know what we teach because he has friends that are LDS. So we were able to start teaching him and his family.

Love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelais

So I got it shipped off but in the letter it said to send it to the school so thats what i did. Sorry haha i didnt get this email in time but it should be fine. I printed some pictures and put them in there also a philipines flag key chain and a small bracelet. It was pretty cheap too, only P100.

Oh and did you know that sis rahlf has a mission blog?

Its only like $3. http://philippinescauayanmission2013-16.blogspot.com/

My week was pretty good! On tuesday we had the baptism for the solider who is going back. It was a great service and him and his wife plan to get sealed in a year:) It was funny because he bore his testimony at the end and he said "I thought i was already a memeber because whenever i was here i went to church but i guess i wasnt but now i am." It sounds more funny in tagalog though haha

My companion is doing great. Its cool to see how he really watches me during lessons and the when its his turn to do something he does it exactly like me. And he isnt too good at tagalog because he is from the southern part of the Philippines. The speak wari wari and cebuano. There are about 80 languages here. 

We have some baptisms coming up in dec and jan. The work is great here in Cauayan. 

Love you guys!

Oh and if you havent sent the christmas package my comp would like a rubix cube haha

Things are going great! My new companion is Elder Martizo from Leyte which is in the Philippines. He is a pretty cool guy. He thinks he is funnier then he actually is though haha. He is 20 yrs old. We get along pretty well.

Being the boss feels pretty good even though I have to do most all of the teaching. He is still learning tagalog. We are having a lot of succes though. We have a baptism this tuesday. He is in the army and so we get to baptism him before he leaves. We also have 5 people we are teaching with baptismal dates.

I do really miss my other companion though. He has to be one of the funniest people i know.

I did get the flat stanley thing and will try to send it back. I have a key chain and bracelet for souvenirs.

So this week has been pretty good. I am really sad that my companion is going to be transferred but I am super excited to be training. I dont know if it is a Filipino or american. There are 6 Filipino elders coming 4 americans and 1 poly. On Wednesday we had a special trainers meeting. It was only 2 hrs long.

They dont celebrate halloween here. It is "all saints day". Everyone goes to the cemetery on the 31st and the 1st. Those days were hard to get lessons because we dont have a cemetery in our area. Thank you for the small Halloween package though:)

Last night we had a special Philippines broadcast from Dallin H. Oaks. It was pretty good. He talked about establishing the Church here and making sure we have a good foundation. The members in our branch are starting to give a lot more referrals. We have about 10 people we are teaching because of those. One of them will be baptized in January after their wedding. Hopefully we will be able to help the others come into the wasters of baptism as well.

We had zone conference on Tuesday. It was really good. It was about becoming a successful missionary.  I got to see my dad their so that was nice because he goes home in March.

Today we played basketball and volleyball. I am so sore and do not like sitting in this hard chair. It was really fun though.

Soooo I have good news and bad news....I am going to be training next cycle! And I lost my camera..

I am pretty nervous just because I am the one that has to do everything for the first few weeks but I am way excited. I actually have my sd card its just the camera I lost.

Ya I will be here for another hr or so. Transfer day is Nov 5

I can get a decent camera here for around $100. The sooner I can get the camera would be best. 

Let me know how much you put in my account tomorrow. Thanks mom. Love you

Things are going pretty great! Today we had a district activity. The Ap's are in our ditrict so we got to take the mission van instead of having to rent a jeepey which was 10x better! We went to a dam that is about 40 min away. We took a boat ride and went hiking. It was a good time and I will send pictures next time because I forgot my card reader.

We havent had any baptisms but we have got new investigators. A family who has their date for Nov. 22 and then 2 others that will be baptized soon as well. Things are going pretty great and I am learning so much out here. Everyday we will get about 5 to 6 lessons.

This week we had splits with the Zl's. The Zl's here in Cauayan are also the housing elders so they have a truck. I had splits with elder Bangal and we had the truck! It was a great time and I am doing way good with Tagalog. By the end of my mission hopefully I will be fluent. I am however forgetting words in English haha.

Next week we have Zone conference so that will be good! Time is just flying by and I am not looking forward to coming home.I think I may just live here mom.

Love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelas

Oh and I dont really want to be picked up because I feel like I wont miss it here and I would rather come back when I actually miss it like the summer of 2016. 

General conference was great! I really liked the 2 talks by Uchtdorf. We watched it at the stake center here in Cauayan with all the members and missionaries. It was a great time. On Sunday between sessions we had lunch at the mission home. We had pulled pork, chips and salsa and some brownies. It was nice eating something different for a change but I got LBM later that night haha.

My week has been good. We are still working with the Edillio family. They are great and the mom is really getting all of her kids to come and be taught. We will have a baptism when our investigator from Mindanao gets back. Right now we are teaching her husband who is one of Nanay Edillio's kids.

Time is just really flying by now. I am loving my time here even thought a lot of the time is just eat, sleep, study and teach but everyday flies by and is a blur haha.

It sounds like you guys are having a great time! We will have to party when I get back haha. Love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelais

Things are going great!

Ya we are going to watch General conference this next weekend. I am pretty excited for it.

This week has been pretty busy. We always have teaching appointments and most of the time have dinner ones too. This weekend was our District conference so we were busy with that saturday and sunday.

We havent really had too much service projects here in Cauayan. I hope we get the opportunity to do some service soon. It would be a nice break from teaching every single day haha.

The members here are super great though. I am really close with a lot of them. Today we played basketball and volleyball with them.

I absolutely love it here so dont be surprised if i dont come home mom hahaha

Love you guys

Things are going great! Sorry i dint email last week. my comp was sick Sat, Sun and Mon! He is doing better now though.

