Week 32 - Growing Up Week

Well here we are! How is everyone doing? I'm just living here! haha busy busy week so hopefuilly I can just let you all know what happened. But might as well get started! I am starting to run out of ideas on how to start these emails hahahaha

So this past week was my kid's B-day! I didn't think I would be here to see it cuz we were finished training and I thought we would be transferred but we weren't so I got to see my kid's B-day! hahaha such a proud daddy. The dude is now 25.... I am still 19 hahaha so that is fun. and we have been companions now for 14 weeks. So we just are hanging in there... But ya it was his birthday so we celebrated! Bought him a cake and just let him go to town. It was fun and we had some laughs. The same day we had interviews with our lovely mission president and that went awesome! He is a good guy and definitely was what I needed. So that day was a great one for sure. 

Investigator Wise it has been good! My kid starting working on Thursday since his foot was still hurting so that was good to finally have a day of work. We had our golden Investigator finally come to church for the 4th time so now she can get baptized!! haha so pumped for that! So now we are about to become wedding planners for her wedding and her baptism. Double Whammy! But really pumped for that. She is awesome and it has been so cool to see her grow in the gospel. Not a better for a missionary than to see a person realize how important this gospel is. That is what life is all about. We also had those girls that asked to be baptized come to church! They are pumped about being baptized, it is awesome! Part of me thinks it isn't for the right reasons though so we just want to take it slow with them and make sure they have a testimony of the gospel before they join. There is nothing worse than people who join not for the gospel! They always just go less active and it just causes problems. So we are hoping for the best with them. But they are starting to read the BoM and that is all they need! So a ton of blessings for sure :)

Got some pics here for ya! saw a monkey! he was a chill dude. That is me going to town of some wood. Just trying to have some fun haha and the others are my kid's b day and the sunrise this morning! 

What else happened? That is all I can think of haha it has just been a normal week! Just working for the Lord. Sometimes I forget that this isn't normal life. But I love it. They may be the hardest times ever but no doubt they have made me such a better person. The lord will always give us what we need sometimes not what we want.

So ya peeps, that is life here in the good ole Philippines. The struggle is still real but its a great journey. That was a sick quote I found this week! "Life is not a race, it's a journey." So flippin true! Sometimes we forget that it doesn't matter how fast it goes or how slow it goes or how long we live. What truly matters is what we do with the time we have been blessed with. Whether you are struggling or you are loving life remember, Heavenly Father loves you and wants what is best for you. That is the reason the things are happening. So try to find out what you can learn from it and have it help you become the person he needs you to be. I love you all and could not be more thankful for all that you do. Keep dominating wherever you are. like the good old wise paps of mine used to say, "Whatever you are doing, give it all you have for that. Have a good week my friends. I leave you with a scripture 2 Nephi 22:2. Until next time my people. 

 

 

Week 30 - Trial Week

Well peeps we are here, and we are living! how is everyone doing? So I totally forgot it was Valentines day this week hahaha I always forget the dates and just time! Seriously being a missionary you just forget everything.. Like right now, I forgot what a city was! But we are in Naga and I am freaking out.... hahah I have been in the middle of nowhere for way too long. It has changed me! But life is good :) It has been on interesting week and I am pumped to update you all! So let's just hit the road eh?

Here is prolly the biggest news. So it is transfer week... Found out me and my kid are going three transfers! 18 weeks with one companion hahaha that is so long... I was way shocked but hey the lord knows right? There is always a reason! So ya that will be fun. 18 weeks hahaha but ya! Our companionship has been a roller coaster I swear. He is 24 and I am 19 so we have our differences. This week was just a huge trial week with him and thinking we would get transfered and then finding out that there was none makes things interesting! But I am excited. Last night we had a talk and it went really well! So we will see how it goes.

But ya this week was definitely a trial week! We didn't get that many lessons... Found out my kid has an ingrown haha and it is bad! So we had to take a few days to rest cuz he just couldn't walk anymore. So that is why we are in Naga right now. Then we gotta come back Wednesday so he can get his whole nail off hahah my kid's first surgery. I will have a tons of pics! he is pulling a Ri guy hahaha the struggle is real. So ya that basically explains our teaching week!

