We're doing alright.

So looking back in my planner trying to remember what I did this last week and what popped out to me was the big letters I wrote that said "Walk for EVER."  I want to get a step counter to see how far we walk because I've never been so dead in my life.

This week was pretty amazing with one of our investigators St.  She has committed to be baptized on April 5 but because she is living with her boy friend we realized it wasn't allowed.  When we were leaving her house one night after the lesson they told us to come back Friday and have lunch.  We asked if we would teach them then or later and they said later but then right as we were walking outside the gate she told us they were getting married and it was their reception I guess you could call it.  It was an answer to our prayers.  We hadn't even talked to her about how she would either have to move out or get married and they just decided to get married themselves. 

This last week we found some less-actives and this week they came to church.  It's almost crazy sometimes how easy it is to return less-actives because all you do is have to fellowship and show them that you care.  We also found a less-active and he's already told us he'll come back to church and all we had to do was talk to him and show him the commandments and what it says there about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Madali lang na naman

I don't really know what else happened this week.  I've been trying to keep my planners more updated so I can write better emails but what I do is kinda boring.  We did find a less active and a new investigator who live in the same house.  We taught them and then when we came back the next day she had friends over and we talked to them for a while and OYM'd them.  Most of our conversation was about the differences between America and the Philippines.  They can't believe that back home we don't eat rice three meals a day and we don't have rice fields every where.  

We have a member here in our area who is doing a better job at being a missionary than we are.  He has a different non member with him every week at church.  We met the kid he brought this week and he really wants to get to know Heavenly Father.  In the morning he goes to our church and then in the afternoon he goes to the born again Christians in the afternoon.  This week when we teach him we're going to tell him our purpose and hopefully he'll realize we're the one true church.

Love you guys,

Elder Tribe

She Said Yes!

We finally have a baptismal date set!  First one set in over three months and I'm stoked!

This weeks lessons were probably some of the most spiritual lessons I've had my whole mission.  We went to Sister D this week and since she works every day we teach her at her little hot dog stand when she isn't busy.  The lesson was to go over any questions she had about the Book of Mormon.  She had some amazing questions and some I didn't even know but luckily my companion knew them.  When we were leaving she asked if we could leave our triple combination with her so she could read it while she works and write down questions she had.  When we told her we had an extra pair we would just give her she told us that she wanted to cry and was really so excited to have her own.

This week I really feel like my testimony was strengthened.  We taught a lot about the Plan of Salvation this week especially to our new investigator who has come to church two times in a row!  We taught her the plan of salvation and about the Restoration of the church.  She is super interested and maybe it helps to have her boy friend be a returned missionary but after the lesson about Joseph Smith, we asked her if she believes there is a living prophet today on the earth and she said YES!  We then asked her if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ through baptism and she said YES again!  We set her goal baptismal date for April 5th.   It was amazing and I'm way excited!  So please pray for her that she'll be ready!  I also bore my testimony at the end of the lesson and I was saying things I'd never said before.  It was really awesome and you could feel the spirit so strong.  

Our spirits are high right now and our area is better than ever.  We just reported the highest ki's in our area this last week and it feels way good to finally have a baptismal date set!  Hard work paying off!  Work Hard Play Hard! 

Love,

Elder Tribe

This is what my investigators eat!

My comp playing with the eels.

11 bagong investigators!

Way good week for new investigators it was crazy!  Yesterday night when we reported Ki's to the Zl's they called us back just to make sure our Ki's were correct cause the 11 new investigators really is crazy!  

So we found this one lady last week Sister K, she is super cool and is always willing to listen to our lesson and is always inviting people over to have us teach.  The other day we taught the Plan of Salvation to a group of about 10 people that Sister K referred to us and the first thing we ask each of them is "Saan Tayo nangaling?" or "Where did we come from?" and it was weird hearing these people say they had no idea where we came from.  The usual answers are 1. I don't know 2. We were water 3. From my moms stomach.  Being in this Gospel we really are so lucky!  We know where we came from, we know what our purpose here is on earth and we know where we are headed after this life.  With those three questions answered, life is so much easier.  The lesson ended well and at the end of the lesson we always ask what they learned and then when they tell us we explain the importance of it and how it really is important to know those questions.  

