This is it!

Oh man, I can't believe it's actually here...  I don't want it to be here yet!

Well this really has been so far the best two years of my life.  I've learned so much from the people of the Philippines.  I'm really going to miss the people here.  Yesterday saying good bye was kind of hard.  It's still hard to make myself believe that i'm actually going to leave. 

This last week we did have the baptism of Julie Ann.  She picked me to baptize her so I was pretty excited to be able to baptize her my last Saturday in the mission.  It was a really successful week.

Well my mission was definitely worth it.  I've loved every second of it!  Even through the hard times and the good times.  I wouldn't trade these two years for any other two years.  It's been a real blessing to be able to serve the Lord and the people of the Philippines.  I've come to know my Savior more than I think I ever could have through teaching and loving the people here.  I've seen the Savior's hand in my mission.  I love my mission. 

The End!

E.Tribe

Last Week in the Mission!

Today after we had a district activity at the church it kind of hit me all of a sudden that I'm actually going home next week.  It's really blowing my mind.  Lets just say it's feeling I can't express because I've never felt them before.  It's really weird.

This last week was really really good!  We went on splits two times this week with both district leaders in our zone.  The first splits I went with E. Llicona.  It was a good splits but sometimes while teaching I would look over and he'd be sleeping.  It was a little frustrating but he really showed me some really good contacts and some ways to teach I've never seen before.

The second splits we went on this week I went with E. Einfeldt from Cedar City.  I've been on splits with him before in Lamut Ifugao back when he was brand new so it was cool to go with him again as he's almost reaching his year mark.  Elder Einfeldt is a stud.  We had a lot of lessons and contacts which made it great.  He made some not so good lessons great lessons and showed me how to use more personal experiences in my teaching.  

Even though I've been out longer than him I think I learned more from him than he learned from me.  

Right now we are really focusing on Edmond.  He's a golden investigator!  He's come to church every week all three hours and is even sharing the gospel to his friends.  He said the last person he shared a pamphlet with cried while they talked about what she read.  He's going to refer us to her this week!  

We gave another baptismal date this week to Harlem a 10 year old in a part member family.

We have a baptism this week on Saturday for sister Julie Ann.  Julie Ann is awesome and after Julie Ann is baptized her whole family will be members of the Church.  This is something their nanay has been waiting for for a very long time.  It's really great to see their whole family coming together and hopefully in one year be sealed as a family in the temple.

Well that's how my week has been.  This weeks my last in my mission.  I've got to give it my all and work hard.  I love the Philippines.

E.Tribe

Well after I called you last week I got really sick with a fever and was throwing up all night.  This week I forced myself to work but I think I made a bad idea because I ended up getting heat exhaustion as well.  It wasn't a very good week for the work or anything because I was sick almost half the week.

This last week we did get to teach Edmond again.  It was a good lesson and we set a baptismal date for him on June 27.  Edmond is a stud and is doing everything he can to be baptized.  He is always asking us what he needs to do to get ready for his baptism and what things he needs to avoid to be baptized.  He is really awesome.

We had Zone meeting this week.  We taught all about contacting because our zone is struggling with it.  It was a really good lesson and I think it helped the zone out.

We also had quarterly interviews with President Rahlf.  He counted all the interviews I've had and then said that this one wasn't going to be official because I'm going to see him in a couple weeks anyways for when I go home.

I'm trying really hard not to get trunky!  I'm still working and doing everything I should but when I get in the apartment after work I sometimes just count the days on the calendar.  

This week is going to be a way better week because we have splits scheduled with the Elders here in our zone.  I like going on splits and it feels like it's been a while so I'm looking forward to it!  

Love you all!

E.Tribe

It's soooo hot up here in Tuge.  I forgot to mention last week that this place is the hottest place in the Philippines.  It is so hot and it never gets cool here ever.  The coolest I've seen it get here was 85 degrees at night. During the day when we are out in the sun working it's 103 plus.  I am in the city right now.  It's the biggest city in the mission.  I'm not sure how many people there are here but it's a lot.

