Life in the Philippines - October 2011

President & Sister Stucki, Elder Kaka and I


Me at the Manila Temple after I got to do a session there.


Me with Elder & Sister Fleming. They serve in the MRC.


Elder Jimenez and I. He helped me learn in the MRC (mission recovery center). He is from the Quezon City area and is serving in the Cagayan de Oro Mission.


Elder Kaka and I in San Gabriel.


Me in San Gabriel. Check out those stairs. Some are super steep and there are some made out of tires. It is cool and crazy. The hard part is that it gets dark at 6 or 7ish and we have appointments in these homes. No lights. It's alright, we have flashlights. Hooray.


Me in front of a members home. We are waiting for an investigator named Sister Alice. She has a great view. You can see a town, that I think is called Binyan. Also you can see it is on a cliff.


Sunday dinner with the Salazar family. They are awesome and they fed us well. They also have filtered water so I drank plenty. That is my trainer Elder Kaka. He is pretty awesome.


My district. I don't know all their names. I met them today at our district meeting. I think the sisters are in Carmona and somewhere else, but I don't know for sure. Elder Ward is our district leader and he has the flower. Elder Cuch is the other Elder. He came out the same time I did. We all room together.

November 6, 2011

Dear Family:
Life sounds pretty crazy right now. So Brother Evans and Brother Standage both had heart attacks? I'm glad that Bro. Evans is ok. Wow. Life is so crazy. You never can know what will happen next. But the cool thing is, we have the gospel so even in hard times we can receive peace and comfort. When I was in the hospital for my cyst it was hard on me. I wanted to be out working. It wasn't that big of a deal and it is silly to complain, but it happened. I loved the realization I got that Christ is always with us. Anytime we struggle or have a hard time we can pray or read or listen to music. God is so wonderful to provide so many ways to receive peace, comfort, and strength. Anyway enough preaching.

The babies are super cute. The Neiswender family looks like they are happy and prospering well. I am glad that Cole is getting bigger and stronger each and every day. Curtis makes an awesome bear and Heidi is a very cute pumpkin. She has a great smile. Wait, so what happened to Rob? I am sorry about all the things breaking around the house. I have no solution. All my solutions are gospel related and I don't think prayer and reading the scriptures will help the computer work better. Sorry.

Life in the Philippines is awesome and crazy. We have lots of study time and we have plenty of people to teach. It is hard but good. I am trying hard to participate in the lessons. I have a hard time staying focused. Listening to a different language for 8 hours straight is hard. It is coming along though. I am working on learning 6 new words a day. This week has been crazy. We had a mission tour with Elder and Sister Arden. Elder Arden is the first councilor in the area presidency I think. Anyway it was good. The meeting was awesome. I learned we as missionaries need to focus on teaching better so we retain more members. We have a lot of less actives in our branch. That is the main reason it is a branch and not a ward. Also we learned that we need to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon. We just need to focus more on it. It is the key to conversion. One of the things I learned today at our district meeting with the Teaching Assistants was let the Book of Mormon speak for itself or let the Book of Mormon teach people and answer their questions. Anyway the Book of Mormon is awesome.

Then on Saturday we had a temple tour. We had 11 people come. A recent convert mom, Sister Siapoc and three of her kids. Her husband's brothers wife, who is an investigator, and her three kids. Also Brother Santa Anna and his two kids. We rented a bus as a zone. It was packed. It held 58 people or so and we had maybe 65 on the bus. It was good. The temple is awesome and some other missionaries taught about the ordinances that go on in the temple, such as baptisms for the dead and eternal marriage. I think that was all. I can't remember very well. It was in Tagalog and my companion and I were trying to keep the kids from distracting the parents. We did an OK job. I think they learned something. Hopefully they remember the spirit they felt. At the end of the day after we ate food, it started to rain hard. Then the bus got stuck in traffic on its way back to us and so it was an hour or so late. It was a long day but good.

I think I am healing. There is a space still but I think it is healing up alright. Luckily for the both of us Elder Kaka doesn't have to pack the wound. He just puts some ointment on a gauze and tapes it to the wound. It's alright. Now the tape is the worst part. My companion and I get along alright. Sometimes there is a bit of a miscommunication or a small disagreement but no one is perfect. Elder Kaka is awesome actually. He is one of the best in the mission. He is awesome at planning and he is good at teaching. He has been zone leader for about half of his mission. He helps me with Tagalog. Maybe not as much as a Filipino companion could but he teaches me about the people and the culture, how to find people, making lesson plans, and setting goals. I am glad I have an awesome trainer. So Tagalog, it is one of the easier languages. They throw in some English words as well. It is hard now but I haven't been here that long. I know I just need to be patient with myself. I try hard to open my mouth and speak. That is probably the hardest now. Making sentences on the spot and having decent grammar. It is very interesting that there aren't many words to describe gender. It isn't as important. They just say Brother or Sister in English. I like it. It is hard but I know I can do it. I just need to learn the basics and what I want to say in English. That makes it a lot easier to translate if it is simple in English.

