2016-10-31 - Sunsets

October 31, 2016 - Sunsets

Kumusta po kayo!

I'll just jump right in! These pictures are from Maja's birthday 2 weeks ago, but pictures are the best part so I'll include them anyways:

Maja (pronounced Maha) just turned 7! One memorable part of this FHE/birthday celebration was when she grabbed my face and looked me in the eyes, and said how close it was to when she turns 8, and can be baptized!

We had chicken adobo and buko (baby coconut) salad for dessert. The buko salad was a huge treat, it's fairly expensive for the ingredients but E. Rellita and I threw it together. Worth it, even if we are living on instant noodles right now.

I'm in a very urban area, the running joke here is shock whenever you see a tree, so I'm looking to the sky for my thirst for nature. And nature is delivering. It's like the heavens are just a reach away.

We had to call the fire department because I got stuck... 

My goofy comp Elder R-. I love this guy. Probably one of the best roommates I'll ever have, our unspoken policy is if you love your companion, serve him. So it's a race to the dishes, to sweeping, to offering the last piece of chicken. We sometimes have cultural barriers and we don't always understand or communicate everything, but charity, the pure love of christ, has brought us together and will help us in hard times. 

A new investigator, sister hazel joy rubi. A lot of names here are either ironic english words or spanish, very few actual tagalog or filipino last names.

So for my spiritual thought, I'll share about my talk on Sunday! I had prepared to talk about Zion, and was really excited for that, but on Friday we got a text saying what our assigned topics were, and what I spoke on was Faith in Jesus Christ. I'm not upset though, because I learned a lot from my Zion talk preparation, and even more from preparing another talk. I borrowed a lot from Uchtdorf's talk in the General Womens session, about the power and limits of faith. I, like many, have serious nervousness when it comes to public speaking. But yesterday I had an Ether 12:27moment. My weakness was turned into a strength. I had zero jitters before my talk, and all I could feel was peace of mind and the spirit before and during. Not like my talk was even that good, no one laughed at my joke, but it was in a different language and within the time limits (I have a habit of using waaay too much time) and best of all I wasn't scared. This is one of those tender mercies of the Lord that Bednar has talked about that I got to experience. i can't explain it other than that I could only feel the spirit and there was no room for nervousness. This is completely the opposite of my normal pattern for performances and public speaking, i'm always just shaking in my boots, so this meant a lot for me. 

Thanks for reading, I love you all!

Elder Fish

2016-10-25 Calloocan City Wildlife

Kumusta po!

And we're back! Sayong talaga because I forgot the cord for my camera, so there I'm missing the pictures from M's- birthday, so I'll write about that next week.

Week 2 with Elder R-, and we are really getting the ball rolling. You can't really make drastic changes week by week, it's like training for a marathon. You have to build up endurance, doing everything right, then the results will come in increments. So that's exactly what we are working on, to make every week better than the last, and I know if this continues we will have success.

So now, some miscellaneous pictures. The theme this week seems to be animals, which is mainly wild cats, dogs, and chickens since I'm in a very urban area. Dogs are either wild and roaming around picking at trash, always chained up and eager to bite, or imported and super cute. I've seen so many huskies here, which shocks me every time.

Here is the endangered roof dog. Some say they spend their whole life in the canopy of this concrete jungle.

 Now this was a treat, this beast looks ferocious, but is really quite lovable. King of the beetles. 

 Then there is this, the couch potato. Sleeps 25 hours a day, and if woken up, goes into a rage. Offerings of food can calm it down. 

This past Sunday was awesome. Last week we had so few because of the storms, even though it was really pretty mild weather, but this week we had every investigator show up, as well as many people I haven't seen in weeks, and the talks were great. 

Elder R- and I have been asked to give talks next Sunday, so I'm going to use you all as practice and share the prototype of my idea. I'm choosing to speak on Becoming Zion. 

Zion is a city that was established by a great prophet named Enoch. They prospered so much spiritually, that the whole city was taken up "into his own bosom" meaning all the people ascended. So less focused on that and more focused on how they prospered spiritually. 'Zion' means "the pure in heart" and the location Zion, outside of the initially established city, is the place where the "pure in heart" live. In Matthew 5:8 it says "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" which is the pinnacle goal we all share, we all want eternal life, because it's the only thing that endures past this life. The unique thing about Zion, is all of its members attained the goal! They helped each other, it was a group effort instead of individual struggle. No one can make the journey of life alone, we have to depend on Christ, and even other people. 

