October 6, 2014

Yup, SO guess what..

While me and my companion are fine now, there was a about a day where he was not happy... almost to the point of getting in a fight. BUT we have worked everything out.. and am in one of the best companionships I have ever had as a missionary.

I have also started getting more nerdy as I am trying to not be bored. I ironically have a lot of time between getting home and going to bed. And while I will say that reading is something I enjoy, I do not think I will ever be able to read everyday for an additional 3 hours... It is just not in my body. So I started playing Magic: The Gathering.  Don't judge, it is alright it's not every day. Just sometimes. Just be prepared for Nerdy Elder Rivera, and not Swimmer Elder Rivera.... hehe

Enjoy,

Elder Rivera

Cell Phone (September 29)

Hello Everyone.

So today has so far been a rather interesting day. I began today waking up without any problems which is always good. It was very very nice to spend today waiting until P day begins so I could stand for two hours on a bus going on windy roads to get to Baguio City so I could buy stuff to help me not be bored...aka games.

While I was on the bus I was looking around to try to not be bored and to forget the fact the my leg was almost asleep. While I was looking around I noticed this really cool cell phone that someone was playing with. It looked really cool. Nice screen really nice camera... it does not matter that the person was a female... BUT as I share this experience understand that the gender really did not matter.

So lets begin. Being really bored I saw her new boyfriend, I assume he was new, look through her pictures on her phone. Now I am not saying that she was one of those people that just focus on herself or anything but It seemed from me that of all her 500 or so pictures not a single one had another person in it. She had 500+ pictures where she was alone.. My mind was really confused because she seemed really happy to be with her male friend who was probably not just a friend. They seemed very close... but from this I started thinking what If I was to take some other persons phone I could learn a lot about them. I could learn their likes.. maybe their dislikes. and could potentially learn everything they would not like me to find out.

I find it really interesting to think that people have their whole life usually on technology... And that for the most part it could tell you what kind of person you are... now comes the analogy (sorry I have to) What would happen if we really did have everything we have every done read to us... or all those moments we were embarrassed, or did something stupid was in the hands of someone we did not know. We would probably think something like " How did he get that" or " That's mine" but I think that would be the time we would realize just how much we would not like everything we have ever done known to someone close, or far away. Sometimes we make mistakes. I am very glad that I believe in a way to have all the stuff that we have do wrong completely erased from memory (repentance through Jesus Christ). But it takes a little bit of work from us for that to happen. It is not just a click of a button. I mean this is your life. It is a little bit harder than just a click.

But yea.. I am happy right now. It was really funny to come here to Baguio today. Nice and cold weather with pine trees. Supper nummy.

love,
Elder Rivera

Safe and Sound (September 22)

hello Everyone,

Everything is good, I am doing great. Although parts here in the Baguio Mission are not doing so well. I will explain.

As you know a Typhoon hit us last week.. well Actually we had TWO Typhoons hit. The Second one was a direct hit on the northern parts of the mission, do not worry about them. They are safe now, they got pulled out of their areas and are not able to work. But they are safe. Their areas are pretty much under water right now.. so that is going to be fun to return to when the water goes down. I feel bad for them.. but they are safe.

So for me... I was unable to work pretty much all of last week because of floods, or storm warnings, or flooded areas. But for the most part we are doing really good. We spent 5 days playing monopoly and cards... and eating lots and lots of rice. But we are good and healthy.

Personally I am doing good, I am loosing weight. I am getting excited to find out what is happening soon in our mission. I expect some changes to happen due to the recent storms and for the soon to come storms. I am kinda tired recently, nothing to do and being stuck indoors really takes away all the energy I had before. But I will be back working hard 2moro.

So yeah, that is pretty much the only thing that is happening in my life right now.

Love,
Elder Rivera

two emails

September 15, 2014  Typhoon week again
Hello,
Sorry For Not sending a email Yesterday,

I was busy in a Typhoon.. I tried to email but the Internet and Electricity was shut off yesterday. Sorry:)

I will be taking the time today to email. Love you all!


Elder Rivera


August 18, 2014 Still working on Perfection
Hello everyone!

Hope you are all doing great. I am enjoying the same companion, and the same area. So I happy for a change, I get a companion for more than 6 weeks for like the second time. SO i am happy. I was able to see some very cool people and friends as I traveled to Baguio today. Thats were I am right now. I got to eat Pizza again:) and had a really fun Preparation Day.

Nothing much has changed. Still doing good work. Still doing the Best I can.

Love you all,
Elder Alex Rivera

Lesson to learn in life

Magandang Hapon sa inyong lahat 

Isn't it a great world that we live in. And this is the reason that I get to talk about a lot of things that I have learned so far. We live in a very different world than I remember when I was growing up. Now all my friends and me have our own different lives. But as I am now a little bit older, and have seen the world in a very very different way. I have been helping and teaching people who honestly want to change, and I get to tell them that it is possible. 

Of course as I do this I get to see the changes in my life, and the possibilities that I have in life. I can not know really on a mission what to do with life. But I have recently started to see my own potential, what I can do when I get home, how I can continue to help and teach people. I am not sure if all my plans will work out, but I realized how totally amazing the world can and should be, and how awful we people can let it get. No I am not talking about the crazy hippy things that I love to believe about peace, and love. But of the real truth of the world. The Honest power that people have in our own hands to change our situation. All we honestly need is desire. You can never change anything unless you want to. We all have that choice to trust something other than ourselves. It sometimes is hard, but its the first step. I would like to share my favorite poem...

desiderata - by max ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Love, Elder Alex Rivera

This has been my week (July 27, 2014)

Dear All who read these, 

Luckily this week was really good, otherwise the annoying text in the morning when I woke saying that we were not allowed to work due to high winds and heavy rain would have annoyed me. But it was alright, I got to use the time to study  the languages here, to study the bible, and of course to study the back of my eyelids.  

