Dear Mom, Dad and Cole Family,

October na? Grabe ang bilis ng panahon.  Well this past week has been..... amazing!!!  I can't believe the things that have happened this week.  Over this past little while Elder Macaballug and I have quadrupled out lessons in just one week (it's only 16 but for us that is amazing)!!!  We have really put the pedal to the metal this week and have tried to stretch ourselves.  It wasn't easy because it's been so hot this past week but I am so glad to see of what hard work does.  We went tracting in two of our farther areas and we have been able to find 3 new investigators.  First off we met an sister named Jenny and she is awesome!  She wan'ts all of her kids to learn about God and when we returned for our follow-up visit, she had read the whole lesson one pamphlet and she was filled with questions.  At the end of the lesson we gave her a Book of Mormon and looked so excited.  Even her 7 year old son started to read it because he was so excited.  We also had the opportunity to meet a man named Elmer who hopefully can become one of those golden investigators.  The first time we met him he was sitting in front of a tindahan (it's a small little store) watching his grandchild (who happens to share the same birthday with me).  He started saying that he recognized the wrong teachings in different church's and started to ask of where he could find what's closest to what the Bible says.  I can't express the feelings that came over me as we taught but that first lesson was one thing that I won't forget  We weren't able to contact brother Allen because nobody was at home.  We went there twice but we still got the same results.  I hope that we can contact him one of these days!

I think that the one thing that I won't really miss in the Philippines is the heat.  It's hard having it be 90 degrees with 100% humidity.  Every time I step outside I feel like I need to take another shower.  I start sweating from the moment that I get out of our apartment.  On Thursday Elder Macaballug and I used the air con in our room because it was so hot!!  Our electric bill is going to be a little higher than normal but it was worth it.  I don't think I've fallen asleep so fast since my first two weeks in the field.  

Bishop Sarto's son just came home off his mission this past week and it really me thinking again of how soon that's going to be me.  It's honestly a really weird thought because the MTC just seems like yesterday and here we are nearing the end of 2014.  I think I truly understand the phrase ":Life is to short".  These past 15 months haven't been easy ones, but they have been worth it.  More than I probably know at the moment.  Elder Richard G. Scott said "Everything good that has happened to me in my life was because I chose to serve a mission".  Or something like that.  But I know that phrase to be truer than true.  I have learned things here in the Philippines that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else, not at home, in school, or maybe even at church.  The mission life is truly the best two years (well besides getting married of course ha ha but I have a while to think about that).  

Well I guess I owe dad a candy bar when I get back.  Nice job for remembering it; not bad for an "old man".  Just for your information dad I don't think that I'll be able to solve the technical problems at home.  Sometimes I even struggle trying to remember my password for my LDS account.  But Elder Macaballug and I are both well seasoned missionaries here in the Naga Mission.  He actually got here in the field one transfer before I did but he was only at the MTC for 12 days so we're batch mates going home.  He is one funny guy and he's fun to have around.  It was a weird transition because my last companion was kind of serious or a "straight glazed Elder" if you want to put it that way.  So now our apartment is fun and lively most of the time.  Oh and dad, I think that picture was of Maddie.  Well I good luck with everything guys.  Words can't explain of how excited I am to skype with you guys in December since we weren't able to talk on Mother's Day.  I'll try to talk to President Reeder to see if I can talk a little bit longer because I wasn't able to call/skype.  Mahal na mahal ko po kayo!!!  May God be with you till we meet again.