 Another ideal civilization can be found in 4 Nephi, after Christ's visit. There was no contention in the land, because of the "love of God" As Christ said, the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This love of God will lead to the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as thyself. The Nephites and Lamanites after Christ's visit are a testament to the import and power of these two commandments. There was literally no contention, and everyone who lived in those times also lived the gospel of Jesus Christ, and although it is in a different manner than the city of Zion, they will have eternal life because of their works.

In the Second Coming Zion will be established, but before that we know that Zion is actually not one place. Zion is everywhere where the church of Jesus Christ is established. "Where one or two are gathered, there I am also" (paraphrased, I need to find the verse later) So Zion is a place for the pure in heart, it is the best way to attain eternal life, and it is everywhere. It is in Sydney and Cebu, Omaha and Ohio. Anywhere there are saints gathered in worship, holding each other up. This means it doesn't have to be a massive ward, the size doesn't matter so much as the quality. Of course as a missionary I'm trying to increase the size of my ward, but I'm realizing another, just as important task, is increasing the power of the ward. It is possible to fulfill the commandments about love, and become strong and closely-knit as a group. This is important for retention of new members, reactivation of wayward members, and just as important for the very active members, because we all should be able to rely on one another. We are literally a family through our Heavenly Father! 

So, I'll be fleshing it out since this is just some random thoughts, but I feel like this will be a benefit to my family out here in Panghulo ward, and could be a benefit to every member around the world, also remember that as Elder Holland says, this isn't some competition where we have to claw and scrape to the top, we are to help each other. So that's all, send some revisions, even if it's after i give the talk I'll appreciate it. Thanks for  reading, I love you all!

Elder Fish

2016-10-17 Typhoon!

Kumusta po!

Something unique about missionaries is that we don't really get the news. For example, I don't know a thing about the election right now (and I actually like it that way, I don't have to think about it). After reading some emails before authoring this, I realized people were a little concerned about a typhoon, which was kind of news to me actually, even though I'm here. I heard some people talking about a storm coming, and I was informed through our tiny cell phone what precautions to take, but all we had was a little wind and some light showers, so in short, I'm safe! 

Because there was a lot of talk about the storm, which actually passed by us without hitting us, not a lot of people showed up for church. I think we were in the 30's, which is basically 3 families if I was back home. It was Elder R's- first Sunday in this ward so it wasn't the best introduction, but there were some fantastic speakers! I've started taking notes during sacrament meeting, just of impressions, really simple stuff. Church can be a lot more than just an attendance number if we really sit down, or kneel down, and worship. Search for the Spirit. Invest in it. Not going to lie, I used to be on the verge of falling asleep at church sometimes. Or just distracting myself with something. But I've started to see the blessings and feel uplifted from attending church with energy. Listening actively, maybe jotting down a few thoughts. I regret all those times I went to church and the only thing I got out of it was a hungry belly and a need for a nap, but I don't have to regret those times as long as I continue to do things better. 

To conclude, here's some pictures from the week, which was pretty eventful, yet uneventful. Lot's of finding and teaching! 

 Here's mustache cat, although I didn't get a picture of his son, Hitler cat

 No photographers at zone meetings means that pictures usually end up like this with an unintentional action shot

Thanks for everyone who replied to the last weekly, I really really appreciate it! And yeah, that's a guilt trip for those who didn't ;) I love you all, ingat po kayo!

Elder Fish

2016-10-10 New Companion and General Conference

Kumusta po! 

My new companion is Elder R-! He is the nicest guy ever, and a fantastic missionary. My Tagalog has been stretched so much in the few short days we've been comps, we speak it all the time which is a huge blessing, and a huge trial. My teaching techniques have been supplemented so much, and I think the biggest thing I'm learning from my companion is to love people. To ask questions, listen with love, then ask more questions. It's been a week of growing for me! Not to mention General Conference.

