Lucena

WEEK 93
Dear Family and Friends,

     I arrived in my new area and met Elder Pepa on Thursday.  It was about a two and a half hour bus ride from Alaminos.  It's one of the biggest cities in the mission and a really beautiful area.  My companion is 22 years old and from Tonga.  He's a rugby player and probably about three times my size.  He doesn't speak English very well, but he's basically fluent in Tagalog.  So we just speak Tagalog to each other.  He's a really experienced elder, and he definitely knows what he's doing in every phase of the work.  He relates very well to the people here.  Sometimes I feel like I'm working with a really big Filipino.  He goes home this transfer and I'm going home the following transfer, so I think it'll be a really good opportunity to put our heads together and get a lot of work done.  The ward here is struggling a little bit, so I think that we'll be able to get a lot of good work done.

       Most of the work that we do here is in an area called Landing.  There used to be this massive airport.  Then it was abandoned for some reason.  The whole area that used to be where they landed the planes got filled up with all of these improvised houses.  So it's basically a massive tarmac that's full of people.  It's pretty much a missionary's dream for finding investigators and organizing an area.  The only problem is that it turns into a giant oven in the sun.  I've been in some hot areas, but nothing so far compares to going to Landing in the afternoon.

     Everything is going well, and it's a great feeling to be back out to the normal missionary life, and we experienced quite a bit of success the first few days that we've been together.  Really not a single complaint that I can think of right now.  Everything's awesome!

                                                               

- Elder English  

Transfers

WEEK 91 - WEEK 92
Well, the unexpected transfer from the previous letter wasn't necessary after all......

Dear Family and Friends,

     It’s been another great week in Alaminos, and it’s hard to believe that another transfer week has already come.  This will officially be my 6^th and last transfer week in the office and it’s kind of a bittersweet experience.  The Elder who will be replacing me arrived last week, and I have been showing both of them the last few things that they need to know.  It’s actually been a really fun experience to train them, and they’re both catching on really fast.  The new office elder is Elder Stewart.  He’s from Salt Lake, and has been in the mission for about a year now.  He’s a really smart elder and isn’t having any problems with the adjustment.  He also attended the University of Utah before he came out, so it’s been really fun to have a fellow Ute fan in the apartment.

The office crew...with Elder Costales and Elder Stewart

     I also received the call from the assistants about where my next area is going to be.  They actually called me from the next room over.  My next area will be in Lucena City.  I will be companions with Elder Pepa.  He’s from Tonga and will be going home in six weeks.  I’m really excited for the opportunity since I’ve never actually been assigned on that side of the mission, so I can’t wait to get out there and meet some new people!

     This transfer week seems like it has been a little harder for me than the others since I’m really close with a lot of missionaries who are going home.  It also became very real all of a sudden that time is starting to wind down for me as well.  There’s this really weird cycle that happens to me every time.  When the departing missionaries get on the jeepney and head to Manila, you kind of get flooded with feelings of homesickness and thoughts of when you’ll be going home.  Then the new missionaries come in the next day and they fill you with this fresh energy to get out and to get to work.  I’m really excited to take that energy to my next area and make the most of the Lord’s time that he has given to me to serve.

With Elder Encinares before he left.  My companion in Tanauan.

     Everything is going great and I’m really excited for the next stage in my mission.  I’ve learned a lot of things being an office elder that I never expected to and I can’t wait to get out and put it to use.  Thanks again for all of your support and advice that you send every week!

-Elder English

Off-cycle Transfer

WEEK 89 - WEEK 90
Dear Family and Friends,

     So first of all, there has been a few changes for me this past week.  Some things happened, and in this situation, some transfers were necessary.  I was informed that I will be leaving the office off-cycle this coming week, so next week I'll be in a new area with a new companion.  I am happy for the opportunity to return to the usual missionary schedule and work, but I do feel sorry for Elder Costales since he has been getting the crash course of how to do all of the work in the office and is still working on his driving.  He has a really positive attitude and I know that he'll do a great job.  So I will let you all know how my new area is next week!

