Breaking in Without Breaking Anything

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! Hope it's a good one. (didn't even need dad's reminder. Like I could forget a birthday, let alone my own mother's!!!)
I know that the last week's letter was short and rather disappointing, but with the help of Elder Whitman there is a surprise in the email I sent to Mom. Hope you all like it. Almost as good as calling home...

So this last week we had exchanges with our district leader, Elder Escalona. He and Elder Clark came to us, Elder Escalona stayed with Elder Whitman, and I went back with Elder Clark. We all had successful days and were able to get much accomplished. Elder Clark's area is called, I can't spell it, but it's kinda in the middle of nowhere, and rice feilds and mud everywhere. My shoes and the bottoms of my pants were covered with mud. Elder Clark said to me, "Now you know why I always have mud on my pants." Yes now I know. The laundry water got so dirty when I washed that pair, looked like chocolate milk when I poured it out. So Wednesday morning we were to return to our assigned companions. The original plan was that Elder Clark and I would come back to San Enrique, but either Elder Escalona forgot that, or changed it without telling us, so when we got to the house in San Enrique, there was no one there and we were locked out.

So after waiting a while for them to come back, we thought really hard.  And it hit is how we could break into the house, without actually breaking anything. The window just to the right of the door is slats that rotate to open, with some work we got it open then removed two of the slats so that we could fit my head, arm, and a mop that had been left outside through the window.  Then used the handle to unlock the deadbolt, which is all our door has. So now we were inside, and starving. So we made some fried rice. Then planned how we could intercept Elder Escalona and Elder Whitman in the plan that was layed out for the day, and got to them and then went home.

We had a baptism on Saturday, Reizler Cris Doce Belleza, he is 10 and his grandma is a member. We had been teaching him for a while and finally got him baptized. Things went well, I talked about the picture taking in my recording. Then on Sunday we were able to get him and Kenjay and Helbert confirmed. So all in all a successful week, though it could have been better.
Mom is right, we are in "hunter" mode now (Jeremiah 16:16), we just are practing our skills still. They got a little rusty. Gonna have to bring out all the guns, pull out all the stops and just get to it!

So, package, no dont need anything, but, if you still have time, you should prepare a photo album of what you all have been up to this last year, so I have some new pictures of you all.

Um, you asked about laundry, about a year and a half ago, the church hired members to do our laundry, but too many of them weren't paying their taxes, the government found out and the church said "no more". Now, if a laundromat exists in your area, you can use it.  You drop off your laundry and they do it all for you. But pretty much only Bacolod has those here on Negros. So we do it in a large basin in our bathroom, I have pictures. Your hands can really hurt after a good hour of laundry!

There is a little present on this email. With the encouragement and help of Elder Whitman, I recorded my voice on his recorder, thought that you might like that. It's cut short at the end though. Enjoy!
Elder Jordan D. Phelps

PS There is another Elder Phelps here in the mission, just be sure to include my first name in anything that you send to me.