The work has been really great in our area.  The work here in the Philippines doesn't seem like a mission really.  Before the mission I expected to be getting rejected everyday and have just a couple of lessons at the end of the week but it's not that way.  The people here are so nice and won't say no even if they want to.  I feel like I really am so blessed to be here in a mission where honestly you don't get rejected other than just a couple times!

The mission is great right now and people are just showing up to church out of the blue who have never even been taught before.  We are working freaking hard even though it's scorching hot temperatures outside.  Love the work even when we get home from a hard days work and have no electricity or gas.  Nagpapasalamat ako na maging instrumento sa kamay ng diyos.

This dog ate a frog!

Love you guys,

Elder Tribe

Trunky Week!

So this week is what missionaries would call trunky week.  It's the week before transfers!  We just found out who is getting transferred in our zone.  I thought I was getting transferred so I was getting pics with all the families that I taught and now I guess I'm not even getting transferred.  I guess it's a good thing though because one Nanay said she would cry if I got transferred.  It's also a good thing because I love the area and my companion. 

So it's spring here in the Philippines.  The spring is way different here than it is back home.  The trees all of a sudden just lose all their leaves and then the next day they have the leaves back again.  So my allergies have been pretty bad!  I guess that proves to Allan and Miriam that I don't have a worm!

This week I had splits with Elder Mccausland again from Florida.  It was hour 5th splits and it almost feels like I'm training him but it's good.  We taught a couple lessons but the best part is OYMing people when you have two Americans together.  The people seem to just all stare at you and so it's always really easy to start a conversation.  They always ask us if we could come back and marry a Filipina.  I always just say  Pwede which just means like it's allowed.

I had a really cool lesson with Elder Rocamada this week.  We went back to teach our investigator and she was super excited we were there.  She said that she sees us some times walking around and just wants to yell and tell us to come teach her but she is shy.  We taught her about the B of M and she was so excited the whole lesson.  When we finished teaching her she told us by the time we get back she'll have finished the BofM.  She is seriously a GOLDEN INVESTIGATOR and truly prepared.

Way excited to be here in Ramon for at least one more cycle!  

Coolest Family

People live here

Love Elder Tribe

Sobrang init!

This week was pretty normal.  I worked all week so it was pretty boring.  No, just kidding but we really did work all week.  We've been finding tons of new investigators this week but the hard thing is they don't understand why we are there.  Just gotta keep teaching them I guess till they finally get that why we were there.  

This week we went out to work and got punted from every single appointment within the first hour.  It was 1 P.M. and we literally didn't know where to go or what to do so my companion just said "let's pray."  So we did just that and right after we prayed we walked up to a Nanay chilling outside in her hammock and after ten minutes of talking to her and OYMing her she asked us when we can come back.  We came back the next day and her Dad was there too.  We taught both of them and they both seemed pretty interested.  The lesson was a little hard because they speak Ilicano and their Tagalog isn't very good but you could feel the spirit and when she'd ask us questions you could tell she was asking to know more not to just say something.  

My zone had interviews this week with President Rahlf.  The interviews aren't really anything crazy he just wants to know how you're doing.  The best part is when you get to talk to Sister Rahlf and she gives you two home made cookies that I haven't tasted since the MTC.  It was pretty glorious and all I need was some milk but I'm just going to have to wait to get home to drink some milk.

 

Went on splits this week in Baluarte with Elder Mousley our Zone leader.  The splits were way fun and his area is freaking sick.  It's always fun to go to areas where the people don't really know you.  His area is pretty sweet and the lessons were awesome.  My Tagalog was struggling in some of the lessons because we had been speaking English all day but it was still really good.   

I really don't know what else to tell you this week.  We've just been working hard and it's paying off.  

Love Elder Tribe

Making brooms!

So when I think of this week I can't really thing of what to write about.  The days are all starting to mesh and it feels like I just wrote you yesterday. 

