Week 5

Well people, this is the end for 18 year old Elder Finneman. Saturday we say hi to a new and improved Elder. It is sad but it brings many joys and it is the start of the best week ever, BIRTHDAY WEEK!  It has been a great last week as an 18 year old and I hope I can fit it all in this email with time to spare hopefully! What a week, the best one yet! I will explain the title and many many more, so sit back and enjoy the last time I will be
with you.

So where to do I start?! Let us begin withthe title!! Caffeine week.  So in
earlier emails I let you all know that we can't drink caffeine here, THE
STRUGGLE.  But with every rule there is an exception! that exception is if
the members offer you coke or pepsi or whatever it is ok to drink it. now,
I don't go looking for these oppoortunities but this week I had coke 3
times! hahahaha yes!! It was awesome and it was just what I needed.  The
lord knows my friends, he knows.

Ok now teaching wise. We gained so many progressing inv this week. Huge
blessing. The lord prepares his people, no doubt. Example of the week goes
to.... Titay Dennis and his fam bam!  This was the 3rd time we have taught
titay and the first time we taught the whole family there.  We were
struggling big time with him because when we would teach it really did not
feel like it was meaning anything to him.  So we planned and were going to
try really hard to find out what he truly needed.  So we walked our to his
house and his family just so happened to be out there. HUGE BLESSING. So we
taught about families and how we could be together forever through this
gospel.  This is where it gets interesting...  After we taught they asked..
"how is this possible?" I had the wonderful and scary opportunity to answer
this question and boy, did the spirit take over.  As I was teaching them
about temples, i had the strongest feeling to ask them to be baptized.  I
was freaking out and started to argue with myself that was crazy. After a
while I just found myself saying the baptismal question to the family.
Shell shocked! it was just silent after. But that is when the spirit takes
over.  You could tell they were thinking about it and after a while they
said they needed time to think about it.  But you could tell that they were
learning what we were teaching was true.  I learned a lot from that lesson.
You don't always get the answer you are looking for when you listen to the
spirit but you get what you need.  Truly a blessing to be able to
experience that. and last experience is yesterday got to teach a Muslim!!
Scary but way cool because he is way interested and wants to know more.  He
knows a lot about the church already so it is hard and scary to teach him
but who knows what could happen! The lord prepares his people.

This week was also the week of exchanges! that was fun and just cool
because I had to lead the area. Oh the joys haha I learned that I know more
then I think I do and the lord won't let you fail while doing his work! I
am so humbled after this week of work.

Now the Pictures! so we had a District meeting on Thursday and after we
decided to have a district photoshoot hahaha so fun and just a straight
party! so there are those two pics. the next 4 is a cool story! so on
saturday we decided to visit our far far areas. So much walking...Sso to
get to one of our inv houses we have to cross a river! At first I thought
Elder Manaois was joking but we really did have to. So I crossed the great
and stormy river! and survived. when we got to our inv house, no one there
haha just our luck, but still got to cross a river so still a party! and
the last ones, today was District Activity!! so we went to the beach and
just had some fun! Had to wear pants so we would not be tempted. but all I
could think about was swimming! Two years it will all be possible! But it
was sweet to be with other missionaries and have a good time on the beach!
so there are some pics of that.


That is the whole week folks! Sorry for the length and I hope you all enjoy
it. If any of you wish to be taken off the list of amazing and awesomeness
just let me know. If not, I wish you the best birthday week ever and hope
you all just have the time of your life!! I have never felt this way before
my friends. It is true. and I owe it all to you. keep partying and just
keep being you! remember, the lord loves you and I just like you. Joke
Joke!! Love you all and I wish you all the best in whatever. Until next
week. So long from 18 year old me.


Elder Kyle Finneman

Week 4

Subject: Week 4

Well folks, we are here with another week! My people still don't think I am one of them.  So I may just switch my ethnicity to Samoan.  Joke Joke! But seriously I can't believe my own people don't even think I am one of them. Hits me right in the feels!  Oh well. In other news.... I think I can now say, that I am now getting used to this work! Took me a while but at least it has happened. So sit back and enjoy this week of fun!

This week was a pretty busy week! A ton of meetings and a ton of teaching! A huge blessing. Wednesday hit up the good ole Naga city for a workshop with all of my batch! So sick to see everyone and just so cool to see how everyone was doing. It helped out a ton to know that I was not the only one struggling and also made me realize that life was actually good and I was having huge success. The lord just knows. So that was Wednesday! Then two days later we had zone training, so I got to see some other missionaries again! It helps out so much seeing other missionaries, especially after a rough week.  So this week just let me know that I am doing ok and that life is a party! It is all on how you approach it. 

Now teaching wise! Still teaching a ton of less actives and it is frustrating sometimes. But each time we teach, I can see them start to realize the importance of the gospel. I will tell you a little story about one of our less actives. his name is Samuel and he hasnt been to church in like 30 years i think.  he was baptized in college and then fell away and married into the catholic church. so he has forgotten a lot of the doctrine. So the first 2 lessons we just got to know him and taught him a little about the church again. after the 3rd lesson with him, he starting to open up to us.  he told us his biggest regret was not serving a mission and falling away from the church. So freaking cool to see! So the lord is working big time and I feel lucky that he trusts me enough to use us to get Sam back! 

