May 19, 2015

cge*(alright), so i have not emailed in what feels like a very long time. because every transfer week our P-day changes from Monday to Wednesday. so tomorrow is our Transfer day, and yesterday we got the transfer call so before i continue any further... We received our transfer calls after district meeting on Tuesday. and I will be transferring to Tagbilaran 1 A. My new companion will be Elder Jennings, and I am still the District Leader! Elder Head is also transferring, he is going to Pajo, Lapu-Lapu.

So because we are both transferring that means that our area is being shut down, and Elder Albar, and Elder Acosta's area just got A TON bigger, they now have the BIGGEST area in the mission. it is about the same size as Salt Lake County! they have a ton of work all over now. So yesterday i went on exchanges with Elder Albar to go and show him where the investigators were that are the most progressing. it was pretty exciting, and i am super sad, because i have some many higala*(friends) that are in Duero that i now have to leave again!

my new area is pretty awesome is what every one says. also i am the Follow up trainer of Elder Jennings, so that means that he is now 3 months here in the Philippines. it should be an amazing transfer up coming, and i am really looking forward to it!

this last week we got another 6 New Investigators, we led the entire district, which is usually not a good sign when "the most difficult area" in the mission is able to find that many and the rest of the zone/district couldn't. so also the zone leaders did a new zone implementation, REFERRALS ASKED FOR/REFERRALS RECEIVED. so it was a big focus on asking for more referrals from our tudloans*(people being taught). we as a companionship asked for 12 and received 4. the rest of the district asked for 14(6 companionship's) and received 2...

so for my workshop i really focused on asking for referrals, and the importance of them. it was really good daw* (they said). the only really hard part now for me is that i cant really follow up with them, and i don't get to see if that workshop helped them or hurt them.... but i told Elder Albar the new DL that i would see how it went.

So a quick shout out to my dad and his mission, this week the only groceries that i bought was CORNED BEEF, and i bought a head of Cabbage. now i know that it is probably not the same as in Ireland but nevertheless the concept is the same. also i ate some dugo-dugo/dinugo*(blood puding) this week, so it was almost like i was in Ireland this last week!

On Sunday the 17th of May we had a branch fast that i set up, because in Alma 6:6 it says "Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God." so i encouraged them to help the missionary work progress in Duero by doing a branch fast. and it turned out pretty successful from what i could tell the spirit was much stronger and i felt a ton better at church. the entire sacrament i felt full, i focused on the talks and listened with my "spiritual ears." it was a very uplifting experience, and the best part was that i didnt even feel the slightest bit hungry.

after sacrament i was given the opportunity to teach the Gospel Essentials class (from the New Testament, Chapter 19 about "Thy faith hath saved Thee") it was pretty good, i wasn't sure how to do it but i just followed the spirit and asked questions.

On tuesday after the workshop part of our district meeting we had practice teaching, and I was taught by Sister Cantago, and Sister Calautit. Their goal was to get a referral from me by teaching a portion of doctrine that applied and then asking for a referral. so they shared a verse in Mosiah 28:3, which is one of my favorites here in the mission and one of the reasons that i came back to the mission. it says "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." i have been given an excellent opportunity to learn this crazy language, even if i struggle with it on a daily basis, and struggle with English. it is pretty great how i cant speak straight English or straight Cebuano. i always sagol*(mix) Cebuano with Tagalog, and with my English i mix them both.

ALRIGHT LOVE YOU ALL!!!! EMAIL ME!!!!!!

 

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

PHILIPPINES CEBU EAST MISSION!!!! OCT 2013-JAN 2016 

May 4, 2015

well, i have had just about the hardest week ever. On Monday elder head burned his leg on the exhaust pipe and then went to Tagbilaran. so Tuesday he did his emailing because he couldn't email on P-day.

so Tuesday we went to Guindalman about 30 minutes away from the house on a bus so he could email. he finished at around 1:00, then he had to get a haircut. by the time we finished with everything and made it back home it was around 3:00. so an even shorter day. he then decided that his leg was too sore, in too much pain to go out and teach. so Elder Albar and i went out and worked because his companion Elder Acosta was feeling sick, so just the 2 of us worked. we went out and taught one lesson to a man that believes that only through knowing the name of Heavenly Father we can be saved. we tried to tell him that it is only through Jesus Christ we can be saved. we also emphasized that Heavenly Father is called that because it is sacred title to have. it will be one of the only ones that we will have in the eternities. so it is super important.

On Wednesday we went out to work late, and ended up coming home around 3:00, so only about an hour. Elder Head took the day off again to rest his leg, i don't know why though. so elder Albar and i went and worked again while our companions recovered from their illnesses or injuries. we went on a hike to one of the hardest places to get in my area, because it is like walking straight up a hill. to a few houses. while we were up there we had no set people to visit so we just went and talked to some random people. we then went and found a Tatay(grandpa) and a Nanay(grandma) we taught them about how families can be eternal. they seemed pretty excited about that thought. it was super fun to just be out doing work. my idea of missionary work has changed so much since being back. i know what it is like on the other side of the mission. so many regrets of stuff that i could have and should have done different.

