25 February 2013

Magandang Hapon!

Kamusta!?

It must be a good year for snow if it is still snowing and freezing cold. I tell people here that it is still snowing back at home and try to give them an estimate of how thick it could be, but they are just shocked and have no idea how to comprehend such things. How could anyone survive in temperatures as low as 20 degrees? Haha.

I don't suppose I can talk you into postponing your Cambodia/Vietnam trip for a couple months until I get home? Haha that sounds pretty awesome. I will be able to appreciate and understand 3rd world living conditions so much better after living in the Philippines for over a year and a half. We truly are blessed back home.

Elder Arden with mission leaders

What a privilege it was this week to be with Elder Ardern of the Quorum of the Seventy! At first we were all pretty bummed because after we all went to Cauayan on Friday to be taught by him, we found out that he wasn't able to make it because after flying all the way to Cauayan from Manila, the pilot couldn't land because of fog and had to fly back to Manila. So instead of having a training meeting with Elder Ardern, President and Sister Carlos continued the training and of course they did a great job. During the training, it soon became apparent that as missionaries, we need to do a better job at holding members more responsible about being more involved in missionary work and referrals. After their training, we were excited to find out that we were invited to come back to Cauayan on Saturday instead for the training with Elder Ardern-after spending a day driving to get here. Because many missionaries had other obligations such as baptisms, it only ended up being just over 30 of us in the mission home with Elder Ardern. For over 2 hours, I was literally a couple feet away from a General Authority. It was a spiritual feast as he taught from the scriptures and gave great words of advice applicable as a missionary and for the rest of my life. Then he reminded us that we didn't have to wait for a General Authority to come talk to us in order to have a spiritual feast, as we have all the same tools they do-prayer, scriptures, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost to help us listen to promptings of the Spirit. The more we follow those promptings, we will be more entrusted with promptings we will receive in the future. We literally spent almost an hour just talking about 1Nephi 7:1-13 and the leadership qualities that are found there. He also reminded us that as missionaries or with any other calling in the Church, everything will go a lot easier once we start seeing it as a calling and not a job. We fulfill our callings out of a love for God and our fellow beings, not because we are obligated to. This week will be just as exciting because we have Elder Teh (Quorum of 70/Area President), and Elder Hallstrom (Presidency of the 70) coming to visit and conduct a special missionary meeting. How cool is that to have 3 General Authorities visit in less than a week?! What a great time to be serving the Philippines Cauayan Mission, or in any other place in the world-especially with the announcement of 58 new missions. The work is hastening. The sooner we put our hearts to being involved in it, the sooner we will receive the blessings for doing so. The work is true. Being a missionary is just as important for me than it is for all the people I have taught or baptized, or will teach and baptize in the next 5 months. I was surprised when I noticed in the mission office that my name is on the list for people going home soon. It is insane to think that the end of 2 years is coming to an end soon. 

Mahal ko kayo!

Elder Nay

18 February 2013

Magandang Hapon!

Kamusta!?

We played basketball for a few hours earlier with some other missionaries and members from Gamu, and I was reminded how terrible I am at it. It was fun to run around though and sweat a gallon. 

We were able to have a good turn out at a branch fireside we organized on Saturday. We focused on “Rescue the One” (the area goals of the Philippines for this year) and broke it into categories of Who, Why, How, and When. Elder and Sister Mills, and Elder Villania and I took turns talking about each category then giving an extra focus on How, seems how that is where most people have a hard time. We opened it up into a discussion and they brought up some main concerns or problems they have come up with while trying to rescue someone. We then made some of them Role play some of those concerns and discussed what would be best to do. All in all, it turned out well. Yesterday at church was also a rewarding day because everyone except for just a couple of the men/boys were wearing white shirts! It was a great sight to see so many people realizing the importance of their callings and responsibilities as priesthood holders. We didn’t even have to help bless the sacrament! Sis. Lapitan and Angie who were baptized last week already have a calling, Sis. Lapitan even spoke in Sacrament meeting. Bro. Lapitan and his 12 yr old were also sustained to have the Aaronic Priesthood. Things here in Gamu are definitely moving forward. It was a good Sunday to say the least. 

That is cool that Stu and Chala are already in their new house. In the coming months, I can only hope I will be part of the crew to do the dirty work with landscaping, electric dog fence, etc. Haha. 

