August 18, 2013

Anyways this week has been a wet one. So much rain, it makes working hard. We have had a pretty steady week. We are kind of in a steady pace and it is almost the end of the transfer so not much has happened. I have seen a lot of blessings those from my last 2 transfers here in Mapayapa. We have worked really hard and we are seeing the fruits of our labors. The Esuesta family, who I though would never come back came last week to church  I knew there was still more ahead for them. We weren't able to teach him this week, because he was so busy, but we stopped by Saturday  and he said, "Elders, I am busy, but I will see you at church." I wasn't too sure, so I wasn't expecting much. He showed up to church again with his wife. It was a great sight! He seemed so happy to be back at Church. I was way happy for him! I pray he will make a successful return! Anyways also we had a great time teaching our Part member Family, the Livelo's. They have progressed so much! They have come to church 3 times in a row now! Each time they have stayed for another hour. Our investigator at their home, Sister Lyka is making steps towards baptism so we are really excited. The family too is becoming active again so it has been such a blessing to me to see their success. To think just a month ago we found them because a member saw us taking a break to get a drink. Now they are partaking of the blessings the church offers to them. I know the Lord has poured his blessings over this area and to these people. Anyways, I think our ward is noticing new faces and a new spark for missionary work has kind of spurred over people. The bishopric has gotten excited and I am expecting good things in the coming future! I love missionary work and I love this gospel! It is the best! It is true too and it really brings true happiness.

August 12, 2013

It rains everyday here ... I am always wet... from rain, from sweat, from foreign drippings in weird places! Anyways We had a great week! I was able to baptize my investigator!! Her name is Analyn Sacoco and we worked with them for so long trying to get them married so they could get baptized. Than after that we had to teach her the doctrine really slowly because it was hard for her to remember and understand. She was a trooper though and she reads the Book of Mormon everyday! Anyways it was awesome! We Baptized her and her cousin on August 10. It was a very nice baptism and the spirit was felt! Anyways after that, Sunday. We had an awesome Sunday. They thankfully showed up to church on time and received the Holy Ghost! Now it is onward to temple prep and sealing! I am so excited for them. Also we had so many good fortunes! We had our other 2 progressing investigators show up. Sister Amee showed up with all her kids, she is an awesome investigator. She moved in with one of our families and one day we just showed up and said, "Can we teach?" and she just sat down and listened. She believes everything we have taught her too. Her husband works abroad and she doesn't want to get baptized without his permission. So ... that will be an interesting challenge depending on what kind of person her husband is. So I am praying for miracles there. Also we had our part member family, the Livelo's, show up again. I was nervous they were not going to come again, because it took us 3 weeks to get them to come once. But they showed up and even attended classes afterwards! So we were way excited when they showed up! Sister Lyka has a baptismal date for Sep. 21 so hopefully they continue in this. Last, I consider this one of the greatest blessings of my mission, was the Esuesta family. We have gone so many times to his house and taught him about building our testimony and than overcoming our obstacles to come to church. He has been telling us over and over that he really wants to return, but things keep holding him back. We went once to his house this week and just shared a simple message about renewing our covenants and how important covenants are. I have no idea what changed him, and his wife especially, but they all showed up an hour early to Church!! When I saw them... my mouth dropped! They said, "Look who surprised the Elders today!" I was so happy! It has just been an awesome week. Miracles have happened in these past 10 weeks in Mapayapa. I have suffered many trials here, but now I don't regret any of them. I have seen so many miracles and so many blessings. I am glad I am part of this work! I know that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. I hope for one day that all will receive his Gospel and return to live with our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Anyways fun story, our zone participated in a training activity with the MTC here. We took around new guys who didn't speak Tagalog... yeah ... they were so bad! It made me feel like the smartest kid ever! haha I am way better than the new guys at TAGALOG! YEAH!! haha That is about it...

