HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas to all, and to all in America, goodnight because its bedtime there! This week was abosolutely amazing. I love this Christmas Joy and the smiles it brings to everyones faces this time of year. We all will hopefully be able to make it be able to make it through this email without our food comas getting the best of us and falling asleep! On Tuesday we were finally able to have 4 straight hours of study time. It was so so good to be able to study and teach/learn from one another. When we went to work we had lunch at a Sister Ana's house, who has offered to cook us food whenever we want! (And they says angels dont exist!) After we ate, we went to the Church and taught the Valdez family about Tithing, and Fasting. We had such a good time discussing tithing, what it is, why we do it, and most importantly what the Lord promises us because we pay tithing. They are such and awesome family and are so nice to us missionaries! Once the lesson ended, Brother Mike wanted to stay with us how neat is that! So he came with us to Brother Marios house to talk about the Word of Wisdom. Mario is such a strong man. He has weaknesses just as everyone else does, but he puts 100% trust and faith in the Lord and is always so thankful for the blessings he has received. Something that cracked me up happened later in the day at the Maaghop family house. Earlier Kate, the 12 year old daughter of Sister Areceli,got in trouble, and had to read the Book of Mormon in her room, and then tell her mom what happened in it and what she learned before she could leave! I love the parenting ideas!! Hahahah it was so funny to see how correct Sister Aracelis choice of punishment was in her thoughts. Kate had nothing against reading either so everything worked out good! ####### On Wednesday we were once again in Candon for a District Meeting. President and Sister Bangal came up to the Candon Zone for our meetings and gave demonstrations and workshops! I love the Bangals and all that they do for us missionaries and also the people here in the Baguio Mission boundaries. Sister Bangal treated us to lunch and on the way out of Candon, to celebrate Christmas early, Elder Scott and I treated ourselves to McDonalds of course! We did a lot of walking and meeting new people on Wednesday which was fun! ####### On Thursday, we had a Family Home Evening night at the Vallentos family! They were who we helped build the house a couple weeks ago, and so many people were there! I cooked chicken sisig for the dinner and we played games, and taught about our Savior Jesus Christ. Almost all of the discussions we had this week were focused on the birth of Jesus Christ. I loved being able to study, learn, and teache new insights about Christ and his extraordrinary life. The Vadlez's, Ruiz's and the Rosetes were all at the Vallentos for the FHE, and everyone had a smile as we played games, ate, and much more! ###### Friday was so busy but so much fun! A couple weeks ago, Elder Scott and I asked if we could have all of the Candon Zone missionaries come to Narvacan to go Christmas Caroling with the ward here! While we prepared for them all to arrive, Elder Scott and I wrapped several Books of Mormon with christmas wrapping paper to give to those people we planned to sing to! We had about 55 books to givev out and we all divided into 4 groups! Elder Scott went to one part of our area, I the other, and the same with Elder Baliwas and Elder Alvarez! My group had only 11 people in it... to start! BUT As we went through the neighborhoods singing, we recruited more and more people until there were 26 of us runnning the streets singing to anyone and everyone! It was so much fun and the other groups had a blast as well. One of the members here, Brother Marco, owns a restauraunt here called Abra Miki, its delicous! He offered to give all of the missionaries who came, free food! To make it evven more of a generous offer, it was the restauraunts 2 year anniversary, so it was packed. He gave us 3 huge pots full of food to take to the church and eat! S/O to Marco! We all ate as a zone at the church and then they left to go back to their area! ###### Saturday! Christmas Eve! It was so fun! Our landlady, sister Leah, invited us over to their house for dinner so all 4 of us missionaries ate at her house with so many others! Fun fact: Brother Ram used to be a missionary here! So he actually stayed in the same apartment that we do now and also came to the dinner! After we ate, we were able to go to the beach with the Valdez and Ruiz family. They planned on sleeping there in tents so I volunteered as tribute to set up the tent! I loved every second of setting the tent up and miss going camping! They had a bonfire and we ate and talked about Christmas once again! ###### SUNDAY! CHRISTMAS! Merry Christmas again to all of you! I hope you all had a great day and were able to spend it around those you love. On Christmas morning Elder Scott and I moved around the things inside our open area of the apartment and put our magnificant Christmas tree center stage as well as all of the gifts that Santa had brought through the night! We had a blast opening up presents! Then we went to church! Church was so good! And every one there was in such a good mood. Again I can not describe how amazing it has been to see the smiles that everyone has been wearing the last couple weeks. We all were able to learn from one another and give thanks to our Father in Heaven to remember the true meaning of Christmas and all that he and His son, Jesus Christ have done, and continue to do for us. After we got done with Church, we opened up the rest of the presents at the house. Thank you everyone for the emails, letters and gifts! I love you all! During the day we were invited to many of the members houses to celebrate with them. How did we celebrate? By eating so much food, i now need to workout extra hard in the morning these next couple months! I truly loved celebrating Christmas here and am so thankful for the life I have.I am also so thankful for the time that I have being a missionary to study about Christ and the miracles he worked for us to be able to return to him and our Father again. I love you all and hope you all have a great Holiday season! Up next: New Years!
--
Elder Pitt
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
Maligayang Pasko!
Merrrrryyyy Christmas!!! We are on the countdown ladies and gentleman! This time next week we will be past Christmas and you all will be celbratring it! This week was a blast and I hope I can get it all typed up.
On Monday after we got finished emailing, washing our clothes and all the good jazz we had a dinner with the Bishop and Stake President! We were able to get it cleared by President Bangal and the Stake to have a ward Christmas Caroling activity here in Narvacan this coming 23rd! All of the missionaries in our zone are coming so there should be almost 30 minutes running the streets singing to all! Bishop Daquel and President Adviento are bothers-in-law so they live right next to one another along with their other brothers and sisters so it was a big dinner!
On Tuesday we taught the Valdez family at the church, and Brother Bautista was able to come with! It is so good having someone with us for our discussions, they are always able to connect and create bridges for all of us to learn. Brother Bautista is so nice and out going as well! That night while at the Maaghop families house, we talked about small blessings that pass by without even being noticed, and how giving the Lord is to us every day. They shared to us how big of a blessing their table was. When us 8 Elders ate dinner at their house a couple weeks ago, they knew they needed a table to fit us all, so they made one! Now, they eat dinner as a family aorund that table almost every night, and Sister Areceli and her Sister now sell food and use the table for people coming by to eat! It was so touching to me to see the effect of making one table for one dinner, and it has really opened my eyes to see just how blessed each and every one of us are, even if we cant see it.
On Wednesday, we played basketball early in the morning with Elder Alvarez, Scott, and Baliwas. Jeric Maaghop and his uncles Robert, Arman, and Richard also came annd played! They were all so good and it was a blast to play a game where everyone has a smile on their face the entire time and having a blast! I love being able to play in the mornings and start my day off right, although sometimes is still seem to be shooting a little to the left of the hoop... Ill try and fix that next time I play! haha we had Zone Training in Candon, so we once again went there early in the morning! During the training I was asked to give a workshop on teamwork. I talked about how every great team, has unity, and mostly all great teams, have a strong leader that although is amazing, wouldnt be able to win without his team. Just like Jordan with the Bulls, without Pippen and company, he they wouldnt have been able to accomplish what they did. In the Book of Mormon there is also a great leader, and his name is Captain Moroni. When he saw the wickedness of the people around him, we became angry and decided to take a stand and do something about it! So what did he do? He put on armour to protect himself in battle and then he recruited others to the same cause, allowing them to choose if they want to follow or not. He was on the front lines leading by example, and in missionary work, or even better, as children of our Heavenly Father, we all need to work together and strengthen one another in order for all of us to receive his blessings and obtain guidance from Him everyday. I really loved reading Chapter 46 in Alma and invite all of you to do the same! After Zone Training you all already know that we ate at McDonalds and then headed back to Narvacan to work! It was a solid day of walking and also practicing Tagalog, Elder Scott is killing it when it comes to learning how to speak Tagalog. He is learning super fast!
On Thursday we helped Nanay Zeny move all of their cooking utenseils, tables, chairs, and canopy back to their house. The fiesta ended this week so everyone is returning back to normal living. Nanay Zenys mother passed away last Sunday so we were able to help them prepare for the funeral which was earlier today and I hope they will ask us for any other help when they need it! We also had a chance to talk to her son Marco who is always a great time, he has so many stories and used to work with the missionaries every day before his mission, and after as well!
Friday we went to Santa Maria to welcome the new missionary there, Elder Ramos. He came into the mission the same time as Elder Waite! He is super nice and very hard working. I am so happy he is in our District! After we got back we went to visit Brother Mario but he seemed to be gone, so we told his grandson to tell him we stopped by, once he got back to the house! Nothing too crazy happened on Friday but it was a fun day talking to Elder Scott and having a smile on our faces through the heat and walking!
Saturday was a busy busy day but so much fun! It was out ward Christmas party! It went from 9am to about 2 pm because there was so much going on! There was Christmas music, games, games and more games, an ice cream dispenser, so much food, and the best part, amazing people to spread the Joy around to one another. Brother Ram and Sister Joan had so many different games prepared for everyone. There were games specifically for kids, for adults, and even for the grandmas and grandpas in the ward! The best part was that they were all open to playing and all participated! I loved just sitting back and seeing all of them smiling faces of each person, it really made me feel happy and relaxed knowing that the Spirit of Christmas can make people so happy and joyful. Brother Valdez ended up having to go to the hospital for some sickness that he has had for a while, so he and his family were not able to attend but we are planning on playing the same exact games at their house in a couple days to make up for it! He is out of the hospital now and is doing a lot better!
Sunday! The best day without a doubt! Mark Tablang, a member from the Luna Branch came up to Narvacan to come to church today!It was such a fun surprise seeing him and talking to him! There were other visitors in town as well and the classes were so good. We talked about who Jesus Christ really is, and how amazing his life really was. I love learning about Christ and His life. Although I dont know everything, I can feel a personal connection to him. Especially because of the Atonement, where he overcame sin for every single one of us. I cant even begin to imagine the pain he suffered for me personally, and for all of you as well.. Because He loves every one of us and wanted to make it possible for us to become clean from our sins, and clean from our guilt and pains. I love being able to tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is his good news for every single one of us, no matter what age, what nationality, what personality. I love you all and I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Have a great week!
--
Elder Pitt
On Monday after we got finished emailing, washing our clothes and all the good jazz we had a dinner with the Bishop and Stake President! We were able to get it cleared by President Bangal and the Stake to have a ward Christmas Caroling activity here in Narvacan this coming 23rd! All of the missionaries in our zone are coming so there should be almost 30 minutes running the streets singing to all! Bishop Daquel and President Adviento are bothers-in-law so they live right next to one another along with their other brothers and sisters so it was a big dinner!
On Tuesday we taught the Valdez family at the church, and Brother Bautista was able to come with! It is so good having someone with us for our discussions, they are always able to connect and create bridges for all of us to learn. Brother Bautista is so nice and out going as well! That night while at the Maaghop families house, we talked about small blessings that pass by without even being noticed, and how giving the Lord is to us every day. They shared to us how big of a blessing their table was. When us 8 Elders ate dinner at their house a couple weeks ago, they knew they needed a table to fit us all, so they made one! Now, they eat dinner as a family aorund that table almost every night, and Sister Areceli and her Sister now sell food and use the table for people coming by to eat! It was so touching to me to see the effect of making one table for one dinner, and it has really opened my eyes to see just how blessed each and every one of us are, even if we cant see it.
On Wednesday, we played basketball early in the morning with Elder Alvarez, Scott, and Baliwas. Jeric Maaghop and his uncles Robert, Arman, and Richard also came annd played! They were all so good and it was a blast to play a game where everyone has a smile on their face the entire time and having a blast! I love being able to play in the mornings and start my day off right, although sometimes is still seem to be shooting a little to the left of the hoop... Ill try and fix that next time I play! haha we had Zone Training in Candon, so we once again went there early in the morning! During the training I was asked to give a workshop on teamwork. I talked about how every great team, has unity, and mostly all great teams, have a strong leader that although is amazing, wouldnt be able to win without his team. Just like Jordan with the Bulls, without Pippen and company, he they wouldnt have been able to accomplish what they did. In the Book of Mormon there is also a great leader, and his name is Captain Moroni. When he saw the wickedness of the people around him, we became angry and decided to take a stand and do something about it! So what did he do? He put on armour to protect himself in battle and then he recruited others to the same cause, allowing them to choose if they want to follow or not. He was on the front lines leading by example, and in missionary work, or even better, as children of our Heavenly Father, we all need to work together and strengthen one another in order for all of us to receive his blessings and obtain guidance from Him everyday. I really loved reading Chapter 46 in Alma and invite all of you to do the same! After Zone Training you all already know that we ate at McDonalds and then headed back to Narvacan to work! It was a solid day of walking and also practicing Tagalog, Elder Scott is killing it when it comes to learning how to speak Tagalog. He is learning super fast!
On Thursday we helped Nanay Zeny move all of their cooking utenseils, tables, chairs, and canopy back to their house. The fiesta ended this week so everyone is returning back to normal living. Nanay Zenys mother passed away last Sunday so we were able to help them prepare for the funeral which was earlier today and I hope they will ask us for any other help when they need it! We also had a chance to talk to her son Marco who is always a great time, he has so many stories and used to work with the missionaries every day before his mission, and after as well!
Friday we went to Santa Maria to welcome the new missionary there, Elder Ramos. He came into the mission the same time as Elder Waite! He is super nice and very hard working. I am so happy he is in our District! After we got back we went to visit Brother Mario but he seemed to be gone, so we told his grandson to tell him we stopped by, once he got back to the house! Nothing too crazy happened on Friday but it was a fun day talking to Elder Scott and having a smile on our faces through the heat and walking!