Thank you for the letter. I love you lots and wish you the best. I am excited to receive a package in a month or so. I am glad you had a good Halloween. It sounds like things are good and crazy. I love to hear from you and how life is in Arizona/California/Utah/Iowa. I love you lots and wish you another awesome week.

Love Elder Woolf

October 30, 2011

Hi Family,
Wow, Halloween time already. Crazy stuff. I am glad everything is going well. Life sounds awesome in Arizona. I got dad's email. I am glad that work is going well, that is crazy that he is staying in CA for 2 weeks. That is a long trip. I wish him the best of luck. I bet my niece and my nephews are getting cuter each day. I am excited to see some pictures later.

So I am healing great. After I emailed last Monday President and Sister Stucki came and visited me. They were on the island of Palawan during my surgery. It was a little weird to have President Stucki on the phone with you when I was in the next room. Everyone in the MRC was way impressed with President and how he really cares about his missionaries. I love them, they are the best. While President Stucki was here he gave me a blessing and the spirit was so strong. Just a fact, sorry everyone else, I have the best mission president, and it only took me a week to figure that out.

The MRC is a big house. It is maybe 5 minutes away from the Manila Temple. It has 3 bedrooms with 2 bunk beds in each. A man named Boycee runs it. He is also a Stake President. He is awesome, he takes care of everything. If you throw his name around, things get done plain and simple. Also there is a cook and house cleaner name Divine. She makes sure missionaries are fed well. A senior missionary couple also lives there, the Flemings, who are from Calgary Canada. They are super nice and Elder Fleming makes sure we exercise. It is cool. They would also drop us off at the temple. I did one session. It was a bit hard (after my surgery), but good. While I was in the MRC I met Elder Jimenez. He had a broken arm and needed a bone graft. He is Filippino and is serving in Cagayan de Oro. He helped me with training for a few days.

My cyst was cut out so there was a big hole. It is pretty crazy. It healed really fast. It was big then I went to the temple and did what I was supposed to. The next day it was almost closed. It was definitely a blessing. So now I can do all I need to do. It’s not completely healed but it gets better every day. I have another appointment with the Dr. on Wednesday of next week.

I was released from the MRC last Friday and was able to go back to my mission. I left the MRC at night and got to San Gabriel late. My area is 2 or 3 hours away from Manila. So now I am back with Elder Kaka. San Gabriel is awesome and a bit crazy. It is built on cliffs. There is the main road then off to the side there is a street or two like a normal city. Then there is side road that goes down the side of the cliff and there are lots of houses. There are lots of people here. Sunday we got to go to church and our branch is pretty awesome. They have a temple prep class, gospel doctrine class, and a mission prep class. They are pretty well organized and pretty willing to come with us to lessons. I think good things will happen here. I am working with awesome people and it is good to work again.

So here is crazy story. So we got lost yesterday and it was at the end of the day. Thirty minutes or so left and we decided to go tracting. The first house we get to, Elder Kaka says we should talk to them. So we stand outside their gate and say “Tao Po”, which literally means, “people here”. Then they know to come out. But this time nothing happened. We could see them but they ignored us. I said let’s go, but Elder Kaka told me to stand up in the light and say it again. So a bit reluctantly I did. The grandma came out and told us she didn't want to argue about religion. We told her we had a short message to share so she let us in. We taught her and her granddaughter who is 16. We even read 2 Nephi 31:10-12 and asked them if they would follow Christ. It was a cool process. We asked them to do what Christ did and to follow Christ's example by being baptized. The granddaughter Ruth said yes. She was into our lesson. The grandma said that we used the Book of Mormon and shut down, so that was sad. But I got someone to commit to being baptized on my first try talking to people. It was awesome. So after I did my part, Elder Kaka jumped in and made sure that they knew that they needed to prepare before baptism. We need to follow Christ and repent.

The language is pretty tough. It is hard to speak up, but life is good. Those are my only problems. I look forward to increasing my fluency in Tagalog and being able to work among these people. Oh also it is a big deal being white. They always say stuff to me like what they hear in songs, …. I got cussed at by a little kid. They don't know what they are saying. I just ignore them. Anyway, I love you all and I love serving here in the Philippines. I hope you all continue to be healthy and continue to be even more awesome. I love you all. Until next week.

