Philippines Tacloban Mission

Free resources about the Philippines Tacloban Mission:

*Other Mission Pages: Philippines LDS Missions.



Philippines Tacloban Mission Address

Here’s a recent address for the Philippines Tacloban Mission. We try to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.

Philippines Tacloban Mission
511 Maharlika Hwy
Fatima Vlg, Tacloban City
6500 Leyte
Philippines

Phone Number: 63-53-323-4063
Mission President: President Eduardo M. Argana

Philippines Tacloban Mission Map

Here’s a link to the mission map for the Philippines Tacloban Mission (LDS). To access the official, up-to-date LDS.org map for the Tacloban Mission:

  1. Log into your LDS account here.
  2. Click here.

Videos with Tacloban RMs

Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Tacloban Mission.  We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.

mission interview  mission interview  mission interview

LDS-Friendly Videos about Philippines

Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about Philippines. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos about Philippines, that are free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.

LDS Church  places  history  food  People and Culture  language  Storms and Natural Disasters  time lapses  nature  traditions

Tacloban Missionary Blogs

Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Tacloban Mission. This blog list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.

*Send your missionary a gift (mission-specific shirts, ties, Christmas stockings/ornaments, pillowcases, etc.)

Elder Kysen Momberger mymission.com/elderkysenmomberger 2018
Sister Trasea Brown mymission.com/sistertraseabrown 2018
Elder Keaton Miller mymission.com/keatonmiller1 2018
Elder Wade Holmstead elderholmsteadmission.blogspot.com 2018
Elder Timothy Wardrop eldertimothywardrop.wordpress.com 2018
Elder Joseph Martin facebook.com/JosephMartinMission 2018
Elder Blake Kuehne blakestaclobanmission.blogspot.com 2018
Sister Sierra Prudencio sisterprudencio.wordpress.com 2017
Sister Makenna Russon footstepsinthephilippines.blogspot.com 2017
Elder Brandon Wilson brandonawilson.com 2017
Sister Madison Healey sisterhealey.blogspot.com 2017
Elder Erik Woolston elderwoolston.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Jaret Boyer elderjaretaustinboyer.blogspot.com 2016
Sister Brooke Wilde thegirlwhoserved.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Brett Child brettintacloban.blogspot.com 2016
Sister Jennifer Brereton jenbrereton.wordpress.com 2016
Sister Brianne Mortensen sisterbriannemortensen.blogspot.com 2016
Elder Brady Fisher mymission.com/elderbradyfisher 2015
Sister Mary Pike sistermarypike.blogspot.com 2015
Sister Mary Maico sistermaico.blogspot.com 2015
Elder Jordan Carlton elderjordancarlton.blogspot.com 2015
Elder Preston Hughes missionsite.net/elderprestonhughes 2015
Sister Sarah Ralph sistersarahralph.blogspot.ca 2014
Sister Madison Kramer sistermk.blogspot.com 2014
Elder Tyler Kesler missionsite.net/eldertylerkesler 2014
Elder Wyett Crockett missionsite.net/elderwyettcrockett 2014
Sister Camille Dial missionsite.net/sistercamidial 2013
Sister Audrey Delfin missionsite.net/sisteraudreydelfin 2013
Elder Landon Smith missionsite.net/elderlandonsmith 2013
Elder Brandon Morris missionsite.net/elderbrandonmorris 2013
Sister Madison Dumas phlippinphilippines.blogspot.com 2013
Sister Katie Hogge sisterkatieinthephilippines.blogspot.com 2013
Elder Dylan Kingsbury elderkingsbury.blogspot.com 2013
Elder Christian Smith missionsite.net/elderchristiansmith 2013
Elder Taylor Erickson missionsite.net/eldertaylorerickson 2011
Sister Julie Loveland sisterjulie.blogspot.com 2011
Sister Carissa Jones carissajones.blogspot.com 2011
Sister Megan Dustin dustinmissionaries.blogspot.com 2011

Philippines Tacloban Mission Groups

Here are Tacloban Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Tacloban Mission.