Saturday was a busy busy day but so much fun! It was out ward Christmas party! It went from 9am to about 2 pm because there was so much going on! There was Christmas music, games, games and more games, an ice cream dispenser, so much food, and the best part, amazing people to spread the Joy around to one another. Brother Ram and Sister Joan had so many different games prepared for everyone. There were games specifically for kids, for adults, and even for the grandmas and grandpas in the ward! The best part was that they were all open to playing and all participated! I loved just sitting back and seeing all of them smiling faces of each person, it really made me feel happy and relaxed knowing that the Spirit of Christmas can make people so happy and joyful. Brother Valdez ended up having to go to the hospital for some sickness that he has had for a while, so he and his family were not able to attend but we are planning on playing the same exact games at their house in a couple days to make up for it! He is out of the hospital now and is doing a lot better!
Sunday! The best day without a doubt! Mark Tablang, a member from the Luna Branch came up to Narvacan to come to church today!It was such a fun surprise seeing him and talking to him! There were other visitors in town as well and the classes were so good. We talked about who Jesus Christ really is, and how amazing his life really was. I love learning about Christ and His life. Although I dont know everything, I can feel a personal connection to him. Especially because of the Atonement, where he overcame sin for every single one of us. I cant even begin to imagine the pain he suffered for me personally, and for all of you as well.. Because He loves every one of us and wanted to make it possible for us to become clean from our sins, and clean from our guilt and pains. I love being able to tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is his good news for every single one of us, no matter what age, what nationality, what personality. I love you all and I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Have a great week!
--
Elder Pitt
Monday, December 12, 2016
One week closer to Christmas
Hello to all you amazing people still pushing through these emails weekly! I hope you all had a great week and are getting more and more excited for Christmas/New Years! Ill start this email off on Monday, before we emailed and got groceries, we went on this beautiful hike up to the top of a mountain called Noah. It was gorgeous and felt so nice to be able to watch the sun rise over Narvacan and to feel the cool morning air! During the day we cleaned the house, got groceries, and that was about it until we worked later in the day visiting families.
On Tuesday, it was transfer day! Elder Aries was transferred :/ but Elder Calipes came into the district! He was in a town right next to me when I was in Luna and is such an awesome missionary! Later in the day, we worked with Elder Alvarez in his area. He has yet to get a new companion because he is going to be training a new missionary and will meet him on Friday! (More to come on that) but working with him as 3 instead of 2 was super fun. His area is pretty big as well so it was fun to wear down the soles of our shoes a little bit!
On Wednesday, we went to Candon in the morning for our District Meeting/ Zone Meet up! We met all of the new missionaries in the zone and had our district meeting as well. Every missionary is super nice and outgoing and the workshop in our meeting was about being accountable for what we do! It was really good, we all set goals for ourselves, and then told one another our goals so that we would be accountable for them, and also be able to receive help from one another. After the meeting we went back to Narvacan and started working! We were lucky enough to visit some of the families that we havent seen in a while and some really great members! Then a man who was selling ice cream stopped us to ask us questions about our Church. At first, it was a good conversation and his questions were deep and thought out! He was confused about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, but when we offered him a Book of Mormon, he rejected the offer before he reads parts of the Book online! The only problem is that the online website is not a Church website, but a website that gives false information about the Book of Mormon, and also many other religions. We gave him our Number and hope that he will text or call us when he has time so that we can discuss the reality of the Book of Mormon, and the truth behind it! (His ice cream was also so delicious i might add). Later in the day we met with Mario! That man is a champion! He has skimmed over the entire Book of Mormon in just a month. He read each chapter heading and most of the verses in each Chapter and is now reading it through and through! He is such a great man and is so self reliant!
Thursday, the day of laughs in the face a failure! hahah here is what happened. Elder Scott and I planned to have a street display during the day where we could draw on a chalkboard the Plan of Salvation (LDS.ORG) and hand out pamphlets to anyone walking by! We first wanted to go directly in the middle of the bayan, but right as we got there we were told that the building behind us was a government building and that we should leave. We complied and went a little ways down the road to an open area where people were walking! We were only able to talk to about 4 people before this ambulance decided to park directly in front of us, cutting us off from the rest of the world! Elder Scott and I were both upset but also amused at the parking job of the ambulance in the middle of the street infront of us hahaha. No worries though we will find a new spot next week! Later in the day we met with the Vladez famiily at the church. I am so happy they like meeting at the church to have our discussions because the church is so quiet and spiritual. We talked about the Prophet and the Apostles, who they are, and how they became a leader in the Church. Brother Valdez and Sister Valdez are so attentive and humble. They are such a nice family and their kids are also so fun to be around! I am so thankful that I have met them here and everyone else and cant believe weve been here for 6 weeks now!
Friday was a long day but it was a good day! We started it off with some breakfast at Abra Miki, a delicious restaurant, before I went to San Fernando for a meeting! Elder Scott went with the missionaries in Santa Maria while he waited for Elder Alvarez to return from San Fernando with his new companion! Everyone in the bahay was in San Fernando on Friday except for Elder Scott, but he got the better end of the deal because he was able to teach and work the whole day! It was so fun to see the other missionaries in the Baguio Mission and to learn from our President about what we can do to help everyone else. President Bangal and the Assistants did an amazing job putting the meeting together, and once again, the Thurmans are doing great! I love them and hope for them the best. Thank you to those who sent a letter in the mail! After the meeting, I took the 3 hour trek back to Narvacan and was able to meet Elder Baliwas, the new member of the Narvacan bahay! He is from Laguna Philippines and is a hard working, fresh out of the MTC missionary! I love it! We got to talk for a little bit last night and I know they are going to have a good time with one another in their area.
On Saturday we started with a service project at the church! We cleaned the baptismal font and the Valdez family came as well! It was so cool to see them there and also to see them helping to clean the font. Brother Mike is set on being baptized on Christmas Eve! We are both super excited for him and so is his family who will be following his example in January! I thought the symbolism was really cool seeing Brother Valdez help clean the font. Just like baptism, we have to prepare ourselves-clean ourselves- through repentance. When we have accessed the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we come to know his power and his love that he has for each and every one of us. That is when we are able to take the next step in the Gospel and be baptized by someone who has the authority of God, as did John the Baptist. It really hit me just how important repentance is and how we meed to repent every day, because every day we are not perfect. I loved help clean the church earlier that day and am excited for the next coming weeks with all of the activities at the Church! After we cleaned, we went back to the house and got ready for the day! It was a pretty slow day but we ended up talking to the Fernandez family, members of the Church who live in Salt Lake now! They were in town visiting for the holidays and it was really nice to talk about the States for a little bit! I hope all of you are able to visit Temple Square and see the amazing lights and showings they have going on throughout this season. We also were running late for a discussion at the Valdez house later that night so we decided to take a short cut and run straight through a field! Luckily for us, its not planting season so there was no water in the field, just dried dirt!
Sunday was a great day to be alive! At Church we listened to Elder Baliwas give a testimony about the Church to the congregation. Elder Alvarez, Scott, and Baliwas are all so young in the mission and so am I but it is so fun to have brand new missionaries all in 1 ward! I was asked to give a talk and after Sacrament we had great classes taught by great teachers! After Church there was a parade through Narvacan for the fiesta here, so not one person was home! They were all in the bayan watching the parade hahah. At 5, we took a trip down to Candon to watch the Christmas Devotional Broadcast. If you havent seen it, please watch it! It was so so good, President Eyring of the First Presidency told a story about his family holding an activity each year in honor of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It struck a cord with me! I remember always holding a nativity scene in the Christmas Season with my family, where people played Joseph and Mary, Wise Men, Shepherds, and other parts just like President Eyrings story. I miss being able to be young and be a wise men in the nativity scene but I know that it is a tradition that I also want to keep with my family when that time comes! The devotional was so good and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir did an amazing job as usual. When we got back we planned for the upcoming week and had big grins on our faces becasue we are now on the countdown for Christmas! 13 days to go, maligayang pasko! Mahal Ko Kayo! Ingat,
Elder Pitt
On Tuesday, it was transfer day! Elder Aries was transferred :/ but Elder Calipes came into the district! He was in a town right next to me when I was in Luna and is such an awesome missionary! Later in the day, we worked with Elder Alvarez in his area. He has yet to get a new companion because he is going to be training a new missionary and will meet him on Friday! (More to come on that) but working with him as 3 instead of 2 was super fun. His area is pretty big as well so it was fun to wear down the soles of our shoes a little bit!
On Wednesday, we went to Candon in the morning for our District Meeting/ Zone Meet up! We met all of the new missionaries in the zone and had our district meeting as well. Every missionary is super nice and outgoing and the workshop in our meeting was about being accountable for what we do! It was really good, we all set goals for ourselves, and then told one another our goals so that we would be accountable for them, and also be able to receive help from one another. After the meeting we went back to Narvacan and started working! We were lucky enough to visit some of the families that we havent seen in a while and some really great members! Then a man who was selling ice cream stopped us to ask us questions about our Church. At first, it was a good conversation and his questions were deep and thought out! He was confused about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, but when we offered him a Book of Mormon, he rejected the offer before he reads parts of the Book online! The only problem is that the online website is not a Church website, but a website that gives false information about the Book of Mormon, and also many other religions. We gave him our Number and hope that he will text or call us when he has time so that we can discuss the reality of the Book of Mormon, and the truth behind it! (His ice cream was also so delicious i might add). Later in the day we met with Mario! That man is a champion! He has skimmed over the entire Book of Mormon in just a month. He read each chapter heading and most of the verses in each Chapter and is now reading it through and through! He is such a great man and is so self reliant!
Thursday, the day of laughs in the face a failure! hahah here is what happened. Elder Scott and I planned to have a street display during the day where we could draw on a chalkboard the Plan of Salvation (LDS.ORG) and hand out pamphlets to anyone walking by! We first wanted to go directly in the middle of the bayan, but right as we got there we were told that the building behind us was a government building and that we should leave. We complied and went a little ways down the road to an open area where people were walking! We were only able to talk to about 4 people before this ambulance decided to park directly in front of us, cutting us off from the rest of the world! Elder Scott and I were both upset but also amused at the parking job of the ambulance in the middle of the street infront of us hahaha. No worries though we will find a new spot next week! Later in the day we met with the Vladez famiily at the church. I am so happy they like meeting at the church to have our discussions because the church is so quiet and spiritual. We talked about the Prophet and the Apostles, who they are, and how they became a leader in the Church. Brother Valdez and Sister Valdez are so attentive and humble. They are such a nice family and their kids are also so fun to be around! I am so thankful that I have met them here and everyone else and cant believe weve been here for 6 weeks now!
Friday was a long day but it was a good day! We started it off with some breakfast at Abra Miki, a delicious restaurant, before I went to San Fernando for a meeting! Elder Scott went with the missionaries in Santa Maria while he waited for Elder Alvarez to return from San Fernando with his new companion! Everyone in the bahay was in San Fernando on Friday except for Elder Scott, but he got the better end of the deal because he was able to teach and work the whole day! It was so fun to see the other missionaries in the Baguio Mission and to learn from our President about what we can do to help everyone else. President Bangal and the Assistants did an amazing job putting the meeting together, and once again, the Thurmans are doing great! I love them and hope for them the best. Thank you to those who sent a letter in the mail! After the meeting, I took the 3 hour trek back to Narvacan and was able to meet Elder Baliwas, the new member of the Narvacan bahay! He is from Laguna Philippines and is a hard working, fresh out of the MTC missionary! I love it! We got to talk for a little bit last night and I know they are going to have a good time with one another in their area.
On Saturday we started with a service project at the church! We cleaned the baptismal font and the Valdez family came as well! It was so cool to see them there and also to see them helping to clean the font. Brother Mike is set on being baptized on Christmas Eve! We are both super excited for him and so is his family who will be following his example in January! I thought the symbolism was really cool seeing Brother Valdez help clean the font. Just like baptism, we have to prepare ourselves-clean ourselves- through repentance. When we have accessed the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we come to know his power and his love that he has for each and every one of us. That is when we are able to take the next step in the Gospel and be baptized by someone who has the authority of God, as did John the Baptist. It really hit me just how important repentance is and how we meed to repent every day, because every day we are not perfect. I loved help clean the church earlier that day and am excited for the next coming weeks with all of the activities at the Church! After we cleaned, we went back to the house and got ready for the day! It was a pretty slow day but we ended up talking to the Fernandez family, members of the Church who live in Salt Lake now! They were in town visiting for the holidays and it was really nice to talk about the States for a little bit! I hope all of you are able to visit Temple Square and see the amazing lights and showings they have going on throughout this season. We also were running late for a discussion at the Valdez house later that night so we decided to take a short cut and run straight through a field! Luckily for us, its not planting season so there was no water in the field, just dried dirt!
Sunday was a great day to be alive! At Church we listened to Elder Baliwas give a testimony about the Church to the congregation. Elder Alvarez, Scott, and Baliwas are all so young in the mission and so am I but it is so fun to have brand new missionaries all in 1 ward! I was asked to give a talk and after Sacrament we had great classes taught by great teachers! After Church there was a parade through Narvacan for the fiesta here, so not one person was home! They were all in the bayan watching the parade hahah. At 5, we took a trip down to Candon to watch the Christmas Devotional Broadcast. If you havent seen it, please watch it! It was so so good, President Eyring of the First Presidency told a story about his family holding an activity each year in honor of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It struck a cord with me! I remember always holding a nativity scene in the Christmas Season with my family, where people played Joseph and Mary, Wise Men, Shepherds, and other parts just like President Eyrings story. I miss being able to be young and be a wise men in the nativity scene but I know that it is a tradition that I also want to keep with my family when that time comes! The devotional was so good and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir did an amazing job as usual. When we got back we planned for the upcoming week and had big grins on our faces becasue we are now on the countdown for Christmas! 13 days to go, maligayang pasko! Mahal Ko Kayo! Ingat,
Elder Pitt
Monday, December 5, 2016
Mahaba siya talaga! Pasensiya!
Another Week another long email! I hope its good enough to stay awake through because so much happened this week!
