2016-9-25 Baptism!

Kamusta po!

So this email is going to be pretty straightforward, because when I reflect on this week last Saturday comes to the forefront. We had a baptism service! 

It was amazing, and a beautiful culmination of over a month of work and stress. The service was the best yet, plus a lot of our ward showed up, which isn't totally normal. It's hard to say what my favorite part was. Elder S- and I arrived at the church just before the P- Family and M-, and when we saw them come running up to the church, they were just the happiest people ever. My heart was at that point of a mix of joy, anticipation, nostalgia, everything at once. 

Also, another peculiar thing about teaching people about the church, is they normally don't really upgrade to wearing shirt and tie until just before they actually join the church, and this day they were all wearing their sunday's best and looked great. An outward appearance shouldn't say much about someone, but just from the surface you could tell they have changed, let alone getting to know them and feel of their joy. 

To tie it back to my spiritual thought last week, about why we can repent and change, and the importance of teaching this...

14 "Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people."

15 "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

16 "And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D&C 18:14-16)

This scripture is pretty straightforward, and I've heard it throughout my life. But I consider myself the most fortunate person on the planet to realize the truth of it in this lifetime. The kingdom of God of course means the life hereafter, but as a church we are preparing the kingdom of God right now. We are building it, and when Christ comes again we will hand over the keys to Him. This means that the kingdom of God is right now! If one begins an eternal marriage, it doesn't start later, it starts when they are sealed! I used to think that this joy would come after we have passed and realized all of our follies, but I testify that the joy promised in this verse is real, and it is as the sweet fruit in Lehi's dream.

I said it once and I'll say it again, the P- family is the best thing to have happened to me on my mission, and perhaps even more. They express so much gratitude to us every time we visit them, and we have a bond that I didn't know could exist. But every time they say they are thankful, I wonder if they realize how grateful I am for them. Without skipping a beat, I can say I love them. And this is only because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that's what brought us together.

I want to take a moment to describe the people in the picture above, the people that I have been getting to know for the past month and some. (let me know if these pictures don't show, and I'll attach them a different way)

From left to right

me: well, yeah

M-: She is about to turn 7, and the 'age of accountability' is 8 so she will have to wait until then to be baptized. I'll still be here in the Phil when that happens, so I'm really excited about that! M- is super energetic, and just the best. She's like a little sister or cousin to me, I'll hold her hand crossing the street. I was fully aware that it would be hard for her to see her whole family dressed in white and that she wouldn't really understand, so I made sure to sit next to her the whole time and talk about how it would be next year for her, and how amazing baptism is. 

S-: This guy is the oldest kid in the family, and he's a good older brother. his dance moves put most people I've seen to shame, he's way into hip-hop. When we first met the P- family we didn't get to teach S- much, because we were meeting at 5pm every time. When we realized it was just a scheduling conflict, we moved to 7pm and ever since we have had the full family. It was truly inspiring to help them all progress, and a family baptism is my dream come true.

S-: she is insanely sharp. Her mind is a steel-trap, if you say something to her it doesn't go out the other ear like with most people (including me). Also, our teachings were so much easier because of her. My Tagalog is still barbaric, and I learned so much from our lessons because Shane is pretty handy at some english vocab. In fact with a select few we could pretty much teach in english, and with other people it has to be straight tagalog. 

A-: this is my mother away from home. She has never ever neglected to feed us, which I know has to be a challenge for them but there's no saying "no". Trust me I've tried. It's so amusing, if we come later than expected, we get some chastising in super fast Tagalog that's hard to understand, just like being chastised at home. She is an example of pure faith, through and through

M-: the dad of the family, and consequentially the most dad-like humor I've ever witnessed. This guy is a joker, but he has taken up the mantle of fatherhood in such an amazing way. he has always lead the family to do their prayers and readings, and has shown excitement for baptism since the beginning. Last time we checked, he was in Alma 58, and I have a feeling the first thing marlon will do after he finishes the Book of Mormon is start it again. He has awesome long hair, and he's a painter too, so he looks the part. 

M-: his girlfriend was his referral to the church, but it's definitely not what kept him coming back. M- is a stud in basketball and a pretty quiet guy, and it's been fun to teach him. He is the first in his family to be baptized, but who knows maybe there will be more :) 

I know this church is true. 

Thanks for reading, until next time! Love you all!

2016-9-18 Met 2 General Authorities and Held Baptism Interviews

Kamusta po! 

Another good, warm week here in the Phil! We're in the 'ber' months, but that only means Christmas music everywhere, not that it actually get cooler. This past week was actually pretty nice, both Elder S- and I lost our umbrellas or left them somewhere, and the past 3 days we've been inside while it rained, so that's a blessing! I'm almost finished breaking my second umbrella, we use them so often.

A lot of things start rusting immediately here, and I stained my shirt really really bad from my umbrella, but we have some more blessings! Our astig nanay who lent us her washing machine is actually doing our laundry now! I have no idea how she gets stains out like she does, or how my clothes are smelling so good now, but it's a huuuuge improvement. 

