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