  1. Philippines Tacloban Mission (PTM) Group (1,060 members)
  2. Philippines Tacloban Mission (2003-05) Group (282 members)
  3. Tacloban Mission Facebook Group (235 members)
  4. Philippines Tacloban Mission Facebook Group (175 members)
  5. Tacloban Mission 2012-14 Pres. Andaya Group (147 members)
  6. Philippines Tacloban Mission Facebook Group (104 members)
  7. Philippines Tacloban Mission Facebook Group (56 members)
  8. Tacloban Mission Moms (LDS) Group (10 members)

Tacloban Mission T-Shirts

Here are T-shirts for the Philippines Tacloban Mission!

Shirt designs include Tacloban Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL.  The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.

*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: Tacloban missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.

*Click here to browse Tacloban Mission gifts



Recommended Mission Prep Books

                    
(Fun Fact: John Bytheway served in the Philippines!)

Tacloban Mission Presidents

Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Tacloban Mission.  

  1. 2017-2020, Eduardo M. Argana
  2. 2014-2017, Wayne E. Maurer
  3. 2011-2014, Jose V. Andaya
  4. 2008-2011, Edwin Malit
  5. 2005-2008, Richard Jay Trask
  6. 2002-2005, Frank Wayne Elggren
  7. 1999-2002, Danilo D. Dela Vega
  8. 1996-1999, Fred C. Dimaya
  9. 1993-1996, Carlos C. Revillo Sr.
  10. 1990-1993, Leonardo S. Mina

Philippines LDS Statistics (2015)

  • Church Membership: 710,764
  • Missions: 21
  • Temples: 2
  • Congregations: 1,181
  • Family History Centers: 171

Helpful Tips about the Philippines (articles written by RMs)

Tacloban Missionary Survey

Here are survey responses from Philippines Tacloban RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.

*Click here to take a survey to help pre-missionaries going to your mission.

When did you serve?

  • April 2013-2015 (Edgar)
  • 2013-2015 (Chase)
  • April 1993-April 1995 (Robert)
  • 1990-1992 (Mike)
  • 2013-2015 (Jaime)
  • 1994-1996 (Sherwin)
  • 1995-1997 (Thomas)
  • 1998-2000 (Michael)
  • 2001-2003 (Eric)
  • 1996-1998 (Bryan)
  • 1999-2000 (Beckie)
  • 2005-2007 (Colby)
  • 2006-2008 (Rocky)
  • 2008-2010 (Ariston)
  • 2001-2003 (Anonymous)

Which areas did you serve in?

  • San Juan Tacoban City, Ormoc city, Biliran Island, Bobon Catarman, Oras and Can-Avid Boronggan, and San Miguel Carigara. (Edgar)
  • Alcala, Sta. Maria, Malasiqui, Pozzorubio, San Carlos, Calasaio, Dagupan. (Chase)
  • Isabel, Calubian, Ormoc, Borongan, Bontoc. (Travis)
  • Burawen, Leyte… Calbayog, Samar… Quezon city…Mindawe, Cebu… Lapu-Lapu… Negros… Tagbilaran, Bohol. (Bryan)
  • Baybay, Tacloban City, Ormic City, Palompon, Tanuan. (Beckie)
  • Baybay. (Colby)
  • Naval, Mahaplag, Dolores, Jaro & Villaba. (Rocky)
  • Cabucgayan, Balaquid, Talisay, Pinamopoan, Burauen, Catbalogan, Marasbaras and V&G subd. (Ariston)
  • Abuyog, Dolores, Catarman, Tacloban, Catbalogan, Ormoc, Bay-Bay, Maasin, Macrohon, San Juan. (Thomas)
  • 1st area, Merida Ormoc zone, 2nd Gandara Calbayog zone, Dulag, Basey, Biliran, Allen. (Anonymous)

What were some favorite foods?

