Week 12: Life is Fantastic! (a brief exchange between Dad and AJ)



Notice little Filipino guy in window!!! How cool is that?

Dad:  Hey dude, How's life?!

Elder Griffin: Fantastic!!!  We just went bowling with our district! The bowling alley is weird!  3 small balls about the size of a shot put per frame.  I got 2nd out of everyone and lost in double overtime!

I totally choked! I had one ball left in the first OT and all I had to do was hit one pin and I would win! But guttered!!! Total choke job!!

Dad:  Sounds fun! Was it cheap, cause bowling is pricy here at home!

Elder Griffin:  Bowling is super cheap. They give you a paper with 15 slots for 150 pesos (about 4 bucks) and you can play till its full (like 15 people or 8 people twice or whatever) they dont have machines. A little Philippino guy sets up the pins and rolls the balls back to you.
Sweet eh?

Dad:  OK, looking forward to your letter. Mom is right here reading over my shoulder. We sure miss you. NFL playoffs are going on and the boys watch but they aren't into it like you were. Oh well, you have the rest of your life to watch FB right? Yeah, we are very curious about your everyday life as it is so different from here, I'm sure. Especially since I am drinking a glass of milk right now ;-)

Elder Griffin: Oh you hoser, don't tell me about milk!  Ya, I miss football. The people are really into NBA but no one watchs or knows anything about football. So I don't even have members helping keep updated haha
So what time is it there? Sunday night??
That's wierd its like 1 in the afternoon monday here.

Dad:  It is 10 p.m. We just put all the kids to bed -- Dallas wanted me to tell you about his talk in church today. He did a great job. He wrote about 90 percent of it himself. Can you believe he gets his driver's license in 2 months? He's pretty psyched, but he needs to get a job and he doesn't want to.

Elder Griffin:   Thats awesome, I had to speak in church too :(    It was all tagalog. I doubt it was very good but I think they could understand me. And I was up there for 12 minutes or so. Tell Dallas jobs are sweet because then you get to spend your own money on cool stuff. When I am 6 months away from home or so I need to get some sweet stuff for you all. They will make custom jerserys with your name on it and shorts for about 10 bucks American. and Real pearl necklaces for 20 bucks American. The only cool thing I bought so far is a carabou belt though. about 10 bucks American, completely made with carabou horns. Thats pretty manly eh?
Good job on the talk Dallas!

A Filipino Carabao belt

Dad:  Wait, a belt made from caribou horns? Definitely manly. Can you wear it with your mission attire, or just for p-days, etc?  Do you get to play hoops at all?
I went and talked to Dallas and Bryce and interrupted their scripture study. Thank you SO much for getting them started on that.

Elder Griffin: Ya, There is this old retired American guy, he is actually in our ward, and cooks us American food every Sunday.  He goes to Manilla and gets them for missionarys. I would say half the missionarys in the mission wear them. They are sick.

Ya usually on P-days I play ball. I talk more about ball in the big letter.  That is awesome I am really happy to hear they are reading every night.

NOTE from Andy -- It seems to take around 5-6 minutes after I send an email for him to get it, which means our little exchange of 5 short emails each took most of his p-day hour on the computer. He was working on the "big" letter the whole while. But it is neat to chat like that, even if it is difficult. I got a real sense of him being with me for that hour. The hardest part is the waiting between emails. We aure are PROUD of our son!!!!!!