Happy valentines to everyone back at home!
They have valentines day here but it's not really a celebrated day. It was also my comps b-day this weekend and we held a missionary fireside to help out the members with finding people for the gospel. It went really well. I was scared that we were going to do a terrible job but it went really well. I think that we will have a ton more referrals coming in, it should be great. So they announced the name of our new mission pres here! His name is pres. Carlos. He is from South Dakota! I'm excited to have an American president but I'm going to miss pres. Villanueva very much. He is such a nice person and one of the most loving people I have ever met along with his wife. She is just like a mom for all us missionaries and we are really lucky to have them here. So this week has been pretty normal as far as the work goes. It is definitely summer here! The sun is way hot during the day. The mornings here are cold though that I could see my breath this morning! It was awesome. I was way happy because it's so hot. I'm loving being a missionary. I cant tell you enough how awesome and joyful this really is. Even though at times I miss home and I miss the little things in life, I would have to say that I would put this first for sure. My testimony is growing and so is my love for other people. I love the language and the culture. The people here are so nice and giving and they have a love for the gospel. One ward member didn't have money to get a ride to the church yesterday so her and her family got up at 5am and walked 3.5 hours to get to church on time! That showed me her love for the gospel and her love to come to church and keep the commandments. She is a great example to the ward and to the lord and to all of us! My testimony has grown from that experience. I'm glad that the doctors have figured out whats going on with grandma. I know that she will continue to improve if we keep her in our prayers. Keep me posted on her. We had a dinner appointment last night at this one family that lives right up the street from us and every time we eat there I feel like I'm going to pop after eating. The food is sooooo good! haha me and elder bayles have been doing really well together and we are both happy. Its so much better when a companionship gets along. It shows in the work and in our message to the people. We have one family that we just found, the fontiveras family, and they seem to have accepted the message in our first visit. We are going back to them twice this week and I hope we can get them to church on Sunday so they can feel the spirit that you only feel by going to church. Well that's all for this week! I hope your week goes great and that you all are safe. I love and miss you all.
Elder Mulliner
Thursday, January 20, 2011
2/7/2010
Family,
Well its been a great first week here in Aritao and I'm loving the work, the area, the branch and the people. The sun is getting more and more intense because the summer is on the rise, its getting way too hot haha . Good thing I'm down here in the coldest part of the mission and not up in the hottest part of the whole country in the northern part of the mission. This week we ran into a guy that speaks way good English and worked in America for like 15 years or something. His name is Ezequiel like the prophet and he is really interested in the gospel. We have taught him twice now and he says he knows its true he just isn't ready to go to church. So well go back to him on Tuesday to teach him a little bit more. I have realized one thing this week in the fact of being obedient, 100% obedient and how important it really is. Even the little rules that we have as missionaries, and sad to say I have been breaking one rule that I think is effecting the way my language learning is going and that's the emailing rule. We are only supposed to reply to emails to our family and I have been replying to whoever emails me. Well president really stressed this in our zone conference last week so I decided that I need to start following the rules with exactness. So from now on the only people that I'll reply to will be you from the family (mom, dad, and the sisters). This is something that I have realized that I need to follow and I'm going to start doing it today. Your more that welcome to email me and let me know how you are doing but I cant reply. I know that I shouldn't have been doing it in the past but its the little rules that are important so I know I'll be blessed in this decision. It may be hard but I can do it. Me and my comp. are doing great and loving the work. We are working hard everyday! We get up early and, come home tired. The life of a missionary is wonderful and I'm loving it so much. So I'm way out of time and i'll get back to you next week. I love you all and I cant wait to talk to you next week.
Mahal ko po kayo! (I love you all!)
Elder Mulliner
Well its been a great first week here in Aritao and I'm loving the work, the area, the branch and the people. The sun is getting more and more intense because the summer is on the rise, its getting way too hot haha . Good thing I'm down here in the coldest part of the mission and not up in the hottest part of the whole country in the northern part of the mission. This week we ran into a guy that speaks way good English and worked in America for like 15 years or something. His name is Ezequiel like the prophet and he is really interested in the gospel. We have taught him twice now and he says he knows its true he just isn't ready to go to church. So well go back to him on Tuesday to teach him a little bit more. I have realized one thing this week in the fact of being obedient, 100% obedient and how important it really is. Even the little rules that we have as missionaries, and sad to say I have been breaking one rule that I think is effecting the way my language learning is going and that's the emailing rule. We are only supposed to reply to emails to our family and I have been replying to whoever emails me. Well president really stressed this in our zone conference last week so I decided that I need to start following the rules with exactness. So from now on the only people that I'll reply to will be you from the family (mom, dad, and the sisters). This is something that I have realized that I need to follow and I'm going to start doing it today. Your more that welcome to email me and let me know how you are doing but I cant reply. I know that I shouldn't have been doing it in the past but its the little rules that are important so I know I'll be blessed in this decision. It may be hard but I can do it. Me and my comp. are doing great and loving the work. We are working hard everyday! We get up early and, come home tired. The life of a missionary is wonderful and I'm loving it so much. So I'm way out of time and i'll get back to you next week. I love you all and I cant wait to talk to you next week.
