Dear 2013 - Deuces

Ward Christmas Party: Elder Claus with the Young Women



Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and had a great Christmas. We just spent ours with the members and it was kind of relieving to just relax a little. Also being able to see my family was really nice too! For New Year's Eve, we have a lockdown due to safety precautions and have to return to our apartments before 6 PM. However, another companionship is sleeping at our apartment and we will be watching the Narnia series because it has been approved by our President. So don't worry, we will still be able to party it up here. New Years Day we will probably just spend at the member homes again.

 

Good riddance, time really flies doesn't it? It is crazy for me to think that it was earlier this year that I was playing rec ball, getting turnt in the Vine and music video industry, got off the bus, kicked through a school window and became a super senior  unlike one the world has ever seen. And now here I am in the Philippines preparing for the year 2014.

Originally we had a baptism scheduled for this last week on the 27th for Dexter and Angelo but we had to postpone them because Dexter was having a hard time understanding and his testimony still needed to be strengthened. However, we have been trying to visit and teach them every day and now he seems ready. We set the date for Dexter, Angelo and also Jessica for January 11th.

 

Dexter, Jessica, and Grace (Jessica's sister)

 

I guess there is no better way to close out the year with...you guessed it. Another story with a drunk man. So the other night we are walking back to the apartment  because we have no more appointments for the day and I stop to buy bread (which by the way I go through like 2 or 3 loaves of bread in a week but anyways, that is beside the point) and as we are about to leave, a guy comes up to us that is so intoxicated he is having a hard time walking in a straight line. Anyways, he asks me some random questions and when I am done answering them, we start walking away. We had gotten about ten yards away from the bread shop when he yelled for us to wait. After he caught up to us, he proceeded to tell us about how many problems we had. So I did what we always do in these situations-I briefly shared our message and then gave him a pamphlet-He then says "Sir....Thank you." And then he hugged me for like ten seconds.

 

Moral of the story--Party this week to celebrate the new year, but don't party too hard or else you might find yourself embracing in your arms an Asian man that you don't know! Have a good week and I will talk to you all in a year or so! (And yes, this corny joke from junior high still goes strong here in the Philippines)

  

 Dinner with Manzano family

 

 FHE with Rueda family before Elder Ursua left