9 1/2 months to go... but who's counting???

8-10-15

 

This week was really cool.  So on tuesday we had district meeting and stuff.  Then on wednseday we had a zone service project in alcala.  It was actually at my converts.  He is a carpenter so we helped carry some wood back to his house.  It was so awesome to see them and how happy they are.  There are a ton of new converts over there to.  Back when I was in alcala there could have been like less actives over in that area but when I was there we didn't know, but that is what we heard.  Who knows maybe there wasn't.  Then we got the couple converts over there and now there is a lot of recent converts.  It is really cool to see how that area has grown since I have left.  I got to some members and stuff to.  It was really cool.  This week work went really good to.  Since I have been in this area the sacrament attendance has been pretty low so me and my companion are focusing a lot on less actives.  I love you guys have a great week

Love Elder Lott

 

service project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-17-15

 

Well as I was writing this email it deleted so this is my second time
writing this email. Awesome. This past week went by really fast, but
it was a good week.  So this past wednseday me and my companion went on
splits with our district leader and his companion in their area.  It
was a good day but the thing that made it better is that they have an
a/c unit in their room.  I got such a good night sleep that night.  It
was so nice to not be sweating to death.  Can you send and a/c unit in
my next package...thats what I really want haha.  Then on thursday
president and sister rahlf came up to tugue for our quarterly
interviews.  So this past week was really good.  I went to a lot of
places that I haven't been to yet.  I got to meet some new people.  We
taught this LA nanay.  I don't know how long it has been since she
has been to church but we taught her a lesson and invited her to
attend church the next day.  I was really happy when we saw her at
church.  It was cool that she came. This area is nice, there are a lot
of trees and stuff.  So the scenery is really nice.  Tuao is a branch
so there are not a lot of active members.  Yesterday after sunday
school our branch president went to go pick up his son in tugue
because he just got home from his mission.  So I guess just because he
left they thought that church was over.  We still had priesthood left,
but everyone went home.  So we didn't have priesthood yesterday.  Me
and my companion got home at 11:50 from church and its supposed to end
at 12.  I got to eat a little earlier though and I was hungry haha.
So this morning we had a district activity at some elders apartment in
our district.  We were supposed to lechon a pig or roast it over coals
with like the spinny thing.  We started a little late so we just
decided we would grill it and make some adobo because lechoning takes
a while.  So we went and got the pig and prepped it up.  Their
neighbor came over to help us.  So in return he got the blood and the
intestines, because they eat that stuff over here...ugh I will pass.  I
called dibs on killing the pig.  I was a little nervous though.  I
didn't know if the knife would go in easy or hard.  After all I have
never stabbed anything, we all know I have no problem skinning stuff
but this was my first time stabbing something.  It went good.  Then we
scraped the hair off, gutted it and then cooked it.  It was a pretty
sweet activity.  I love you guys have a great week

Love Elder Lott

 

 

 

an alabino caribow.  I bet it is pretty sunburned.  I don't see those
very often, but it is cool when I do

Mmm pig.  Some nice pork chops!

 

 

 

8-24-15

 

Wow that cycle went by really fast.  So we got the transfer list this morning and my companion will be transferring.  I was really surprised.  I thought we would have at least had one more cycle together.  So I will be leading the area...again.  I have led my area pretty much my whole mission.  My new companion that I will meet on Wednesday  will be my 8th companion, 9 including the mtc.  So I have had a lot of companions.  This past week was pretty nice since it was a stormy for a couple days.  So that means that it wasn't as hot.  It rained for like 3 days straight.  Since it rained for that long the bridge that we normally take to get over the river, was like underwater.  Good thing there was another bridge so we could get to our zone activity today.  The storm also made the power go out on one of the days.  It sucked it went out at like 2 or 3 in the afternoon and came back at about 10 or 11 the next morning.  It wasn't fun.  At least it wasn't to hot.  It was such a relief when it came back on.  On thursday we went on splits with the zone leaders.  It went good.  At on of the lessons I saw this ancient iron.  You fill it up with coals to heat it up.  Talk about old.  I also saw some ginny pigs.  We asked them if they eat them or something and they said that they were just pets.  So this is really weird.  On sunday morning our branch president texted us and told us to text the members that church is canceled.  I don't know why...maybe it was raining hard or something, but we didn't have church on sunday.  It was really odd.  So that was the first time that I haven't been to church in awhile.  Today we had a zone activity at caloa caves.  Before we even got to where we were meeting our jeepney got in a wreck.  Another rear end.  Apparently nobody knows how to drive here because that is the 2 time that I have been in a wreck in my mission and both of them have happened in the same cycle, within a month!  We are fine though thank goodness.  They need seat belts here.  Then we had some breakfast and went to the caves.  They were pretty cool.  We didn't even go all the way in cause people were being lazy which was a bummer.  Then we decided to take a boat ride instead.  The boat just went up the river...not to far, but it was really pretty.  On the way back it turned into a water fight.  Everyone was splashing and it felt great.  The water was so clear and I just wanted to jump in.  Why not I was already soaked, but I didn't.  An elder going home on Wednesday  did though and a couple other people got pushed in.  It was pretty funny.  I hope you all enjoy the pics.  There are a lot!  I love you guys so much!