This week we had a tour of our mission for Elder Schumtz of the Seventy. I got to personally meet him and talk with him for a little while, which was really really uplifting. It's like general conference but you get to ask questions. Among all the great insights he gave us, (one of the perks of being a missionary is getting ridiculously good spiritual nourishment and attention from the leaders of the church) was an inside look at general conference. I already know the order of the speakers for Sunday session, because Elder Schumtz will be talking! No spoilers though...

We also had stake conference this week, which was really uplifting as well. Normally church is 40-60 people in stackable plastic chairs, but this time it was a massive chapel with actual pews, and it was packed in there. Plus we had AIRCON! I could've cried tears of joy, it was so cool in there. It was really emotional actually, we watched a stake presidency that has served diligently for 9 years get released, and new men take their place. We had a fantastic talk from Sister Bertin, our mission president's wife, as well as ANOTHER general authority, Elder Bowen. The highlight was when he started dropping a hymn book over and over again, and everyone who might have been losing attention focused on the huge slamming noise. He said the law of gravity is what makes this book fall. It works every time, and we will be blessed by obedience, every time. God's laws are the same as the laws of nature, they work every time. 

We were really early, but here's a look at the chapel and a lot of our members from Panghulo ward. I've really grown to love all of them, especially our current investigators. 

We had an FHE with the P- family, and after a brief lesson and charades we had a delicious dinner. There are 5 members of the family, and 4 of them (who are of age) are being baptized this Saturday! 

We held their interviews last Saturday, and since there was 3 others as well (M- D- and her daughter, plus a young adult named M-) it took a while to finish. We played games while we were waiting, and it was a really constructive experience for everyone. Next Saturday is going to be amazing!

Spiritual Thought:

I'm continuing through Jesus the Christ, and I've reached the part that I've been anticipating since I started: The Garden of Gethsemane. Something that I've been made aware of is that Jesus knew He would be suffering immeasurably and even dying for us, to appease the law of justice. (one of the simplest laws of God) Long before he entered into the garden that fateful night, Jesus knew it was coming. Many times Jesus told his Apostles that he would be dying, and they refused to believe Him/didn't understand. I thought, how can they not understand the simple statements Jesus is telling them? Then I realized, they saw this man, this living Son of the Father, perform miracles, heal the blind, raise the dead. They knew, as Peter put it, that "[He] is the Christ, the Son of the living God". So how in the world would Jesus be put to death? They wondered this, because they did not know that it was meant to happen, and that Jesus would put Himself into the hands of his vilest enemies, as a sacrifice that is in fact the most important event of all time. 

So when we talk about the Garden of Gethsemane and the suffering of Jesus Christ for our sins and pains, how much did He actually suffer? Christ knew what was to come, but as the transpirings began, it appears that Christ began to feel a deep sorrow that was in some measure surprising to Himself: He "began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy". For a number of hours, Christ suffered an incalculable amount of pain and anguish of soul. "He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It as not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an exstrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion." (Jesus the Christ pg 613) 

The answer to how much Jesus Christ suffered is enough. Enough so that we don't need to suffer because of guilt and pain from transgressing the law of justice. Enough that God's plan of salvation for each of us can be successful. Christ has given us the gift of the Atonement, and I testify that we have to receive the gift and fulfill our part. I'm thankful that we can repent, and that through the Atonement we can become a better person, a more Christ-like person. I testify that Jesus Christ suffered for us, and the most important message to share with people is what occurred, and why it's so important to utilize the Atonement through repentance. I know the Jesus Christ the Son, and our Heavenly Father, live and love every one of us. 

Thanks for reading! I love you all!

Elder Fish ><>

 Alma and Sariah sleeping on the Book of Mormon Stories book, how ironic and how cute haha

 my lego collection :)

 some goats on the street. Chillest animal on the planet

Some pretty clouds from this morning

2016-9-11 Zone FHE and a Washing Machine!

Kamusta po! 

This week was really enjoyable, there was a lot of fun activities with members and investigators, and my whole mindset was more positive. Attitude really affects how your day and consequently how your week will go.

To start off, it was Elder S's one year left in the mission so we went to Mang Inasal to celebrate. It's pretty much Filipino barbeque and unlimited rice, what else could I ask for? Anyways, we went with J- J- and S-, and I challenged John to a rice eating competition. Bad call... I should've realized he's been eating rice his whole life, but I still put up a fight :) He finished 7 cups/scoops, and I got to about 6.5, but we were both in pain that night. 

The next day, we got a call from Nanay Astig (cool mom) who is a member and our neighbor as well. She invited us over to talk, and she said we could use their old washing machine! E. S- and I were about to cry. This will literally save us hours every week, washing by hand takes sooo long. 

Also, I found a sweet Barcelona jersey for about 3 US dollars.