Love Elder Woolf.

October 23, 2011

Hi family. It is good to hear you are doing well. It seems like everything is going well for you. It is crazy that the Hallorans are moving.

Life in the Philippines is good. My mission president and his wife are awesome. The mission is great. The first day we got in we ate and then we had our interviews and then we went out working as two new missionaries and two older missionaries. It was pretty fun. Hard to speak up and bear my little testimony but good. It is fun. The next day we had orientation. Then we got to go to the American Memorial Cemetary. I found Ross Burton's name (Gramma Woolf's brother, who was killed during WWII). He was from Utah in the US Navy as a fireman. That was way cool.

I found out my trainer is Elder Kaka from New Zealand. He goes home November 30th. He is awesome and he will be a great help to me. We are in San Gabriel province. There are trees and fewer houses but there is still quite a few people. It isn't as provincey as other areas. We are in a newer apartment so things are nice. We have new stuff. Our area just got split and we are in the new half.

Now don't freak out, but I have only been in the area for a day or so. Do you remember the sore I told you about on my tailbone? It has been hurting quite a bit and it was hard to walk. So we went to the doctor back in Manila. I guess it is a cyst and so I was in the hospital for a day and they removed it. So now I am in the MRC. The medical recovery place for a week or so. Then I will be ready to go and work with all my might. Don't worry. I am doing good. It is a little sore but I am healing. It definitely is frustrating but it will make me stronger right? Anyway so my trainer went back to get back to work while I heal.

Anyway enough of that. I am excited to try and speak as much Tagalog as I can. I am excited to get back to San Gabriel and work my hardest. I can't wait to be healthy and serve like all the missionaries do. I love the gospel and will use that as my support.

I am doing good. I love you all so much and I wish you the best. Oh yea and my p day is on Monday now. I love you all and hope you will continue to do well. I hope you have fun at your Halloween Carnival and all your other activities.

Love Elder Woolf

October 15, 2011

Hi Family:
How are all of you doing today? It has been great in the MTC. It's gotten a little warmer lately, warm in the day, but it cools down at night. It feels nice with only short sleeved shirts. Having only short sleeves really isn't much of a problem. Only just last Sunday, we started wearing our suits everyday. Now our suits are at the dry cleaners. My companion will pick up his today and we will only wear them Sunday and Monday before we leave the MTC. It wasn't a lie. We just didn't go and pick them up from the cleaners. Also, I got my last shot. It was very fun. I love getting stuck with a needle and then paying 60 dollars. Anyway life is great. As for money needs. Make sure I have at least $150 in my account. I don't really know what the cost for my luggage will be. Just check my account on Monday at 6:30ish and make sure I have enough. Hopefully by then I will have checked on my bags.

I am glad you get to relax for fall break. I wish Megan the best of luck on her PSAT. I hope my calculator will work for her. Just make sure you take out all the batteries when you are done. It is a fantastic calculator:)

The ward service project sounds like it will be pretty good. I am so excited to go and serve the people of the Philippines. I learned I need to be creative in my service. Anyway, I heard that the work is progressing and that I will have plenty of people to teach.

Megan. I am so glad you had an awesome time at the Homecoming dance. I'm glad that you finally decided to write me. Keep up the good work. Go. Fight. Win.... Yeah.

Hi Mom. I got the pictures of Cole and Heidi. It's only been two months and they both look so much bigger and older. I am so glad I get to talk to you in a few days. I am so excited to go to the Philippines and meet President Stucki and his wife. The MTC is awesome but I can't wait to go. Today is my last P day in the MTC. I have to pack up in a little bit. Everything is coming up so fast. I am so excited. On Tuesday, Julie B. Beck, the Relief Society President spoke to us. It was pretty good.

The language is coming along. I have to keep myself focused. Now I feel like I am not sure where I need to study and learn. Once I get there I can work a lot more on the language. Speaking it all the time I can grow and learn. I still study hard but it is just random stuff or reviewing. The last days of the MTC are coming and going. Oh and one last thing. I got the package and I got the dear elder. I saw the call card stuff after I sent my email last time. I will just follow the steps. How hard could that be right? If I can I will call from LA and Salt Lake. LA for sure. Thanks for the package it was lovely. The cookies were awesome and the tie is so cool. Thanks for the food. I also got a package from Maureen. It was popcorn. Delicious amazing popcorn and some candy. I love my family. They are so awesome.

