Dear Mom Dad, and Cole Family,

This past week has been another challenging week but I'm trying to stay positive as I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that each trial will help me grow in some way.  This past week I have gone on a few exchanges with Elder Christensen as Elder San Pedro and Elder Guevarra got sick earlier this week.  All I can say is that it's been fun walking around with a fellow American because everyone talks to you; especially when they find out that you can speak Tagalog.  But despite being two strapping young missionaries, we had a hard time teaching and finding people, partly due to the fact that we didn't have a male present with us which made things pretty rough.  Oh well, with all said and done I really enjoyed working with him and getting to know him better.  

We also had zone training this past week which was great.  We talked about the Plan of Salvation and of how we can more effectively teach it because it is such an important lesson.  It was weird listening to the testimonies of those missionaries going home at the end of that zone training because I remember when Elder Hodge (my district leader in Minalabac) was kind of bragging that he only had 3 transfers left.  Well now he's about to go home in two weeks and then I'll be in his position.  Man time goes by way too fast.  After zone training I was able to finally have a real american style burger!!!  It had real cheese, lettuce, and beef patties.  I'm not going to lie, it was pretty gosh darn expensive but it was worth every peso. Elder Guevarra's birthday was yesterday so a member invited us over to eat and have a small party which was nice.  But one of the members kept trying to get me to buy ice cream and pancit (the small little noodles) for him because one way I can show my love is by providing for his temporal needs, even if it meant buying it on a Sunday.  We both just laughed afterwards.  Of course I was planning on getting him something for his birthday; just not on a Sunday.

This past week I was reading in Alma about Moroni who just happens to be one of the coolest people to have ever lived on the earth.  Even cooler than LeBron James (which isn't something that I would say very often).  Well there's a verse about the characteristics of Moroni that really makes me look at myself and try to do better.  in Alma 48:17 it says "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."  I don't know how you guys feel when you read this verse, but every time I read it I get the chills down my back.  The faithfulness and steadfastness of Moroni is honestly hard to explain.  Not once did he fear the power of the Lamanites; but he feared doing wrong in the sight of God throughout all his days.  I know life is full of hardships and temptations, but if we can try to be like Moroni we can overcome anything that the world throws at us.

Well Cole Family, I was so excited to get your letter , but I am sad to say that there wasn't any money in the card when it arrived :( There was a bunch of packing tape over the seal which seemed suspicious. Well I hope that the person is using the money for his family and didn't bet on the Seahawks to win the Superbowl.  Maybe 70 dollars will do for souvenirs for the family.  I've become a pretty good bargain shopper which has come in handy :).  I think that having a Filipino feast would be just fine with me when I get home.  Than you guys can taste the stuff that I've been having for the last two years.  Thanks for all that you guys do.  Mahal na mahal ko po kayo!!  May God be with you till we meet again.

                                                          -Elder Cole