Fiesta

WEEK 65

Dear Family and Friends,

     Another week has flown by here in Alaminos and it's weird to think that the next transfer day is already coming up.  Right now, it is Fiesta here in Alaminos.  I'm not exactly sure why, but everyone just gets together for a big party.  We were woken up at 5:30 this morning by a marching band and fireworks.  Here in the Philippines, they focus on how much sound the firework makes.  Not how high it goes or how cool it looks.  It kind of sounds like a war zone outside right now.  Everyone also brings out the karaoke machines so things get pretty noisy.

  

     The highlight for us was definitely being able to watch general conference.  My favorite talks were by President Uchtdorf about not making the gospel too complicated.  My favorite quote was, "Exaltation is our goal, discipleship is the journey."  I loved how all the speakers were very straight forward.  They simply told us what we need to do and why we need to do it.  It really doesn't get any simpler.

  

     One of the miracles that Elder Benosa and I have been able to witness is the return of a young man that we've been teaching, to church.  He was actually baptized awhile ago and then they lost his record.  No one had any documentation showing what date he was baptized on, so they told him that he needed to be re-baptized.  He took it as meaning that he maybe wasn't all that important to the church.  We have been visiting him since I arrived in the office and we have seen him change his life.  (It's really convenient because he lives just behind the mission office.)  He agreed to be baptized again and is now fully active and seems to be enjoying every aspect of the church.  He even got his hair cut so that he could look more presentable to pass the sacrament. It was really, really long.  

     Everything is going well, and tomorrow we start doing filter runs again.  I'm not too excited, but it's a good chance to get to know the mission and the missionaries better.  Thank you again for all of your support and all the counsel that you continue to give.

- Elder English

Helping the Batangas Elders move apartments.

It got a little tight.:)

(Elder Benosa)