I love you all. I am excited to speak to you in the next few days. I am excited to go to the Philippines and teach real people in their language. I know I am in the right place the spirit is so strong in the MTC. I love you.

Love Elder Woolf

October 7, 2011

Hi Family.
I am glad that all of you are surviving, alive and well. I wish Megan the best of luck with her homework. If it doesn't kill you it will be for your improvement. Dad I am glad that work is picking up and that you are starting to do more trips. I am also happy for Robin. Hooray for work.

Utah has been so beautiful lately. For the last two days it has been cold and rainy. So there is snow up on the mountains which is pretty cool. Also it is a little cold outside in the mornings but it also feels pretty good. So today as you look at the mountains there is snow on them as well as fall colors. It is very exciting.

General Conference was really good. I loved all of it. I took a ton of notes. At least 12 pages. I love the spirit of conference. I really liked Jefferey R. Holland's talk. He's always very straight forward and inspiring. It always makes me want to be better and try harder. I loved when he talked about opening your mouth. I feel it so important to me as a missionary to speak. Everything just keeps building and building. The other day one of our substitute teachers taught us and he said when we get to the Philippines we will not know what is going on. Especially if we are in Manila. People talk alot faster there. He said as we open our mouth we can bring the spirit into a lesson even if what we say seems a little random. It is so important to speak. Then on Sunday we had Chad Lewis, a former Hall of Fame tight end, come and speak to us. The spiritual upliftings this past week have been so awesome. It is wierd to think that a week has already gone by.

Dad, I liked Elder Y___ talk too. He spoke of a missionary who wore his father's missionary coat on his mission 30 yrs. later. That lumberjack tie, you wore, sounds pretty sweet. If you could find it I would wear it proudly just for you.

I would love some pictures of the family anytime. Thank you for your advice Dad. I love your words of wisdom for me. I look forward to each P Day.

Mom - Hi. I am so excited to leave this place and go to the Philippines. I know I will miss this place once I am gone but I am also so excited to go to the Philippines and teach the people there. One of our substitute teachers named Brother Day told us alot of stories and cleared up missionary rumors for us. It made me so excited. I guess they have amazing bread in the Philippines and it is very cheap. I love my teachers, but for some reason there is this thing among Tagalog teachers that they close the curtain around their missions. We have to try really hard to get a story or two about the Philippines.

Also, Mom I am glad that you didn't make those lemon cupcakes. I would be in a jealous rage if you did, ha,ha.

I got my travel plans. We leave the MTC on Monday, October 17th. We travel to LA then on to Hong Kong, and then to Manilla, arriving on October 19th. I am so excited to talk to you while at the airport! I like the Elders in my room. We get along pretty well. We always have fun. They are good guys and good missionaries. One is going to Angeles and the other with me. Life is good. As for PE, I love to play basketball and volleyball. It has just been ridiculous the past few days because it is so cold outside. The gym has been packed and it makes gym time no fun. There are two games of volleyball always going but the past two days there has been 6 extra people waiting to play on each side. We could start two more games... I am glad I get to go soon and I hope the field opens again and gets rid of some people. I love sharing but it is just to many people in not a big enough space. Also, I see Dallin or Elder Haycock every day. Elder Giles is around somewhere and I see him every few days or so. They are still doing great.

Lots of crazy things are happening in the world. Make sure and keep me posted. I have lots of letters to write today. Also it would be cool if you found that lumberjack tie. It sounds cool. Also I am very excited for the package you are mailing for me tomorrow or Monday....

I love being a missionary. I am excited to call and talk to you in a week and a half. I am ready to step up my learning process in the Philippines. I hope you continue to have fun and grow in the gospel.

Love, Elder Woolf

September 30, 2011

Kumusta po kayo pamiliya ko. I saw Elder Giles and Elder Haycock. They are doing awesome. They have meals at the same time as me. I think they are liking things pretty well. It takes a few days to get into the swing of things then conference. They will be fine. I am pretty sure I will leave one day before them. Hahaha. So exciting.

I am glad that you guys are doing good. I got the pictures but the MTC computers are wierd. The pictures were blown up huge and one was turned sideways. I am glad that you guys are doing good and having lots of fun. It is good to see that you guys are staying busy. I got a letter from Lindsay this week and she said she was doing good. I am glad things are going well for her. Also I am excited to hear from Haley. I will look forward to her letter in a few days.

