Calamaris

We had another good week this week. Our main investigators are still progressing and preparing for their baptisms. We are still working with our new investigators that have not been able to go to church. They are reading and praying about our message, but just have been able to go to church. Our main goal for this week is to teach them about the importance and blessings of going to church. We have been really focusing on working with members and part member families. And this resulted in many new investigators with many fellow-shippers, but many of them still have not been able to attend church. They just need to go to church! It is a big problem here!

Last week I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Howard. He is form Arizona. He is my kabahay. Elder Howard is a very new missionary. He likes to work hard, and he really tries his best. He is very bright. He is picking up the Tagalog language very quickly. He said he enjoys  the schedule and life of as missionary. I think he is adjusting very well to the new lifestyle. If he will continue to be diligent in his studies, I think he will be a very effective missionary. 

One thing that I have not told you yet, I am a big fan of all the street food here. I eat it all the time. My favorite is the calamaris or calamari. It is just deep fried squid. Then you dip it into this vinegar sauce. It is so good. Then they also have like popcorn chicken you dip in the vinegar sauce. They also have fish bowls, ( little fish balls with dip) quick quick ( hard boiled duck or quail eggs that are breaded that you dip in a sauce) They have a lot of lupia, which is just eggs rolls, Those are my favorite and those are generally safe. If you want to go a little more exotic. They have friend and grilled chicken intestines. Chicken feet. Chicken heads. Chicken blood. (just hardened cubes of chicken blood) and of course balut. I do not really eat these ones too much, because they are a little more dangerous and a lot easier to get the Rocky Mountain Quickstep of LBMs. But I just love the vinegar sauce with peppers. 

Oh one quick story. It started raining really hard last Saturday night. Like really hard. And we were teaching some LA's across this river. They have a little bamboo bridge you cross. ( three trees). But it was rainy so hard that it flash flooded the river. And the river filled up and was over flowing. It was almost touching the bridge. The water was just roaring. We had some class 5 rapids going. It was pretty crazy. But we had to cross the bridge again before we got stranded, so we crossed this little wiggly bridge with all this water flowing under us. It was pretty intense. But it was definitely one of my cooler experiences in my mission. 

Yes rain season is starting to heat up. It is really hot in the afternoon, but usually at night we get some pretty strong thunder storms. Oh another story I just thought of, this week while on exchanges a huge thunderstorm hit. And we were teaching this new investigator the Restoration. The rain became so strong and the lighting was SOO close. The closest I have ever been to lightening. We were teaching her outside under this little tarp. And lighting is literally cracking all around us. It was SOO loud and close. But it was so cool because I was testifying in this crazy storm and the spirit was soo strong. Then we would see a flash and duck. Then after the boom start talking again. Best experience of my mission By FAR. So cool.

Love all of you!

Have a great week!  ps. Free hunting and Job right? Can we get hooked up with that guide service? 

Elder Nielsen 

Everything else is pretty much the same

Overall, it was another great week as a missionary. Thank you for all you do President.

Elder Nielsen