So ya that is basically life here haha nothing really new. It definitely has been a tough week but a week where I have learned a lot. Last night, I finally felt like all my prayers have been answered. I know Heavenly Father loves us. An I know he is there. He truly does answer prayers. So when it doubt. pray it out. and when it doesn't seem to work, keep praying. He will answer them. I promise you he will. Just trust him with all you got. I know the lord has a plan. Nothing really does make sense, but I know for a fact he is in control. So even when everything doesn't seems right, it is. Just trust in his plan and hope for the best. When all is lost, just keep going. Give it all up and just keep swimming. He will help you through it. He won't give up on you, so don't give up on him. I love you all. Thank you for everything. Here is to another week. I leave you with a scripture. Alma 38:9. Until next time email people.

 

 

 

Week 29 - Junior Week

My fellow friends, what is up! Another week is here! haha still mindblowing
on how fast time goes. All is well here in the good ole mish. Just living
and partyin! haha and teaching of course! I will try my best to update you
all. Still hate writing these things hahahha but let's get started!

So this week was a junior companion life week! In the training, the new
missionary leads everything for the last two weeks of the training. The
planning, teaching and just everything. So it was like just a follow around
week for me. Definitely took a little stress off, but was worried for my
kid! he was stepping up to the big leagues now... And the dude rocked it!!
haha my kid is such a stud. With him leading we actually taught the most
lesson we have ever taught since we opened this puppy up. That made me feel
good. I have been doing something wrong for 10 weeks hahaha but my kid has
done awesome! He did work. So it was cool to see that, my boy is growing up
:)

So ya that is teaching wise! We have picked up some new investigators and
even a family! So I am way excited bout the family. We even picked up this
sick Tatay. He is a stud. He has some Word of Wisdom issues and knows it is
bad. So before he joins he wants it to go away but doesn't know how.
Strongest lesson ever. Seriously my kid did work and the spirit was
amazing. So we are just gonna visit him everyday and read the BoM with him
until he gets the desire to finally give it up. He is way pumped about it
too! So it has been a huge blessing with finding. I'm telling ya, my kid
does wonders!

That is basically the week haha I forgot the rest. Oh ya! this morning we
went fishing hahaha so fun! P-days have been so borring so it was just
relaxing to sit next to the lake and fish it out. had some coconut too! I
have some pics here and others with the different missionaries, so I will
just send those next week. but ya! That is the week. It has been good. Been
learning a lot with just sitting back and letting the kid take over. Life
is good my friends. Learned this week you just gotta enjoy the little
moments. I realize that it really is the little moments that matter.
Nothing else. The little things lead to the big things. So enjoy them! You
are only here once. If you are struggling, enjoy it. If you are happy,
enjoy it. Just do what you gotta do and make the most of it. I love life
and thankful for all that you do for me. Seriously you guys rock. Stay real
my peeps. I leave you with a scripture. 2 Nephi 2:28. Until next time
people of my email.

Week 28 - Milestone Week

Man o man what a week! hahaha I cannot wait to update you peeps on this week. It was a tough one. but way worth it! But how are you guys doing? the cold continues here and it is something else! The other missionaries in my apartment are freaking out cuz it is so cold hahaha the Filipino life. But let's just get you updated on this week.

So it was a baptism week! And we had it in a flippin river!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A RIVER BAPTISM... hahaha I am still so pumped about it. It was unbelievable. So ya, I am just living haha but it was awesome because it was also my kid's first baptism on the mish! so it truly was a milestone day. Even though this girl was prepared like crazy! Everyone thought she was a member but in reality she was never baptized haha so we taught her and just got the baptism scheduled. Telling ya these people come prepared. I feel like we don't do much as missionaries haha we just set it all up and let the rest take care of itself. It is a great feeling. Testament this is the lord's work!

 But leading up to the baptism was just hectic. The river thing was a last minute thing because we didn't have a jeepney to hit up the church. We only have a meeting house in the good ole san roque. So we called the person getting baptized and asked if she wanted to do it in a river cuz we got a lot of those around and she said why not! haha so we had to texted and call all the members and let them know the change of plans. Get to the church for the program and just as we are about to leave a jeepney shows up... The struggle! but we couldnt head to the church cuz the font was filled and this jeepney is just chilling there. so we just decided to take it to the river! and the rest is history. Seriously it was the coolest thing ever. Even though it was at the river, the spirit was so strong and it was just an awesome experience. Life is good in the homeland. so there are some pics of the river and where we had it!

