Hey . . . Sorry, this is going to be quick . . .

 

             Sorry about this family, but I have to go to the mission home and won't be able to email you this week.  I don't know why, but President Martino wants to interview me.  I don’t know anything other than it may involve moving to a new mission and learning a new language.  Until next week, goodbye.

 

 

 

            APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!! :)

 

At Family Home Evening at the Arahan home.
Jordan with Elders Taylor, Talento, Edgar, Dadizon, and Pangan

             Of course I have time to write to my awesome family :).  This April Fools joke is probably better than last year's when I sprained my ankle playing basketball and it hurt for two months . . . since that actually DID happen.  Anyway . . . we had an okay week.  There was a Stake Sports Festival at the chapel everyday until Friday, so that's where all of our investigators and everyone else we were teaching went.  The good news is that we were able to teach eight lessons at the chapel in an air-conditioned classroom the entire time, so that was way cool.  We literally would teach one person and then send them out and call the next person to come in: "Next!!"  (Pretty dang awesome, actually.)

            Thursday was transfer day.  So, to answer your question, no I didn't get transferred.  I'm pretty sure I'll be here until June (hopefully, because I want to be here for my birthday), because Elder Revillo is probably going to leave first.  Staying here a few months longer would be wonderful.  I LOVE it here.  We have three new trainees in the zone and one companionship opened an area in Talavera, so every companionship is new except for two.  We 30 new missionaries come in this transfer and 24 went home.  

Jordan's MTC District - This picture is from November 2011
(Sister Sharp was the only sister from their district to serve in the Angeles Mission)

            Oh by the way, Welcome Home Sister Sharp!!!  Or should I say Tasha ;) (haha).  It is so cool to see those within my MTC district honorably complete their missionary service.  The Filipino sisters that I entered the mission field with will be going home this transfer.  I can't believe how fast my mission experience is flying by.  One of those sisters just transferred into my zone (Sister Laude) who was also in Tarlac Zone with me back in the day.  Which also reminds me that this is Elder Declaro's last transfer before he goes home.  Man.  He was only seven months into his mission back when he trained me.  We have a lot of new American missionaries in the zone and one brand new Elder from New Zealand.  I love being a representative of Jesus Christ!

            We've been really working hard lately to find men to teach because there is such a great need for priesthood leadership here.  Our branch is mostly composed of women (the active ones anyway). It seems that women here, in general are more receptive - perhaps because they are usually not married to alcohol or always away from their family on tricycles everyday (working as taxis).  Since I raised the problem with drinking, I have a story for you (I have a lot of stories involving the alcohol impaired, but I'll share just this one).  I saw that two investigators we were teaching while I was serving in Victoria were baptized recently.  They were both from part-member families.  Teaching one of them was very challenging, because his father was a raging alcoholic.  He was ALWAYS drunk when we came to teach his son and was so incredibly distracting during the lesson that we would normally be unable to teach an entire lesson, because he would talk, and talk, and talk.  But I'm assuming he cleaned up his act since I saw the baptismal picture earlier from Sister Martino's Smilebox that she does every week with pictures of baptisms across the mission.  That was really cool.

Another picture from Arahan FHE

 

 

Jordan's cousin, Kim Foote, is ready to take the
next train to the Philippines Bacolod Mission

         

            Congratulations my cousin Kim (I'm assuming Foote since Dad didn't say the last name) about your mission call to the Philippines Bacolod Mission!  I know a lot of missionaries here that are from Bacolod, so you'll be learning Cebuano.  That'll be awesome.

            I think that's about it for me.  I hope that you guys enjoyed your Easter and that you'll enjoy General Conference (lucky you).  Keep up the good work and do work.  Mahal ko kayo lahat!  Ingat!!!

            Elder Jordan "April Fooler" Royal