How is everyone doing? Thank you for the emails and also for all of the prayers. This week was as terrific as could be here in Narvacan! After emailing and getting groceries on Monday, we opened up the Church here to hold a tour of the Church! The Valdez family wanted to tour in order for them all to see each room, the sacrament room, and the baptisml font as well! It was a really fun time, and Brother Rambo, and his wife Sister Jo-Anne came as well! They are about the same age as Brother Mike and Sister Jeralyn and both sisters are from the same part of the Philippines so they met, found out where eachother was from, and then I couldnt understand the rest because they started speaking a different dialouge! It was sweet! Both Brother Ram and Mike, and Sister Jo-an and Jeralyn talked for about 45 minutes to one another and were so excited they knew people their same age here in Narvacan! After the tour, we were able to teach in the Church and talk about the power of God. His authority, the Priesthood. We asked them if they would prepare themselves to be baptized on December 31, New Years Eve..... Brother Mike asked me why it couldnt be earlier! It was so funny and awesome to hear the eagerness in his voice! I will get to them more later in this email as well!
On Tuesday we walked walked walked again, my shoes are strarting to show some signs of weaknesses, which means I must be doing right eh? We were able to visit Jeric and his family, some other members of the Church, and at night we met with the Valdez family, at the Ruiz household for dinner and a discussion! We discussed the Plan of Salvation, and what it truly means, why it is so important, and how we can follow the plan every single day. Brother Valdez told us it was as if he already had known this plan and had forgotten it. The Spirit was so strong listening to them talk, ask questions, and while Brother Ram and Sister Joan taught. They are so nice and smart when it comes to the Gospel. It was such a good lesson and both Jamaica and Kristine are starting to become way more outgoing, which is so much fun!
On Wednesday at our District Meeting, we had Elder Wenceslao give us advice for our missions seeing how he just left a couple hours ago to go to San Fernando in order to go home! Tapos na! He talked about Pride, Humility, and how to erase the first by obtaining the latter. After he talked, Elder Aries gave a workshop on Humilty: A Christlike Attribute. We all set goals to help one another erase the pride that everyone of us has in our lives. I am thankful for the reality check and also for the oppurtunity to be able and repent because of pride, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. After District Meeting Elder Aries and I went on exchanges, Elder Dela Puerta was with Eldere Scott! Elder Aries is hilarious. Theres no other word to describe him. Every sentence you hear him say, you are waiting with a smile on your face because you know you are going to laugh at his joke! We visited the Valdez Family while on our walking walking walking journey so that Elder Aries could introduce himself. I came to find out the Whitney and Sister Valdez are friends on Facebook now! Hahaha and Kristine was so so hyper! I dont think ive heard more than 7 or 8 words from her in one setting, but that day it was like she was me when I was a kid, always talking! haha it was fun though, shes super cute and funny! After we visited them and walked walked walked we arrived at the Maaghop family, they wanted to set a Family HHome Evening with us ever since some of the members talked about it at Church last sunday! We planned it for Thursday, and after about 20 minutes of talking to Elder Aries, Sister Maaghop invited him and all of the Elders from Santa Maria to eat as well! Hes got a gift, I asked him how he does it and his response was that when there is food on the line, he doesnt even know what happens, his inner stomach starts talking and BAM! Dinner the next day! Being able to work with Elder Aries was really fun and I learned a lot while we taught. I love seeing the ideas and thoughts of others throughout our discussions. Elder Aries truly has a gift of being able to connect with someone no matter what age or who they are. Laughter truly is the medicine for any sickness!
Thursday! Decemeber! Oh Christmas tree oh Christmass tree!!!!
I am so excited for December!!!
This morning to kick of the hottest December of my life, we played basketball in the morning before studies! Brother Valdez and others including Jeric also came to play! Both we super good at basketball as well, it felt like I was back in the gym playing with the old guys in Washington, this time they were just all shorter than me rather than all taller than me! (Besides you Will Wang!! haha) After playing and going to Santa Maria to get our companions back, Elder Scott and I planned for our week next week and then we started to clean! We have a day every month and a half where you deep clean the entire house! Every little spot is cleaned and yes at the beginning it is not fun, but by the end it felt so good to have a super clean house! Once we were finished we went to work! TThe Elders from Santa Maria came to the house, and we all went together to the Maaghops for Family Home Evening! I wasnt sure if they totally understood there were 8 men who were always walking, and always hungry, coming to their house for dinner, but when we got there, boy were they prepared! We had Adobo, Sisig, and Milkfish! Brother Robert and Armon, the fathers, even built a table on their lunch break from work to be able to eat together. They are such a nice family. All 8 of us Elders sang hymns for them and we all read from the Book of Mormon as well. 2 Nephi 32:3.
After the FHE ended, we got back to the house, grabbed all of our clothes, and started on our trip to the Christmas Conference! The District went to Bacnotan, close to San Fernando, and Elder Scott and I went all the way to the office. We got there at about 11:30 - 12 ish, and when we got there Elder Smith and Elder Richardson were still awake planning the conference! Elder Smith and I ended up talking/planning/discussing about life, missionary work, and everything else. Ha gave me some really good insights and thanked me for mine, it was super good to just be able to listen to someone with so much knowledge, and also to be able and pitch ideas! Elder Smith played rugby at BYU before his mission so we also talked about that and one of the guys I knew before the mission that played rugby with Elder Smith! Small world!
Friday was our Christmas Conference and it was amazing. I cant explain how fun, inspiring, and close everyone came to one another, but I will try my best to type down everything that happened! From whatever time missionaries arrived, until 8:45 am we had free time to talk to one another, take pictures, and catch up with old companions and others! Everyone was there so so early in order to see one another! I saw Elder Mereki! Elder Waite, Sister Brown, Sister Ribwaii! And others from my batch! Man I missed them all! They are all so good at Tagalog as well! I dont think any of us ever thought we'd be able to talk to one another in Tagalog back when we were in the MTC hahah! After, we had a devotional given by Elder Boone,a senior missionary from Arizona. He knows so much about fmaily history, and history of the Church. He is so intelligent. He talked to us about Christ, and what it means to have his name next to our name on our missionary nametag. It was a beautiful devotional and helped everyone really understand the purpose of this work. To help others come closer to their Savior. Once we ended the devotional, we went to the gym area to watch all of the different Zone Presentations! Each zone had created a presentation for the Mission. They were all so great! I loved the presentations and was asked to be the MC so you already know I had hundreds of dad jokes ready to go! I think my favorite, and the crowds least favorite was "Where do LDS cows go to college?.... BYMOO!" Man I still got it! Hahah All of the Zones had awesome presentations! I wish I was able to send long videos because they were great! For our zones presentation, we had a little man skit, where two of the elders used the little man blanket all about missionary work! Others had "12 days of Baguio Mission" and tons of different presentations! The Kiribati Elders and Sisters performed a cultural dance and song! Elder Mereki killed it and it made me miss all of their songs and dances in the MTC! After they were done, all of the Poly Elders, with the help of the Baguio Zone performed the Haka. It was really cool to see the reactions of the missionaries who never knew what a haka was before and to experience the power that the Elders created with their emotion. After we presented, we ate! We had so much food! The diet starts tomorrow right?? haha lechon baboy, rice rice rice, gulay, and much more! While we ate we watched a video that missionaries had put together and then we were blessed to watch a movie! President decided to choose the Pursuit of Happyness. I was so so happy he chose that movie. Will Smith, An underdog story, and inspirational quotes.. What could be better!? There were also a bunch of things I learned while watching the movie as well that I had never noticed before!
Once we finished the movie, all of the Missionaries that are finishing their mission this week shared with us their testimonies before they left. I loved being able to hear about the experiences of those who are already done with their mission and I couldnt help but think that I dont want that day to come! The mission is the best thing someone can do and it creates a new person when you allow it. I am so thankful I will be able to celebrate Christmas and all of 2017 here in the Philippines. After the missionaries gave their testimony, we heard from President Bnagal about this season of giving and then we got back on the road to get to our area! We arrived around 11 and went straight to bed haha.
Saturday was back on the grind and it was so good to be able and work outside again walking walking walking!Before we started our time outside, we celebrated Elder Alvarez's Birthday! Elder Wenceslao wont be here for his birthday which means we just had to celebrate it with cake and ice cream before he left.. And we will have to celebrate it again on his actual birthday Dec.8! He was super excited and really happy. I loved the look on his face when he saw the baloons and candles! During our day on Saturday we met with some members of the ward that we hadnt seen in a while and also others that we have been having discussions with! At night, the Lardizabal family invited us over for dinner! They were baptized last December and are planning to be married in the temple this summer! I am so happy for them!
Then came Sunday, And every other day compared to it lost because Sunday is the best day of the week. We were blessed on this Sabbath Day. We have been praying really hard for our investigators to come to church and be able to worship and give thanks to our Heavenly Father with us. The Maaghops, Valdez's and Alafriz's all came. Almost every single family was there. And there were so many people who were there as well to welcome them in. All of the kids have a blast in Sunday School which makes me miss Sunday School with Kelsey and Emily even more back when I was a kid! Church was so good as well. The testimonies shared, and classes were very strong in Spirit and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Brother Mario came, his foot is almost completely healed and he will be skipping and jumping around in no time! After church, we studied and I was able to read about the Sons of Mosiah, in the Book of Mormon. (Alma Chapter 17-27) They were all missionaries, and not just for 2 years... but for 14 years! Think about that, bye bye golden years am I right? haha that is insane! I have so much respect for the Sons of Mosiah, who, if you read those chapters, you will find that their missions were not easy ones. But some of the hardest. The faith they had is amazing and astonishing. I wish I was able to serve a 14 year mission! After we studied we went out to work, we ended up going back to the Church to teach the Valdez family! The Church is the best place to be and it also has A/C so Elder Scott loves it there! They are such an amazing family and are so nice. Their joy they bring with them everywhere is so cool to see. And their kids are the best! Prince, their son, loves playing the piano even at his young age he knows how to play the second hymn in the LDS hymnbook, the Spirit of God! (with my help or Elder Alvarez!) Once we were done with the discussion we all went to the David family household for a dinner in honor of Elder Wenceslao! A lot of members were there and had so many good words for Elder Wenceslao, which he deserves. He is so humble and caring. Not to mention patient and loving. I am going to miss him so much! When we got back to the house he had some presents from Santa Clause waiting for him! He wasnt going to be here for Christmas so Santa took a 30 minutes lunch break and stopped by earlier for him! Thanks Santa!
This week was one of my favorites. We learned so much from our investigators, members, fellow missionaries, and mission leaders. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary here and to meet such amazing people. I hope you all have a great start to December and Christmas! I love you all and am so happy that you endure these long emails! Have a great week!
-- Elder Wen!
The Valdez Family!
Elder Mereki at the Christmas Conference!
Happy Birthday Elder Alvarez!
Elder Pitt
How is everyone doing? Thank you for the emails and also for all of the prayers. This week was as terrific as could be here in Narvacan! After emailing and getting groceries on Monday, we opened up the Church here to hold a tour of the Church! The Valdez family wanted to tour in order for them all to see each room, the sacrament room, and the baptisml font as well! It was a really fun time, and Brother Rambo, and his wife Sister Jo-Anne came as well! They are about the same age as Brother Mike and Sister Jeralyn and both sisters are from the same part of the Philippines so they met, found out where eachother was from, and then I couldnt understand the rest because they started speaking a different dialouge! It was sweet! Both Brother Ram and Mike, and Sister Jo-an and Jeralyn talked for about 45 minutes to one another and were so excited they knew people their same age here in Narvacan! After the tour, we were able to teach in the Church and talk about the power of God. His authority, the Priesthood. We asked them if they would prepare themselves to be baptized on December 31, New Years Eve..... Brother Mike asked me why it couldnt be earlier! It was so funny and awesome to hear the eagerness in his voice! I will get to them more later in this email as well!
On Tuesday we walked walked walked again, my shoes are strarting to show some signs of weaknesses, which means I must be doing right eh? We were able to visit Jeric and his family, some other members of the Church, and at night we met with the Valdez family, at the Ruiz household for dinner and a discussion! We discussed the Plan of Salvation, and what it truly means, why it is so important, and how we can follow the plan every single day. Brother Valdez told us it was as if he already had known this plan and had forgotten it. The Spirit was so strong listening to them talk, ask questions, and while Brother Ram and Sister Joan taught. They are so nice and smart when it comes to the Gospel. It was such a good lesson and both Jamaica and Kristine are starting to become way more outgoing, which is so much fun!
On Wednesday at our District Meeting, we had Elder Wenceslao give us advice for our missions seeing how he just left a couple hours ago to go to San Fernando in order to go home! Tapos na! He talked about Pride, Humility, and how to erase the first by obtaining the latter. After he talked, Elder Aries gave a workshop on Humilty: A Christlike Attribute. We all set goals to help one another erase the pride that everyone of us has in our lives. I am thankful for the reality check and also for the oppurtunity to be able and repent because of pride, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. After District Meeting Elder Aries and I went on exchanges, Elder Dela Puerta was with Eldere Scott! Elder Aries is hilarious. Theres no other word to describe him. Every sentence you hear him say, you are waiting with a smile on your face because you know you are going to laugh at his joke! We visited the Valdez Family while on our walking walking walking journey so that Elder Aries could introduce himself. I came to find out the Whitney and Sister Valdez are friends on Facebook now! Hahaha and Kristine was so so hyper! I dont think ive heard more than 7 or 8 words from her in one setting, but that day it was like she was me when I was a kid, always talking! haha it was fun though, shes super cute and funny! After we visited them and walked walked walked we arrived at the Maaghop family, they wanted to set a Family HHome Evening with us ever since some of the members talked about it at Church last sunday! We planned it for Thursday, and after about 20 minutes of talking to Elder Aries, Sister Maaghop invited him and all of the Elders from Santa Maria to eat as well! Hes got a gift, I asked him how he does it and his response was that when there is food on the line, he doesnt even know what happens, his inner stomach starts talking and BAM! Dinner the next day! Being able to work with Elder Aries was really fun and I learned a lot while we taught. I love seeing the ideas and thoughts of others throughout our discussions. Elder Aries truly has a gift of being able to connect with someone no matter what age or who they are. Laughter truly is the medicine for any sickness!
Thursday! Decemeber! Oh Christmas tree oh Christmass tree!!!!
I am so excited for December!!!