Oh, and mom-you asked about what I wanted for my B-day package. Well, rather than you spending a fortune on shipping and stuff to send that I will just end up eating or giving away to make weight in my luggage going home in a few months, I think I'd prefer just putting that money aside and put it towards stuff I will need to buy when I get home. I know, sounds way too practical... Haha. So, don't worry about it. :)

This Friday will be fun because Elder Ardern from the Quorum of 70/area presidency is coming to give training to all the Zone Leaders and District Leaders in the mission. It will be a good day.

So for a random funny story, yesterday we were on our hour and half walk home at night when this guy started walking with us. Naturally, we started talking to him and we found out that he is a member and has been inactive for many years but want so get back to church. Of course we invited him to come to church and told him where the church was. He was about to seperate from us so he could go where he was going, but immediately caught up to us again and frantically told us our individual passwords. He told us several times what our "passwords" were, but then ran off before we could ask what he was talking about or what the passwords were for. So I guess we will just remember those just in case we need them someday. Haha.

Well, thanks for writing! Ingat kayo palagi.

Mahal ko kayo, 

Elder Nay

11 February 2013

Magandang Hapon!

Kamusta sa inyong lahat!

That is pretty exciting that Dad is now in the MTC! That will be an awesome experience for both of you. One of the best perks of that calling is being able to attend the Tuesday devotionals. I'm sure you will see several apostles and general authorities in your time there. I still remember my MTC experience just like it was a few months ago and how nice and helpful my branch presidency was in there. It is a good thing you have been reviewing some of the PMG videos to be more prepared! Mom will also enjoy being a mother to the sister missionaries. Pretty insane how many new missionaries are coming in over the next few months and coming year. I am excited to see how it will affect the mission. In March, there are 24 new missionaries coming in and only 7 going home. 

This morning Elder Mills presented his little scriptural thought at the flag ceremony of Gamu, and afterwards we met with the mayor for several minutes. We were able to talk about and introduce the Book of Mormon better to him and answer some of his questions about where it came from and how it is different from the bible. If nothing else, we were able to plant some seeds in his heart and he will better understand why we are here.

Baptism of Lapitan Family

On Saturday, we had the baptism of the Lapitan family and Angie. That is the first baptism I've ever attended/helped baptized that is a family. There are still 2 more of the Lapitan family that are not yet baptized and living at home, but over the last couple weeks, they have increased their desire to participate and even inviting some friends to join in our lessons. It was definitely the only baptism I've attended and have felt such a strong spirit. Most all of the baptisms I have attended in the past are unorganized, people are late (sometimes the latest people are the leaders that are supposed to be presiding), the baptism font is disgusting or not full yet, nobody is dressed appropriately, baptismal clothes are dirty or not accessible, and people are loud throughout the service making it very distracting from the Spirit. But, on Saturday we were actually able to start on time with everybody dressed and ready to go, and President and Sister Carlos even decided to attend. I think about half the people there were missionaries, because the entire Burgos zone attended along with Elder and Sister Mills, Elder and Sister Gottfredson, the Assistants to the President, and a couple other missionaries that were involved in teaching the Lapitan family that President let attend. Everything just went perfect and the Spirit was thick in the air it was impossible to not feel it, especially as they all bore their testimonies after they were baptized. Most everyone in attendance couldn't fight the tears of happiness because they have been so well prepared and have such strong testimonies. That same spirit carried over into sacrament meeting yesterday as they were confirmed and received the Holy Ghost, and bore their testimonies once again (last week was District Conference so yesterday was Testimony meeting). 

Time continues to fly by on wings of lightning, so make the most of it while it lasts!

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Nay

4 February 2013

Magandang Hapon po!

Kamusta sa inyong lahat!

