Batad

Sorry I'm emailing late again.  

This week we had some really good lessons especially with Reynante and Dandan.  So with Reynante and Dandan we weren't really sure why they wanted to be baptized.  We were thinking it was just to make sure they kept their job because their boss is a member.  In the lesson we just talked about how this is their decision to be baptized and only be baptized if you know the church was true.  They both told me the church was true because they prayed about it and that they are really excited to be baptized.  The sad thing is I have to tell them I have to move back their baptism again because there are district conferences on the 16th of August.  Reynante is awesome and I feel like we are brothers.  He calls me bayaw or brother in law because he saw a picture of Meredith and likes her.  I told him that I'm going to give him Mere's email address. ha-ha

This week we retaught bro. Gary Tumitit for the second time, a part member family.  When we saw him this time his leg was all burned and cut up because he crashed on his motorcycle because he was drunk.  We talked with him about the BofM and left him 3rd Nephi 11.  Hopefully he'll read it and come to church so his family will be able to go through the temple someday. 

 

This week on Monday we went to Batad. 

 It's just a little farther than Banaue and a lot better.  The hike in Batad is known to be really hard because it is pure steps almost the whole way.  The hike goes into a village and then you pop out into the rice terraces which look like an amphitheater.

  If you keep walking through the amphitheater and up and down another mountain you make it to a waterfall.  Because we can't swim, we just felt the mist from the waterfall.  

The hike in at first wasn't too bad but the hike out almost killed me.  Elder Allred and I jogged almost the whole way out and back to the top.  At the top we waited for another 3 hours for the rest of our group, but while we waited we played with a monkey.

Dog and monkey fighting

 

On the way out we got stuck and said a prayer.  10 seconds after the prayer, a back hoe is pulling us out of the mud. 

Waiting for the back-hoe

 We made it back safely and took a well needed rest.  This morning when I got out of bed I almost fell over because my legs are so sore.  When we got to district meeting today it was funny to watch everyone walk around because we are all so stiff.  

Love, Elder Tribe

I've been sitting here for a little bit now not knowing what I should write in my email because I can't remember what I did.

We've been basically just doing the same things this week like we did last week.  We did have Zone conference this week in Bambang.  The zone conference was about the restoration and was really good.  President Rahlf talked about everything from scriptures, talking about the restoration, to Joseph Smith being in jail on false charges from a member of the church.  It was a really good meeting and I learned a lot.  They also sang to me at the zone conference for my birthday and gave me a limited edition Cauayan mission temple recommend.  It's pretty cool and has a picture of the Banaue rice terraces on it.  If you want to see more just click the link 

Chicken Coops

Investigators front yard

Selfie

  ->  http://philippinescauayanmission2013-16.blogspot.com/

For Reynante, Dandan, and Mary Rose we are going to move back their baptismal date probably to the 16th of August because they don't seem to be ready enough and sister Mary Rose has been with her mom in the hospital for the past week so we haven't been able to teach her.  Brother Reynante in the lessons does say some pretty cool things though.  Here's one thing he said:  "I can't wait to get married in the temple."  He said some other cool stuff but I forgot what he said.

We also got denied this week with one of our investigators that's a Muslim.  We challenged her to be baptized and she told us she is okay with us teaching her and her going to church but she doesn't want to get baptized.  I just think it'll be a little bit more time and she'll be baptized some day if the missionaries keep going to her after we get transferred. 

The rainy season is here right now and it's awesome!  The weather is cloudy so it's not as hot and when it rains everything cools down and makes it way nicer out side.  I did lose my umbrella the other day which stinks so half of my body has been getting wet during the rain storms because my companion and I have to share an umbrella.  

I'll try to write a more interesting letter next week but I do have pictures this week to kind of make up for it!

Sorry I don't have any pictures this week.  The USB to my camera is broken with a virus.

