Service and Coincidences

From February 8

Noteworthy events this last week: We had exchanges, we participated in a Church sponsored relief service project, and the branch here in Malilipot started a group.

We had exchanges on Wednesday, which was a lot of fun. I realized that every exchange I've had here in Tabaco (except for a single time when both Zone Leaders came to Malilipot to work here) I've gone to their area, Comun. At this point, I know the names of several of their recent converts, and know their area relatively well.

My companion for this exchange was Elder Nielsen, who is originally from Arizona and only has three weeks left on the mission. He speaks Tagalog phenomenally well, and has a more developed vocabulary of Tagalog words than most Filipinos I've met. He pulls that off because most Filipinos will use English for most common vocabulary, but he finds the old outdated Tagalog word for the object and uses that. In between appointments, I relished being able to speak English, and found that there are quite a lot of phrases and words that I can say more easily in Tagalog than English.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to help carry out a Church relief effort to help farmers whose crops had been damaged by Typhoon Ruby (I don't know what they called that in the States. It was the Super Typhoon that hooked south and weakened at the last moment). Pretty much we ended up distributing forty kilo sacks of rice seedlings for several hours. I enjoyed myself, and I feel like the farmers (none of which were members) got a better look at what the Church is about.

On Sunday we had a surprise visit from Elder and Sister Wilcox, a senior missionary couple here in the Legazpi Mission. Apparently it was completely unplanned, but they came on the same day the Branch President was planning on officially starting a group out in one of the far areas called Binitayan. He said he didn't know how he was going to transport the twenty chairs they would need out there, and called the senior couple his "angels." The truck the senior couple uses made what would have been a very difficult logistics problem incredibly easy. The timing was pretty miraculous.

It was interesting seeing Elder and Sister Wilcox fit into the branch, seeing as neither of them speak Tagalog. There are a few members of the branch who speak pretty good English, but other than that members only know what they learned in school. I can't imagine what it would be like living for any extended period of time in a country where you don't speak the language.

The group itself was an interesting experience. It was held in the home of a family who hadn't been able to attend church for what I gather was months if not years due to economic reasons and distance. They seemed quite thankful to have the sacrament available in their own home. Due to poor communication, they were the only ones who were able to attend the group, but I'm told there are more members in the area who will be able to come next week.

Most of my study this week has been on Lehi's vision, and the beauty of that vision. A lot of times investigators have a hard time remembering rote sermons in the Book of Mormon, and that vision engages and sustains a very different set of readers. It's incredibly simple and visual, and yet it conveys a very simple yet difficult part of the gospel. Find the word of God, cling to it, and you'll be okay. Leave it, and Satan gains power to distort what you see and understand. Oh, and whatever you do, avoid pride.

I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's an incredibly elegant and effective book when read regularly. However, the book loses any ability to better our lives if it's just left to sit on a shelf and collect dust. I plan on making the study of that book my lifetime endeavor, and invite you to do the same.

Love,

Elder English

This is Cacao

They Grow Up So Fast

From January 25

This week was a good one. We mostly focused on teaching part member families, and asking if we could teach the nonmembers in part member families who we aren't currently teaching. Families can only be united for eternity in the temple if they're first united in the faith. I'm hoping that the people we teach will come to understand the fulfillment found in the gospel, just like their families have.

At the end of the week, we had a District Conference, which was held in Tabaco. Because of the distance, some of those we teach weren't able to attend, but it meant that several of the men in the branch had the opportunity to be interviewed to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. One of those was Brother Reuben, our recent convert. It surprised me how quickly that happened for him, and at first I was worried the branch was jumping the gun, but as we discussed the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood with him, I realized that he's ready. He was interviewed and found worthy to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, and after the Conference itself ended, he had upon him conferred the Melchizedek Preisthood, and ordained to the office of an Elder. Both he and his wife, Rochelle have amazed me with how quickly they have progressed in the Gospel and how well they have fitted into the Branch. I've enjoyed an inexpressible fulfillment as I've watched them learn and come to understand how satisfying it is to know the answers that the Gospel offers us. I love being a missionary, and every rejection and difficulty I've experienced as a missionary has been worth being a part in the conversion of God's elect. I'm looking forward to what the rest of my mission has in store for me.

Love,
Elder English

This is a little shop across the street from our apartment, but the people who own it live out of said shop. They fit three adults and one toddler into the space roughly equivalent to one of the bathrooms back home. Oh, and their kitchen is the back half. They recently made it smaller on purpose, which was a decision that I really don't understand. The expectations and perception of living conditions here and back home are so very very different, it blows my mind sometimes.

