December 28, 2010

Hi.

first, no dont send me anymore singamajigs. They are sweet. but... no.

I hear marks married again. yep. Thats cool. um I hear it went well too.

ok soooo ill just start writing something.

um, about christmas, I got some presents, from the house. Mostly food and stuff witch was nice. I dont think I have really had candy in a long time. not good for me, oi. haha oh well. Whats really supriseing was the gravy. I didnt .. wait no I kinda expected instant gravy for some reason. um What was really suprising that Lucys gift was the most entertaing of everything (those dancing dolls, my companion really likes them). Wait no that usally happens too. I mean What was suprizing was that andy's gift is actally useful. Now That is what was surprising. he sent me a frisbee... which doesnt exist here, as far as I know.

um, yah so christmas was pretty good i guess, um yah. I wanted 2 things in perticlar, that i didnt get. I have started using a 3 ring binder (those things are actally useful) to orgainize my notes. soo I thought I would try to buy some more paper. Nope doesnt exist here. We went to like 4 stores, asking for paper...with speed holes. nope. So i just cut speed holes myself.

The other thing, was toilet paper. They have it at the store near by, but .. I forgot. Plus my companion made fun of me for talking about buying toilet paper.oh well. maybe next year. (just .. I dont recommend ever touching me again.)

I also had some jello, that I threw in my bags, when I was in the MTC. I ate that too, for christmas. that was cool. I thought i would get sick for eating that, but so far so good.

Oh! ok so you know that feeling when you suck a ramen noodle up your nose, so you can grab both sides (from nose and mouth), and floss... your nose? ok just think about that for a mintue.

ok.

So here is my advice. Dont do that with rice. So i was eatting rice the other day, and while i was eating it, i sniffed (or something), and huge spoonful of rice went into the nose cavity thinging. not good. For about 15 mintues I tryed blowing my nose, each time getting more and more rice on my shirt. I cleaned up, thought about how rice will always be for me for now on, and then went back into the kitchen and relized that there was still more rice left. and ate it. Yah, I woke up the next morning, I had rice on me too. Bastos! (nasty!)

Oh ok so, When I was calling home, someone asked about the foods I have been eating. Mostly I have been cooking for my self. (rice, onions,garlic, tomatos,eggs.. or something) (sometimes carrot and cabbage soup, or what ever my companion makes).

But with members, Its a little different. The best thing is this thing called pansit (i think). its just brown noodles of some sort. They also (in my area only) they have bukol salad (coconut) alot (because lots and lots of coconuts here). Everything else I cant remember the name, but i usally eat it anyways. (because we cant leave untill i finish... even if we are just stopping to say hi).
There are alot of aso (dogs) on the streets. really alot. And I know when one gets hit by a car, they become someones meal. Actally I hear its pretty tasty, and people eat it... fairly... well on occacion. I havent had any.

I was telling a story about when I was eating at someones house, early. When I asked what the 2 dishes were they (with rice), they said pork and pusa (cat). When I gave a funny look, and started reaching for the "pork", They said, oh no. joke. joke lang (just joke). both are pork. soooo i dont know. I just ate it.

Yesterday.... I dont know what it was at all. We came to try a family, that appently was a former investigater. When we started talking with them, we saw the tatay (the dad)... cooking(?) something. It looked like purple water. I knew this wasnt good, when my companion asked what it was, and then said, ohhh its pagkain (ohhh its food). Well we taght a fairly long lession, and finished just in time to eat some purple .. stuff. So the best way to discribe what it looked like.... well in 2 words : purple, goo. have you ever seen better off dead, the movie? sorta like that. execpt it wasnt alive still. I am not really sure what it tasted like, (i think there must have been some flour in there), but i only got half way, and I was trying to get my companion to eat the rest of mine. He told they owners of the house that, and she was like, you can eat it (meaning me). great... i was pretyt full and prolly would have thrown up if i finished it. but the ward mission leader was working with us, and ate it for me. I owe that man my life.

I guess before I finish I should tell you of some more, important things.

So right around christmas (22nd), We went to go visit some people, to teach. Everyone loves to give you food, espessally around christmas. early that day I had this thing... i think it was a plant, that was boiled in water. It wasnt too bad but was super full. anyways at this appontment they... gave us more food. We tryed to refuse at first, but they insisted. Anyways the sister of our investigater, who i think lives next door, came over and made 6 sandwichs for the 3 of us (me, companion, and member), of orange goo. ok this is normal orange goo, i have seen it in america, maybe mayo or something? anyways. that was it, bread and goo. But, something kinda touched me with this goo-sandwich (hmm i might sound a little gay here), was that the house we were in, was fairly small. like, think of a queen size bed..ok. then build walls around it, out of some bamboo, Then on a part of the long end of one side, place the small bathroom of our house (Its actally pretty cool looking, I am a little jeloius). ok thats the whole thing. in the bed area.. there was a bed. in the other area, there was a plastic-yard bench and a little table-box(which prolly had all of there things in it). When we came in, they placed a chair in there for the member, we sat on the bench, and that took up the whole house. the investigater sat on that table thing, and the sister that came just stood at the door.

