Letter #23 ( Jan 11th, 2012)

Hey all,
My week has been great. Our branch is doing well and slowly, very slowly, growing. We visited with almost all the less-actives we wanted to, and have yet more this week too on Thurs when we return to Sandingan Isle. And thank you for your prayers, i really appreciate them. We appreciate any help we can get for this work.
Oh! thats what i wanted to tell you... I got some awesome shoes... so first they were really cheap... only P165. next, they are waterproof... made from a rubber like substance called duralite and look like leather shoes, and they are slip-on which makes it really easy to get on and off at appointments. We tested them on our Nueva Vida run... which is a barungay in the bukid... some we tested them on rocks, sand, dirt, mud, water, no water... they are great. You can even wash them under the tap and they are dry before the next day!!!! I Love them! they are the best.
Later today we are going to a white sand beach to play some games and eat food. Yay!
And just yesterday, we went down to a river in Calape to shovel bags of dirt and rocks for an investigator of the /sisters... i will send pictures of us filthy with mud after the CSP next week. (i forgot my card reader...).
I have some messages for people if you could pass them on.
Stephanie Lee: thank you for the Christmas card... i did get it a bit late... but only just after new years day.
Kristy Wan: I am really sorry that i still haven't written you back, but i truly am really busy. Congratulations for getting accepted to go to Switzerland and hope you are enjoying yourself and balancing your work studies and recreation.
Tom North: I see you are still your crazy old self in the photo for Christmas. How is your recovery going? I hope it is as fast as it can possibly be...
Kurt Seagrave: Guess what... I know how to use a butterfly knife...
Guy Marsh: You thought Thailand was bad... there are bayots everywhere here!
Thank you also to everyone that endured having their photo taken for my Christmas photo album... it really made my week (other than all the food that made my week too.)
Now a short story about the philippino way of business...
So we were thinking of trying to get a ride up to Nueva Vida, one of our areas we are assigned to, because it is sort of far and takes 30mins to walk up the rugged mountain side to get there. So we ask this one guy and the mercardo at the bottom of the area called Catagbacan how much it would be... knowing full well the price before hand from one of the members of the branch. So he tells us "25 lang. tagsa-tagsa." (only 25 each). And i ask "can you do 20-20 each" knowing it only costs 20. He said "Dili (no) kay medyo lisod sa bukid (cause its sort of difficult in the mountain)" and there is another guy in te mercardo who says "baktas lang mo?" (you can always just walk). So we are like "sigi" (okay) "we'll just walk then" So the people in the mercardo are either looking at us funny or some laughing because they dont believe us... until we start walking away. Then the habal-habal driver strats yelling out "sigi! 20 lang! 20 lang!" (okay, okay, only 20, only 20!). But we just keep walking.
If you had just been honest with us at first you may have gotten our money, but to lie to us knowing full well the right price, because we are missionaries, and look like we have money... you lost my business buddy.
We have fun here despite the problems we face and enjoy our time teaching people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, because we can always feel the Spirit... even if they don't, or if they miss it.
I miss you all,
and love you all muchly,
Elder Taylor Addison Cox

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