Feeling Good!

This week was SO much better than last week! We have had some of the best numbers we've had in the past 2 and a half months! Everyone is doing great that we are teaching and I'm back to my regular old self again. One really cool experience is just meeting this OYM  (open your mouth) that was completely 100% prepared for us. He just agreed with whatever we said because he just thought that it made SO much sense to him! It is just awesome seeing how these people that are put in our path have been prepared to hear this exact message that we have to give them. I love that. 

We also talked to this other SUPER drunk guy one day right before we went into one of our lessons. He kept on giving us high fives after everything he said and was asking the strangest questions. We finally said bye to him and walked into our appointment's house, who was Sonny Q... and this drunk guy followed us inside.. Elder Ehlert and I had like no idea what to do as did Sonny Q and his daughter, Sherine. We all just sorta sat there awkwardly just laughing while this drunk guy went off for the next 15 minutes. We were all crying we were laughing so hard. This drunk guy kept on asking how an African American was President of the United States because he thinks that only white people live in America haha I just lost it when I heard that! We finally got him to quiet down and we taught our lesson. It was just so awkward with this random guy that nobody knew just sitting in. Funny experience though! 

Speaking of Sherine, she is our favorite investigator over here! She just has such a strong want to share this message with EVERYONE and has given us like 7 referrals already! She's awesome! She also comes with us to all those lessons that she referred us to and her testimony is just like rock solid. Her husband is just as cool. He's a soft spoken guy, but he is just the nicest person you'll ever meet. I just love that whole family! But ya, this week has been good. 

I don't think you guys back home would recognize me anymore though. Not that I've changed physically but ya. To put it simply; I do the dishes now. Just because they're dirty. And yes, that means EVEN the pots and pans! Crazy, I know. I also cook now, and clean, and organize. I'm basically like Patrick except I don't really procrastinate now. Okay... I still procrastinate... I've needed to do laundry for the past like 4 days.. But I'm getting better! You'd be proud! I also take the lead in a lot of the lessons we teach now. Why, just yesterday Elder Ehlert and I went on splits with our ward missionaries. I basically taught all of our lessons. I felt awesome!  Haha I even threw in a few jokes! It was great! My Tagalog is getting way better. People can't believe that I've only been in the field for 2 1/2 months, so that's a good sign. I can't wait until I'm better though! I need to get there soon. It's killing me that I still can't say all that I want, but all in due time. 

I love it here though. Everything is still just so.. different. I wish every one of you back home could just be here even for a day and experience this world! 

I love you all and more next week.

Elder Krueger

Week number... I dunno what week this is actually..‏

MTC buds reunion- love Patrick's face!

This week has been pretty tough. We have definitely had some good and fun experiences, but the work has been slow and my mind has been at home. This is probably the most trunky I have been yet and it is just way hard to get over. I have to keep constantly reminding myself the importance of why I am here doing this.  But this isn't anything I can't get over.  The work moves on and I won't let myself get left behind. 

Even though I've been dealing with this stuff I haven't let it get to me when we are out working. I always strive to stay 100% in it when we step out that door at the start of the day. It really is easier when you get lost in the work. And, let me tell you, I may be getting lost a little more literally then I'm supposed to be. Elder Ehlert has been letting me lead to get to the houses of people for the past little while and it has really been stretching my brain muscles to remember how to get everywhere. We end up taking the long way to get like EVERYWHERE, but I'm finally picking it up now. Just have to keep my sense of direction and I'm okay. 

But there HAS actually been some fun stuff happening this week! My zone took part in the MTC exchange program and they actually split me and Elder Ehlert up so we were both taking someone from the MTC. I had an Elder from Australia and, just like me when I was in the MTC, he knew like NO Tagalog. It was just crazy seeing where I was just a couple months ago. Luckily his teacher decided to go with us as well, so I could team teach with him, but ya, that was awesome. It was just fun being sorta on my own with someone who looked to ME for the answers. That was awesome. We taught one lesson and then OYM'd (open your mouth) for the rest of the time. At the end of it all, the teacher said, "I am really so impressed with how much Tagalog you know. This whole time I've been listening for any mistakes and I only caught two." He then went on to tell me that he really liked how I taught this MTC missionary and that he had a strong feeling that I am going to train next transfer! So let's hope that that DOESN'T happen! I don't know what I would do if I was training!! Haha But that was just a real boost to my self esteem to hear that. So I guess I'm doing well in the language! 