  • Spicy root-crop leaf with coconut milk. (Edgar)
  • Adobong manok, sinigang na baboy, lechong manok, mang inasal, chic boy, bicol express. (Chase)
  • Lumpya. Mangoes. Chicken adobo. (Robert)
  • Stuffed bungus, fried sangines, chomparado. (Mike)
  • Pork Adobo. Tortang Talong. (Jaime)
  • Smoked fish. Sea crabs. Suman. (Sherwin)
  • Sweet and sour meatballs. Adobo. Lechon baboy. (Michael)
  • Fried lumpia, chicken with banana ketchup and rice, chicken adobo, noodles, pineapples, mangoes, bananas, coconut water (all fruit is fresh and delicious), shemperado, pork and beans with chili flavored corn chips, fried spam with rice and bamboo shoots. (Travis)
  • Bicol or sticky rice, mango float, mangos, hot dogs with fried eggs and banana ketchup, pancit, fried lumpia, fried fish and rice. (Eric)
  • Dog, cat, monkey brains, balut, lechon manok , lechon baboy. (Bryan)
  • Veggies. (Beckie)
  • Fish fish fish. (Colby)
  • Bunagol. (Rocky)
  • Bulad/ squid (dried fish), shrimp and ginataang talong with tahong! (Ariston)
  • Lumpia, Chocolate rice, chippy! (Thomas)
  • Orange. (Anonymous)

What was a funny experience?

  • When I say something inappropriate at dinner with a family and it means something rude to them but I don’t know the exact meaning of what I said…hahaha. (Edgar)
  • It was raining really hard one night and the streets started to flood. My trainer was walking and fell into a gutter three times. (Chase)
  • Sliding down the mountain on my pants. (Mike)
  • When they taught me how to drive a mission vehicle in a traffic road. 😛 that was when I’m called to be an Assistant to the President. (Jaime)
  • We have to walk 500 meters from shore to baptize because we didn’t know it was low tide at the time of service in Capoocan , Leyte. (Sherwin)
  • We trapped a rat under a box in our apartment. My companion opened a corner of the box and doused it with rubbing alcohol to make it pass out. The rat squeezed out of the hole and came face-to-face with my companion, who panicked and started screaming. The rat screamed back just as loud before running halfway across the room and then passed out from the alcohol. (Michael)
  • Seeing a hog tied upside down on the back of a motorcycle. (Travis)
  • When I was first learning the language, I told an investigator that Jesus Chirst paid for our living room furniture with young coconuts. Everybody in the room just started to laugh and I had no idea what was going on until my companion told me what I said. (Eric)
  • My trainee was a big Canadian who puked all over his shoes after he found out that he had just eaten monkey brains. I have a great picture of it. (Bryan)
  • A dog was chasing me while I was walking on a very narrow bamboo bridge. (Beckie)
  • The little kids. (Colby)
  • ASHA ITON – which means sounds like I SHALL RETURN of Gen. Douglas McArthur. (Ariston)
  • One of my companions got hit in the ear while during a wrestling match. We thought putting water down the ear might help him. We were wrong, he screamed like a banshee for about five minutes. Come to find out he had a perforated ear drum, poor guy. I guess that’s why they say “No wrestling” in the white handbook. We should have obeyed! (Thomas)
  • Lost into the mountain. (Anonymous)

What was a crazy experience?

