The Older You Get.

Maligayang Pasko at Bagong Taon! The season is truly a bit different here in the Philippines. First, of course, it's hot and well... just different. On Christmas eve we had a pleasant surprise with a Christmas Conference put on by our mission president for the mission. It was a great meeting and it really helped us all to remember the true meaning and sacrifices of Christmas. They also set up a really nice, catered lunch and we had a gift exchange as well. It was great to be able to see other missionaries and have a little of a break to celebrate. Christmas here was a humbling experience. We have little kids come to our house singing carols every day for money. We try our best to feed them though and give them crackers and fruit. It breaks my heart to see them, the same kids that dig through...

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The Best Gift.

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat! 'Di ko makapaniwala na Christmas time ngayon! It really doesn't seem like I've been away from home for almost six months. Anyway, this past week hasn't been very eventful and I forgot my camera so I won't be able to send pictures either. I've been pretty sick so we've been spending a lot of time in the house together studying, cleaning, and well... playing games (what else can you do?). It's been good though. I think the only person that takes care of me better than Elder Tengelsen is mom. He is seriously probably going to end up being my favorite companion. Last week we went to the palengke for the first time which was crazy! It's an open fish market and I've walked past them but never been through one. The fish are literally still alive... as in still...

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Change.

Hey mom! I only have three minutes so I'll have to make this really fast. I'm still here in Bago Bantay and Quezon City for this next transfer and I'm really happy. I've really grown to love this area and the people. My new companion is the best companion ever! Can't even explain. We've been having the best time. Most importantly, he's extremely obedient and I've been able to see the changes I've wanted to see in the work here because of his obedience. He's truly helped me to see the mission in a different light and I've had the best days so far with him. His name is Elder Tengelsen, and this is unfortunately his last transfer. He's from Montana and attends BYU. He loves people so easy and is a great example to me. I'm sure I'll have lots of more stories to tell you in the future. Well the...

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Not Dependent on Outcomes.

Dear Mom, This week has been crazy! It's felt like forever since I was able to write even though it's only been an extra two days. Anyway, not time to waste on fluff, let's get to it! Had some funny experiences this past week. One of the people we're teaching's kid threw up on me after a lesson which was not very pleasant. All I could do was laugh and rush home and change. Luckily we have a person that comes to wash our clothes so I won't have to deal with that and she does a really good job. I also had some people come up to me while tracting the other day and ask for my autograph because they thought I was some Filipino superstar named "Jericho Rosales." Funny right? Anyway, my week was well, long. It started with a slightly depressing note being at church. This past Sunday was pretty...

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Happy to Serve.

Magandang hapon po pamilya! This past week has been well, not as crazy as the others. And probably for the first time here in the PI, I don't really have much to say. Late on Monday we finally got our new companions. My new companion's name is Elder Realin from Pangasinan. He is Ilocano so he's been teaching me a little bit. I can understand enough, but found that I've been losing my Ilocano ever since I've been learning Tagalog. He's actually going home at the end of this transfer (next week) which is crazy. So I'll be "killing" him and getting another new companion next week. That's the mission for ya. Tuesday we had "mission tour" which was a nice experience. We had Elder Teh of the First Quorum of the Seventy come and speak to us (for a really long time) and then had lunch with them and...

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Change is the Only Constant.

Maligayang Thanksgiving pamilya! Well this email will probably be short, so my apologies in advance - tell you why in a second. A second - so I'm experiencing my first "emergency transfer" today. Elder Jennings is out since he needed to have surgery and I'll be getting my new companion within the next hour. Everyday a surprise here in the mission. Tomorrow we begin our "Mission Tour" with Elder Teh. Not really sure what it is or what it's about, so I'll tell you about that next week. All I know is that he's doing a surprise check up on apartments and I woke up early this morning to begin cleaning the house at 5:00am and we didn't finish until 10:00am. We literally scrubbed and more importantly bleached every part of the house today so it was quite the job and really tiring. It was definitely...

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So Come What May.