This week my comp and I went to the dentist for the first time.  It was definitely a new experience.  When we walked in the office, the dentist was sleeping on the couch and we had to wake him up.  That was when I decided I was just going to let my comp get his teeth cleaned.  I talked to him about how my dad was a dentist and he was asking me a bunch of questions and almost second guessing himself and asking me if what he was doing was right like I had a clue because you're a dentist, dad.  He did fill a cavity but I'm not positive if he was just ripping us off or it was really a cavity.  He was using some word play and some discounts to make it sound like we were getting a huge discount if we filled the cavity there.  It was just sketchy.  

Yesterday on Sunday we got to teach the family that lives in the dangerous area.  Our fellowshipper was the bishop who blessed his child.  It was cool to have him there and it really helped our lesson.  His wife is super interested and was crying the whole lesson when we told her about the plan of salvation.  She has always wondered about what church to join and has read the bible and any other thing she can find that is religious.  She is definitely ready for the Gospel.  The Lord really does prepare people for the Gospel.  

The church and sunset

We have also been teaching a guy who keeps telling us crazy stories about his life.  He told us he had a guy live with him for one night who was doing the whole crucifixion thing like Jesus Christ.  He said the guy left the cross in the front yard and then started back up again in the morning.  He has a lot of questions for us and he's hard to teach but you always get a good laugh.

The weeks are going by too fast and the work is getting better and better every week.  The comp right now is amazing and making me work hard.  He's always got a good attitude even when we don't get a single lesson all day.

The lady who feeds us, I guess fed us dog the other day, but thankfully I wasn't there.  I want to try it but never eat more than like a piece but I did hear it was chewy from the other Elders.

Playing ball

 
It's good to hear about the fast for rain was answered and it's even better to hear that we got five feet of snow but to bad I can't ski it.  

P.S. Hey, I totally forgot about the winter Olympics till some of our members told me about it.  Would you please keep me up to date about the skiing slope style?  It's the first year it's been in the Olympics. 

Magic Kids

It's crazy how you come to an area that is really having no progress at all and now investigators are popping out of the wood work and the weather is decent so I can't complain. 

Seriously though this week was way good!  At the beginning of the week we had Zone conference with the president and it was all about opening your mouth and finding new investigators.  After we had the meeting the members started giving us referrals and when we would go contact one referral their neighbors would be there to listen and so it was basically like 4 referrals in one which was amazing.  We haven't taught them all yet but when we went over to their houses they were more than happy to listen to just the little we were saying.  

5 years old and a 100 lbs.

This week I went on splits with Elder Datario in Baluarte.  The splits were way cool and the lessons that we taught were awesome.  We taught only 2 lessons but they were both really good.  They were to both less-actives and you could tell they could feel the spirit during our lessons.  One nanay was tearing up while we were teaching her.  Those lessons are the best when you know they are feeling the spirit but it's the worst when they don't act on what they felt but I know that with just a little more help they'll come back to church. 

We haven't been able to go back to Brother Joseph the one investigator who's son was healed.  The only time he is available to teach is at night and the area where he lives isn't very safe.  We didn't know that so one night we decided to go teach him and while walking there we saw a guy and we said hello to him and he said "baka may hold up kayo"  Which basically means we might get robbed.  We continued anyways and nothing happened but later after talking to his family for a while and walking back the police told us to go home cause it's not safe.  The members there also told us not to go there because there is a murderer who lives in the woods over there and a bunch of loco locos. So basically we might only be able to teach him on his day off which is only once a week.  Hopefully something will work out and we can teach him more.

The investigators who randomly showed up to church last week came again which was awesome.  Their situation is basically the same as Joseph's and can only be taught at night and they live in an even more dangerous area.  Please pray for them that some how we'll be able to teach them.

She feeds us 2x a week!

I almost forgot!  I talked with one of the Elders who is in my old area and he told me that brother Eng and Reymart both less actives are now active and going to church weekly.  They went to church once when I was there but then we got transferred and I had no idea what happened.  It was a way good feeling and you have no idea how much I want to go back to that area and see all the people.  They are basically my family!

Thanks for all the prayers and they are really being answered.  Church is true.

On Splits

Elder Tribe