Other than the weather everything has been really good. Nothing too bad, except an old lady yelling at me, who then went into her room and grabbed a pale and basically told me if I did not stop speaking she would through her.. feces at me. This was a really bright day, I mean getting threatened with old woman feces really makes me happy, well I am glad there is sometimes opposition in all things... ohh and than a little later she found out that I was an American... She had a lot of bad things to say about Americans, always remember patience while in life. Hmm.. what else. 

Me and my companion have been teaching some really interesting people, a lot of our investigators and Less actives have been able to come to church. Which is really cool to see. The only problem right now is the fact that we have one investigator, he is British, who lets just say has one of the most complicated love lifes that I have ever heard. Lots of fun. But really cool, he is a commercial diver, and was working for the U.N during the Genocide in Rawanda. So he has seen some very scary things. Super nice, and it feels that I always get to teach the fun people. Sometimes it is cool commercial divers, and the other time it is old ladies who hate you:) 

Love all of you,.

Elder Rivera

359 Days left, But I am not counting:)

[From Toni:I am posting this weeks letters and catching up on past ones. There was a week he couldn't write]

July 20, 2014

So I should explain, my companion is honestly the first missionary who wants to be obedient because he enjoys it. It is alright now between me and him. Sometimes it still is a little hard, but I think I was able to make a good breakthrough with him. He kinda understands a little bit more how it is to be me in a foreign country. 

We have a British man we are teaching. His name is Bob, he is a commercial diver and has already gone to church twice and he really enjoys it. He is one of those people that I have an easy time connecting to, and really enjoy teaching. His wife even asked us to have FHE at their house tonight. So we are going to have a blast! It is really hard honestly for my companion who I never speak English to, so for him teaching in English is really hard. Especially when there are two English speakers talking in rapid, excited English. I feel so bad for him. So we have a better understanding of what it is like to be each other.

Now for a slightly funny/sad story. The funny part was what happened, the sad part is why it happened.  So this past Sunday the sister missionaries in our Branch had a investigator come to church.. little did they know that she was drunk... It honestly was extremely funny. But really sad. She was a very attentive person who enjoyed asking a lot of really confusing questions.But it was fun because Drunk people here always like and become good at speaking English. When they are sober they never speak it to me, but as soon as they are drunk it becomes so much easier for them to speak English. Kinda sad, but funny for me and the other missionaries. 

What else, we had a Zone Activity( an activity with other missionaries)  that basically was us trying to fight each other for a greased coconut, super fun:) My large stature right now really come in handy:) 

Ohh, we had a Level 2 Typhoon hit us this past week. Had to stay indoors for the whole day, super boring...

Love,

Elder Rivera

July 13, 2014

Hello,

I am sorry but I have spent a lot time trying to fix some things online and my companion not the patient and VERY VERY obedient.

Pray that I do not kill my annoying companion who never talks, or like to talk about fun things, and who is very forceful about very small rules. 

Love, Elder RIvera

July 7, 2014
Agsubleyak madamdama

Hello Everyone,
http://baguiophilippinesmission.blogspot.com

Hello this is the coolest website EVER!!! haha, just joking. But for those who want to know what everything looks like here, this is the best place to start. 

Ahh, so what is new in my life... well i have been transferred again. Back to the hot weather, although this time I have a companion is an older missionary, and was an old Zone Leader. So it is really going to be a successful area I hope. I was able to celebrate 4th of July with Steak and Mashed Potatoes( I asked a family in my last area to cook it for us missionaries) 

So what else, I hope to be able to send pictures of my new comp and my new lifestyle, we have bikes... Blahh.. Forced exercise! 

What else, hmm my new comp is named Elder Lapid, he is another Philipino from the southern islands in the philippines. He is really quiet, and when he does talk it is hard to understand him because he mumbles a lot. 

There is so much I wand to tell you, but it will have to wait until next week because I am spending a lot of time uploading pictures. 

With Love, 

Elder Rivera

June 15, 2014
Sorry na

Hello everyone! 

Sorry about not emailing last week.. Lots of stuff I was doing and my message was not able to be sent. Some internet thing here messed up. But I am doing really good now. I have made my 8 lesson a week area into easily getting 20 lessons without trying and my mission president is really happy right now. Although he still has really strict rules... but all is good. 

I am happy! I am safe! I have a good companion! I will try to be better in emailing stuff. But I have no idea what to write at this point. I get annoyed just writing about boring mission things.. Hopefully more interesting things will happen. 

Love you, I WILL SEND PICTURES NEXT WEEK!!! 

Elder Rivera

June1, 2014

Hello, I am doing good. I have started to get slightly sick and tired recently. But other than that I am doing good. My new District Leader is very good at making sure we are all EXACTLY obedient. It makes him probably the least popular person.. especially to those missionaries who are always relaxed. This key board is making me mad. Sorry. I will promise to write more when I feel better. 

Love, Elder Alex Rivera

May 18, 2014
Kumusta naman kayo

It has been one of those weeks that start out amazing and only get better! It started with spending my day off going to a Military Academy and getting to play in old WW2 tanks and other fun thing. I had one of the coolest members of our ward here take me and my companion touring the party scene in Baguio City! Joke, we only went to cool places.

Elder Rivera