Family,
I finally have some pictures to send! Hopefully you get them & everything works out alright. I have some pictures from the MTC as well as pictures from here in the Philippines.
It sounds like everyone is doing well! I love all of the pictures that you have sent me! Krue's invitation is awesome & it sounds like his party was likewise. That picture of Dax is also awesome. Where were you? I don't recognize the place? Not super important, just curious. I'm glad that I am not forgotten & that I am talked & thought about often. I appreciate your words of encouragement. Chad, that stick ball game sounds rad. It sounds like a good way to keep entertained also. Maddie & Matt, it sounds like the family has kept quite busy with fun things this summer! Jazzy & Seager, too! It all sounds awesome & I can't wait to join you when I return.
So, an update regarding our companionship. Mostly we're just quiet around each other & keep to ourselves, but I am trying to do better at the things he has complained about so that he is happier. I realize that there are probably going to be situations later in life where I will have to deal with many different kinds of people, maybe in my job or whatever, so I figure it's better to act rather than be acted upon.
Let me just say that the picture book that you made me has been the best thing that you could have done. I look at it every night & even though it in some ways it makes me miss home even more, it really helps knowing that eventually I will be able to return to you all & that what I am doing now is hopefully benefiting you all as well as myself. In all honesty, my motivation to stay out here is because I hope to help my family, present & future. I know that the purpose of this work is to help the people of the Philippines, & I am excited & grateful to be doing that, but knowing that I am blessing the people that I care about the most, as well as receiving personal growth, is what makes me really want to stay out here.
So, last Saturday as well as this coming Saturday, we have been teaching an English class at the chapel. We have an alright turn-out & I really enjoy it because finally I am the one who is teaching them how to speak. It's really funny, too. The way that some people say things are hilarious. Generally the younger people are better at speaking in English because they are being taught in English from the first day they start school. Also, if you want to go to college here, you must know English because that's the only language they teach in. It's funny though, because they don't have some letters that we do, for example, they don't have an "F". They use a "P" instead of "F" so when they say "Philippines" it really sounds like "Pilipinas". That is just one example, but it's pretty funny.
Also, I am able to play the piano for about a half hour to an hour every week. It is incredibly relaxing & allows me to calm down & feel happy. I get to do this on Sunday's after church because we usually have records to put into the computer but since it doesn't take two people to do that, I just go & play the piano while my companion does it. It's super nice.
Some days, I feel like I am almost fluent & other days I feel like I know nothing. Sometimes it just depends on the person because some people speak super fast & others speak slower like English. I just have to start learning the vocabulary now for things other than words pertaining to the church & gospel. Even though I need to keep improving on those, I know most of them so now I just need to start learning everyday things & practice using those. The other day I was speaking to someone while on splits & I was having a full conversation with her, not about church, & she asked how long I have been out & I told her that I have been here for one month. She was incredibly shocked, so that made me feel good because that must mean that I am learning pretty quickly.
We go on splits almost every week. I love it because I get to spend a day with someone else. I get along great with all of the other missionaries! Transfer day is in two weeks I think, so we will see what happens.
It's so weird that school is already starting up again. It seems like I didn't even have a summer (because I didn't)! That makes me feel good though because summer went by fast which hopefully means things will continue to move quickly! It's kind of a bummer, though. I miss school shopping. You guys will just have to take me when I get home since I gave all of my clothes away!
Chad, I have an assignment for you. I know how much you like movies, so I want you to start writing down any movies that come out that are worth seeing! I miss movies... Sometimes when we are waiting in a house for someone they will have to t.v. on & I will get to watch a little bit. I caught about 20 minutes of basketball the other night! European basketball, though. It's funny because they are all so terrible. Also, the most popular show over here is a show called "Anneliza". Everybody loves it! It's just a drama but it makes me laugh because if it aired in America, it wouldn't last past the first episode. It is by far the cheesiest soap opera that has ever been produced. It's like they watch an American show & try to copy it, but they just made it terrible. The people here love it though so it just makes me laugh.
Alight! Time for the crazy story of the week! So, on Friday we are at a birthday party for our Branch President's daughter, & there is this girl sitting at a table all by herself, crying. So we go over there & ask her what's wrong & she tells us that she has just seen a spirit. She said the spirit was a dark figure holding a knife. Well, we were in a hurry to go to an appointment, so we told her that we would come back & talk to her. We go back that night & she seems to be doing better, though still a little shaken, so we give her a blessing. Thinking all is well, we return to the apartment for the night. So, the next day we are out working & it's about 6:00 which is when it starts to get dark here. Our Branch President rides up to us & asks us if we can go back to the house because something is going on there. We agree & start heading back. It's almost dark when we get there & we go in & at first I didn't notice anything crazy. There were about 20 people in the small one room house, so that was a little weird. All of a sudden I hear a shriek, look on the bed & the girl we gave a blessing to the night before is being held down by 4 people! She is screaming, trying to get free, & she was screaming things like "Magkita ko sa akong lola!" (I see my grandma.) & she was saying how the spirit told her to get a knife & kill her neighbors. Not knowing what to do, we got the oil out & gave her a blessing. As soon as the oil touched her head she started freaking out! But, we pushed through it & gave her a blessing, "casting out" the demon that was inside her. After the blessing she calmed down a little bit. She didn't speak the rest of the night. Upon leaving a few hours later, I told my companion that I'm not so sure she was possessed. He thought I was crazy because he said that he was scared out of his mind. I told him that I don't think there was because from the second I walked in & throughout the entire time, I didn't feel a dark or bad presence or feeling at all. I know that our family has the tendency to be very sensitive to those kinds of things, so I just didn't think that there was a spirit. We was convinced otherwise. However, the next day we learned that she was just having a mental breakdown. Apparently she came from a very abusive home & her neighbors were quite mean towards her. It's a very sad story, but just as I thought, she was not possessed. She is receiving help now, though I'm not sure how good of help. I hear she went to a witch doctor so we may be actually casting out a real spirit here in a few days!
Well, only 92 weeks to go! Or you could say that there are only 15 transfer days left! Yeah, I've figured it all out. Oh, just to clarify, the address I sent you is the address of the mission home. It is not the same as my call letter says. It was changed. Trust me, just send whatever you need to that address. Love & miss you all like crazy! I hope you get the pictures!
-Elder Staheli
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