I can't tell you how much I appreciated all of your letters, pictures, videos, etc.! I am so blessed to have such an amazing family to love & support me in whatever I do. I pray for you all every night & thank Heavenly Father that all of you are such a big part of my life. I have many friends, but I have always felt so close to all of you. While other kids might have been out with their friends, I feel like I often elected to stay home & spend time with you. Families are meant to be the closest people in a persons life, & I know that this a truth for me. For some reason, I feel like our family is "unusually close." I just look at other people & their families, & they are all close & love each other very much, but for some reason I just feel like there is something different about our family. I'm not sure why I feel this way & it's difficult for me to explain, but the point is that you are all the greatest blessings of my life. I love you all so much.
Things are going well here in the Philippines. This week has been unusually stormy! Apparently a storm blew over from Tonga & New Zealand? I'm not sure, but it has poured everyday this past week, & I can say that I have loved every second of it. Things are finally starting to clear up & I'm afraid the heat is returning. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
The work is also going well. Me & Elder Lagundino are finding new people it seems like everyday. He is still speaking mostly Tagalog, but we are working on his language skills (English & Cebuano) & they are both improving! It's interesting being with a Filipino companion. There are many differences that I have noticed compared to being with an American companion. Cultural differences, no doubt, but sometimes he just does things & it makes me laugh. One GREAT thing about having a Filipino companion is that they are such great cooks! Man, it's like having your own personal chef. On top of that, they clean the entire house everyday...it's like being back at home with Mom & Starr! Overall, things are going fine here.
This weekend we are going to Dumagete for our zone interviews. We have these interviews every other transfer & I really enjoy them. It's a good time to just speak with President about anything. Also, he teaches a few workshops & they are always amazing. I'm calling it right now; when he gets home, he will be called as a general authority. The downside of having these things this weekend is that we have to move the baptism to next Saturday, which just gives them another week to think & possibly change their mind. Hopefully that doesn't happen...
I have received many packages: one from Mom, one from Dad, & one from Grandma. Thank you all so much! It's always so nice to get American snacks & goodies. Dad, I really like the ties you sent! Thank you so much. Grandma, yes I receive all of your e-mails. I really appreciate them! To answer some questions, yes, generally all Filipinos are the size of my companion. Yes, I write in my journal. Not every night, but I am trying to get better at it.
For my birthday, the Sister missionaries came & decorated our door while we were at church. Don't worry, I saved them so all of you can see them when I get home. They also get me 5 new neckties! They are so great. They bought us pastries & made us blow out the candles. I say "us" because it turns out that one of my housemates has the exact same birthday as me! We both turned 19 on January 12. Kinda crazy.
That's about it. Love you guys.
Elder Staheli
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