 

Love Elder Lott

 

 

 

We took a boat up the river and ended up getting into a water fight.  It felt so good I just wanted to jump in.  I am glad that my camera is water proof.  Its awesome

 

 

And I am back to caloa caves.  we went there for a zone activity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tugue N Zone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riding on top of a jeepney

 

 

 

 

 

the fun days of summer continue...

playing at a cool new park in Syracuse 

 the boys got into the Halloween things

 

 

 

 

golfing at Swan Lakes in Syracuse

I am surprised we didn't get kicked out as the boys ran around doing cart wheels and acting like crazy boys.  Actually, it was pretty funny and we really didn't bother anyone so we just let them be kids and have fun.  We started to keep score but decided it wasn't worth the effort on the first hole.  Ethan would just hit it a few times and then use his putter to guide the ball in the hole.  Adam and Ethan keep telling Mike he needs to take them to a real golf course.  I don't think so.  That's a disaster just waiting to happen. 

 

 

 

 

 

July 12, 2015

We love you Ry !!!!

 

I bought around 15 balloons the night before to let off.   They were all flat by the next day but one.  So Ethan had fun decorating it and letting it off for his brother.  His cute little picture is priceless and so are the words he wrote.  It's adorable he accidentally spelled Ryan wrong.

 

Yes, his eyes are shut.  The sun was in them.

 

 

 

 

Mike worked in Phoenix during the middle of July.  It worked out and I was finally able to go on a business trip with him alone.  We had a very nice time together even though it was 110 degrees.  His cousin Tiffani lives in Phoenix and we had to force ourselves to have pedicures and go shopping together while our husbands worked.  Thanks Mike for taking one for the team again.  I even had a nap one day.  It was wonderful

 

 

 

 

Child labor....  we knew there was a reason we had so many kids.

We are finally finished with our back yard.  It's wonderful to be done  Too bad it only took 5 years.

We have been enjoying food from our garden this summer.  Before Ethan bit into his corn he said,  "Get that corn out of my face !!!"  Way to go Eth for this one liner!!!   (It's a line from our families favorite movie Nacho Libre.  Ok, the whole family doesn't like it.  Mike hasn't got on board with it yet.)

 

So Ethan has been complaining about his eyes and saying he needs glasses.  He is also telling us he has heart burn.  Where does he come up with these things??  He's nuts and to be honest he has a little problem telling the truth lately.  I took him in for his yearly well check up and he didn't do great on the eye test.  The doctor and I agree it's hard to tell at this age if they are faking it or not.  I will just watch him once school starts.  Later that day we were in the dollar store and we found a quick solution to our problem.  Yep, they only cost a dollar.  He looked so cute in them and right away said he could see better.  We all tried them on and couldn't wear them because they were very strong.  By the end of the day he fessed up that they hurt his eyes as well.  He's only wore them a few more times for a few minutes and he doesn't complain about his eyes anymore.  Silly boy.  I tried to tell him that having glasses is really not that fun.  I am glad it only took him a few hours to figure it out.  (FYI  We tried to break the lenses out so he could just wear the frames.  They are indestructible and we couldn't get them out.)

24th of July Parade in Newton, Utah

My dad, along with the other Veterans from Newton, were honored with a ceremony and monument and were in the Newton town parade.  We are proud of him and all those who serve and served our country.  It was fun to see my dad in the parade and he even threw us a few pieces of candy. 

 

 

 

 

The Lott Family

7-24-15

We joined Mike on another business trip at the beginning of August.  He worked in Colorado Springs, Co.  The kids had fun swimming in the pool and watching Disney shows for endless hours.  I even got some sun this time.  Yeah.  Thanks for taking us again Mike.  We had a blast.

