Mom, thank you for everything.  I hope you had a great Christmas, it really didn't feel like Christmas here but that call was such a perfect gift.  Sorry for being tired for the first part of the call.   I know why I am out here and nothing will stop me doing from what I'm called to do. 

I'm glad you guys had a great Christmas.  I did too after the call I got 2 hrs of sleep then did the daily Sunday but really to tell you the truth " i felt like i was on top of the world " and everything was perfect out of all the missionary calls my call was the best ever thank you but I wish I could of talked to everyone a little more and Luke more.

So what did everyone make each other, Chris was telling me but then he just stopped.  I think he was just overwhelmed with the great Christmas.  I'm glad you had a great time with the homeless thing when I get back I want to do that with you, so is that a new tradition?  I miss you guys more then anything and love you. I am so glad i could give you a better vision of things. I am better at just telling about things rather then  writing sorry. I am glad everyone loved their letters.  How was the call with Parker?

That's way nice of Shaun to come over to talk to me.  Thats the first time in I don't know how many years not seeing Shaun on Christmas morning, I miss it. Thanks so much for letting Madison come over.  Gosh the call was amazing but hurt so bad too.  Thanks for everything mom and Heywood family!!!!  Don't worry about the present I'm sure it will show up soon.  The call was the best gift, thank you.
love love love
elder heywood

It's all about THE phone call this time of year...

So I'm calling at 3:00 in the morning on the 26th of Dec but that will be for you noon on Dec 25.   I will call you then if you could call back that would be amazing.  I can't wait Mom like really I love you all.  Grandma sent some pics from thanksgiving, oh my I miss our backyard,  I miss everything.  I hope my call doesn't interfere with Parkers but really this is the plan.  I pray that everything will go great and thanks for inviting Madison. Mom, love you, I wouldn't be the person I am today without you.  Gosh I cant wait.  Have your questions ready.


As for missionary work for the homeless all you have to do is just love them.  Open your mouth and speak and pray for the spirit the spirit will help you.  Love them they are our brothers and sisters.  Tell Chris, Dana and Luke to open their mouths and never stop smiling.  Talk with confidence because they are just as nervous as you are too. Ask inspiring questions, get to know them and don't ask them yes or no questions.  Be that shining person for them that day.  Read preach my gospel on how to talk to people, we have preach my gospel for a reason so for family night go over preach my gospel.

love love love you elder heywood

I cant wait to call, keep praying this will all work out.

Don't have much time its been a crazy pday.  I will have to tell you about it next week but everything is good. Kinda crazy week too, some weird teachings and people.  I dont know when I'm going to call but I will try to do my best to call at the right time. I'm sorry I have to go everything is good sounded like you had a great week and some good stories that you will always remember.  I have to go to FHE right now at the Melgar family, they are way fun. Sorry again love elder heywood

The quote of the week "you cant get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good" Jerry West.  Think about that one I think Dad will like that one.


So big news me and my comp will both be staying in Tangub for the holidays.  Jared Heywood called to serve in Tangub for 2 years boooooyyahh.  We had 2 baptisms this last Saturday, they were Russel and Sharramaie Quizanna 9 and 8 years old.  They are awesome but they are Tagalog so its fun to try to teach the them in Tagalog but they understand illongo.   Everything is good I'm way stoked to stay for the holidays.  I don't know what's going to happen on calling you, I will find out this week and will let you know.  This week was way slow, bad week we got the shaft from a lot of our investigators and less active members.  Some of the excuses they come up with are so funny, I will tell you about them when I call.  Everything is way good just have a lot of questions for me when I call.  About my emails, I wish i could tell you everything but there is no way and I suck at typing so sorry if my letters aren't as good as Parkers.  You guys excited for big P man to come back.

I'm glad our grandparents are hanging in there.  Send them my love.  Oh so I was going to mail a package today but yeah it cost 1,400 pesos to mail so yeah I don't have that much so I will have to just send it next week holy crap that's expensive I'm sorry you really don't have to send a package I know how expensive they are.
Thats an exciting win for asu. Exciting for Dana and her cheer and Chris and the band sounds like a swell week.  I cant believe its December.   

Well sorry this week wasnt' to fun but this month will be fun hopefully so I can write some good things next week.

 love
ejmh

hey there family ..quote of the week to think about "our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family, most of all us would give our own life for a family member yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for GRANTED"


think about that one

Well here in Tangub transfers are next friday and we will see where elder heywood goes . Hopefully i stay in tangub its progressing a lot and i love my comp he is awesome we have so much fun but also work so hard and i want to stay with the people i know for christmas instead of going to a complete new area. We had ward confrence and it was awesome . Our stake president taught our investigators class usually we teach it because our ward missionary leader is inactive so we teach every week but then president wanted to teach it. It was way good but way funny too he is awesome . There are so many great people here in the philippines . Everyone is way nice and loving its ridiculous how nice they are and how fun and funny they are. I wish a lot of people were more like filipino.

As for thanksgiving, yeah forgot about it just a normal day but I really missed all are traditions and everything. I dont know whats going to happen for Christmas it depends if i stay or not. Everyone is catholic or baptist. Nice you could read about Elder Peterson he is awesome , I wish I went on splits with him but we didnt get the chance. Tangub is progressing I love it here I want to live and die in Tangub, yes they have their struggles but they are awesome.