This week was a really good week.  We got fed every night and I think this might be the first area where I will ever gain some weight.  I headed with a couple other Elders and Sisters to a leaders training meeting in Cauayan this week.  I've attended the meeting before but I always learn something new.  I think that meeting basically is just to prepare us to be good bosses when we get home.

This week we had a really good lesson with Jojo.  We taught him about the Word of Wisdom.  He told us he's done it all but he really wants to change.  We set a goal with him to only smoke 30 cigarettes a day and he said he'd do it.  Jojo has so much desire to change and it's so awesome.  When we ended the lesson he gave the closing prayer and he said the coolest thing.  He said, "Salamat ama sa mga missionaries ito.  Parang mga anak nyo." in English, Thanks Father for these missionaries.  Who are like your sons.  It's hard to translate to English but it is way better when said in Tagalog.  It was just cool to hear him say that we are Heavenly Father's Sons who've been sent to help him.  It's better in Tagalog than English.

Well every thing is going really good here in Linao.  We're teaching so many people who want to change.  It's been awesome.

Well that's it!

Love,

E.Tribe

Tuguegarao North Zone, Linao Area

This week was an awesome week with every thing that happened.  On Tuesday I said good bye to all the members in Mabini and then left early Wednesday morning to go to Cauayan to find out where I was getting transferred.  I kind of already had an idea because President called the night before transfers.  When I found out I was going to Linao I was super excited. 1. Because of already been there twice way back when I was going around with E.Hawlader. 2.Because the members there are the best at feeding the missionaries, and 3. Because I'm in a ward that is functional!

My companion right now is Elder Corcuera from Iloilo city and he's a stud.  We both came in the mission at the same time but since I was in the MTC longer than he was I'll be going home one cycle before him.  He's a really good missionary who knows how to get work done.  This last week we extended 2 baptismal dates and hopefully a couple more this week.  The area right now is really progressing and I think it's because we've been working our butts off.  Seriously though I've been really tired running all over the place.

  

We had a lesson this week with a sister who cancelled her baptismal date right before the interview so we went in to the lesson not really knowing what to teach but when we started to get to know a little more about what she felt she told us that she has experienced a change of heart and wants to be baptized now!  After the lesson all we could say was miracle.  

I'm really excited to be in this area.  I love it here already and we're teaching a lot of people so the time is really flying by.  

Well, I love you guys!

E.Tribe

P.S. i think my camera is officially broken now so no new pictures.

Best Trunky week ever!

Baptism ni Flordeliza

This was a good week because we weren't trunky!  We had some really good lessons and witnessed a miracle.

So this last Saturday Flordeliza was baptized!  The baptism went really well and we had a lot of people show even though it was at 8:30 in the morning.  Flordeliza is an awesome lady!

Baptism ni Flordeliza

Selling/Buying Pusit

We've extended 3 more baptismal dates this week which was really good and I'm excited for the next Elder to come take my spot here in Mabini because I'm transferring this week to my final area.  We extended a goal date to Mylin a new investigator and when my comp said it she jumped out of her chair.  It was probably the best invitation I've ever seen.

Well, last week we blessed a really old man.  I mean REALLY old!  He can't hear anymore and is a walking skeleton.  Actually he doesn't walk because he doesn't eat anymore. Everyone was telling us he was going to die and we believed them but we still blessed him and the next day he was better!  It was awesome!  He looked 5 kilos heavier and was eating for the first time in a long time!  He didn't say much to us because he couldn't hear what we were saying but he looked happy. haha

The area right now is good and it feels good to know I left it better than when I found it.  I really love Mabini so it's going to be hard to leave but I know the Lord needs me somewhere else in his vineyard.

Mga tinaturan namin

We filled this house in with dirt for their flooring

Rodger Lungan, Alger Aranda, and Daryl Bilog

Golfing for P-day at the military base in Iliagan

Picture with my anak and asawa

Add caption

E.Tribe

Conference Week

"The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet... God's revelation to Adam did not instruct Noah to build the Ark. Noah needed his own revelation. Therefore the most important prophet, so far as you and I are concerned, is the one living in our day and age to whom the Lord is currently revealing his will for us." -Erza Taft Benson  Conference this last week was really good!  I think the Saturday sessions were better than the Sunday sessions.

