Wow OK I have had the absolute most crazy week of my life!!! So the reason it has been so long since I have emailed is because when I flew to Manila they had us stay for 5 days. They call it post graduate MTC Training. We were the first batch to do this but I think that is how it will be for all missionaries. Because of Visa changes. So that was cool. We were able to go tracking the morning we got there in the Quezon City mission. That was insane. It was a huge city and people everywhere!!! It was crazy. Not at all like the place I am in now! i am in such a beautiful place right on the beach!!! I am in New Washington. You all can Google Earth that!! It is such a cool area. We have a few islands that we take boats to. Ya it is awesome!!! Not at all like the city!! I feel so crazy. But they do speak a different language called Aklanon. Which is such a crazy sounding language. They sound really different and it is hard from my American mouth to say some of the words. So I am starting fresh with new languages. I have learned the power of hand signals and body language. And just nodding my head and acting like I understand when I really have absolutely no idea!!! My trainer is a little Philipino Elder Ragsag. He is super nice but is not good at English so our conversations are interesting as well. Haha but seriously this is like the coolest place ever. By far the coolest place I have every been. You would not believe the houses and bridges here!!! HAHA I can not believe that I am lucky enough to be here! The people are so super nice. They will almost always listen to your message and want to help you with the language. We have an awesome Ward here and members who help with missionary work. It really helps and they help me a ton. I still cant believe I am here and wish I could take a go pro with me everywhere so you could see the kind of place this is. All I can say is wow!!! Man I am so excited to learn the language and actually talk to people again!!!! I knew it was going to be hard to learn how to speak so now i am just trying to speak it whenever I can and everyone just laughs at me and then says something really fast and it is way humbling. Well it was nice to hear from all of you. I can't believe the summer is almost over. Wow that was so fast!!! I love you all!!!!
Love
Elder Craythorne
Questions From Mom
Questions From Mom
Tell me what it was like landing in Tokyo? Was it a shock? That was your first taste of feeling what it was like to be so far away from home. Did you try to call and it didn't work or did you just not have time? In Tokyo we were a little late so we only had like 15 min there so I didn't feel the shock there because we were in such a rush.
So you landed in Manila and then what? Did you stay there overnight? If so what was the hotel like? Manila was the shock there was people everywhere and it was really late. We immediately got bussed to the Manila MTC. The bus ride was when it got real. The places we passed was crazy and we realized that we were in ASIA!!! IT is a very Asian country!
When did you finally make it to Iloilo? I got to Iloilo on the 14th Exact time? like 10:00 Who picked you up? The mission Pres and office missionaries!
Tell us about your Mission President and his wife. They are way nice. We really didn't get to know them very well but everyone loves him here.
How did you sleep your first night? What did you think about? Did you sleep good? Were you already with your companion? In your assigned area or did you stay in the mission home for a while? The first night in the MTC was not how expected. They have perfected the art of air conditioning. So I froze!!!! I was so cold my first night in the Philippines. But here in iloilo. We stayed in a Hotel room with no air conditioning and that was the exact opposite. You sweat all night long~! It is a weird feeling!
Tell us about where you live. Your apartment? House? We live in a decent house I think. It is by the beach on a dirt road kind of away from anything. I really like it! there is four of us and they all speak the language unless they are talking to me. Well after they realize that I don't understand what they are saying.
Tell us about your companion. Where is he from? Elder Ragsag from the Philippines. Tacloban mission. He is a convert. His whole family was. He really likes to eat good food and is a great cook. So that is nice. He cool really Filipino food!
What was it like to go to church for the first time? How many people? Do they need a piano player?:) There was like no English so I didn't really get much out of it. I Think there was like 45 people there. Mostly families. They are all so nice. I went up and introduced myself and they were all laughing!!!
Do you already have an investigator that your companion was working with before you got there? Yes we have a lot
Jackson's first companion Elder Ragsag
"My companion is so nice he is like Lexi as a guy!!!"