Mahal ko po kayo! (I love you all!)
Elder Mulliner
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
1/31/2010
Hey family,
So I'm finally back into the mission and I'm doing sooo much better! I still have a little headache but that should go away soon they say. I left the MRC at 5:00pm and waited at the MTC for a little while, ate dinner there, then headed over to the bus station and got on a bus to head to Cauayan. I got no sleep which kinda stunk but it's okay. At 5:30am we got to the mission home and the new missionaries had orientation meeting. I then found out that I was being transferred and panicked because I needed all my stuff. Well come to find out the zone leaders did my "packing" for me so they say. I walked into the room and almost everything I own was in a giant plastic bag. That was quite the site. But after a few folding jobs and shoving everything into my suitcases I got it all in there. Then we had transfer meeting and I got a new comp. He is from lehi and is way funny and a hard worker. We are going to be a great companionship! My area is called Aritao. It's the most southern part of the mission, and the farthest away from the mission home. 4 to 4 and a half hours. So that day I was on a bus for 15:30! Long time haha. But it's all good. My area is so pretty! Imagine being at like strawberry lake and the temp is warmer and there is palm trees everywhere. There is no lake here but the surroundings are a ton like in Utah! We even have a McDonald's in our zone, so when we have district meeting we will eat there! The people here are way nice and very humble! I'm in a branch, but we have a church to meet in. Usually its just a meeting house. I'm so excited to serve here. So in manila while I wasn't at the hospital we were either inside or at the temple! I got to go through a session 3 times and it was great. The couple that's in charge let us watch a few of the church related movies and then for F.H.E we watched the fiddler on the roof, which is a hilarious show, and then we had a delicious chocolate cake. I went to burger king once while I was down there and one night they got us some pizza hut. So my companions name is Elder Bayles. He lives in lehi and he played soccer for the UVU team. He knows a ton of my friends from high school which is crazy. We are getting along really great. So some random facts about him... his mom is the receptionist at the lehi mills. He used to work there and packed flour, and now his little brother just got his old job. He is the oldest in his family and has a really deep voice. We got haircuts today so now we are the only two American people for hours and we look the same! It's pretty funny. So I got your package and yes was I happy to see it. We ate the oreos and goldfish already which is unfortunate but I'll live (maybe). I put grandmas name on the prayer list in the temple and of course she is in my prayers along with the whole family, but I hope that she will get better soon. Well that's all I have to say this week. I love you all and hope your doing great. I guess they are changing the way missionaries do emails so I will be getting a new email soon, but I'll let you know when that happens. Thanks again!
Love,
Elder Mulliner
So I'm finally back into the mission and I'm doing sooo much better! I still have a little headache but that should go away soon they say. I left the MRC at 5:00pm and waited at the MTC for a little while, ate dinner there, then headed over to the bus station and got on a bus to head to Cauayan. I got no sleep which kinda stunk but it's okay. At 5:30am we got to the mission home and the new missionaries had orientation meeting. I then found out that I was being transferred and panicked because I needed all my stuff. Well come to find out the zone leaders did my "packing" for me so they say. I walked into the room and almost everything I own was in a giant plastic bag. That was quite the site. But after a few folding jobs and shoving everything into my suitcases I got it all in there. Then we had transfer meeting and I got a new comp. He is from lehi and is way funny and a hard worker. We are going to be a great companionship! My area is called Aritao. It's the most southern part of the mission, and the farthest away from the mission home. 4 to 4 and a half hours. So that day I was on a bus for 15:30! Long time haha. But it's all good. My area is so pretty! Imagine being at like strawberry lake and the temp is warmer and there is palm trees everywhere. There is no lake here but the surroundings are a ton like in Utah! We even have a McDonald's in our zone, so when we have district meeting we will eat there! The people here are way nice and very humble! I'm in a branch, but we have a church to meet in. Usually its just a meeting house. I'm so excited to serve here. So in manila while I wasn't at the hospital we were either inside or at the temple! I got to go through a session 3 times and it was great. The couple that's in charge let us watch a few of the church related movies and then for F.H.E we watched the fiddler on the roof, which is a hilarious show, and then we had a delicious chocolate cake. I went to burger king once while I was down there and one night they got us some pizza hut. So my companions name is Elder Bayles. He lives in lehi and he played soccer for the UVU team. He knows a ton of my friends from high school which is crazy. We are getting along really great. So some random facts about him... his mom is the receptionist at the lehi mills. He used to work there and packed flour, and now his little brother just got his old job. He is the oldest in his family and has a really deep voice. We got haircuts today so now we are the only two American people for hours and we look the same! It's pretty funny. So I got your package and yes was I happy to see it. We ate the oreos and goldfish already which is unfortunate but I'll live (maybe). I put grandmas name on the prayer list in the temple and of course she is in my prayers along with the whole family, but I hope that she will get better soon. Well that's all I have to say this week. I love you all and hope your doing great. I guess they are changing the way missionaries do emails so I will be getting a new email soon, but I'll let you know when that happens. Thanks again!