More Wedding Pictures

From January 11

Best Man

From January 5

This week was awesome. We had a wedding/baptism (I wasn't able to get any pictures on my camera, so I'm working on borrowing an SD card from someone else. Sorry) for Reuben and Rochelle. I had the honor of being the Best Man and Elder Medios sang as the procession moved down the hallway. The baptism only had a dozen or so people attending because it was on a weekday, but I think it was just right.

Earlier today we had our district activity on the beach. That's where the pictures came from. Lots of fun. Sorry, time is short, and so is this email. Love you all!

(Picture attached he sent the next week.)

From December 22, 2014

Weeks Highlights:
Wednesday-Christmas Conference. All missionaries in the Legazpi Mission in a single room. Absolute blast.
Friday-Zone Training, after the meeting was over we had a white elephant (it was kind of funny watching Filipino missionaries figure out the tactics of the white elephant for the first time) I ended up with a pretty well made knife with a carabao horn handle. After getting home felt sick. Pretty sure I picked it up from one of the missionaries at the Training.
Saturday-Sick... Blech. We weren't able to go to the baptisms of two investigators from Malilipot or the Branch Christmas Party. I felt bad for Elder Medios, cooped up with me instead of having a good time with the branch.
Sunday-still kind of sick, but had no choice but to go to church, take a trip to Tabaco to get my blood tested (labs weren't open, wasted effort) administer a special sacrament to a member who lives really far away, and figure out the baptismal interview for two of our investigators... Yeah, I felt miserable last night trying to sleep.
Baptismal Interview: Reuben and Rochelle, our super awesome investigators, both passed their interview. They'll be married between now and January first in preparation for their baptism no January first (the date was at their request) I'm super excited.

Our Golden Investigators

Busay Falls

From November 23

This week was a pretty normal one, up and until Sunday. Then things went crazy. Our golden investigators, Reuben and Rachelle, were stranded in Tabaco by a broken down motorcycle. That wouldn't be a problem, except that church attendance is a requirement for baptism here in the Philippines, and may or may not delay their baptism, which is frustrating. Then, later in the day when we were teaching another one of our solid investigators, we found out that she'd already been taught and baptized. We've been teaching her for several months now, but she only thought to mention that she'd already been baptized in Manilla then... Mind. Blown. Having teaching objectives change that drastically in the course of three or four questions was pretty disorienting. After that appointment, we had a semi-progressing investigator hide from us because she was shy. Then, at the very last appointment of the day, we had an investigator mention that she knew a member that had watched pornography. That took quite a bit of time and following the Spirit to hash out. When we finally got back to the apartment and sat down to evaluate the days work, my companion said "Grabe si Satan" which pretty much meant "Holy crap Satan was active today."

Ironically, opposition to the work only makes it more clear the divinity of this work. Satan knows the importance of proclaiming the gospel, and works double time to do everything in his power to stop it. The third verse of the hymn "The Time Is Far Spent" it reads "Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you; The weight of your calling he perfectly knows" I've come to know that's so true. Fortunately, we've been promised that "No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing." As saints, we'll experience trials and difficulties in the work of establishing His kingdom, but we'll come out successful in the end.

I love you all, have a wonderful week :)

Elder English

From November 30

This week was one of a lot of teaching, and a lot of getting fed. My favorite lesson of the week was with a less active sister in which we all went around and shared our favorite stories from the life of Christ, expressed our thanks for his Atonement, and then talked about what each of us think about while we're taking the Sacrament. There was such a strong spirit to the lesson, and I love having the opportunity to testify of the life and mission of Christ.

As for getting fed, Elder Nierves is being transferred tomorrow, and a lot of the members wanted to give him a send off, so we ate a lot. Good times in the Philippines. I'm going to miss Elder Nierves a ton. I've had him either as a roommate or a companion for all of my time in the field aside for a single transfer (a little more than ten months) and in that time we've become really close friends. The upside is that we already know where he's going and who my new companion is going to be. Normally, all transferring missionaries and their companions collect at a central point for the new assigned areas and companions to be announced, and then all of those missionaries disperse back out to their areas. However, Elder Nierves is being transferred to Bacacay, which is the next city up the highway, so we were informed beforehand and we won't be going to the transfer point. My new companion is coming from Bacacay. His name is Elder Medios. We actually met when we were both being trained in order to become trainers, and we got along really well. He did a really good job of walking my trainee, Elder Pangilinan, through his first priesthood blessing when I got sick during the training. I'm really looking forward to working with him.

Life is always changing and shifting. People move in and out of your life, surroundings change frequently, and our status and conditions of living can shift in the blink of an eye. May we all make our great strength in life a relationship with the one thing that won't change, our Father in Heaven. He loves us, and always will. His Plan of Salvation has as its most central purpose our welfare and good as His children. Let us find our place in His plan so that we may return and live in His presence eternally.