This last Saturday we had a baptism. Sister Solidad Edillio (63) and her daughter Marisol (19). They are awesome! President and Sister Rahlf came to the baptism.

Things are going great here in Cauayan. It is my favorite area so far. We did a dinner calendar this last month and had a dinner almost every night. The members are are really awesome.

My companion and I are getting along great! I did get the package! Thank you so much!!

For Christmas I only want money haha but if you have to send me something a book written by one of the general authorities would be great! From deseret book Uchdorf or holland

I dont even think they should have called that a typhoon! We get more rain and wind from regular storms haha and it was suppose to be the worst right here in Cauayan! We are all good though. We had lockdown sunday night at 6 so we played card games with the Ap's and then went to bed early.

Sorry for no email last week. We are busy hastening the work of the Lord here. We had 43 lessons last week. We also had a baptism this saturday and last.

I had a great one year mark. I was actually on splits with my Zl, Elder Allred from Rexburg. We ended up going to a buffet for lunch and he paid for me! Im doing great! This cycle has gone by so fast! Transffers are on the 24th!

So for the short email but we are busy haha. Love you guys!

So this week has been pretty good! I love the area, the branch, and my companion. We have been busy. Most every day just flies by.
The edillio family is great! They are progressing well and coming to church. They have a baptismal date for the 27th.

We had a baptism this last saturday. Stephanie Faraj was baptized. She is pretty cool. After that I was asked by the sisters in my district to baptize their investigator. So we went there for that after our baptism.

Other than that not really mush stands out. Its been a good busy week with lots of lessons. The city is great but its pretty hot here. My companion told me that when he got his call he was bummed because here in the Philippines, Cauayan is known as the hottest mission here haha.

Love you guys

Do I have money in my account  to buy new garments?

Well Im going to order some garments today. Mine have holes in them and im half way done with my mission so i thought i would order some now

Thats what hand washing does to them haha and im getting them online. Im not sure if there are charges

No because I change the store to the philippines one not the usa one so it will get here faster

The week was pretty good! Being in a city is killing me though...we ate out like 5 times this week haha and all my support is gone! I still have another week to get through with a little bit of money haha. Its great though. There is a lot of traffic though and crossing the street is scary. You just walk out and tell the cars to stop because youre walking.

So we have 3 investigators with a baptism date. The first is Stephanie, she is 14 and hers is this next saturday. She is awesome! Her parents are less active so she comes by herself. She is always to church early and always does what we ask her to! The next is Joann. She is 18 and comes from a part member family. Her date is sept 6th. She is pretty great too, super shy tho. Last is Christian. he is 24 and by far my favorite. Also from a part member family. He works at a gym and so that is where we teach him. We get there at about 1:30 and he will kick everyone out so we can teach. He has had a smoking problem but we have been working with him and he is just about clean. His date is Sept 13th.

So something cool that happened, we had an appointment with a family of investigators that we just started teaching. It was 3:30 and we had an interview at 4 and the family lived quite a ways a way. We werent sure if we should go or just reschedule. We decided to go. We get there and a member is there and is there for the lesson then ends up telling us of others we should teach who live just behind the family. They all came to church yesterday!

Happy birthday Landon!

I got transferred! I am now in Cauayan 2A! I am in the actual city which is pretty nice!  I live like 3 minutes from the mission home haha and my comp and i live with the Ap's. That means whenever we are going the same places we get to ride in their truck! My companion is Elder Laxamana from Batangas city. He is awesome! We are already best friends! He has been out for 14 months. Our apartment is really nice! Its all tile, 2 story with 2 bathrooms.

The work here is good. We have members to work with and the church is very established here. We have several investigators with baptismal dates. Our area is very spread out though.

Oh and then on sunday the bishop told me I was speaking...during the opening announcements...that was a great feeling haha.

I got sis stagee's package! It was awesome haha she is way nice! She sent a box full of snackes and even a new shirt! It must have cost her a ton! Please say thank you! And I loved how she put on the customs form..."rice" and thats all haha! I was kinda freakin out like..."she send me a box full of rice and im in the philippines..."

Happy birthday dad!! Love you!

So things have been pretty good this last week.

On Tuesday we had our last district meeting of this cycle. We had a little spiritual thought and then played FHE games. After that we went to Mang Inasal which is a restaurant here. Its grilled chicken and unlimited rice. I am getting pretty good at putting down rice. I had 6 cups.
Then that night we just about finished the lessons with our investigator Kevin. We were getting him ready for his baptism interview which was on Saturday. He passed by the way and his baptism is on the 16th. That night we had a dinner appointemnt at the Bureros family. They are the rich people in the ward.

On wednesday we got a call from the Ap's saying my comp is training so he had to go to a meeting on thursday. It also means im transferred. So on Thursday I was on splits with Elder Mago. It was a pretty good time and we worked in his area.

On Friday we had to go to the sisters area to interview some of their investigators for baptism. Public transportation here is the worst. They drive the 12 person van but they squeeze 18 people into them....needless to say it isnt very comfortable. For lunch we decided to go all out. We bout a chicken. Got it all ready and marinated it. And I made mashed potatoes and we had gravy. We even had the corn and lemonade!

On saturday the other elders in our ward had a baptism so we were at that. Afterwards we had a basketball game with the YM and some Rm's in the ward and some investigators. And then we went to the birthday party of Kevins(investigator getting baptized) little brother.
And then since my companion has been telling everyone im transferred, bishop heard...so that night at about 9:30 he texts us and says that im speaking tomorrow. So I was up to about midnight writing my talk haha.

Sunday went really well despite the fact i had to talk in church. Luckily Elder Cabaltica had to also. He is one of my best friends here so it was nice getting to talk with him. After everyone found out im being transferred everyone starting inviting us to dinners and planning activites to say bye. I am really going to miss this ward.

