Approaching 6 Months Countdown Mark

Lil' update for the week!

We did really well this week. We were kind of busy with meetings and stuff, but were still were able to find some new people to teach and get a lot of lessons in. Our zone killed it this week in lessons. Lessons to investigators with a member present and lessons to recent converts and less actives, both those categories, went up by like 30 or 40. Elder Jackson and I also had a meeting with the Stake Presidency and High Council yesterday. We were able to talk about stuff and hopefully get the work progressing even better in these wards. President Sperry and his AP's also got to come too, so that was nice to be able to make plans and get help for the missionaries in this zone/stake. 

Also, we did exchanges with the AP's this week. I felt like I was in America for a bit, using a car. We even taught a lesson to this guy in English.One of the members referred us to his friend, and we had a really good lesson with him. He mentioned about when his wife was dying.  He prayed constantly, but God wasn't listening to his prayers. So we got to talk about how sometimes God has other plans for us, but that through his son, Jesus Christ and his atonement, he would be able to see and live with his wife again. It teared him up a bit, and the spirit was really strong. Love it!

I'm just trying not to get trunky. There are now 18 elders going home with my batch because Elder Jackson's batch is going home early for school. So now there are 3 of us in our house who go home on July 30th. I feel bad for Elder Loveland, the other elder in our house, who's only been out 3 months. 

But yup. I wrote down yesterday in my trunky journal hour by hour what will go down the day I get home! Ha, so excited. I still love it here, so don't worry, but missionaries who lie and say they never wanna come home are full of it. Haha! But ya for reals, the people are great here. Even the poor people that live in squaters, try to feed you when you come over even though they have no money. They're always willing to help us "joes" find where we're going.

Ha, but ya Dad, I love fly fishing so I'm down!

Aight, but love ya! 

 

 

18 Month Mark!

January 20, 2014

Happy only 190 days left! 

 

It's been such a trunky fest out here. Right now I'm sitting in SJDM, the second area I was assigned to. We got permission to come out and buy souvenirs for everyone before we come home. It's been way fun and I dropped like 2000 pesos just barely. Hope you all like your gifts!

 

Things have been good. I'm not sure what happened, but we got punted like crazy this week, but the lessons we did get in were good. We had probably my favorite Family Home Evening that I've had yet yesterday.  I  swear, I fell into a Narnia hole and landed back in America for a bit. They all speak English over there and they're way dope, and rich so their house looks like an American one. It was way fun!  We had pasta, FHE, games and the mom had a whole lesson prepared for her kids. Usually we have to do everything at FHE's.  We're trying to get on their good side because the dad isn't a member and we want to teach him. He seems way chill, but just very shy.

 

We had zone conference this past Wednesday and it was good. Elder Jackson and I gave a workshop on "Listening with Spiritual Ears".  President Sperry gave a way good workshop about the Godhead and everything. It was soooooo good. Love that man!

 

Also, our ward did a little "Mini MTC", so that was fun. Too bad only 3 people showed up, but it was fun. We just taught a lesson and then they all came out and worked with us for a bit. Then later that night, we had our Area Broadcast for the Philippines to review our success from last year and set goals for 2014.

 

All's been going great, still. See ya soon! 

 

Love ya!

January 13, 2014

What up? Just a short email this week... ha well I guess they're always pretty short. I gotta hit you with some pictures from the last few weeks: New Year's pics and from last pday when we went to the only beach in our mission, Novotas Beach. Ah, so beautiful, haha! I'll send pics.

This week has been good. Zone Leader life is pretty chill. We had what we call Missionary Leader Training, which we do every month, so that's always fun -- gettin' to see everyone. Elder Jackson and I started going to different missionaries houses to do studies in the morning, just to get to know everyone better and help them out. It's been fun. 

