Hey family!!!

So this week has been so much better! I still think of you a lot but I’m not homesick! It’s so nice to read your letters to know what is going on!

But like I said this week has been so much better! Me and Elder Leng have been getting along.  We finally have a pattern for teaching and we are getting things done. It’s still a little hard cause I feel like we are just teaching the same people the same lessons and it’s not really doing anything. That’s where I wish I knew Illongo better to really get in their heads and figure out their problems! But we are doing better at doing that! Hopefully by the end of these next 9 weeks of training I can get to that point where I can do it better! Well hopefully in 9 weeks I’ll just know the language or at least what they are saying! haha. I’m still struggling to figure out what they are saying. I probably understand like 60 percent of what they are saying but I only comprehend like 5-10! haha! The understanding part is I’m picking up on what different words are...cause last week I was just lost...it was all a blur but now I’m just trying to write down as many words as I can to look them up and learn them so hopefully that will help this next week. I know I’m fine with where I’m at.. It’s just a little frustrating cause there are just so many little things like small talk I can’t do so it’s hard to talk to the people here. I’m starting to talk to the kids more. The ones that are most helpful are the ones that are like Alexas age. 10-12. They are the most talkative out of all the people here and since I’m American they all talk to me! haha. The one that helps me the most is a 14 year old boy named Bebe. He is an active in our ward and knows some basic English words from school pero (but) he knows what I’m trying to say most of the time so he helps me with prononciation! but yeah all is good with the language I just need to work harder with it! haha.

So this week just a couple things I wrote down then I’ll answer your questions!

SO out in the buk-kid(Jungle/Rural area) the are so many dogs and chickens! Every morning at like 530 all you hear is dogs and chickens! It’s so annoying but I’m begining to sleep through it now that I’m getting used to it! I miss my cave downstairs in our house where the sun never shines and its quiet all day! I’m sure even the City is quieter then the stupid chickens! haha

They things I hear on the street. So I’ll be like 100 yards away and someone will see me walking and they will stop walking and watch me pass them for like a good 30 seconds. Even on the bus the people just stare at me like it’s no big deal! It’s so hard not to laugh cause it’s so awkward. I just sit there and wink at all them maybe give them a hair toss! haha Not really.. I just smile or look the other way depending on the person! haha Oh and also I was eating dinner at our stake presidents house cause he lives next to us and we were all talking. His son and daughter in law both know English well so we were talking and the daughter in law said that I have guapo (handsome) eyebrows. I’ve never gotten that before. She said that Philipino women love eyebrows. I have been called guapo everyday. Now I know how dad says people called him guapo in Chile. I believe it! They just love Americans. So sorry dad for always laughing at that joke!

The little kids in my branch Salute me. They'll run up to me slap my back then I turn around and they say "Elder Sargent" salute me then run away! All the adults think my last name is so funny! They always say "Elder... Sargent. Elder Sargent. Sargent of Arms." I don’t even know what that means but I just laugh cause they laugh to! haha is that like a common expression??! haha

Oh so this week it’s been raining like crazy. I pulled my umbrella out and it doesn’t work. It pops open but it doesn’t click in place like a normal umbrella does. I was mad cause I just got that for my birthday like 4 months ago and I’ve never used it and you said that me and Nat have the same one and hers works perfect for you! I don’t know what to do. I’ll probably just go another week with it and make it work but I may buy another one next week when I get more money. What do you think!

I love the music here! The people all lie in these bamboo shacks that are sweet by the way. They have no bed maybe a tv some no electricity but they all have huge speakers and just blast music! It’s nice cause I get a little bit of home. I probably know 90% of the songs then the other 5% are Philippino and the other 5% is Kareokee! The people love kareokee. They are terrible at singing but it’s funny!

So just some stats the Stake President was telling me. He speaks English cause he served his mission in the Philippines when it was a English speaking mission so he had to learn English for his mission but he was saying that there are just over 600,000 total members in the Philippines but only just over 100,000 are active crazy huh! That’s like all I work with is less active and recent converts. We are trying to find some part member families this week cause all the ones they had in this area prior to me got baptized on Christmas so that’s kinda cool but right now the work is just hard cause we have no investagators but we have names in mind and are planning on getting some baptism dates this week! hopefully!!

So thats it for me. From you letters. Minapasok is the branch I’m in. The city I live in is Bukong. And the zone I’m in is the Sagay Zone. Sagay is the closest main city and its like 45 minutes by bus. From Bacolod we took a bus and it took like 3 hours. I think I’m inland from Sagay and to the east. I could definitely be wrong. Who knows! haha

Well family know that I miss you all but love you more! The more and more think of being here for 21 months is pretty good to me! I like it! It’s going to get lots better! I know it! It’s going to go by fast. I was looking at a calander and realized I’ve been gone 3 months by the time confrence rolls around I’ll be like 3 weeks under my 6 month mark then Mothers Day right under 7 then it’s the summer June July.. August Natalie gets home then September wll go by fast for all you then its October my one year mark. Then it’s the holidays.. by the times those are over it’s january and I only have 10 months then it’s back to jan feb march then april is conference again which is my 6 month left mark then summer again then I’m home! Its going to fly I’m pretty sure for you guys and as I lose myself in the work it’s going to go by fast!

I’m so thankful for all of you guys back home! Whenever I think of home I know you are all safe and doing good! I know that this Church is true and the work I’m doing is central to an Eternal life. 2 years seems like a long time but it’s for the good. and what’s two years in an eternity!

I love you all and miss you! I pray for you every prayer and want you to that I’m doing great! Things are getting good I can feel! To sign off today I’ll leave you with the words of the best... Micheal Buble - "The best is yet to come and babe won’t it be fun!"

love you all!

Robbie ukon(or) Elder Sargent!

P.S. Sorry if the spelling is terrible. I forgot how to spell and I’m typing as fast as possible!