The Final Countdown

I got all the packages thank you so much I totally wasn't expecting the Purdy's chocolate! so crazy! I have so much room still in my bags and I don't know how it is, but it makes no sense at all? I can fit everything!

I will be mailing my one SD card home so you can see my companion and my district! and Sister Petersen and Sister Wilde are both on that SD card Sister Petersen is the dark haired one and Wilde is the more lighter hair colour.

I will call you both at the airport be ready for my call try not to cry... LOL

Love you,

Elder Rivera

Got my Crocs

20 October 2014

I got the Crocs thank you so much. Yeah, we say the same here about the days being long and the weeks being short too.

That is cool that camp was good. of course the YM went to Chako it wouldn't be a camp without it!

I think I will try and call both you 2 and if I can't get you, leave a message on the answering machine. I'm not bad for money I just don't know how much I will have to transfer into pesos because I have to pay for my luggage and stuff for the flight to the Philippines. I don't know what the plan was exactly for that? 

I love you dad and I appreciate everything you have done and sacrificed for me

Elder Rivera 

Learning the Language and Nacho Libre!!!

This week has been an awesome week we have done!

So my district is made up of 9 elders no sisters, 4 are going to Bacolod and 5 to Iloilo. We all love each other and all the teachers and people are really impressed with our work ethic and progress with the gospel and the language. We do joke around a lot and quote Nacho Libre like every chance we get, we even translated some lines into Ilonggo like " indi ako nagapamati mo, Buwang Ka!!!" which means I'm not listening to you, you’re crazy!!!. I miss that movie so much!

We also had a devotional this week and we were shown the video for Christmas that is coming out this year it looks really cool, and we were also shown the videos from Easter and Mother’s Day. The one from Mother’s Day really made me miss you mom and I wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me and my sisters for our whole lives! You do it not for a reward or for money but because you love us and we are not always thankful for everything and I'm sorry, but for all the times I didn't say thank you I just want to say THANK YOU for EVERYTHING you have done for me and that I LOVE you MOM!

We Skype with real Filipinos and we learned a lot. Class has been great the language gets a little easier every day it's all about placing everything in the right location in the sentence. I love all my teachers Especially Bro. Waggoner he is honestly the coolest guy ever he loves to teach us and he has some crazy mission stories. He says that if you don't poop your pants once on your mission then you didn't do it right.

Our district has been hosting the new missionaries for the past 2 weeks so we show all the new elders go for lunch their classroom and their rooms and stuff its pretty fun!

BIG NEWS!!! We got our travel plans today! We leave on Oct 30 we need to leave our room by 6 am the flight leaves Salt Lake at 11:30 am for Seattle then we leave Seattle for Tokyo then Tokyo to Manila and spend 5 days in the Manila MTC before going to Bacolod! Really excited!

i miss you all

Love 

Elder Rivera

I can Teach in Ilonggo!!!

I can Speak Ilonggo and teach lessons in Ilonggo, but I'm definitely not fluent!

General conference in the MTC is way different it goes by so much faster and before you know it its over! We have had general Authorities come and speak to us on our Sunday and Tuesday night devotionals. Which is sooo cool!!!

Classes can be rough and long but we get breaks in them so it gives you a chance to stretch your legs get some water and stuff. I love my teachers they are the best, Brother Waggoner, Sister Sablan, and Brother Winfield are so awesome and do a really good job with teaching the language and dumbing it down for us. Even from day one it has been 100% Ilonggo completely immersed.

The food is starting to get to me, really white food and it's just getting old!

I will be mailing my SD card home sometime within the next couple of days unless I can find a way to email them home which isn't looking likely! 

I have met a couple of cool Sister missionaries from the other districts and have become real close good friends with them; Sister Wilde and Sister Peterson totally cool!!!

I had the opportunity of hosting the new missionaries to the MTC the past Wednesday which was fun, and I get to do it again next week! I didn't get any crying missionaries.... maybe next week?

I did get my package thank you! The Americans loved the Wonder bars and Mr. Bigs and the all dressed chips, I still have a lot left! And the gospel art book will definitely help me with my lessons. I actually can roughly teach full 20 minute lessons on the restoration and am working on the plan of salvation. It's so cool. I've learned more in 3 weeks at the MTC than 5 years of French!

I miss you all so much and I love you all so much  

Love

Elder Rivera

Watching My Waistline!!!

Hi Mom!

Hopefully your CT scan went well and that nothing has changed in your health!

The leaves are very, very, slowly starting to change, still have a lot of green on the trees! And it is freaking COLD here it cooled of SO fast from when I got here. But I'm having so much fun here at the MTC, with my companions! Especially when we go and play four square because there are a lot of people who are taking it so serious but we do it just to goof off and blow off some steam! All the sisters say they love me because I make the game so much more fun for them in the way I play and the way I act.... Career as a comedian yet!

Ya learned that lesson; I got a really bad stomach ache from eating too much so now I pace myself a lot! But supposedly you lose a lot of weight on Philippino missions? It's what I heard I don't know if it’s true though.

I'm trying to send pictures but all the computers I try won’t allow the program to take place its annoying! But I'll keep trying!

I haven't checked the mail yet but hopefully it's there! and I heard that you got on Facebook and that you are really loving it a lot (sarcasm) 

I miss you a lot mom! Palangga ako mo! (I love you or to be exact Love I you)

Love,

Elder Rivera.... Your favourite son

Dear Dad,

The days here are going by so fast now and it's a little scary, but it also is really fun!

I'll definitely read those scriptures and try and remember them! In my language packet they gave me an Ilongo bible a dictionary, a missionary phrasebook, and Preach my Gospel (third chapter only).

That’s great that Laura applied to BCP it was fun and hopefully she doesn't get crappy teachers, but she also needs to know that she needs to total come out of her shell and her comfort zone in order get the best out of BCP, because that is the entire purpose of BCP is for you to discover who you really are by coming out of that shell, and seeing what is deep on the inside. And it better be her final decision jeez!

That’s funny about mom and her Facebook experiences, I can picture her now!

The needles were not that expensive it was like $80 all together. There are no other needles I need to get before I go to the Philippines which is good because I hate freaking needles!

I've known for so long that when I got my call I knew how crazy it was going to be and how hard the language was going to be. And I went into the MTC Knowing that I was not going to be fluent by the time I left the MTC, and that the Philippines was going to be rough at the start, and I just know that I was called to serve in the Philippines and that I would qualify myself through faith, a lot of Prayer, and hard work, and leave the rest to the lord.

I gave my first blessing at the MTC this week, my companion got sick and ask for a blessing. I was so nervous that my legs were shaking. But when I was giving the blessing my mind went completely blank but my mouth was just saying words. It was freaky! and he is getting a lot better he just has the remnants of a cough and a runny nose. 

I hope you guys are all good and safe; I love you all so much, see you all at Christmas hopefully!

Love,

Elder Rivera