Another way cool experience is teaching our landlord. I think I mentioned in a previous email that we taught a couple people who worked for him the 10 Commandments in a super random, really weird lesson. I also think I mentioned that he said we were going to teach a bunch of his employees the next Saturday and that we were supposed to teach the story of Job. Well that actually happened. We went over to this little gathering place they had outside underneath this huge mango tree with lights all over it and we taught the story of Job to 24 people. Yup. 24 people. That was awesome. Such a great experience! It was such a different teaching style then it is with teaching 1 or 2 people at a time. They also fed us dinner over there so that made it infinitely more worth it. 

Speaking of dinner, we also had dinner with another family last night. The thing is is that their house was covered in cockroaches. I had like 5 or 6 crawl on me during like 45 minutes of actually being inside their house. It was just... awful.. The funniest thing is is that the Filipinos are all so terrified of cockroaches as well. Like these things are EVERYWHERE and they just start screaming when one comes near them! Hahaha so ya, that was fun. Anyways, it was a good week now that I look back on it. Fun experiences and I'm definitely looking forward to this coming week. 

I hope everyone back home is doing well and I love you all! More next week.

Elder Krueger

I'm Doing This!

This week was actually really good! We met a lot of our goals this week with teaching lessons and everything and my absorption of Tagalog seems to be accelerating finally! I was actually able to talk to people at church without Elder Ehlert and have some real conversations! That was when I was seriously just like, "Ya, I am TOTALLY doing this!" Such a great feeling! 

We have some prospective investigators this coming Saturday! Elder Ehlert and I were dropping off our rent at our landlord's house and he just invited us inside and was like, "Sit down! Teach these girls the ten commandments!" And so we did. It was probably the weirdest lesson that I have taught thus far because it wasn't even our lesson. He would pick when we moved on to the next commandment and he would do most of the teaching. He was a hilarious guy though, so it was all good. But then the weird part is is that he asked us, or rather told us that we are teaching about Job this coming Saturday. But, the thing is, is that we are teaching like 20 people all at once. I don't even know like how this happened. Haha We have SO many opportunities just handed to us on silver platters. So that was really cool and weird. 

We also got invited to a fashion shoot by one of our more wealthy investigators. We didn't actually end up going, but it was just so weird that we would even be invited. There's another shoot this Friday that he might invite us to though, so we'll see about that. Nothing else really all too exciting. 

We are doing good here in the Philippines. People are coming to church and we are starting to finally get people reading the Book of Mormon. I love seeing these people progress and just become so happy. I'm so happy that I get to be here as a missionary and I really wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

 I love you all and more next week.

Elder Krueger

This Week...

This week was pretty normal actually.. Like we did missionary stuff anddddddddd that was about it. We went to SM (Super Mall) last P Day and there was the BIGGEST Forever 21 I've ever seen in my life! I had to go in just so I could brag to Audrey and Xandra! Haha So ya, that was good.

 What else.... Oh! I REALLY miss poptarts!!! Like crazy amounts! Elder Ehlert got a few boxes from his family and MAN are those thinks good! They had this cupcake flavor... Oh my gosh. To die for. And the don't sell poptarts ANYWHERE in the Philippines! Like it makes me so sad! But ya, I'm just missin some food type stuff from home right now! Haha (Do you think maybe he is putting in a plug for someone to send him some Poptarts??) 

Elder Ehlert and I are trying to look for more Less Actives in our work because then ones we are teaching aren't really progressing at all. We found this one family that had this crazy old grandma lady living with them. It was priceless. She was like the super stereotypical crazy lady. Short and deaf and blind with all this white hair. The glasses that she was wearing were like contraction super magnified ones that made her look all the more crazy. We got there and the lady who was taking care of this old woman was just super nice. She talked to us and then, whenever she'd want the old lady to hear, she'd stand up and literally scream into her ear. The first time she did it Elder Ehlert and I just started cracking up. It was seriously like we had stepped into some sorta of comedy show, except it was real. I dunno, that's about the only thing that's happened this week.

