I Sure Love Families

I have stated the following about missions: When you don't think it can get any more difficult, it does. When you don't think it can get any better, it does. This week I was blessed to experience both ends of the spectrum. I have truly witnessed the Lord's hand in this, His Work.

I'll begin with Elsi's baptisms this last Saturday. It was wonderful. Elsi is such a kindhearted person that wants nothing but to do what is right. She is very conscious of the needs of others and wants to serve them. It was amazing to witness a daughter of God make sacred covenants with her father in heaven. It was amazing to see the ward embrace her and help her feel apart of their "family". The gospel is amazing. Elsi asked me if I would baptize her and I gladly accepted. (We were hoping Polo (the one that referred her) would baptize her, but he insisted on us). It was a great experience, until I found out that she was terrified of water hahah. When she got in the water, her body got rigid and I felt like I was trying to baptize a tree. It took a couple tries, but we finally got her to bend her knees and the sacred ordinance was completed. It was great.

Elder Diamse and I have truly been blessed in this area. I have been often stated my love for Less Active Part Member families and I’m about to share two experiences with you that explain why.

Pia, Micheal and fam.  I love this family so much. We were able to teach them a couple times this last week and it was just amazing. Upon arriving, Michael (non-member) told us that he has been reading the book everyday and is now in chapter 9 of 1st Nephi (that never happens in the Philippines. people hate reading). We taught them about the importance of prayer and church. We then invited them to attend church. Sunday came and ... to be continued.

Edmar, Jenna and fam. Oh my gosh. I feel like I have known this young couple for my entire life. This is the family I told you about last week that we randomly found while looking for a potential investigator. Edmar has been a member for most of his life. He got in the wrong crowd and fell away from the church. His wife Jenna is amazing. Seriously, they are the cutest family ever. They have a 5-year-old girl, MJ, that is absolutely adorable, and a 7-month-old boy. From the very first lesson we could feel that this family was special. We began by teaching them about families and progressed into the restoration. The spirit was tangible. We also invited them to come to church after an amazing lesson. Sunday came and... to be continued.

Sunday Morning: Elder Diamse and I were walking around greeting the members when we saw the elevator open (yeah we have an elevator in our church. What up.) Out walks Edmar, Jenna and their family. Did I mention that they are the cutest family ever? We took our places next to them as sacrament started. However, still no Pia nor Micheal. Five minutes later, I look back towards the door to see Pia's smiling face staring back at me with her young daughter in hand waving at us. They walked in and were followed by Micheal and the rest of the family. Words can barely describe the excitement I felt. They sat right in front of us and ate up everything that the speakers said. By divine intervention, the topics were perfect. We listened to two amazing talks about becoming a worthy priesthood holder and the importance of womanhood. It was one of the most amazing sacrament services of my life.

Monday night: One last experience that fills my heart with unexplainable joy. We went to Edmar and Jenna's house yesterday and had the most amazing lesson ever. We felt inspired to focus in on the importance of the spirit and how it would bear testimony to them of the truthfulness of the church. As we concluded, Jenna spoke up and stated, "I’ve already felt that this church is true. I already know." Oh my gosh. The perfect moment.  Later we asked Jenna if she could offer the closing prayer. She hesitantly accepted after some encouragement by us and her husband. We knelt and listened to an amazing prayer. Half way through the prayer,  Jenna began to get choked up and tears began to flow. She closed her prayer and I opened my eyes to see Edmar with his arm wrapped around his wife in humble, kneeling prayer. It was an amazing sight. A sight that will continue through eternity. It won't be too long before those two are kneeling as husband and wife in the only place that compares to the home in glory: The temple. 

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

Well this week has been, for the most part, extremely epic and exciting. I have a ton to talk to you about. We had something special happen pretty much every day so get ready. 

Tuesday: One of the greatest days of my mission. We were blessed with the opportunity to witness the sealing of Elder Atoigue and his family. It was truly amazing.  After the sealing we came home to a typhoon. It was quite epic. We were all told to be in our apartments by 6 pm and to wait for the storm to subside and the flooding to go down. The real storm actually didn't hit till the following morning. From about 5-10 in the morning, we experienced 60 mph winds and heavy rainfall. We were safe inside our house so it was actually pretty anticlimactic. At 1 we left our apartment to head up to the chapel to help with transfers. We drove by trees that had been uprooted and tree branches scattered across the streets. Lucky, nothing too serious happened. The storm wasn't too strong in our area so no one was injured nor were houses destroyed. Gotta love being a missionary in the Philippines. They say that there's more where that one came from. 