     One of the few negatives about serving in the Philippines is that we get general conference a week later than everyone else.  So I get to hear all of the excitement and reports a week before we get to watch it, but it really just adds to the anticipation.  I'm really looking forward to it since it will be my last general conference in the mission, and there are lots of questions that I'm looking forward to getting answered.  It's been really important for me to remember that if we put in the proper preparation, we are entitled to receive revelation for the things that we need.  It's definitely one of the greatest things that we should be taking advantage of.  

     We experienced a miracle in our work this week.  We have been visiting a member for a while who has problems attending church because of his work.  I turns out that the assistants were also looking for a member and found out that they actually live right next to each other and that they work at the same place.  We had just never seen him because we always visit later in the evening.  They said that they're going to help each other figure out their schedules so that they can come to church together.

     Everything else is going well and I'm definitely a little anxious about my new area and companion but also really excited to get out and work.  Thanks again for all of your advice and support!

                                                                       

- Elder English

Driving Lessons

WEEK 88

Dear Family and Friends,

                It’s been another great week here in Alaminos.  This week was pretty crazy.  We helped move apartments in two different zones, and then we were traveling to the rest of the zones to change filters and to do apartment checks.  It was a full week and I was definitely exhausted at the end of every day. 

                There was also another experience that I found really interesting.  Elder Costales doesn’t have his license yet, and he told me that he’s never driven anything except a tractor.  So, this last week, we went and picked up his student permit.  We headed over to the church parking lot, where I then attempted to teach him how to drive.  It was a really weird experience and definitely not something that I would’ve ever imagined doing on my mission.  He’s picking up everything really well though and I think that he should be ready to head out onto the road soon.  There’s no course or required driving tests here in the Philippines.  You simply get your student permit, and if you’re still alive after thirty days you can go take the test to get your driver’s license.  For the driving test, you need to back out of a parking spot, drive in a circle in the parking lot, and then pull back into the parking spot.  I’m really surprised how good everyone here is at driving since they don’t get the best training in the world.

                The weather here is starting to heat up and you can feel summer coming.  I’m definitely not looking forward to it, but the plus is that there won’t be any more typhoons for a while.  It’s kind of reminding me of Fall back in Utah, because all of the leaves on the trees are burning up and falling off. 

                We had some great opportunities to get out and visit with our normal families this week.  Even if it was only one or two a day, and they’re all doing really well.  The only real problem for them is money.  Alaminos is a pretty poor area and most of the people here are living meal to meal.  It is really inspiring to see their faith and their desire to live the Gospel even though it seems like everything is working against them.  The mission is progressing as a whole.  We get to see all the numbers and fancy charts and graphs come in, and it’s really exciting to see the energy building throughout the mission.  I’ve even noticed that I’ve been having to order more supplies more often because the missionaries are going through them faster.

                Everything is going well and Elder Costales and I get along great.  He is a very jolly, out-going person so there was no awkward adjusting stage in our companionship.  I’ve been in the office for almost seven months now.  I’ve only realized how much I’ve learned as I’m now training Elder Costales, since I will probably be transferred next cycle.  It’s actually been a really fulfilling experience.

                Thanks again for all that you do and all the support that you continue to show!

                                                                                                                                

-Elder English

Zone Conferences

WEEK 86 - WEEK 87

Dear Family and Friends,

                It’s really crazy to think that another set of Zone Conferences has come and gone.  One of the great blessings of being in the office is to be able to attend all three of the zone conferences.  On Tuesday, we were in Lucena for the Lucena, Lopez, and Marinduque zones.  On Wednesday, we were in Lipa for the Lipa, Batangas, and Mindoro zones.  Then on Thursday, we were in San Pablo for the San Pablo, Cabuyao, and Santa Cruz zones.  It was an awesome experience once again to be involved in and all three of them were a huge success.  To my surprise, hearing the same business, workshops, scriptures, and quotes never seemed to become repetitive or dull. 

