Muddy Trails!

Has it really been 34 weeks???

Wow, well hello Family, Friends, Acquaintances, and all of you in between!  

I am doing pretty good this week.  Dad, first off, I got you more pictures.  I know, your welcome.  Anyways I am writing this email after consuming 3 pepsis in a row.  Here in the Philippines water is not really an option besides when I am at the appartment, so Pepsi and Coke are really my next best choice!  

So this week was pretty straightforward.  We are starting to have some luck with investigators thanks to our awesome branch president!  He invites young men over to our FHEs and then takes them with him to church!  We owe him a lot of credit on helping these people progress in the church.  We have begun teaching them and it is kind of funny to see these young men because its like looking at how I was like at that age.  They start off acting cool and almost like they are embarrassed to be talking to us.  Then when they realize we are pretty cool, they don't stop talking hahaha.  I feel like I might have been like that when I was younger, except maybe a little worse.  I am happy to see that we will have some more investigators attending church.  That is a great sign!  

On another note, one of our Single Adult Sisters finally came back from her job training.  The problem is, she now has to attend church in the Ilagan area which means her family won't be coming to church very much anymore.  It is sad to see that they all go if she comes, but maybe this will be a good thing.  Maybe we can help the family see that they should want to come to church to feel the Spirit for themselves and not just because another family member is going.  

Well one day on our way to an appointment we decided to take a shortcut.  Now this path was pretty steep, but I wasn't too concerned because it is pretty normal here.  What I didn't realize was a single patch of mud after a pretty big step.  Due to my error in calculation I proceeded to slip and get the entire backside of myself covered in mud.  Now this was at 4 in the afternoon.  I still had a good couple of hours to go before we could go home.  For the rest of the day, I got to enjoy dirtying everybody's chair that I sat on.  I also do believe that I have bruised my tail bone which has been forcing me to sit proper.  Too bad it is no longer the 1700s.  

Anyways on the topic of pain, I think I may have lockjaw, but I am not sure.  It will be something to check out in 16 months!  Haha! This week I had some dreams that honestly were about my family Stephen and Andrew.  (I guess they are like step family at this point.)  For the past 2 nights before I went to bed, for some reason I just couldn't stop thinking about you guys and Steve and Drew.  Then I have dreams that I am with you guys and it is honestly super realistic.  Like Jake is picking on Rachael and Steve and Drew are playing games on their phones.  It just made me think that honestly one of the most important things we have in this world is relationships.  These are something we take with us into the next life.  That's one thing I have noticed is special about the Filipinos.  They don't really care about possessions. If you ask them for something, 99% of the time they will just give it to you.  Even if they like it, because to them, whats more important is the relationship that is associated with that gift.  It made me realize why all the Filipino missionaries want a gift of remembrance, it isn't for a gift.  Its to remember the friendships they made during their mission.  

Lately, I have been working on just being a friend to everyone in my area.  Maybe I won't get any baptisms, but instead maybe I will have a whole network of friends who strengthen each other and encourage each other to become better than they are now.  Well that is just an observation I made this week. I love you guys and hope all is well over there. 

Until next week I love you all!

Elder Warren

Wild Attack Cow!

Service Projects and Blessing the Dead

Hello Family!

This week was a good week, but like always it had its exciting moments!  We are continuing to have more young men attend our weekly family home evenings at our Branch presidents house.  Some have even started to attend church so we are going to go visit them.  They could be the key to having success in this area.  It also could be an answer to the prayers of the members because they are really in need of some more Priesthood holders.  

On Tuesday we had a Zone Conference.  During this meeting we got our new Standards of excellence and although not a lot has changed they have put in a new category.  It is for investigators attending church.  We are now supposed to report how many investigators attend church weekly.  The goal for each week is at least 4 investigators each week.  This is a little more difficult of a category to track, but I know it will push me to become a more effective teacher.  

We also got a lot of lectures on how to be more effective Missionaries.  One thing that stuck with me is the CASH system.  CASH stands for comment, ask, smile, and help.  I really feel like this is the most effective way to contact someone on the streets.  You start off by giving them a comment, something natural, not to cheesy.  Then you ask them an inspired unique question that will help get them thinking about gospel topics.  For example you could ask: Have you ever wondered what you are doing here on earth.  When they respond, you can then ask if they are interested to learn more about the topic.  At the conclusion of your short 30 second contact, you offer to help them with whatever they are doing.  I feel like this is a great way to show people what we as missionaries do.  We don't just want to get to know others, we also want to help them, and leave any area we go stronger then when we started.  

