12-5-12

Good Morning!

Thanks for the update dad on your trip to New York.  Are we going to get to do that when I get back?  I hope you can find ways to enjoy your trip to Germany.  Keep me updated on all the crazy fun you have while you're over there!

The beginning of this week was great.  Elder Fudge and I got a lot of work done in our area from Thursday until Saturday, and we found 8 new investigators and a few new Less Active members as well.  We then had a great district conference on Sunday.

We had a zone conference in Cebu scheduled this last Monday, and ZLC scheduled for Tuesday, so we had all the elders gather together in Balamban Sunday night and we were all going to travel to Cebu together the next morning.  Right after we all got to Balamban for the night we got called by the APs informing us of a Super Tropical Hurricane that was hurtling towards Cebu with winds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour.  We we told all meetings were cancelled, and we had to make sure everyone in our zone had food and water provisions for 3 days as well as 72 hour kits all ready.  We then went back to our areas to wait out the storm.  We were all really excited, and were looking forward to being able to do a lot of service after the storm, but after hiding in our house for 48 hours, we were informed that the hurricane had changed course and pounded Bohol and Dumeguete, but completely missed us.  We got a couple drips of rain.  That's it.  So that was a huge disappointment.  On the plus side, we were lucky and had 6 elders in our apartment for the hide out, so we spent the 48 hours playing monopoly, chess, checkers, scum, and other card games while eating chips and oreos and lots of soda,  If I had had to spend another day in that house I think I would have literally gone crazy.  Now we are out again though and I am very excited to get some missionary work done tonight.

I love you!
Elder Garver

ps.  Here are a couple pictures.  I'm borrowing Elder Fudges memory card adapter thing.  1st is of the Dela Cruz family who we reactivated last transfer.  They are now enrolled in the temple prep class and are preparing to be sealed to their 6 children.  2nd is of Nanay Epifania at her baptism.