Monday, March 25, 2013

Week 2 -3/25/13

So here's a little taste of my daily routine: 
Tuesday cleaned the apartment, then had language study, personal study and companionship study. Then off to the streets to visit members and investigators. We pretty much have study time every day and then spend most of our time finding the members and new people to teach.

It is summer time here.  The kids are getting out of school and it is hot and rainy! All the time. I will stay in the Sipicot area for 18 weeks since I am a newby and being trained.  I have the chance for my first transfer right before the mission splits in half.  So depending on where I am assigned will depend on what Mission I end up in for the rest of my time here.  The language is coming, thankfully most everyone speaks a little english so it seems to be working out.


Okay so this week was packed full of activity:  We got to attend a viewing and the funeral for Tatay Clave that was pretty neat.  Made me think of my farewell when we sang " God be with you til we meet again." Which reminds me when I die someone better crack jokes and make it not a sad and depressing day!  We went to teach our investigator Rexy that we committed to a baptismal date in May, last week but she was spending the day in Naga City.  We also taught the Calayo Family who has been less active, hopeful for them!  We taught about temples and family history to a new member Sister Angelica, she is awesome and had a cousin who was there and is now interested in hearing more about the church, so another new investigator. We got to teach the Ocampo Kids, they love when we come over but the "Lola" grandma dosen't she is catholic so we have to be careful not to offend her.  Here in the Philippines its all about respecting your elders.  So everytime you meet or talk to a stranger or elder you use "Po" which makes it respectful so when in doubt, "Po".  We brought President Abads son Lemuel with us to teach, he is preparing to go on a mission I forgot to tell you that my companion  Elder Parohinog is a musician and can pick up any instrument and play! One of the members had a ukelue and he asked us to tune it so we played that for a while good times. We also had a district meeting got to hang out with the gang. Pretty fun brought money for Elder Ha'o he's Hawaiian and said well make us something for next week gonna be good! But the funny thing is we were late for the district meeting because we missed the bus, we didn't really miss the bus we told them to wait for us while we went to buy some bread but they took off and it took like 45 mins. for the next one and its like 1:30 hr. bus ride but it wasn't that big of a deal. So  we get back and what do you know, a freaking rat in our kitchen ,killed that one. we got burgers at the local Pinoy junior (local burger place), super nasty, the meat is red after you cook it... yeah, cuz we were starving.Then Finely made some potatoes and some meat that was really good so now I'm "BUSOG" FULL then we went to teach Rexy with one of our members from church we found out he  got his Mission call to Mindanao, Americans cant go there because its a bunch of Islamic terrorists,  so we are just preparing these young me for their  missions by  helping them experience missionary life. She surprised us with dinner crab, chicken and rice...... then after we had a party for the Bienabente family for there daughter graduating high school. we bought them ice cream and ate  food with them holy cow.... SUPER BUSOG! The next day was another exhausting day. got weekly planning in which takes forever and is super stressfull... then got some Chooks they sell chicken. then Pascual aka our cook made us some chicken with you know what Rice.... with some delicious mango shakes mmmm "masarap" delicious. We went to church and talked to the ward council which was great got to get acquainted with more people.then found out i had to give a talk on sunday about missionary work,great.......more stress SO fast tract to Sunday I barely prepared for the talk the night before so I'm trying to do that last minute thing. Got to church met everyone that was "estig" cool, gave like a 20 min. talk in taglish thank goodness they spoke some English so that was good. really brought the spirit in with that i think. Then we were asked to go to Brcy a town about 45 min. away by jeepney. Was asked to bless the sacrament in Tagalog and asked to give another talk but it was basically to primary aged children.... and gave a blessing to a little boy who was sick got done with that tried to grab a ride back to Sipocot but no ride so we just started walking no jeepneys or tricey's around so kept walking and walking up jungle, rain, hills, rivers and rice paddy's. All the way back to Sipocot. 16 kilometers (basically 10 miles)   and a hour and a half later, holy crap my back is sore form my backpack hahaha. Had many more appointments felt the spirit really strong in some of them.  The people here are ready for the gospel, so happy I'm part of it.


So two funny things about this week, first off I got locked out of my room and was forced to wear my companions small t-shirt, don't worry though it totally showed off my ripped bod!! HA HA. Then I was taking my bucket shower and it finally happen I was attacked by a flippin huge spider the size of my hand in the shower. I went to pick up the bucket and it was on it and I didn't see it and it jumped on my hand holy crap! Needless to say I ran out NAKED of course and Elder Parohinog had to kill it. Yeah you can stop laughing now... 


Shout out to Adriana Blagovjevic Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!


TO Rebecca Sheldon heard "both of us" by B.O.B and T-swift and started laughing


TO Katie Elm my companion thinks your pretty.hahaha

TO Joe Trumbo Congrates on your mission call you'll love it work hard to prepare and don't do anything dumb.hahaha

TO Garrett Wolfe i found little pun jobby for you hahahaha

TO THE BOYS you know who you are "God Speed"

I'll talk to you all soon!!! Email me Please !!!!! seth.llorens@myldsmail.net

The one the only
Elder Llorens


Monday, March 18, 2013

Author..Mom

Just a quick note to let everyone know that everything on this blog is posted by me, Seth's mom.
It is our way of sharing his adventures in the Philippines!