We had a service project this week at Mama Tins house which was a lot of fun.  We helped her take out a thick patch of weeds in her back yard.  It was fun to be with everyone in my district.  It was also a great way to show the surrounding neighbors what we do for others and the great community our church has.  Many of the Elderly came up to us and thanked us for what they were doing.  It feels good to spread so much joy to others.  

I honestly can say that making others happy is like my new motto in life.  Even acknowledging someone with a smile can make there day brighter.  Kids tend to like to abuse my arms, but I just smile and allow them to climb my arms because I enjoy hearing them laugh and have a fun time.  It is also a great way to keep my arms in shape haha!  I know that joy is an essential part of missionary work.  Its a way to introduce yourself and show that you aren't just another person who is trying to push their beliefs onto you.  We merely want to share in the joy of our Savior and his plan for all of us. 

On that note, I will now dive into the excitement of my week!  So I TOTALLY forgot I had to give a talk yesterday and the branch president forgot to remind me about it.  I only had about 15 minutes to prepare it so about half of it was in English sadly.  Thankfully, most of the Branch understood the talk and actually got something out of it.  

The other excitement for me was I had to give a dead elderly woman a blessing.  I know that may sound weird, but it is true.  We had our lunch appointment after church and right towards the end we get a call.  Before I know whats going on, Elder Fernande says we need to go.  When we get to the house, the first thing I notice is that all the women are crying.  Right away, I knew something wasn't right.  When I looked into the room, I knew why.  Apparently the woman had passed away about 30 minutes before we got there.  Elder Fernandez didn't really know what to do in the situation, but he knew they wanted us to bless her.  So he asked if I would.  I was a little uncomfortable touching her head, as she had passed away, but I did and proceeded to give a blessing.  After the blessing I was still a little uncomfortable, but I felt at peace and knew she was going where she needed to go.  Of course, immediately after the blessing I asked for hand sanitizer and reported it to the Branch president like I am supposed to.  I hope I was able to help that family.  

Well I am continuing to do well here.  I have a picture with me and my batch mate from the MTC who is now in my zone.  I also have a picture of me here at the net shop with my new haircut listening to some EFY music!  

Well until next week, I love you all!  Have more JOY IN YOUR LIFE PEOPLE!  After all, at least your not dead.

Love,

Elder Warren

Post Birthday Report, Animal Charades and Valentines Day

Hello Mom and Everyone!

Well Valentine's day has passed so happy valentines day to you!  They do in fact celebrate Valentines Day here.  Yesterday after sacrament meeting, they passed around flowers to all the Sisters in our ward with a card that said Happy Valentine's Day.  Tell Grandpa that I do not really care about the winning streak of the BYU ladies basketball team (no matter how many wins OR losses they have).  I am not the biggest fan of college teams after all.  

My birthday was pretty good.  I made sure to buy a lot of candy and was even able to get a pizza.  That was like the highlight of my birthday!  I do remember the game Thumper and on that note, there is a game I showed to the family we have family home evening with every Monday.  It was the charades game.  You should have seen how awkward and funny it was to watch the family play the game.  I of course, had to demonstrate the game so I came in acting like a monkey.  I have never seen someone laugh that hard in my life!  Half the people in the room fell off there chairs.  The real funny part though was when the members of the family began to do it.  You could tell they never had played the game because their faces were bright red as they played hahaha.  I also learned another game from them which is pretty hilarious to be honest, BUT I can't tell you how the game is played in case I want to play it when I get back home.  

Mom and Dad happy birthday to you too, may you continue to get older and gain more wrinkles like grandpa warren hahaha.  In Sunday school this Sunday I finally got to have Sister Leal or Mama Tin as my teacher.  It was pretty funny because I resorted to smiling the entire class period at her.  (Part of it was on purpose, the other part was because it was funny to listen to her speak English hahaha).  After about the first 10 minutes she noticed it and couldn't stop herself from smiling.  In fact,  it got to the point where she would laugh when she saw me.  I guess I might have been a little disruptive that class period, but I can now say without a doubt that smiles are contagious.  