Magandang hapon sa inyo pamilya! It's a gorgeous, raining, humid day here in the Philippines. Got so much to share and so little time! A few funny things I wrote down to share about the Philippines first. Sunday was Pacquio fever, the whole nation was literally inside watching. It was a sweet victory for the Philippines! Funerals are weird here, before the funeral they leave the casket open in front of the house until they're tired of seeing it; I was really creeped out by that. Have I told you about toilet paper? Yep, don't have that here. Natives use their hands. Elder Corpuz uses baby wipes. The richer people have this hose thing, kind of like the ones you sometimes see at the sink to wash dishes to... I don't even know, use your imagination. Mom, I learned the rice trick! How to measure...

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Sorry for the Shortness

Magandang araw! Sorry, this is going to be really, really short. My time has really run out because we've been so busy today. I'll make sure to include things that have happened this week in next week's email as well. We knocked on a lot of doors this week and got most of them slammed in our face. It's humbling but at the same time still a good experience. We had a really funny experience with one lady. We were at the door and we could see her washing the dishes. We shouted "Tao po!" because thats what you do here instead of knock (it literally means "Person!") and she didn't respond. We were just like... jeez are you deaf? Finally she came to the door. She was really nice at first. When we started asking her questions, she started responding with really funny answers like: Hey where are...

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The First.

Mabuhay! Magandang "All Saints Day" at "Halloween" sa inyong lahat! Mayroon akong maraming karanasan na nais kong magbahagi sa inyo! Unang-una, kumusta po ba kayo? Puwede po ba akong mag-ingles? This week has been full of changes and surprises. We had a new addition to our house with the end of this transfer. Elder Ablog was transferred out, and Elder Arthur, a Tongan from New Zealand, was transferred in. It's been awesome with him around; the house is definitely a different place! After I emailed you guys last Wednesday, we got to share the rest of the night with the Angoluan family for our dinner appointment. We had previously scheduled it with them because we thought that one of us might be transferred. But as the verdict goes, both of us were staying and they were really happy about...

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Walking on Water and Getting Stoned.

Kumusta po kayo! This week has been CRAZY. This is not an email you're going to want to breeze through - just throwing that out there. First! All the rave here is that Charice is on Glee! That's awesome! I'll never forget Glee. Winter Semester at BYU, all of the girls in my ward got together for this huge girl-watching party every week for Glee. Sarah Kron was like the leader I guess you can say. Anyway of course, if all the girls were there, my friend Mike Swindle (who I'll be living with) and I were there too because it was, well, a jackpot? Anyway we ended up liking the show so it's awesome that a Filipino super star is on there now! Well, the week started out slow. My companion got sick with the weather change so we were in for two days. He couldn't even get out of bed. The typhoon came...

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No Complaints.

Dear Family, This past week has been AWESOME! There were so many great things that happened that I won't have time to touch on but I'll do my best. And hey, I'm finally starting to really love it here; imagine that! Anyway, first just a funny experience. So my companion and I were sitting in Burger King the other day and he just started screaming and pointing at the TV screen. Remember that day a few years back that they filmed a bunch of people at the Burger King right next to our house and made a commercial out of it? Well they showed it here! All the way in the Philippines! Wednesday was a really special day for us. We got to hear from a general authority in the church named Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy. It was amazing that he could be here in the Philippines and...

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Being the Example.

Dear family, Well it's been awhile since I've heard how you're doing so I hope all is well. This week has flown by and has definitely been testing my character. This past week we worked pretty hard but got a whole lot of no where. Out of the many, many, many appointments that we had, nearly every single one fell through and the people we've been teaching are slowly starting to not want to be taught anymore. Trying to find people has been rough too. We didn't have any good experiences last week and just got every door slammed in our face. I could be negative - but that's too easy. I've learned so much this past week about not letting my environment and my situation dictate who I am or how I'm going to act. People change, situations change, and circumstances change. There was a great quote...

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Snails, Anyone?

Hello po, Well, I'm finally starting to get adjusted to this place - never thought I'd be saying that. It's a few steps away from home and a giant leap from American culture. I'd never say I'd live here but at the same time, I can't complain that I'm fitting in somewhere for the first time in my life. Here's some fun PI culture facts that I've found out this past week for you: -Apparently there's a song called "Pyramid" out right now which I have yet to hear because I'm in the Philippines and we didn't and aren't supposed to listen to the radio in the MTC. Anyway it's sung by a girl named Charise I think. She was extremely big here in the Philippines and before she hit it big in the U.S. She was a winner of the equivalent to American Idol here. She's a pinay! -They still make the Toyota...

