January 4, 2011

Mom,
It has been cold here too this week. No snow though. It keeps on raining and the sun just doesn’t get a chance to warm everything up. So I have actually gotten cold at night, but that is because I sleep in shorts with no covers and a fan blowing. It has been off most of the week.
I got your other package! Thanks so much! And thank you for General Conference CD’s! That is what I was going to buy anyways. I am half way through them and I got them on Sunday.
Tell both grandmas to get well soon. I will pray for them. Also thank grandma schenk for the umbrella. My companion has been using it. Just about everyone we visit either wants me to give them mine or his. They love them!
Winston Baring will definitely have a great time cooking up some buad! That is just something you don’t find in America. Tell him I said kamusta.
Restly is right on schedule for baptism this week. He still has a good testimony. I am excited. And I get to go to the temple today! And my companion is good.
With the money from my savings account, I thought I had a few thousand, but don’t remember. What happened to the money from the truck? Did that go to my mission fund? Anyways, gather all you can and give it all up. It can do someone else some good. I’ll try not to go over my limit here.
I’ve got a good story for you! So I thought I had the Philippines about figured out, and that there weren’t really any more surprises. Then came New Years... HOLY CRAP!!! BANG!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BANG!!! They don’t really have nice good looking fireworks here. Pretty much the rule is the louder they are, the better. So while we were sleeping on New Years Eve, about 11:30 things started to get loud. So I woke up. Then at midnight... I have never ever in my entire life heard so many loud sounds coming from so many different places. If you had something that made a loud noise, you were using it! Ground shaking firecrackers, revving your engine, yelling, music, and anything else you can think of. Needless to say, I missed some sleeping time. Quite impressive.

Thanks for everything!
Love,
Elder Schenk