Well the medicine helped a lot! I was able to get it on tuesday. I have had to take 4 pills a day for a week. I could tell it was starting to work around thursday or friday. Im all better now though.

So we werent able to have our baptism. They have just changed how baptism interviews are done here. They are only on Saturday now so we have to wait an extra week from the time of his interview. It will be on Aug 16 for sure. He is a great guy and is always coming to church.

This week has been really boring. Being sick really sucked and the days just felt like forever.

I have started reading the Book of Mormon in Tagalog though. Its 777 pages which is quite a bit longer. And reading in a different language isnt to easy haha. My goal is to have it done before christmas.

The first picture is of a FHE we had a little while back. The games here are great because if you lose then there is a punishment. That happened to be some lipstick on the face.

The second is of one of our recent converts here. His name is Pitong. He is 11 and I swear he has ADD haha. He is super fun to teach though and always asks when we will be coming back.

Well It sucked having it this time too...I called the mission presidents wife and then she had to get in contact with the mission doctor. So I talked to her sunday and didnt hear back till tuesday. After that he told me what antibiotics i had to take. So i have been taking 4 pills a day and have to for a week. 

We just styaed home and yes he has been taking care of me. It has been very miserable tho! No movies to watch to pass the time. 

Hey guys!

So im pretty sure I have strep throat. Hopefully I get to go to the doctor soon because I feel terrible! The rest of the week was good though until friday night when I felt sick.

On tuesday we had zone conference. It was alright. It was nice to see some people I havent seen in a while. That took all day though because it was 3 hrs away in Cauayan city. We learned about the restoration though and why we had to have one.

On wednesday we had spilts with the other elders here in cabbarogius. It was way fun. I really enjoy working with elder cabaltica.

Thats about it. Nothin much happened this week. We do have a baptism next saturday though.

Love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelais

This week has been pretty good.

On tuesday we had splits with the ZL's. That was a good day. I was with Elder Williams. He is from Cali and is pretty cool. Its always fun working with another american. We were able to get 7 lessons that day. Plus we were in Santiago city which means we got to eat out for dinner.

We finally got one of the brothers we have been teaching to come to church. He said he enjoyed it and could feel the spirit. Hopefully next sunday both of them will come. We also found a less active family. The parents are sealed but their daughter hasnt been baptized. She is 10 and they came to church. The daughter has a baptism date for Aug 23. We also have a baptism this next saturday.

We have zone conference tomorrow so im pretty excited for that! Its about the restoration so it should be pretty good.

My leg is doing fine. We went to Mcdonalds haha the only american food here! And our soonest baptism is in 2 weeks.

This week has been a pretty busy week...

We have had about 5 to 6 lessons a day! Except on saturday...but its been a great week!

One of the recent converts in the ward, Pitong basco, is awaesome! He is so hard to teach but I love going over there. He has to have ADD haha but is a funny kid. He is only 11. We just found out that he is a drummer. They have there only little music room so before one of the lessons he showed us. He is really good for being only 11.

Our investigator, Kevin is doing great he has been to church 3 times now and has also said he wants to serve a mission. Im excited for his baptism in 2 weeks.

On saturday right before our very first appointment I got bite by a dog. It just ran up from behind, barked once and bite my leg. Then I turned around and kicked it but it freakin hurt. It broke the skin and tore a little bit of my pants. So that pretty much ruined our day. I had to go get it cleaned and stuff. So we worked later that night.

On Thursday the Family history President or whatever of the Philippines was in our area and treated us to dinner! It was great and we got to ride in his fancy truck!

Thats pretty much it! Love you guys! and sorry I frorgot my camera at the apartment so I dont have pictures to send.

-Elder St. Gelais

Things have been rather boring this week.

Lots of walking and not being able to teach. Its alright though. One of our investigators has come to church twice in a row so he will be able to get baptized after two more. He is really cool. His family is less active and he was to young to be baptized when his family was. So 10 years later we found him and he just loves the Gospel! He is such a great example for me and I love being able to visit him.

During our walking we did come across a monkey in a cage though...so I decided to share the gospel with him haha. He was rather nice and really liked the pictures in the pamphlet.

My companion is starting to joke around a little but his jokes are still horrible and he laughs at the weirdest things haha. He tries to be a good missionary so thats good. I think I will be transferred after this cycle though.

I really love the ward im in. The people are so nice. The other week before we got support one of the families that has a tiny store gave us some food because they knew we were out. They are just really great people.

Love you guys!

Instant messaging:

Oh sorry haha ya im fine! 

Im the one who started talking about it. Everything is alright though:) If you are really concerned you can send umm candy in the package haha

I want Netherlands to win. When did you send the package? Hi dad haha

Oh and the monkey isnt cute haha he has sharp teeth! I did shake his hand though

The packages only take about 2 weeks but letters take a month. 

and fine I want Brazil because Neymar is my fav player

Love you guys

Umm nothing much. Just netting and then we have a FHE later tonight. 

Because I want to be transfferd haha

Ya i remember her...that really sucks. 

I am not looking forward to that...

Haha hi landon. 

Ok goodnight! Love you too!

So this week has been pretty good.

On Tuesday after district meeting I had spits with the other American elder working in Cabbarogius. It was really fun to work with him. He is from New Mexico and is a bull rider. I hope I can been companions with an American during my mission. I really enjoyed the splits.

Umm not really too much exciting has happened this week. I am getting a lot better at teaching though. The language is getting better and better. Its really funny how surprised people will get here when they find out I can speak Tagalog. Even buying groceries the lady will ask if I have a membership card and all I say is " Wala po" and she freaks out because I spoke Tagalog haha.

