Memories of a Mission – Page 4 – "We will work for the glory of our Lord"

Struggles with sisters

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

I have no time any more. I really want to be able to write every night but I always have so much to do .We had district meeting again today. Elder Bonayon taught an “attributes” lesson about working with the leadership of the units. It was really different. I tried to teach about teaching for understanding. I think it went well and I hope that the Elders and sisters got something out of it. I decided that it is hard to have sisters in your district because they always have some problem or another that has to be taken care of. They do good work but just really like to talk about their problems.

After district meeting and a quick lunch, we went and taught Michael and Lea about the restoration and Joseph Smith. They were very accepting. They also told us that their sister, Alma, had read almost ½ of the Book of Mormon. We also went out to Marahan and found her and her mother-in-law and talked to them for a while. Alma and her husband Alvin have a lot of potential as do her brother and sister Michael and Lea. Well it is now 10:29 so I’m done.

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My first baptismal interview

Saturday, April 9, 2005

Well I had to do my first baptismal interview today. It was for the sisters in Dasma Bayan II. It was really interesting because I hadn’t even met the sisters yet and I had to all of a sudden do an interview to someone that I know absolutely nothing about. It turned out to be a dalaga, young woman, who is 17 years old. She is the house help for some family there in Dasma. Before I even started the interview, I felt nervous about it. As I started she was really shy and was even a little afraid of me. We went through and I just didn’t feel right about telling her she could be baptized. I finally found out that she had some family trouble back and home in northern Luzon and that she hadn’t yet gotten her parent’s permission to be baptized. I had to tell her that we couldn’t have her baptized without her parent’s consent and helped her set another goal date for May when she will have been able to talk to her parents. It was interesting because I had to talk to this dalaga for an hour all by myself and then it didn’t even work out. I was also surprised that they, the sisters, thought that she could be baptized without the parental permission. Hopefully that will all work out. I also got to watch the Priesthood Session of conference today and that was really good.

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Cleaning the apartment and teaching about the next life

Friday, April 8, 2005

Well our service today out in the fields fell through and so we decided that we would just clean the apartment to get ready for our apartment inspection next Monday. We got rid of nearly 5 huge bags of trash and got rid of the four inches of dirt that were on the shelves in the kitchen. We also got lots of things organized and straightened up. The spirit is a lot stronger now in the apartment now that it is clean in and out.

We taught a good lesson to Michael and his two sisters Alma and Lea. They are the people we OYMed and then went back the next day just to find that they had just had their dad die. He was just buried earlier this week. We did something sort of irregular and taught them about the plan of salvation first. They, obviously, had a lot of questions about how things are in the next life. They were really happy to know that their father would still know them in the next life.

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Attending the temple

Thursday, April 7, 2005

Today was another early day but it was worth it because we got to go to the Temple. I’ve really missed going there for the last 6 months. The feelings of peace and love in the temple are really delicious. I hope that I don’t have to go that long again ever in my life without going to the temple.

I also wrote a three page email to my family today. My mom is getting really a little bit trunky. She keeps mentioning memories and stuff like that. On the way back from the temple, before we got on the bus at Baclaran, we ate at Wendys. It was really good to have some really American fast food.

I also wrote a compliment letter to A. to thank her for my letter as a birthday gift. I really respect her a lot for how much support she gives me here on the mission and doesn’t try to pull my thoughts away to things that are really of little importance right now.

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Interviews and a spirit filled lesson

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Well I was hoping to spend this very important day at the Temple but they changed our district meeting day to today because Pres Beck was coming and so we didn’t get to go. We had interviews this morning so we had to be at the Dasmariñas Stake Center at 7:00. I couldn’t believe how big the church building was! It was incredible. Sister Beck and Elder Kavanav visited my district meeting. Elder Durrant taught about Hope for his attributes lesson and compared it to despair. My skills lesson was about bearing testimony and more specifically about bearing pure testimony of important truths. The spirit was there and I also learned from the others. We went grocery shopping also and I couldn’t believe, again, how bit WalterMart was. They had everything you could ever want. On the nearly 2 hour bus trip back to Alfonso I read in “Articles of Faith” by Talmage. I’m also learning a lot there.

We had a really neat experience with Alfredo Lopez tonight. We taught him about the plan of salvation and about how we need to follow the principles and ordinances of the gospel while we are here in this life. He told us that he felt he was a very proud person and that he questioned “why” too much. He also told us that be had lost faith to an extent from what he used to have. He really wants it. I was able to promise him faith if he will but read the Book of Mormon every day and pray daily. Both Elder Durrant and I felt that we should kneel and pray; so, after we testified about Jesus Christ and God’s love for us, we did so. We had him pray first and then Elder Durrant and then I prayed. He gave a beautiful sincere prayer and the spirit was so strong. He has been hesitant to pray and get an answer but both Elder Durrand and I know that he got an answer. The spirit will work miracles in people’s lives if we will let it. My testimony of the converting power of the Holy Ghost was increased tonight and I am grateful for that blessing.