This morning to kick of the hottest December of my life, we played basketball in the morning before studies! Brother Valdez and others including Jeric also came to play! Both we super good at basketball as well, it felt like I was back in the gym playing with the old guys in Washington, this time they were just all shorter than me rather than all taller than me! (Besides you Will Wang!! haha) After playing and going to Santa Maria to get our companions back, Elder Scott and I planned for our week next week and then we started to clean! We have a day every month and a half where you deep clean the entire house! Every little spot is cleaned and yes at the beginning it is not fun, but by the end it felt so good to have a super clean house! Once we were finished we went to work! TThe Elders from Santa Maria came to the house, and we all went together to the Maaghops for Family Home Evening! I wasnt sure if they totally understood there were 8 men who were always walking, and always hungry, coming to their house for dinner, but when we got there, boy were they prepared! We had Adobo, Sisig, and Milkfish! Brother Robert and Armon, the fathers, even built a table on their lunch break from work to be able to eat together. They are such a nice family. All 8 of us Elders sang hymns for them and we all read from the Book of Mormon as well. 2 Nephi 32:3.
After the FHE ended, we got back to the house, grabbed all of our clothes, and started on our trip to the Christmas Conference! The District went to Bacnotan, close to San Fernando, and Elder Scott and I went all the way to the office. We got there at about 11:30 - 12 ish, and when we got there Elder Smith and Elder Richardson were still awake planning the conference! Elder Smith and I ended up talking/planning/discussing about life, missionary work, and everything else. Ha gave me some really good insights and thanked me for mine, it was super good to just be able to listen to someone with so much knowledge, and also to be able and pitch ideas! Elder Smith played rugby at BYU before his mission so we also talked about that and one of the guys I knew before the mission that played rugby with Elder Smith! Small world!
Friday was our Christmas Conference and it was amazing. I cant explain how fun, inspiring, and close everyone came to one another, but I will try my best to type down everything that happened! From whatever time missionaries arrived, until 8:45 am we had free time to talk to one another, take pictures, and catch up with old companions and others! Everyone was there so so early in order to see one another! I saw Elder Mereki! Elder Waite, Sister Brown, Sister Ribwaii! And others from my batch! Man I missed them all! They are all so good at Tagalog as well! I dont think any of us ever thought we'd be able to talk to one another in Tagalog back when we were in the MTC hahah! After, we had a devotional given by Elder Boone,a senior missionary from Arizona. He knows so much about fmaily history, and history of the Church. He is so intelligent. He talked to us about Christ, and what it means to have his name next to our name on our missionary nametag. It was a beautiful devotional and helped everyone really understand the purpose of this work. To help others come closer to their Savior. Once we ended the devotional, we went to the gym area to watch all of the different Zone Presentations! Each zone had created a presentation for the Mission. They were all so great! I loved the presentations and was asked to be the MC so you already know I had hundreds of dad jokes ready to go! I think my favorite, and the crowds least favorite was "Where do LDS cows go to college?.... BYMOO!" Man I still got it! Hahah All of the Zones had awesome presentations! I wish I was able to send long videos because they were great! For our zones presentation, we had a little man skit, where two of the elders used the little man blanket all about missionary work! Others had "12 days of Baguio Mission" and tons of different presentations! The Kiribati Elders and Sisters performed a cultural dance and song! Elder Mereki killed it and it made me miss all of their songs and dances in the MTC! After they were done, all of the Poly Elders, with the help of the Baguio Zone performed the Haka. It was really cool to see the reactions of the missionaries who never knew what a haka was before and to experience the power that the Elders created with their emotion. After we presented, we ate! We had so much food! The diet starts tomorrow right?? haha lechon baboy, rice rice rice, gulay, and much more! While we ate we watched a video that missionaries had put together and then we were blessed to watch a movie! President decided to choose the Pursuit of Happyness. I was so so happy he chose that movie. Will Smith, An underdog story, and inspirational quotes.. What could be better!? There were also a bunch of things I learned while watching the movie as well that I had never noticed before!
Once we finished the movie, all of the Missionaries that are finishing their mission this week shared with us their testimonies before they left. I loved being able to hear about the experiences of those who are already done with their mission and I couldnt help but think that I dont want that day to come! The mission is the best thing someone can do and it creates a new person when you allow it. I am so thankful I will be able to celebrate Christmas and all of 2017 here in the Philippines. After the missionaries gave their testimony, we heard from President Bnagal about this season of giving and then we got back on the road to get to our area! We arrived around 11 and went straight to bed haha.
Saturday was back on the grind and it was so good to be able and work outside again walking walking walking!Before we started our time outside, we celebrated Elder Alvarez's Birthday! Elder Wenceslao wont be here for his birthday which means we just had to celebrate it with cake and ice cream before he left.. And we will have to celebrate it again on his actual birthday Dec.8! He was super excited and really happy. I loved the look on his face when he saw the baloons and candles! During our day on Saturday we met with some members of the ward that we hadnt seen in a while and also others that we have been having discussions with! At night, the Lardizabal family invited us over for dinner! They were baptized last December and are planning to be married in the temple this summer! I am so happy for them!
Then came Sunday, And every other day compared to it lost because Sunday is the best day of the week. We were blessed on this Sabbath Day. We have been praying really hard for our investigators to come to church and be able to worship and give thanks to our Heavenly Father with us. The Maaghops, Valdez's and Alafriz's all came. Almost every single family was there. And there were so many people who were there as well to welcome them in. All of the kids have a blast in Sunday School which makes me miss Sunday School with Kelsey and Emily even more back when I was a kid! Church was so good as well. The testimonies shared, and classes were very strong in Spirit and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Brother Mario came, his foot is almost completely healed and he will be skipping and jumping around in no time! After church, we studied and I was able to read about the Sons of Mosiah, in the Book of Mormon. (Alma Chapter 17-27) They were all missionaries, and not just for 2 years... but for 14 years! Think about that, bye bye golden years am I right? haha that is insane! I have so much respect for the Sons of Mosiah, who, if you read those chapters, you will find that their missions were not easy ones. But some of the hardest. The faith they had is amazing and astonishing. I wish I was able to serve a 14 year mission! After we studied we went out to work, we ended up going back to the Church to teach the Valdez family! The Church is the best place to be and it also has A/C so Elder Scott loves it there! They are such an amazing family and are so nice. Their joy they bring with them everywhere is so cool to see. And their kids are the best! Prince, their son, loves playing the piano even at his young age he knows how to play the second hymn in the LDS hymnbook, the Spirit of God! (with my help or Elder Alvarez!) Once we were done with the discussion we all went to the David family household for a dinner in honor of Elder Wenceslao! A lot of members were there and had so many good words for Elder Wenceslao, which he deserves. He is so humble and caring. Not to mention patient and loving. I am going to miss him so much! When we got back to the house he had some presents from Santa Clause waiting for him! He wasnt going to be here for Christmas so Santa took a 30 minutes lunch break and stopped by earlier for him! Thanks Santa!
This week was one of my favorites. We learned so much from our investigators, members, fellow missionaries, and mission leaders. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary here and to meet such amazing people. I hope you all have a great start to December and Christmas! I love you all and am so happy that you endure these long emails! Have a great week!
-- Elder Wen!
The Valdez Family!
Elder Mereki at the Christmas Conference!
Happy Birthday Elder Alvarez!
Elder Pitt
Monday, November 28, 2016
8 Months Down!
In the wise words of Brother Paul back in the ol' seminary days "Hello hello!"
How is everyone doing? Happy late Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there and and early Merry Christmas! Man oh man was this week busy and man oh man was this week amazing. To explain the pictures last week, we had a Zone Activity where we all got together, broke into groups, and played a bunch of "minute to win it" games! It was such a blast and a good time to be able to come close to everyone in the Zone as well! After the P-day shopping and clothes washing stuff we went to work! Decided to visit our man Brother Mario to see how his foot was doing! He has a hole as wide as a nickel and the hole is about a quarter inch deep! We totally understood his reasoning for not being able to come to Church! He told us he would try next sunday to come (yesterday) and there will be more on that later ;) After we visited with him we also visited the Maaghop family, who again is Jeric and all of his relatives! Jeric is a rockstar I tell you what. He helps get all of his cousins together and family to have us teach a lesson, and his whole family is just as great as he is! He asked us if he could come working with us during the day, how crazy is that! (more to come later haha!)
On Tuesday we had exchanges! In our apartment there are 4 very handsome missionaries, and the two Filipinos are Elder Alvarez and Elder Wenceslao! Both are amazing and so hard working. Elder Wenceslao is actually finishing his mission in just 9 days!!Before we went on exchanges we all went to the Vallentos family in the morning in order to build a house! Thhats right you read correctly! Brother Vallentos asked us if we would help him build a house! Of course all 4 of us were 100% in, and decided to put all of our house building knowledge together to do it! We all agreed that step one was to get wood, so we did! After smoothing out the branches from the wood we dug 6 holes about 2 1/2 feet deep to bury the wood in, then refilled the holes and steadied the wood! Not to mention we had the help of Brother Liberato, a member of the Church, who is also a contractor, with us telling us what to do!There are pictures at the bottom of the email to see the progression so far! It has been a veryy fun project and a cant wait to build one of my own when I get back! During the exchanges, I was Elder Alvarez's companion for the day and we worked in their areas here in Narvacan! Their area is very big and we did a lot of walking, and it was also very fun. Elder Alvarez has only been out on the mission for about 11 weeks now but already is in a groove! We ended up running across a family that used to visit our church and take lessons from the missionaries but have since stopped. They asked us for a Book of Mormon and the look on the moms face was impacting. During the Typhoon 2 years ago all of their books and items in their house got soaked and ruined, but before that had happened, she had read the Book of Mormon all the way through and was too nervous to back to the Church and grab a new one! Now she has one and I hope Elder Alvarez and Wenceslao will be able to teach her and her family.
On Wednesday, I hit my 8 month mark a missionary and wished that it would stop going by so fast! Time is flying and I am learning so much! In the morning we had Zone Training once again in Candon so we went there and after the training, we practiced for our presentation at our Christmas Devotional! And then after the training, we had exhanges again! This time I went to Santa Maria, the next town over, with Elder Avisado! His companion, Elder Calo went to Narvacan with Elder Scott! By the way, Elder Scott killed it leading the area during exchanges. He has only been here for about a month and was able to lead the entire time 2 days in a row. Killin it Elder Scott! Killin' it! Exchanges were really fun in Santa Maria. Elder Avisado is also fairly new in the mission but is such a great teacher! We met with a family who had relatives in town from Utah! I dont know if it was as weird for them to see me as much as it was weird for me to see them, but hey who knows! We talked about Utah and about the State! Before we left, their wife handed me a bag of kit kats and hersheys and said "Happy Thanksgiving!" Thats when I remembered that Thurrsday was Thanksgiving!
After the exchanges on Wednesday we went to Narvacan on Thursday morning to switch off companions again! I woke up with a solid sore throat and an unfriendly headache, and when we got to the house it only got worse. I ended up sleeping almost the whole day of Thanksgiving trying to get rid of the headache and sickness! It was pretty lame but we were able to leave the house later in the day when I woke up. After we worked, we hopped on a bus for a 3 hour trip to San Fernando for a meeting on Friday! And dont worry, we stopped at McDonalds on the way so Elder Scott could have an American Thanksgiving Dinner! The chocolate sundae was good ebough for me too! (Dont worry Mom i am feeling 100% now!)
We rolled into San Fernando at about 10:30 ish and slept in one of the apartments with other missionaries from the mission! It wwas fun to catch up with them and listen to their stories! The meeting was for all of the new missionaries so Elder Scott was able to see all of his batch from the MTC and others as well! Elder Rochardson and Smith, the AP's, put together a video for us about obedience, and knew how to teach the lesson! They had clips from Star Wars 3 where Annikan and Obi-One have their famous "you were the chosen one!" "you were my brother!" Fight scene! I tell you what it was so good to watch the 30 seconds of Star Wars that they showed, and it really did help us learn a lot about how training should help new missionaries be the missionaries they should, and also how to learn from new missionaries! After we had our meeting we ate, got to say hello to Sister and Elder Thurman, the ever-so-awesome office senior missionaries, and went back to Narvacan to resume our work! When we got back we taught the Valdez Family and the Maaghop family! Both of them are so nice and genuine. Each time we go to their house, we learn about their life experiences and also learn about humility. Everyone here is so humble and loving towards one another and its such a good feeling to see the love someone has for you through their actions.
Now we are on Saturday! In the morning we again went to the Vallentos house, this time to see the house, plan the next time, and set a time to do it! After we left we helped Nanay Zeny move some of her things to the market for her to have a lechon baboy stand during the fiesta that is coming up! You already know Ill be there as much as I can eating as much Lechon Baboy as I can! While we were wokring, the Elders in Santa Maria were holding a baptisml service so we invited our investigators and we went to Santa Maria to the baptism! Tony-boy Alafriz tagged along with his new friends, the Maaghop children, and we were able to see a baptism into our Church. Sister Maaghop, and her neice, Jenny, had a lot of good questions about the reason people are baptized and what it truly means. Jenny when we first met, simply wanted to learn from us how to teach people about God, and now she has commited herself to being ready for her own baptism before 2016 ends! Same goes for her brother Jeric, and some of their aunts and uncles! It was such an amazing oppurtunity to be able to help them see the importance of baptism and also to feel the Spirit testify to them of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we got back to Narvacan, Jeric came with us to our appointments! It was the first time Ive ever worked with someone who isnt even a member of the Church yet. But at our lesson with the Cabe family, he bore such a strong testimony about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. His testimony was so spiritual and touching. And I am so glad we have been able to grow close to Jeric, and his whole family.
Lets take it to yesterday! Sunday! At church we were blessed to have so many people attend, including Brother Mario! Jeric, his sister Jenny (who has worked at the Catholic Church all day every sunday for about 5 years now, and didnt in order to come to our church) their neices and nephews, and the Valdez family! Church was so good and Elder Alvarez gave a talk about the Bible and The Book of Mormon. In the class time, we talked about the importance of prayer and how at any momment in life, times of trials, hapinness, sadness, boredness, or any other time, we can pray to Our Heavenly Father directly. We can ask him for answers, for help, for guidance, and can thank Him for all the things he has done for us. Whenever, Wherever, for whatever reason. Once again being a missionary is the best feeling. Every day I am coming closer to Our Father in Heaven and I am able to help others do the same. I love you all and hope you all have a great first week of December! Drive safe if theres snow, and when youre really cold wishing you were in the Philippines, know that I wish I was in the snow freezing my toes off! Love you all! In the wise words of a wise man "After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel." Ingat po kayo!
