So to start off, I am doing well. So
here's how the storm went down.
Tuesday- we heard from someone on
the street that there was a typhoon coming that was going to be worse than the
one last year. My companion and I looked at each other and both went uhhhhh that’s
not good, so we started to prepare some stuff just in case and broke down our
money into small bills to make things easy to buy. Everyone knows how I like to
be prepared and have a plan to execute so you can only imagine what I doing.
Wednesday- we continued our day and
we got some things to continue to prepare. We heard that the storm was going to
hit us tmrw so we freaked a little and were wondering what to do.
Thursday- It was a cleaning day and
transfer day announcements so we got a text saying that who was transferring
and then a few min later a text came saying that there was a typhoon in the
distance and for us not to worry about it and we would be told what to do if
something were to come of it. So for us so we had studies and then started to
clean a little. At 12:30 we get a text saying that we all need to evacuate to
our zone meeting areas as soon as we can. So I packed everything I possibly
could in one bag that was of importance to me. I had bought a sundong and
brought that with me. Remember this for later. We were in the middle of making
lunch so we packed as much as we could and ate really quickly. We didn’t know
if we were going to be able to come back ever so I packed my bags and set them
so someone could grab them if they needed too. So we left and went to
Catarman which is 2 hrs away from our area. 500 pesos later and we were there. We
got a brief rundown of what was going on and what was going to happen. We
played games in the church that night, all of us elders and sisters. Then the
elders slept in the church building and the sisters went back to their
apartment. lol. Make the sisters freak out a little.
Friday- it was super windy today,
which normally never happens at all. So it was nice to have that sort of cool day.
We bought some emergency snacks to add to our emergency food, so we had enough
to eat for a week. lucky us!! Friday night families from the wards around the
building started to come and stay the night. It was the safe shelter for us. The
sisters slept there too. We played games that night and we had a great time.
This night started our first time without power.
Saturday- we weren’t allowed to
leave the building at all. So we played games and we talked and grew closer
together as a zone. It was a lot of fun. At this point it was super windy again
and it was starting to get dark outside. The stake president was a news man so
we were pretty up to date with everything. not as much as I would have liked
but every 4 hrs I got an update on the location of the typhoon. not my 5 min
updates that I like. haha.
Saturday night- As a mission we
decided to fast and pray that the storm wouldn't do too much damage to the area
and that we would be watched over and protected. So we started our fast and
then later that night at about 8 we got an update saying that the eye of the
storm had been lost and nobody knew where it was and that it was not coming
toward us anymore. Yeah the storm was supposed to wreck our area pretty bad. We
were supposed to get the worse of it. But through our fasting and prayer the
typhoon turned into something totally strange. Changed its course and nowhere
near us.
Sunday we had church, everyone was
at the church building so why not. It was so neat to hear all the miracles of
how fasting and prayer works. Someone said that the missionaries have special
powers and god answers their prayers before everyone else. I laughed at it and
thought it was pretty funny but true. lol.
Monday- we didn’t get permission to
leave till about 12 on Monday so we packed up all our stuff and partied. joke.
but we got ready to leave. We went back to our area to assess the damage only
to find out that a tree had landed right in front of our house blocking our
entrance to get in. so I grabbed my sundong and started hacking at the tree. Made
a pathway to the door and we went inside. It had flooded in the apartment so it
was a little wet but it wasn’t bad at all. If the tree had been over maybe 2
inches it would have crushed the front part of the house. So we were watched
over and blessed because of that. We were too tired to do anything so we went
to the Allen elders apartment and slept there. There were 4 sets of elders
there. It was a lot of fun. I came up with the genius idea to get water. Their
apartment is on the 3rd floor so we took a rope and a water jug, guess what we
did. yeah my genius skill came into play pretty well. haha. Mind of an engineer
at work. hahahahaha. so we hauled water up for showering and for cooking.
The people around us were like what are they doing. crazy boys, but it
worked really well. better than walking up 3 flights of stairs. We spent the
night Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday. haha. then we worked Friday and Saturday.
Sunday I had to give a talk. I did pretty well, better than week 1!!!!! So I’m
slowly getting the language, starting to understand a little bit more than last
week.
Sunday we watched the Christmas
devotional. It was so good. I really liked how they talked about how Christmas
is the time for expressing love towards others. I didn’t really think if hit so
much like that but now I totally see how it is. Being on a mission has changed
the way I see serving others. Instead of making it a way of oh I’m going to
help them I now look at I love this person so much I want to make their burdens
lighter so I am going to help them the best I can and make life easier for them
by serving them.
These past few days have been really
good for me as I work on my goals this month of being patient and loving
others. My companion and I have been butting heads a lot. I want to work work
work and he’s more of the opposite so its been a good test of patience for me.
We were in the middle of companion study and I was sharing something I had
learned and he got up and walked into the other room and started to spray the
ants on the wall. totally not relevant and something that could have waited but
I was patient and not quick to get upset. I learned that this is how Christ
would have acted. instead of getting upset like I wanted to and go off about
how its rude to leave, I was patient and waited till he came back and continued
where we had left off. It was a really good companion study and I learned a lot
that day.
So I hope everyone has enjoyed my
super long email. I know that the Lord answers prayers and that he is watching
over us. Even if we feel he is not. He really loves each of us and is with us
each step of the way through whatever struggles we go through. We had a mission
tour yesterday and I learned that the lord is with us in our struggle to find
those that are wanting or needing to hear the gospel. He is preparing everyone
and it is our job to have the courage and faith that with the Lord’s help we
can and will find those ready to hear the gospel! It is a message worth
hearing. It has blessed my life and has helped me through all the things that I
have struggled with. EVEN FINALS. I know that god lives and he loves us. He has
sent us to Earth to learn and to become more like him. We have to work
for our eternal salvation. It isnt just given to us. (James 2:18)
I love all of you and was happy to
see 43 emails from everyone asking about me. it made me feel loved. Goodluck to
all of you that have finals. I hope you did your best. That’s all that
matters.
Love
Elder Carlton.
Last min thoughts
not a ton of damage in my area. so
no service projects. a few pieces of a roof flew off and a few power
lines now.
A typhoon is just like a tornado but with lots of rain. that’s what I experienced. other parts of region 8 got hit with a 4 meter wall of water. so I was lucky
I wasn’t as scared or as nervous as I
thought. I was at peace most of the time and knew I was being watched over and
knew that if I were to die it would be the best time. Automatic exaltation!!!
jk. but I knew everything was going to be ok.
I will be celebrating the real
meaning of Christmas this year without any presents. so I’m kinda excited about
that.
It takes 5 weeks for packages and
letters to get here
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