Monday, August 29, 2016

First Week in Tacloban

First week in Tacloban. First off, this city is nuts. the traffic laws are as follows

1. don't crash

2. do anything else

The fast food places sell spaghetti. yes, spaghetti.

 I meet my new companion. his name is Elder Dela Cruz, he is Filipino, and has been out for over a year. he is my trainer and Tatay, which is "dad". he is the greatest. he has taken it to heart to be the best trainer he can be, and because of him, I can wash clothes, properly cook rice, ride a tricycle (motorcycle with homemade sidecar), and I can speak a surprising amount of Waray. 

We have been having lessons every day. we have families we are teaching almost daily. first off, the kids here are hilarious. I am a giant here. I tower over everyone, and often have to duck so I don't hit my head on door frames, and the kids know it. the shy ones will stare at me like I'm a messiah. the brave ones will try to talk to me. some of the things they say are "Hey Joe!", which is what they call any white person. "Taas Ikaw sa", which is just that I am tall, or my favorite "uphere", meaning they want a high five. they follow us everywhere. I look like a mama duck with a trail of kids following me around. the families here are so sweet and generous, and they are obviously prepared for the gospel. when we teach these families, it is hard not to feel the spirit.

I got to play ball as well. the second my companion and I walked on the court, there was some excitement. they quickly formed a team, and played against us. well, first off, I tower over everyone. secondly, Elder Dela Cruz is amazing at basketball. we did well.

I love this place. it's hectic and busy, as well as poor, but everyone is very friendly and humble. it is an honor to serve here and I know that heavenly father sent me here because I could handle it. I don't have many photos now, but next week, I will have more.

I miss all of you, but I am still working hard and loving it. this is all for this week. love you all, and I will have more for you next week.




-Elder Kuehne

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