Mama Tin is truly one of my favorite Sisters in our ward.  She loves to tell me about her future plans to put in a bunch of cabinets in her kitchen and supplies me with tons of snacks because I am always hungry.  I have become her "number 1 customer" as she says.  Her kids adore me, a little too much.  I literally have to exercise every time I go to there house because her kids like to make me lit them.  It's gotten to the point where they make me rep them like weights.  On the bright side, maybe I will have bigger arms by the time I leave this area.  

We are still working with our investigators, but the problem for most is that their husbands go to the Catholic church so they don't have a way to come to our church.  We are trying to find a way to meet with their husbands and teach them.  Sadly, they are almost always busy with work, but we will not give up!  Another investigator is still progressing, but the member we have had with him is in Manila for job training for 2 weeks!!!  It is a little bit of a setback, but I think we can find another fellowshipper to fill in for the next 2 weeks.  

Since this past week was valentines day, I focused on showing more love to everyone around me.  Even if it was just a smile and a hello po.  As I did so, I saw that more and more people around me were happier.  I offered to help people more and almost overnight I saw a drastic change in the attitude of members and investigators.  One thing I have definitely learned from my mission is that love is definitely the one thing that prevails and is the most powerful tool we as missionaries have to help bring the gospel UNTO the hearts of men. It is then their choice if they want to allow the gospel enter INTO their hearts.  

To end on a funny note, this week my companion and I learned a lesson about making sure we go back to our area by the time it gets dark.  We were in one of our farthest areas and were not having a very successful day.  We got to our last house and my comp wasn't really paying attention to the fact that the sun was setting.  He stayed and chatted with the member about life for about 30 minutes and then we went into our lesson.  Now it is perfectly fine to do this, but it probably isn't a smart idea when the last ride out of town is leaving by sunset...  So after the lesson, I got to walk for a good 45 minutes to get to a trike that then drove us another 10 minutes home.  This is a perfect example of why we as missionaries always need to plan ahead! Hahaha.  

Well I am doing well here and I hope everything is well over there!  

Love you guys,

Elder Warren

PS I totally slacked on pictures this week...

Jeepney Excitement and Cereal Straws!!

Hello Family! 

Well neither I nor my companion are getting transferred!  I can't really believe that I am turning 19 next week.  The only difference I can see is that I have to shave more, which is not fun.  I had a pretty crazy week to be honest. I don't know why, but these past few weeks have just offered more and more surprises! 

So we had a service project this week in our District Leaders area.  I had already previously met the member we were doing the project for and she is a pleasant old woman who is very kind and can really only speak ilocano.  Anyways the project in itself was quick, fun, and a great district activity.  It went crazy on the ride over there.  My District Leaders area is very far.  They are actually located closer to my last area Santiago and my area is the farthest area from there.  So it takes a good hour and a half to travel there, which is fine.  In fact, I am used to that kind of travel time.  Its weird thinking back to that trip in Oregon where we kept getting lost and I thought I was gonna die after being in the car for 15 minutes hahaha. 

Well anyways it all started off wrong when the jeepney ran over a dog.  It came out of nowhere I guess and even though the driver honked his horn and tried to slow down (he was going pretty fast by the way), he plowed through that poor thing.  The laws are very different here in the Philippines, so he continued on his way without stopping.  When I looked back cuz I didn't initially know what happened, I was very shocked at what I saw. 

 Then about 15 minutes later, the elderly man sitting net to me started repeating the same sentence over and over.  I didn't pick up on what he was saying, I assumed it was in a different dialect.  Out of nowhere a passenger next to him shouted for the jeepney to stop.  As the elderly man got up, to my horror I saw that he was going to the bathroom on the bench right next to me.  Using my muscle memory from basketball, I instinctively shoved aside the 2 Elders next to me so that it would not reach me.  Luckily, it didn't reach me, but I think almost 80% of it ended up in the jeepney.  Afterwards he proceeded to get back in the jeepney and sit back down where he was sitting.  I felt bad for whoever did his laundry that day.  That was quite the excitement needed to wake me up before I went to the service project. 