Make sure you dont forget to wish the one and only Darren Pitt a happy birthday!!!
-Elder Pitt
Pics: Jeric workin with us one night
Selfie after cleaning the church on saturday
Service Projectin'
Selfie with some bike riders drafting the tryke!
How is everyone doing? Happy late Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there and and early Merry Christmas! Man oh man was this week busy and man oh man was this week amazing. To explain the pictures last week, we had a Zone Activity where we all got together, broke into groups, and played a bunch of "minute to win it" games! It was such a blast and a good time to be able to come close to everyone in the Zone as well! After the P-day shopping and clothes washing stuff we went to work! Decided to visit our man Brother Mario to see how his foot was doing! He has a hole as wide as a nickel and the hole is about a quarter inch deep! We totally understood his reasoning for not being able to come to Church! He told us he would try next sunday to come (yesterday) and there will be more on that later ;) After we visited with him we also visited the Maaghop family, who again is Jeric and all of his relatives! Jeric is a rockstar I tell you what. He helps get all of his cousins together and family to have us teach a lesson, and his whole family is just as great as he is! He asked us if he could come working with us during the day, how crazy is that! (more to come later haha!)
On Tuesday we had exchanges! In our apartment there are 4 very handsome missionaries, and the two Filipinos are Elder Alvarez and Elder Wenceslao! Both are amazing and so hard working. Elder Wenceslao is actually finishing his mission in just 9 days!!Before we went on exchanges we all went to the Vallentos family in the morning in order to build a house! Thhats right you read correctly! Brother Vallentos asked us if we would help him build a house! Of course all 4 of us were 100% in, and decided to put all of our house building knowledge together to do it! We all agreed that step one was to get wood, so we did! After smoothing out the branches from the wood we dug 6 holes about 2 1/2 feet deep to bury the wood in, then refilled the holes and steadied the wood! Not to mention we had the help of Brother Liberato, a member of the Church, who is also a contractor, with us telling us what to do!There are pictures at the bottom of the email to see the progression so far! It has been a veryy fun project and a cant wait to build one of my own when I get back! During the exchanges, I was Elder Alvarez's companion for the day and we worked in their areas here in Narvacan! Their area is very big and we did a lot of walking, and it was also very fun. Elder Alvarez has only been out on the mission for about 11 weeks now but already is in a groove! We ended up running across a family that used to visit our church and take lessons from the missionaries but have since stopped. They asked us for a Book of Mormon and the look on the moms face was impacting. During the Typhoon 2 years ago all of their books and items in their house got soaked and ruined, but before that had happened, she had read the Book of Mormon all the way through and was too nervous to back to the Church and grab a new one! Now she has one and I hope Elder Alvarez and Wenceslao will be able to teach her and her family.
On Wednesday, I hit my 8 month mark a missionary and wished that it would stop going by so fast! Time is flying and I am learning so much! In the morning we had Zone Training once again in Candon so we went there and after the training, we practiced for our presentation at our Christmas Devotional! And then after the training, we had exhanges again! This time I went to Santa Maria, the next town over, with Elder Avisado! His companion, Elder Calo went to Narvacan with Elder Scott! By the way, Elder Scott killed it leading the area during exchanges. He has only been here for about a month and was able to lead the entire time 2 days in a row. Killin it Elder Scott! Killin' it! Exchanges were really fun in Santa Maria. Elder Avisado is also fairly new in the mission but is such a great teacher! We met with a family who had relatives in town from Utah! I dont know if it was as weird for them to see me as much as it was weird for me to see them, but hey who knows! We talked about Utah and about the State! Before we left, their wife handed me a bag of kit kats and hersheys and said "Happy Thanksgiving!" Thats when I remembered that Thurrsday was Thanksgiving!
After the exchanges on Wednesday we went to Narvacan on Thursday morning to switch off companions again! I woke up with a solid sore throat and an unfriendly headache, and when we got to the house it only got worse. I ended up sleeping almost the whole day of Thanksgiving trying to get rid of the headache and sickness! It was pretty lame but we were able to leave the house later in the day when I woke up. After we worked, we hopped on a bus for a 3 hour trip to San Fernando for a meeting on Friday! And dont worry, we stopped at McDonalds on the way so Elder Scott could have an American Thanksgiving Dinner! The chocolate sundae was good ebough for me too! (Dont worry Mom i am feeling 100% now!)
We rolled into San Fernando at about 10:30 ish and slept in one of the apartments with other missionaries from the mission! It wwas fun to catch up with them and listen to their stories! The meeting was for all of the new missionaries so Elder Scott was able to see all of his batch from the MTC and others as well! Elder Rochardson and Smith, the AP's, put together a video for us about obedience, and knew how to teach the lesson! They had clips from Star Wars 3 where Annikan and Obi-One have their famous "you were the chosen one!" "you were my brother!" Fight scene! I tell you what it was so good to watch the 30 seconds of Star Wars that they showed, and it really did help us learn a lot about how training should help new missionaries be the missionaries they should, and also how to learn from new missionaries! After we had our meeting we ate, got to say hello to Sister and Elder Thurman, the ever-so-awesome office senior missionaries, and went back to Narvacan to resume our work! When we got back we taught the Valdez Family and the Maaghop family! Both of them are so nice and genuine. Each time we go to their house, we learn about their life experiences and also learn about humility. Everyone here is so humble and loving towards one another and its such a good feeling to see the love someone has for you through their actions.
Now we are on Saturday! In the morning we again went to the Vallentos house, this time to see the house, plan the next time, and set a time to do it! After we left we helped Nanay Zeny move some of her things to the market for her to have a lechon baboy stand during the fiesta that is coming up! You already know Ill be there as much as I can eating as much Lechon Baboy as I can! While we were wokring, the Elders in Santa Maria were holding a baptisml service so we invited our investigators and we went to Santa Maria to the baptism! Tony-boy Alafriz tagged along with his new friends, the Maaghop children, and we were able to see a baptism into our Church. Sister Maaghop, and her neice, Jenny, had a lot of good questions about the reason people are baptized and what it truly means. Jenny when we first met, simply wanted to learn from us how to teach people about God, and now she has commited herself to being ready for her own baptism before 2016 ends! Same goes for her brother Jeric, and some of their aunts and uncles! It was such an amazing oppurtunity to be able to help them see the importance of baptism and also to feel the Spirit testify to them of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we got back to Narvacan, Jeric came with us to our appointments! It was the first time Ive ever worked with someone who isnt even a member of the Church yet. But at our lesson with the Cabe family, he bore such a strong testimony about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. His testimony was so spiritual and touching. And I am so glad we have been able to grow close to Jeric, and his whole family.
Lets take it to yesterday! Sunday! At church we were blessed to have so many people attend, including Brother Mario! Jeric, his sister Jenny (who has worked at the Catholic Church all day every sunday for about 5 years now, and didnt in order to come to our church) their neices and nephews, and the Valdez family! Church was so good and Elder Alvarez gave a talk about the Bible and The Book of Mormon. In the class time, we talked about the importance of prayer and how at any momment in life, times of trials, hapinness, sadness, boredness, or any other time, we can pray to Our Heavenly Father directly. We can ask him for answers, for help, for guidance, and can thank Him for all the things he has done for us. Whenever, Wherever, for whatever reason. Once again being a missionary is the best feeling. Every day I am coming closer to Our Father in Heaven and I am able to help others do the same. I love you all and hope you all have a great first week of December! Drive safe if theres snow, and when youre really cold wishing you were in the Philippines, know that I wish I was in the snow freezing my toes off! Love you all! In the wise words of a wise man "After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel." Ingat po kayo!
Make sure you dont forget to wish the one and only Darren Pitt a happy birthday!!!
-Elder Pitt
Pics: Jeric workin with us one night
Selfie after cleaning the church on saturday
Service Projectin'
Selfie with some bike riders drafting the tryke!
Monday, November 21, 2016
Hello!
Hello.... Its me!
That song might be out of the top 20 by now but I dont know any new songs so that will have to do! How are you all doing? Thank you for the emails you have sent me! I am so grateful to know as great of people as you all are. This week was awesome! Starting off on Tuesday, a very spiritual and humbling day. We went and visited Brother Mario, who had injured his foot and wasnt able to come to church last Sunday! He has read all the way to Mosiah in the Book of Mormon in just the short time that we have known him. (If you dont know how far Mosiah is, grab yourself a Book of Mormon and start reading until you get there!) He is doing great and his foot is also healing well! As we walked around trying to find people to meet and talk to, we visted the house house Sister Nera, who was nice enough to was our clothes last week! While we were there she asked if we could teach her family, and as we did, we invite her neighbors to come join as well! There were quite a few people in the lesson and it was so fun. After the lesson while we were walking away, we were about 50 yards down the road when we heard someone yell "Elders, wait!" We turned around to see one of the neighbors of Sister Nera, Jeric, running at us full speed. When he got to us, he caught is breath and told us he loved our lesson and that "it's time for me to change." He told us to come back everyday to talk to him, and as we left Elder Scott and I couldnt help but to think about the blessing of being able to be led to those who want to listen.
Wednesday was also so good! We had our zone training in the morning in Candon so we rose bright and early at about 5:30 to make it there on time! The driver of the van we took seemed to either be late to a dinner appointment or being chased by the police because he was hauling! We got there so fast, and with our access time.... We were able to get some good ol' american style McDonalds breakfast before the Zone Training! Hurray for more blessings! Zone training was also awesome, and we practiced our presentation for our Christmas Devotional we will have in December! (more news to come in the following weeks!) After Zone Training, Elder Scott and I let early from practicing to go to the Valdez family! Brother Valdez and the girls all had a great time at Church last Sunday and we talked about what happens at Church and why. We focused our lesson on the Introduction of the Book of Mormon in order to help them understand the contents of the Book of Mormon. Sister Valdez was out of town but we cant wait for her to get back so that we can teach them as a whole family! Brother Valdez offered to give the closing prayer, and it was the first time he had ever prayed out loud with his family. It was amazing to see his courage and faith in offering to pray, and I know that through prayer, he and all of us will learn answers to the questions we have. Later that day, Joshua Mina, a member of the ward here, worked with us in order to help him prepare for his mission! He is almost done with his paperwork so I cant wait to find out where he will be serving! Kennewick Washington maybe?? Hahah he is super cool and also a great teacher. Its so important to have members help those searching for the truth, and Joshua did an awesome job! He went with us to Jeric's house where we taught Jeric, his uncles, and his cousins! Jeric also asked to pray at the end of the lesson and did an amazing job. For being only 17 he has such a strong drive to learn, change, and do what is necessary to come close to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
On Thursday, we woke up extra early to play basketball at the church! We all know that I am always up for a pick up game no matter what time or what day, but that morning, I wanted to read a little but more and was somewhat upset that we were playing basketball! Im thankful that The Lord knows how to humble me. While we were playing, a lady came inside the gates of the church crying, and asked us if she could hide on the other side of the church. One of the members with us, Brother Rambo, went with her and talked to her. It turns out she was having some family problems and needed to get away and let things calm down at home with her husband. I am very happy that we went to play basketball and that Brother Ram was able to ease her worries and help her calm down. I am also grateful to see that sometimes in life, we are put in situations that we might not want to be in, in order to be there for someone else.
After playing, we went back to the bahay to study and had a great study time. For lunch I made Bicol Express and we also went to brother Rambo's house for some smoothies!
Later in the day we visited the Lardizabal family, who was baptized last December and talked to them about familyhistory.org and how they can prepare to go to the temple! They are always so happy and excited about the Gospel, it is great. That night we had a Family Home Evening at Nanay Zenys house. She invited all of her cousings, nephews and nieces to the Family Home Evening and it was a blast!
Friday was a day of walking once again and thats A-Okay with me! Especially if it keeps me from gaining too much weight from all of the McDonalds I seem to not be able to stay away from haha! We visited Brother Mario to see how he was feeling and how his foot was healing up, and he wasnt home so we are hoping that that means he was working, and good to go! A lot of kids didnt have school on Friday so we were followed around almost all day by our fans! The kids here are awesome and I wish I could just sit around and play games with them all day. They also arent shy to just walk into peoples houses either, even if its not their family! We tried to visit a family that we had talked to a couple days ago, and before we could even get up to the door, 2 of the little kids ran inside yelling that the Elders were looking for them! Its like having a personal doorbell which is every missionaries dream!
Later that night we met with Jeric again who texts us almost every day and always asks when we are returning! We focused teaching the Book of Mormon with them as well and answering questions about the Church that they had. Jeric is such an awesome kid and is trying so hard to change. He is an example to me and I hope he is able to visit church on Sunday in order to see what church is like and learn more about Christ. Saturday was a great day to be alive! As we went about our day on Saturday, the missionaries in the next town over, Santa Maria, called us to see if I could go visit their investigators who are planning to be baptized on the 26th! We went and met with them and their families. We were able to help them prepare for baptism ask hold interviews with them in order for the 2 girls to be able to bare testimony about the Church and make sure that they are ready. They are both so strong in the faith and hard working. Judy-Ann has been learning about the church since she was 12 years old, and is now 18. She wanted to make sure this was the path for her and now she is ready! I hope I can get some pictures of them next week at their baptism! The rest of the day went really well when we got back to Narvacan as well. We have scheduled a lot of community service projects for this coming week, so I am even more excited for all of the things that will be going on this coming week!
