Ok well hello everyone! It is another great day here in the Philippines. Right now I am in Kolibo again due to some health issues with a missionary that lives with me! Elder Nambio. He is 23 and a Filipino. He is way sweet! He should be able to come back tomorrow but that made this week a little exciting! This week is was so rainy. I knew it was going to be like that but still is just shocks me that every day it rains! EVERY DAY! I saw the sun one time and it was amazing! I was walking in it just soaking it in! While the people here hate it because they want to be whiter and so they are always trying to find the shade it is so funny! Then there in me the white guy out in the middle just soaking it in. I really was just so happy to see the sun this week I can't explain it! This week has been sweet. We taught some really good lessons. And ya I taught! I can now sort of teach in Tagalog. I have spent most of my time in Tagalog! But then there are always those places and always those people who will just talk to you in Aklanon. So that is where I am very weak. I haven't spent a lot of my time in understanding or speaking that language yet! I need to. But ya I am very happy with my Tagalog is. That will be really nice to know throughout my whole mission. I should be able to communicate with everyone here. So even when I need to learn a new language like Illongo or War-ay. I will still be able to teach while learning their own native language. So I am blessed to be in such a big Tagalog area to start out with. It is hard right now. But I know it is going to be so good for me!
We had a cool dinner appointment on the island that we go to. There are some crazy awesome members here who have to sacrifice so much just to go to church. But you know what? They do it!!! Every week! But ya that is where I ate my chicken feet. Which was the only thing so far that I really didn't like! But it is a challenge to get investigator to church who live there! But it is a cool place.
So I am really excited for this week because our investigator Jamel is getting married!!!! YAY!!!!! He is getting married at 8 in the morning on Saturday and then getting Baptized that afternoon. He is way sweet and way solid. Getting married here is kinda hard, which I think I have said before. So it really shows a lot of faith and a lot of trust in the Lord to sacrifice in order to get baptized! So ya you can say I am really excited to be apart of my first Baptism as a missionary!!! Wow it has been cool to teach him and to see him grow! It really shows me why I have came so far to be here! To see his testimony grow and his love for his Heavenly Father with the knowledge that there is a plan for all of us. He has a plan for every single one of us! Wow that has been the theme of my week! It started off with my Aunt Michele! I have to give her a shout out this week! She sent me a story last week. And since I don't have time to read all of my emails I take quick pictures of them so that I can read them on the jeepny ride home or something. I do love those so much so keep them coming! So ya I read hers last Monday and it told a story which I have heard before. About a current bush who grew too big and the gardener cut it down so it could focus on getting fruit! I think it was in the 1974 New Era or something like that I wish I could explain it more. But it talked about how the bush was sad because he was getting so big and now the gardener cut him down. The gardener said that he didn't want him to be a big shade tree but that he wanted him to be a current bush with fruit! It hit me hard that our Heavenly Father has put us in certain situations to shape us and to form us to what he wants us to be! But we still have our agency to choose his plan. That is our choice. But I have come to know that it is so true and that all trials have a purpose. My investigator told me that this week and that hit me way hard to! Man isn't that so cool?!?! Alright well I got to roll out! Thanks again for all the emails and support. I love you all so much and I want you all to know that I really do love it here. I love learning everyday and know that this forming me to become the man that our Heavenly Father wants me to be. And I want to be the person Heavenly Father wants me to be! I love you all so much and hope you all have a good week.
Love,Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne
No pictures this week :( He forgot to take his camera with him. Jil emailed Jackson back and was not happy that she didn't get any pictures and Jackson replied back "I just didn't want to make you jealous of all the beautiful sunsets ;)"