As far as work goes here, we are starting to make some progress.  Sadly, families that are making promises to attend church are still not making it to church.  We will continue to show love for them and invite them to come back.  We have made some progress with our investigators.  One Brother seems to be very promising as he lives with a family that are members of our church.  The Danao Family.  The Danao family is pretty hilarious.  We go over there every Sunday for dinner and it probably makes my week each week.  It always start with 2 Sisters who are in there 20s yelling at me and my companion.  They like to make fun of us and yell as they do so.  Then I end the arguments by showing off how tall I am com[ared to them and unlike them, I still have time to grow more.  Afterwards, we have dinner, which consists of people keeping certain dishes away from other people, and hogging other dishes.  I honestly feel right at home there.  We then leave a quick message for the family and leave with our final jokes.  They often like to teach me how to tell people in tagalog that they look like a certain food.  I don't understand why, but I guess they make for funny insults? 

My companion during fast and testimony meeting yesterday went up to bear his testimony in an effort to not be transferred.  Apparently a past Elder went and bore his testimony here and the next day he too was not transferred.  It was interesting to hear him talk about experiences he had gone through and realize that I too had gone through those very same experiences.  It made me realize that no matter where you live, we all can go through the same trials and tribulations. 

I got to help teach one of the classes like normal, because they do not have enough teachers for how small the branch is.  The rest of the day, I got to enjoy the big storm that has finally arrived here.  I am loving it because it is pretty cool right now.  Anyways, I am getting ready for next week, because multiple members have expressed to me that I will be going to their house on my birthday.  I love you all and hope you are all doing well!  As a quick note, this weeks picture is of my favorite snack ever that literally costs a peso each.  CEREAL STRAWS!

Love,

Elder Warren

Jeepneys, Donuts and Persevering

Hello Everyone!

Well first off to answer your questions, there is not a temple nearby, in fact there are only 2 temples in the Philippines.  I will not have the opportunity to go to the temple for the rest of these 2 years unfortunately.  I actually really like this ward.  Although it definitely needs some strengthening the members are so nice and really funny.  Also I have to come clean about something.  It has actually been bothering for me a while now.  I actually no longer wash my clothes by hand...  I just pay a member to clean my clothes for me hahaha.  Its relatively cheap and saves me time and they keep my whites white so that is an extra bonus. 

I am getting more and more used to Jeepneys.  Today I got on one because it is the cheapest way to travel into the city and they filled this thing.  If you want to talk about uncomfortable, I think jeepneys take the king.  I am talking my arms were twisted and angled across my chest.  I have one leg sticking into my companions thigh while my other one is jabbing into a stranger sitting in the middle, where there technically isn't a bench, but they fill these things up as much as possible.  By the time I get out of the Jeepney, half of my body is numb and the other half felt like it just worked out for a good 30 minutes straight.  I don't complain, I see it as an opportunity to work on my flexibility!  Haha and I feel like if you flex a muscle for that long it has to be getting stronger right? 

Oh so I also had donuts today for the first time in 6 months!  Holy cow it tasted like heaven on earth.  I forgot my taste buds had even existed until then!  I must've bought 5 chocolate donuts alone.  I also had some other various Filipino donut flavors. 

As for work here, we are working hard to reactivate as well as make some progress with our many investigators.  One day we were walking along this scenic route after coming from an area where every single one of our lessons weren't home.  As I walked I just pondered on why it can be so hard to find people sometimes.  As I did I started to look around at the beauty and the water buffalo and just came to a realization that behind every rough patch is a beautiful valley just waiting to be found.  I know that I have not had a lot of success with investigators so far, but I feel like if I keep pushing through these thorns, eventually I am going to find success.  I continue to read in the Bible and look at how hardened the hearts were of the Jews.  It only took them 30 days of not being in the presence of their Prophet to construct a golden calf.  It is actually a little saddening to see how easy a persons beliefs can be changed. 

Throughout my mission I have found so many evidences that just add to my testimony and let me know the church is true and there is no way that I can deny it.  I know that we as individuals need to really do our part and continue to study the gospel with a fervent desire to come to close.  If we come to a plateau, we will begin to lose our testimony and the Spiritual strength that comes with it.  I am not discouraged that the ward is small or that I have to get used to an area this big in 6 weeks.  I know that as I continue to come closer to Heavenly Father, He will provide a way for me to be successful in this mission. 

Well I am continuing to do well here.  I am really starting to draw a crowd when I go play basketball, especially after last week when I dunked on a hoop in a barangay and broke the hoop on accident... On that note I love you guys and here are some pics of me and my comp!

Love,

Elder Warren

Butter Flavored Corn Candy

Hanging out with a family and other Elders

Pic of my new comp in a rice field

Front selfie in a rice field

Side selfie in a rice field

My pet dog

Paradise!