Oh and when we were getting support there was a white guy...thats not even the weirdest part haha I saw his drivers license and he was from Arizona! So we talked for a little while.

Transfers are on July 2nd. Im not transferred so I will be here at least one more cycle. Sadly the Elder from Fiji is. He is really cool and i'll miss him.

Love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelais

To Landon:

My week was pretty good! It was very busy. We walk a lot here and its super hot and humid outside. Its not very fun...

Its ok though, there is a purpose to the walking so it makes up for how tired I am every single day!

The downstairs room is great! I liked being down there all by myself haha.

Grandma sounds like a fun babysitter. Make sure that you are nice to her.

Love you Landon!

-Elder St. Gelais

To Lauren:

Wellllll we just talked and now we are just going to be friends. You can still invite her over if you want:) Just ask mom for her phone number. I think she would like being able to see you.

You guys are going to Cali again?! Thats ok...im in the Philippines so HA!

Love you Lauren!

-Elder St. Gelais

Can you send deodorant? I'm almost out and the ones here suck...can you send the old spice Fiji? Like 2 or 3? Thanks!

Hey!

So I take it that you will never want to go on another trek?? hahaha! Its good that you guys had a great time.

This week was great! We had our baptisms on saturday! I would send a picture but I forgot my camera at home. It was really good though. At the end the mom bore her testimony and was crying. Im glad that the spirit was so strong there.

On Wednesday I had splits with Elder Sogari. He is from Fiji and is awesome! I had a great time working with him.

On Friday we had some service. We built a kitchen for some investigators in the other elders area. It took most of the day. We finished around 3. After that the ZL's came and did the interview for the Yap family.

Not really much to say but that is was a good week haha.

Love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelais

With the next package you send can you send me a nice Filipino flag? I want it for everyone to sign. and then I can hang it in my room! Thanks mom! Love you!

I was looking for an ipod and there are 7th gen ipod nano. They are mp3 players but its a touch screen. They are about $80. I found one here and I really want it. Can you help? Or even buy one from ebay for me?

This week has been pretty good. It is now officially rainy season! It has rained 5 out of the 7 days. It always starts around 4 p.m. and will go pretty hard for about an hr and then just a light rain for the rest of the night. I absolutely love the rain. I dont mind being soaked all the time. 2 of the times we were out walking through a field and had no where to hide so we were soaked. Umbrellas dont help because the rain and wind is too strong.

We have a baptism this coming up saturday! The Yap family is going to be baptized. The mom and daughter will be baptized and hopefully the son soon after. His only problem is church attendance. I am so excited for them though.

This week hasn't been too good with lessons. We have been getting punted a lot. We only got between 2-3 lessons a day.

On Saturday we had service in one of the sisters area. Our whole district was there. We had to clear out a bunch of weedish type things haha. We got to use giant sword things! I dont know what the were called haha. It was nice though. We also got to climb the coconut tree and cut them open and drink them! The water inside is pretty good.

On monday night we had a dinner appointment. They dad told us that their house was haunted...and he had seen things on the 3rd and 4th floor. Like a floating coffin and people. So he asked us if we could bless the house. It was pretty weird and he asked me to give the prayer to bless the house. When we got there it actually did feel pretty weird inside but it might have just been in my head haha. Nothing super weird happened though.

My comp is doing alright haha I think he is finally starting to open up. His funny is more of a nerdy funny. Like the jokes he makes are just horrible. I laugh but in my head im like "that was an absolutely terrible joke man".  He is getting there though haha i'm teaching him well.

Love you guys!

Well this week was ok...I was sick with the flu friday, saturday and sunday. That wasnt too fun!

Other than that though things were great! This week we focused on contacting less active members in our ward. Only about 1/4 of our ward is active so thats not too good. Thats pretty much how most of the Philippines is though. We found two new LA's too teach and they both came too church! I really enjoy my area but everyday just feels like an eternity with this companion.

He just isnt fun. He is so serious all the time. He also freaks out about little things that happen. Like in the area book someone wrote something in the wrong spot but it didnt really make that big of a difference. And he wants to be the boss. He has been here for a week and wants to lead the area already. He just became a DL so the power has gone to his head.

Not much else has really happened this week. Its just been really long with not much excitement.

Love you guys!

(instant messaging back and forth)

Ya I was throwing up. No energy. No desire to eat.

He is Filipino. Most Filipinos are really cool though but not this one

Haha i logged onto my email and all i had was the email with the pic and i was like "this is all?!" haha but ya its a good picture. And thanks for the money!!!

We had to push it back because the mom is really stressed about school starting soon. She is a teacher and is getting ready for that

Umm I still dont really know how the school system works here. I know they have been on summer though.

 I dont think they will. They are a super awesome and love having us over.

Umm Just internet, got support, gonna go grocery shopping, my comp bought an mp3 player, and thats pretty much it haha oh and I got a haircut

I wish you could cut my hair haha no one does it right.

Ya we can have them to listen to church music. I want one with a screen though and I cant seem to find one. Music does help it not be to quiet though. I want one really bad!

No they live at a different apartment. They dont like my comp either so we dont really see each other too often. Maybe 3 times a week.

Oh and tell dad I can download audio books. So let me know which ones he wants and if they have them i will get them. And any movies you guys want

Hi guys! Love you guys! I dont think I will be able to find one here. The only one with a screen is the ipod5 but that costs 14000 and I dont have that much money haha

$300....I wouldnt be able to download apps because there is no wifi. Just transfer music to if from a usb

Elder Tadeo...Ya haha summer is the best! Goodnight, love you guys! 

Well this week has had its ups and downs.

This last p-day Elder Dulaca and I were able to go to the Banaue rice terraces. It was really cool! Its way up in the mountains and it wasnt hot at all haha.