August 5, 2013

Anyways this week has been good. We have been teaching a lot of people and really working to get our investigators and our Less Actives progressing. So far we have had a great week. One of our investigators, The Sacoco's, who we thought moved away was actually just on vacation, so we have been working really hard with her for the last like month. She is way ... slow... haha Sister Ann doesn't really remember stuff and listen well. So we really had to work with her really slowly but she finally started getting it! So we got her interviewed this week and next week on August 10 I will be baptizing her and a 8 year old in the family named Carlos! So I am really excited. I am not sure how we were able to pull this baptism of but I am really excited! Anyways, we also have a part member family, The Livelo family, who we have been going for about 3 weeks. They promised us every time that they would go to church. They finally showed up! We were really excited! They came and one of them even bore her testimony! So I am really happy for them. This week was one of those weeks where I saw a lot of reward from my labors. All that walking was worth it! Anyways, I know that this Church is True. I have seen it change peoples lives. I have seen people who were just living together, get married so they can come to the waters of baptism and progress towards becoming an eternal family. I know that this Church is true in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Anyways, I don't really have a funny story... I have one kind of sad one I guess. It is kind of funny but had some bad results. We showed up to the Livelo family and I always love starting out joking and laughing. Our investigator, Sister Likha, had a baptism over her forehead and like practically over her eyes. I asked her why she was wearing that, and I asked are you a gangster? Haha than I started teasing her saying she had a big pimple she was hiding! I kept teasing her... yeah she did not like it and the lesson was awkward, she was really quiet and seemed upset... yeah but it was funny at the time, her family was all laughing! I guess I should watch what I say. Also one more story, I was teaching at a families house, the Balasbas family, and I was sitting on the floor. The mom and her baby were next to me and she was on a chair. In the middle of while I was speaking, the baby who is right next to my FACE!! took a poop in its diaper! I ... didn't like that too much... and I started laughing. Spirit ... GONE! Haha Anyways that's it!

July 31, 2013

Anyways This week was really slow! We are in a steady pace now and getting kind of comfortable. We are really focusing on some new people we found. We have 2 new less active families that we found last transfer. One is the Livelo family and the other is the Balasbas. They have both shown willingness to come to church and we have seen some of them come. So it is good, but we are trying to help them understand coming to church is not a sometimes kind of thing. We need to go all the time. It is what the Lord has commanded us to do and it is how we become sanctified through the sacrament. So I am still confused on how to do that, we are building a foundation on doctrine first right now, making sure they understand that. We have another Less Active Brother, who ... I really want to see return. Every time we go over to him he has a grieved soul and we can tell he isn't happy the way he chose to pursue his life. He always told himself he would come back, but now his family has all fallen away and he blames himself. I can almost see his spirit yearning for the atonement and spiritual nourishment. He says he wants to, but every time he gets to Sunday he becomes ashamed to return or he doesn't feel ready. We shared the restoration with him this last week. It was funny how it was just a simple lesson, but I asked him if he knew it was true, he bore testimony, that he knows it is true. I second his witness and I felt power in the room. It is funny how when one bears testimony to himself... he receives a witness for himself if these things are true. I encourage everyone to find a conviction in the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ, The Prophet Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ and HIs Atonement.I don't know if this moment alone will help this man overcome his obstacles, but it sure gave him some inspiration. A burden was lifted from him for just a couple of minutes maybe, but it was visible to me. I know these things are true and I leave them in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Well here is also a funny story!I was walking one day and this old lady looked like she was asking my comp for something... knowing him he just blew her off. So i stopped and talked to her and she just asked if we were Mormons  I sad yeah and than i offered her help carrying her bags! Haha she had a lot. So i grabbed some and we started walking... like 10 seconds later she latches onto my arm and I escorted an old lady like a boy scout all the way to her street. I didn't get to teach her or anything nor will i ever get to ... cause she wouldn't let me go any further cause she thought I was going the other way. Yeah haha... awkward! Anyways it was funny cause she was super teeny and I was this giant and I was just helping down the street.