On Sunday! the best day of the week, we went to church! While we were outside greeting people, Jeric showed up and had brought all of his cousins with him on his moped. When they all got off, we didnt have time to talk to him because he left! We didnt know where he went or why he left, and neither did his little cousins. About 5 minutes later he returned, with a kid we had never met before on the back. He told us that he couldnt fit everyone on the moped that he wanted to bring to church so he had to make two trips. He is so awesome. He simply showed up to his friends house and told him that he was coming to church with Jeric. And that it was Jerics first time so he didnt know what was going to happen, but that Jeric was going to bring him with! It was awesome to meet his friend JR and to help them at church meeting other youth their age and going to classes. After church, Brother Ram invited us over for lunch to celebrate his wifes birthday! Brother Ram and Sister Jo-an are so cool and fun to be around. They are also the perfect example of husband and wife in respecting and supporting each other. While we worked during the day, we were able to meet with a lot of the families that we are teaching. Being with a family talking about the Gospel makes me so happy. I love being able to see the light in their eyes as they feel the Spirit teach them about the family and its sacredness. I love being a missionary and I love being able to be taught by those we teach. Their examples of hard work, humility, and patience are examples of our Savior Jesus Christ and the love they show is the same love I know He shows to all of us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am going to miss Thanksgiving this year and being able to get a food coma with no regrets! I love you all and hope you all have a great time with those you are around on Thanksgiving, have a great week!
--
Elder Pitt
Pics! The Zone, the district, american twins on P day and Elder Wenceslaos art gallery!
That song might be out of the top 20 by now but I dont know any new songs so that will have to do! How are you all doing? Thank you for the emails you have sent me! I am so grateful to know as great of people as you all are. This week was awesome! Starting off on Tuesday, a very spiritual and humbling day. We went and visited Brother Mario, who had injured his foot and wasnt able to come to church last Sunday! He has read all the way to Mosiah in the Book of Mormon in just the short time that we have known him. (If you dont know how far Mosiah is, grab yourself a Book of Mormon and start reading until you get there!) He is doing great and his foot is also healing well! As we walked around trying to find people to meet and talk to, we visted the house house Sister Nera, who was nice enough to was our clothes last week! While we were there she asked if we could teach her family, and as we did, we invite her neighbors to come join as well! There were quite a few people in the lesson and it was so fun. After the lesson while we were walking away, we were about 50 yards down the road when we heard someone yell "Elders, wait!" We turned around to see one of the neighbors of Sister Nera, Jeric, running at us full speed. When he got to us, he caught is breath and told us he loved our lesson and that "it's time for me to change." He told us to come back everyday to talk to him, and as we left Elder Scott and I couldnt help but to think about the blessing of being able to be led to those who want to listen.
Wednesday was also so good! We had our zone training in the morning in Candon so we rose bright and early at about 5:30 to make it there on time! The driver of the van we took seemed to either be late to a dinner appointment or being chased by the police because he was hauling! We got there so fast, and with our access time.... We were able to get some good ol' american style McDonalds breakfast before the Zone Training! Hurray for more blessings! Zone training was also awesome, and we practiced our presentation for our Christmas Devotional we will have in December! (more news to come in the following weeks!) After Zone Training, Elder Scott and I let early from practicing to go to the Valdez family! Brother Valdez and the girls all had a great time at Church last Sunday and we talked about what happens at Church and why. We focused our lesson on the Introduction of the Book of Mormon in order to help them understand the contents of the Book of Mormon. Sister Valdez was out of town but we cant wait for her to get back so that we can teach them as a whole family! Brother Valdez offered to give the closing prayer, and it was the first time he had ever prayed out loud with his family. It was amazing to see his courage and faith in offering to pray, and I know that through prayer, he and all of us will learn answers to the questions we have. Later that day, Joshua Mina, a member of the ward here, worked with us in order to help him prepare for his mission! He is almost done with his paperwork so I cant wait to find out where he will be serving! Kennewick Washington maybe?? Hahah he is super cool and also a great teacher. Its so important to have members help those searching for the truth, and Joshua did an awesome job! He went with us to Jeric's house where we taught Jeric, his uncles, and his cousins! Jeric also asked to pray at the end of the lesson and did an amazing job. For being only 17 he has such a strong drive to learn, change, and do what is necessary to come close to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
On Thursday, we woke up extra early to play basketball at the church! We all know that I am always up for a pick up game no matter what time or what day, but that morning, I wanted to read a little but more and was somewhat upset that we were playing basketball! Im thankful that The Lord knows how to humble me. While we were playing, a lady came inside the gates of the church crying, and asked us if she could hide on the other side of the church. One of the members with us, Brother Rambo, went with her and talked to her. It turns out she was having some family problems and needed to get away and let things calm down at home with her husband. I am very happy that we went to play basketball and that Brother Ram was able to ease her worries and help her calm down. I am also grateful to see that sometimes in life, we are put in situations that we might not want to be in, in order to be there for someone else.
After playing, we went back to the bahay to study and had a great study time. For lunch I made Bicol Express and we also went to brother Rambo's house for some smoothies!
Later in the day we visited the Lardizabal family, who was baptized last December and talked to them about familyhistory.org and how they can prepare to go to the temple! They are always so happy and excited about the Gospel, it is great. That night we had a Family Home Evening at Nanay Zenys house. She invited all of her cousings, nephews and nieces to the Family Home Evening and it was a blast!
Friday was a day of walking once again and thats A-Okay with me! Especially if it keeps me from gaining too much weight from all of the McDonalds I seem to not be able to stay away from haha! We visited Brother Mario to see how he was feeling and how his foot was healing up, and he wasnt home so we are hoping that that means he was working, and good to go! A lot of kids didnt have school on Friday so we were followed around almost all day by our fans! The kids here are awesome and I wish I could just sit around and play games with them all day. They also arent shy to just walk into peoples houses either, even if its not their family! We tried to visit a family that we had talked to a couple days ago, and before we could even get up to the door, 2 of the little kids ran inside yelling that the Elders were looking for them! Its like having a personal doorbell which is every missionaries dream!
Later that night we met with Jeric again who texts us almost every day and always asks when we are returning! We focused teaching the Book of Mormon with them as well and answering questions about the Church that they had. Jeric is such an awesome kid and is trying so hard to change. He is an example to me and I hope he is able to visit church on Sunday in order to see what church is like and learn more about Christ. Saturday was a great day to be alive! As we went about our day on Saturday, the missionaries in the next town over, Santa Maria, called us to see if I could go visit their investigators who are planning to be baptized on the 26th! We went and met with them and their families. We were able to help them prepare for baptism ask hold interviews with them in order for the 2 girls to be able to bare testimony about the Church and make sure that they are ready. They are both so strong in the faith and hard working. Judy-Ann has been learning about the church since she was 12 years old, and is now 18. She wanted to make sure this was the path for her and now she is ready! I hope I can get some pictures of them next week at their baptism! The rest of the day went really well when we got back to Narvacan as well. We have scheduled a lot of community service projects for this coming week, so I am even more excited for all of the things that will be going on this coming week!
On Sunday! the best day of the week, we went to church! While we were outside greeting people, Jeric showed up and had brought all of his cousins with him on his moped. When they all got off, we didnt have time to talk to him because he left! We didnt know where he went or why he left, and neither did his little cousins. About 5 minutes later he returned, with a kid we had never met before on the back. He told us that he couldnt fit everyone on the moped that he wanted to bring to church so he had to make two trips. He is so awesome. He simply showed up to his friends house and told him that he was coming to church with Jeric. And that it was Jerics first time so he didnt know what was going to happen, but that Jeric was going to bring him with! It was awesome to meet his friend JR and to help them at church meeting other youth their age and going to classes. After church, Brother Ram invited us over for lunch to celebrate his wifes birthday! Brother Ram and Sister Jo-an are so cool and fun to be around. They are also the perfect example of husband and wife in respecting and supporting each other. While we worked during the day, we were able to meet with a lot of the families that we are teaching. Being with a family talking about the Gospel makes me so happy. I love being able to see the light in their eyes as they feel the Spirit teach them about the family and its sacredness. I love being a missionary and I love being able to be taught by those we teach. Their examples of hard work, humility, and patience are examples of our Savior Jesus Christ and the love they show is the same love I know He shows to all of us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am going to miss Thanksgiving this year and being able to get a food coma with no regrets! I love you all and hope you all have a great time with those you are around on Thanksgiving, have a great week!
--
Elder Pitt
Pics! The Zone, the district, american twins on P day and Elder Wenceslaos art gallery!
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Totoo Ang Simbahan!
Hello Family and Friends! Once again I hope every one had a good week and stayed safe, Congratulations to Donald Trump #POTUS! Everyone we saw whether we knew them or not said "Americano! Trump! Trump! Trump!" hahah. This week was great!
On Monday after emailing we went to Candon to get more supplies for the other missionaries in the District and also, more importantly, to eat some fries some McDonalds haha. You can take a kid of out McDonalds but you cant take the McDonalds out of the kid! (not sure if that is applicable or not!)
Tuesday was also very good! We decided to sleep outside again because the weather at night right now gets a little cooler than usual! Our land lady laughs every morning when she sees us out there and says hello! Elder Scott woke up with a ton of red dots on his arms and legs and head. They didnt scratch or raise on his skin so we were so confused as to what it was. On Monday he had some but not alot and last night it got really bad so we decided to go to the doctors office! Elder Scott got some allergy medicine and we went back on our way to work! While we were working we went to Santa Maria, the next city over, to talk with the missionaries there who are in our District. When we got back the Melo family invited us over for dinner. They were baptized last year and wanted to feed the missionaries! It was a really fun time and we also met their older brother whos 19 and not a member. He wants to play basketball with us so Im hoping that we have time on P-day to play!
On Wednesday we had our District Meeting and President Bangal visited our zone to give a workshop! During District Meeting we studied together about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power we can obtain from Him because of the Atonement. We can become clean from our sins, and made stronger to overcome temptations and help others overcome theirs when we access the Atonement. After we studied the Atonement we set goals as a District and Personally for the outcomes of our week, the year 2016, the year 2017, and the goals for what we will achieve in the time we have as missionaries. After our meeting, President gave a workshop on helping us understand our roles as missionaries. I loved his insights. As missionaries, we are the guides to helping people come closer to Christ, through helping them live His Gospel. We arent the teachers, rather, we simply share the curriculum and the Spirit of God is the teacher. Through the Spirit we learn truths. We learn what is right and wrong and what we need to do in order to come closer to Christ.
That day while we worked, I focused on being a guide and creating an atmosphere where the Spirit can guide the curriculum. As we were walking down the street a man on a moped passed us by and asked us if we would be willing to Bible Study with him at his house, we accepted and we started walking to his house as he drove in front a distance a way showing us where he lived. When we got to his house he told us that he and his wife wanted us to teach their children the correct teachings for them to become good people when they are older. They have seen missionaries here passing their house but have been too scared to talk to them. We taught about families and about faith. When we teach people, it is usually their first time ever hearing about "Mormons" from actual members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At first we might have looked out of place, two Americans trying to speak Tagalog to a family of Filipinos, but as we taught, the Spirit taught us all about families and helped us look passed heritage, life-style, and helped us focus on us all, everyone on earth, being Children of our Loving Heavenly Father. The Valdez family invited us back over and I will talk about that later!
Thursday was a lot of walking! We probably walked about 5 or 6 miles before it was even 7 ocklock! It was fun to see new areas and meet new people though! We were able to visit a family who has just recently joined the church and they were so excited to have us in their home. Brother Lardizabal loves the Gospel like no other and wants to share it with every one he can. I hope we will be able to have him come with us for a day and help bear testimony of this Gospel. Walking can sometimes be boring or quiet but it has been really fun with Elder Scott. We talk almost the whole entire time and both have that sense of humor that I know some of you might not miss ;) but it has been really fun learning about his life and also for me it has been fun to teach Tagalog to Elder Scott! It keeps me on edge to know the structure, and know why it is that way. Hurray for learning! Hahaha
On Friday, during our study time in the morning Elder Scott and I studied about the teachings of Abinadi in the Book of Mormon and I love how Abinadi teaches the people who are holding him as an inmate the teachings that they teach, but do not live. I love how he kept the people honest, and expected those who preached, to- for lack of a better term-"practice what you preach". Elder Scott and I have both practiced reading the Book of Mormon every single day, just as we invite everyone else to do. As we read the scriptures daily, our day changes. Thoughts and impressions come into our minds and the sun seems to just shine a little brighter. We decided to visit from far away areas again and met with a pastor who went to our church in a different city a couple weeks ago. The missionary there was Sister Rosser, who was in the MTC the same time I was! What a coincidence haha! He was really nice and open to learning and listening to others!
Saturday was busy!At 5:00 we woke up to play basketball at the church! It was so so good to be able to shoot and play again, I've missed it so much! I definitely need to work on my game though for sure haha im losing the touch! We visited the Valdez family in the morning, brother Mike, the father, called us to ask if we could visit them earlier in the morning and we were happy to. We focused on the Bible and Book of Mormon, raising children in the ways of the Lord and having a home where the Spirit can be. It was a very good lesson and their kids, Jamaica and Kristine are so nice!We also met with people who had been meeting with missionaries earlier this year and were able to introduce ourselves to them!
Sunday! Were almost done with this email hahaha, Sunday was so good! The Valdez family and the Alafriiz family were both at Church today! The youth have an activity on Wednesday and all of the kids in the 2 families are going to attend. I loved seeing their smiling faces meeting new friends at Church. It made me miss being a kid always in class with Emily and Kelsey, and also in young mens with Sergio, Nakoa, and Tanner! Being a youth is the best! haha. Most of the lessons were centered on the Gospel and in the youth class we focused on decision making and the meaning of commitment.
Looking back on this week I have been so happy here in Narvacan. Little things and big things have entered into my heart creating a way for me each day to smile and be grateful for the time I have as a missionary. We teach so many times lessons about families, and so many times we get questions in return about our families. Why is it that we are on the other side of the Pacific Ocean if our families are in the US? If families are so important we should be with them all the time right? So many people ask questions like those and every time I am so happy that I can testify to them, that families are eternal. That families are the most important unit in the Church and that no matter where we are in the world or what we are doing, Our Heavenly Father is watching over us, blessings us at every opportunity. Blessing our families and blessing the families of those who are very new to the idea of eternal families. I love you all and by the way I cant believe that we are only about 40 days away from Christmas!! The countdown has begun! Ingat po kayo! Maligayang Pasko!
--
Elder Pitt
On Monday after emailing we went to Candon to get more supplies for the other missionaries in the District and also, more importantly, to eat some fries some McDonalds haha. You can take a kid of out McDonalds but you cant take the McDonalds out of the kid! (not sure if that is applicable or not!)