Then wednesday was transfer day. I got my first comp that I dont really like to much. He is obedient and everything but its to the point where he is no fun at all. Like at all! He is like a robot haha its kind of annoying. Hopefully I will be able to learn to love him.

Thursday was horrible! We got punted from our lessons all day long! We tried 6 familes that day and we didnt get to teach a single one. It was one of the longest days so far! Plus it was really hot haha so that didnt help.

Friday was a little better. We were able to contact some part member families and share with them and we have return appointments.

Saturday was great! We visited the Yap family and were able to give them a baptismal date for June 7. They said that they would try and prepare themselves for that! It was a great lesson with them and I felt so happy that they agreed to the baptism date. The feelings you get when that happens are truly indescribably!

Love you guys!!

So this week has been really busy! Since we are in a tri companionship now we work in both of the areas. Its a ton of walking. Its a lot of fun being with another elder though. We have taught a bunch a great people this week.

 On Thursday President Rahlf came and visited us. He wanted to talk to my companion. He is going to be a zone leader this next cycle so he will be transferred and im going to get another new companion.  Im pretty bummed out about that because Elder Dulaca is awesome. Im going to miss him a lot. After Presidnet was done talking to my comp he called me in...I was pretty nervous haha. But he told me that I may be getting a pasaway comp and that I need to be a good exapmle and be a leader. Hopefully things turn out ok though and I like my new comp.

On Friday we had splits with the ZL's. It was a good day! We got 6 lessons and a new investigator. The ZL was really impressed with us (myslef and Elder Cabaltica). I enjoyed working with him.

Sorry for the short email but we are super busy and the internet is slow

Love,

I will be able to skype in a little while. I have to wait for a camera

Unfortunately they have a lack of cameras here..im not sure how long it will be

They are elders haha but they have been here for a while

Hey guys:)

I just recorded the video from stake conference with my camera. Glad you liked it though.

This week was great and went by way fast. One of the best things by far is that one of the long time investigators we have been teaching came to church this last sunday and told us that she knew it was true so we are going to be giving her a baptismal date. Hopefully everything works out with her.

At our district meeting on tuesday, President Rahlf came to our meeting. My comp was super nervous because now he had to give a great lesson. It was good though and everyone was participating.

On thursday I had splits with Elder Costales. His area is huge and we spent about an hr and a half walking to get to where our appointments were. We got lucky and were able to teach 2 out of the 3 families there.

Love you all:)

-Elder St. Gelais

Oh and I will probably call you guys on your sunday night around 8.  Can you let Ana know in case she wants to come?

Hey guys!

This week went by pretty fast. On Tuesday we went tho the chapel in Santiago city for our district meeting. After that we went to the mall they have their. Its really weird because its a really nice mall! Like one that would be in America haha. We ate there for lunch. When we left I realized that no I wasnt in America im still in the Philippines.

I cant exactly remember what happened on wed and thur. They feel like the same day because both were just so long and hot! We get quite the workout here because its so mountainous here. It seems like a lot of the investigators we have here have been investigators for a while. They love having us over but they just cant get themselves to come to church.

On Friday  we were working in our farthest barangy. A barangy is just little town. We have 3 in our area so its pretty big. My last area had half of one.  We were going to watch one of the Joseph smith movies with some recent converts but my comp brought the wrong disc so we just ended up sharing a spiritual thought and having dinner with them.

On Sunday I went on splits with one of the Rm's in our ward. It was great except that he would only speak ilicano in our lessons...so I had no idea what he was saying haha. We had a good time though and were able to find 3 new investigators.

There are the same kinds of bugs here haha and no I havent seen a giant bat yet mom. Yes we can skype on mothers day but im not exactly sure what time yet. I will talk to my comp about that and let you know.

Love you guys!
-Elder St. Gelais

Here is a picture from our house. Ya i know i get charged $5 and it is kinda hard to live on what we get. We get about $80 every 15 days. Most all missionaries run out of support. Ill try and do better though. And ya most of it is for food.

Yes im happy mom haha

How much can I take out of my account? Is it ok if I leave 75 in for emergencies? I won't withdraw for a while

Hey guys!

So on tuesday we had zone conference! It has been the best one so far! It was all about the Book of Mormon. The first part was about Joseph Smith and how the Book came to be. And the second part was about how the entire Book testifies of Christ and how to apply it into our teaching. The whole conference was great and it was all day long.

On wednesday I met some of our investigators. I really like these two brothers were teaching, Michael and Jason. They also came to church this past sunday!

On thursday we went to santiago city because we were asked to teach classes in a mini MTC the stake was putting on. So we had our own districs and everything just like the MTC and it was our job to be the teachers. That was a bit of a challenge. It turned out great tho. After the teaching we all went out and worked which wasnt very well planned because they have 12 missionaries in 2 areas so we were only able to teach 1 lessons and then just go oym people.

Friady! My birthday was pretty good. After working we had a dinner appointment and celebrated my b-day and a sisters that was on the 19th. After that we went and bought a cake haha. Then today we went hiking which was really fun. We got to take a little boat across the river which was cool. This was in the area of some of the other elders in the zone.

For Easter we didnt really do much but the usual. I guess it isnt that big of a holiday here. In church they didnt even mention it. We did have another dinner appointment though. It was at one of the Rm's houses.

Have a great week!

-Elder St. Gelais

I am now in Cabarroguis, Santiago south zone! My new comp is Elder Dulaca and he has been out for a yr and 7 months. He is from the very bottom island of the Philippines. He is a really cool guy. It is just us two in the apartment. Our apartment is still not the best but the cr is a lot nicer! We actually have a working shower! Our area is way bigger than my last one. I am excited for that! We are in a town just about 30 min from the big city of Santiago. For p-days we are able to go to Santiago which is going to be great! My area has both jungle and a good size town. We are in a ward here and share it with two other elders that live 10 min away. That have a way nicer apartment then ours though haha. Overall all I am very happy with the transfer! We dont have a washing machine though...so this morning laundry took forever! Doing it by hand is not fun...