  • Oh…when we climbed a mountain and it was about 2 hours before we arrived at the top of it and it was so foggy and some rain and it was so slippery… (Edgar)
  • My companion and I crossed a river that had two pieces of bamboo as the bridge. (Chase)
  • Riding topside on a jeepney. (Robert)
  • Being on top of jeepney with armed NPA. (Mike)
  • When typhoon Yolanda hit the Tacloban Mission 😛 (Jaime)
  • We talked to a guy with long samurai to ask for address, only to find out later that day he is the same guy wanted for seriously attacking someone in area. (Sherwin)
  • In Guiuan, we went to see the huge waves on the sharp rocks in Ngolos. We got too close, and the tide started to come in. I was slammed by a series of huge waves before my Zone Leader helped me get to higher ground. (Michael)
  • Riding on the outside of a jeepney that was too full. Just be safe and follow the rules and you will be fine. (Travis)
  • One day while my companion and I were finishing up lunch at a small hotdog stand, we were approached by a crazy homeless lady. She started telling everyone that she was so excited her love had come back for her as she started trying to grab and hug us. We tried walking around the stand to the other side but she kept following us. We quickly left the stand and headed down the street but she was still following us. We started running and so did she. We had to run into a store and hide until she left. The craziest part was that this lady was wearing only a fanny pack and had some flour wiped on various parts of her body. My companion had a water bottle that he had insulated with an old sock in his back pack and it fell out while we were being chased. We did not stop to pick it up for fear for our life but the next time we saw this lady she had that sock tied to her fanny pack. (Eric)
  • NPA soldiers following all the missionaries around, trying to kidnap Americans. I was bit by a tapay-tapay, a very large spider and it almost killed me. I was in the hospital for a few weeks and I found out that I had a tape worm too. (Bryan)
  • Walking on a dark road, walking on top of the hill at night without flash light. (Beckie)
  • Typhoon storm. (Colby)
  • We were teaching a family in a very remote village when a drunk man came to the home threatening to kill us with his bolo knife if we didn’t leave immediately. We locked ourselves in the home and were there essentially being held hostage in the home for several hours while he cursed, yelled threats, and hit the outside of the nipa hut we were in for several hours. We didn’t get home until very late (midnight?) and somehow the incident made it into the local paper. We were emergency transferred out of the area. (Thomas)
  • Basketball in the mountain. (Anonymous)

What was a spiritual experience?

  • Going around buying something at the store when, unexpectedly, a member got so sick and she needed a Priesthood Blessing. (Edgar)
  • My companion and I were walking to an appointment and felt that we should visit a less active on the way. We started teaching her and she started to cry. She told us that she had been having a hard time and needed a blessing. We gave her the blessing and she was happier after that. (Chase)
  • Blessing the Sacrament on the first Sunday I was there. (Robert)
  • Realizing I was teaching in Tagalog. (Mike)
  • To bless a sickly old man the morning before his baptism so we can proceed with service. He literally leapt in his feet after the blessing to his baptism ( 3rd time rescheduled because he always got sick on the day scheduled). (Sherwin)
  • In my last area, some members referred us to a large family, and we were able to baptize this family and a good chunk of their extended family. I can’t take any credit for it, though, because the members prepared them well, and the Spirit did the rest of the work. (Michael)
  • It was great to be with people that are so friendly and to have the Christ like experience of serving them. The New Testament came alive for me as I read it during times where we didn’t see much success. I felt I got to know my Savior more. (Travis)
  • I was struggling with learning the language and starting to wonder if I would ever be able to understand it. We were meeting with the a family that we were teaching and my companion was talking with the wife about some concerns she had. I had been thinking about some advice my companion had given me about trying to learn the language. So I decided to try and talk with the dad. I struggled to get a conversation started but I kept trying then the next thing I knew I was having a conversation and and understanding what was being said back. He was sharing his testimony of the Book of Mormon with me. It was like a switch had been flipped and all the sudden I knew Cebuano. I was so excited after we left, I tried to tell my companion about it but I could find the words to tell him in Cebuano to tell him. I then realized that I was given the opportunity to communicate perfectly when the Lord knew it mattered most. This helped me realize that this is the Lord’s work and how important it is to have the Spirit with you while performing his work. (Eric)
  • I baptized a Catholic priest after spending 3 months teaching him everything that I knew about the church. Awesome experience and he helped us teach several people from his own congregation. (Bryan)
  • Countless. One was seeing an individual embrace the gospel. (Beckie)
  • Helping others. (Colby)
  • Many, many spiritual experiences, but I had one investigator that was making a serious study of the Book of Mormon and one night he had a dream and what he started to describe to us was eerily similar to Temple Ordinances. We were all crying and it was a very spiritual experience. (Thomas)
  • Baptized. (Anonymous)

What are some interesting facts about the Tacloban Mission?

