05/30/2010 (Burgos Area)

Wow! Life sounds pretty crazy in the Christiansen family haha a wedding, twins, barbeques every Saturday man o man! Well tell Brad to make sure he keeps his priorities in order (meaning the cabin) before he focuses on things like weddings and grandkids. Haha! just kidding but anyways knowing Britani she probably wants to get married up at the cabin anyways! Haha! But seriously.... you should send me the Christiansen’s email so I can email them one day.

I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. You need to send some to Matt. I feel like the pictures I had didn’t even show you the real Philippines the next ones will be better. Haha! I got new pictures of caribou (Water Buffalo) and real rain (which is way stronger and crazier than I could have ever imagined). Videos of the freaking loud thunder, bats, snakes, and all sorts of stuff on the new memory card, when it’s full I’ll send you that one!

It’s pretty crazy but ya anyways transfers are in 4 days so we’ll see what happens there. But funny thing about the pictures I sent you -- so we go up there to the post office place and I'm like I want to send these and they’re like ok well do you want to register them and I'm like no that sounds stupid so I was like no just send them and they’re like well then you can’t and I was like k I want these to make it to America if they will make it without registering then good lets do it but if I have to register them than ok. So I'm thinking registering is some huge process and they’re like o you have to register them and I'm like ok whatever register it then and lets move on I don’t care as long as it makes it. She hands me a receipt and that was it! So now it’s a joke with me and Elder Hale cuz whenever Elder Hale sends something I'm always like well let me send it I'm registered and it will make it to America and stuff! HAHA! We think it’s cause it was discs and not just a package. You have to pay like 25 pesos more 50 cents and for some reason they call it registering. It was funny so I'm always joking about being registered cause it was a big long misunderstanding conversation when I was talking to them about it haha. But anyways ya im glad you liked the pictures.

This week I ate pig feet. It was interesting but not too bad in all seriousness. But I wouldn’t go out of your way to try it haha. The baptisms were great and everything’s just fine. But anyways I just remembered I need to write that letter to Bro Gibbons so I’ll talk to you later.
love ya
jas

A few snippets from his brothers' emails!

To Matthew:
ya so this week was a good week! We had our interviews and I think I’m stuck in Burgos for a while or at least that’s what President made it sound like. but we get a new President next cycle. It’s crazy I barely got to know President. Haha!

But ya I’m getting used to my companion and I’m just dealing with it. I found out if I don’t tell him to get up or if I don’t tell him lets go work and just let him call all the shots basically like I feel he is supposed to we get out earlier, we work harder, and everything goes smoother. I found out that pushing him makes him want to work less. So before I felt like I was doing everything and now I feel like he’s actually contributing it’s been better. Sometimes I guess it hinders to push people like if I push him we might not get out till 2 maybe even 3 but if I just let him be we sometimes get out when we’re supposed to so I’m learning to be more patient and relaxed.

But I forgot for a young women activity they had a beauty contest. It was so funny - they would dress up in modest clothes and walk down the runway and one time there was some yw who weren’t ready and they were calling their names and no one came and so this old "large" lady as a joke walked down the runway strutting and stuff it was so so so funny I almost died laughing!.

But ya anyways other than that our week was just okay -- we didn’t teach a whole lot of lessons this week cause we were really busy with district stuff and ward activities and our baptisms but we got a few good referrals for a change so we’ll see how it goes.
Talk to you next week.
Jas

To Eric:
You better get dad to get the cabin finished so I have somewhere to stay when I go hunting. That's crazy that school is out, everyone here just went back to school this last week so their schedule is way different. There's nothing really to fun they can do in the phillys during the summer cause they don't have any money and everything fun they have already done a million times so it gets old for them so they work with us. It's fun -- they will climb trees and get us fruit and we show them how to talk to the little girls they like but are too embarassed to talk to so we help them out but i tell them that it will cost them one mango and they will find a mango tree and up they go. The little kids around here are awesome! Anyways have a fun summer!
Love ya, Jas