 Oh ya! We had transfers this last week. Of course, I stay here because I'm still in training, but other people were transferred. Our ZL's came up with these hilarious stories about where people were going and stuff. One of them was like, "One day Elder (I forget his name) got up and rode his flaming Magmar (a pokemon) over to (the place he was assigned to) so that he could battle his rival (his companions name)" Ya... It's funnier when you actually could here them...and know the Elder they're talking about...and actually know what a Magmar is... but ya! They were all super funny and then they got to me and Elder Ehlert. "Elder Ehlert and Elder Krueger became best friends so they decided to stay together." YUP! That's it! It was like SO anticlimactic! haha SUCH a lame story! 

But ya, oh well. I''m having a blast here in the Philippines and love the work! I'm excited for when I can actually speak the language, but I still have a lot of fun. I love you all back home! Thanks for all the support!

Elder Krueger

Happy New Year!!

New Year's Eve with one of our families

Our Christmas Tree!

Grandpa, Father, and son!

Christmas Carolers! Our ward missionaries

Ehlert getting a "special" Christmas letter

• I'm Back!‏

Woo! It has been a LONG time! Just between battling sicknesses and the whole Christmas thing and everything, it has been tough to find time to write a long email. But I'm doin it now! Where to begin though... I guess Christmas would be good. I got the Christmas package and everyone said it was the biggest box they've ever seen a missionary receive! Felt pretty awesome. I loved all the gifts! I had a breakfast of champions with some like peaches, instant mashed potatoes, and beef jerky. That was good. Tell the young women thank you for the beef jerky and everything else they gave me! I loved it all! 

Christmas was rather quiet. It came and went. It didn't really even feel like Christmas. It was just way to hot! My favorite present though has been that voice recorder! I LOVE that thing! I've been using it every night! I like it better than just writing cause I get all these comments from Elder Ehlert and everything. They all turn out pretty hilarious! We just get SO off track and just start talkin about random stuff. I love it! We had a good Christmas conference too. The talent show was pretty hilarious! So many "talents" that just made you go, "What?... Why?..." haha There was this one kid who was the son of the woman who makes all the food, and he was an INCREDIBLE beat boxer! EASILY took the entire talent show! He was young too. No older than 13. SO sweet! 

We have been teaching a lot and meeting a ton of new people! We had 11 new investigators last week! Crazy! They are all progressing really well too. I'm beginning to understand more and more Tagalog. I now only have to have people repeat what they say twice instead of three times. Quite the accomplishment. 

Oh! I had a dentist appointment this last week! That was fun! We had to go all the way to Manila and then we found out that the dentist was like WAY backed up. Took a few hours but we finally got my filling and got back to work. The office was actually super nice. Pretty much the same as in America actually. Except that it only cost me 800 pesos ($17). So it was just a LITTLE cheaper than America! haha! The dentist lady was really nice too. Made sure I was doin good and just started drilling away. 

New Years was also a lot of fun. A ton of members wanted to have us over so Elder Ehlert and I had like 4 meals in 5 hours. And they weren't small meals either.. I'm still full from it. I just gotta say that I never thought I would enjoy real cheese as much as I did yesterday. And ham. And grapes. You just don't get those things too often here and it seriously tasted like heaven. Along with some REAL chocolate cake!!! They usually just call brown bread "chocolate" but the stuff we had last night was legit. SO good! Ya, we had curfew at 7 and we ended up just playing with those card games that I got for Christmas for a few hours. The fireworks were insane. They started at about 10 and went until 1 in the morning. The GIANT fireworks they have in America for the Fourth of July are only like 20 bucks a piece here, so EVERYONE puts on their own firework shows. There were multiple people lighting off on our street. We were RIGHT under these huge fireworks! Sorta frightening actually. But ya, getting to sleep was super hard. Had to wrap two shirts and my pillow around my head to block out some of the sound. Crazy. 

Well, that's about it for the past three weeks. I'm sorry, I probably forgot a BUNCH of stuff, but it's hard to remember everything from the past three weeks! Just know that I've been writing, and now talking, every night so it's all recorded. Just not in these big emails..... 

Love you all! More next week!

Elder Krueger

Patrick sent some audio journal entries and has some great stories. I am going to attempt to transcribe some of them and I will add them here soon. Wish me luck!