  • Ah… I miss it… The lessons from our mission president, the interesting people..their culture, beliefs, and everything.. (Edgar)
  • A temple has been announced but no ground breaking yet. It started out as the Baguio mission but later split into the Urdaneta Mission. (Chase)
  • Contains Leyte Island and Red Beach where General MacArthur returned to the Philippines during WWII. Home of Imelda Marcos. (Robert)
  • Lots. (Mike)
  • People will eat fish and rice the whole year with a smile and thankful hearts. (Sherwin)
  • During World War II, General MacArthur landed in Tacloban after winning the Philippines from Japanese control. (Michael)
  • It taught me to love fresh fruit and vegetables, and to not be a picky eater. I hadn’t thought much about the purpose of sister missionaries before my mission, but I have a testimony of their importance now. I saw sister missionaries bring so many families into the church. (Travis)
  • When America returned to the Philippines during WWII, they first landed on the island of Layte and where much of the fighting took place in and around my mission. I met several farmers that had found old army helmets or ammo casings buried in their fields. (Eric)
  • Tacloban mission is in the poorest region of the Philippines. It is not an easy mission to be on if you are a clean freak… But the people are so awesome and humble.  (Bryan)
  • People are loving. The mission has two major languages- Waray and Cebuano. (Beckie)
  • The rides. (Colby)
  • I’m not sure if it is still the case, but we had house helps to help us clean our apartments, launder our clothes, and cook 2 meals a day for us. It was amazing! (Thomas)

What was the weather like?

  • Sunny and rainy…and expect that there will be a typhoon…hahaha. (Edgar)
  • Hot and humid. (Chase)
  • Hot and humid. Very tai.y during the monsoon season of December, January, and February. (Robert)
  • Sticky. (Mike)
  • Wet, humid, humid, humid. (Sherwin)
  • Hot and humid. A lot of rain in “winter”. (Michael)
  • Hot, humid, rainy, and really hot and humid. I was only cold a few times like at night after a rainstorm when wind was blowing as we traveled on a bus with no windows. It took a lot to cool down. (Travis)
  • Hot and rainy. There are really only two seasons Hot and Wet and they last about a week or two each. (Eric)
  • Rains often. Never cold. Except when I was in Valencia, Negros. Hot and humid and it could rain so much and hard that you will be chased by the rain storm…(Bryan)
  • Humid, hot, cold. (Beckie)
  • Cool and rainy. (Colby)
  • Hot and humid year round. I once remember being cold in the mission home sleeping in an air-conditioned room. (Thomas)

Any things you really like about the area/people?

  • I love everything about them and the places… Generally.. (Edgar)
  • I love their sense of humor. It was always fun to joke around with them. (Chase)
  • The people are very kind and humble. They are some of the happiest people you’ll ever meet, yet they have so few worldly possessions. (Robert)
  • Most all were kind. (Mike)
  • People respect missionaries. They are humble. They are happy to be part of church and activities. They don’t expect much but grateful when blessed. (Sherwin)
  • Very friendly people for the most part. I liked how rustic it was. (Michael)
  • Beautiful scenery, crazy friendly people, very poor individuals everywhere when it comes to material things, but they are still so giving. Bring your sense of humor because you will use it every day. The people are so fun! (Travis)
  • They loved most everyone. They would help anyone out if they were in need. (Eric)
  • Amazing people. Humble, very poor people. But very hard working too. The people in the Philippines are really humble and poor, but they are the best people I have ever known in my life. (Bryan)
  • Places are beautiful. People were so kind. (Beckie)
  • Nice people and the language. (Colby)
  • They are so friendly and giving. Everywhere we went people were interested in speaking with us. It was great to be held in such high regard. (Thomas)
  • Hospitable and happy.

Any packing/clothing advice?

