Cadiz City, Philippines

It was good to get your email this morning. It's pretty crazy to think that it's 10 AM here but still Sunday night where you are! This last week has been really crazy. Of course there was all the flying and I'm glad that's over. Changing flights is such a hassle.

So, we landed in Bacolod just after 6 PM Wednesday night. The airport there is absolutely tiny compared to the others we have been through. It only has four gates! We were met outside by the President and Sister Tobias.

President Tobias is really cool, and shorter than I thought. When they tell you that you're gonna be taller than everyone else except some other foreigners they aren't kidding. I've gotten a lot of comments about how tall I am. Also, when they said you'd be called "guwapo" a lot they once again weren't kidding. We hear it all the time.

Then we went to the Mission home for dinner with President and Sister. It was really good! So far all the food here has been great. We stayed in a pension house for Wednesday and Thursday night. It's kinda like a motel, it was pretty nice. Last warm shower for a while. Thursday we did some shopping to last us to Monday, that was fun. Then we did some training, getting us acquainted with how things work.

Friday morning was Transfer Meeting where we got to see most of the missionaries in the mission, the ones over on Panay don't come, too expensive. So we met our trainers, Mine is Elder Claven, he's from Australia. He's pretty cool, and really good at the language. I think he's gonna be a fantastic trainer! So after the meeting we headed off to our areas. Our area is Cadiz City, it's in the Bacolod North Zone and the second farthest north area on Negros Island. It's a wonderful place.

We've been out meeting some members and our investigators. I haven't really said much because I only sort of understand them. Oh yeah, they don't speak Tagalog here, they speak Ilonggo. They all understand Tagalog though, so they understand me but I only sort of understand them.

Everyone here is so nice, they're all happy to talk to you. And they are happy when you speak back to them and it's not English. They appreciate Tagalog but really like it when you can speak Ilonggo. Ilonggo and Tagalog aren't too different so I should be able to pick it up pretty quick.

Yesterday was Sunday and of course we went to church. There is a ward and a branch here in Cadiz. And me being the new missionary was called to go up and introduce myself that went pretty well. It was kinda strange; there were more people in the branch's sacrament meeting than the ward's.

Afterwards we went back to our apartment for lunch. Our apartment is TINY!! We are actually looking for a new one to move into. So we spent some time Saturday morning doing some house hunting while visiting members. One helped us because she was out and about, and there was some one she wanted us to meet. We found a good apartment that we are going to submit to the office. It's so much bigger than our current one, and it's not right behind a karaoke house/ bowling ally. That makes it kinda hard to fall asleep. The people here love karaoke, though no one is really good at it. We hear tons going when we are walking around at night. One thing that surprised me was all the songs that we hear that I recognize! Like we've heard stuff I hear Kat and Nat listen to all the time. High School Musical, Taylor Swift, and some Demi Lavato. It's really strange.

I spent some time last night thinking about how to describe what it looks like here until I can get you some pictures. For the most part it looks like any normal city, just dirtier, but there are some places on the outskirts of the city, and some right in the middle, that are little bamboo and cement "shacks." They look a lot like the line area for the Tiki Room and Indiana Jones Adventure ride. Trees, bamboo and the like.

The variety of smells here astounds me. You'll walk like five feet and smell twenty unrelated smells. A lot of smoke smell, from fires (they burn trash a lot and they burn parts of the sugar cane fields after harvest), there's a lot of cigarette smoke and fish smell. And in some areas you can smell the sewage because it's just this gutter thing running through out the neighborhood.

Well, I look forward to hearing from you all next week, I'm sure I'll have even more to say.

Halo!
Elder Phelps!

P.S. Email is the best way to contact me. Anyone can email me, I just have to snail mail my reply. But I'd still like to hear from everyone.

Leaving the MTC

Kamusta po kayo, akeng pamilya?

So all is well here.  Last week was pretty normal. On Friday last week we got our flight schedule just after lunch, then after dinner we got a new one!  It was crazy.  I made a copy of our schedule, so I’m just sending that with this letter.  I’ll buy a phone card and try to call from Denver or LA.  We’ll be in Denver for an hour (unless there are delays) and then in LA for four hours.  DearElder me which phone and when I should call.  It'll be awesome to hear you all.

That’s exciting about the VITA stuff, and all the reasons to take time off!  I’m gonna miss Nationals and Goblin Valley. Fun times.  That’s really cool that Christian is getting his Eagle.  It’s also cool that a couple of them are gonna work at BLAB. Just remind them that sure it’s fun, but you also have to work hard!

It’s gonna be weird leaving the MTC, things are just starting to feel normal here.  But I am excited to get out there.  Gonna walk off the plane in Manilla and be able to drink the air and then just start sweating like crazy.  Eventually I’ll get used to the humidity there, but it’ll take like six months to a year.

I’m also excited to leave the repetitive schedule of the MTC for the new, but still possibly repetitive schedule of the field.  The paper I sent about the mail was the wrong address (it’s for someone else in our district that is going to the Quezon City Mission). All the info about how the mail system works, I thought would be useful.

