"Helmet on Your Head, Not on Your Elbow" - Week 63. Serving in Laoag

I can hardly remember what happened this week, it went so fast! One thing I can tell you is that evening shenanigans have risen by like 90%. Last Saturday night I decided to jump rope before I went to bed (I am working out my legs since I am not walking as much here in Laoag). Elder T walked by and decided that seeing if he could do double dutch would be a worthy pursuit. So we spent a half hour or so trying to fit two grown men into the same Filipino-sized jump rope (bye, bye masculinity). In the end we got pretty good at it and it turned out to be a pretty intense exercise.

Elder P got a package from his parents. There were several elastic band guns in it and there have been a couple of nights where heated battles ensued. I find elastic bands in my pockets, in my shorts, they are everywhere. We discovered that you can load multiple bands on the same gun which calls for some fun when you can pull one little trigger and spray a hailstorm of deadly rubber at someone.

Last night we found a stress ball in the apartment and before we knew it, there was a game going of hitting each otherwith the ball... sounds retarded but when you sit in the office and meetings all day, you take ANY chance you get to have some sort of physical activity.... and I pegged Elder M pretty good.

I have been noticing that in this area and during this transfer, I have not been paying as much attention to mission stats. I used to be quite the opposite, not that numbers were my reason for working, but it was very satisfying to see a high work percentages at the end of the week. But now, without really thinking about it, I have just stopped caring so much about the numbers. I realize why we have them in the mission - because if you have goals and you are organized, you are more likely to be effective in the work. But this past Tuesday we had only one lesson in our three hours of work. I have worked with missionaries who rush lessons and don't answer questions just to fit in the number of lessons they wanted.

 Last Tuesday our one lesson was with E and M. We taught them about repentance and, to be honest, it was in my top five funnest lessons of all time. We answered their questions, we read with them, we joked and chatted with them and I know they understand how to repent and why. We got punted at the next two places we went to but at the first, we chatted with the family, set up a time when we could come back, got to know them a little bit and then moved on (they were cooking and eating). Then the last place we went to, we had a less active RM tell us about his mission, show us his pictures and he taught us a little object lesson thing. We didn't teach a lesson as there wasn't really time, but I know and feel that just by helping him remember the excitement he felt on his mission, we fulfilled our purpose. When we got back to the apartment we both felt really good and couldn't stop telling Elders T and P about how great our night was.

This week we taught a nice little family. We chatted with them and I really loved Tatay. He was hilarious. His son had a hockey shirt on. He has five kids and I asked where they all were. He named them off and where they were - one of them being in Cebu for school. As he is talking, a teenage girl walks behind Tatay (whom I was was facing). She waves and smiles at us and goes up the stairs (yeah, they had stairs!). I asked him who it was. He says with a surprised look, "Oh... I thought she was in Cebu!". (FYI, Cebu is very far away).

We taught them about how we are children of God. He was genuinely surprised. Everyone here knows that "we are God's children" but the actuality of it is lost on them. He was kind of excited and said, "I never saw it that way". I explained how a baby carabao will become like its parents - a full-grown carabao. I used the example of his kids (the bunso with the hockey shirt). I asked his son how old he was and was planning on saying that he will grow up to be like his dad and he answers me in a deep, deep voice, "10". We all had a good laugh about that one. That was a fun family to be with.

We had an FHE at P's house and it seemed like half the ward came - it was sweet. He made spaghetti and it wasn't the Filipino spaghetti but real spaghetti. It was a good night.

 One the way back from there we saw something on the road ahead (it's kind of a built up area with street lights and paved road) and as we went by in the truck we saw that a man had crashed his motorcycle. He was on the ground and trying to get up (no medical workers anywhere and about 20 people standing and watching). He had crashed and skidded on his face. It's a rule here you have to HAVE a helmet when you are on a motor (that's what they call any motorcycle or scooter - just a motor). The rule does not say you have to WEAR the helmet (genius!). There is a sign I read at the licensing place in Batac that said, "Helmet sa ulo, hindi sa siko" or "helmet on your head not on your elbow" (that's where they hang their helmets here). As he slowly staggered to his feet there was of course, a helmet hanging from his elbow. That was a crazy thing to see but I can still count the accidents I have seen on one hand.

Right now, my companion is showing me the pictures of his brother's demo derby. He got plowed by some car and got knocked unconscious and they had to take him out with the jaws of life and send him to the hospital. I was shocked and then realized my companion's expression was one of excitement and being deeply impressed with his brother. His brother was fine. He has a picture of him in a neck brace and he is giving the thumbs up. Looks like he just won the lottery. It's crazy the difference in culture just half a continent away (Utah).

 My companion and I get along really well. I love him a lot. We both love ska and agree on a lot of old punk bands.

Anyways, that's my week thus far. It's about to get way busy as transfer list comes out tomorrow.
I love you guys sooooooo much  Tell Grams I love her like the Vintar monkey loves punching missionaries in the head.
-Elder Dustan