January 26, 2014

Hey T,

My new area is okay. It is big so we do a lot of walking. It's different than my last ones because it's cold and there are mountains all around so it's weird to me. We have one investigator with a baptismal date and we just got 2 more investigators this week, but I can't really remember how many we have. Senior companion isn't different and my companion likes to work hard. We get along fine. That is awesome that Reagan got 100 AR points I was never that cool.I bet Mylee's talk was good and also funny. Well I don't think that I have much more to say.

Love you all,

Elder Doney  

Hey mom,

Things are going good. We are working really hard, its way nice to get out early but I get so tired at night, I guess it’s just because I am not use to working so hard. My companion is really good. He is the one that is ready first now. He is a hard worker.

All the major city are really dirty. My apartment is in the city, it is right behind a Catholic church, so I get to hear the bells a lot. The area is really big so we do a lot of walking, I guess that is why I am always so tired at night and I can tell that I get grumpy, I am hoping that my companion won’t get to mad at me.

The weather has been getting warmer but it still does get cold. I don’t know much about the typhoon clean up. I did see something on the news where they found some bones of people on a little island just off the coast of the main island, but that is all I heard. This week we were teaching a family that we just walked up to. It was our 3rd time teaching them, so we were teaching about Joseph Smith, in their little hut. I felt the spirit so much as we were talking about it. It was a shock to me. I have never though how much I could feel the spirit in some little bamboo hut, it was crazy an awesome at the same time. 

Well I think that is it for me. if really don’t know what else to talk about. So I hope things are going good back home.

Love you mom,

Elder Doney  

January 19, 2014

Hey T,

I am now in Bambang, it is the bottom of the mission. It is the last city in our mission before you get to the other mission. It is a city and country. My area is way big. We just walk for hours to get to people. We are in the mountains so we walk up hills a lot. At night it gets way cold. I never thought it would get this cold in the Philippines, but i get way cold. It's like the beginning of fall back home. It's almost perfect during the day, then at night it gets way cold. It is just because I am in the mountains. It's almost the end of rainy season. I hope I am down here for as much of the summer as I can because it wont be so hot here. My companion is okay, he is newer so I am now the senior companion and sometimes I don't think my companion knows what he is doing. I have to tell him how to do a lot of things. We got asked to give a blessing and he didn't know how to do it. He said we need to talk to President first so I had to set him straight that we don't have to. Then I had to teach him how to do it. We went to teach a family and I found out it wasn't our area so I told him we can't, but he said it was okay. So I will have to talk with him and tell him we can't go way into other missionaries areas to teach. I just know I will be teaching him how to do a lot of things this cycle. We didn't have very many people that came to church. I am in the city and my last area that was in the middle of no where had more people at church then here. My last area had like 120 people come to church this place had like 20, so we have a lot of growing to do and a lot of work. Well I hope things are going good back home.

Miss and love you all.

Elder Doney 

January 13, 2014

Hey T,

Things are going good. I found out today that I am going to a new area! So on Wednesday I will go there but I don't know where that is yet because I don't find out until I am just about to go there. There really is nothing going on, just I am going to go to a new area on Wednesday. An Elder here is mad he said he doesn't know what he is going to do when I am gone. His name is Elder St. Gelais. There is a member here that is mad I am leaving too,  but that is about it. I like that area a lot, the people are way nice but i like my first area because it was a city I don't know they are both good. Well that is it for me hope everything is going good back home.

Love you.

Elder Doney

Hey Mom,

This week was okay nothing really happened. I had a split with my zone leader. His name is Elder Phippen, he is from Salt Lake. We have been in the same zone my whole mission so we are close. We had a lot of fun. I found out today that I am transferred. I don't know where yet, I find out on Wednesday right before I go there. I like the area I am in right now. There is a boy here that is waiting for his call. I think I already told you about him. He is way cool. I told him I am transferred and he got mad because he doesn't want me to go. Also Elder St. Gelais is mad that I am leaving. He says he doesn't know what he is going to do now, I think he is scared. The weather this week was colder, it has been raining. The Filipinos were freezing, but I thought if felt really good. Nothing else has really happened, just the same old same old. When you go to send that other package put some tide to go in it, but you don't have to send it right away.

miss and love you,

Elder Doney 

January 6, 2014

Hey T,

Happy birthday sorry it's late! I had no way to send something till today. My week was okay nothing really happened. For New Years they just light off fireworks it's nothing like America and the fireworks are cheap so really not trust worthy, but they loved them. My companion was like a little kid when they were going off. I forgot that Gary had moose antlers. I bet they will look way good after you get them mounted. Well I don't really know what else to say nothing has been going on. I mostly just sit at the apartment or at a members house and do nothing.

