Well,
Hello from the middle of nowhere Philippines. Joke.. kinda...
So this week has been really uneventful. My investigators and Less-Active families that I teach, all of them, were harvesting rice fields this week so my lesson count went crazy down. And my companion for two days had high blood pressure so he could not really do much because he was way too woozy to do anything. So mostly I just studied and slept as much as possible.

This past Friday the zone leaders called me and my companion and asked us to do a workshop for zone studies on Monday(today). So we accepted even though it was both of our first ever workshop with helping train missionaries. So today we gave it, and luckily it went very well.

I have officially started learning Ilakano. I started how almost everyone starts. . . by first learning things I should not ever say to people. So I now insults in 4 languages.  English, Vesiyas, Illakano, and Tagalog. The reason that I have started learning Illakano is because every sunday I have no idea what is being said because it is all in Illakano. So due to the fact that the Single Adults in my ward are always saying stuff to me and then laughing I decided that it would be good to start learning.

The pictures are of me and my companion in San Esteban. It's a brand new open area that they are going to put missionaries as soon as we are able to find them an apartment. We got the assignment to find the apartment because... well.. we were the closest people to this area. The Candon Zone, the zone I am, currently covers an area of about 3 hours driving. So yeah.. my zone is crazy big.

So news updates? I only see what has been happening from the storm. Btw.. Because of the storm one Philippine Mission is closing for awhile, it's the area my companion is from. All the missionaries there are safe, but are going to be relocated to different missions. Ohh yea, my companions house got destroyed during the storm. Luckily he has three more so it is alright. My companion is a rich pinoy :p Well I have to go now, enjoy America. With all the high prices. A day in the philippines is always interesting. In fact, they have a saying that roughly translates to "its always funner in the Philippines" I said roughly because the saying also uses deep Tagalog words so the is a lot more meaning behind it then that.

Love,
Elder Rivera

Buhay pa! - still alive!

Hello my fellow Americans.

I am perfectly safe and happy, except the  "A" button on this keyboard is not working very well. But lets see, first off. I repeat I am Perfectly Safe and Happy! The only thing I felt from the super typhoon is  a little bit of rain.  I feel really bad for the other areas in the Philippines that were effected, they are going to have a hard time rebuilding, but then again they are always rebuilding the areas in the Philippines, that's because for some reason the Philippines gets all sorts of Freak Storms and earthquakes.

My weeks go by quickly now. I only have around 20 months left of my mission, which is crazy! I am going to be saying that a lot every few months. The work here does go by really quickly. I usually have around 4-10 lessons planned a day, depending if I have meeting or not. But sometimes people are not home, or do not want us to give a lesson. I takes awhile to get to some of my areas and so it's not fun when I walk to a villages 4 miles away and expect 5 lessons but only get 1 because all the people are gone. And when there is a death in my area, it seems like no one is home because for 9 days they mourn the dead here.

I'm sorry, this is going to be one of those short letters again. I have a lot to write my mission president this week because we went of exchanges [Toni: when they are with a missionary that is not their companion] and we are supposed to write our experience in detail to him :p So sorry for a short letter! Live Long and Prosper
Love,

Elder Alex Rivera.

Its been a long week

Actually this week has been semi-alright. Due to several holidays this week, along with elections going on it has been kinda scary to be white here in Santiago. I have been relativity safe though so that is good. So for 5 days this week we have been going home before it gets dark here in my new area. So what is my new area like? well, difficult is a good word to use. The Ward here actually is really good to me and the missionaries. We get fed very often and they love working with us. The only bad things are really my Mansion Apartment that has no running water. So I have several new experiences this week, one was taking a Philippine Bath/Shower. That really is actually not that  bad, basically it is having a bucket of water, going outside is just shorts and taking a cup bath. It feels really good when since it is always hot here Santiago. What else, hmm. Well I just sent some letters in the mail, so I hope those that I sent them to will receive them... Hmm. I have to walk almost 5 miles to get to a small village where we have a lot of families and people we teach every day. It is all good though, unless it is raining. I have a great relationship with the native people here, they flock around me and it is always easy to find new people to teach, the only real problem right now is the language, or I should say, both languages that I have to learn lol. So lets see, we get water by having it pumped into large buckets and then we bring the buckets close to our house. My house/apartment is two stories, very big and fun. But very hot and we have a pet cow that just disappeared yesterday. Lots of other pets too, like spiders, cats, chickens, and lizards. So yea, here in the Philippines is all good. I actually listen to some weird music though, today I heard a Bruno Mars song, mixed with Gangam Style, and Joy to the World, and two other Christmas songs. It was very, very strange.

With love, from the Philippines

Hello From Candon!

10/28/13

Hello everyone! 

So I got Transferred... To the low lands. My new area is in Santiago, right above Candon (look on a map). So that means I also got a new Companion. It is kinda funny, His name is Elder Baello, and he is from Manila Area. Sorry, no pictures today, maybe next week. My companion is actually only one transfer ahead of me( 6 weeks) and it is his first area. But the interesting is because we are each others 2nd companion we are follow up training each other. Which is never supposed to happen haha. So this week, umm... Very sad. On Wednesday I was told I was leaving Baguio on that Friday. And I am the only White Person from my group of missionaries from the MTC that is not in Baguio anymore:) So kinda a good thing. 