We had only two investigators make it to conference this week which is not bad considering we had to watch it in a different barangay.  Sister Flordelisa this week is still doing great and passed her baptismal interview.  She will be baptized this Saturday!

This week other than conference was kind of boring.  Nothing much happened.  We've still just been trying to find new people but I think this area is the most I've ever been denied or ran from.

A little while ago I forgot to tell you that we ate dog.  I didn't know it was dog at first because they told me it was something else.  I ate a whole lot of it and then my body started to feel a little warmer than usual.  That's when I realized I probably ate dog because everyone here says when you eat dog your body kind of heats up a little bit.  They then told me it was dog.  They made sure it was a clean dog so I didn't get any worms from it.

 Well that's really it this week.  Love you guys!

E.Tribe

Holy Week

Nothing too crazy happened this week.  Just doing the same old same old.  We did have something pretty crazy happen to us the other night.  We just finished eating dinner at Nay Olga's house when it was about to hit curfew, so we took off and headed for home.  While walking I hear a gun go off and then all of a sudden I hear a bullet whiz right by our heads.  I kinda ducked and then freaked out at my companion for not doing anything.  He then told me he just thought someone was lighting off fireworks because he's never heard a gun go off before.  I then told him quickly what it was and we walked home really fast after that.  I don't think anyone was aiming to hit us.  They were probably just drunk and wanted to test out their new guns or something.  Either way we got home pretty fast that night.

The bagyo came this week but by the time it hit us we only really got rainstorms that weren't too bad.  It was good to actually get some rain this week to clean everything off because it's been stinking here pretty bad lately.

This week of course here in the Philippines is holy week.  This week, for the Catholics, is the week they remember Christ by taking days off where they can't cook or do anything really.  That made the work really good for us because everyone was home because basically the whole country is closed down.  We focused a lot of our teaching about prophets and about Christ's resurrection.  We made some new contacts this week but they all seem to be really busy.  We did meet this one new lady who seemed really interested.

This week's a good week to be a missionary.  To remember Christ a little more and learn about the resurrection and how many blessings have come into my life because of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Well nothing really else to write about.  Don't worry about me here I am doing fine. 

E.Tribe 

District conference and fasting week

Super busy week this week with everything we had to do.

On Tuesday we taught Nora about fasting for the first time and then asked her if she wanted to start a fast on Saturday night for her to know if the church is true.  She said she would do it and we also invited her to district conference on Sunday.  She went to District conference with us and we talked to her after.  She hasn't received a sure answer yet but she knows it might now come immediately but she's willing to wait.

I also went on splits this week with Elder Johnstun from Texas.  We worked in his area and had a really good time.  He's still pretty new in the area so we kept getting lost which kind of made it fun.  We ended up walking out in the bukid and contacting a part member family which was really awesome.

I had a leadership meeting at the mission home with all the other district leaders and Zone leaders.  It was a really good meeting and I think it'll help me for the future also.  I learned a lot about how God will sustain our righteous actions.  If we don't receive an answer from him immediately then walk by faith and not by sight.

Flor Delisa this week had her baptismal interview.  She came out of the interview pretty disappointed and told me that she wont be getting baptized on the 4th of April because of her coffee problem.  We made sure to go teach her that day so she would realize that to be baptized you have to be completely ready and even though she didn't pass she will still be baptized on the 18th of April if she can avoid coffee.

This was a good week and I'm going to send all the pictures right now hopefully that I wasn't able to send the last couple weeks.

Love you guys!

Elder Tribe  

What ere thou art, act well thy part.

How's it going everyone?  I'm doing good here in the Pilapinas!  The weeks right now are really flying by.  It's getting really hard to write you about what is going on because I feel like I'm writing you all the time.  This week kind of just feels like last week again except for we were both sick this time.  The work is still going pretty good.  We just had another family come back to church this week after been inactive for a while which is awesome!  I never thought they'd come back because every time they would see us they would runner faster than Olympic athletes and hide, but miracles do exist!