July 21, 2013

Well this week was just the most steady week ever. We taught half the days and tracted the other half. I am getting pretty good at walking for hours! Anyways I had a interesting revelation this week. I always wondered how can we hold 8 year olds accountable. They still seem really young and they are missing some knowledge that I feel like you need. One of our recent converts family had an 8 year old get baptized. I asked him many questions if he knew what was right and what was wrong. He knew what was right and what was wrong in a very simple way. Also after his baptism, he bore a great simple testimony! That was awesome. Anyways we are seeing some progress in this area. Our progressing investigator who moved out, actually didn't move out. They just went on vacation... their Grandma lied to us! Anyways she is going to be approximately baptized August 10. When I arrived in this area they got married 2 weeks after. It was awesome I really was excited. We are making sure she really knows the doctrine... she is really shy and kind of slow. We treat her like she is 5 haha. But it is going great! She is doing great! And I am way excited! She is Pregnant too!! haha Awesome! I am excited for this transfer! It should go very smoothly and we are expecting a lot of Less Active rescue and we have some really good situations for progressing investigators! Besides that nothing exciting happened!

Happy Birthday Edward! July 15, 2013

Anyways, this week was really exciting! I have been praying really hard for some people to be prepared for us. That we would be able to find them. We have been searching a lot this past transfer for more people who are ready to progress. Through our efforts, we found 2 families who showed a lot of interest in coming back to Church. One is the Livelo family! They collect Junk and sell it to the recycling companies! haha Yeah we teach at a Junk Shop!! CRAZY! It is dirty in their, but the spirit resides within our small circle when we teach! They have a daughter who is not baptized yet so we are hoping their daughter find starts progressing. She is 13 and doesn't really listen well haha. Anyways the other family is called the Balasbas family! They really love the Church. They stopped coming because the Church is really far from them and they were financially struggling. Also the father in the family started drinking again. So we are working hard with them, but the youth and the mother are doing willing and ready to come back! Than a Less Active texted us saying she wanted us to come teach her. We came and she was ready. Her testimony was so strong already, and she showed up the church that Sunday when we invited her. Also we have found a old couple who are very interested in learning about our Church. Manuel and his wife... haha They are so awesome! They ask great questions and keep all their commitments! It has just been a great week. This last transfer has been really hard. We walked a ton and I prayed very hard at nights that we would be guided. A lot of the people that we found above were all lead to us. The Livelo family, one of the daughters saw us and told us that she was a member.We were just sitting down from a long walk to get a drink. When we told her we would stop by, she said it would be OK, we were a little reluctant thinking she probably doesn't care and when we showed up they were ready! Sis. Genalyn lived in an address that was impossible to find. Elder Chapman my companion was way confused and he was about to give up. We circled around the area and I remember looking into a small alley and thinking, "go there" My comp kept insisting we keep circling around another way. Finally after a frustrating walk around the whole area I swear! haha he gave up. So I finally rounded back to the first place I was asked to go and asked a Nanay where the address was. She said... it is right here! The person you are looking for is my Granddaughter. The Lord has tried us and chastened me and my companion this transfer. We ... basically walked for 5 weeks. This 6th week though I saw the miracles and the guidance from him. The lord has prepared us all in different ways, and he guides us when the time is right and when he feels we are ready. I believe in a God of Miracles and all these people we found ... It cannot be from mere coincidence. I know this Church is true and this last transfer has been a growing experience. I lost some weight too from walking!! haha! Blessings!! Love them!

P.S. I had a great birthday! haha Here is a sample of what I got .. these pictures are from a different birthday but we had the same food this day and than Me and A Member, Bro Pono, had the same birthday so we celebrated together haha!