As for me life is good. The blue spot on my neck was just dead blood and the doctor sucked it out. It was pretty weird. So I think it is gone. Also I am feeling better but you know me. The symptoms always last a long time. And the immunization shot - On my first day or so at the MTC the lady who looked over my immunization record said I am able to get my last Hep B shot. She said that it is 6 months from shot 1 to shot 3. She said the 2nd shot just needs to be in between. So sometime in the next two weeks I should get it. I think.

I am really sad for the Evan's family and I wish them well.

I am so excited to go to the Philippines. The district just above us left of Tuesday and we got 3 new districts on Wednesday. It is sad to see my good friends leave but they are excited as am I. Next week I should have my travel plans. It is so crazy how little time I have left. I am going to make the most of it. The other day we taught a member for TRC. We had to practice getting to know someone and teaching them an overview of a lesson. It was way good and we taught for 40 minutes without much difficulty. A lot of it depends on the person we teach and the amount of prep we do. It is always lots of fun. Also I am excited for conference. Not the rest of the day but listening to the prophet and the apostles is going to be cool. I don't know how it is going to be sitting on those bleacher type seats for 10 hours or so this weekend. Also we can't bring in anything, even water. Oh well. I will just look on the bright side of life.

Oh one last thing. I got a letter from Ross Kesler. He said he had family in the Philippines. In Manila area who want to treat me as family. So we will see how that goes but that is way cool. It just makes me more excited to go to the Philippines.

Life in the MTC is going great. I am learning more language every day. I have come to love the personal study and two hours a day isn't enough. I wish I could study longer. The scriptures are so awesome and the spirit that comes from them is so powerful. I could use the things I said like q-tips and some granola bars etc. I also like gold fish and goodies and candy. If you want to of course. That would be cool. I hope you will send me a package. It is so fun to get one. Thanks.

I love you all and I love to get letters from you. The work is progressing and going forth. I am so excited to teach the Philippine people and to get out of the MTC. I am excited to continue to study and grow in the gospel. I know that God lives and everything bears testimony of him. I love that scripture in Alma. I encourage all of you to continue to rely on the Lord and love everyone around you.

Love,
Elder Woolf.

September 2011 pictures

September 23, 2011

Hi family,

I am glad you got my pictures. I am sorry I missed you. I was probably finishing up my temple session or eating breakfast. It is definitely my favorite meal of the week. I love temple breakfasts. I always go to the temple between 6:45 and 7.
The cyst on my neck is still there. I have a doctor appointment today so I will let you know how things go. Also, unfortunately I have been sick since Tuesday. Yuck. I have been congested and have been coughing. It is hard to get better in the MTC. There is always so much to do. Yesterday I felt pretty good in the morning but at the end I was so tired and I was coughing a lot. P-Day should help though. It has already been awesome. I did initiatories then after we had 10 minutes or so before the cafeteria opened and so a lady from the laundry room said we could come and help so we folded clothes. It was very... exciting.

I am so glad you guys get to go camping. I can't wait to see the stars again. Everything in the MTC is so crammed together I never have time to check. Also I always look at the Utah Mountains and think how fun it would be to go on a hike. I am also glad that Megan gets to have a weekend break from the pain of studying. Megan I know that some days it feels like you are banging your head on a table and nothing makes sense. Be patient and keep doing awesome. It will come.

Dad, I am glad things are starting to pick up for you. You are a very hard worker and I appreciate the service you provide to others. That is so awesome that you got to go camping. I love Frisbee but unfortunately it is bawal or forbidden here at the MTC. I guess it is too competitive. Also they only teach us the language and the fundamentals here at the MTC. My teachers try to be very serious and stay focused on the gospel. Every now and then we get a story or I can get an answer if I ask but they don't give us lessons on the Filipino culture. It is just something we have to pick up in the field. Also the MTC isn't singing at conference. Sorry. I am excited except for the sitting in the auditorium seats for 4-6 hours on Friday and Saturday. They really aren't comfortable. But I get to listen to the prophet so I am excited.

This week for devotional we had our 3rd apostle come and speak to us. It was Elder Russell M. Nelson. It was really cool. He focused on the new Ensign for October. Have you guys read it yet? (The special Book of Mormon edition) It is so awesome. The talks inside are so good. Also they have some awesome pictures. I encourage you to read it and to cherish that edition. It is truly inspired of God. I am so glad that I got a copy for myself. Elder Nelson is a very funny man. I really enjoyed him speaking. It has grown my testimony to hear from 3 apostles and Elder Nelson specifically that the Book of Mormon is true. Also my branch president said that more apostles come around conference so there is a chance I may get the chance to hear 4 apostles which would be awesome. If not I would get to hear a member of the Seventy who might have spoken at general conference.

