Kurat! Bunyag!

So, this week has been great. I think it was Thursday when we were just walking down the road and a motorcycle pulls over with two girls riding it. Elder Tan recognized them, so I figured they were either members or former investigators. They chatted with us and I wasn't picking up what they were talking about really, but all of the sudden the only sentence I heard her (Gwen) say was, “I can be baptized!” Everyone was smiling and looking very excited, so I threw up my excited face to match. I find out later she had been taught a few months ago by some elders before me, but she was living with her boyfriend and wouldn't break up or marry him, so they couldn't do anything. But she had just broke up with her boyfriend and moved back home with her two other sisters (Rowena and Maylin), who had also been taught already. So, we had 3 dynamite investigators dropped in our lap! She still needs all the lessons and to come to church 3 more times before she can be baptized, but it’s way great! Unfortunately, it’s moving slowly because a new rule in our mission is that there always needs to be a male present during every lesson, since some elders got sent home for some inappropriate conduct. So we have only been able to teach her once since we have to wait for a member to come with us before we can teach her, but we visit very often and they are super nice. Gwen (the oldest one) has a 3 year old daughter who only speaks Tagalog and always shouts my name.
Aside from that we are slowly building up a strength of investigators. Apparently, I came at a very slow time. We only had like 1 progressing investigator and the other companionship didn't have any, so we are getting there slowly. We had a bunch of people committed to come to church, but only like 2 did. So that was hard but it’s all good. I have my first baptism scheduled for December 4th. I'm pumped!
All in all, I feel like I'm beginning to figure this whole thing out. The bathroom is a trial, especially with my body adjusting to the diet here. I eat rice everyday, and I have eaten a bunch of stuff like squid. We eat a lot of these small fish that you clean on your plate. The head comes attached.  They are actually pretty good. Elder Deguidoy and a tiny little elder in the the house makes food all the time – it’s great! He is way funny and looks like he is 12. He met Gwen once and she was like “missionaries are so young!” She pointed to him and was like, “you must be like 14 or 15.” He was like, “I'm 20.” She was like, “oh, you’re so cute.” Its good times here. The only problem with the Camotes is that it called "outer Darkness" since it is the most far flung and devoid of missionaries place in the mission. It is just us four in the house. The AP's came to visit a couple nights ago but the second they got there they found out their was a problem the Mission President wanted them to solve over in Bohol. So they slept there and left at like 5 in the morning. That was the first contact I've had from anyone in the mission since I got on the boat. Although President Hansen e-mailed me and said President Ko of the area authority is probably going to come visit before Christmas. So that will be cool. He said the growth in Camotes has been huge, so he wants to visit the Saints.
Mom, I got your letter Monday night when the AP's came. Sorry. It was good though. I love getting mail. As for the package, don't bother with toilet paper. Just send stuff like American snacks and stuff. And maybe some cash. They have some cool stuff here you can't get in America, like these belts made of Carabou Horns and bamboo, or scripture cases made of bamboo.
P.S. Everything here is made of bamboo! All the houses. It's nuts. I really dig it actually. This one member made a huge bridge out of bamboo that goes out over the ocean and we watched the sunset there one night, gorgeous.
Well, I think that's about it. I love all of you. God definitely has been helping me. The language isn't easier, but I can tell I've grown a lot and I know its all Him. He loves us, individually. I really know that. I love you all, individually too.
Gugma Elder Abbott
P.S. Laundry here is sweet. It's all by hand. I feel like it does a much better job. I can really get the problem areas, but I still miss laundry machines like crazy.  
P.P.S I don't know if there is a way to contact Brother Young, but if there is, like he e-mails you or something, let him know I'm in the Camotes. He'll go nuts.