Love,

Elder English

From December 15

So, this last week was a lot of fun, with some great breakthroughs int he work. The first was with a brother who we're preparing for baptism, and we taught a lesson where he just hit a wall. Despite being very eager to be baptized, he was really resistant to the idea of living the commandment that we had taught. We taught for a good thirty minutes, explaining the commandment in several different ways, and to be honest, I thought it was a bust. I expected to leave with him still uncommitted to living that part of the gospel. Out of nowhere halfway through, he looked at us and said "give me until the twentieth, and I'll follow that commandment" I was pretty mind blown. There was no warning or indication that what we were explaining to him made any sense, he just made a 180 position flip. I know that wasn't our doing. I'm glad the powers up top have a significant interest in this work.

Then, this Sunday, we had a less-active brother attend church, which blew my mind. My entire stay in Malilipot we've been inviting him to come to church (we teach his nephew most of the time we go to their house, and we make sure that he knows he's welcome at church) and nothing. Every time he tells us he'll come when we invite him, and then comes up with reasons why he couldn't afterwards. I was really happy to see him there, and hopefully it'll be the first step in the journey of reactivation.

I think what I'm trying to say is that people can surprise you if you don't give up on them. Too frequently we underestimate our fellow man and the influence for good the Light of Christ can have on them. God loves them just as much as he loves them, and he certainly hasn't given up on them. Let's sustain Our Father in his work.

I love you guys.
Elder English

Catching Up

I've been doing a bad job of updating Elder English's site, so I'll try to rattle some of these off.

From November 2, 2014 - 

We had the opportunity of attending Sister Samar's baptism. She's not in our area, but we've grown really close with her and her family (she has two children who have recently been baptized, and a few more working to make that happen) and she asked Elder Nierves to baptize her. It was great seeing the baptism itself, and even more great because two of our investigators, who both have decided to be baptized and are in the process of preparation, were able to attend and see what it's like.

From November 9, 2014 - 

For those of you who didn't get last weeks email, we were recently booted from our apartment because the landlady wanted to sell the place. For the majority of the week, we lived with the Zone Leaders out of our suitcases and looked for a new place to stay apartment. A few days ago, the Finance Secretary had a chance to talk to the landlady again, and apparently she hasn't found a prospective buyer and is willing to extend the contract, so we've been able to move back in. While I'm very glad to have a place of my own, I was really enjoying getting to know my Zone Leaders better than I had before. When we were first forced to move out of our apartment, I was really really annoyed, but at this point, looking back, I'm glad it happened the way it did. I suppose that's often the way it works when blessings are veiled as challenges.

This last week, we talked to an investigator about some pretty heavy problems with employment in his life. He talked about the fact that he did really well in testing when trying to gain employment, but because of a natural birth defect, he had failed in every interview to confirm employment the last few months. I related with him the story from a talk delivered by Elder Christofferson in which a man in the military was denied a promotion because he was a Mormon, and how that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I also pointed out that if he had obtained employment in previous months, he very well may not have ever met us, or may not have had time to be taught.

So often, the things that we see as a problem or a challenge is simply a loving God redirecting us, or offering us a blessing that we do not have the vision and foreknowledge to ask for ourselves. God knows our potential, and he knows when we require needed sustenance, or the refiners fire. The key to finding the blessing behind the chastisement is both gratitude and humility. He has a plan for each and every one of us. We just have to be patient enough to see it ourselves.

He loves us.
Love,
Elder English

From November 16, 2014 - 

This week, I had the opportunity to go on two different exchanges, one while Elder Nierves was attending a leadership training, and one we had scheduled in advance with the Zone Leaders. While I love Malilipot and the people here, it's always a great experience getting to see other areas and meeting other wonderful people. I had seen the Zone Leaders area two transfers ago, so I got to see some familiar faces as well as new ones, and had a blast working with Elder Decicio. Truth be told, he's the first companion (albeit our companionship was just for exchanges) who was larger than I, and it was kind of a weird transition. Also, their area is one of the few with bikes. That was fun.

We had a Zone Training on Friday associated with the Leadership Training on Tuesday, in which we were taught how to help those we teach do Family History Work, and I'm really looking forward to making that a more significant part of our proselyting. Back in the MTC, I was able to go through my family tree and learn a bit about my ancestors, and I've treasured the stories and their legacy that they have left for us. The Zone Training really opened my eyes to the fact that the Work of Salvation really isn't confined in any way to the living, and that we as missionaries are in the ideal place to help others look to their dead. The division between missionary work and work for the dead is a division that we need to dissolve. It's one work.
Love,
Elder English