Some thing that was cool was that I realized that I could commuate with the sister who brought the food. What was werid, was that there really should have been a language barrier. As she couldnt speak at all, and could only commiuate with sign language. She could hear, a little i think. I felt kinda dumb, that i felt like i couldnt commiate with people here. She actally stayed for the lession, which was pretty cool. I guess I have never tasted a better orange-goo sandwich before.. actally 2.

anyways, I was telling heidi, that on the 23rd I could comminate with people. I just went and talked with people. One converisaion i had with someone, was all about how I couldnt speak tagalog at all. It started with someone at a part-members house, said that i didnt know how to speak tagalog still right? And I begain with, yah. we must have gone on for 20 or so mintues before my companion, stopped me, and we started the lession. I think maybe I have grandpa dickinsons trate, where he can go to any countiy around the world and be able to commuate just fine. I think I just got to find the confidence that grandpa has.

ok well, we just had transfer annocements, and I was fairly sure I was going to be transfered, because.. me and my companion just got to be friends yesterday. well actally we are still companions, which is pretty cool. so yah. good news. balar is sweet and awesome.

ok well I guess I g2g soon, so Ill tell one more story, i guess.

I think I figured out the problem with me not being teach very well. I would study... mosts the time. but it was just kinda general. Something I tryed yesterday was actally writing a lession plan for a lession. That would help. I guess its kinda like going to give a talk (or teach a lession) at church, with out really preparing at all.. and expecting it to make since. And now I am planing to use my language study to practice things i might would actally say. Well for day 1, its been effective.

In the lession I prepared for yesterday, I started fairly well... but things didnt go prefect to plan. And I thought of this analgy when my companion started talking about something, that we hadn't planned for at all.

I guess our message is about helping them, get from where they are to a destiation. (hopefully the temple or something). so its kinda like hiking. We are guides to help them make it to the distantion. We arent going to make it in one day, its going to take a while. We actally dont know exactly the path, because we are just jumping into there hiking trip.

In hiking we say, today, we want to get accross the river, 10 miles away. or we plan in our planner, talk about faith.

In hiking we could plan the path we will take, or make a lession plan to help us get there.

The problem is we dont really know whats the best way, so in teaching we are guided by the spirit. But we dont really know where thats taking us, and it kinda feels like to me, that we are about to walk off a cliff. Some how we are to trust that there a invisible pathway, that will take us the right way. Well thats how it feels to me, when my companions starts talking about something, random (to me). I actally thought of coyote and roadrunner. somehow roadrunner and coyote can walk on the air... but when they look down (coyote) then they fall down.

Anyways I don't know if that made since but it kinda does to me.. (well i dont have to time to read it... so maybe it does). I guess the point is i think i figured out if i dont plan, It will be really hard to get started, at least.

anyways... ummm

merry pasko.

bye

elder dickinson

December 13th, 2010

Hello fam,

k so before I forget.. (i forget last week), did anyone ever pay attechen in semiary and write down any scripture chains? I made one up, and it was very effective in getting some people to read from the book of mormon, but I got lazy. So ... Scripture chains? could email them to mom (lori@dickinsonselectric.com) to put together, or just email them to me.

So about the call home, um I have a couple options. One is to get a calling card, the other is to do skype. um, yah.
The calling card is 40 mintues long, and I am only supposes to have 40 mintues. (plus If I call sunday morning (8am) my time or around.. what ever your time is on christmas day, (7pm?6?5?) then I will use the calling card.

If I use the calling card, I dont know If I am going to try to call a bunch of people, I might just call home (or mom's cell). It might get tricky trying to set up a lot of different calls. (plus church starts at 9). I am fairly sure no one is going to be able to call me.

The other idea is me to use skype. if i do that, then I might find time in the morning (my time) to go to a computer shop on a different day.Like the friday or thurday before christmas (your time).

So... I guess just tell me what you are thinking.

anyways..

