Happy Thanksgiving to you!

> So, I want to drop some specifics about the trip that I took today during the city's brownout (that is why I wasnt here at the same time that I normally am) Today we decided to go to this island that one of the nanays always talks about. It was decided that we bring a couple of people along with us so it turned out to be this big trip. It was really cool because in order to get to the boat that took us to the island we needed to ride this train...thing for a good half an hour. I say train thing because it was a homemade train car with a lawnmower engine on it and that is what pushed us at the speed of light across the tracks that definitely WEREN'T even...now that my pelvis is broken in 32 places...anyways, it is way neat because there is just one set of tracks so whenever you and another car come face to face one person, usually the driver, just picks it up and walks off the tracks with it. When I say homemade I mean home MADE. So, we eventually got to the place where the boat was going to take us over and it literally took my breath away. It is just like it looks in all the pictures-crystal clear water that is blue as the sky, and the cool boat looking things that are the boats that they use in "the other side of heaven." It only took like 20 minutes by boat to get to the island but it, once again, was way cool because there is just one house on the whole island and the person who owns the house is a friend of one of the people that we brought along so that was way fun. We cooked dinner (5 pounds of rice that we poured onto these leaves that are a good 3 feet long. Everyone just grabs what they want with their hands and eats it...except me haha. I sit in the back wondering how many diseases are all over the peoples hands that are touching my food and so I ended up eating a fish instead. Yea, not some fish, A fish. That is how they cook fish-whole. They drop it down on your plate as one thing. You can tell which fish are girls cause they still have makeup on that is how whole they are but you get used to it eventually...) and hung out for most of the day. While everyone was talking I walked the beach for some alone time if you will but never fear-I was in the sight of my companion:) I got a bit red today but that was to be expected.
>
> So, things here in the Philippines are going as normal. We just had an emergency transfer because on of the zone leaders decided to sneak out every night so...in nicer terms, he got...demoted. They transferred him outta here faster than Ben can climb on you when you are sleeping. Then, our district leader got released because president caught him with a cell phone (that was not church issued) and a dvd player. Are you serious? What a fool. He is a nice guy and everything, but the scriptures say that obedience is the first law of heaven for a reason. What was that? When we obtain any blessing it is upon _________ to the law upon which it is predicated? Fill in the blank. I guess that is what you get when you disregard rules though. He said something to me that made me realize how much dedication is needed when you are working on the Lord's clock..."Its ok though, I didnt come on a mission to lead or any of that [stuff] I came to teach" HA. It is funny how sometimes you get messages out of things people say that are inversely proportional to their intended thesis. Fun times here though.
>
> I have another funny story. I want to warn you all right now because I fear that my english is gonna slowly go down the drain. Our new zone leader-elder Lee- has been in the field for 9 months and speaks Tagalog really well. Today he intended to ask "how many of there are you" referring to the amount of people he needed to tell the boat driver so he could do something and he ended up saying "how much are you" so if in 16 months I end up speaking like a 2 year old, you will know why!!!
>
> So, about the baptism, it was what we like to call non-existent. The person we were going to baptize decided they didnt want to come to church. It is funny how sometimes the adversary twists and grinds something as brutal as a thorn into something as beautiful as a rose...until you touch it. There are so many times that people are so excited in the gospel and they end up bailing on everything because they decide its "not for them." Oh well-more reason to keep trying. I do have one coming up that I am really excited for however. There is a boy named Gilbert who is 19 that we have been teaching. He is a close friend and he decided that he wants me to baptize him. I told him that a member should but he really wants me to do it. I would ask his father to do it, but he isnt a member...yet...so that would be sort of difficult.
>
> So, in answer to the question about my apartment, it is actually nice. I am almost positive that I have bed bugs which sucks because I wake up and have random bites all over my body, but it is ok because we have what we like to call the permethrin of justice. Permethrin is a insecticide that is illegal in the states because it kills cats and small dogs haha but it is ok here I guess. Apparantly it is a force to be reckoned with. A few sprays with that baby and BAM-judgement day for some poor insect souls. But, you will see my apartment in the video that I sent you guys last p day. It is on my memory card which should get to the house this week...hopefully...my apartment is clean, and it has clean water-after filtration. It doesnt have warm water so cold showers are what I have gotten used to, but it is ok.