My First Transfer

Hello Family!

Well I was in fact transferred!  During that day I actually was not that nervous, I was more excited!  My new area is right here in Cauayan City and MAN do I love it here.  Everything is so close and they have dunken donuts and KFC.  Talk about heaven.  This is the moment I have been waiting for.  I will now look forward to district meetings because after those I get to go eat at those delicious restaurants. 

My new area is pretty dang huge.  It takes a whole week just to go through it all!  Talk about having some work ahead of me.  The first Sunday was a little bit of a surprise for me.  I found that I am now in a branch, not a ward.  And this branch is really small, like really small.  We had about 30 members that day which was a little bit of a shock for me.  I have a lot of work to do, but I am really excited for the opportunity to do so!  These members are very nice though and willing to work with us which is exactly what I love to hear!  My new companion's name is Elder Fernandez and he is originally from Monilla.  I am now the Senior Companion which is insane for me to be honest.  I am actually following him up which means that most likely I could be training NEXT CYCLE! 

Wow does time fly.  I made an attempt this week to take the opportunity to start the conversation with our lesson appointments and find out the needs and concerns of the people.  It wasn't that hard.  And since I am the follow up, technically Elder Fernandez should be leading so I give him a lot of lean way on where he wants to go and who he wants to teach. It has made the process go a lot smoother.  I still have many areas to check out and need to really try to remember where everything is in the next 6 weeks haha.  I am definitely noticing that the amount of responsibility is getting bigger for me, which means I just need to work harder to meet my goals! 

Anyways I had a great time during New Years Eve!  I got to be with the Victorian Elders since their appartment wasn't safe for the night.  We had a fun time going to a FHE and then being locked up after 6.  We just played some cards and talked.  We were actually allowed by the President to go out and watch the Fireworks which was really nice.  Some people went crazy for New Years Eve.  I heard music until 3 in the morning when I was trying to sleep!!!! 

I also got to bear my testimony this week during fast and testimony meeting.  I really felt the spirit and it was kind of like another building experience that just let me know the church is true.  I also surprised a lot of the members because they expected that I would bear my testimony in Tagalog hahaha.  This area is very good at English which could come in handy if I ever get super duper tired.  Anyways I had a good week and I am excited for the new challenges and blessings that come with a new area!  I love you all and although I do not have any pictures yet, I will definitely get some to you next week  

Love you,

Elder Warren

Transfer Week = Lots of Dinner Appoinments

Hello Family!

It was nice to see everyone on Christmas.  I loved talking to all of you guys and the skype actually made me more energetic than sad.  I realized that I am already a fourth of the way done.  If I keep up the hard work I will be home before I know it!  

Anyways I am doing great here as you can see haha.  I did have a little challenge this week as later that evening after we skyped I got the flu.  That was not a very pleasant experience and I definitely hope I don't have to go through that one again!  Anyways I found out that I will in fact be transferred in 2 days!  I have no idea where I will be going or who is going to be my new companion but I will continue to keep you posted next week!  Although I am excited, I will miss my ward because the people there are awesome.  

On the bright side for the next 2 days I will have dinner appointments!!! I have learned a lot from my first area.  What to do and what not to do.  It was incredible to see how much I have improved in Tagalog. At church this Sunday I thought back to those first weeks where I couldn't understand what was being taught in class and now I could interact with the teacher!  The gift of tongues has definitely been made evident through my time here as a missionary.  

Honestly I have realized that we have so much more than these people and sometimes I wish I could just take them all back with me.  I only have to work here for 2 small years and that is part of the reason why I have been so positive.  Another reason I continue to remain happy is because I can actually see that I am becoming a stronger man from this.  I am a pretty stubborn guy and I know I was put here in order to realize that the Lord has work for me to do and I need to rely on him for the strength to make it through this, not just my own strength.  That is one of the most important things that I have learned. 

I hope you know that I am continuing to work hard for you guys and for myself.  I have learned so much here and I am more than grateful for this experience I have been given.  I am becoming more of a man as well as a more effective tool to be used by the Lord!  I don't have too much more to talk about since we talked only a couple of days ago!  I love you all, you all look great and I will be back before you even notice I was gone!

Love,

Elder Warren

Christmas Eve Games with the Kids

More Christmas Eve Games