This week has been pretty busy! All of the packing I had to do on Tuesday. It was horrible! Then we had transfers on Wednesday. I was pretty nervous about that but it turned out to be great! We got to our area at about 4 pm. Then we went to a birthday party for one of the members here. They had unlimited ice cream so that was nice haha. After that I unpacked a little bit. On thursday we had zone meeting. It was a little weird at first because I didnt know anyone but by the end I felt like I was right at home. I am the only American in the zone. There is a guy from Fiji though and he is really funny. For the rest of the day we went around and met the members and the Bishop. There are several Rm's here so it will be great working with them. On Friday we started working. So far the area is great and we have several investigators. Then on Sauturday and Sunday we watched General Conference! Luckily it was in English haha. I really enjoyed that. Im not sure if everyone here understood everything but there is a definite spirit that comes from listening.

Lauren: Umm yes I kind of do enjoy eating weird things! I just dont ask what it is till after I eat it. Like today for lunch I had chicken liver..,it wasnt the greatest but it wasnt terrible.

Landon: No the pizza here inst very good! It tastes pretty much like bread. So we just pour tons of hot sauce on it. But yes it does have pepperonis on it. And the Philippines is very green! Well when youre not in the city. The city is kind of scary though! There are pretty much no rules about driving! So hopefully I become Ap so I can drive here haha. My favorite primary song is 'a childs prayer'.

Thank you for the happy birthdays! I love you guys!

-Elder St. Gelais

Oh and I will remember to take pictures! Sorry but I havent yet...

My week has been pretty good! On wednesday my comp got a call from the
ap's telling him he is going to be training which means im
transffered! This wednesday is transfer day which means I have a lot
of packing to do and I hate packing! Im excited to finally get a new
area because I was starting to get a little bored of the one I am in
now. It is really small because we have 4 elders working the area.

And no I havent got an email from the stake yet mom.

I will be watching conference this next saturaday and sunday. Im not
sure if it will be in Tagalog or English but I really hope its in
English haha. This is my second General Conference so only 2 more to
go!

On Tuesday my comp and I went to one of the nanay's houses to give her
our laundry (She does our laundry for us every week and we give her
some money haha were too lazy) and she was telling me how she doesnt
want me to be transferred because she loves us coming over to teach.
We usually will have a FHE at her house and she will invite her
friends.

On Wednesday we had a zone activity where we all worked in 1 area. It
was kind of fun being able to work somewhere else. My comp and I
taught an older woman and she is really interested and the elders that
work there now have a return appointment.

On Saturday we had a zone baptism. There were 8 people baptized. It
was a great experience. Angel, one of our investigators was able to
be baptized.

Thank you to everyone that sends me emails. I really enjoy hearing
from you guys. I love you all.

-Elder St. Gelais

On Tuesday we had district meeting. The Ap's came and visited. My comp had some leadership training he had to do so I had to just chill in the church and wait. It was about an hr. After that the Ap's took us out to lunch which was great.

This week we have been focusing on the members and getting them involved in missionary work and being able to talk to there friends and neighbors. We went out several time with different members. It was great working with them and having them to be able to bear testimony at the end of our teaching.

Then is weekend we had district conference and it was all about how the members need to work with the missionaries and about how it is there job to find people for us to teach. So hopefully the members will take action. President Rahlf was there along with a member of the Quorum of the seventy. It was a great time.

Love you all!

-Elder St. Gelais

Things are still going pretty good. On Tuesday we had zone meeting. It was all about working with members. It was a 3 hr zone meeting and it felt like forever! It was good though. I learned a lot.

Tuesday through Friday we all got up early and went and played basketball at the church. There were about 10 of us there. I actually kind of enjoy playing now. But the filipinos play like little girls. It you so much as touch them they will usually call a foul so that gets annoying because I only know how to yell at them in English and they just laugh so learing how to yell in Tagalog is at the top of my to do list haha.

We have one sister that is progressing great. She does everything we ask and always comes to church. Her baptism date is the 29th. Our other investigators all have problems with coming to church. They dont mind praying or reading the Book of Mormon but we just cant get them to come to church so thats a bit frustrating.

On Saturday there was a District Relief society thing in the morning and we went because the nanays said there was going to be food and there was! A ton of it. It was kind of boring though. We ended up leaving early.

Well thats pretty much it.

-Elder St. Gelais

Oh and mom, president said to not use ups or fedex...

So this week was pretty good! Transfer day was Wednesday. I had to
wait at the Mission home for about 4 hrs to get my new comp because he
was coming from the very north part of the mission. He is Elder
Rumbaoa or "Rambo". He is a really cool guy and so chill. He has 1
year left. He is also freakin amazing at basketball. He plays for one
of the big universities in Manila. He is from Quezon city which is
right in Manila.  He loves to work hard but he also loves to have fun
so its the best of both worlds haha. And in the few days we have been
working together we got 3 new investigators and one already has a
baptismal date! Its going to be the 29th of March.

Sorry I wasnt able to send that. The power went out in the middle of my email.

This was has also been pretty good. Two of our investigators, Flor and
Maylene are having a bit of trouble though because their husbands dont
really want them going to church. We have taught them all of the first
3 lessons though. We are going to have to try something new with the
husbands though. My companion is really good at teaching though so
hopefully the will be able to feel the Spirit and come around.