>
> That is way cool that you got to sit in front of president eyring and uchtdorf. Man, what an opportunity!!! If I was there I would have started the conversation of champions with them. There is so much stuff that I want to ask them haha. That is also really really cool about dad seeing-hopefully-a calling in the future. Genealogy is way tight. I never really noticed it before, but there is so much stuff that you can do with such things. You should get brady over to the temple to rock some baptisms for the names that you find.
>

> Haha good ol Bernard is doing fine. He makes me feel at home whenever I go over to visit the Lungasa family. He always comes up and gives me a giant sized hug and says "mataas" which means up and so I put him on my shoulders and run around-probably looking like a fool but I dont care-and it makes my day. Ha I love that kid so much he is such a cutie. I will try to get some pictures with that family here soon, along with my other families because as of now I only have boring pictures of water, trees, more trees, and run down buildings.
>
> Tonight I am going to a FHE with another family that we are teaching. Their youngest-puchi (pronounced poo-chee) is the most hyper-active kid that I have ever seen in my life. Ha he is a blast to be around. I will be teaching sitting on a bench to the family and he will climb on my head and jump up and down on my shoulders while pulling my hair. Sounds annoying right? Ha I love every minute of it!! I cant wait to become a teacher. Those kids have no clue what will have hit them. Anyways, the family got baptized in October so they are fairly new, but they are so loving. I hope they take a trip to the temple next year and get sealed.
>
> This brings up that favor of the gold dollar. I have a different reason for asking for it this time. Can you include a gold dollar in my christmas present? If they are hard to come by it is ok ha shows you how much I know about them:/
>
> I have asked this 10 million times so I am sure it is getting annoying, but can you continue taking pictures and putting them in the mail? My walls are filled with pictures, but they are all pictures of church events...not that that is bad or anything but it would be nice to have some pictures of my family if you know what I am saying!
>
> Aside from the emergency transfer, the island story, and the baptism update, nothing intense has happened. I have some more favors to ask however. Can you get me the addresses of Leah, Sarah, Grandma and Grandpa Muller (I have Grandma and Grandpa Clark's address and I will write to them soon) and of Scott Bradford? Many many letters to write ha.
>
> I cant believe that I have been here almost 3 full weeks. Time really does fly. I was thinking the other day and when I get back I am going to be 21. Common sense, but mind blowing nonetheless. Can you imagine that? A 21 year old jake...complete with facial hair and everything. Brady is gonna be 15 when I get back holy cow. Dang, and mom, you are gonna hit the big 4-0 next year. DANG. Ha thought I would rub that in:) Its ok cause Dad is gonna be 47:/
>
> There is one more story that I want to tell haha. So, last week I had some 2 letters to send out-one to you all and one to Chelsea. I went to the LBC, which is the Filipino equivalent of UPS and they wanted to charge 2400 FILIPINO PESOS TO SEND THEM. THAT IS LIKE 42 DOLLARS. So, I looked the lady straight in the eye and said "HA ill email my parents" and I took the letters out of her hand and walked out. Then I walked over to the post office and they charged 50 pesos for both of them. That is barely over a dollar to send 2 letters to the united states. That is what I am talking about. Just goes to show you that you cant buy the first thing that you see haha. I thought of you mom when I dominated that lady because it brought up memories of you dominating the people at the yard sales on the east coast when they tried to rip you off.
>
> So, I sent those letters last p day. I was going to write more today, but I only started one. I will try to send them out this week. The one to you guys will have some cool stuff in it;) It will also have a phone card, the one that I told you I would send to you so you didn't have to pay an arm and a leg when you call this Christmas.
>
> Well, that is all she wrote. Tis time for me to leave once again. I love you all and hope you are all doing well!! I have FHE in 10 minutes...
>
> Love,
> Jake
> aka Elder Muller