 Taking a lunch break in between Saturday Sessions. I learned so much from general conference, and I'll leave it at this. That the words they spake are inspired of God, and one listen through isn't enough, I can't wait until the printed comes out because that's how we can really study it, then it's back to waiting until next April! I've gotten really 'missionary nerdy' for different things, mostly for General Conference. And it really gratified everything I wanted from it. It was also cool to see Elder Schmutz at the stand, after having talked with him face to face for a while! 

 Doing some more notebooks at the P- family!

Just a quick spiritual thought about grace. Or as David Bednar puts it, the "strengthening and enabling power" that we can have through the Atonement. To me, grace is what happens after we give our all, then ask for strength. It's how we become more than we ever thought possible. From Jesus the Christ I learned that Christ was not omniscient, but that He was able to know things beyond the capacity of a normal person, such as knowing others thoughts. This means that every time He made it to a point where He needed divine help, He would ask through prayer to The Father and get an answer. 

Christ had a perfect relationship with the Father, their wills were aligned and so Christ also had perfect faith and understanding that He would receive what He asked for. My goal right now is to align my will with the Father's and to develop my specific faith that it will be answered. The other part of grace is doing everything we can as a mortal being, then asking for strength instead of asking for the problems to just be solved. God's plan is perfect, and He has given us independence so that we can grow and learn, but also support when we have reached our limit. I testify that grace is something that is available to everyone, every child of God. Kneeling in prayer and humility for strength can be the best solution to every problem.

I love you all, thanks again for reading!

Elder Fish

2016-10-3 - Well Fed & Transfers

October 3, 2016 – Well Fed & Transfers

Kamusta po!

This week was a lot of farewells since we were pretty sure Elder S- will be transferring (training is normally two transfers) and therefore we had a ton of FHEs, which was the best. I have had some of the best dishes I've ever had, save only what my mom cooks. Almost every day the past weekend, we had a giant meal with different families, plus a ward FHE! Elder S- has been in Panghulo ward for almost 6 months, so we will really miss him, the relationships we build here are amazing and it's always sad to transfer, but exciting nevertheless! 

Fhe (Family Home Evening) with Sister Tan. We were so full from our previous appointment but sometimes you just got stick it to the man, or in this case the stomach, and eat a full meal when you're already to capacity. I actually had to loosen my belt during dinner. It was still just the most delicious food:

The fried chicken here is so scarily similar to KFC (they actually have those at big malls) they make it home-made but it's just scrumptous. The fruit is also pretty much candy, it's so sweet.

We had a fun time finding some new investigators, we were having no luck tracting and street contacting so we decided to ask our favorite family, the P's, if they had anyone they think would be interested. Everyone's initial reaction is a blank mind, because it's scary to share your religious beliefs. But the potential blessings are so massive, that honestly it's our duty to share what we have. Anyways, we made a deal. If people want to make a little bit of money from home they can order these unbound notebooks and thread them with yarn, then return them. We said we would do 10 notebooks if Nanay would come with us to teach one of her neighbors and good friends, and we set off! The lesson was really good, and we haven't had a chance to come back but the foundation is there for a potential conversion. And the best part? Sister P- risked it, and whether or not this new family accepts the Message, they are still friends! Never be afraid to share our Message, because it won't lead to conflict or those worst-case scenario thoughts, and if it does lead to a conversion, then there will be so much joy from it! 

Filipino Nanays (moms) are SO fast at this, they needle turns into a blur and then suddenly they're done. 

This is Nanay A- (cool mom) who does our laundry now, and is always fun to chat with. Her dogs are the best, but there is some sort of virus going around so they are sick right now. They can't afford a vet so here's hoping they make it through whatever is going around! 

My final comment is about transfer announcements and general conference. I'm staying in Panghulo Ward! My trainer, Elder S- , will be transferring though, like we thought. I'm gonna miss him! I'm still really excited, my next comp is Filipino, and I've heard great things about him, but nothing beats actually meeting him. 

I have only had the chance to listen to a little of general conference, because it gets broadcasted a week late when you're on the opposite side of the world, so our official time to watch is this Saturday. It sounds like it has been AMAZING, and I'm grateful for the very minimal spoilers. We are so lucky to have people called of God that are such amazing speakers and such spiritual giants, to guide us. Thanks for reading, I love you all!

Ingat po kayo!

Elder Davin Fish

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