Tuesday was also very good! We decided to sleep outside again because the weather at night right now gets a little cooler than usual! Our land lady laughs every morning when she sees us out there and says hello! Elder Scott woke up with a ton of red dots on his arms and legs and head. They didnt scratch or raise on his skin so we were so confused as to what it was. On Monday he had some but not alot and last night it got really bad so we decided to go to the doctors office! Elder Scott got some allergy medicine and we went back on our way to work! While we were working we went to Santa Maria, the next city over, to talk with the missionaries there who are in our District. When we got back the Melo family invited us over for dinner. They were baptized last year and wanted to feed the missionaries! It was a really fun time and we also met their older brother whos 19 and not a member. He wants to play basketball with us so Im hoping that we have time on P-day to play!
On Wednesday we had our District Meeting and President Bangal visited our zone to give a workshop! During District Meeting we studied together about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power we can obtain from Him because of the Atonement. We can become clean from our sins, and made stronger to overcome temptations and help others overcome theirs when we access the Atonement. After we studied the Atonement we set goals as a District and Personally for the outcomes of our week, the year 2016, the year 2017, and the goals for what we will achieve in the time we have as missionaries. After our meeting, President gave a workshop on helping us understand our roles as missionaries. I loved his insights. As missionaries, we are the guides to helping people come closer to Christ, through helping them live His Gospel. We arent the teachers, rather, we simply share the curriculum and the Spirit of God is the teacher. Through the Spirit we learn truths. We learn what is right and wrong and what we need to do in order to come closer to Christ.
That day while we worked, I focused on being a guide and creating an atmosphere where the Spirit can guide the curriculum. As we were walking down the street a man on a moped passed us by and asked us if we would be willing to Bible Study with him at his house, we accepted and we started walking to his house as he drove in front a distance a way showing us where he lived. When we got to his house he told us that he and his wife wanted us to teach their children the correct teachings for them to become good people when they are older. They have seen missionaries here passing their house but have been too scared to talk to them. We taught about families and about faith. When we teach people, it is usually their first time ever hearing about "Mormons" from actual members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At first we might have looked out of place, two Americans trying to speak Tagalog to a family of Filipinos, but as we taught, the Spirit taught us all about families and helped us look passed heritage, life-style, and helped us focus on us all, everyone on earth, being Children of our Loving Heavenly Father. The Valdez family invited us back over and I will talk about that later!
Thursday was a lot of walking! We probably walked about 5 or 6 miles before it was even 7 ocklock! It was fun to see new areas and meet new people though! We were able to visit a family who has just recently joined the church and they were so excited to have us in their home. Brother Lardizabal loves the Gospel like no other and wants to share it with every one he can. I hope we will be able to have him come with us for a day and help bear testimony of this Gospel. Walking can sometimes be boring or quiet but it has been really fun with Elder Scott. We talk almost the whole entire time and both have that sense of humor that I know some of you might not miss ;) but it has been really fun learning about his life and also for me it has been fun to teach Tagalog to Elder Scott! It keeps me on edge to know the structure, and know why it is that way. Hurray for learning! Hahaha
On Friday, during our study time in the morning Elder Scott and I studied about the teachings of Abinadi in the Book of Mormon and I love how Abinadi teaches the people who are holding him as an inmate the teachings that they teach, but do not live. I love how he kept the people honest, and expected those who preached, to- for lack of a better term-"practice what you preach". Elder Scott and I have both practiced reading the Book of Mormon every single day, just as we invite everyone else to do. As we read the scriptures daily, our day changes. Thoughts and impressions come into our minds and the sun seems to just shine a little brighter. We decided to visit from far away areas again and met with a pastor who went to our church in a different city a couple weeks ago. The missionary there was Sister Rosser, who was in the MTC the same time I was! What a coincidence haha! He was really nice and open to learning and listening to others!
Saturday was busy!At 5:00 we woke up to play basketball at the church! It was so so good to be able to shoot and play again, I've missed it so much! I definitely need to work on my game though for sure haha im losing the touch! We visited the Valdez family in the morning, brother Mike, the father, called us to ask if we could visit them earlier in the morning and we were happy to. We focused on the Bible and Book of Mormon, raising children in the ways of the Lord and having a home where the Spirit can be. It was a very good lesson and their kids, Jamaica and Kristine are so nice!We also met with people who had been meeting with missionaries earlier this year and were able to introduce ourselves to them!
Sunday! Were almost done with this email hahaha, Sunday was so good! The Valdez family and the Alafriiz family were both at Church today! The youth have an activity on Wednesday and all of the kids in the 2 families are going to attend. I loved seeing their smiling faces meeting new friends at Church. It made me miss being a kid always in class with Emily and Kelsey, and also in young mens with Sergio, Nakoa, and Tanner! Being a youth is the best! haha. Most of the lessons were centered on the Gospel and in the youth class we focused on decision making and the meaning of commitment.
Looking back on this week I have been so happy here in Narvacan. Little things and big things have entered into my heart creating a way for me each day to smile and be grateful for the time I have as a missionary. We teach so many times lessons about families, and so many times we get questions in return about our families. Why is it that we are on the other side of the Pacific Ocean if our families are in the US? If families are so important we should be with them all the time right? So many people ask questions like those and every time I am so happy that I can testify to them, that families are eternal. That families are the most important unit in the Church and that no matter where we are in the world or what we are doing, Our Heavenly Father is watching over us, blessings us at every opportunity. Blessing our families and blessing the families of those who are very new to the idea of eternal families. I love you all and by the way I cant believe that we are only about 40 days away from Christmas!! The countdown has begun! Ingat po kayo! Maligayang Pasko!
--
Elder Pitt
Monday, November 7, 2016
Manny Pacquiao
Hello everyone! Happy November! I am still in denial that it is November but I will get used to it someday! It was a great ending to October and a great start to November this week.
On Monday after emailing Elder Scott and I went to Candon to meet with the Zone Leaders to get supplies for the bahay. Candon is a lot bigger than Narvacan but the small level scale is more my style! haha! there was a McDonalds there soo...:)
Tuesday was great. First off, we went to Nanay Zeny's house for lunch and got to meet her family. She cooked an amazing lunch and welcomed Elder Scott and I into Narvacan. When we left, we did not have any set plans until about 8 so it was known between the two of us that we would be walking the whole day trying to find people to help and teach. I was really hoping that there would be people out and about, but most people were at the cemetery for Day of the Dead. As we walked we talked about things we could do in order to find people and help, so we focused on service. We noticed that there were many people fixing their houses and cleaning up from the Typhoon that hit a couple weeks ago. We started asking anyone and everyone to help,,, with not much success because The Filipino people are too nice to ask from help from two white missionaries in a white button up t shirt and tie! haha but it helped us be able to see the hard work and dedication of the people here. Whether their house was torn and thrashed, flooded, or completely torn apart, they were still happy and smiling. Elder Scott and I made it a goal to find a family to teach and "one more guy whos not busy." - Elder Scott
Later that day we ran into a man named Mario, and it turns out that his family on his mothers side are all members of the Church! He had just moved here from Davao and was too shy to come to church but told us he would on Sunday! We were able to give him a Book of Mormon, and the address for Church on Sunday! That night we visited the Alafriz family who are so awesome! Almost every day we have been visiting them because after our lessons they ask us to return the following day! They are so nice and their kids are the best. So respectful and also funny. The best part? Great at speaking English so its helped Elder Scott be able to teach more and explpain a lot of the principles of the Gospel!
Wednesday was a little slow during the day but that night, we met the oldest daughter of the Alafriz family, Gwen! She is your typical 12 year old that loves Justin Beiber and The Fault in our Stars. I love it. Shes super nice and welcoming! +++++ On Thursday, we walked. And walked. And walked all around our area in order to make sure we go to all parts of our area and not miss out on anyone willing to listen to us! Not having bikes is tough but I think its better than crashing all of the time like I did in Luna hahaha, I guess walking is just better for me haha. Not much really went on but being outside trying to talk to everyone we can is a great feeling.
Friday. Friday was so good. In the morning we had a training with the whole zone and President and Sister Bangal came up!President gave a great workshop to us about Obedience and having the Spirit in our lives. He talked about living a heaven like life in order to obtain a heavenly life after this one and really put it into perspective just house important the Spirit is in this life. Through the Spirit, we are able to learn and understand the teachings of Christ and his Apotles and Prophets. Through the Spirit we can learn, discern, and have a constant companion with us every day, every hour to help lead us and guide us. The love President radiates off is heaven sent and I am so grateful for his hard work for us every single day. That night we had a Family Home Evening at the Mina household and ate some delicious ista and tinola.
Fast forward to sunday! CHURCH! The best day of the week..(until P-day!) hahah but seriously, the best day. At church, Mario came and was the first one there! The Alafriz family also came except for Brother Alafriz, but it was amazing to see all of them there. We were asked to share our testimonies being new missionaries in the ward and Elder Scott had used his Language Study time to translate what he wanted to say! It was really good and EVERYONE loved it when at the end, he picked up his paper he had used and they saw he had written down what to say. Everyone had a huge smile on their face and I did as well.
Brother Mario and the Alafriz family had a great time as well from what they said. Brother Mario committed himself to read the Book of Mormon more to prepare for next Sunday. And the Alafriz family kids made a lot of new friends! +++ This email is long already but to end it I will end it one the note that I now consider myself a true missionary! Why do you ask? Wellll,,,,On Saturday night while visiting the Melo family, their dog must have known that I had eaten dog in Luna because he did not like me at all! He ran up full speed barking and started attacking my beautiful tasty ankles and leg! I wasnt sure if I should kick my way out of it like Malerie did to us while babysitting (Alyssa and Whit will understand haha) or if I should just hug him till he forgave me! He got one solid nibble of my thigh and then Brother Melo pulled him away! But no worries! Everything is all good, I didnt get any holes from his teeth in my pants! *Check off "Get attacked by a dog" from missionary bucket list!++++++++++ This work is amazing no matter how hot, how slow, or how big the dog is. I love being here in Narvacan and have seen a huge change in my life because of the Lord's Work. I hope you all have a great week and be safe! Dont forget to vote! Elder Scott and I will make sure to wear USA ties on Tuesday for Election Day! PS: CONGRATS TO MANNY PACQUIO!
Pics from the week! We slept outside on our roof because it was so hot inside the house. It was so nice and cool!
--
Elder Pitt
On Monday after emailing Elder Scott and I went to Candon to meet with the Zone Leaders to get supplies for the bahay. Candon is a lot bigger than Narvacan but the small level scale is more my style! haha! there was a McDonalds there soo...:)
Tuesday was great. First off, we went to Nanay Zeny's house for lunch and got to meet her family. She cooked an amazing lunch and welcomed Elder Scott and I into Narvacan. When we left, we did not have any set plans until about 8 so it was known between the two of us that we would be walking the whole day trying to find people to help and teach. I was really hoping that there would be people out and about, but most people were at the cemetery for Day of the Dead. As we walked we talked about things we could do in order to find people and help, so we focused on service. We noticed that there were many people fixing their houses and cleaning up from the Typhoon that hit a couple weeks ago. We started asking anyone and everyone to help,,, with not much success because The Filipino people are too nice to ask from help from two white missionaries in a white button up t shirt and tie! haha but it helped us be able to see the hard work and dedication of the people here. Whether their house was torn and thrashed, flooded, or completely torn apart, they were still happy and smiling. Elder Scott and I made it a goal to find a family to teach and "one more guy whos not busy." - Elder Scott
Later that day we ran into a man named Mario, and it turns out that his family on his mothers side are all members of the Church! He had just moved here from Davao and was too shy to come to church but told us he would on Sunday! We were able to give him a Book of Mormon, and the address for Church on Sunday! That night we visited the Alafriz family who are so awesome! Almost every day we have been visiting them because after our lessons they ask us to return the following day! They are so nice and their kids are the best. So respectful and also funny. The best part? Great at speaking English so its helped Elder Scott be able to teach more and explpain a lot of the principles of the Gospel!
Wednesday was a little slow during the day but that night, we met the oldest daughter of the Alafriz family, Gwen! She is your typical 12 year old that loves Justin Beiber and The Fault in our Stars. I love it. Shes super nice and welcoming! +++++ On Thursday, we walked. And walked. And walked all around our area in order to make sure we go to all parts of our area and not miss out on anyone willing to listen to us! Not having bikes is tough but I think its better than crashing all of the time like I did in Luna hahaha, I guess walking is just better for me haha. Not much really went on but being outside trying to talk to everyone we can is a great feeling.
Friday. Friday was so good. In the morning we had a training with the whole zone and President and Sister Bangal came up!President gave a great workshop to us about Obedience and having the Spirit in our lives. He talked about living a heaven like life in order to obtain a heavenly life after this one and really put it into perspective just house important the Spirit is in this life. Through the Spirit, we are able to learn and understand the teachings of Christ and his Apotles and Prophets. Through the Spirit we can learn, discern, and have a constant companion with us every day, every hour to help lead us and guide us. The love President radiates off is heaven sent and I am so grateful for his hard work for us every single day. That night we had a Family Home Evening at the Mina household and ate some delicious ista and tinola.
Fast forward to sunday! CHURCH! The best day of the week..(until P-day!) hahah but seriously, the best day. At church, Mario came and was the first one there! The Alafriz family also came except for Brother Alafriz, but it was amazing to see all of them there. We were asked to share our testimonies being new missionaries in the ward and Elder Scott had used his Language Study time to translate what he wanted to say! It was really good and EVERYONE loved it when at the end, he picked up his paper he had used and they saw he had written down what to say. Everyone had a huge smile on their face and I did as well.