  • Missionary attire should be appropriate, and clothing should be comfortable as a base on the weather… Hehe. (Edgar)
  • You don’t need to take toilet paper. They have it in the Philippines. They have rubber shoes that are great during the rainy season. You can have pants made there that are incredibly cheap. (Chase)
  • Don’t take 2 suits, you’ll leave the one you bring, in the mission home. You can get pants tailored there and the fabric and quality is excellent. Take 2 pairs of shoes. Lots of short sleeve shirts. (Robert)
  • Cotton shirts and pants as light as you can. (Mike)
  • Don’t bring winter clothes. Buy good, rubber shoes. Vitamins. Short sleeve, white shirts…lots of them. Temple garments for humid country. Windbreaker, not jacket. Learn to use an umbrella. (Sherwin)
  • Mesh garments. (Michael)
  • You should only bring dress shoes that would be comfortable hiking in. Just have pants made by local tailors when you get there and need new pants. (Travis)
  • Don’t buy expensive clothes because they will get ruined in just a few months and you can get custom made pants for really cheap. Plus custom pants are extremely comfortable. (Eric)
  • Plenty of spending money and an extra suitcase for all of your souvenirs. Baggier pants, preferably polyester/wool… Your white shirts will all fray at the collars with the way the nannies scrub them… Prepare for your parents to send you more during Christmas… Bright colored ties. (Bryan)
  • Clothes according to standards. (Beckie)
  • Wear good clothes. (Colby)
  • Buy a bunch of those cheap CTR rings to give out to the children. They love those CTR rings and it’s a great missionary tool. Choose your garments carefully – prepare for sweat. (Thomas)

What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?

  • A lot… Knowledge, a strong testimony and building a sure foundation of faith in my Savior and in His Gospel…and had a better understanding about my future perspective… Hehehe. (Edgar)
  • The knowledge that God lives and answers our prayers. (Chase)
  • A greater love for my brothers and sisters. A stronger testimony. A great love for the Philippine people. Eternal friends. (Robert)
  • Lots. (Mike)
  • Happy family. Leadership role to be use in serving in the church. (Sherwin)
  • Met scores of wonderful people, had my eyes opened to a wider world, and it made me an all around better person. (Michael)
  • Gratitude for what I have, happiness. (Travis)
  • An even stronger testimony. (Eric)
  • I speak three languages that I can’t speak here in the United States. Tagalog, Waray- Waray, and Cebuano. I learned to speak 3 languages on my mission. I have been home for 18 years and I still speak them today. I don’t get to use them very often but I can speak them still and there are several people from the Philippines on Facebook. (Bryan)
  • Countless. Knowledge and experiences were priceless. (Beckie)
  • A lot help make me a better person. (Colby)
  • So, so many, hard to list them all. A pretty cool language, lots of great memories, some wonderful friendships that will last the test of time, and an exposure to humble circumstances that still make me grateful every time I push a light switch or flush a toilet. (Thomas)
  • Good health. (Anonymous)

What are some skills you gained?

  • Communicating with others… Christlike attributes… (Edgar)
  • More confidence. Love and kindness for all people. Desire to truly be good. (Chase)
  • Office skills. Speaking skills. Time management. Study skills. (Robert)
  • Language. Communication. (Mike)
  • Cooking. Time management. Persistence. Social skills. Driving. Investigating. (Sherwin)
  • Better social skills. (Michael)
  • Cooking Filipino dishes, learning multiple dialects, cultural appreciation. You will have the opportunity to practice all of the attributes that are listed in D&C 4. I liked focusing on one attribute per day. I felt like the Lord gave me plenty of opportunities to learn and improve. (Travis)
  • I gained a lot of self confidence as I had to finally do things on my own. (Eric)
  • Adaptable to which people, and which language I needed to speak. I can multitask really well and I can pick up languages fast. As long as You have the Spirit with you, learning any language is simple. (Bryan)
  • Teaching. Dealing with different kinds of people. Facing a lot of people without being nervous. Traveling with confidence, etc. (Beckie)
  • The language. (Colby)
  • Keeping a daily plan, speaking a language, learning how to handle rejection. (Thomas)
  • Driving. (Anonymous)

What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?