Ill start this week with some people I know here, and then I finish with some random stuff.

um So Marriet is getting baptised on Friday, so thats sweet. I think thats the same day mark is getting marry-ed. (well Thusday in america). Pretty cool. She is 13.

um. There is a guy named brother ray. He is a werid-o. well thats the best way I can put it. He is a member, (actally very very helpful for missionary work). but.. werid-o. There is one big drawback for him being werid. All (or 9 out of 10) of the less-active members, when we are start talking with him, talk about him. They all say he is gay, ... which isnt true. but oh well. I think thats why a lot of people are inactive.

ummm
so There is Rocapor family. They are still doing good. Tatay, hasnt been coming to the whole 3 hours of church, but his wife and kids are. His kids passed the scarament for the first time yesteday. cool family.

um, hmmm There is Jovin. He is a mga 60 year old guy. Hes daughter is the branch presidents wife. Jovins wife is a resent convert. I guess before her baptism, there house would be the meeting place for a group of gamblers, I think cards, and drinking. But now they have moved it to another house because, the wife, marrisa doesnt play anymore. I think Jovin still does. Anyways hes pretty rad. right when I got here (like my first week), he would try to talk to me, which was pretty cool. He, like most people here in this area, speak ilikono as a native langage, speak tagalog, and knows a handful of english words or basic phrases. From him I have learned a little ilikono. Oh also, he said he would get baptised when I get married. So in like 20 years from now, ill have to send him a photo of my wedding.

anyways, um for Eliza, shes intersting (but actally fairly common). She will tell us she has a testimony in the church, felt the spirit and knows that its the true chruch, but has some little problem. for her its that "the church is too far (maybe 3 blocks), and that the born again church (2 blocks) is closer". (other problems like this, someone said they promised or convented with the other chruch that she would keep going..., or someone said they received a testimony in the Book of Mormon, and is now using it in her other church.)
But I found a scripture for her. Last time we were going to visit, We were about a block away, when she spotted us. She didnt want to deal with us, so she booked it, in her yard, and darted behind some trees. She is like 55, she isnt very fast or sneaky.. oh well. The scripture is DC 133:57-58. Its about missionary work. I highlighted the last 10 words of verse 58.

ummm I found something else during church last sunday. We should watch out about making fun of bald people, like dad. 2 Kings 2:23-24.

About learning Tagalog.... yah its werid. But some how I am actally picking it up pretty quick. A friend of mine, gave me a list of inspirational thoughts, and said i was to only look at one a day, so it would last. Well I did that... and then I forgot about it. But I found it this week. And one I read was pretty cool. for a couple of reasons (for one, i like bikes). It was about bikes and learning a language. pretty much it said that if you dont ride the bike, then you dont learn to ride a bike. If you dont speak the language, then you dont learn the language. And if you do ride the bike/speak the language, then magicly you just .. start riding/speaking stright.

Anyways I have a story... becuase. I like storys. ok, One of my greatest moments in life, probly inbetween the time I managed to eat 3 boxes of rice at lunch my freshmen year of high school (which i did keep down for the whole lunch period), and the summer I helped filled a large slurpee cup with gum.

--its about when I learned to really ride a bike.
When I first wanted to learn to ride a bike, Mark told me he would help me. Yes! so he took me to village glen hill, and put me on the bike and gave me a big push. Not good, haha. I didnt get very far. Anyways I practiced a bunch, but I never I had much confidence, since I kept running into the neighbors trash can. Evencally I started practicing going up ash st a little, and coming down. I didnt dare cross frewing to lower Ash st, because I called that death hill. I dont know I must have been 8. Anyways one day I went up Ash a little, like normal, while coming down I desided ill just go for it, down death hill. Well It was sweet. I was flying. I didnt dare touch the breaks, because the only thing Mark told me about bikes, was if you use your brakes you will flip off over the handlebars. So anyways I was flying, I mean going pretty fast. I was so happy. Then when I got to the bottem of the hill, and hit the curb, I really was flying... off my bike stright into someones trash can. But I was going so fast I knocked it over. I was so happy, I had defeated the trash can. And I never had problem with biking ever again.

You may ask what is the point to this story... well I like storys. But I guess it applys to me now. If you think of speaking english as standing, on or off the bike, and you think of riding the bike as speaking tagalog, then it makes since.. sorta. I mean since I have been here, I have watched people ride the bikes.. a ton. But actally riding it, I am having trouble. I am getting better, but I keep stopping and standing up. I think all I need is to just go for it one day, stright down the hill at full speed and smash someones trash can. I still havnt figured out how to do that, but... I figure something out.