Earlier today we had a neat privilege of being invited by the mayor of Gamu to attend a flag ceremony at the city center. Several weeks ago he had invited Elder Mills to share some thoughts from the scriptures as part of the flag ceremony. Apparently every Monday morning, they do a raising of the Philippines flag (complete with a prayer, the singing of the national anthem, and their pledge of allegiance) and typically invite a pastor from some church (I don't think he quite understands that we are just missionaries and don't have any "pastors", but that is a bridge to be burned another day. Haha) to give an uplifting message to start off the week and then the mayor says a few concluding words and a little message. When we got there, we found out that they had accidentally double booked Elder Mills and some other pastor, so Elder and Sister Mills and Elder Villania and I just stood and watched the whole time. There were probably over 50 people there, most of them being employees of the mayor/city. Of course with 3 Americans there, we stood out like a sore thumb and the mayor introduced everyone to us and saying we were missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or better known as Mormons. He told everyone that next week, Elder Mills will be the one to give the scriptural message and joked that everybody had a week to review their English dictionary to be ready for it. This all started because one of the mayor's good friends from childhood and main bodyguard happens to be a member of the church here in Gamu. He said that he has seen his friend change to being a much happier man since becoming a member of the church and is always friendly and nice to people.  After the ceremony, the mayor invited us to his office for a snack and we ended up chatting for over 30 mins. During our meeting, the mayor asked a few questions about our beliefs, said he respected us for what we were doing, and said he wanted to meet with us again next week and introduce us to his family. On his desk was a copy of the Book of Mormon and Bible that the Mills had given a few weeks ago when they met with him the first time, and he asked how to use them better because that is how he prepares his weekly messages every flag ceremony, so we taught him how to use the Bible Dictionary and Topical Guide. He is super nice and it will be fun meeting with him again next Monday. All of this happened because one member was living the gospel standards and being an example for everyone else. The down side to all of this is it takes a couple hours out of our P-day. Haha. It is a sacrifice worth making though, as it is an excellent way to get our name out there and gain respect among the people.

Last Saturday was pretty intense because 6 of our investigators had their baptismal interview. 5 of them are the Lapitan family, and they are way awesome. They first met missionaries several months ago when the Tatay was driving his tricy at night and saw the Elders walking home, then felt some impression that he needed to turn around and give them a ride. He immediately invited the missionaries to come over to teach his family, and ever since then, they have been living every commitment that is given to them. The day after the missionaries taught them about fasting, he tried it out and said it made him feel a lot better and he didn't even get hungry during the day. They are even consistent in their family reading of the scriptures and prayers. We went to visit them yesterday and we found the 9 year old and 12 year old reading the Book of Mormon by themselves. The other baptismal candidate is        , and she has a great amount of faith. Every time she leaves her house to meet us for a lesson or for anything related to the Church, she gets yelled at because her family is super against her doing anything with the Church. She begs us to teach her almost every time we see her out of the house not only because she desperately wants to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but she also wants to avoid having to leave her house again so she isn't yelled at. She is 23, so because she is old enough to decide for herself to be baptized or not whether she has family support or not, I asked her one simple question: Despite all of the problems you are going through right now, why do you want to be baptized? Then tears started rolling down her cheeks as she said that the blessings that come the Gospel of Jesus Christ are worth making any sacrifice. What a great testimony to have.

February Zone Leader Conference

Well, my time is now up. Maraming Salamat po sa lahat! 

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Nay

28 January 2013

Magandang Hapon po!

Kamusta!

After 6 months of camping in Tuguegarao, I am now Zone Leader of the Burgos zone in Gamu, a much more open bukid area. Bukid meaning field/farm. Because the houses are a lot more spread out due to large corn, rice, or sugarcane fields, it also means a lot more walking! Who wants to pay for long tricy and jeepney rides when walking is free? Exactly. Haha. In many ways, this area reminds me of my second area, Mallig. It will be fun because once again, I get to work a lot more closely with couple missionaries. This time I get to work with Elder and Sister Mills a lot more, as they are permanently assigned to Gamu and only live a couple houses down from us. They are from Brighton. 

Going to church here on Sundays is going to be one of my busiest days of the week! So much for that whole day of rest thing. Haha. As a general rule of thumb, couple missionaries here are only assigned to the branches/districts that need a lot of improvement, so that is why the Mills are here. Me and my new companion Elder Villania (is from the San Pablo area of the Philippines and goes home the same time as me) are in charge of preparing, blessing, and cleaning the sacrament. That is in addition to teaching the priests quorum (if they show up), gospel principles class, and translating for the Mills during Sacrament meeting. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to give some talks in sacrament too! Haha. The Gamu branch just got a brand new chapel about a year ago, so the chapel is really nice. But it is also probably the smallest church building I have ever seen, other than a meetinghouse. There were 66 people at church on Sunday, so not too bad. It is going to be a fun and busy next 9 weeks. This transfer cycle is 9 weeks instead of 6 in order to adjust for the MTC changes. 

