This Week's Answers

Kumusta!

How is your new companion?

Elder Llorin is quite easlily the nicest companion I have ever had. He's just so nice. It's ridiculous. 

Do you have any investigators?

We do. Unfortunately, few of them progress. 

What are some of the changes under President Rahlf?

President Rahlf is a lot more strict. He is a great fun guy, but of course he would perfer for us to follow the rules; which i think is perfect. I love the way he is doing things. He knows what to do and he knows how to do it. He and sister Rahlf are some great people.  I don't feel the same love I used to, but hey, no one can replace the Carloses.

How is the zone doing? 

I've been pretty stressed these past weeks trying to hold stuff together. The stress is wearing me out. But I'll figure it out. 

How is your health?

Stress. But besides the side effects of that, I'm a pretty healthy animal. Oh and allergies...

Any flooding related to the most recent typhoons?

Yeah. Lots of it. The water is high. Down in viscaya a barrier fell sending a wall of water toward some Sisters destroying their apartment. Crazy. 

I love you all.

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

Typhoon Utor

Editor's Note:  Typhoon Utor hit Isabela province in the Philippines yesterday.  Elder Allen is serving in Cauayan in Isabela province.  He checked in to say that he was fine and their area suffered little damage.  Below is a quick summary from the Fox News website:

MANILA, Philippines –  A powerful typhoon battered the northern Philippines on Monday, toppling power lines and dumping heavy rain across cities and food-growing plains. The storm left at least two people dead and 44 missing.

Typhoon Utor, described as the strongest globally this year, slammed ashore in mountainous eastern Aurora province with sustained winds of 109 miles per hour and gusts of up to 130 mph.

Footage from ABS-CBN TV network showed a woman swept away by a raging river in neighboring Isabela province. The woman waved her hands for help as she struggled to hang on to debris while being buffeted by huge waves in the muddy waters. It was not known what happened to her.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/08/12/23-fishermen-missing-as-typhoon-slams-philippines/#ixzz2blqZmr3E

Satellite image of Typhoon Utor

Infrared image of Typhoon Utor

As always, the people of the Philippines could use your prayers; as well as Elder Allen and the other missionaries.  This is Elder Allen's fourth Typhoon in his two years in the Philippines.

Friends and Companions

Kumusta!
   After having one camera broken, then stolen, then having my replacement camera die, I broke down and spent 5,000 pesos for a camera to finish my mission.  Here are some pictures:

This is Elder Needs, a great missionary from Michigan.  He went home this week with Elder Nay.  I'll see him again when he comes out to BYU.

This is elder Lasay (lass-eye) he was my companion in Jones after Elder Elgan. He's one of my favorite companions. He went home this week as well.

The next is Elders Camain in the back, Llorin in the middle and Marshall. Elder Llorin is my new companion. He will probably be my favorite comp, and hopefully he's my last. He's is my 15th companion.

I love you all.

Elder Allen

All's Quiet in the Santiago South Zone

Kumusta!

There will be no changes in our zone this cycle except my companion and an elder going home and a sister getting transferred.  Besides that it will be pretty much the same but better next cycle. Elder Needs and Elder Nay and a bunch more will be heading home tomorrow.  I have two cycles left in my mission and I want to make them count. I have been having a lot of fun lately helping elder Zhang learn english and figuring out the area. Not much is going to change except I'll have a new companion to do it with.  I love you all.

Mahal ko Kayo,

Elder Allen

Elder Nay Gets Hit by a Motorcycle

Kumusta!

Elder Nay in the hospital

We were half way through district meeting when we saw through the window that President Ralhf had come to check on us. That put everyone on edge, especially the district leader, Elder Marshall, who, despite not really planning, taught a great and very helpful lesson about companionship inventory.  Afterwards President told us that the real reason he came was to check on Elder Nay because he had been hit by a single motor (motorcycle) down in Lamut the night before and was rushed up to the hospital in Santiago.  As they left, I caught up with him to see if i could go check on Michael.  President Ralhf instructed me to check up on him every now and then to keep him company.  He was battered and bloody, but sustained no broken bones.  The accident happened just two weeks before he goes home.  So we spent some time and got to chat and learn a little about each other's missions. Michael's last two cycles have been the only time in our missions that we were even on the same side of the Cauayan mission, although we live just a couple of blocks apart in Utah.  That's how we ended up there.  It was good.  As you can see from the picture, he was in pretty good spirits for a guy in a Philippino hospital.

You can get all the details on the accident and see some great bloody pictures on Elder Nay's blog: http://eldernay.blogspot.com/

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

The Rules are Changing

Kumusta!

The Rahlfs were at the Worldwide Mission President’s Training in Provo last week, they said it was great.  Technically, we will be allowed to use Facebook pretty soon here.  I have never once opened my Facebook account on my mission. Very very few missionaries haven’t opened Facebook at least once.  I’m not going to until we get a definite “Go” sign from up high.

I’m glad Jonah made it to Timberline.  That’s hilarious that my scout uniforms were way too small for him.  I was tiny then, but I just kept growing slowly until I came on my mission. I tell people when they ask that I am 5' 9 1/2" just to make myself feel better. I don’t actually know, I haven’t been actually measured in two years.

The Carlos’ leaving is tough, but something I always expected. I love them like I love you, and I’m going to find them after my mission. I called Pres Carlos out on my challenging companions one time. He just smiled and said it wasn’t anything he thought I couldn’t handle. 

Now I am excited to see how President Rahlf works things.

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

Elder Zhang, Me and Elder Phippen

Happy Birthday

Kumusta!

Sunrise in Baluarte

My new companion is elder Sulla (ryhms with julia). We live in a compound with Elder Phippen, from Salt lake, and he is training Elder Zhang who is from way-north-border-of-Mongolia-forgot-what-its-called China.

Fun facts about china;

1. Its communist.

2. Christian religions are forbidden.

3. Names are backwards. For example, elder Zhangs name is Zhang Jia Feng. the family name is first.

4. There are only about 100 family names in China. That’s why we always hear about Fa's or Chang's, or Li's. There about 3,699,999 people walking around with your same Chinese family name.

5. China is big.

Elder Zhang is the first Chinese missionary in the Philippines Cauayan Mission.

President and sister Carlos left today. But on birthdays, they call you and sing happy birthday and talk to you for a second in the morning. Before they got on a plane today, they somehow found time to call me up and sing happy birthday to me, them and the Rahlfs and the APs and whoever else may have been there. Elder iIagan told me afterwords that it was the saddest song of happy birthday he had ever seen. Sister Carlos told me she would never forget when my birthday was, and president said he would see me sometime in America. Everyone was in tears. You can imagine how the song sounded. It was wonderful.  It made my mission. I feel their love all the time. 

As of yesterday, we have had a new mission president. The Rahlfs from Ohio.  I’m so excited to meet them and get to know them. I wont get to meet them till next week though; we will be one of the last zones to be interviewed.  I love you all.

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

My new companion Elder Sulla, Elder Zhang, me Elder Phippen