 Teaching wise has been decent, dropped a few inv but all is well! Just gotta keep moving forward. But truly, it has been a great week. Since i am the only english speaking in the house too all the other pinoys wanna learn english hahahaha so that has been fun trying to teach them english. Cept i suck at english and add the fact that i still have not had an american comp or housemate. So that just makes my english worse hahaha so we just have fun there. 

Well folks that is basically the week! Time is straight flying by and I dont know where it is going. Still mindblowing to me sometimes that I am old enough to be out on a mish! but I wouldn't have it any other way. I realized how truly lucky we are to be where we are and to know the things we know. I know that we have a loving savior that died for us. I always knew it but just know I actually realize what it truly means. He died for us so we could gain eternal life. He gave up everything just to help us. So what am I willing to do for him? Deep stuff that finally hit me. Hopefully I am doing enough for him. So I leave you with that my friends. He died for you. He died so you could return home. What are you willing to do for him? I love you all. I leave you with a scripture. 3 Nephi 11:11. Until next time my fellow mga kapatid. 

 

 

Week 27 - Coldness Week

Well my friends, here we are with another week of emailing! I swear time
just speeds by the older you are. I swear I just started my mission! I keep
telling everyone that I have only been out for 4 months. I don't even
remember how long I have been out hahaha the struggle! But the days just
mesh all together and even though it may be hard, I am straight loving it
here. The mission life is where it is at! But let's just get you updated on
this week.

So this week was straight freezing! Well freezing for people here in the
Philippines haha But really it was so cold. And the fact that we only have
cold showers does not help! And i haven't seen the sun for a week, which is
like impossible here in the homeland i swear. but it happened! And this is
the first time it has been cold. I miss sleeping in the cold so bad... So
this week was so hard not to get up adn just sleep all day. But I didn't!
the problem was all of our investigators did so teaching this week so hard
hahaha when it is cold here all people wanna do is sleep and stay inside! I
didn't think it was possible to be the only people outside in a barangay
but that happened so many times this week it was unreal. Seriously, I was
so shocked on how quiet it was! That just doesn't happen here. So that has
been my week teaching wise. The struggle! and the fact we didn't get to
teach our golden investigator cuz of the rain sucked! the struggle is still
real.

But life is still good! It gets easier. The mission is definitely the
hardest thing I have ever done. no doubt. but I love it. I have learned
things i prolly could not have learned if i didn't go through it. So for
that i am so grateful for this time to serve. Wouldn't want it any other
way. I heard the best quote this week past week too. "They key to know God
is to struggle." So true. These are the times we actually get to know who
truly is our father in heaven. So I leave you with this my friends. Embrace
the struggle... Make it your friend. It will have to end someday and you
will be better because of it. So enjoy the ride and just embrace the
struggle. I love you all very much. Seriously, I have been blessed way too
much. and I owe it all to you. Take care peeps. I leave you with a
scripture. Moroni 9:25. Until next time my friends.

Week 26 - Blessing Week

Another week is here! How are you all doing?! Life here in the homeland is
just life! hahaha we just living! But really it has been a great week. A
huge blessing week. And I could not be happier! Yes, it is still tough but
now it's a tough that ain't too tough. That is life! It is a struggle but a
good one. Let's get you updated huh?

Teaching wise it has just been like a week full of blessings! We have
been picking up a ton of new investigators and they are all progressing. It
is like a spiritual high! Seriously it is a party. The best is when you
walk into a lesson and you don't even have to teach! The spirit does the
work and the investigators do the talking. haha makes life a lot easier.
That is how is it with our golden puppy of an investigator! the one that
lives in the middle of the rice fields and it is a straight up adventure to
get to. So we gave her a BoM and in two days she read up to 2 Nephi. Then
she gave us the whole story of what happened in 1 Nephi. I was just
speechless hahaha it was so awesome! She went in detail too! I actually
learned some things i didn't even know it there. So it was just crazy. I
seriously love teaching her -- probably because we don't do the teaching she does
it. But either way works! The student has now become the master!