Mom, the picture of the temple would be nice. I could use some more black thread, some granola bars, and cough drops. If you would like to send me some more goodies I would be fine with that too. I love getting letters from you Mom and the letter from Marianne. I think I am starting to see who loves me the most. (hint, hint) I love to hear from you guys. Also do you have Elder Pearson's address? I would love to write him a letter. I love you all so much and I love hearing from you. I am glad you are doing well. I am excited for 3 weeks from now. I love learning and coming closer to Christ.

Love Elder Woolf

PS Paalam is a very formal way of saying goodbye that most people don't use. Most just say Ingat po. Or at least that is how I have interpreted it.

September 16, 2011

Hi Family.
I am glad that you all are doing well. I just got the package today. Thank you! I am so glad that I have more cookies and socks. These shorts will be nice for p-days. It is fantastic. I also got a letter from the Hallorans last night. They also told me that Dallin and Austin spoke on Sunday. That is so crazy. I am excited to see them in two weeks. The MTC is good. Some days are better than others but the instruction here is definately inspired. The missionaries that try their hardest here come out so strong and so ready to teach. In one of the talks someone said that the instruction in the MTC now is the best it has ever been and it keeps getting better. I can attest that is true. I've learned so much. Good advice is just don't be afraid to make mistakes or look stupid. It helps you to learn and grow.
Anyway, I am glad you had fun in Utah. The weather here is so nice. It is starting to get cool in the mornings and at night. It is nice here but I feel like I have been here forever. Tomorrow I will be halfway done with the MTC. Hooray. Oh, and congratulations to Megan. I hope you have fun at your dance.
The MTC schedule is really good. I love everything about it here. I like having P-days on Friday and having devotional time on Tuesday and Thursdays. I get to do service and Sundays are just uplifting and awesome. The biggest challenge for me is trying to find the right words to say. It is hard because I want to bring the spirit into each lesson but sometimes it's hard to know what to say. Then other times I just can't remember what to say or what scriptures I need. It's all a work in progress. There are times where I think it would be nice to go English speaking because you can say what you feel when you need to share, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Tagalog is such a cool language. It is tough but it keeps me humble which I always need. I want to go to the Philippines so bad but I know I still have a lot to learn. I am halfway there. The MTC is such a boost in my testimony and it helps me make good friends, for which I am grateful. For those who are coming to the MTC, learn as much as you can from your experience here. It is awesome.
For our devotional on Tuesday, we had another apostle come, it was Elder Russel M. Ballard. It was so good. I am going to send a letter home talking more about it. I always email right after I get back from the temple on Fridays so it feels like forever ago from Tuesday. For our Sunday devotional, we watched a 9/11 clip, watched Music and the Spoken Word, and then the MTC President spoke a few words to us. It was all so good. I almost forgot that it was 9/11. Holidays don't mean a whole lot here, mostly because I don't remember them.
Dad, I am trying to make more eye contact when I teach. I notice it is easier when I trust in the Lord. It is scary trying to teach people and make good eye contact but as I teach it gets better and better. Really it isn't that big of a deal right now. It will come with experience. Dad, I hope that your tailbone feels better soon. It is no fun to be sore. I know from experience. That is exciting that you get to go camping today. Some days I just want to go for a hike but unfortunatly I can't.
I am so glad that Isaac and his family are moving to Arizona. That is so cool to have a cousin who isn't forever away. Also I am glad that Cole is getting bigger. Did I tell you that my friend called Cole, the Einstein baby? It's so fun to have little nephews and a neice who are constanly growing. I love hearing about them.
I am going to send some pictures home hopefully today. I am so grateful for all the support that has been shown to me so far and I look forward to hearing about your week. It is nice to hear about the outside world. I love being a missionary. I am excited for the time when I get to preach the gospel to the people of the Phlippines whatever religion they are. I love you all so much.
Love Elder Woolf

Email from the MTC - September 9, 2011

Kumusta po kayo. I am glad things are going well in Arizona. Someone needs to take my place and nag Megan about her homework. And that is exciting that mom was 5 minutes away from me. Provo is so nice right now. It is a little bit cooler and it feels good. Also I am glad that work is finally picking up for you, Dad. It will keep you busy.

Yea it is pretty crazy. BYU football. We definitely try to stay on top of things from our teachers. I hope BYU can do good this year.

I am glad you guys had a good fast Sunday. Mine was pretty good. It was a long fast but it was good. We had a missionary conference for two hours then we had fast Sunday and the leaving district bore their testimonies or some did. It was awesome. There were some good testimonies about how they know this is the true church and they are where they need to be.