Thursday was super amazing, we had to be to the Tagbilaran Chapel at 8:00 because i had an interview with President Arden (Philippines area President, general authority 1st quorum of the 70) i was super nervous and excited at the same time. we talked about the mission and everything. he gave me a ton of good advice for hopefully receiving help from our branch, and what else we could do to help the area grow and become better than it is now. i talked with him about being back in the mission and he said that it was awesome that i came back to the mission and didn't just call it quits. also he said that i need to start making my letters more about the spiritual aspects of a mission and not about the things that are happening.

on Friday we had our weekly planning, we only have 4 people that we go to right now to teach. so it went fairly quickly. we have been struggling way bad. we are starting to be disappointment in our area, we have almost gotten to the point where we just want to teach rocks and water buffalo... it is just super hard in our area. last week we taught 6 lessons total. but then i was reading through PMG and read on Page 170 about how "No Effort Is Wasted". that really just helped me cheer up and put on a smile even when i was feeling down.

Saturday we made it out to work on time and made it to our first lesson around 12:30which was our timing, we walked for 30 minutes to get there (but not a slow walk, but a speed walk almost a jog) we taught an amazing lesson there to Brother Fernando about the Plan of Salvation. it was probably a little long but he understood the reason for the plan of salvation, and what it is. when we teach him he is so smart, he asks questions and responds to our questions, and makes sure he understands the concepts clearly.

after Fernando we walked for about another 35 minutes to get back to the highway because we had another appointment further down the road. but when we got to the road i went to grab my watch, but realized that it wasn't there.... so my brand new watch that i got just for my mission was gone. i was pretty perturbed that it wasn't there. i was a little (a lot) frustrated, but Elder Head said that we should just pray about it. after the prayer we walked all the way back to Fernando's house looking for it, but it was nowhere to be found... 

we then walked all the way back out to the highway because we still had to go to the next appointment that we had set up for 4. by the time we got there it was around 4:30 because we had taken so long getting there. when we got there the person that we had set up the appointment with for 4 was not there. but we ended up sharing a message about Faith (James 2:17-18) with him. because he was telling us about how he used to work on sunday but then he asked for the day off so he could go to church and his boss let him.

our last appointment for the night was at 5:00, which was about 30 minutes away by bus(over in Guindalman) but then when we got to Guindalman we had to ride a hable-hable *motor cycle for about 10 minutes up into the mountains to get to the appointment.

on Sunday we had a very spiritual sacrament meeting, it was amazing. and because of the start of church it was able to carry the spirit all the way through the meetings. i taught priesthood, and it was a ton better than last weeks lesson, the spirit was a lot stronger, and everyone participated in the lesson.

LOVE YOU ALL!

 

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

PHILIPPINES CEBU EAST MISSION!!!! OCT 2013-JAN 2016 

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

May 10, 2015 Mother's Day

alright so this week has been pretty good, quite a bit better than our week last week. we have worked a ton harder and had a little bit more help after our fast Sunday! we were able to teach 15 lessons this week which is triple the amount we taught last week. it was so crazy to finally be able to teach more than 5 lessons a week. 

so Monday last week we were in Tagbilaran for our P-day, and there was a ton of missionaries not wearing prostliting clothes (which is against our mission rules, and pretty much everywhere in the world. it says on page 19 in the White Handbook, "On preparation day, wear regular missionary clothes in public. If this clothing is not appropriate for a specific activity, make sure that you maintain a clean, modest appearance. Look for opportunities during the day to find people to teach."

I just didn't feel like a missionary with all of them around, because they were being super loud, and obnoxious. so it really helped me focus on  my attitude and actions in public. and make everything more spiritual.

so last week President Tanner talked about searching on LDS.org for the phrase "And thus we see..." it comes up several times in the Book of Mormon, and each time is Mormon writing a little but powerful statement of truth. I tried it and wrote down each reference, they are all amazing! I encourage you to try it!

this wee we got 5 new investigators, they are so amazing, and are really accepting to our message, 4 of them are Born Again Christian. they actually read, and pray like we ask them to do. it is so crazy how they actually are interested, we have been working really hard on teaching in unity.

this sunday I gave a talk on Obedience, which was just perfect after this last P day where we had that thing happen in Tagbilaran with bugoy *disobedient missionaries. it was pretty good.

I will have my parents let you all know more I am just getting ready to Skype them!!!!

 

-Elder Larson the YOUNGER

PHILIPPINES CEBU EAST MISSION!!!! OCT 2013-JAN 2016 

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.