LAST WEEK IN AMMONIHAH, CEELBRATING AT HALO HALO DE ILOKO, GOING TO MISS LINGSAT WARD AND LOTS OF FUN WITH BAMBOO!

Me and the elder sitting next to me both knew we were transferring, so we decided to have a last hurrah at a groovy little restaurant in my area called Halo Halo de Iloko that would usually be too expensive. The specialty there is a Halo Halo they serve in a coconut! Halo is kind of like ice cream but better. These are my blood brothers here in the mission, Elder Moreland, Done, and Krustch! This area was way hard, but these guys made it a fun time, haha.

This is officially my last week in Ammonihah! I have received official news that I will be transferring to an area called Narvacan, and the area which I am going to specifically is rumored to be doing verrry well, which will be a welcome change! I am excited! I have yet another Filipino companion, from here in Luzon. I haven't met him yet, but I will of course send you his bio info and picture this next pday. I'm definitely okay with having Filipino companions though, seeing that I have my whole life to hang out with Americans and speak English but a VERY limited time to work with Filipinos and speak Tagalog, or Ilokano, which is the major dialect of the area I'm going to... cheers for learning yet another foreign language when I just barely become adequate at the first, haha!

I am verrry much looking forward to my new area, but there will be many things I'll miss from this one, namely my companion, the ward, and the close proximity of fast food. Focusing on the second: I love Lingsat ward! They are easily the best ward I've served in since getting here (don't tell any of the other units I've been to) in regards to unity and working with the missionaries. I love the members here, especially the ward mission leader, Brother Ram! The members are beings so nice to me, too, on the way out. Lots of dinner appointments, haha. I have no idea what the area will look like, what the war will be like or my companion or the apartment, but you'll get the whole story next week.

Love you all!
Feed your fire!
Elder Mikesell III

Fun with bamboo, Part 1...

Fun with bamboo, Part II... 

Fun with bamboo, Part III... The bamboo construction is a waiting bench
for the jeep buses that go through the area.

Fun with bamboo, Part III... 

This insect is what translates from Tagalog to English as "house spider". They are horrifyingly fast and can jump. This is the closest I've ever been able to get to one without it running. I love the Phillies :)

The picture of the old grandma made everyone present laugh until it hurt.

This dog is the object of the most pity I have given to any creature on earth.
There are lots of these dogs here in the Philippines. We call them zombie dogs because there's
some sort of contagious disease that only affects them, but this one is down right horrible.  

ACCUSED BY A CRAZY PERSON OF STEALING ORIGINAL BIBLE, APARTMENT CIRCLED BY MILITARY HELICOPTER & HAVE TO TRAVEL TO MANILA FOR FINGERPRINTING

March 1, 2015

Found these outside of a Seventh Day Adventist minister's house in my area.
The language is Hebrew. I couldn't resist.

It's been quite an eventful week! Amidst the grandness of missionary work, I've run into two signs during proselyting, and now forgetting things mid-sentence, were harassed by yet another crazy person (of which there are many here in the Phillies) this time by an older man who accused my companion of stealing "the original bible" and rejected my companion's pleas of innocence by calling him a liar, had our apartment circled around by a military helicopter during our scripture study, and learning by way of announcement that me anda group of sixty other missionaries will be journeying to the capital city of Manila for fingerprinting which we didn't accomplish at the beginning of our mission like the new folk do, by flying in early and getting it finished during their stay at the Manila MTC.

I sense a wonderful irony about putting the vet and the pound next door to the city slaughterhouse, haha.

The Dentist. Seems legit. 

In other news, my mission is going dangerously fast. I only have about a week left in this area with my current companion, my third (out of four) general conferences is next month, I'll hit month fourteen in two weeks, and my second and last birthday in the field will be celebrated soon. (By the way, if anyone was thinking about doing anything for that, the only thing on my wish list is ties... I'm addicted to ties. Best friend award would go to anyone who could acquire a Harry Potter/Gryffindor tie, the diagonal striped red and gold one... I'm sure there are pictures on the internet you could reference... and it would hopefully be of good quality and not the kind that they sell at Savers with Harry Potter costumes... and the more the merrier. When in doubt, ask Chase. Or check out the ties I wear in my pictures.)

Me and my ward mission leader, Brother Ram. At first contemplative, afterwards, silly.

However, I'm noticing the time is going fast because it fills me with a sense of urgency. The time is far spent! It's sickle time!

Lastly, I've discovered my new favorite scripture in all scripturedom. Alma 5:46-48... If you haven't done it yet... do it:)

I love you all. Doing my best.

My soul in vehicular form.

Just a bit of the Philippines for those unfamiliar. The house/store is called a tindahan where they sell just about everything you need. This is the Filipino version of a gas station. Most tinahans have them conjoined to their home. 

One of the lower class parts of my area. 

Brother Chan, one of the strongest converts I've ever met! The man is iron in his testimony. 

One of the strangest fruits (possibly vegetable) I've seen this week.