This week on Friday we had a service project in Bagabag about 5 miles away from our apartment.  The branch President here is a marathon runner and invited us to jog with him to the service project.  We got up early and jogged almost the whole way until the Branch President told us to stop running because he had a cramp and so we ended up taking a jeepney the rest of the way. When we got to the service project, it was out in the middle of nowhere and our project was to pick corn.  We started picking corn around 7:30 a.m. to around noon.  While picking we would take little breaks where the other helpers would be cooking and boiling corn over a fire.  We also picked some cucumbers and ate them with vinegar and salt.  I think I'm turning into a Filipino because I love vinegar.  After we finished we came home where I rubbed alcohol all over my legs after because of all the ant bites and corn paper cuts. 

Sorry, I really can't remember what happened this week.  My letters going to be really boring.

Our three investigators who have baptismal dates came to church this week.  They all are doing good.  The other day I asked Brother Dandan if he would pray and he was kind of hesitant at first and didn't want to pray, but when our other investigator Brother Reynante asked Dandan "Don't you want to be baptized?"  All Dandan did was nod his head and start praying, in English too!  We teach all three of them together and I really hope they are preparing themselves for baptism.  I can't emphasize enough how important it is to read the BoM and pray about it.  I've probably told them a thousand time they need to read the BoM.  They probably are beginning to think it's the only thing I know how to say in Tagalog.

I don't really know what else to write about this week.  Tell Grandma Newman I got her letter and I promise I'm going to send her a letter back.  

I love you guys a lot.

The picture I

sent to you was taken by a member.

Long yet fast week?

Usually I write about how fast the weeks are going but ever since I started training things have seemed to slow down but the work seems to be picking up.  

We had some amazing lessons this week and probably some of the best my whole mission.  Elder Saguire and I are so in tune and everything runs so smoothly during the lessons it's amazing.  He did surprise me the other day though during one of our first lessons with three brand new investigators.  I just finished talking and while he is teaching them the branch president whispers something to me during the lesson and the next thing you know I hear Elder Saguire invite them to be baptized on August 2nd!  It shocked everyone in the whole room but they all said yes.  After the lesson my comp was super happy and just kept saying "That's the first time I've ever challenged anyone to be baptized and did you see their faces?  They were so happy!" 

This week the Branch President texted us and told us to meet him at Lamut Pharmacy at 1 because he has a referral for us.  We met him there and headed over to their house.  When we got there it was a part member family of five with the wife being the only member.  We had a really great lesson and challenged them to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and also go to church. 

  

On Saturday night we had a service project at Nay Barcias house.  She is a single mom with five kids.  Her husband one day just got up and left.  She has no idea if he's dead or anything.  We thought we were going to wash her laundry for her but we ended up just carrying a lot of water from a water pump and then back to her house.  After the service project we stopped by at President Queniones's house and talked about the branch and the people we are teaching.  When we left his house he came with us and we saw President Dunluan the District President here.  They invited us over and gave us a Durian fruit.  The fruit is the nastiest thing in the world!  It smells like garbage and is the consistency of rotten gooey cheese.  They kept saying "Smells like hell but tastes like heaven."  They were wrong, it definitely doesn't taste like heaven, more like garbage.  The worst part about it was that my fingers i think, might permanently smell like garbage. 

 

On Sunday morning we had two investigators come to church but next week will be way better!

I love all you guys!

Elder Tribe

Welcome straight from the MTC, Elder Saguire!

Well I'm a trainer now and it's a lot harder than I thought'd be.

So on Tuesday morning I said goodbye to Elder Hawlader and then the housing Elders in Cauayan picked me up and I went on splits with them the rest of the day.  They have their own car a 2014 Ford Ranger that is pretty sweet and when they're driving it's basically like a a video game.  We drive really fast and over take people like crazy.  We almost died like 3 times too!  

One Wednesday morning we got up and headed to the church in Cauayan to hear the transfer lists for everyone getting transferred.  I then waited all day until 2 pm to hear who my new trainee was going to be.  When the new Elders and Sisters come in we all stood up and sang "Called to Serve" as they took their seats.  One of the new Elders got up and said the prayer but no one understood it because it was in Cebuano and that got me even more nervous to think I would get a Philippino who didn't know how to speak Tagalog.  We then sang the mission song and watched a slideshow about the mission.  When they started to read off the names of who was going to be comps with what person, my heart started to beat kinda fast and I was a little nervous.  When they read my name, I stood up and then they read my new comps name Elder Saguire.  (Sa-gear-eeeeee)  He was the elder who got up earlier and gave the prayer.  I walked over, gave him a hug, took a picture and then we got on the bus to go back to Salano.  

