This is the Mom and I was telling Noble that I wished he could tell us about the pictures he sends so that we could know what is going on more. Here is his reply.
Well I wish I could tell you about them also because the yellow head band was not traditional Philippino wear. It was what we were required to wear in the Indian Temple that we went in during our trip to another big town for mission possible. Wow you all have been so busy I hope you remembered to breathe Mom!
Me and my companion got to return with our district to Banaui Today and while the new people wanted to hike the path we already went on we decided to go on AN ADVENTURE!!!!! We found a kickin' waterfall and took some pictures there and bought a watermelon on the way home so I guess thats our 4th of July celebration here in the Philippines! Tatay Leonardo is going to be baptized in just 2 weeks! We also talked to the couple Jerry and Jemma and gave them a baptizmal date also! The Dad and the 2 sons will be baptized in August and the mom and daughter will be baptized when she gets back from working abroad and when the daughter is 8! Also we have just met this amazing investigator named Billy and we love saying his name! He invited us in and was very kind and loving from the start. He's been reading the Book of Mormon and the pamphlets and last Sunday he CAME TO CHURCH!!!!! He said he really liked the members and the good feeling there even though during sacrament meeting the neighbors started blasting the song "Soldier Boy" out of the speakers and it was hard to feel the spirit. But they were playing Evanecence during priesthood so that was okay.....I guess! ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES! It just is a reminder that I'm not in Kansas anymore! But that's just a summary of the recent success here in Villaverde! Alot of people have been letting us teach and they are very understanding with me learning Tagalog and love that I'm trying to learn. I even got a discount on the watermelon because I tried to use Tagalog to buy it when most people didn't care. She told me in her perfect English that she would give it to me for 10 pesos cheaper because she appreciated that! Even members congratulate me on how far I have come in this language as I help teach more and more with Elder Maxfield! Things are just going great!
Oh I really don't think I would like to read an 800 page book right about now. It's hard for me to even sit down and study this language without drifting off so Elder Maxfield wakes me up and runs through my flash cards with me to stay awake! He's awesome and never gives up on me. One time we ran out of the Restoration pamphlets but we had the opportunity to teach that lesson. Of course we take it and when it gets to the part where I share about Joseph Smith's story I'm not even thinking about how I don't have the 1st vision memorized in Tagalog and when we get to that point in the story I look to Elder Maxfield in desperation to have him recite the 1st vision because I don't know it all. He just smiles and nods his head at me giving me the floor to share. So reluctantly I turn back to the old couple we are teaching and I start the 1st vision. After much trials and tribulations I get up to where he sees the two personages and my mind goes blank and I've got nothing. I struggle to get the next part out and there's nothing there. I think that I've falled and just before the silence gets to akward, Elder Maxfield picks up right where I left off and finishes the 1st vision with ease. I thanked him for it after the lesson and he thanked me for the opportunity to stretch his abilities in reciting it. He said he never had to pick it up half way through before and he had to think about it but he congratulated me on how far I got and said we would practice it more later! He's just awesome! Well I love you Elder Hamblin
Dear Devree,
I hope you loved your birthday and that you wear that dress out until it falls apart! I'm sure there's someone crazy enough to dress up with you for prom! SO your toe got smashed what the heck happened and how was the surgery? I hope it's feeling better now! Your movie was Monsters Inc now guess this, "You can be a big pig too BOO!"
So you know that favor I asked you well here it is! I need you to start collecting CD's from Veggie Rock to Merry Axemas. I want whatever you can get from our music libraries that is missionary appropriate because I am going CRAZY! All I have is Elder Bates Christmas Cds and its not Christmas and after awhile it gets annoying because it's all country Christmas songs. I mean don't get me wrong but after 2 weeks of straight country I'm going nuts! SO whenever you all decide to send a package or IF you send a package please send it with some cds. For example like Movie Sound tracks, Gospel, MO TAB, Instrumental, (No Words) Veggi Rock, Merry Axemas, and Childrens Hymn book songs these are all good. Funny Gospel related songs DISNEY whatever is missionary approperiate please send! Thanks, your most favorite ELDER, Elder Hamblin!
Dear Dad
Stop burning the candle at both ends. You know I'm not home to remind you that your not a teenager anymore so someone better be filling my spot! You are one impressive Tatay! Keep up the good work with your little Scouts!
My companion wanted to know if my family liked the outdoors. Well your comment about writing me in your camping chair by a babbling brook definetly confirmed everything I say about you guys. I wish I was with you all but I guess it's for the best the trailer was getting a little crowded! It's a funny thing the mission you make so many friends and enemies everyday. We were trying to have a lesson with this one Tatay and his son who is of another faith decided that he should tell his father that we were of the devil and after yelling at him for letting us teach him he stormed off into the Bukid to go to work and after that we have never gone back! Some people absolutely despise what we stand for and will do anything to hinder our work. We tease that the church he's from MUST be the great and abominable church that is talked about in the scriptures! Well things still are progressing even with the antaganists and the nay sayers. Something funny with the Branch Pres. When we were working with them Elder Maxfield made a comment about how he just might not have kids and Pres let him have it! He said that is a commandment to multiply and replenish the earth and that he wouldn't recieve the blessings for having kids! We were kinda taken aback with that comment! Then we were teaching an older couple out in the hills and the olds nanay told us of the sinful days of Pres! Well he's repented now and has a wife and two kids so we taught about the atonement and forgivness of sins. Good segway into the Atonement don't you think!? YES the photo opp with the native Ifugau costed us 10 pesos each and they much appericiated it! I'm sure they are all rolling in the Dough when they go home and just dress up like that for us! Oh well! It was fun. I bought some really good souvineres for the family and Manny so don't you worry about that!
NOW time to get things straight! The picture with the kids they had just gotten out of school so they were in their school uniforms and the second picture was a Dragon Ball Z pic for heavens sake! They LOVE anime over here and watch it everyday if they have a tv! Mom you remember when you made the Goku costume for me for Halloween! I practically worshipped that show! SO ya we were doing the ANIME pic for the second one! Elder Maxfield says he's more of a Pokemon guy! The pic with the chalkboard was when we were playing ping pong in the Solano chapel and that was fun but I didn't win the whole tournament! The bridge was a long hike down from the main road about 1000 feet above us. It's at the bottom of the rice paddies and after that we hiked back up the tall rice terraces. The last picture we hitch hiked and got a ride with some guys coming back into town from the bukid! When we went back to Banaui today, I got to practice my haggling skills in Tagalog on the locals. I used things like Mahal iyan (Thats expensive) or May Bawas (Is there a discount) or pwede 50 pesos (is 50 pesos good?) I got some kickin' wooden carvings for pretty cheap! So it was a great day!
Well I love you all and I know even though Shay and Dane didn't write me this time that they love me too. Next time I better get something from you two!!!! I don't care how busy you are, you got to have time for your big bro! I like hearing from EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY! So remember I love you all and I also treasure your emails and any news of how things are going in good old Dayton! Next Time there should be more pictures! LOB YA
Elder Hamblin
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