So to sum up this week! It has been a blur but each day has just
been awesome teaching wise. Way too many blessings and I am so grateful
really that the lord trusts me enough with it. So we are just going to keep on moving
forward and hopefully help these people out!

So I guess I will explain the pictures this time because I have not done a good job at
explaining them before. Let's see we took some pictures of the sunset! Our
area is in the depths of the mountains and we just caught
this awesome sunset!! The color was unreal and I wish you could all see it
live. Hopefully the picture will do it justice. But ya! it was relaxing and
awesome to see that.  What else? oh  ya! We got like a million rivers we got
to cross and there are some of us crossing it! I want to swim in it so so
so bad hahaha cuz it is like a million degrees and the water is perfect and
crystal clear and it is so tempting. one day... one day... and another one
is just some of us elders posing it up behind this huge broom!! hahaha we
all about that model life. So ya i think that is all the pics!

Well my friends that is all I got this week. God is good my friends. He is
real and he is good. We are so blessed to have such a loving father. I have
felt his love and I now know for a fact he loves us. I think that is the
greatest blessing of all. That he loves us. Now all we have to do is show our
love to him. All that is possible through this gospel. I love  you all my
friends and I cannot thank you enough for all that you do for me. You guys
rock! But seriously I owe you all my life. I wish you all a good week and I
leave you with a scripture. Ether 12:41. Until next time people of my
email.

 

 

Week 25 - New Year Week

Happy new year my friends! it is 2014... That is something else! haha I cannot believe that it is 2014 already. But we here and we partying my friends! I hope that this year treats you all well. It's the time to become the person you want and need to become! But just take it a week at a time or in this case an email at a time haha well let's get you all updated on the first week of 2014.

Let's see... This week was Transfer week! We had no transfers in our comp since i still have a kid and gotta train the little guy, but the other elders in our hourse did! So the american left and now we got another filipino in the house. that makes 3 and 3/4 filipino and 14/ american in our house. hahaha hopefully you guys get that. but ya! So we just living the straight pinoy life over here in San Roque. Just doing things here in the homeland with the homies! life is a party :) 

But work wise! Man it was a great week work wise! The most lessons we have actually had while we opened up this area! Now it isn't a lot compared to others but it was a lot for us! haha and I was just super pumped that we didn't get punted so much. So I am just one happy camper! Plus we found some pretty sick new investigators. so that is just like the perfect work week! and I got my christmas package with a ton of candy so I feel I have had christmas for about two week now hahaha i love it!! But ya that is the work here. we just working and eating and laughing and partying! Don't really know what else we can do. Well probably baptize but we are getting there! hopefully we got one coming up by the end of this month.. Let's hope they come to church!!

So ya I keep forgetting it is a new year which means new years eve which means craziness. Let's just say Filipinos know how to light fireworks! But when you live in a small barangay like me you don't see any! so that was my new years eve. But that is the struggle right? let's see what else? 

oh ya I guess I should explain these pics. So one of them is our new investigators house. it is straight in the middle of a rice field hahaha and the first time we went there i fell... and i lost my shoe and i was covered in mud. So there are some pics of her house and my shoe missing and just me living it up! She is so sick by the way. She is GOLDEN! Seriously, we taught her and it was actually her teaching us about the restoration. haha i was so shell shocked that i couldnt speak for straight five minutes. Telling ya way too blessing coming our way right now. what else? just some i think of the Farewell party for the american when he left. ya my hair got destroyed in my haircut so i look that whats his face from jersey shore. the struggle... but i got it fixed a little! but i think that is it on pics, I forgot. 

So that is the week my friends! It has been a great one and I have realized a lot. I realize that time flies by. I realize that nothing ever goes the way you plan but it always works out. and I realized that no matter what happens, we can always move forward. That is what this gospel is all about. Moving forward and returning home. Yes, we all make mistakes and sometimes stumble but because we have a loving father who gave us his son, we have the chance to always move forward and move on from the past. That is what life is all about. Moving forward and becoming the people we were meant to be. And it is all possible because we have this gospel. So here is to 2014 peeps. Let's just make the most of this life and continue to move forward! Let the good times roll :) love you all and can't thank you enough for all that you do. I leave you with a scripture.