1st E-mail from the Philippines:



Hey whats going on? I'm emailing you from the Sipicot internet cafe its 7 pm here. Well lets just say I've experienced everything so far.The plane ride from Taipe to Manila was about and hour in a half got in Manila at around 2 then took a 2 min. bus ride to the Manila airport hotel by this time im drenched in sweat. We finally meet all together at the hotel and  we are  all  just culture shocked.  We waited in the so called lobby with airconditioned which was awesome! Chilled until our room was good to go then we took our stuff to the room which was as nice as it gets for hotels. Afterward we were starving and we met up with the Elders that were getting ready to leave that day who were staying there also and headed over to the friendly KFC. It was actually masirap "delicious" instead of a bisquit i got sticky rice mmmm........ and so begins the rice adventure. Afterward we went back and played with hotels' monkey "George" who is so funny, he stole the hotel workers sun glasses that were Ray Bans and just demolished them smashed them and threw them in the jungle. We crashed at the hotel until like 630 and went to KFC again i didnt eat anything. Then went back and slept til 100.   Then at 330 we went to the airport to get ready for our flight to naga and so heres the crazy thing there is no driving laws in the Philippines so you can use both sides of the street so i almost died like five times getting there but the Filipino people are like the best drivers in the world no joke. Better than New York or American police. So our flight was at 545 landed in Naga at like 645 and were greeted my the  area  president and his wife and his counselor and his wife. Drove like 30 mins to the mission home and then chilled out.  We received instructions about our mission were given our support money and other fun stuff got interviewed by the president, then got lunch and got assigned to our companion. I have been assigned to the Sipicot area with Elder Parohinog! He is so great he is a native form the Lligino mission I have been blessed to have him as my "Tay" father or dad or my trainer he's been helping me so much so far. So sad to say goodbye to everyone. Well rode on my first jeepney that was fun until they fit 34 people on it. yeah... our area is about 1 hour north of Naga. our apartment is yeah... but not complaining but its no sisters apartment! Its good but  I'm dead, did some comp study and went out to meet our branch president, his name is President Abad he is great and oh yeah have no idea what anyone's saying so far.  now so  Our apartment is in Sipicot Centro and outside of that is pure thick jungle definitely the boonies. 2 doors down is our other elder Elder Finley from Provo he's awesome hes my translator haha and Elder Pascual from the iligino mission like my comp. as soon as i got back home ate rice and crashed. Woke up and had like a panic attack then recovered. Ate breakfest with the others rice and fried egg. Went out and got acquainted with the the members and they are so great  I love them.   But later that day I was really felling homesick and a little awkward but I was trying to be friendly and just tried to push on for that day. Dinner rice and like fried egg plant. Saturday we got busy meeting less actives and teaching some lessons a lot of walking and "tricys" which is a motorcycle with a side cart attached to it those are cool! Alot of packed jeepneys and thick jungle walking. Gave a blessing to a sick baby but for all of our appointments we had, we couldn't do them because there were no priesthood members around so a lot of walking for nothing it felt like, but it was for something. By this time im exhausted but we went to a youth activity to support the members and less actives  that was legit ,the kids are so awesome. 1 Brother got his mission call and 2 brothers are working on there mission calls via paper packet. Then after we taught Sister Rexy and Sister Marcos and that went good  I extended my first baptismal invitation it felt so good the date is May 4 so lets hope it goes well.  Fish and rice woooooo!..... Sunday morning I wake up to Elder Parohinog killing a mouse in our apartment.  So got ready for church with a good ole bucket shower and took about and 1 1/2 to 2  hour ride to our group that we meet for church and then still took forever walking. The group was 10 member all together including me and my companion gave a talk/ testimony felt good seeing such a small gruoup be here in a straw hut participating in sacrament meeting and other classes it really builds your testimony and reminds you why you are here. Then we took a quick "ride"across the river to a members house to teach them ,went on a make shift raft like something from cast away it was legit. We taught them and found a new investigator! The member we taught has buko trees "Coconut" trees so we took them to our next lunch appointment then hauled them all the way back to the apartment. Elder Parohinog is not feeling so good he had an urinary infection i think, so i gave him a blessing and he seemed to be doing alright for now. No its P-day, or preparation day. The only day we have to do laundry, shop write home via e-mail.  We woke up to banging on the door i guess a members Tay/father died and they needed some one to help dress him for burial.  So me Elder Parohinog, Elder Finley and Elder Pascual got dressed and jumped on a tricey to the funeral home. Yeah probably gonna have nightmares tonight. but it was good, got done with that than took a bucket bath and headed to Naga SM!!!!!! closest thing to Brea Mall seriously feels like America got money ate McDonald tasted just like home just really expensive and the portions are like what they were back in the 60's, small! Ran into some other Elders not surprising on a PDAY went to the hospital for my companion I guess he checked out good and is feeling better just needs to rest. Went to the mission office to get reimbursed, got to chat with some other elders they are great. Got some ice cream at 7/11 closest things to America estig/cool,  then headed home in a nasty bus packed full of people! Went back to the apartment and are here now so all is well......so I miss you all and care deeply about you all I love you and have been praying for strength to push on I hope all is well and its crazy to think that yesterday was St. Patty's hahaha we were too busy working to notice.  I'll keep and eye out for the letters.  Please tell everyone to keep writing and e-mailing I need the reminders from home. I love you and I'll talk to you soon! 
Love Elder Llorens