 Bishop N- came to a lesson with the P- family, and gave a fantastic lesson about tithing. He compare a credit card to a temple recommend, how anyone can use a credit card or an ATM card, but you have to be following all of God's commandments to hold a temple recommend card. Also, we found out that Marlon is already halfway through ALMA! He's barely been reading the Book of Mormon for a month, that is so cool! He doesn't even think about it being a big deal he just said, "mahaba and aklat ni Alma" which means Alma is really long. Also on another visit I asked what set this church apart to him and to A-, his wife. He said he's read the Old and New Testaments, but that the feelings and spirit he gets when reading the Book of Mormon is different. I was so amazed by his simple testimony, because it's amazingly strong. 

We had a zone conference, which is where several zones get together and have a testimony meeting as well as workshops and food. We got a private jeepney for our all-elders zone and we had a ton of fun driving over. The testimony meeting was so powerful, especially from the missionaries that are leaving this November, they had a ton of insights to share, including some regrets they've had, and how to avoid them. Also, at the end of it we had a mail run, and I got a package and a letter! I've never been so happy to see ties and goldfish.

So another huge highlight of this week was a zone family home evening, where all the Elders from the stake brought investigators and recent converts. It was super fun, and we did a lot of fun games and spiritual thoughts. We did head shoulders knees and toes with different emotions, like magalit, malungkot (angry, sad)

Here is M- and her daughter RS, plus M- in the green shirt. It was such a blast to see them have fun. They were laughing with each other on the jeepney ride home saying "we have the best looking missionaries" The FHE was a great chance for them to bond with each other and members, it was amazing. 

Now for a quick spiritual thought from my letter to President Bertin. This week I really learned to enjoy the work, especially with members. I was really affected by the workshops at zone conference, especially with praying for the love to find. And love in general, in fact. Because I was focused on that this week, I saw my conversations and relationships with members become more constructive, and therefore more enjoyable.

When the Pharisees ask Jesus which commandment is greatest, because they love to rank the different rules, Jesus answers “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first great commandment. And second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. For me, I realized a part of striving for exact obedience, is that often times we are not there yet. I am definitely not there yet. Therefore, I am not following this first great commandment, which really struck me. Of course, God loves us all, inexpressibly. However, do we love him? We show our love through obedience, so being perfectly obedient is loving with all thy heart, soul, and mind. I’m grateful for the Atonement that fills in the gap of our obedience sometimes, and I’m also rededicated to striving to follow this commandment. And I know I will be blessed if I do, like Enoch. He was dumb of speech, but people listened to him because he “walked with God”. For me, this does not mean he literally walked with God, it means he was so obedient that he had power and the spirit with him. 

I know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves each and every one of us. I have felt this love, and one of my greatest joys is helping others feel this same love. This inexpressible love inspires me to try and show my own love to God, through following the commandments. I know that being Christ-like is how to demonstrate our own love for God, and that our relationship with God and even with other people will improve as we strive to become better. I love you all, thanks for reading, until next time! Love, Elder Fish

2016-9-4 Merry Christmas in September

Kamusta po! 

This week we had a lot of progression with our investigators, and it was fairly normal. There was a lot of ups and downs, and overall it was very good! 

So, just some miscellaneous things from my 3 months here:

On August 31st, I heard the first Christmas music while proselyting! I was told Christmas music starts in September here, but we did one better!

One of our recent converts, Jiesnel, gave me a Duterte bracelet! Astig! Duterte is the Philippines new president, who's whole platform is fighting against drugs. Ronald Reagan started the "War on Drugs" but Duterte is taking it literally. Right now there's actually a curfew from 10PM to 4AM and I'm seeing a lot of gates popping up in the entrances to Barangays, which are pretty much housing subdivisions. As missionaries we are safe, and we have a curfew at 9 anyways so there's nothing to worry about. 

Anyways that's all dark and scary so here's a puppy! Two of our investigators bought a pair of puppies, and named them Alma and Sariah! (two people from the Book of Mormon)

There are tons of wild dogs and cats here, plus there's chickens tied up to a rock just about everywhere. It was weird at first but now it's pretty normal. 

My patch of the Philippines is dirty, but it can still be really pretty (ignore all the litter in the bottom of the picture) 

This picture sums up my area alright. There's a lot of fish farms, plus it's mainly city so a ton of houses and concrete everywhere, but you still find palm trees and a lot of green tucked away. Some areas of my mission are mountainous and green and every day is a ton of hiking, so maybe we will get to see that next year!

short spiritual thought!

I was reading in The Acts, about the story of Paul being shipwrecked. Paul is actually a prisoner at the time, of a Roman centurion. Paul gives a warning to the centurion that if they continue sailing, "this voyage will be with hurt and much damage" Next, it says "Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and owner of the ship, more than those things that which were spoken by Paul"

Of course, the ship ends up sinking, but they all make it out alive luckily. Now, I don't blame the centurion for listening to the captain of the ship rather than a prisoner. But, like the centurion, we have been warned of danger by the scriptures, and by living prophets and apostles that are just like Paul, and are guided by the Lord. Always give heed to these sources of spiritual insight, and you can avoid shipwreck! 

Thanks for reading, I love you all!

Elder Fish