Greetings from San Pablo

Well, I'm the new guy again. So let me answer the simple questions first that everyone is dying to know--I am in the San Pablo area (Tuguegarao South zone. Still very hot but luckily I got here in time for rainy season) but it is under the Cabagan ward. So there are two elders in Cabagan who we go to church with but we aren't in the same apartment. Their area has a lot more of the members because they are close to the church and we are kind of the outskirts. Our 10-minute tricee ride to sacrament meeting yesterday made me miss the 2-minute walk it took us in Angadanan, but all is well. The members in our area are nice. The ward seems more organized than Angadanan. I think Bishop likes me and other foreign missionaries, but as I sat next to and talked to him during a funeral service we had yesterday, he makes a lot of rather racist comments towards Americans; And I'm not sure he really realizes it. So I just think it's funny hahaha.

My companion is Elder Sison, from Manila. 20 years old. He has been out for like about a year and a half. I think the reason I have the 'special assignment' that I mentioned last week is for something that happened in the past and also because Elder Sison's last companion had to go to the hospital last cycle and they weren't able to work the last few weeks. However, he and I kind of seemed to click right away and I think everything will be fine. Our apartment is nice enough (I'm 3/3! Trust me-not all missionaries are as lucky as I have been with good apartments) and the only thing about the work is that we are kind of in a "finding" process for people to teach. But if we work hard, I know that everything will play out and be alright.

We had a district activity earlier at Callao Caves in commemoration of a sister's birthday (Pictures disclosed below). And speaking of birthdays, if anybody has forgotten, Bryce's (or umm Elder Larson's I mean) is in a month so if you really want to make an Asian guy happy, you can feel free to start preparing letters or something :) But if not..that's okay too. I still love you all. Have a superb week and if it ever gets really hot in Utah, there's a solid chance that it could be hotter here. Until next week.

 Callao Caves

 "Buddha" rock: Look closely and you can see his bald head and the side of his face

I'm on a boat and it's going fast (That's my comp next to me)