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Write Eric a Letter!

Here is the CORRECT address: Elder Eric Ray Corpuz Philippines Quezon City Mission Ortigas Center, P.O. Box 13873 Emerald Avenue, Pasig City 1600 Metro Manilla, Philippi...

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It's raining, It's pouring.

Minamahal ang pamilya ko, Well, it is what it is - the Philippines. This past week it rained, and it rained, and it rained. And want to know the best part? Our ceiling leaks. No, the best part is it gets cooler outside for a short period of time. :) I've gotten pretty dang good at handwashing clothes although it is a lot more work than just loading them into the dryer, and I'm so thankful you raised me knowing how to take a "shower" with a bucket and pot-thing. It's definitely still a bit of a culture shock. I'm trying my best to work hard still though. I've kept a foot at the MTC with my friends and memories so I'm trying my best to remember that my loyalty is here now. It's been rough leaving them, but I know they're all doing well and am excited for their future. I'm so thankful that...

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I get it.

Dear Mom & Dad, I get it now. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and probably will ever do. Everyday is hard. Life here is hard. Everywhere I go I get made fun of. People hear me talk and ask me if it's a joke and if I'm really Filipino. They call me a disgrace; a mockery of their heritage. They make fun of my accent and no one takes me seriously - not even people in church. People think I'm an idiot and for the first time in my life - I'm not among the best at what I'm doing. Every experience is humiliating. Everyone looks at me like I'm not human. Everything is against me. And here I am thousands of miles away, with no one else but my companion. But who am I to say this is tough, these people know what is tough. I've been here for nearly five days and I still...

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Last Week.

Pamilya ko! AH! Grabe naman! Naniniwala kayo na aalis ako sa pilipinas bukas?! Hindi puwedeng maniwala ako. Talagang pinakamabilis ang horas dito. Kahit na hindi gusto ko itong lugar noong dumating ako sa MTC, mag-miss-na-miss ako ng lugar na ito. Parang BYU - mas maraming mga mabuting taong nagmamahal sa bawat isa sa mga tao. Pero ok lang. Excited naman ako para tatawag sa inyo bukas! Well I have a lot to write about so we're going to stop with the Tagalog before I get a migraine. This week has been super eventful and spiritually exhausting. I don't even know where to begin! First, my musical number went GREAT last week! It was such an honor to be selected to perform and the whole MTC presidency attended so it was a pretty big deal. They loved it and I'm so happy I had that opportunity. We...

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Twentieth Birthday.

Tao po! I know you haven't been to the Philippines in awhile but that's what you say when you knock on somone's door. For Jason, it litterally means "People!" so that they know its not just a joke. My teacher was telling us that most times people will respond "Walang tao" which means "there isn't any people here" so I thought that was funny because... well you put it together haha. Thanks so much for the card and shirt! That was the best birthday present ever! I'm so glad that the band shirt came out great this year and I'll miss seeing the shows a lot. I did hear from Cara though and I heard you guys are doing great! She said it's been one of the smartest freshman classes she's ever been around (although she says that every year). I'm really excited to hear about your success; although it's...

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Another awesome week.

Kumusta na pamilya ko! Naku! Hindi puwede akong maniwala na mayroon akong dalwang linggo lang dito sa United States! Loco loco naman! Maraming maraming salamat po para sa inyong mga sulat - parang regalo ng pasko yong mga sulat sa palagay ko. Talagang sobrang sobrang pinaka-napaka-excite-excited (yeah I know that's not right) naman ako para magsalita sa inyong lahat! Tatawag ako sa martes sa bati ni (ta)tay. Maghanda kayo para diyan! Well this week has been AWESOME! It started out kind of sad though. We lost another district - or well not lost best let them go to the Philippines. It was really hard to watch them go because we were with them for so long but, like when the other district left, I'm just so excited for them that it doesn't matter. Although there were lots of tears from everyone,...

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Grabe!

