Hey Guys! The last week in the Provo MTC was good. We spent one day learning Waray. I wish we would've spent more time learning that language. I got a package from my mom with several mini loaves of poppyseed bread. Everyone loved the poppy seed bread. Maybe a little too much. There were some Elders close to tears (not joking). I also got a haircut from one of the other Elders which was awesome because there were no openings at the MTC barber. Everyone in our district was excited to finally be leaving for the Philippines. I finally made it to Manilla. 30 of us missionaries arrived at around 1:00am to the Manila MTC after lots of shenanigans. The customs line in Seoul was really long and then we had to grab our bags and go through security again. That line was even longer. Our district was mostly together and after the last of us made it through security we realized that the sisters were nowhere to be found. We searched the airport but then had to haul over to our gate, so we didn't miss our flight. I was the last one on the plane. There were 10 Elders and Sisters that didn't make it on the flight because they had standby tickets. They were put on a different flight but missed that flight since it was on the other side of the airport. Almost everyone lost their bags by the time they made it to Manilla. However, the two Cebuano Districts (including my district) have been blessed with everyone making it and with all our luggage (for now). It was a super long flight, but I don't really have jetlag at all. I guess my body has adapted from all the traveling as a kid. This week in the Manilla MTC was pretty crazy. There was lots of language learning and some more shenanigans. The food was pretty great. Everyone loved the waffles. On our first full day we got paired up with a missionary already serving in Manilla and we got to go out tracking in the town. That was awesome. We didn't get a change to go and do a session in the Manilla temple, but we did get to go and tour the grounds one of the last nights we were there. The next time I write I will be in Tacloban! Love you all and amping kita kites! Elder Wilhelm P.S. The food slaps here Provo MTCManilla MTCKamusta Mo!
This week I finally got my flight information! It was a little nerve wracking going throughout this week because we had to wait to see if we were being let into the country. When everyone in our district was, it was a huge sigh of relief. Other than that update, most of this week has been the same. I've learned a whole lot more Bisaya and this Saturday I finally get to learn some Waray! My favorite phrase I learned this week was Way Saps Basta Gwaps which is slang for No problem if you're handsome. It doesn't really translate fully but that is the jist. I was able to teach a mock lesson to my teacher this week and actually understand what they were saying and respond in a semi-intelligible fashion. I feel like I'm finally starting to understand the general flow of this language. I hope I get to use it in the Philippines but it is still a stark if. This week I had the privilege of listening to Elder Morrison, a general authority from Ghana, Africa. He talked about the 4 C's of how to have a good mission. They are: don't complain, don't compare, don't compete, and don't criticize. I thought this was some very strong advice for me. During the MTC there have been times when I heavily disagree with my companion or have gotten angry with him. Sometimes it seems that God has put him in my life as the perfect way to test my patience. When I changed my perspective from being critical of my companion to looking at him through the eyes of Christ, my feelings about the situation changed. My prayers changed from asking God to give me strength to get through my trial to thanking him for putting me in a situation that not only allows me to grow, but allows me to help my companion as well. Since I've changed my outlook, the times I get frustrated with my companion have lessened and the joy and relationship that we share together have increased exponentially. I would implore all of you to look for the gift of trials in your life as a way to improve rather than an endurance challenge purely meant to test your faith. Ether 12:27 states "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I know that Heavenly Father puts trials in our life so that we can become strong, and that if we compel ourselves to be humble in our trials and focus on our own growth, we can reach heights known only to our Lord. Nasayud ko nga nahigugma ang Dios sa ato ug nagpadala Siya Iyang Anak-Lalaki para sa amo. Thank you all for emailing me! I love reading your emails and seeing how everyone is doing! Till next time! Amping, Kita Kits!!! Elder Wilhelm Happy Thanksgiving!
This week was fairly exciting, although more of the same. Since last week most of our time was spent in class learning more of the Bisayan language. Our teachers are absolutely amazing, but learning one specific thing for all hours of the day can become monotonous. I was able to join the choir as a bass and we performed at two devotionals where general authorities spoke. On Tuesday we got to listen to Elder Yamashita! He was a super enthusiastic speaker and he spent most of his talk walking throughout the audience. He was giving out candy to all those who answered his various questions. His talk centered around spending time with the members and getting to know them personally. The second devotional was Elder Quinton L. Cook! It was so exciting to hear a member of the twelve apostles speak! You could feel the spirit change as soon as he entered the room. He spoke on the 4 loves of missionary work. 1. Love your companion 2. Love the people 3. Love your mission president and his wife 4. Love the Lord. He discussed how doing the first three can show the Lord that you love him. The power that he spoke with was amazing and his testimony was truly inspiring. His wife also spoke about the hymns and how multiple use the same meter, 777D, and that you could swap words in different hymns to create something new. We sang the lyrics of "Come, ye thankful people" to the melody of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and it was really fun. I would recommend trying it out if you haven't. The rest of thanksgiving was also a blast. They served us a thanksgiving lunch and then we got to work doing service! We helped package hundreds of thousands of food packages for an organization called Hunger Fight. They were all super nice and it was a really fun experience. At night we had a surprise devotional and none other than Jon Schmidt showed up!!! It was such an awesome surprise and hearing his testimony along with his piano skills was really uplifting. When we left the building from that devotional they had put up all of the Christmas lights and let us wander through campus looking at the lights. It was probably one of the more fun thanksgivings I've had. I hope you all are doing well and I hope to hear from some of you soon! Kita-kits Amping! Elder Peter Wilhelm Hello Everyone!
The first week of the MTC is over and I am very excited to be one week closer to the Philippines. Missionary life has been extraordinarily interesting and at times hilarious. My district is truly full of hooligans (me included), and we have already had an endless supply of mission shenanigans. While most of our time is spent in the classroom learning Cebuano or native Bisaya, we have also read a good portion of the scriptures. The Bisayan scriptures are extremely hard to read. It doesn't use the language most people speak in the Philippines and uses a lalom or deep/older dialect that disobeys a lot of the conventional grammar of Cebuano. Learning Cebuano has been an experience to say the least. The words are abnormally long but whenever our district talks to each other it is truly a spectacle. Among our favorite phrases is Makagagahom Kaayo ka! It simply means You are powerful, but we constantly use it to describe our statements when studying the scriptures. Learning this language can be quite discouraging at times though. A multiplicity of teachers have told me and my companion that we will not end up using this language and it is simply the closest thing to Wa'ay Wa'ay (The language we will be speaking) that they have. It is already abnormally difficult to pick out words and phrases from native speakers when I have trained in the language, but with almost no language training it is going to be a true challenge. I have faith, however, that the Savior will provide a way for me and my companion to learn the language. Learning about the spiritual gifts that are available to us as we follow the covenants we make has helped me have confidence that the Lord is on my side. My companion is truly hilarious. He's about as tall as Mt.Timpanogos and the phrases he uses are truly riveting. Among my favorite are Aww man (in response to nearly everything), thats tough, geemani Christmas, and a variety of others. Because none of us have access to the internet on our phones, most of my district has elected me as the surrogate google. They simply say Elder Wilhelm and ask a question and I have to answer it to the best of my abilities. Being a makeshift siri has helped me have empathy for the poor alexa robot who has to answer dumb questions all day. It's truly been a blast the past week and I hope to from some of you this week! Until then Daghang Salamat ug Amping! Elder Peter Wilhelm |