July 9, 2013

Well this week was a lot like the other weeks in Mapayapa. Man we walked a lot. We talked to a lot of people. We got a lot of come back again, or come back next time. So you know progress right? haha. Anyways the work in Mapayapa is a hard one. we are trying to tract down new less actives who might progress and return to church but they have all seem to move away or died. We found this one house with the address painted on perfectly in front the one we were looking for. Haha we knocked and the lady inside told us that the lady we were looking for lives on the other alley. When we asked they said she wasn't there. She lives in the alley we were just at. We went back and she told us, "she probably doesn't want to be taught." I am pretty sure that old lady was the one we were looking for but really didn't want us to talk to her. Man .. I just wanted to call her out! haha Oh well. I have been praying hard for some miracles, I have been thinking a lot about that. God has not ceased to do miracles and I believe it. We found a family though this week, where the Mom has researched just about every Church and says they are all wrong except the LDS faith. We are hoping they will find for themselves that this Church is the one and only true church on this Earth. We only taught them once, but they are SO nice and way receptive.They also keep COMMITMENTS!! that is a Miracle in itself! Anyways also we had a day this week where it seemed like we just "ran" into people. Some guy just walked up asked us, "Is your Church the one with the Golden Tablets?" We said "if you mean the golden plates than yes!" He was way excited and basically told us the story of Joseph Smith than we offered to come back to his house and he said OK! That was fun, we haven't taught him yet so hopefully we see some real progress there! Also as we sat down for a drink the other day, a girl approached us and said, "Hi Elders!" I had no idea who she was but my comp addressed here like he had known her for a long time! Finally I asked her who she was and she said I am inactive, so we asked if we could stop by! She said of course!! So hopefully they have been prepared for us! I don't know if all these moments will be a miracle. But I do believe God is mindful of us. He is watching over us and has prepared us in ways where maybe we don't experience a miraculous healing, or a out of this world experience. We don't see oceans being split open in half, and we don't see stone walls tumble down without reason. I do know this though, God has not yet ceased to be a God of Miracles. Everyday we might not see how small and simple things could end up being one of the greatest miracles of our lives. How small is it that someone came up to us and asked one question, yet if they chose to accept our message, they will be blessed with Eternal Life. I know how important the message I bear is. I know how it can change lives! I walk miles everyday for that one who might be another testimony to mine that miracles do happen. I leave these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

June 30, 2013

Well the work here in Mapayapa is really tough. We got a lot of just challenges. First off the Ward only has a little bit of active members. We have just no focus on missionary work from the ward. So it is just the missionaries against the world. Anyways we have decided to take a focus on trying to bring back some inactive members back into the fold. In the worldwide broadcast, they put a emphasis on that. "How can the Lord trust us with new investigators and baptisms, if we can't help the ones that we already have!" So i feel pretty good about this focus right now it is tough though. A lot of people in this ward have passed away or moved away without the Bishop or anyone knowing. So we have a lot of work to do. We are just basically trying to find out where the members of this ward live! There is a ton of list of names here but none of them come! So we walk and we ask people where this address is. There is no real addresses here in the Philippines so we talk to a lot of people and try to share the gospel. It has been very time consuming and tiring, but I am expecting great rewards. We had a guy answer a door of an old members home. He was almost amazed when he saw us and he welcomed us in. We were wondering, why he was so dazed. We asked him if these certain people still lived here he told us, "no, I don't think so."  We asked him if we could come in and share a message. So he said "yes" haha after we shared a quick message, he asked us questions. He had heard of the missionaries from his Mom, and asked if we do this with no pay. We told him "yeah." He said, "my mom told me you guys were servants of the lord and that there should be more people like you." I have no idea why he said that, but he had a lot of respect for us. He was really busy though so it was sad we don't know when we could go back. But he is a really great guy, really Catholic, but it was nice to find someone who could be interested just by us and our willingness to work hard. Anyways I complain a lot about the work. It is hard, but really it is just my way of being happy. I feel the rewards from hard work and I am way excited to see miracles. This Church is True and because it is I know I can't fail as long as I am on the Lord's Errand. Wish me luck!! haha

June 23, 2013

This week has been a hard one. We walked around forever this week. It has been raining like crazy. Everyday at 2 it starts raining all day. So it is not that hot, but you get really sweaty. Anyways this week like I said was really hard. We have nowhere to go and we had no success trying to find new people to teach. Anyways ... I really have nothing to say about the missionary work. Well anyways .. we walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. I believe that the Lord was chastening just like he chastened the Israelites. I wish we had a Moses to follow, maybe he could find people. I might just be the Israelite. Anyways I am not going to let this week get me down. Things are going to get better! Get ready for a great week next week.

Ted Mosby!!