Kamusta na pamilya! Maraming maraming salamat po para yong mga magandang korbata. Talagang nagpapasalamat po ako para sa inyong lahat. Nagsulat ako sa inyo sa viernes kaya tatangap kayo ng salut ko. Nag-attach ako ng memory card para sa inyo, sana ako na gusto po ninyo yan! Kamusta sa bahay nating? 'Naku nag-miss-na-miss ako sa inyong lahat! Nagkakaron ako tatlong linggo lang dito sa MTC! Excited naman ako! At Nay, bakit hindi naiinisip mo na makapagusap ako sa tagalog? Tunay talaga iyan! Kaya ko yan ngayon! Pero, hindi ko alam kung tamang itong grammer haha. Well, it's been an experience this past week. I've been getting pretty good at beach volleyball here during gym time; it's so much fun! Although the sand never seems to be the right temperature; it's either way too hot or way too cold!...

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Bawal Ingles.

Hey family! Talagang jealous ako na pumunta kayo sa Six Flags. We never did that while I was there in band! Pero okay lang, napakaligaya akong nakapunta kayo. Sa noong linggo, talagang mahirap kami dito sa MTC dahil hindi puwede kaming mag-ingles ngayon! Bago sa "linggo na bawal ingles" talagang "talkative" sa district ko pero kung hindi puwede silang mag-ingles, pinaka-silent sila. Nag-tatry ako pero mas mahirap naman kasi walang taong gusto nilang magsalita sa Tagalog. Alright, that was bad and my head hurts now so I'm going to finish in English haha. Well I'm glad you all had fun there! That's so awesome that you were able to go and thank you for taking them. I'm sure they really appreciated and I'm proud to have such willing parents. I know you probably had a lot to do and it definitely...

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First Goodbyes.

Hey Family! Talagang mabalis ang noong lingo! Mayroong akong limang mga lingo lang dito sa MTC. Mabalis ng horas dito talaga! Well, that may not all have been right but I don't have all day to figure out grammer to email with so I'll finish the rest of the email in English. Anyway, it's been a really, really, really fast week. We were so busy this past week. Thank you for your letters, time flew out of my hands before I could even think to write back. By the time I would've sent ya'll anything (everyone says ya'll here, it's starting to stick with me again) it would've been too late! Anyway, this past week was really hard. We sent our oldest district in the zone to the Philippines and it was really hard to let them go. They were like our big brothers and sisters even though they were only...

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A Movin'.

Mom, Dad, & Jason!  Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat! Kumusta po ang lingo ninyo?! Mabuti naman para s'akin. Huwag kang magalala, naguusap ako sa tagalog marami heto sa MTC.  Anyway, time's been a-movin' here at the MTC. I realize I told you guys it was just the same old thing last week but I guess you don't really know what that is huh? I'll try to map out a week for you real quick.  The week starts on Friday because that's when we do all our weekly planning. As district leader, I lead the district in setting goals, evaluating last week, and evaluating our progress in all areas. It's a long grueling process that usually takes about two hours. We then set goals within a companionship and then for ourselves. Our teachers guide and moniter those goals every week. The goals are usually...

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Tao Po!

Mom, Dad, & Jason, (Knock, knock) Tao po! Ayos! Bakit hindi nagsulat kayo sa akin sa dearelder.com? Naghintay ako! Pero, okay lang. Tagalog joke for the week: "Oh kamusta na Elder Frost?" (my companion) "May sakit siya" (me) "Sakit? Hey, you just need to be a man and 'sak-it' up!" (Elder Kinikini aka Elder Kilikili) This week went by really fast. The first few days were really long but after we got our schedule going, time really started to pick up. Everyday is just go, go, go from 6:30am to 10:30pm, even to the point where everyone's rushing to brush their teeth at 10:28pm to get in bed. It's starting to grow on me though and although it's had work, I'm loving every minute of it. Being district leader has been really good for me. It helps me stay focused and less homesick because I...

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Kumusta po kayo?

Hey Mom! (at sina dad & Jason) Kumusta po kayo?! Mabuti naman ako. That's all I got right now haha. Well its been a really long past few days away from you guys. It's been really hard to be away from home but its been really rewarding as well. I'll try to recap the past week to the best that I can remember it. Wednesday was probably the longest day I've ever lived in my life. Everyone was staring at me through the whole terminal and flight; I think partially because I was wearing a suit and also because I was crying the whole time haha you know me already. The flight went by fast and we landed in Salt Lake City about 20 minutes early. Bishop Grant picked me up in baggage claim and we ran into a guy in my hall who was going into the MTC as well that day. So Bishop Grant took us all (me,...

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