We were able to track Elder Claiborne as far as California where Courtney, Dallin and Olivia stayed up to receive his call. Olivia performed well and said all her new words and sounds for her Uncle Austin. He was going to attempt to call again from Hong Kong but his phone card apparently stopped working. We assumed he arrived safely in Manila on the 7th. We were hoping for an email on Friday, but that is not their Preparation Day so nothing came.
Monday came and went and there was no word. Then Tuesday arrived -- nothing! Yikes! What had they done with my son??? Finally, on Wednesday morning, we woke up to an email he had been typing while we were sound asleep. (Remember, he is now a full 12 hours ahead of us.)
I could not stop smiling the rest of the day. Not just because we had finally heard from him, although that was great in itself. No, it was the content of the email that brought another grin to my face every time I thought of it. When he was in the MTC, we kept encouraging him to send us a bit more detail. I think that will no longer be a problem. He will have much to tell from this point forward. I will NEVER look at toilet paper the same again --nor will Elder Claiborne!
It was just a sampling of what I can see are going to be a long line of emails detailing all his interesting experiences in another culture. His report is below. Enjoy!
General Update:
Wow. I don't now how on earth I could ever explain everything that has gone on in my first week. This place is so crazy.
I'm serving in the Bonifacio 5th Ward right now, which is in the Makati East Zone. So I'm in the city, which is the dirtiest most polluted place I've ever been in my life... It's hard to get used to, but if I say I love these people (and I do) then I can't complain about living like them. Which includes, but is not limited to, no toilet paper, no air conditioning, no working shower, washing clothes by hand, and many more similar luxuries.
The food is different. It is going to be very hard to eat healthy here.. Almost everything I've had has been very good though. We had some squid that kind of threw me off, especially the tentacles. Oh, and we also had some fish where the fish's eyes were staring back at me, it was good though. Oh and I found out half way through eating Sigsig that there are pieces of pig ear in it... I picked those out.
Eating here will be an adventure in and of itself! It's fine with me though, I'm not picky.
One of the
biggest shocks to me, besides the terrible air quality, is the traffic. There are no actual laws. It's like a giant game of Mario Cart. The only understood rules are, nose goes, honk and/or yell to let people know you're there, and be alert. It's okay though, because I don't have anything to drive, so I just have to make sure I don't get hit while I'm walking. We ride Jeepneys a lot too. There is no way I could explain those things, so just look them up.The church is still very new here in the Philippines, so everyone still relies on the missionaries a lot. All the member have been super nice though, and the kids are a lot of fun. The members of the church generally speak some English, or at least Taglish.
Speaking of the language.... That has been the biggest struggle I think. It is a lot more difficult than I anticipated. Coming out of the MTC I thought I would be alright at it. I was wrong. So most people think I'm just shy, but really it's because I have no idea what they're saying half the time, or how to respond to it. I'm able to teach things in lessons though, even if it's rough. Most people are nice about it though. Except the Nanay's (older ladies), they tell me I need to get better. Oh yeah, things that are considered rude in America, are allowed here. Like telling someone they're fat, or ugly. haha it's funny because nobody cares.
My Trainer's name in Elder Nye. He's from Utah, but he's fluent in Tagalog. Having an American companion is super helpful at times, but makes it a little harder to practice the language because he likes to speak English to me. He's a great Elder though, we have been working hard. We have a LOT of new investigators. We actually got 11 new investigators yesterday during finding. Our schedule is pretty full. I LOVE watching the gospel change people's lives. I've only been here a week, but you can see the light entering people's eyes as they accept the message we have to share. The message that Christ lives, that He suffered for our sins and afflictions. and that through His Atonement we can find joy in life that we never knew before.
Oh yeah, I got held up the other day. Sort of. haha. A little boy came up to me with his laser pointer and said "Hey Joe! Gimme all yo money!" (Everyone here calls Americans "Joe.") I just scared him off and he ran away. It was so funny. The kids like to yell anything they know in English at us, and then they're shocked when we speak Tagalog back.
Well, I wish I had more time to try and explain everything that I'm experiencing here. It's so different. My mission continues to be the hardest thing I've ever done, but bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ into people's lives makes it worth it. God bless.Love,
-Elder Austin R. Claiborne
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