It is weird now though. All the oldest two districts are gone and we didn't get any new missionaries to our zone. So now we are down to 30 people in our zone and branch. We won't get any new people for 3 more weeks. It's all good the guys in the district that leaves in 3 weeks are awesome. They are so cool.

President Stott our branch president told us that he talked to Aunt Maureen and Uncle Steve and also my teacher Brother Mauzy. His home ward is Steve and Maureen's ward and he is good buddies with Brother Doria, the teacher. Anyway it is fun here but hard. The language is coming slow but steady. I just try and study until I can't. Oh and dad resurrection in Tagalog is pagkabuhay na mag-uli. I had to look it up and I didn't have my language book.

Elder Miller can't remember if he knows the Petersons or not but he said Kevin Peterson sounds familiar. And I asked Sister Tatafu if she knew Paul Chou Lee but she didn't. Aukland is a big island.

On Tuesday Elder Jay Jensen of the 70 came and spoke to us it was cool. I can't remember anything at the moment. Sorry. It feels like it was forever ago. I took notes but I didn't take them with me today when I am emailing so sorry.

Yesterday I got a letter from Brother Walz. It was awesome. It helped me a lot. Sometimes I forget how much support I have.

Anyway I am running out of time so I am excited to get a package it is very exciting. I wish I would get some more letters from my siblings especially since it is so much easier now than when I am in the Philippines (hint, hint). Anyway I love this church and the Tagalog language. It is definitely the coolest language. I love having the spirit and being set apart to receive revelation for investigators. The spirit in the MTC is so strong. I can't wait to go and share my testimony to those in the Philippines. I love you all.

Love Kevin Woolf

Email from the MTC - September 2, 2011

Hi Mom and Dad.

Life in Arizona sounds good. I hope Megan feels better. I got the package on Tuesday and the cookies were good. Thank you for sending me all that stuff. I also got your letter on Tuesday too. I am glad life is going well for you.

Life is going great for me. I love the MTC. I love the language. Tagalog is the best language. It is so cool. I am learning verb conjugations and practicing teaching on the progressive investigators who are our teachers. So my teachers are Sister Landrum and Brother Mauzy. It has been kind of crazy. We have switched up teachers a few times here trying to get the teachers whose schedules work together. They are pretty good. Both of them are complete opposites it seems but they love the gospel and teaching the missionaries. I am trying to learn as much vocab as I can but it is tough. The verb conjugations have to be memorized with each word and there are two conjugations for each verb depending on what you want the focus to be. Oh and then there are exceptions. Basically Filipinos want to make their language easier to speak but it made it crazy to learn. There are also lots of Spanish words. It is kind of cool and kind of confusing. I love learning the language.

So the oldest two districts are leaving on Monday and we get new missionaries on Wednesday. It is really weird but exciting. I am a little sad. I am just starting to get to know the oldest districts. Anyway my district is good. All of us get along real well. We also have the smallest district. We only have 7. Sister Hansen went home this week. It was really sad. But that is life with all its ups and downs.

So now to health things. My finger is good it is getting stronger and hurts less each day. I also had the cyst removed on Wednesday. That was exciting. Then I got to go on a field trip to the student health center on Thursday for the check up. I hopefully will have my last appointment next Wednesday. And for exercise I do a little of everything. I run a bit. Play soccer. Play volleyball. Lift weights. Play 4 square. And one day I worked out with Elder Ziggler. We would run a lap the do pushups or situps or pullups. I did that on Tuesday and still am sore. It was good though.

Mom so far we have had two Seventy come and then one of the Provo MTC president spoke to us. Oh and Elder Holland spoke to us on Tuesday. It was awesome. He was a powerful testimony and loves the missionaries. For the first half he talked about missionaries as the emblem of our church. He told us that people have the right to think we are perfect even thought we are not. Then he said we do not have the right to ruin that image for anyone. Too many people have sacrificed too much for us to ruin that image. He said that missionaries who come back from their missions and then fall away is one of the only things that makes him go crazy. Then after he spoke on that for 30 minutes he answered some awesome questions like how can I feel the spirit and others. It was so good. Now I want more apostles to come.

I tried to send pictures but the computer we use won't let us. So I will find another way.

In another package I could use another pair of exercise socks. I lost one sock so I only have 5 socks. Which is two and a half pair and I work out 5 days a week. Also I wouldn't mind having a pair of shorts. On P-Day it would be nice to where something other than jeans. If not I will get by. Oh and my suit pants ripped again....Other than that I think life is good.