We had a pretty great finding experience this last week. As we were walking along the street, we came across a wallet that had been dropped. We picked it up determined to find the owner. Inside was a little bit of money, a watch and an ID. We examined the ID, the address thereon, and began our search. It was actually only a few streets over so we quickly found it and knocked on the door. An old man came to the door. We explained that we had found this wallet and believed it to belong to his wife (the picture on the ID was a women). He took the wallet, looked it over and discovered it belonged to his wife. He graciously thanked us and talked with us for a while. Turns out they were prepared by the Lord and we are now teaching them. The Lord sure works in mysterious ways. 

Another great finding experience. We were on the search for a taxi driver we had talked to a few days earlier. We knew his first name and the street, but not his house. We turned on to his street and began to walk. We came to a house that we felt inspired to try. We knocked and out came another old man. He wasn't very happy to see us. He told us that he didn't know that man and he left. However, out came a younger women.  She opened her gate and began to talk with us. She then expressed that her husband was a member of the church, but hasn't been in years. She then expounded how about 3 years ago she attended our church with her husband numerous times. However, they moved and then stopped going to church (Don't you just love those less active part member families?). Long story short, we will be teaching them this week and she will be baptized. 

We have a baptism this Saturday! Elsi will be making sacred covenants this Saturday and I am stoked!! I haven't said too much about Elsi. She's one of those investigators that just does everything she's supposed to. Nothing too crazy has happened while we've been teaching her, she is just one of the sweetest ladies ever and wants to know the truth. She was a referral from one of our members and that member has just been the best support for her. He brings her to church, answers questions and genuinely cares for Elsi. Members and missionaries coming together, there's no better way.

Hiding from True Happiness

What’s up y’all? Another raining day here in the Philippines! They've actually reported that a storm is headed our way and could hit sometime in the near future. Nothin to be worried about though.  This country is hit by hundreds of typhoons every year and rarely are they note worthy. We might be wading through the water by later tonight though! It's those little things that make the missionary experience that much better.

Pia and her family are my absolute favorite people ever. We visited them again this last week and I have grow to love them so much. She paid us an amazing compliment.  She told us about her years of inactivity and how she often saw Elders walk by her house, but she never felt the desire to call out after them. She saw them as she drove on tricycles and jeepneys but never initiated a conversation. For some reason, the day we walked by her house was different. She was filled with a unique feeling that caused her to finally call out after us. She then looked at us and stated, "There's something different about you guys. I guess now is the time I’m supposed to come back to the church." The Lord definitely has a plan. The longer I know Pia, the more that plan is unfolded unto me. I begin to realize that we have something specific (character trait, knowledge on a specific subject, a personal experience, etc) that she needs. I have been placed in this specific area to help specific people. They need something that I have. Other missionaries will affect other missionaries that have been prepared to talk with them. Those people need something that they have. I'm just happy that I am worthy to heed the call. 

Fun Fact about the Philippines.  When some people don't want to talk with you, they hide.  Some people don't want to say no, so they just hide. We had one experience this week that cracked me up. I opened my mouth to this old man the other day that wasn't interested at all. A couple days later, we were walking down the same street and I saw this same old man in the distance sitting on a plastic bench. As we got closer he noticed us. As soon as he noticed us he jumped to his feet and ran inside. Then, he realized that he forgot his bench. He ran back out, grabbed his bench and again retreated inside. We walked by and continued on to our appointment that was just a few houses down from him. As we were talking with someone else, I looked back at where this man was and he was just inside his door peeking out at us. I made eye contact and he pulled his head inside. A few minutes later, I looked back his way, and there he was again peeking out his door. This happened multiple times. At this point I was laughing my head off. I then hid myself a little bit so he couldn't see me. I waited a second and then peeked around again. This man was half way out the door and then he saw me. He turned around and ran back in faster than I thought possible for a man of his age. It was hilarious. Every time we walk down that street, we go through that same routine. It's so funny. However, it's also sad that he's hiding from the two men that can help him find true happiness. Maybe one day he'll understand. 

"How Far Will Our Faith Take Us?"

I got some great news as well at MLC. Elder Atougie told me that a brother (one of the less actives that we reactivated in Manila 1st) just received his temple recommend and will be taking out his endowments in the upcoming week. Then in the following weeks, they will be sealed as a family for eternity. As a missionary, there is nothing more amazing to hear.  I sure love that family. 