The less active members we having been teaching are coming to church
more often now. This last sunday we had 4 of them there and a less
active family. Also on sunday I went on splits with the Branch mission
leader. Its always a challenge when I do because I have to be the one
doing all the talking and im still not that great at Tagalog. I really
enjoy it though because I surprise myself with how much i can actually
say.

I really enjoy it here though. Everyone is so nice. Even those that
arent members are really nice to us.

I love you guys!

Elder St. Gelais

Hi Lauren!

I dont think you would want to play with these monkeys haha they were
kind of mean and super crazy! I have some videos that you can watch
when I come home! Im not sure when I will get moved to another place.
This cycle ends April 11th so maybe then I will. I have had adobo,
affritata, chicken kurry. Those are all really good! And the bread
here is amazing! I love the pan de coco. It has coconut in it!

Yes I have eaten dog...its really really chewy but doesnt taste that
bad. I love my companion! He is really really cool and so funny!

Good luck with soccer! I love you:)

Elder St. Gelais

Mom,

There are actually some things I need/would like. Can you send my nike
flip flops? The comfy ones? A box of the retainer cleaner things. My
nike soaks. The black ones and the white ones. And if possible my
white vans? I dont like wearing my running shows everywhere because
they are getting worn out fast. Thanks mom! I love you!

Elder St. Gelais

Oh and can you print or write this in a Book of Mormon for Ana?
" Ana, I want you to know that I know that the things in this book are
true. That this book goes hand in hand with the teachings from the
Bible. I know that this is the true church and through this church we
can know what true happiness is. Please read this book. If you have
questions while you read then write them down and send them in an
email. I promise that as you read and pray, you will know like I do
that it is true. Seek the answer and you will find it."

Sorry about no email last week! We were quite busy!

So the highlights from that week was that I went on splits with the ZL's. I went with Elder Daluz. He is super awesome and he goes home in 1 more cycle. Then on P-day we went to Roxas and played basketball. After that we just wandered around in the palanki (big market place thing). Then the ZL in Roxas told us that the mayor has a BBQ truck with ribs and pulled pork so OF COURSE we had to go find that haha and we went to the town hall cause that was were it was suppose to be and it wasnt there. So we decide to go and ask the mayor haha. We get to his office and hes not there. So what are we going to do? We go to his house! We go inside and talk to him and we get our BBQ:) We also leave a pamphlet about the Restoration:)

So this week...well the week was super long because my comp was lazy cause he knew he was getting transferred. So work was kind of slow. We did have some great lessons though. Our two progressing investigators, Flor and Maylyne are amazing! Its so fun to teach them because we will be having a meryenda(snack) and laughing and then start the lessos and it just goes great! They ask questions and want to learn and we are able to teach with the spirit and its just always a good time! Then today for p-day we went caving and to a zoo and hiked to a waterfall for a zone activity! It was soo fun and it as absolutely beautiful! And the zoo was awesome....so much better that the american ones! instead of a giant wall and being 50 ft from a tiger...i was 3 inches away haha and they are pretty big! We also got to play with some monkeys...they can be pretty mean! And I got to hold a giant anaconda:)

Oh and transfers are this Wednesday and I will be getting a new comp! Im both excited and nervous haha
Well thats about it for now! Oh we do have a new guy were teaching! He is 16 and works in the bukid. He is pretty cool. Oh and I love it out here!!

-Elder St. Gelais

Things are going great! We had quarterly interviews with President Rahlf. I really enjoy talking to him because he always seems to inspire me to do better. That was on Thursday after our district meeting.

On Tuesday I went on splits with Elder Defacto, one of the other elders in our apartment. Somtimes I think he might be gay...he does weird things like call guys handsome all the time, at every mirror he has to fix his hair and just stuff like that. It was fun teaching with him though.

On Wednesday the work wasnt too good and then my comp just wanted to play basketball at the church so we were there for a while. It was soo boring. He has been getting kind of lazy this week and like to just sit at members houses.

On saturday we got punted from all of our appointments and even the back up ones we had so that was a big bummer. That day felt like forever!

On sunday Elder Betancourt and I got to teach primary haha. We had no idea what to do so we taught about the creation and then had them draw pictures about it. It was really fun cause these kids actually listened to us and weren't going crazy! After that we went to our far area with some of the Branch missionaries and were only able to get 1 lesson there and then we came back just in time for our dinner appointment.

Yes they do celebrate V-day here. The mall in ilagan was all decorated haha
Love you all!
-Elder St. Gelais

This was a pretty good week. On Wednesday we had zone conference. It was about becoming a "Hastening mission". It was very spiritual and we also had some fun. After the zone conference on our way home our jeepney got a flat so we were stuck on the side of the road in the middle of no where for a while. That wasnt to fun.

Thursday was just a normal day of teaching. We went out with some of the branch missionaries. During one of the lessons (the kids are crazy) one of the little girls came and dug her nails into my arm! Then her mom started going off at her in illicano haha it was kinda funny.

On Friday we got 2 new investigators! They are really cool and excited about learning. They have a ton of questions. They are both from Negros occidenta and that where my companion is from so they all talk in illongo and i have no idea what they are saying haha.

On saturday we had the Preach My Gospel call with the branch missionaries and then went and worked with them afterwards. I really enjoy working with them because I get to speak Tagalog a lot more when im with them because they always have questions. Just random ones too like, How big is your house or do you drive a car in America? Weird questions like that.

This sunday was a fast sunday and i just about wanted to die! I was so hungry haha but luckily we had a great dinner appointment that night at Presidents. Not really to much else happened. Oh except that I was out of money for most of the week and was living off of pancit haha which is just top-roman.