We taught Nora this week again after a while of not being able to.  She's the lady who wanted to be baptized so bad but then right as she got a baptismal date told us she didn't want to anymore.  We taught her about the importance of baptism and she told us that maybe the reason I didn't get transferred was to be there for her baptism.  It felt good to know she said that because it means she hasn't completely thrown it off the table.  We also cleared up some questions she had about why she would need to be baptized again if she has already been baptized and just some other questions.  She told us that she'll pray and think about it and we're going to follow up with her this week.

This week since we've been sick we've been really relying on our landlord sister Matet to cook for us and everything.  All we have to do is buy the ulam and then she'll cook it for us.  They are also getting ready to enter the temple this year so we're helping them prepare.  This last week she promised me that her next kid would be named Tribe if it's a boy and Cameron if it's a girl.  They can't accept the fact that Cameron is a guy name because the only other Cameron they know is Cameron Diaz. 

 

Flor Delisa is still going great!  She hasn't missed a Sunday yet and even goes to RS activities.  She is still on track to get baptized on April 4.  

Well all is good here!  

Love E.Tribe

Kumusta na kayo!

These past couple weeks have been a little frustrating with not being able to work in my area as much as I've wanted to.  My companion has been getting sick a lot recently and I'm not really sure why.  We texted Sister Rahlf his symptoms and so we headed to the dentist because it seems to all be coming from his one wisdom tooth that didn't get pulled out.  We didn't make it in time to the appointment so we had to sleep over in Alicia really close to my first area. 

I got to see some of the members from my first area!  I missed the people there so much it was crazy.  I got to see one of the members, Elder Marvin just finished being set apart as a missionary.  Marvin used to work with us all the time back in the good ol' days and now he's headed on his mission.  It was weird to see how much he'd grown up and it kind of reminded me of what it'll feel like when I get home.  We got up the next morning and the dentist took one look at his tooth and said it doesn't need to be taken out because it isn't coming in at a slant.  That was good news because it'll mean we actually get to work!

We met the new RM Daril Bilog who just got home from his mission.  It's been really good working with him and it made me miss having a Filipino companion.  We had some really good lessons with him and he's introducing us to all his friends who are and aren't members.  He's been helping us out a lot!  

Nothing much has really changed in the area since last week.  We haven't been able to teach very much!  We talked to the Laserna family but didn't get to teach them.  We've returned a lot of less active members to church.  We used to have a list of about 28 now it's down to 14 or around there.  We've been seeing huge success there.

Yan lang.

E.Tribe

This week was a pretty crazy week.  It was really fun this week!

We contacted the Laserna family the one I told you all about last week.  We had a good lesson with them but it was a little hard to concentrate because of their kids screaming and yelling.  He did tell me we could come back and next time his kids will be confined inside the house watching TV.  The members here are also pretty surprised he is letting us teach him.  I guess he has a pretty rough background but he seems really interested and wants to hear more.

We were supposed to have a baptism this week with Sister Flor but due to the Manila trip we had to do we delayed it till April 4 because of all the things happening this month.

So now the good part about this week was Manila!  Lets just say Manila is a different world.  It is nothing like my mission.  We got up Friday morning and went to the mission home where President Rahlf told us that we are all illegal immigrants and so we need to go to Manila to renew or do something with our visa and pass ports so we won't be illegal aliens anymore.  From there we all got into triceys and went to the airport in Cauayan.  When we got to Manila we went to the Bureau of Immigration.  That building is the craziest place I've ever been.  If you think the DMV is bad you have no idea about this place.  It's on another scale! 

Elder Thorpe, Poulter and Me

After a couple hours we headed to the airport and dropped off our bags and then we all split off and went our own ways with our comps.  I was with E.Poulter most of the time.  He was in the MTC with me.  We got a taxi and headed to MOA (Mall of Asia).  That place is amazing!  The first place we ate at was TGI Fridays and then we roamed around looking at all the stores.  It's been rumored daw that you can't walk through all of MOA in 24 hours so we were pretty blown away with everything there.  I felt sick around 30 min after eating and threw up everything I ate.  I don't think my stomach is used to eating burgers anymore.  While there at MOA we ate at Ihop, TGIF, Coldstone, and Cinnabon/Krispy Kreme.  Good trip!