So my boy, King. Have I mentioned how great this guy is? We taught him this last week and his progression continues to amaze me. Every answer he gives is perfect. He states things that members haven't grasped yet.  For example, you said the following to us in our last visit. "I hear about some people that don't go to church because of how much it costs to travel or how far the church is and I just don't get that. If I didn't have the means to pay for a tricycle (public transportation) I would wake up 3 hours early and walk if I had to." That's just one example of many. He taught me a great principle this week.  He began to share with us about the role of faith.  He said that we all have to ask ourselves "hanggang saan ang pananampalataya natin?" or the English translation, "how far will our faith take us?" Is your faith strong enough to get you up 3 hours early to go to church? Is your faith strong enough to sacrifice Monday nights for family home evening? Is your faith strong enough to get you out to home teach every month? Is your faith strong enough to get you out of a movie theater playing a bad movie or stand up for the kid being bullied? How strong is your faith and how far will it take you? 

Quick story. Can't remember if I told you this already or not. The other day we were on exchanges and we were heading toward an appointment when a woman called out to us. We went back and began talking to her. She told us that she was a member! But hadn't been to church in years. Her name is Pia and she's been wanting to come back to church, but has been too shy. Her husband isn't a member nor her 2 kids. Her husband had never taken interest in the missionaries or the gospel. We had a great conversation and built a great relationship. We set up a return appointment. The return appointment was amazing. We gathered with the whole family and taught a powerful lesson about families and the role the gospel plays in our families. The whole time we were wondering what the father would think. The next day (Sunday), Pia came to church! She brought her kids, but no husband. We began to talk to her and she said, "My husband wants you to teach him. He couldn't be here today but he'll come to church next week." YES! Don't you just love part member less active families? I sure do. She then expressed how excited she was for her husband and family. Needless to say, I’m just excited for her and her family. 

Don't you just love missionary work? Heavenly Father keeps the golden investigators, the ones that are truly prepared, until after you have done absolutely everything you can do to find them. Sometimes he leads you to them, other times, he leads them to you. The church is true. 

Some missionaries may feel bad that they are missing out on what everyone else is doing. I'm the exact opposite. I feel bad for everybody else because they are missing out on what I’m doing.

We're Never Riding Alone

Kumusta!? Alam niyo ba na kayo ang pinakamagandang pamilia sa buong mundo? Namimiss ko kayo araw araw. How are you?! It's been a great week here in the Philippines (every week is great). I'm glad to hear that all is well for you guys. 75 miles? I'm impressed mom and dad. I've got some pretty amazing parents. I'm excited to be able to ride in the Best Dam Bike ride next year. Speaking of which, Bob, can you do me a huge favor and put together some sort of work out plan for me? These are my resources: Jump rope, perfect pushup, exercise bands, yoga mat and a rock solid body. That would be awesome if you could send me something. I miss organized exercise. Well I guess I’ll go ahead and dive into this past week. It's been pretty epic. 

I'll start with one of my favorite men (no homo). King Magalig. Seriously, he's the man. We taught him a couple times this last week and he is just loving the gospel. One of those lessons was the word of wisdom. He's been a smoker for numerous years. At one point he was smoking a pack a day. We had a great lesson and by the end of the lesson he was excitedly telling us how he truly wants to stop. We created a plan and he's well on his way.  He even reported in our last lesson that he's been teaching all of his coworkers about the Word of Wisdom. He's so prepared. King told us this last week that his house feels different whenever we're there. Gumagaan daw ang pakiramdam niya.  It makes him happier and changes his attitude throughout the rest of the day. He works at a Mexican Restaurant that Elder Diamse and I are hittin up later today. Partly to say hi to King and partly because I love Mexican food more than words can describe. It'll be an adventure. 

Went on exchanges this past week with a new missionary in our zone. It was way fun. Reminded me of my first area and the great/frustrating experiences that come with being a new missionary. It's amazing how much you grow and learn over the years. Quite crazy. 

We had our first flood of the year!! The raining season is upon us! As we were walking to an appointment, all of the sudden the windows of heaven were opened and "the rain came tumbling down. The rain came down and the floods came up." We took cover in a member’s house while the streets around us began to become rapid moving rivers. The gross thing about the floods is they occur when the sewers reach their maximum capacity.  As a result, the water from the sewers brings other undesirable substances. The water is literally black. Not only that, but it also causes the cockroaches to flee to the surface. Gross. It was an adventure. The first of many. 