Over the last couple of days, I also had the privilege of tasting some oyster and more snails. Yummm. I bet dad could harvest some good ones on one of his scuba dives this week. Then you can take them back to the cruise ship and talk one of the Indonesians into cooking them up for you. That is pretty funny though that you are on an old people cruise. How fitting! Haha. Pretty awesome that you ended up on the same ship as the SLC Temple pres. That would definitely be interesting listening to him.

Well, our time is about up and in a few hours we get to teach one of our investigator families with Elder and Sister Gottfredson, so that should be fun.

Maraming Salamat for your support and prayers! May God be with you always and try not too have too much fun on your cruise!

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Nay

21 January 2013

Magandang Hapon!
Kamusta!

Hopefully you have been practicing sufficiently so you can speak to Filipinos on your cruise and shock them to death because you know how to say something in Tagalog. Even with me being in the Philippines, every time I talk to someone for the first time, almost without fail, they will say something to the effect of "Wow, you know how to speak Tagalog... How long have you been here?" Then of course that opens the discussion of how we are missionaries for 2 years. So if you can do that on a cruise ship, you are guaranteed to turn some heads. It is pretty cool though talking to people now that I am more or less fluent. When I stop and think about it, it really is a miracle that missionaries are able to learn languages so fast. Most people are blown away when I tell them I've only been here for a year and a half and can speak the Tagalog that I do. I suppose that would be the gift of tongues at work.

Congrats on winning the Wells Fargo case! Much thanks to Bill's hard work and go get 'em attitude. How timely it is that after the trial was over, Bill had enough time to add a pig butt to my face! Haha. It gave me and several other missionaries sitting around me a good laugh. There are a lot of pigs here in the Philippines and I see them everyday, so I am reminded often about Bill. :) One lawsuit down, one to go. Hopefully my testimony or whatever it is called that I did before I left will be of help. What they are asking for is pretty ridiculous.

I got a good laugh at seeing the new Milo. I wonder how long that will take to grow back! Looks like he got hacked pretty good haha.

This last week was probably the coldest I've ever experienced in the mission. There was a huge cold front that moved in and for several days, people were shocked that I was actually able to walk around without a jacket and not be cold. At night, we actually had to close some windows and I even had to break down and put on some socks because my feet were freezing. I tried to explain to people that it was only the equivalent of our Fall back home, but nobody can comprehend it being much colder than that. Elder Lasay said it was the coldest he's ever been in his life. Elder Lasay also got sick for a couple days this week, so it was nice actually being the one not sick for once! Haha. To help kill some downtime at the apartment while he was resting, I watched 17 Miracles-the one about the Willie Handcart company and the pioneers. That was the first time I had seen it and it was a really powerful to see how strong people's faith and testimonies were back then. With enough faith, really ANYTHING can be done. It also made me remember that one pioneer story dad has told us a couple times about one of his ancestors when they crossed. Unfortunately, I don't really remember all the details of the story but I remember it being pretty crazy. If only everybody in the church could have the faith that the pioneers did...

This week we were working in one of our areas, but after working there for about an hour all of our plans and appointments started to fall through, so we decided to hop on a tricy and head to a different part of our area, even though we didn't really have any plans over there either. We soon found ourselves at a less active's house that I had not worked at in over 3 months and after giving us a merienda, we asked him and his family to get their Book of Mormon so we could share with them. The only copy they have is the one that I apparently gave them many months ago when I found out that they had lost theirs. As we shared, he was happy to tell us him and his family have been reading it ever since I gave it to them and they are now in 3Nephi. He said that after the numerous sets of missionaries that have been by his house to try and get him to read the Book of Mormon and bring him back to church, this is the first time he has actually started reading it. It was interesting to see the change in his countenance just from the simple effect of reading a book. He told us he knows the book is true, and afterwards he even fed us dinner and told us to schedule a day that he could feed us dinner every week! Definitely a good thing we went by his home. Without the Spirit leading and guiding this great work, there would be no use in us being here. 

Well this week is transfer week and so there is a good chance that I will be getting the boot. After being here for 6 months, odds are now against me. 

Maraming salamat for everything you do, and have a fun and safe trip on your cruise!

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Nay

P.S. Tell these to Filipinos to show off your awesome old people skills:

Kamusta-hello/how are you

Salamat-thank you

Taga saan ka-where are you from