Oh I had pretty cool experience with tagalog this week. We were teaching about the holy ghost and how to get a testiamony. So I told a story about how I found my testimony and how they could get their own. After I finished, I expected my companion to try to translate it for the people.. but he didnt. One of the investigaters just said, I didnt understand the words that he said, but I have understanding of what he said, and the importantance. That was sweet. (also someone else started weeping quietly... I dont know).

Oh so I lost my wallet. It had my pirate photo (family) and abut 400 pesos (or about 10 bucks). Not a really big deal. its alot of money here, but oh well. But in my coin purse... (i have a purse?) I had 2 cents left. So I tryed to explain to people that it was ok, because as a missionary I just need to talk to people, and I still had my 2 cents left, but they didnt understand.

Oh I have one last thing, I have notice this pattern with my prayers. First I ask for help, to be more teachable, more humble. Then the next day I ask for help, for peace, to be pulled out of the fire. The 3rd day is fairly nurteal. Then it starts over.. I think I am becoming more and more afride to pray for humilty. I might have figured out the scripture, 3 NE 24:2-3

well g2g,.... baaaaah

luke

December 6th, 2010

Hello!

hi.

um before I forget.

things to write about

Chirstmas call

bumubulung-bulong

chumba-chumba

2nd language everyone

fire=bad

ok so, Chirstmas call. I can call home around christmas time if you want me too. from the 22ish to 27th.

just tell me when you are thinking.

Might be best for me to call (my time: sunday 26th 7:30am) (your time: saterday 25th 5:30.. i think)

I can call once to help set it up a head of time, but the main call should be about 40mintues.

anyways... bumubulung-bulong. I just thought that word was awesome, i geuss. It kinda means wispering (i think), but it is what is used for murmuering in the scriptures. (there are lots of worrds tthat are doubled, and it gives it a differnt meaning.. like aral - study, aral-aral study everyday)

chumba-chumba. This is a word for my cooking style, apparntly. I think chumba means something like, guess. so chumba chumba means guess cooking (maybe). anyways, usally I cook some onions and garlic, and then tomato, then egg and then rice for a delisous fried rice. Today I cooked some onions and garlic, and then threw on the rice, and then cooked the eggs in the rice. its was yummy. in a way it was like french toast.... but not really... my companon usally thinks I am a master chef, or "my food is not eat-able" hahaha.

Something I realized is that I am not the only one that tagalog is there 2nd langange. my companions 2nd langange is tagalog (his first is sabono or something). The investiergaters... 2nd langange is tagalog. Most speak ilakano here, as a first langange... maybe thats why my broken tagalog doesnt make any sence. (I actally have met one person, a missionary, whos native langaguge is tagalog).

fire =bad. Oh. Yah, so note to self. When you give away broken junk to the youth, and then they rip apart some of the different pieces of cord and tape them together, and give them back to you to plug in, to test.... dont do it. Yah, right when i plugged it in it caght fire. haha not good. Nothing really bad happened though... my companions sheet now has burn marks, and we know our carbon-minoxcited alarm works.

I hear derek had a birthday party.. nice. I like birthday.. partys.

I also heard that andy beat someone in the 500 free. nice. I hate it when you swim for 8 mintues stright and get last by 5 seconds... execpt you didnt get last, the other guy did. nice. And has a geo... merr? kinda jelous on the stick shift thing (not the geo part). I always thought that would make me look cool. I also heard you were writing a email too me. ... but i think you forgot.

so lucy might go to washington Dc? thats cool. also still selling chirstmas wreaths.

I heard miranda was doing stuff for christmas... Its christmas!

Marks getting married? what? oh yah, I knew that.

Wait whatt? ammon is 7?? Thats crazy. wait.. I haven't even been out here that long.. how am I forgetting stuff already... oh well.

Happy birthday Ammon!

heidi is selling ice cream.... soon? the summer time. which is now right?

About the work, um well my companion isnt back up to perfect shape yet, but hes doing pretty good. yesteday we has a pretty full day. I think this week will be a full week.

We have a investigater (Marriet, 13 year old) who has a baptismal date. It should have been on the 11th, but was moved to the 17th because we werent able to do a couple lessions. pretty cool, for me because, She was the first new investigater I had with Elder Nateral (my first companion). She has a strong testimony and is very active.

About our ward. We had at least 65 come this week. That is a ton. um, I think it was even more though. Its normal for people to show up late. But during the fast and testimony part of the sacrament meeting, I noticed people moving around ton.. (I was in the front row). I look back and I see people moving forward and things. I think every chair was filled that was set out in the room, and people were sitting on peoples laps. Its not a big meeting house... but really that could be a problem.. I guess maybe Ill set up chairs out side next week.