Had a cool experience the other day. In our nightly planning, we were inspired to plan a visit to one of our members we don't visit too often. The next day when we visited him, he expressed to us that he was praying that we would visit him and was even thinking about calling to ask us to come share with him.  He was going through some hard times and we were really able to help him out. Really goes to show that Heavenly Father is conscious of all of his children and leads us to those that need our help. When I say "us" I’m not only talking about his missionaries. Every single one of us has been given the opportunity to care for our brothers and sisters around us and should strive to recognize any prompting to offer a helping hand. Random thoughts about members, friends, family members, or neighbors are actually not random at all. They are divine promptings leading us to those in need. Follow them. If you question whether they are from the spirit, just act to find out. If they cause you to do something good, don't hesitate. One of my favorite quotes from conference: "Tomorrow you might not remember the nice things you said today, but the receiver might cherish them for a lifetime." Don't pass up the opportunity.

Elder Diamse went on a referral chase that resulted in a man that is prepared for the gospel. It all started with an OYM. He wasn't interested. He told us to visit his friend. We did. His friend wasn't interested. His friend then told us to visit a man down the street. We did. He was prepared. He's a young father and is looking for direction in his life. We'll be giving it to him. 

We have an investigator who is just a great lady. Her name is Elsi.  We love her and she loves us. She told us that every time that she sees us she gets super excited. She told us that she sometimes sees us as she's looking out her window. She always says a little prayer that we'll come back and visit her. I just love her. When we knock on the gate, she comes out with the biggest smile on her face and sometimes skips to the door. Gotta love not only being a missionary, but also a friend. 

That about wraps up this week. I sure love being a missionary. There are moments where it's extremely difficult to continue. However, the enabling power of the atonement always takes over and you find motivation where you thought there was none. The times when it gets the hardest are the times it's the most worth it. One may might say it's like a 75-mile bike ride. Sometimes we're faced with a steep hill and we feel like we can't push any further. Right after we've put in our very last effort, we feel a hand on our back that gives us the extra strength to continue climbing till we reach the top. We then realize that we're never riding alone. I love you guys.

"To their eternal credit, I will be forever grateful for them."

Hey Hey Hey.  Have I mentioned that I miss you guys like crazy? I loved reading your emails today. I just love hearing about the exciting events that are taking place back in the Promised Land. It truly amazes me how much things are changing. I'm going to be so out of the loop when my sister is living elsewhere and my brother is a junior in high school.  I'll return home with my rice belly and not know what to do with my life. Gotta love the future. Super exciting. It was a jam-packed week.  The cooking situation here is quite exciting. I think Heavenly Father had canned and freezer foods created for his missionaries, because that's what we eat everyday for lunch haha. Luckily, we have awesome members who feed us dinner nearly every night so we're surviving.

I'll start with an experience I had at the temple this last week. Don't you just love the temple? I sure do.  I could go everyday and just ponder for hours. Last Tuesday I was doing just that. I decided to take a second and ponder about numerous things that would be taking place in the future (after my mission).  I opened up the scriptures to see if I could find out the Lord's will for me. These are the verses I came across:

"Therefore, take ye no thought for the morrow...For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things.

Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself."

Chastised. Ouch. Not the time to be thinking about the future. Focus on the work and everything will work out. Heavenly Father has a plan.

I gotta tell you about my boy King. He's the man. Seriously, he's so prepared. We visited him a couple times this past week and he is just embracing the gospel. He told us of an amazing experience he had while pondering upon the messages he had shared. It was Tuesday, June 17 at 1am in the morning. As he sat on a bench outside his house thought and prayed about what he needed to do. All of the sudden, a newspaper fly out of no where and landed on his foot. He grabbed the newspaper and examined the cover. He saw the date. Tuesday, June 17. The day’s newspapers are usually delivered for another 3-4 hours and yet, there it was, in his hand. It was only a single paper and he began to read. He came across the horoscopes and decided to read his. This is a rough translation of what it said, "What you are doing right now will testify to you of truth. It will bring peace and happiness to your life." Holy Crap. Can an answer to a prayer be clearer than that? He was amazed at the answer he received. I was amazed at the answer he received. It was just amazing. He's taken that answer and is applying it.  He's reading the Book of Mormon, praying and coming to church. This is a great example of what one has to do in order to receive answers to prayers. If we hope to receive such an answer, we have to be completely set upon doing whatever that Lord asks us to do. We have to give up our own desires and our own wants and completely trust that the Lord will give us exactly what we need. If we don't have the conviction to act before, the answer will never come. The power of prayer. Read about it in the Bible Dictionary. We truly underestimate the power of prayer. 