 

 

 

 

The boys and I and a kid we met played a little basketball.  Ethan and I were on the same team and we surprised the other boys by holding our own.  It was actually pretty fun even though I am so out of shape and felt like I was going to have a heart attack. 

 

Believe it or not Ethan actually got his head stuck and I had to help him get it out.  Hopefully now he will listen to my advice not to stick his body parts into places they don't belong.  A few weeks ago he got his arm stuck in the back of a chair and totally panicked when he couldn't get it out.  It was all the kids and I could do not to bust up laughing. (Ok we did bust up laughing.  We later had to apologize to him.)   Both times he really wasn't stuck too badly.  He just needed to relax and turn his arm and his head.

 

The boys were so happy to get to see the Broncos stadium.  Ethan was disappointed he couldn't go in and play catch on the field. 

 Mike did take Alex to a game for his graduation present .  So Ethan only has to wait 13 years to go.  He wasn't happy with that arrangement to say the least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My niece is on a mission in NY City.  She sent this in her email this week.  It was very inspiring and I wanted to share. 

 

 

This week I was sitting at the table thinking about cookies and I thought how gross it sounds that one of the ingredients for cookies is salt.  Why would we put salt in something we want to make sweet?  Because we need opposition.   If we didn't put salt into the recipe, the sweetness wouldn't be the same.  The same is in our lives.  We need challenges in our lives because opposition is what we need to grow and be happy and enjoy every moment.

 

In doctrine and covenants 122: 7&9;  "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee;  if thou be cast into the deep;  if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good...  Therefore, hold on..."

I know no one has it easy in life.  I know sometimes things seem like more than we can bear, but I also know that we need our trials.  We cannot hope to become what God wants us to be, by getting through life without the challenges.  I know we can grow from them.  Make the challenges a part of your life.  Accept the trials you face.  Do what God asks, because He is making you stronger.  I know that as we embrace the surprises we face, God will help us and always be there to say 'hold on'.


So, long story-short:

 

I know that sometimes God puts salt in our
lives, so we can better taste the sweetness.

 

Elder Lott we love you

 Jul 13, 2015

So this week is transfer week.  Last week we found out that my companion will be training this next cycle.  So I found out that I will be transferred a week early.  Which is fine with me.  I also figured it would happen because I have been in this are for 6 months.  So on tuesday we had splits with the zl's because my companion had to go to a new trainers meeting on wednseday.  Then on wednseday I was on splits with one of the zl's while he was is cauayan.  In the van on the way back to the apartment a drunk guy fell asleep on my companion.  It was pretty funny so I had to get a picture.  On sunday I didn't even have to speak in church which was a big bonus because I didn't want to.  So since I am transfered that means that I get to pack...again ya!  Thats alright at least I will have a new apartment.  I really can't take this apartment anymore so I am glad that I will get a new one.  I am also excited to transfer just because I have been here for 6 months in the same area.  So I want to see new places and meet new people.  I am anxious to see where I am going to transfer.  I got some pictures with some members and some investigators during church on sunday.  So I wonder if I will get an american companion or a filipino.  I am guessing a filipino.  He will be my 7th comp and I have only been out a year.  I am excited and ready!  Love you guys have a great week!

Love Elder Lott

Santiago South zone

 

7-20-15

 

So it is pretty crazy how transfer day went down!  So we got to cauayan and the zl's read the list.  Elder Lott your companion with be elder reyes...tuguegarao north zone!  So my new area is tuao.  It is in the same zone as alcala!  I was pretty excited when I heard it.  Get to go back to tugue!  Apartment wise...well I was only there like and hour or 2 and I already liked it better than my last apartment!  We have a working shower head, its not as hot, its pretty big, but there are some bugs.  It has been raining the past couple of days so we get the big spiders in our house.   they are big and fast!  There is also more mosquitoes in our apartment!  they aren't to bad.  I just wish that there wasn't any.  So my companions name is elder reyes.  I am following him up.  He has only been in the field for 3 months.  He just finished his training.  I am liking my new area so far.  The are a lot of calasa's which are like horse wagons.  They are like little ponies though.  I think that it is animal abuse.  A lot of the horses are pretty skinny, but it still reminds me of riding horses back home.  They are pretty cool.  I am in a branch now.  My first two areas were wards    now I am in a branch.  Less than 50 people were at church on sunday so it is pretty small.  I had to bare my testimony last sunday and then my companion told me that we have to speak in sacrament every fifth sunday.  So we have to speak next week...yes not looking forward to it!  Tomorrow we have an elders conference so we are going to cauayan.  So there is a sister in my district.  She is from mendon.  She went to mountain crest and utah state for a little bit.  I told her I used to live there when I was little.  She said nobody ever knows where that is.  She is cool.  I am excited to be back in tugue!  I love and miss you guys!  Have a great week!