The main focus of the zone conference was to evaluate the progress that we’ve seen in the mission since we last got together and to introduce the new training plan for the mission.  Since, we’ve last had our zone conference and even since I’ve come into the mission, every area of the work has seen steady and notable improvement.  President Mangum threw a huge bar graph up on the projector so we could see how the numbers all lined up.  I know that it’s not all about the numbers, but it was definitely exciting to see how everyone’s faith is continuing to grow in the mission.  You can definitely feel momentum moving through the mission right now, and it really is an exciting thing.

The new training plan is focused on Charity and the Atonement.  The assistants used a quote by Abraham Lincoln that I thought was pretty cool.  “I do not like that man very much.  I must get to know him better.”  It made me think of the people in my mission that  I had walked by because I had judged them or decided not to talk to, just because I had already decided that they wouldn’t accept our message.  You see some pretty interesting people in the Philippines, but it was just a good reminder to me that everyone needs the message that we carry.

My companion and I also had some time to get out and visit some members.  We’ve been taking little reading charts to the members that say, “BINASA KO ANG AKLAT NI MORMON” (I read The Book of Mormon), that they can color in for every day or section that they read.  At first I thought it was a little silly, and I was a little shy to give it to them.  Then I was surprised as we went back to their homes and we saw the charts pinned on the wall with little sections colored in.  It’s pretty funny, but the parents are actually telling us that it is now their children who are pushing them to read the scriptures so they can keep coloring in the sheet.  One Brother even admitted that sometimes he starts making excuses to his children because he’s tired or busy, but always ends up reading the scriptures with his family.  It’s been really fun to see the progression in their families.

Everything else is going well and we’re definitely very busy.  Elder Costales and I get along great and are finding ways to make all the office work more fun and entertaining.  We’ll even divide the pouch into two piles and then race to see who can get their pile sorted the fastest.  We’re also finding more time to get out and to visit members since this cycle is eight weeks long.

Thanks for all of the support that you continue to show and of the counsel that you give!

-Elder English

Another Encrypted Letter

WEEK 85

Well, it happened again......encrypted e-mail.

Apostle of the Lord

WEEK 83 - WEEK 84

Dear Family and Friends,

                The biggest event that happened this week and probably the biggest in my mission was the opportunity to hear President Nelson speak in a Special Stake Conference for San Pablo Stake.  It was an amazing opportunity to be in such an intimate setting with an apostle of the Lord.  He gave very specific and inspired counsel on how we can better help ourselves and others to follow the Lord.  It was actually a very intense and almost mesmerizing experience to be only a few rows away while he was speaking.  He gave very simple counsel on basically every commandment you could think of.  He would just pause and say, “I sense that there are a number of you struggling with …” and then he would say a very specific situation and give counsel on it.  He had absolutely no notes and you could tell that the whole thing was completely by the spirit.  It was definitely one of the coolest things that has happened on my mission. 

                I also have a new companion.  His name is Elder Costales and he is from Ilocos Sur.  He has all of the classic characteristics of an Ilocano.  He has a really high voice when he talks, shouts everything, eats a ton, and is really good at cooking.  (Hhmmm, I'm not sure where he's getting these generalizations from....) He’s really fun to be around and it should be a really fun next transfer together.  He's 24 and already graduated with a four-year degree in business administration, so I don't think there's much that I'm going to be teaching him.

                It was also transfer week, so we spent a lot of nights staying up late and getting up early.  The sisters that I came into the mission with also went home with this last batch, so it’s really starting to set in that the time is counting down.  My companion has a ton of energy and we should be able to make a lot of good changes in the office and just get everything as organized as possible.

                Everything is going well, and I’ve now spent six months in the office.  It seems like it’s barely been one.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to teach Elder Costales everything that he needs to know so I can set him up to have a fun time as an Office Elder.  We were also able to get out and visit some members this week, so I could introduce my new companion.  We taught all of them lessons on the Book of Mormon.  I’ve realized that you really could teach every lesson straight out of the Book of Mormon.  It has everything that we need. 

                Thank you for all the counsel and support that you continue to give!

                                                                                               

-Elder English

With new companion, Elder Costales
and former companion, Elder Benosa

Special Stake Conference with Russell M. Nelson
(San Pablo Stake)

Pizza Happiness