Love you,

Elder Doney

December 23, 2013

Hey T,

Well I guess your week was good as to what you have told me. haha (look at your first question) My week was good. We had our district Christmas party it was a lot of fun, but crazy. I got the package on my birthday. We had a meeting at the mission home for Christmas and it was just sitting there waiting for me. Another Elder and I played the dice golf game right when I opened the package. I love everything in it. The nerf guns were a nice touch, who's idea was that? Well I don't know what else to talk about we will be skyping on Christmas. I will call here around 8 in the morning, so it will me about 6 pm for you on Christmas. 

Love you,

Elder Doney

December 16, 2013

Hey T,

I have not got the package yet,  but we have a big mission Christmas party on Tuesday so I will see if I got it. That is what I get to do for my birthday. I wish it wasn't on my birthday because then everyone will find out it's my birthday and that is always bad. I don't like people to know. I don't ever know what month it is until I look at the calender. It feels like the same month every day because the weather never changes. I miss the family trip to Salt Lake, I always liked that just because our whole family is there. I also like that candy bar game. Did you play it this year? I have not seen the nativity sets you can only get them in one place and that has to be your area, or in the same zone and its a long hike. Well that is what people say. It's up in the mountain, or what you call a mountain here, but i will try to get some.  I told mom a cool thing that happened to me today but it's long for me to type so you will have to get it from her. Sorry i don't like typing that much. Well I guess I will just talk with you next week. I will be skyping.

Love you,

Elder Doney

Hey Mom,

Yeah my companion is feeling better. I have started the Christmas presents they are awesome I opened the yo-yo and we were all having so much fun with them.  I love the Christmas trip in Salt Lake. I think I like it most because our whole family is there and we are all having fun together.  Our sacrament meeting was good, the talks were really short and in Ilocano so I had no idea what they were saying. Me and the other American Elder are the only ones that bless the sacrament, no one else will do it, not even our companions. When we get done they want us to say sitting there, so we are pretty much just sitting on the stand looking at everyone.  It’s funny to watch what people are doing and we go to the same branch every week. There is only one where we are; we are far away from everything else. I will skype on the 26th at 8 in the morning, which should be about 6pm for you on Christmas.

 I would love to watch Pysch but I guess I can wait till I get home. Something cool happened today. I was sitting waiting for my companion to get his hair cut and this, I guess you could call him a boy; he was about the same age as me, was just asking me some questions like where are you from and stuff like that. Then he said, so you’re a Mormon right, I said yes. He then said, okay I have a question for you if that is okay. I said sure; he then asked how come he always see you Mormons always walking around, you guys walk a lot. I laughed then started to tell him that we are missionaries and we go around and teach the gospel. Then I gave him a pamphlet and explained a little about it. He looked at it  and started to read it. He was not from my area so I told him if he has questions he could talk to the missionaries there. He told me he has always wondered about us but never knew how to ask. It just showed me how people are being prepared by God and that everyone has a question that he could answer to help them on their way.  Now I just want to talk with every one that I see.

Well hope things are going good. I can’t wait to skype with you next week.

Love you,

Elder Doney

December 9, 2013

Hey T,

Things are going good. I have only seen one nativity. I will take a picture next time and send it to you. Thanks for all the pictures they are awesome. Nothing really happened this week. My companion was sick so I just sat at the apartment most of the week. One funny thing happened this week. Some ladies asked me and another Elder if we would marry their daughters it was funny and they loved to talk to us and they were really laughing when I started to speak Tagalog to them. They loved it they just kept talking to me. I have not seen any Christmas trees. The rich house have some lights but that is about it. Well I don't really know what else to say. Love all of you and tell the girls to stop growing up so fast.

Love you,

Elder Doney