21 Dec 2009

Holy crap, Friday is Christmas!!!! And it doesn't feel like it! Its still way too hot. I got transferred and my new area is called Floridablanca, its in the middle of the city, and its a lot hotter than San Marcelino because its farther south. I was really nervous about my new companion but he's real cool. He's a buffalo rancher from Oak City, Utah. We just sit around at nights and tell stories, he tells me about the buffalo and I tell him about vet stories, we have a lot of fun. AND I can talk like I used to and not have to worry about him making fun of me! Its great. He goes home in January, so President Aquino says my job is to make sure he doesn't get lazy. We're having a blast! Its a different experience having an American Companion but i love it.

We had our branch Christmas party on Saturday and I got to meet a lot of the members, it was real neat to be able to carry on a conversation with them. Ha ha I took my rope and was roping the little kids it was a blast. Then they wanted to try. I gotta say, the Philippinos are fast learners. it was fun. And they had lots of pancit canton, which is one of my most favorite dishes here in the Philippines.

The branch here is actually kinda weak so we get to try and strengthen it and find new members. We actually had a baptism on Saturday before the Christmas party. We baptized 2 ladies, it was really neat. They gave great testimonies after that, one of them had committed abortion and in her testimony after her baptism (it took us 3 times to get it right and we almost drown her once) that she finally felt like she'd been forgiven of her sins, it was real neat.

Ha ha for Christmas we have to be back inside our apartment at 6 pm. talk about early! But we'll have some time for studying and telling stories. It'll be fun still.

OH, I got to weld the other day!!!! It was so much fun! At our Community Service Project we had a brother who the ward started building a fence for him but then last time all the welds broke on the makeshift frame for the chain link fence, so they got an arc welder when they found out I could weld and let me go to work. Here's the kicker, I was in Sandals, shorts, t-shirt, and all I had was a pair of oxyceltalyne cutting goggles, luckily my eyes didn't get hurt, I've got burns all over my face, and my legs, they kinda hurt! ha ha but oh well, it was fun to do it again. Elder Lebbon says I was an answer to his prayers because he's wanted to get this CSP done for the last month. So it was cool how I was able to use my knowledge from back home to help here. I love it! The welds sure weren't pretty. but by dang they'll hold ha ha ha.

I've got a lot of work to do here in Floridablanca but I'm excited to do it.
Merry Christmas to you all. You are all in my prayers.

Love,
Elder Chase