  • That I would have known what will happen during my mission so that I have no regrets coming home… (Edgar)
  • Everything will be okay. The language will come. Be filled with faith in all things. Don’t get discouraged. Be patient. Love everyone. Be bold. (Chase)
  • To not be judgmental. To seek to understand others. (Robert)
  • Brought way too much junk. (Mike)
  • That my waist will increase in mission. I need good pair of shoes. Love my trainer. (Sherwin)
  • I wish I had been more patient with my first couple of companions. I also wish I had taken better care of my toenails. (Michael)
  • I wish I knew more about the stages of culture shock so I could identify those stages within myself and realize that I was just normal as I experienced multiple feelings in adjusting to the culture. (Travis)
  • Some missionaries would end up learning more than one language. I learned three. I really wish I would have had a better trainer. My trainer was trunky and ready to go home. He was lazy and took days off. I wish I could have stood up to him instead of just going with him. (Bryan)
  • I wish I would have learned not to take myself so seriously and just have more fun and smile more. (Thomas)

Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Tacloban?

  • Like what our mission vision stated… To become like what our Heavenly Father wants us to be… And to stay strong, finish strong… (Edgar)
  • Have fun, work hard, don’t give up. Trials do not last forever. Never forget that the church is true. (Chase)
  • Love the people. Become part of the culture. You are not better than the people you serve. (Robert)
  • Trust the Lord in all things. (Mike)
  • Do it! Love the people. Love the language. Love your companion. Love what you do. (Sherwin)
  • Dive into the culture. It can be a shock at first, but if you go in with the right attitude, you will love it. The people are wonderful, and you will make some life-changing connections. (Michael)
  • Don’t focus on what their culture lacks, but admire the differences. Too many missionaries get caught up in what they don’t like about the culture, to the point that they are unpleasant to serve with. Enjoy yourself! Blossom where planted! (Travis)
  • Be grateful for the life you have here. Life in the Philippines is difficult. You won’t get culture shock until you get home. We are definitely blessed to live where we do and to have department stores like we do. If someone offers you some disgusting looking food, it’s an insult to them if you don’t eat it. Just buy plenty of Silver Swan soy sauce and you will be fine. (Bryan)
  • Serve with heart. Love your companion. Especially love the people. Respect the leaders. Be friendly. Get more referrals from the members. (Beckie)
  • Serve well!!! Forget yourself and go to work. (Ariston)
  • When you get to the Philippines, give away your watch to someone who will love it. You won’t need it much and it will cause you a lot of stress – just go with the flow! (Thomas)
  • I know Tacloban is the greatest mission.. (Anonymous)

What was a funny language mistake?

  • Hahaha…secret…aw maybe ‘ambot saem huh’.. an expression. (Edgar)
  • Most of the time new missionaries would construct their sentences wrong so the people did not understand what they were saying. (Chase)
  • Being on a pedi cab and getting dinhi and dito and the driver was warri. (Mike)
  • Pastilan. Paita. (Sherwin)
  • I once called my sister-in-law, my daughter-in-law. Another elder once made a telephone ringing sound (brrriiing) that sounded a lot like buring, which is a crude term for a prostitute. (Michael)
  • I went to get a haircut once. I tried to explain that I didn’t want any taken off the top, but the barber understood that I wanted nothing left on top. I had my head shaved and I looked horrible for a week or two. (Travis)
  • In my first area, I had to learn a different language than what I learned in the Mission Training Center in Provo… I told a woman that was a prospective baptism that I really wanted to have sex with her even though I didn’t know what I was saying… Always talk to the little kids and ask them for advice with the language. Adults will lie to you and tell you the wrong way to say things. (Bryan)
  • Mixing up the language. (Colby)
  • Well its not very funny, but I remember being told I put a silent “h” on all of my “t’s” and it took months for me to be able to hear the difference between a “t” and a “th”. (Thomas)
  • Masagwa. (Anonymous)