“Pouch” Service Address:

Elder Jordan Phelps

Philippines Bacolod Mission

PO Box 30150

Salt Lake City, UT 84130

USA

Packages Address:

Elder Jordan Phelps

Philippines Bacolod Mission

Galo Street between Lacson and Mabini

Bacolod City 6100

Negros Occidental, Philippines

You’ll get to start placing dots on the map!  More than just Provo!  Denver, LA, Hong Kong, Manila, and then Bacolod! (and whatever area is my first area)  You should look up my flight numbers and then track them!  It’s strange, we skip right over 16 February. 

SLC to DEN Frontier F9 584 depart 15 Feb 2:11 PM arrive 15 Feb 3:28 PM
DEN to LAX Frontier F9 417 depart 15 Feb 4:35 PM arrive 15 Feb 6:03 PM
LAX to HK Cathay Pacific CX 883 depart 15 Feb10:20 PM arrive 17 Feb 5:40 AM
HK to MAN Cathay Pacific CX 901 depart 17 Feb 9:10 AM arrive 17Feb 11:15 AM
MAB to BAC Philippine Airlines PR 135 depart 17 Feb 5:00 PM arrive 17Feb 6:15 PM


Oh, you’ll prpbably get a package from me next week.  I’m gonna send home stuff I don’t need and will put me over the weight limit.

Have fun with all your lives back home. Miss you all.

Elder Phelps

Just two more weeks! (in the MTC)

Hey Family!

Your letters were great!  There’s certainly a lot to answer-

Elder Gowey is from Mesa, AZ, he’s really awesome!  He can always make me laugh.

Yeah I know about Elder Swartz.  He’s in the other zone, and he’s from New Mexico.  He’s actually sitting next to Elder White and I right now (it’s laundry time). 

I have seen Elder Poole.  He’s in my zone and I talk to him rather often.  Which is kinda strange since I never said a word to him at school.

Haven’t seen Elder Adams, but I haven’t had time to see all the newbies yet.  And he’s in the other zone also, so that makes it harder.  Our zone didn’t get any newbies this week, and we won’t until we leave.

There are no nap times any more, apparently they used to have them.  It’s okay, we just get more study time.

We walk from building to building but it’s not bad.  My suit coat is plenty warm.  We get to go on a “temple walk” after sacrament meeting before dinner. I love going on temple walks.  We just go up and walk around the temple grounds, enjoying the spirit and the fresh air.  Our district likes to stick together on our walk, it’s a good bonding experience.

Sunday schedule is as follows:

7:-7:30 Breakfast (except Fast Sunday)

7:30-10 Study, or interviews with Branch Presidency

10:10-11 Priesthood/Relief Society

11-12 More study/interviews

12-1 District Meeting (our Sunday School)

1-1:30 Lunch

1:45 Sacrament

2:50 Temple Walk

5:15 Dinner

7:00 Fireside

8:30 Movie!

I guess the news about my W2s is good.  And reading about dad’s VITA certification makes me laugh. ‘Cause I’m not doing it!  One of the Tagalog teachers did VITA last year.  He’s an accounting major, so makes sense.

I was wondering what third Sundays were like.

That’s cool Chelsea is leaving for basic training.  I’m almost done with mine!  Just two more weeks!  We get our flight plans this Thursday and I’ll let you know what they are next Monday. I’m glad Kat is excited for her new schedule.  I can’t say how excited I am for my schedule change!  I’m even excited for the ridiculously long flight.

The Klondike sounds like its gonna be tons of fun.  I miss camping and scouts in general.  Naturally I tell lots of scout stories.  Elder Gowey does the same.  He worked at Camp Geronimo.

I’m glad the cheerleaders are back to doing well.  Gearing up for Nationals?  I don’t really know what to think about the funeral.  That was terrible news to get last week.  I’m looking forward to hearing Andrew’s stories.  I bet they’re gonna be great.  Have to send them soon though.  So, I got my package today too, that was great; I love the ties and the CDs.  Of course dad would get more Hawaiian shirts!    I’m sure you’ll do just fine in your new calling mom!  I bet you’re excited for that.

So we started to teach our lessons in Tagalog.  The first one was rough but still good.  The rest have gotten better.  We’ve started to learn the second lesson in Tagalog, the Plan of Salvation. So that includes the Fall.  Which makes it cool that dad just had a lesson on that.  We of course are to just keep it simple.  Teach the very basics of the Fall.

So, interesting experience for the week.  Elder White broke his finger playing basketball Tuesday morning.  So, we had to go see some off-campus doctors.  It was so strange seeing people that aren’t missionaries or associated with the MTC.  While we were out I couldn’t stop smiling!  I loved talking to people in the waiting rooms. It was fun.

Well I guess I’m done for now.  Hope to hear from ya’all soon!

Love,

Elder Phelps!