June 16, 2013

So anyways this week was good. We spent a lot of time trying to improve this area. We set out looking for new investigators and we found some. We also finally got to talk with the bishop and he seems excited to help us with the work. We saw a miracle in this ward yesterday. My first Sunday not even half of the sacrament hall was filled. Than yesterday the whole thing was packed. I wondered what it could be, and I remembered that last week they had a home teaching caravan and everyone did there home teaching. I have a new found testimony about Home Teaching. It is obvious to me that the work for member retention is not for the missionaries. We simply do not have the time to do that. If Home Teaching is done, we can clearly see that people will feel that love and charity. How amazing is that! Anyways there is a lot of good things coming for us this week. But this week, we had some really good news. We have an investigator who is living with a member. Getting married in the Philippines is not really something people like to do because it is illegal to get divorced and so yeah ... it is like a "trap" to some. She has been taking the lessons and she wants to be baptized. Well to be baptized they have to get married, and so yesterday! Yeah they got married!!! It is awesome!! I would send more pictures,but the computer is slow! We are so excited for them, they can now be baptized in the coming weeks! So I am excited for that! Also we are out finding a ton of new people haha. Funny story for the week.So I street contacted this guy and we gave him some pamphlets and stuff earlier this week. We asked if we could go back and they said it was OK. So we went back to teach yesterday and when we got there, only a 15 year old we talked to was there. He set up some chairs than some lady who was like way excited and said, "YEAH Mormons right? I've listened to the missionaries before. They things you teach are great everyone come sit and listen." Haha Than we had like 9 people just gathered around us as we taught... there were little children sitting and listening to us and the some guys and girls in the back standing and listening... felt like Jesus for a second not gonna lie. Than when we finished we found out one of the guys we taught who standing in the back was a inactive member. We were wondering why? He spoke of the church so kindly but ... than his gay partner came out to say hi to us... awkward! Than the lady asked us if we had girlfriends and we told her yeah we do cause it is safer that way for us so people don't ask us to marry them and take them home to America. The lady was way like, "Dangit I don't want to listen to you anymore you guys have girlfriends!!" haha way funny! We might go back, we might not, we will see! Anyways great week and lots of good stuff ahead for us!

June 9, 2013

I have finally made it to my new area. It is called MAPAYAPA ... yeah it is way hard to say even for me. It means peace! or something like that! Anyways it is far from peaceful. I live in the most expensive house in the Mission home so that part is nice. The area around our house if full of KOREANS! Yeah I thought there was nothing Korean here, actually there is a lot of Korean stuff right here! Restaurants, markets, other weird Korean schools and Churches! So that is really exciting! I got to eat Kimchi for the first time in 6 months!! It was like a little piece of home!! Anyways I am excited to eat all the food here! Anyways though, my area is on the other side like it seems fenced off to me. Yeah my area is super poor full of squatters. Peoples houses are like ... yeah it is hard to explain! we travel through all these places called escanitas. Which are these really narrow passages and it is like a maze in my area! So crazy! Anyways we teach a lot of Less Actives here. Anyways... the area is really dead, not much help from the ward, and my companion has been here for 6 weeks and he still doesn't know the whole area or even everyone we teach. It is way confusing! Anyways the work is dead too. Basically are goal here now is to revive it! Which takes a lot of hard work and very stressful days of just walking around and trying things. So ... I will probably be complaining a lot soon haha. Anyways, my new companion is Elder Chapman. He is a half Philipino half american. He is way cool though. We get along just fine! Anyways cool stuff this week. The one really cool guy in our ward... because our ward refuses to help us, he is a recent convert! He has a kind of cool story. He found the church because he really likes David Archuleta and through him, and the hymns he sings, he decided to visit our church. Turns out he took the missionary lessons and it clicked in him that this Church is true. So crazy story man! (Mom you should tell David's Grandma about that one!) He is way rich too so he drives us around when he works with us! He also feeds us a ton! So he is a cool guy! Other than that... yeah not much to say. We teach a lot of people with no hope.. and they aren't progressing. So yep! That is my week and my new area! Well I know this Church is True and that is why I still am here sharing the precious gift to others.