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First time I have the door slammed in my face

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

We did a ton of tracting today; probably more than I’ve ever done in my whole mission in one day. Today was actually the first time that I’ve actually had a door slammed in my face. It was a little bit discouraging. We worked really hard. This morning we taught a lesson to Jerber about missionary work because he is a branch missionary and doesn’t really yet understand what he is to do with his calling. It went well I guess but was a little bit scatterbrained. Elder Durrant is really good with the scriptures and that is one thing that I need to work on.

Elder Durrant in the jungle

Me in the Banana Grove

All afternoon we didn’t get any lessons but walked around a lot and did some tracting/finding. Tonight we got to teach Alvin Gonzalez the lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It went well and the spirit was there. I struggled through because I didn’t really know where he is on his progression so I didn’t really know what to give him for a commitment. We are going to go and do service at his eggplant farm on Friday so that should be good.

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Long planning session

Monday, April 4, 2005

The River between Alfonso and Luksuhin

Today was a good day I guess. We had a really long planning session this morning. We have so many investigators that it is hard for me to figure out what to do with all of them. We followed up on an OYM today to a couple that lives in Barangay 5. They are an older couple and are pretty catholic but have some potential. We also got to teach Albert Cabinella.

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Sick all night

Sunday, April 3, 2005

Well I was hoping to be able to write last night but I was feeling sick and so I just went straight to bed. I was up several times in the night sitting on the toilet because of the sickness. All in all it was a pretty bad night. Today was fast day as well just to top the whole thing off. This has been a really strange half week for me. I really haven’t been able to get into the work for some reason. Elder Durrant is good but he moves so fast that I almost wonder sometimes if he is hyperactive or something. Obviously I am asking a lot of questions because I’m new but every time I ask a question he gets all standoffish and it hurts sometimes. I just feel really crazy in this area and like my head is just spinning.

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Welcome to Alfonso, Cavite, Dasmariñas!

Friday, April 1, 2005

Well, the inevitable has occurred and I have now been transferred. This has been a hard transition for me because I grew so close to the members, my friends, on Mindoro. It is hard for me to think that I may never see any of them again in this life. They are like family to me and I love them all very much.

I am suddenly in a new area where I do not know any of the members or investigators. I don’t know a single elder in my zone and I am feeling fairly lonely. I am now assigned as district leader in Alfonso area, Silang district, Dasmariñas Zone. The area here is going well, I guess, but we don’t have any families or really any fathers that are in our investigators and we have a seemingly infinite supply of young women here that we are teaching. Anyhow, on another sad note, I have also hit the ancient old age of 20. I feel different in a sense but still not that much.

Elder Matthew Durrant — we became great friends!

Right now my companion is Elder Durrant. He is a farm boy from Idaho and I feel like I’m so far ahead of him. Again, I have to watch out for pride.

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The last sunset on my beautiful Mindoro

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Sunset over the rice fields of Calinaan

Today was a good day. This morning was long though and we wasted a lot of time waiting for Bro Oreta and Bro Pulido at the church so that they could clean. After waiting a whole hour only Bro Pulido came and cleaned. We also did some finding here in Calintaan. We didn’t get to teach any lessons however this morning.

After lunch we went out to Cansaliw to visit the Malabjas. Pres Isla had just gotten back from El Progresso and so he was wasted and couldn’t come with us. Also Bro Malabja wasn’t there so we just taught sister about obeying and honoring the law. She is still a little shy about praying but it is getting better and better.

Brother Rose making things at his shop

Bro Rose working on my knives

Bro Rose at the furnace

Me with the Rose Family

When we got back into Dagupan we went and visited Bro Rose at the shop. He does very amazing work and so we watched him for a while. We also got to teach their whole family about baptism and both Rose Ann and Irene accepted to be baptized on the 16^th. I really love that family. They are the closest thing that I’ve seen from going from start to finish and baptism. Their lives have really changed and you can see that they are happier and even healthier than they were before. Bro Viloria came with us and was a great help. He helped them to identify the spirit and everything. He will really always be a great asset to this branch and to all the Elders that ever will be assigned here.

Me with the Viloria Family

Me with the Elders Quorum Presidency (Pulido, Oreta, Villoria)

Me with the Branch presidency (Siscar, Isla, Manzo)

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