At first it was really awkward because he was watching everything I was doing and buying everything I was buying.  It was really like he was my child.  He's grown up a little and has done some things on his own now.  He still is having a hard time speaking Tagalog but he understands everything.  He is from Negros Occidental Philippines.  He is the first in his family to go on a mission and hopefully I can be a good trainer for him.  Its definitely been different training someone but I'm learning a lot from him. 

Pray for me because I need the help! 

Love you everyone!

On a road trip with housing elders.

The sign says:

Be careful a lot of people have died here.

Be careful while driving.

The text message says:

Babe, I'm pregnant how did this happen?

Love you everyone!

Crazy guy at church trying to jump the fence because the gates locked

New Companion

Craziest week of the mish so far..... June 29, 2014

So this week we were in our area a total of one day.  We traveled the whole mission the whole week figuring out school for Elder Hawlader and finishing his papers for his exit Visa.  

On Tuesday morning we got on a tour bus and headed to Tuguegaroa for Elder Hawlader to enroll at St. Paul's college.  We got out of the apartment at 7:30 A.M. and arrived in Tuguegaroa around 6 P.M.  While on the bus ride up I got a phone call from the AP's telling me I need to be at the mission home on Wednesday morning at10am for the Trainers training meeting.  I'm gonna be a daddy!  On Wednesday morning at around 7am I got up and went on splits with another Elder who is training and we headed to Cauayan for the meeting.  In the meeting, they of course taught us how to be trainers.  What we should do the first day and how to get them leading and doing everything as soon as possible.  After the meeting we ate some pizza and waited for Elder Hawlader.  When he showed up we went back to our area.

When we got up the next day we got a call from President Rahlf telling us Elder Hawlader has to go to Manila to finish his exit Visa papers.  He left immediately and I went on splits with the ZL's the rest of the week until Saturday night.  The splits with the ZL's was great and I learned a lot.  I also learned how much I love air conditioning!  They have two air con units in their house and it is amazing.  Never slept better and I actually used a blanket!

Finally on Saturday night really late Elder Hawlader got back.  We went to church the next morning where Elder H gave his last testimony. We had lunch and then we went around to the people and said goodbye.  Now he's packing and getting everything ready for tomorrow and then I'll stay with the ZL's again until I get my comp.  

I just read where the new elders are coming from and they are all from the Philippines.  That's kind of a relief that they'll hopefully actually know Tagalog.  

Well, I'll let you know how this week goes.  This is definitely going to be hard but it'll be good for me and I'll learn a lot. 

Cute kids

They stole my camera and took a selfie.

Water filter (on right) after 3 weeks use.

Elder Cameron Tribe

This was actually June 22, 2014

This week... I can't really remember anything that happened. We did have a great FHE and birthday with the Valdez family.  I bought a cake for the birthday because they're having a pretty hard time right now.  We have a good lesson about the atonement and then played booga booga.  I can't really tell you what booga booga is because you're not members yet but when I get home I'll show you all.  When I get back we better have family home evenings again.  FHE is the thing I look forward to the most and the one thing everyone is focusing on here is the family. 

The area this week has been getting better with member support.  Everyone has been asking us to come over for dinner the last couple days and we have appointments all week so even if the work still isn't the best the members are helping. 

We headed to the hospital this week to check out Elder Hawladers kidneys and everything.  They did a lot of tests and about 4000 pesos later they found out nothing is wrong with him and he might just have muscle pain.

The next transfer day is coming up on July 3 so we'll find out what happens and who my new companion is. 

Birthday girl!

Sneak peek to Booga Booga

Sorry nothing really interesting happened this week kaya medyo maliit yung sulat ko.  Elder Tribe