Love you all!
-Elder St. Gelais  

This was a great week! On Tuesday we had our district meeting and Bro. Pete was there. He is the American who gets us all the cool stuff. He told me he was going to get the Nativity sets this next week so i will have those soon. He also said he is trying to find some cool ramboo knives. After DM we went to BigMac for lunch...its a tiny burger stand in Burgos. It was gross yet really good. I think my taste buds are dying from eating rice everyday. After that I went on a spit with the other Filipino in my house. I enjoy working with him because he makes me teach the lessons.

On Wednesday my tatay had a meeting in Cauayan for all DL's and ZL's so i was comps with Elder Mago. He came to my area so I got to lead the area that day. It was fun and went to Rizal to teach our invesigators there.

On Saturday we had the baptism for tatay Ben! We got to the church around 2 to fill the fount. There was no water running to the church. So we had to go and find out what was wrong with the pump so after an hr of messing around with that we fixed it. Then the water was coming out but it was all draining. We could find the switch to stop it from draining. So after 30 min we found the switch outside underneath a concrete slab. So the baptism started at 4:30 instead of 3 haha but it was still just as great. Oh ya and I got my hair cut... I told my tatay i needed one. So at 8:30 am a less active member shows up at our house and says he is ready to cut my hair. It was really weird cause i just sat outside in front of our house while he cut my hair haha

On Sunday we had lunch at our new District Presidents house (our old Branch president). It was super good like it always is. Then after that we worked with some of the Branch missionaries and it was a great time.

I will send pictures next time because the internet is terrible and I cant upload them.

Love you all!

-Elder St. Gelais

My week was pretty good! Wednesday was transfer day and the new Elder living with us is Elder Betancourt. He is from Virginia and has I think 5 cycles left. He is a pretty cool guy.

On Wednesday we had a dinner appointment and I got to eat dog for the first time! It wasnt that bad but it was really chewy haha. We also went to teach our investigator, Tatay Ben. He is doing great and has his interview with a Zl this Thursday and if he passes then we have a baptism on Saturday!

On Thursday we had District meeting and were able to met all the new Elders and sisters in our zone. After the we went to Ilagan to withdraw support and eat at Macdo. We also went grocery shopping cause we got support and I have been living off of instant pascit haha.
After that we had a few less active members we taught.

On Saturday we had another Preach my Gospel class with the Branch missionaries. It feels like a district meeting because we do role play at the end and they practice teaching me. Its fun having them try to teach me. After that we go and visit less active members and have them help teach. Later that night we had an Area broadcast from the Presidency of the Philippines. They shared the new goals for the Philippines.

On sunday we had District conference. President came for that. We got a new District presidency and our Branch President, President Baraba. So we now have a new Branch President. Its Jacento and they are one of the coolest families here. After that we had lunch at President Barbas house. Then we worked with the Branch mission leader and then finished the day with a dinner appointment.

Yan lang! Mahal ko kayo! Totoo ang simbahan!

-Elder St. Gelais

Sorry I forgot the pictures haha. The first one is from a Birthday party and the second one has Tatay Ben (far left) with some giant fruit thing they make into cake.

Hello!

Its been a great week and I am now officially trained! I didnt get a new comp tho so i am still in the same area with my tatay.

Well not much happened this week. Pretty much the same stuff. We did find another investigator tho. He is a pretty cool guy that works out in the bukid.

Um well on Tuesday we went running at 4:30 in the morning. When we got back there was steam coming off of me. It looked pretty cool haha and I also cooked adobo for the first time and i do have to say that it was pretty darn good!

Then on saturday we had a Preach my Gospel class that we taught to the branch missionaries. They are all youth and there are like 8 of them haha. It was really fun tho and we went and worked with them after that.

Sorry but that pretty much it. Oh the other America Elder is transferred so were getting a new one in our apartment. And heres a picture of our CR.

-Elder St. Gelais

I am so jealous of your trip! That sounds like it was way fun!

On Tuesday we had our District meeting which was great! After that we went to the "mall" in the zone next to ours to withdraw our support money. When we got there Elder Cambell gave us each 125 pisos for lunch so we didnt have to pay for it! That was supper nice of him. So we went to a new place instead of our usually McDonalds. It was actually really good! I have sirloin steak and rice. It was only 120 pisos. While we were there one of the Elders got squid and let me have some! It tasted kinda funny haha. Then after that we had 2 appointments before we had to go back for lock down. Both of them had food for us so we were all stuffed. Later that night we watched narnia. Then around 10 all of our neighbors started to party...They have a ton of speakers and it was sooo loud! We decided to go out in our patio thing and watch fireworks. There was a ton and all of our neighbors were lighting them off.

New years day was just as good! Every appointment we had the people gave us food!! I have never been so full in my life. I may need to do the biggest loser thing too...

On Friday I went on a split with Elder Defacto. The other Filipino Elder in my apartment. It was good. We went and worked in his area. He had me do a lot of the teaching which I really enjoyed because i will just say what i know in Tagalog and then ask him how to say something and he helps me so i can keep teaching. He is really good at english so that makes a big difference.

Saturday was my comps B-Day. We went to Presidents house for lunch and it ended up being a party and we were there forever! Then we went to our dinner appointment so we didnt get to do to much work that day.

On Sunday I went on a split with the Branch mission leader. That was way fun. I really enjoy working with him because he loves to work! We got 5 lessons in 3 hrs. I also got to be the lead so I was the one teaching the lessons. That was kind of hard cause im still not all that great at Tagalog and dont understand what people say half the time because they talk so dang fast! He was great though and taught me a bunch of Tagalog.

Then today we went and played basketball with the Elders in our zone (8 of us) and the Branch president of the Zl's zone. It was way fun and i love playing here cause everyone is worse then i am so it makes me look like im good haha. All the Filipinos love basketball. They always want to play on P-day. We played Americans vs. Filipinos haha and we won both times.

I love you all.

-Elder St. Gelais