Had a leadership training this week. It was amazing. It was the final training we will be receiving from President Stucki. Super sad, but super uplifting. It was a whole day thing.  Each of the zone leaders gave a segment about an aspect of Missionary Work. We talked about the Book of Mormon. It went well.  Elder Diamse and I also sang a musical number with our two district leaders. It went well. We sang an acapella version of I Need Thee Every Hour. I sure love singing. I saw elder Atoigue and all my buddies there. I love those guys. Elder Atoigue told me a story about one of the members in my previous area. Do you remember Hector? After years of inactivity, he came back to church while I was there. Remember? He's the man. A couple days before the training Elder Atoigue asked him, "Hector, what finally made you come back to church after all those years?" This was his response: "It's all because of two missionaries. I had been visited by countless missionaries in the past and had never wanted to come back. Then two missionaries came by (Elder Carlson and I). There was something different about those two. When they visited me, it made me want to come back to church. To their eternal credit, I will be forever grateful for them." Probably the best compliment I have ever received on my mission. I just love Hector and love that he's happy in the church. The joys of missionary work. 

We sang in the ward choir this week! It was awesome. We sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic." It was great. Not quite as good as the Cabar choir, but I guess it was alright. They recruited us when they realized they only had 2 men. Don't worry, we added some testosterone to the choir.

Where's Waldo?

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TATAY!! Sorry it's a day late. It's that time of month again (I'm referring to temple day. Don't get any other ideas). Therefore, Tuesday is our P-Day.  I'm just so dang lucky to have the best father I could ever ask for. I hope you had a wonderful day. I'll be home for the next one :) This week has been crazy great. We had a lot of amazing experiences.  I'm glad to hear the family is doing well. It's just so crazy to read about the drastic changes that are going on in your lives.  I don't even know if I’ll recognize you when I return. I'll pray for the gift of discernment before I leave.

Alright. This week was great. I got to tell you about this great guy we found this past week. We were looking through the area book at former investigators and came across a man by the name of King Magaling (Translation-King Talented, quite the name). We felt like we needed to visit this man.  We went to the house indicated on the records to find that he moved. Well dang. They directed us to the location that they believed to be his current residence. We made our way that direction and started to ask everyone if they knew this man.  No one did. We made our way down a small alleyway leading to a small, humble home. The home of King Magaling. A man saw us coming and quickly beckoned us to enter.  He found us seats and excitedly sat with us.  He explained that he was in fact King Magaling. King began telling us of his experience with missionaries in the past. He remembered their names, their message, and the feelings he felt. For some reason, the missionaries never returned. King then began to tell us the story about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon (while holding his own copy he had been given the year before). He told us of his family, his wife and two young kids. We then began to share the wonderful message of the restoration with this man. It might be more appropriate to say that he shared the message of the restoration with us. The spirit was strong as this man listened intently to how the message could bless his family.  The rest is history. He told us to come back. We did. Another great lesson. He's going to be baptized and his family is going to be eternal. Gotta love former investigators. 

Had zone meeting this past week!! It was great. Elder Diamse and I killed it. We have the best zone ever.  One of the highlights of the meeting was our focus we put on finding men (if you find the men, the family comes with). We used the well-known phrase of "Where's Waldo?" and exhorted all our missionaries to find Waldo everyday. I also gave a segment about going out of your comfort zone. I related our comfort zone to dough, something that must be continually rolled out or it will slowly shrink back to its normal size. It's not enough to go out of your comfort zone once. It must be a decision to change and make the new stretch apart of who you are. I sure love zone meeting. 

We had some amazing experiences finding this week. 7 of them have agreed to be baptized. Tender Mercies of the Lord. 

So it's finally rainy season! The temperatures have dropped a degree and the rain has come. With the rain and the change of weather comes sickness. Not fun.  Elder Diamse got sick earlier this week and lost his voice. I'm starting to pick it up and also losing my voice. I sound like a moron. 

Nearly fell out of a jeepney this week hahaha while it was parked. That was embarrassing.  As I was getting off the strap of my bag wrapped around my leg and I made a super graceful flop out of the back of the jeepney. I luckily landed on my feet. My body was fine, my pride was not. What was probably going through everyone else's head, "hahahahaha stupid American." That's ok, I can take it.  Maybe it made someone's day or made someone smile that hasn't in a while. 

We had stake conference! There was a live broadcast from Salt Lake City. It was great. Uplifting. 

We found a 18-year-old kid this week. His name is Joel.   He really wants to find the truth.  We gave it to him. He prayed about it. He knows it's true. He came to church. Gonna be baptized.