Huck Finn & a Rabid Rooster - Week 30. Serving in Santa Maria

Doostmans....Bustans....Batmans....
Dustbans...who'd have thought that name was so hard to say eh? But our whole world seems to have a really hard time with it. The names I just said have all been the results of people reading my tag.
Our ward is pretty small. It's a ward though, and we have our own chapel complete with ping pong table. The attendance is around 40 people per week. .
This week has been ridiculously busy and possibly the most stressful week of my whole mission. I had my first District Meeting with everyone present and didn't have much time to prepare for it as I also have to write a sketch for Christmas Zone Conference. Every zone gets to go to the mission home for two days of food and fun and gospel study. They go two or three zones at a time and we are going with the Vigan zone. We have to do a skit about Christmas and it has to be funny and spiritual.
 On Monday last week we went to the ocean in Santa Maria! My first time in the Pacific (we can walk in it if it's not deep and the waves aren't bad, which they weren't. I got some photos of it). There were no sharks so it was really nice. Its a beautiful place.
We taught a few lessons after P-day. The next day we went out to a middle-of-nowhere brgy and got punted a lot. At district meeting we discussed the skit we will have to do at zone conference. I pitched an idea and then Elder Cayanan did too and we put them together and now it's about elders who tract into a guy who doesn't believe that Christmas is about Christ but about Santa and about presents and gifts which he believes are the source of real happiness. Then he whips out Zechariah 2:6 (which I've been sitting on for some time and now I love that I get to use it for this!!!).
"Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord."
Then the sisters tract into him after the elders are kicked out for not handling it well and the sisters save the day and he gets converted. The best part is at the end - everyone leaves except the investigator and he thinks quietly for about 30 seconds and then starts singing the 1st verse of Silent Night. Then everyone else is somehow in his house and singing with him - it's going to be matamis (sweet)!
I got attacked by a fighting cock! I had to use my bag as a shield and it scratched it good. It was actually terrifying!
 I am really in love with the concept of daily improvement. The doctrines of the gospel are so simple and easy but only those that use their agency properly and exercise a particle of faith and act on the doctrine get to know the joys of them. I don't want to go back to being that person I was before my mission. I think you have a copy of my patriarchal blessing too right? It mentions something about this in there and that's the first time I've seen something from it come to fruition with such an impact.
We found a new apartment in Santa Maria which is sweet. We also had Stake Conference yesterday and President & Sister O were there, so.......I GOT YOUR CHRISTMAS
PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Salamat (thanks)! I loved everything in there. The Senators pennant is right above my desk right now. I'm going to have haggis and snow for christmas (didn't know either came in a can!). I loved my ties too! Where did you even get those!!!??? They were awesome. I offered some candy to the ZL's so most of it is gone now (I kept all the chocolate for me and my companion though).
 I made leggo for the first time in years (from your package) and I really want to give it to this kid named J who follows us around this one neighbourhood we work in. He looks exactly like a dark Huck Finn. He is so funny. He sits in our lessons and the investigators ask who he is and we don't know what to tell them. He wears overalls with no shirt underneath.
Just know that everything you sent made me so happy - not because I get to have new stuff but because of the underlying meaning to everything. It all reminded me of you guys and that's the best gift of all. AND I get to make the little nippers here happy with some of the stuff....(maybe I'll keep one leggo for myself though... we'll see).
 Sister O gave a talk yesterday about how they were so poor growing up in New Zealand that all their presents were things they made for each other and the time they spent together. President O also said that presents are better when they have an underlying spiritual meaning.
Anyways, I love you guys so much and will realllllly miss you this Christmas. But either way, we all get to celebrate the birth of our Saviour no matter where in the world we are - and the fact that, through Him, we can all not only have eternal life, but we can have it together! Make sure you do what Mum had said about not getting wrapped up in the commercial side of Christmas but focus on the Saviour and our eternal family.
 But all that aside you HAVE to watch either Home Alone or A Charlie Brown Christmas.
There's so much more I want to say but I'm out of time. I love you guys more than I can say. Have a great Christmas season. And for goodness sake, if you see a rooster, run the other way! If they had the chance they'd eat you and everyone you care about!
Love ya!!
-Elder Dustan