Um,

Oi! I need to go, I wrote a ton for dad, and then now I am out of time. So... I'll paste it here for fun.

We have a branch FHE today, got to set up for that soon.

Elder luke Dickinson -ninja

oh p.s. ok so how do I make delishous pancake mix? And other easy meal ideas, that I can use a pan, or a toaster oven would be nice.

Also tryed making french fries, in the toaster oven. I cut them, froze them, forgot to put salt on them, and then brunt them in the oven. hmmm maybe next time they will taste better. (any ideas, for cooking or storing fries? i have a pan, and have a toaster oven.)

Oh P.s.s. Did you know that the purple fruit in ice climbers is real? I found it. eggplant. ohhhh. my companion cooked/fryed it up after mixing it with some flour .... mmm masarap.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the panal with questions for the young men, um well hmmmm. Just having that might be nice. I guess my thoughts are this:

For me, the only thing I heard about a mission before I came on the mission, is that "a mission its really hard, but its worth it". I had no idea what that ment. The other thing that I knew about missionarys, is that they knew everything about church, and so to be a missionary, you need to know everything.

Not true. I mean missionarys, have the Mtc, for state side missions, 3 weeks. where you learn the basics to a couple lessons, you get used to getting up on time, and going to sleep. And thats about it. For 2nd langague missions, I got 9ish weeks to learn another language. In other words, maybe shoving spanish 1 and 2, into the space of a quarter at school. Meaning... still know nothing.

I mean think of me right now. People in the ward think I know every single person in the ward, and exactly how church is to go, and know everythin about the scriptrues.... not true. I mean I hardly even speak the lanague here.

Even my compainon who has been out here for 10 months, is a philipino, doesnt know everything. For one he was just dropped into this side of the philipines, somewhere he hasn't ever been. When someone asks us something we don't know, like if we need to sustain someone in scrament meeting, or if we need to redo some paper work... we tell them we will figure it out.... meaning we will ask another missionary, or look it up somewhere later. (for me this is every question, the first time i get it).

I guess my point is, missionarys don't know everything. So if you are planning to come on a mission and you don't know everything or even a lot about the church, how it works, or exact docteren.. so what. you will learn it out here through experence. The same time I am not saying for people to not prepare. It would have been nice to know exactly how the plan of salvation worked, or to have first worked with the missionarys more.

About the saying "a mission is hard, but worth it"... its sorta true, but very very gerenal. I mean Its hard work in the fact like.... think of something you really like doing.. say playing on the water polo team. I mean that can be a lot of work, but its .. fun, exicting. Its not like ...digging a big hole everyday, or what ever. I mean I bet a farmer, who works his field for 8 hours, problely enjoys working that field... (or why would he want to be a farmer?) As you work out here, you can't help but enjoy the work. I mean, for me I think I could enjoy anything. I swam in circle for 4 years... and I even enjoyed that. Here on a mission... realize that you don't just go to church 12 hours a day. You still only go 3... a week.

The part about "but its worth it" is also true. Kinda of like swimming in circle for hours, and then coming out of the water, thinking... "Yes! I just swam across the pool 100 times!" or maybe a more relavent example for most people, like after finishing a water polo game, seeing what all your practice and teamwork has done for you. Or as the farmer, who knows that after his 10 hours in the fields, he knows that he has his corn planted, or harvested his apples, thinking that was a pretty sweet day, and at the same time got to pet his pet sheep. (well maybe this example is for me too, maybe i'll be a farmer when I get old and bald. I always thought it would be sweet to have a pet sheep.)

---Well I dont think I did a good job explaning this part, but as a missionary every day, you get to come home and say, hmmm well today wasn't a perfect day, but we were able to help marriet or jomark, come a little closer to coming to church, and receiving the gospel of christ.

And every once in a while, you get to think,

"sweet! That random lady we found 2 months ago, has compeletly changed her life, comes to church every sunday, and her husband has quit smoking, and now they are getting baptized. In one year from now they can enter in the temple and be sealed as a family, like i am"

I figure after your mission, "its worth it" too. As I know I have learned a ton of stuff already. I am learning a funny langauge. I have learned tons of ways to cook onions (which are very delishious). I have learned a ton about the scriptures. I have learned a ton about the people here. And I am helping lots of people change there life for the better. And techinly after this life too. I means its not just sitting around, you get to go and teach people and serve people all day, coming home tired everyday. but... its worth it. heh.

Um I don't know if this is what you were looking for about what I could tell you about my missionary experince, but .. too late now I have already wrote it, and I got places to go. If someone is thinking about going on a mission, realize you dont need to know everything, just want to come out here, help people, and have some fun.