On the way home on Saturday we flew to the Tuge airport in a propeller plane.  I was sitting by a lady who was coming home from working in Hong Kong for two years.  I kept trying to talk to her the whole ride but she wouldn't wake up.  While the plane was descending she woke up and I talked with her a little bit and invited her to listen to the missionaries where she lived but while talking to her my head, right above my left eye brow shot with pain.  My left eye all of a sudden started spewing out tears and turned bright red.  The lady kind of freaked out a little bit and thought I was going to pass out or something.  She kept asking if I was okay.  I played it cool even though it felt like needles were shooting in my eyebrow.  I finished talking with her about having the missionaries visit her house and then said good bye.  That was the weirdest contact I'd ever had and I bet she thinks Mormons are even weirder now but I guess it's okay.  I always tell myself to help me get out of my comfort zone is that I already look weird enough to them so I don't have to be shy.  

We also went caving today for P-day.  We also just found out about transfers this Wednesday and I'm still here in Mabini.  This is my last 2 cycles which means I only have 3 months left on Wednesday.  Time is flying by!  Gotta make every minute count! Love,

E.Tribe  

Nandito na ang taginit

This was a really good week but it was a little bit disappointing as well.  We started really teaching Sister Crispina, the one lady who attended church last week.  She would have been a golden investigator but she moved back to Manila last week and might not come back.  It was pretty devastating kasi we just extended a baptismal date at the end of March.  She was also telling us that she is excited and wants to be baptized.

It's really starting to get hot here!  Our CR is starting to feel like an oven.  Even though it's hot, the work is still really going good.  We've made a lot a of new contacts this last week and I can't wait to go follow them all up. 

For the past week or so every time we'd walk by this one house there would be a guy sitting out side and he'd always say, "Hello."  I'd walked by a couple times during the week but the other night I couldn't just walk by again.  We walked up and met his family and they seemed really excited to hear what we had to say.  The whole time I was talking to them I could feel something different than all our other contacts.  I can't wait to go visit them again.

With Nora it was a pretty hard week.  After we had set a baptismal date she told us the other day to post pone the baptism because she isn't sure about it yet.  She tells us she wants her husband to come to church with her first.  It's going to be pretty hard considering her husband is never sober but we're not going to give up.  Walang imposible sa Diyos.

Well that's it this week.  I also got a call telling me I'm going to Manila this Friday or Saturday for VISA stuff.  It's going to be amazing!!  I get to eat Wendys and doughnuts and cinnamon rolls!  

I'm out!

E.Tribe

Wow it's hard to hear that Milo past away.  It's probably the worst news I've had my whole mission.  From day one in the MTC I prayed I'd see him again.  Kinda weird to think that I prayed for that because he's just a dog but he's more family though than just a dog. 

This week we really tore it up even though E.Medeiros got sick.  We've been really seeing a lot of blessings coming from being obedient.  This week it started out pretty slow and just the same old same old.  I was kind of discouraged from all the lessons we were getting punted from and how people just seem to not understand that following commitments is important.  

We'd been talking to a lot more people recently but a lot of people will just tell us that they already have a religion or just say ayaw ko po.  On Sunday though was the day it all kind of turned around and we actually saw some fruits from our efforts.  We had some members bring their next door neighbors to church with them and they also told us that their son isn't a member.  We taught them for the first time on Sunday and they were really prepared and ready for our lesson.  We also had a lot of Less actives come to church because we've been focusing on temple sealings and everyone here seems to be really interested.  There has been a recent convert in our area that I haven't taught once because he always just tells us next time na lang but when we mentioned about temple sealing it was like his eyes just lit up and he let us teach. 

 

Last week I also told you about the funeral/patay we went to.  Well this week we went back and contacted them and we have a few new investigators there and one came to church yesterday.  It was pretty sweet also to see the investigators we have that have baptismal dates keeping their commitments and coming to church. 

Nora, the lady I told you about before who can't be baptized because she's not married to the person she's living with,I talked to President Rahlf about her situation and he said that she could be baptized.  We gave her a baptismal date yesterday and she just kept saying "Really? Really really?"  It was good to see how excited she actually was to hear those words she's been waiting so long for.  