Love Elder Lott

 

 

horse wagon

 

 

fhe in my new area with a lot of little kids

 

 

July 21, 2015

Alex and his first companion met up again at elder's conference

 

 

 

 

7-27-15

This past tuesday we had an elders conference in cauayan.  We rented a van as transportation.  It turns out it was my bishop from my first area.  Anyways on the ride down everyone was pretty tired.  So they were all asleep.  I was sitting in the front seat and I decided to get a little rest to since we were up early.  So I hadn't had my eyes closed long when I felt that we were slowing down.  So I opened my eyes and I see the car in front of us getting closer by the second.  Our driver didn't slow down fast enough so I just braced for impact.  We weren't going that fast and its a good thing because none of the vans have seats belts...that work.  I don't know fast we were going but we rear ended the van in front of us.  It for sure woke everyone up.  It wasn't even that bad.  We just had to follow the van to the police station and our driver had to pay for the damages.  They said that he couldn't leave until it was done so we took a bus the rest of the way to cauayan.  So that was the first wreck I have ever been in.  If you could call that a wreck,  It wasn't even bad.  I got to see elder arorong at the elders conference.  Turns out he is now a zone leader, I would have never guessed that.  Our week went pretty good.  I have been living off of pancit canton pretty much this whole week and it is really getting old.  We were supposed to have a missionary fireside type thing on saturday.  I figured that nobody would show up, since it was so unorganized and....I was right.  Hey that's fine with me they had us speaking, but I think it will probably happen this week or something.  My talk went pretty good in sacrament meeting.  My topic was the millennium.  I don't really know a whole lot of vocab on that topic so it was a lot in english.  And since I am in a small province, they don't understand english.  So it was pretty much like talking to the wall or something.  In my talk I said that satan would be bound during the millennium.  In priesthood somehow they got on the topic of the millennium for a minute and somebody said that satan would be unbound during the millennium.  We corrected him.  So that is proof that probably nobody listened to my talk, and that guy is in the branch presidency.  I have been removing a lot of mice this past week.  I have killed 5 and I just keep seeing more.  Oh I also saw a frog in our apartment,  so there are definitely a lot of critters.  The work is going good.  It has been raining a lot lately so that is keeping the temperature down so that is good.  I love you guys have a great week

Love Elder Lott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-3-15

 

Finally we got support.  Phew I really needed that.  I had like no money.  So to answer your question my companions name is elder reyes and he is a filipino.  He is from somewhere around manila.  The work is going really good.  We got a couple new investigators yesterday.  Our branch president fellow shipped with us and he brought his tricycle.  So I finally got those pictures of me in a tricy.  They are very small and the ones here in tugue are like the biggest ones out of all the areas in the mission.  I wasn't feeling that great this past week, my nose was all congested for a few days.  I had a cold.  I feel good now though.  I am still trying to get the area down.  I have only been here for 2 and a half weeks and I am trying to get to know the members and the area.  I like tuao...its good.  It is not the strongest branch but that can change.  Well my letter is a little short this week.  Love you guys have a great week

Love Elder Lott

 

tricycle

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-3-15

Hey mom.  It sure sounds like you have been staying busy babysitting.  The answer to your question about the cooked vegetables...I ate them but I don't like cooked vegetables.  It was just at a zone conference.  Oh ya I got the garments and the package.  I thought I told you.  Thank you.  I was so happy to get the garments.  It makes it so much easier.  Also I was excited to get the package...cause it was good and it is gone.  I did get the shirt.  I wish I could have went there.  That would have been a paradise.  So something for sure I know I would like is a football.  I was supposed to get one from another elder that was going home but it got ruined.  Oh ya and some protein.  Like chocolate powder for a drink or they come in protein bars.   My companions name is elder reyes and he is a filipino and I think he lives close to manila.  I think my tagalog is going good.  I still have a lot of room to improve.  I just hope I can get it all down.  So how are your riding lessons going?  Can you ride backwards?  I love you mom have a great week

Love Alex 

 

 

 

 

pictures from his mission blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am so thankful Alex's mission has a blog and we get to see extra pictures of him.