The work is goin' good too. Pretty much everyone we teach is a part member family. But noooooooooo, ah so bummed. We have this dope little fam we're teaching and they just had their first kid, so they just moved. We we're supposed to baptize the guy next week. Ahh, he was way dope too. Oh well, they said they're gonna continue the lessons in their new ward, but aw... bummer. But we should have a few more baptism dates soon. 

I'm just doing my best to stay focused. I got my trunky journal going with all my plans for post mish, movies to see, things to do. I'm way excited, but I'm still loving it out here, so don't worry. It goes by way too fast, so I'm just enjoying it while I can. That's all for now, 'cause I have to send the pix.

Love ya!

Novotas Beach -- It's NOT Huntington (as in Huntington Beach, CA)

It's a Hold Up!

Aight.  Just a little update, aight? We're hittin' up the beach right after this! Ha, I'm so stoked. Pure trash and black water, but hey, it's the only beach we got here. Definitely no Huntington Beach.  I'll send pics next week. But ya, I'm still trippin' a little thinking about school starting and how I've only got 6 months left. It went by waaaay too fast... well kinda. But I'm way stoked to see everyone. I finish my sisters mission next Saturday! (referring to sister missionaries who serve 18 month missions)

Life's been great. We got held up the other day! We just walked out of McD's and this guy was like, "Hey Mormons!" He was a bit tipsy and tried to tell us he was from LA. We asked what he was doing here and he said, "Lookin' for people to hold up." Then he asked if he could hold us up. We were like "Nah, all I got is this cheeseburger and you ain't gettin' that. But when we get money, we'll totally let you hold us up..." Ya mom! But I thought it was way polite of him to ask first before he tried to hold us up. Hahaha!

The works going good too. I am still way stoked that me and Elder Jackson get to go home together now. We've been working out everyday and dieting to get ready.  But our wards doing soooo good. We had like 300 hundred people come to church on Sunday. That's the most like, ever. The new transfer started and we're having a blast. Our Ward Mission Leader's sister is a chef and is doing a Mexican dinner for us tonight. Ah, I'm so stoked. I have some pics to send home next week so get stoked!

Love you!!

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year Mom and Dad!!

I can't wait to see you this year! ya ya no worries, I've been dang trunky my whole mish.  Who hasn't? But still workin' hard and havin' a blast. It was way good to see you via Skype. It seems like you're all doing so good. The living room looks good too. Ah, seriously you have no idea how much I miss seeing a house with carpet.

I'm way stoked. We have transfer day tomorrow, but nothing's changing in our house. Me and Elder Jackson get to stay for another transfer, so we're way stoked.  The other missionaries we live with are staying too. Dope!

This transfer has been way too fun. So, last night for New Years, there's a Taco Bell outside our mission so our ward mission leader went and picked us up a bunch.  It was soooo good. I haven't had it in over a year. Then we played some games, carved some pineapples out and put pina coloda smoothies in them, played some beer pong with orange soda and climbed to the roof to watch the fireworks. Ahh, New Years is so sick in the Pinas. Everyone goes way hard.

Life's been great lately. Our areas soo good too. It's really poor so its hard to tract, but we've been blessed with dope referrals lately. We had to cancel a baptism that should've been this Saturday, but its all good. Just had to push it back a little. We have some dope investigators right now though. We have this one guy the other elders met at a barber shop. He's waaaaay dope and lives in this huge house by himself with his German Shepard. He's only 60, but retired in '96 from being a travel agent. He's been everywhere, so it's fun to talk to him.  He is just the nicest guy and has the best questions ever. We committed him to baptism and he said yes.  Ha! No questions, nothin'. That hardly ever happens. He even invited us to spend New Years with him because he would be alone since he and his wife split up. Too bad we had to turn him down though because we had an early curfew last night.

But ha yeah, all's good. I started making my trunky journal for my last 6 months. I got my New Years resolutions, plan to get guwapo, final goals for the mission, life when I get home, movies to watch, music to get, a bucket list of things to do. Ha, not gonna lie. I'm way stoked for July. Love it here, duh, but ha.. ya.

Love ya and see you soon!