Investigator wise we just started teaching this sick family! the Dela Cruz fam bam.  Man they are awesome! so willing to listen and to learn more! 2nd lesson in they say they love having us over especially me because of my english and my tagalog. so it was like they were making fun of me. The struggle is real people! but hey if it works, it works. I will take it! so we invited them to church and they said yes! they wanted to way bad! so yesterday shows up and.........challenge failed. sad day but they texted us and said they wanted to but the dad was hung over after a crazy night! Fiestas are happening right now so that was why haha. the dad hasn't heard the lessons yet so hopefully we can get him listening but only the Lord knows! 

That is all I got this week folks but keep rocking! Oh ya in this spider pic, this was at the church haha it was HUGE!! the size of my hand. Don't mess...   Hope all of you have just a great week and just keep living life.  Hang in there and know that there is always tomorrow!! One love homies and until next week.

Elder Kyle Finneman

Week 3

Subject: Week 3: The Week of Rain

What up my homies!! 4th week doing laundry by hand and still not used to it! haha but whew, what a week, the week of rain!  with rain comes brown outs!!! just had our 4th one of the week during this email haha so the struggle is real people! and the frogs come out to play during the rain! so sleep this week has been filled with the sound of frogs. the Joy! Here are the details of the week, enjoy!

So tough week teaching wise.  It rained a ton! Everyday.  You would think people would let ya in right? wrong. REJECTED. Many times.  We struggled scheduling appointments the whole week so it was way discouraging.  So Monday through Friday was just rejection week.  I was struggling teaching and I just felt way discouraged. Friday was the worst day of all! we had a total of 2 lessons in about 5 hours of work and walking.  The Struggle was REAL. To add to that, the apartment we had for the sisters got disapproved because of certain paperwork that was not there so it fell through.  Elder Manaois was not a happy camper. His anger was through the roof! Neither was ninay. The ninay had already begun renovation so it was tough to tell her that we could not use her apartment anymore. Bridge of trust straight burned. So Friday was a tough one.  

Then Saturday hit. We had a CSP scheduled which is community service and it was so fun! hard but fun.  We went to one of our far areas, Bolo Area.  the reason most members here don't go to church is because of how far it is.  So we decided to help out and clean up the place for some crop growing.  I used my machete skills and summoned my ancestors of wielding such a great weapon and did work! it was all well until the fire ant nation attacked.  My feet got destroyed! haha hurt so bad. but I didn't let it stop me! I used all of my power and strength and finished the job.  Well actually until it started to rain.  But it was a blast wielding the machete and just doing work on some weeds and fire ants. 

We started our fast saturday night.  Let'st just say at the beginning I was dreading fast Sunday.  I have always struggled with it, I mean look at me! I NEED food. but it turned out to be a huge blessing. Seriously, I am a changed man! Fasting works  peeps and I am thankful for the opportunity it brought! Who would of thought that I would say I now enjoy fasting.  The mission changes lives people! We had 50 members attend church this week but man was the spirit strong with those few.  Testimony meeting went for an hour and a half! it was so awesome. Ace bore his testimony and it was so powerful.  Hit me right in the feels... He is the one leaving for his mission and he is ready to serve.  The Ward members said that is the first time he has done that and man he did wonders!! then the next 4 people after him were incredible also! the spirit was just what I needed after the rough week. 

After church we had our workshop where we work with members and take them out to the life a missionary but before they all ate at the church while me and Elder Manaois had to sit and watch them eat because we were still fasting! hardest thing I probably have had to do.  It was tough! but I am still alive. During this time of eating though I really have gotten closer with the members and it has helped so much.  Even though it is just a branch and we have a ton of less actives, the people in this branch are a huge blessing and I didn't realize it until yesterday! man they are awesome.  They want to throw me a birthday party on the beach for my birthday too haha since it is on a Saturday.  So who knows what will happen but as long as we can get some lessons out of it, I ain't gonna complain! They are really excited haha I am trying to make sure it does not take away though. 

 

But we had the workshop and during the workshop while tracting we found another apartment for the sisters. MIRACLE!!!  it was great! Crazy how things work out. After the workshop we taught two lessons after and one was just out of this world! the Madayag fam is an inactive fam and the 2 of the kids are not members.  We were going to teach about the BOM but we decided to watch Finding faith in Christ which we randomly had.  The lord knows peeps!  one of the best things.  they loved it!! loved it so much they wanted to watch it again.  so we left it with them so they could.  The lesson was amazing and it was just crazy to think how it all happened! Fasting works peeps and it truly made up for the rough week.  So that is all I got!  Hope everyone is enjoying life and just living it up! have a good week my people. Mahal Kita!!

Elder Finneman