I love you all and I look forward to hearing from you again next week. I just want you to know I love being a missionary. The spirit in the MTC and the people here are great. Life is good.

Love Elder Woolf

Email from the MTC - August 26, 2011

Magandang Umaga. (Good Morning)

Those are good letters. I am glad you guys have had fun with Lindsay and Ethan. Tell Megan Happy Birthday and Congratulations. Happy Birthday to you too Dad! Mom I got your letter on Monday. It is good to see you are getting the hang on modern technology.

It has been so crazy here. Everything blurs together. Well for the most part. Dates don't mean a lot. Anyway it has been hard but awesome. Life here in the MTC is good. The first week started out slow but it is getting better and faster each day. The food is ok. It creates some blockages in some missionaries. So my digestive system has been weird but I guess that how MTC food always is. It's not like home cooked food. Oh and on Sundays for breakfast we have cereal. That is it.

Enough of that; I have already taught like 6 lessons in Tagalog. Our first investigator Aiza Mabalot is now our teacher and her name is Sister Landrum. She served in San Pablo. Oh and Bro Hyde is no longer our teacher. He only taught us at the beginning for the training video we were a part of. It is training for the teachers. So it was good. My other new teacher is Bro Taolele. He served in Olangapo.

My companion is from Laie, Hawaii. He is awesome. In class we have learned how to pray, some basic get to know you questions, Commitments, How to read a scripture, How to bear our testimonies. And just recently some sentence structure and place holders. Tagalog is kind of a weird and hard language. There is no easy standard form. But it sounds awesome. Our last lesson teaching Aiza was our best so far and that was on Wednesday Morning. We didn't use notes we just read two scriptures and bore our testimonies and then my companion asked her to be baptized. She said maybe in the future and now we don't teach her any more. Oh well. Oh and I have been reading the Book of Mormon in Tagalog and English. It is fun.

My zone is so cool. All of us get along real well. Elder Zigler is in my zone but he leaves in two weeks. Oh and Elder Dalton from our stake is in my zone. He came in on the same day as me. Let's gym is awesome. It’s lots of fun. Volleyball, soccer, basketball, lifting weights, running. I hope to lose some weight but we will see. Oh and I jammed my finger pretty good. Oh and the cyst thing on my neck is back. Well not as big but I am getting it lanced again on Thursday. I hope you got my letter I sent. I can't remember what I said already. Today we went to the temple for the first time. I love the temples. The Provo temple is beautiful. After our session we ate at the cafeteria. Now that is some good food. Definitely the best meal of the week. Good bacon and omelets.

I love you all and hope you are doing well. I look forward to the package. Dad I think it is awesome you are exercising. I love you all so much.

Love,
Elder Woolf

First Letter from the MTC August 20, 2011

Dear Family:

'Kumusta po kayo?' This week the internet is down at the MTC. My p-day is on Friday. Elder Dalton from our stake is in my zone and Elder Ziggler is too. Elder Ziggler is doing great and leaves in 2 weeks, crazy. These past few days have been awesome. My teacher is Brother Hyde and he speaks only in Tagalog. He also uses lots of hand gestures. I love this class. Yesterday, we taught our first "investigator". The only problem is all we know are greetings and simple questions like, 'ano po ong pangulan niny?' Which means, what is your name? So it was interesting... Later that day we learned to say prayers and bear our testimony in Tagalog. We teach again today, it should be better.

My companion is Elder Miller from Hawaii/Orem, Utah. My room mates, who are in my district, are Elder Swapp and Elder Roberts, both from Utah. Elder Roberts is the district leader. Other than us four, our district includes 4 sisters, Sister Hanson from Utah, Sister Tatafu from New Zealand, Sister Ofa from Tonga, and Sister Tibeki from a small island by Tonga. My zone leaders are pretty cool. Life in the MTC is awesome.

There is a lot to study and learn, but I can feel my testimony grow. I know this is where I need to be. I know that Jesus is the Christ and He atoned for our sins. I know that by staying focused, I will be able to bear my testimony easier in Tagalog.

Anyway, that's all for today. I hope life is going well and that you had a good week with Lindsay and Ethan. I look forward to hearing from you and reading both letters. I love you lots. love, Elder Woolf

August 16, 2011

Kevin in his room all packed and ready to head to the airport. He left Tuesday to visit family before entering the MTC in Provo, Utah on Wednesday the 17th. (A huge thank you to all who helped him get to the MTC!! Scott and I both feel it best to say our good-byes in Phoenix.)

Family picture before Kevin went through security.

Kevin is on his way.