So good things, my area and the members in my area are very supportive. I am far away from other missionaries other than my companion and one more set of Elders. So this just shows how much President Trusts us. He would not send someone who is not focused on missionary work here:) 

Bad things... a lot. No shower, no running water, a freaky crazy guy who watches my house, which is behind the local church. and a few other things that I can not mention because it would scare too many people. Namely spiders:) Lot and Lots of Spiders:) Ohh so this week is Halloween here, I will explain next week why I mention that... not good thing. 

Sorry this week I am really pressed for time in my emails, Im trying to respond to someone with a rather long email. BTW the music here in really good. Due to the fact that everywhere there is music playing, on Jeepnys, trykes, and buses, and as we walk around, people are always blasting music from their houses. I actually get to listen to music a lot of the time. And it is usually songs that I know. I know, I know, unfair that I get to listen to music as a missionary. But I am not being disobedience because I do not choose to listen to it, it just is everywhere.

well love eveery one. 

Elder Rivera

P.S. thanks for the Happy Birthdays

Thanks for the Happy Birthdays!!

So today is my birthday, it is also my prep day...

So for this past week some interesting things have happened. So due to one of my investigators deciding that she wanted to be baptized sooner this past Saturday, and it was already Thursday, and on Friday we went on exchanges... basically I had about 2 hours to plan a baptism and call and text people to be there. ohh and the bishop is out of town. So.. I had a hectic week. Plus on Wednesday we had to drive down to the mission home, a 3 hour bus ride either way, to be told we were no longer needed... so fun, hectic, weird week. So if I can, i will include a picture of that. And remember when I said that Baguio does not flood ever, well... I was wrong, we had a signal 3 typhoon this past week and it flooded. So if I can there will be another picture of that. Nothing really interesting has happened, other than that. I have another baptism hopefully this Saturday, hopefully... if he can quit smoking. And I had some really cool discussions in Tagalog with some people. I am still unable to speak much, but I can understand a lot of what people say now... which is cool.

So what else,

Two elders recently got sent or decided to go home(not because of anything bad) , both in my zone, so things have gotten a little hectic with companionship in my area. People keep getting transferred out of the area and stuff... and its transfer week this week so I might be getting a new companion.
Kinda excited, kinda not because I really like my current companion Elder Ramos. He is really cool and really good at teaching me Tagalog. We get along very well also, although communication is not really there sometimes... language barrier.

Well, that’s all I have time to write, I have to write a few more letters, sige po.

Ingat po kayo,
Elder Rivera

Hello, another Typhoon.. and didn't eat dog

Hello!

Had another Typhoon only level 3 so it was all good. Umm, so I will start by explaining the pictures. The one of the birthday is not for mine, but for a sister in our district[Toni: same picture he sent last week and Elder Rivera's birthday is October 21.  Send him a happy bday email or card, even if it will be late]. We take birthdays very, very seriously here. By the way, it takes 3 weeks for me to get a letter. Just letting you know. And lets see, the other picture is of a sign here in the Philippines that confused me very very much because at first I only read the bottom two lines. And still.. Segregation... I had to think about the meaning behind the word rather than the historical context. Which is why it confused me.

The language goes great. At this point I can kinda understand what people are saying, if its during a lesson. But sometimes It really confuses me. As far as speaking, I can say somethings. But yea. Its going alright.

The other day, I was watching the news of the typhoon, and saw people surfing on the waves! Crazy. Which reminds me, can someone please tell me what is going on in the world, if anything interesting or important happens. I would hate to get back home and learn that we started living on the moon, and Michael Jackson was really alive, and Justin Beiber got a new haircut.

I loved conference. It was amazing. First time I watched all of conference. My favorite talks were Elder Uchtdorf talk on Saturday morning session, and also Elder Hollands talk about depression on Saturday Night. All and all it was a great conference.

October 7th 2013

So this week, Had a good time doing almost absolutely nothing.
Let me explain, the highlight of this week was that we Baptized 2 people,

Sister Krystel Caire Sanchez Gapuz
She is 17, a college student. And she has a strong testimony. Her dad was a Returned Missionary who decided to leave her and her mom after a few years of them being married. So it was good to see her returning to church as stuff.

Brother Esteven Navalta Horton
10 years old, very very funny. His family is mostly Mormon, his dad is an endowed member so that's good.

So back to what we did this week. My companion, Elder Ramos has been very sick the last 6 days. He was barely able to move for a few days because of his belly was having trouble and he had chills. So so far for him it has been very unpleasant. We barely made it to the baptism service... But on another not.

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So on an other note, remember when I mentioned that everything was cheap here in the Philippines. Well... I just found out where the Black Market is.. And I started shopping there... Someone wanted to sell me Beats by Dre for only 300 peso(5 dollars) and I could buy guitars and keyboards for about 20 american. But its kinda a sketch area of downtown Baguio.. but really really cheap. Everything they sell there is most likely stolen.. or taken... or found some illegal way. But its all good. I can get some really nice stuff for real cheap.

Lots of love,
Elder Rivera