Love,
Elder Mulliner
1/25/2010
Fam,
So I'm still I'm manila but I believe I will be leaving in the next couple of days. I went over to a doctor that had me get a CT scan to make sure nothing serious was going on in my head. And in the mean time she gave me some muscle relaxants and the lowest dosage of pain killer that she had. I have taken that for 5 days and the headache seems to be smaller so that's good, but I have really tight shoulder muscles so she switched my medication for the relaxant and I will take that for 5 days and if that doesn't work I'll have to do some kind of physical therapy. I should be out of here tomorrow or the next day. Being in Manila has defiantly been an experience. The hospital is in someways nicer then America and others its not. The main building is defiantly nicer, but the other two towers are not as nice, but still way better then anything in my mission. I have been feed like a king for the past few days as well, which has been nice to get some great food. There is a lady that cooks for us in the MRC and funny enough her name is divine and she can cook up some mean meals. I'm pretty sure I have gained some weight while i have been here. I also got to go to the biggest chapel in the Philippines on Sunday. It is HUGE! To give you an idea, it's like a mini hotel, multi story, and the chapel is like American sized. It's giant. I was also able to go to a fabric store and by some tela for pants. I got 4 pairs of very nice fabric that would have cost me the price of one in my area so I was very happy to that. We had a mini family home evening last night and we watched the Fiddler on the Roof. It's such a funny movie! I wasn't sure if it was okay to watch, but the couple missionaries approved it and said it was okay so we watched it and then ate a huge slice of chocolate cake:). Yes that was my favorite part. We do have transfers this week but I'm not sure who will get transferred. It could be either of us. Well I don't have much time to email being that the MRC doesn't have a p-day so I'll talk to you all next week. I love you!! Have a great week
Love,
Elder Mulliner
So I'm still I'm manila but I believe I will be leaving in the next couple of days. I went over to a doctor that had me get a CT scan to make sure nothing serious was going on in my head. And in the mean time she gave me some muscle relaxants and the lowest dosage of pain killer that she had. I have taken that for 5 days and the headache seems to be smaller so that's good, but I have really tight shoulder muscles so she switched my medication for the relaxant and I will take that for 5 days and if that doesn't work I'll have to do some kind of physical therapy. I should be out of here tomorrow or the next day. Being in Manila has defiantly been an experience. The hospital is in someways nicer then America and others its not. The main building is defiantly nicer, but the other two towers are not as nice, but still way better then anything in my mission. I have been feed like a king for the past few days as well, which has been nice to get some great food. There is a lady that cooks for us in the MRC and funny enough her name is divine and she can cook up some mean meals. I'm pretty sure I have gained some weight while i have been here. I also got to go to the biggest chapel in the Philippines on Sunday. It is HUGE! To give you an idea, it's like a mini hotel, multi story, and the chapel is like American sized. It's giant. I was also able to go to a fabric store and by some tela for pants. I got 4 pairs of very nice fabric that would have cost me the price of one in my area so I was very happy to that. We had a mini family home evening last night and we watched the Fiddler on the Roof. It's such a funny movie! I wasn't sure if it was okay to watch, but the couple missionaries approved it and said it was okay so we watched it and then ate a huge slice of chocolate cake:). Yes that was my favorite part. We do have transfers this week but I'm not sure who will get transferred. It could be either of us. Well I don't have much time to email being that the MRC doesn't have a p-day so I'll talk to you all next week. I love you!! Have a great week
Love,
Elder Mulliner
1/21/2010
Well the area medical advisor decided to have me come down to manila for a couple of days and I have been here for a little over a day. It really is a great place for a sick missionary to be. Well if your not contagious to anything. I have had the opportunity to go to the manila temple and do a session, which I was so grateful for. I have forgotten how great the temple really is and how wonderful I always feel when I go in. Today I went to St Luke's hospital and I had a couple of appointments, still no results or guesses. My first one was At a doctor who gives an overall view on you sickness, then he determines where you go. He thought that I might have an infection in my ear. So I went to the Ear Throat and Mouth doc. He shoved a little camera in my nose into my sinuses, yeah that didn't feel to great ha ha, then it went into my throat and then into my ear, I don't have an infection that he saw so I will be returning to the docs hopefully tomorrow to see a neurologist or however you spell it. I know I'm in good hands and I'm going to be fine in a few days. It will just take a few appointments to get the problem solved and then get me on a medication. So enough with the medical stuff. Being here in the MRC is great! I feel like I'm in America in manila. We went to a BURGER KING today and I ate a giant BBQ burger is was so good! Then I went and got a hymn book and now I'm back at the MRC and the missionary couple here are having me email you to let you know how I am. I still have a headache but well see whats happening tomorrow. I love you all!
Elder Mulliner
Elder Mulliner
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