Sounds like your Thanksgiving trip was way fun.  Dang I miss baja and just looking outside and seeing that big old stupid face hahah..send me some pictures in the package.

I hope all of you have a great week and keep on going strong and think about the quote at the start of the email. Thank you for the money and for the sizes but what numbers do they want on them?

Eating: I eat rice with whatever topping there is and pbandj sandwiches oatmeal and eggs and thats it.

love you all
talk to you again next week. I have only been gone for 5 months crazy huh
halong ejmh

Sounds like things are going very well.  Yes the Villiar family is awesome and the Idisolo family and Layao families are great.  I love them very much.  The boxing match was intense here, people were going crazy they are so nice here everyone and i mean everyone would ask us to come in and watch the fight so we would talk to them and watch a couple rounds then move to the next house.  It was pretty fun to tell you the truth and I kinda like boxing, it was way fun to watch.  I think it would be kinda fun to be a pro boxer. but yeah Manny is like Michael Jordan back at home or more like Lebron James because he is in every commercial on the TV and every billboard.  As for us, we have alot of investigators that we are focusing on and alot of less active families we teach.

Sounds like a dance frenzy back home. Sounds fun to me i would enjoy going to one of those right now but i would probably sleep the whole time.  It's harder and harder to get up but once I'm up everything is good. That stinks for Gilbert it would be way coool if they made to the semis.  Thats funny about Chris and the girls, i remember that age.  Thats a bummer about Chris's game but tell him to keep his chin up and keep on getting better.
So this past week we didn't get much done.  My comp is a dl so we had to go to the mission office for his training Tues. wed. and Thurs. and while he was getting trained all the other leaders comps were in the office with me.  We split up and just go talk to people so that was way fun trying to go talk to people in illongo.  My language is getting better though I still need a lot of work but its kinda fun cause i can understand alot of if it is slow and most of the people on Negros talk slow but if you get some one that is from another island like Cebuano they talk like no ones business.  My comp is Cebuano, holy crap its tough to understand him but it is coming along.  Anyway, is was way fun to go out and see what we could do.  We did pretty well for ourselves.

The weather is just like "Lost", sunny in the morning then you get that down pour that comes from no where its awesome.  I love it.  I have a couple stories but i don't have enough time to write a story. We are going to go play basketball right now, that will be pretty fun.  Answers:  I shower with a garden hose that comes through the window yeah its pretty sweet.  Food is really good here,  I thought i would lose alot of weight but actually if you don't watch what you eat you can get huge here. The bugs are OK nothing big just like you were camping pretty much.  Sorry i cant write a story its just they are all too long there are no short ones.
One more thing gay people here are crazy you really cant tell sometimes like back home you could tell but here its another world.

Ask me more questions next week like ask the whole family if they have questions for me and i will answer nest week.  Could you send me a jump rope please.

love love love elder jmh

Dear Fam,

Me and Elder Randana are great.  The ward is struggling but we are doing the best we can.  The language is coming really slow but its coming.  We had 2 baptisms, Jiji 15 and Lin Lin 11, oh and Lin Lin's younger sister Lisa but she is 8 and she wasn't an investigator.  It was a good baptism, I got to baptize all 3.  The 2 sisters, Lin lin and Lisa are way cute.  Their family is less active and I just hope that sparks something in their family. They all got baptized 3 years ago except the young girls and one of the older girls and the whole family went to church.  Then Bro Villiar (family name) died in car crash i think and they stopped coming but the missionaries have been working with them for about the last year in a half.  There is Sister Villiar she is an awesome mom and supports the church but its tough for the family to pay tithing because their income is way low.  There is Rompel 23, Ruby 21, Nimi 19, Love Love 14, Lin Lin 11, lisa 8, and Rose Mary 4 they are girls except for Rompel and Rompel is way awesome.  He was going to go on a mission but then his Dad died and then he went to the baptist church and was their singer, he is way good.  So that's the Villiar family.  Jiji she has no support behind her, she has the Idiosolo family but none of her actually family with her. She has her younger brother but her mom is in Canada studying abroad and then her Dad is in Iloilo another island so she lives with the Idisolo family.  They are her aunt and uncle and they support her but none of her own family.  That would be rough, I don't know if i could do that but yeah she is awesome. and she always tries to do the right thing.  That's my life right now; try to help everyone I can wherever I can but its not enough.  Everyone has like a major problem in the Philis.  Either their family is broken their parents are always drunk or they are always away at work just everything.  Thats the philis they are either way lazy or way hard working.


So back home sounds like everything is good.  That's way exciting about the temple.  Oh one more thing could you send a good book of quotes with the cook book i like quotes like anything sport quotes just quotes.

Manny Pacquiao won and everyone can't stop talking about him.   Yes, I did see a little of the fight and he did demolish that guy.

Katie and Aaron,  happy anniversary good luck on the house I hope all goes well.  That's way awesome about Dana, star of the Suns half time, that's Dana!  Tell Luke to keep on doing the best he can and have fun. I always like tournaments.  Chris you're sick because you have a girlfriend, thats why your sick. haha I seriously just laughed pretty hard because you said Chris can't hear, I remember those days.

Tell Lynn Richardson thank you for package number 2 and I did receive the apple juice in the first package, thank you times infinity.

love love love
elder heywood over and out