We have a new investigator yesterday who told us she was taught by the missionaries before.  I asked her if she knew about the Book of Mormon and she told us she's already read the whole book.  It kind of blew my mind a little but I'm really excited to start teaching her.  She is truly prepared!  

The mission right now is really good.  My comp is awesome.  Area right now is amazing and we are seeing miracles all because we are being obedient.

Right now I'm just trying to finish strong because trunky thoughts are coming more frequently lately. I just gotta endure to the end!

Future Missionaries

I love you guys!

E.Tribe  

Patay, Kasal, Binyag

The first day of the week last week we walked out of the apartment and got on the main road to head out to Sister Flors house.  I remember the first thing I said when we walked out on the road was, "Wow, there are a lot of people!"  When there are a lot of people in one place in the Filipinas it usually means bad news.  We walked down the road a little more and then turned the corner to head to our appointment, when a lady comes running to us crying.  I asked her what happened but she couldn't really get the words out to tell us because of her crying but from all the screaming and everything we knew someone had just died.  It wasn't Flor thank goodness but it was her nephew.  He died from a fever daw but no one is really sure what happened. 

The next couple days we had some really good finding opportunities at the patay and also some opportunities to speak at the funeral.  It was good to go around contacting people and telling them that they could see their loved one again and how Jesus atoned for us.  Hopefully the people who we were able to contact will let us come back this next week.

On Thursday this week we had zone conference in Cauayan.  It was all about our new goals for 2016 and becoming a boiling point missionary not just a lukewarm one.  We also talked about how we are here to progress the kingdom of God and not maintain it.  I love conferences and all the things we learn from them.  It gets everyone pumped up to be a better missionary and to follow Christ more closely.

We had a really good lesson with Flor this week.  She is basically the only investigator right now keeping commitments.  We taught the Book of Mormon and even though she has maybe the worst eye sight ever she still said she'd read.  She also always tells us to pray for her family that one day they'll all go to church together.  

This week was good.  Just need people to keep commitments so it'll be an amazing week next week.  Well I'm just doing my best here and I love the Filipinas.  It really is amazing here!

Love,

Elder Cameron Frank Tribe  

We thought his shirt was hilarious!

Dinner last night

Transfers!

This week I got my new companion, Elder Medeiros from Hawaii.  He is probably one of the happiest people I've ever met and his mood never changes so it's always a good time. I don't have a picture of us together yet but he is a Polynesian mixed with three or more other races.  He has some Filipino blood in him but doesn't really know how to speak Tagalog.  Oh and he's also been out a year now.

This week was just a good week.  It has been a little different getting used to a new companion and everything but it's all good.

This week we contacted a lady who has come to church a couple of times now.  Her name is Flor and she's doing amazing!  This week we're going to give her a baptismal date!  She was taught by the missionaries around 14 years ago but wasn't baptized because of family problems and what her husband thought about the church.  Now I think she's realized that she needs to take things into her own hands because this is her salvation.  I wish some of our less actives would realize that this is their salvation and to be strong even if their next door neighbor makes fun of them a little.

I also have some bad news about Bro. Roy.  This week we headed to his house and his next door neighbor told us that he moved away to Cauayan.  It was pretty sad because he was our best investigator, but we are going to hopefully find out where he lives and refer him to the Elders in Cauayan.  It's good to know the Lord works in mysterious ways and has given us a new investigator.

I wish all of you could live your lives by cycles because it's almost like a new start every month and a half.  It's a time to look at the last cycle and find ways to improve and how to better yourself and the area.  This cycle is going to be good.  I'm gonna make it a good one and we're going to work really hard while having fun!  

Adobo and pinukbit oh and also rice.  Don't forget the rice.

Dinner at Nora Agub house. 

Adobo, Rice, and another chicken with some sauces. 

Just a members house.  This house is not even close to the worst house.

Just a pic of my area.  This is what I think of when I think 3rd world so I took a pic of it.

Just some cute pigs! haha 

Large intestine of something.  This is what people eat here...

New Companion

New District

Old District

Old Zone

Tay Litoskin.  I love this old man! 

The sign says, "Against the rules to throw garbage here".  Looks like the sign is working.

We ate some good frogs

Love, Elder Tribe