Some Crazy Stuff!

Hi Everyone!

I thought I should fill you in on some of the events that took place this week. As you know the Philippines were hit with that big Typhoon. Luckily it did not hit Manila and from the sound of Patrick's post and from the two emails that we received during the week they did not tell them much about what was going on. They did however take in many of the missionaries from the Tacloban mission at the Manila MTC and they will be helping them put their lives back together and get them back out in other Philippine missions. I am getting bits and pieces from different sources and there are a lot of stories coming out of that poor mission. This is a terrible tragedy and I, as a mother, am trying to figure out what we can do to help. I have come up with a few ideas and am beginning to put them in motion and will keep you updated. The missionaries were found and taken to safety. Many of the people they love, including their mission president, lost everything they own and are still there looking for loved ones that are missing and trying to figure out how to go forward with their lives. I want to help in some small way. So stay tuned!

Susan Krueger kruegerworld@msn.com (if you have any thoughts or ideas)

 We have been getting a lot of missionaries coming in from the area that was hit by the typhoon. The stories they've been telling... Just bodies literally flying down the streets, roofs collapsing on them and they had to use tables as shields as they watch all of their belongings around them get swallowed up by the rising water.. Most of the 71 who came here lost everything they owned. They had been surviving off of one meal a day in the same clothes for 5 days before they could leave the area. When they came, we put together a HUGE donation room and everyone just gave them any extra clothes they had. I gave some as well and it was totally worth it just to see the look on all of their faces. I don't think they expected everyone to be so giving. It was awesome to see all that though. It really hit me what happened here in the Pines once the Mission President told us, "This is YOUR home now. Those are YOUR people who lost their lives." It hit everyone so hard. I kid you not, the whole MTC was in tears. It just sucks cause they can't even send missionaries in for service missions (to Tacloban) because they just can't do anything.. Like the mission was just completely wiped off the map. 

The next day got better though. We went proselyting again! This time it was in the Quezon City mission and I actually thought that it was more fun. My companion was Elder Baticbatic (bah-teek-bah-teek) and he was seriously SUCH a funny Filipino dude! Everyone was actually pretty jealous I got him because he was just such a cool guy. We taught this family that had two little girls who were just the cutest things ever. Whenever we'd read a scripture the smallest one, who was sitting next to me, would just look at me and say, "Elder" and hand me her Ang Aklat ni Mormon so I could get her to the page we were reading. It was so cute. (Yes, I am a man and I can use 'cute') I taught quite a bit of the lesson as well! It was a little easier because their house was quite a bit nicer than the one I went to last time! haha No rodents this time! They had tile floors and the father had a BUNCH of sound equipment in their front room. I was just like, "Hey, I know what that is, and that is, and that is..." haha Good conversation point. He was pretty surprised that I knew how to work it all. The heat was just brutal though.. I need like so many rags just walking around for 2 hours.. All in all though, the proselyting was wonderful. I can't wait to get out there for myself. Everyone is just so dang happy out there! 

Funny story- Elder Biggs is trying to teach a bunch of us how to shuffle.. haha it's actually going rather well! It just makes you really realize how uncoordinated you are. But Elder Biggs was like on a dance team or something back home just for shuffling and stuff and he is pretty dang amazing at it. So basically I'm gonna give up Neuroscience and become a dancer. It's gonna happen. We have also come up with a bunch of games that we play as a district in like tournaments and stuff. Like we play this game with highlighters. I dunno, it's really hard to explain, but it's way intense. And we also play Bocci ball with all these marbles we found one day. I love all the random things we have to entertain ourselves!

Can I just say that the Cheeze Whiz stuff that they have here isn't actually too bad... I actually bought some from the store. It tastes sorta like easy cheese and I found some Ritz cracker ripoffs that it tastes delicious with. All the other Americans were disgusted by me though, but all of the Filipinos would just be like, "You like Cheeze Whiz!?!?!?" Just in total and utter amazement. Funny stuff! I also bought these chip things that taste EXACTLY like fries dipped in ketchup! They are pretty dang delicious! But the metal lid on it was like super sharp and I actually cut myself a few times trying to throw it away. The cuts would NOT stop bleeding for close to 20 minutes, so I put some of that green goo on the cuts and it stopped right away. That stuff works miracles. It also works crazy well on bug bites. It's incredible! Love that stuff! 

So Elder Lindley and I are loving having that room to ourselves. The super bed is just wonderful and fantastic and every night I get such a good sleep. Plus our room has now turned into the hang out room. We get a bunch of visitors in there every night just to talk about all sorts of stuff. We've even talked about one of my favorite subjects: all of our theories of time and black holes and just space in general. I live amongst nerds like myself! 

We've also been doing really well in our teaching appointments! We got Noli to put a date on his baptism and we finished teaching the Plano ng Kaligtasan (Plan of Salvation) to both of our investigators. We made these little cut outs to illustrate the whole thing and they absolutely loved that. It's gonna be weird to get another companion next week cause me and E. Lindley are just so in sync now. I'm gonna have to figure out the whole new dynamic now with my new companion. Hopefully he'll be cool.. I also had a personal revelation about faith after reading the first dozen verses in Heleman 10. I'm not gonna really tell you what exactly, just read it and find it for yourself! I love that chapter! 

 Me and the other Krueger read a bunch of Revelations and D&C 130 so we could talk to each other about it and, let me tell ya, that conversation lasted a couple of hours. I love talking about all that stuff though! D&C 130 is just sorta funky though. haha Me and Krueger have talked about everything though and we finally have come to some sorta consensus on the doctrine. I really just hope all that stuff doesn't come up with an investigator... I don't know enough Tagalog to deal with that. haha But ya, that was basically my week!

Oh, another funny story- I totally got my face smashed playing basketball. The other Krueger was throwing the ball to someone just as I was retrieving a ball that was trying to escape from me and it just smashed me right in the face. Don't worry though! Nothing is broken! I felt my nose crack a few times, but no blood or anything! I just thought it was so funny. Like go into my first few weeks in the mission field with a swollen face and a purple nose. Can you imagine? haha It's been a wonderful time. I love my district and I love being a missionary! I'm excited to get out into the field next week! Oh, about that. I'm not really sure if I'll be able to email until my next P-day, which will be in 10 days. There have been rumors floating around that we may be able to email on Tuesday, (your Monday) but I don't know if that's true. If it is, I'll talk to you in a few days! If not, I'll talk to you guys in 10 days. I love you all!

Elder Krueger