Brother Mario and the Alafriz family had a great time as well from what they said. Brother Mario committed himself to read the Book of Mormon more to prepare for next Sunday. And the Alafriz family kids made a lot of new friends! +++ This email is long already but to end it I will end it one the note that I now consider myself a true missionary! Why do you ask? Wellll,,,,On Saturday night while visiting the Melo family, their dog must have known that I had eaten dog in Luna because he did not like me at all! He ran up full speed barking and started attacking my beautiful tasty ankles and leg! I wasnt sure if I should kick my way out of it like Malerie did to us while babysitting (Alyssa and Whit will understand haha) or if I should just hug him till he forgave me! He got one solid nibble of my thigh and then Brother Melo pulled him away! But no worries! Everything is all good, I didnt get any holes from his teeth in my pants! *Check off "Get attacked by a dog" from missionary bucket list!++++++++++ This work is amazing no matter how hot, how slow, or how big the dog is. I love being here in Narvacan and have seen a huge change in my life because of the Lord's Work. I hope you all have a great week and be safe! Dont forget to vote! Elder Scott and I will make sure to wear USA ties on Tuesday for Election Day! PS: CONGRATS TO MANNY PACQUIO!
Pics from the week! We slept outside on our roof because it was so hot inside the house. It was so nice and cool!
--
Elder Pitt
Monday, October 31, 2016
Narvacan na lang
Hello everyone I hope you all had a great week! Happy Halloween! This week was so so busy but so much fun!
On Tuesday we worked our way around Luna saying goodbye to the people there before I left. I am going to miss the members of the Luna Branch so much and already do! Luna is such a great place and the testimonies of those members will always be in my heart. I am going to miss all of the people that we taught as well and cant wait to here from Elder Waite and the future missionaries on how they are doing. On Tuesday night we went to Nanay Ofelias house for a youth activity! So many of the Branch's kids were there and also the families that are interested in the church, and neighbors as well! It was so much fun to be able to be with youth and teach them about the Atonement of Jesus Christ! Nanay Ofelia made food for everyone and it was a great last night in Luna!
Wednesday was busy busy as well! We started it off by going to San Fernando for a meeting with all of the other missionaries who will be training a new missionary! Sister Bnagal cooked a delicious lunch and Elder Waite and I left all of my belongins at the mission office so that we wouldnt have to go back to Luna for them! Because we were already in San Fernando, we worked in the area with the missionaries that are assigned there! Both of them are also pretty new to the area so Elder Waite and I just started going to random Barangays, anywhere and everywhere trying to meet new people! It was really fun and we ended our time as companion on a high note for sure. Not to mention we ate McDonald's as well which always hits the right spot! That night we stayed with the missionaries in San Fernando and the next morning before we went to go meet our new companions, of course we stopped at McDonalds one more time! hahah.
Thursday! New companions! And my new companion is.... waite for it...
Elder Scott from Connecticut! Another American! I was so so excited to hear that I would be companion with an American again! Luckily though, we have a kabahay, or roommates, that are Filipino so that he will be able to learn Tagalog quicker! Elder Scott is super cool and ready to work. I know he will tire me out walking everywhere in Narvacan and I am excited. We dont have bikes so I wont have to worry about crashing anymore! hahaha!
We took a bus to Narvacan, which is about 3 hours away from the mission office around 2:30. We got to our new bahay at about 5:45 and we planned out the week. There wasnt much on the plan because we are opening the area so we dont really know that many people there! But it will be so fun to go everywhere and anywhere and meet everyone. At 7 I had to leave to go back to San Fernando for a meeting with other missionaries throughout the whole mission! So much travel and bus time was tiring but also really fun! I was able to read a lot of the Book of Mormon and also of Matthew.
That night I stayed in a bahay with a bunch of Elders and was able to get to know them and shoot the breeze! And the next morning the meeting was very long but we were able to plan a lot of things going to happen in the Mission, including the Christmas conference! I cant believe that Christmas is so close. Time is flying!
I got back to Narvacan around 8:30 and was able to finally unpack most of my things before hitting the hay.
On Saturday Elder Scott and I walked around as much of the area as we could talking to new people and trying to find houses of members as well.
The whole day was pretty uneventful but it felt good to be outside working in the heat! Elder Scott is an awesome missionary and is learning Tagalog pretty fast!
At night we ate dinner at a members house and were able to meet their family, the Bishops Family, and also the Stake President and his family, who live in this wards area! All were so nice and welcoming. We also were able to meet a family that live right by our house who had questions about missionaries and what two Americans are doing walking around Narvacan! That question will never get old hahah! They are so nice and willing to share ideas and ask questions. I hope to be able to go back to them more and more and come closer to them and their family!
Sunday was awesome! The church here is a lot different from Luna. For one, they have a chapel so its big! And there is also Air Conditioning in each room! As much as I loved being in the AC and meeting new people, I loved sweating with the rest of the Luna Branch! Everyone here in Narvacan is so nice and open to new missionaries. The members are awesome and I cant wait to come closer to them.
I am so happy that I am a missionary. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to serve as a missionary for the Lord and to be an instrument in his work. Being a missionary is the best feeling. Learning so much and teaching so much makes the days fly by so fast and I wish they would just slow down! (dont let Whitney know, she might get mad at me for saying that!) but I know that the work of a missionary can help people feel the Spirit of God more everyday, which is something I have started to focus on more and more. Theres no better feeling than the Spirit, and seeing others recognize the Spirit in their lives, some for the first time ever, is such a blessing.
I love you all and miss you all! Have a great week!
--
Elder Pitt
On Tuesday we worked our way around Luna saying goodbye to the people there before I left. I am going to miss the members of the Luna Branch so much and already do! Luna is such a great place and the testimonies of those members will always be in my heart. I am going to miss all of the people that we taught as well and cant wait to here from Elder Waite and the future missionaries on how they are doing. On Tuesday night we went to Nanay Ofelias house for a youth activity! So many of the Branch's kids were there and also the families that are interested in the church, and neighbors as well! It was so much fun to be able to be with youth and teach them about the Atonement of Jesus Christ! Nanay Ofelia made food for everyone and it was a great last night in Luna!
Wednesday was busy busy as well! We started it off by going to San Fernando for a meeting with all of the other missionaries who will be training a new missionary! Sister Bnagal cooked a delicious lunch and Elder Waite and I left all of my belongins at the mission office so that we wouldnt have to go back to Luna for them! Because we were already in San Fernando, we worked in the area with the missionaries that are assigned there! Both of them are also pretty new to the area so Elder Waite and I just started going to random Barangays, anywhere and everywhere trying to meet new people! It was really fun and we ended our time as companion on a high note for sure. Not to mention we ate McDonald's as well which always hits the right spot! That night we stayed with the missionaries in San Fernando and the next morning before we went to go meet our new companions, of course we stopped at McDonalds one more time! hahah.
Thursday! New companions! And my new companion is.... waite for it...
Elder Scott from Connecticut! Another American! I was so so excited to hear that I would be companion with an American again! Luckily though, we have a kabahay, or roommates, that are Filipino so that he will be able to learn Tagalog quicker! Elder Scott is super cool and ready to work. I know he will tire me out walking everywhere in Narvacan and I am excited. We dont have bikes so I wont have to worry about crashing anymore! hahaha!
We took a bus to Narvacan, which is about 3 hours away from the mission office around 2:30. We got to our new bahay at about 5:45 and we planned out the week. There wasnt much on the plan because we are opening the area so we dont really know that many people there! But it will be so fun to go everywhere and anywhere and meet everyone. At 7 I had to leave to go back to San Fernando for a meeting with other missionaries throughout the whole mission! So much travel and bus time was tiring but also really fun! I was able to read a lot of the Book of Mormon and also of Matthew.
That night I stayed in a bahay with a bunch of Elders and was able to get to know them and shoot the breeze! And the next morning the meeting was very long but we were able to plan a lot of things going to happen in the Mission, including the Christmas conference! I cant believe that Christmas is so close. Time is flying!
I got back to Narvacan around 8:30 and was able to finally unpack most of my things before hitting the hay.
On Saturday Elder Scott and I walked around as much of the area as we could talking to new people and trying to find houses of members as well.
The whole day was pretty uneventful but it felt good to be outside working in the heat! Elder Scott is an awesome missionary and is learning Tagalog pretty fast!
At night we ate dinner at a members house and were able to meet their family, the Bishops Family, and also the Stake President and his family, who live in this wards area! All were so nice and welcoming. We also were able to meet a family that live right by our house who had questions about missionaries and what two Americans are doing walking around Narvacan! That question will never get old hahah! They are so nice and willing to share ideas and ask questions. I hope to be able to go back to them more and more and come closer to them and their family!
Sunday was awesome! The church here is a lot different from Luna. For one, they have a chapel so its big! And there is also Air Conditioning in each room! As much as I loved being in the AC and meeting new people, I loved sweating with the rest of the Luna Branch! Everyone here in Narvacan is so nice and open to new missionaries. The members are awesome and I cant wait to come closer to them.
I am so happy that I am a missionary. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to serve as a missionary for the Lord and to be an instrument in his work. Being a missionary is the best feeling. Learning so much and teaching so much makes the days fly by so fast and I wish they would just slow down! (dont let Whitney know, she might get mad at me for saying that!) but I know that the work of a missionary can help people feel the Spirit of God more everyday, which is something I have started to focus on more and more. Theres no better feeling than the Spirit, and seeing others recognize the Spirit in their lives, some for the first time ever, is such a blessing.
I love you all and miss you all! Have a great week!
--
Elder Pitt
Monday, October 24, 2016
Goodbye Luna!
What a bittersweet week this was! It was my last full week in my first area before transferring and so much stuff happened! I love Luna so much and am going to miss this area like crazy.
On monday we and dinner at the Nagrillo and Ragmac family house! We cooked food and they did too! It has been so fun to become so lose to them and help them understand more about the Church and the beliefs we have! I will always cherish the endless amounts of jokes and stories they shared while we were there!
On Wednesday we prepared for Typhoon Lawin! We bought some food, some snacks, and some more food to hold us over! Hahah the work day was pretty slow and then at night time Typhoon Lawin started to roll in! The rain was so hard and the wind was crazy! Our zone leader called to tell us to evacuate to the town next to us that was higher up in land in case of floods! When we went to the trike station, the drivers said that the road was flooded so they wont be taking one over to Baloan! So we ended up just staying in Luna! It was okay though! The wind was crazy and the rain was so hard, but as eagle scout Elder Waite and I know, we were prepared! We ended up cooking brownies, turon, cinnamon rolls, some ulam, and drank lots of water to stay hydrated! then the electricity went out! The rain was so loud at night it was hard to sleep but it was still good! The next day we had no electricity again and also no signal for our phones so it was just Elder Waite and I hanging out! I was able to read the Book of Mormon and study Jesus' life from Matthew while we waited to storm out. It felt really good to be able to relax and have all the time in the world to read. Being a missionary has been such a blessing because the distractions of the world seem to disappear. No social media or drama to hold me back from focusing on our Savior and missionary work. I love it so much. The storms passed through later that evening and the next day we went around seeing if we could help anyone out foxing their roofs, cleaning, or anything else! The trees around our house had broken branches everywhere so we cleaned with our neighbors and got to know them more!
On Saturday we went around cleaning again, and Onica Oreal, who was baptized here in June came into town to visit! I loved being able to see her and her family as well! Her Aunt always feeds the missionaries and loves to do so! I can attribute my new extra chin to Nanay Ofelias cooking but it is so worth it! Haha
Sunday was so so good. At church we had senior missionaries also come to visit the Branch. We were all able to come together as a Branch and share insights with one another in order to grow and come closer to our Heavenly Father! The senior couple, the Andersons, are finishing their mission in two weeks. It was so nice to be able to here their testimony of missionary work and also to see how close they are to the members here in Luna.
I was able to see all of the members at church and say goodbye. I am going to miss Luna so much and I will never be able to forget the people here. I have become so close to them and am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to serve here. As i thought about it yesterday, I have lived in Luna, La Union longer than I lived in Utah for college! This place holds a special spot in my heart. As I go too my next area I already love the people there and I dont even know them. I am so excited to go to Narvacan!
Elder Waite is going to be running the streets in Luna and I am one jealous missionary! Missionary work is great. The lord is watching over us all the time and is always there when we need help. For that I am so grateful.
Take care, Ingat, Mahal ko kayo!
--
Elder Pitt
On monday we and dinner at the Nagrillo and Ragmac family house! We cooked food and they did too! It has been so fun to become so lose to them and help them understand more about the Church and the beliefs we have! I will always cherish the endless amounts of jokes and stories they shared while we were there!
On Wednesday we prepared for Typhoon Lawin! We bought some food, some snacks, and some more food to hold us over! Hahah the work day was pretty slow and then at night time Typhoon Lawin started to roll in! The rain was so hard and the wind was crazy! Our zone leader called to tell us to evacuate to the town next to us that was higher up in land in case of floods! When we went to the trike station, the drivers said that the road was flooded so they wont be taking one over to Baloan! So we ended up just staying in Luna! It was okay though! The wind was crazy and the rain was so hard, but as eagle scout Elder Waite and I know, we were prepared! We ended up cooking brownies, turon, cinnamon rolls, some ulam, and drank lots of water to stay hydrated! then the electricity went out! The rain was so loud at night it was hard to sleep but it was still good! The next day we had no electricity again and also no signal for our phones so it was just Elder Waite and I hanging out! I was able to read the Book of Mormon and study Jesus' life from Matthew while we waited to storm out. It felt really good to be able to relax and have all the time in the world to read. Being a missionary has been such a blessing because the distractions of the world seem to disappear. No social media or drama to hold me back from focusing on our Savior and missionary work. I love it so much. The storms passed through later that evening and the next day we went around seeing if we could help anyone out foxing their roofs, cleaning, or anything else! The trees around our house had broken branches everywhere so we cleaned with our neighbors and got to know them more!
On Saturday we went around cleaning again, and Onica Oreal, who was baptized here in June came into town to visit! I loved being able to see her and her family as well! Her Aunt always feeds the missionaries and loves to do so! I can attribute my new extra chin to Nanay Ofelias cooking but it is so worth it! Haha
Sunday was so so good. At church we had senior missionaries also come to visit the Branch. We were all able to come together as a Branch and share insights with one another in order to grow and come closer to our Heavenly Father! The senior couple, the Andersons, are finishing their mission in two weeks. It was so nice to be able to here their testimony of missionary work and also to see how close they are to the members here in Luna.
I was able to see all of the members at church and say goodbye. I am going to miss Luna so much and I will never be able to forget the people here. I have become so close to them and am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to serve here. As i thought about it yesterday, I have lived in Luna, La Union longer than I lived in Utah for college! This place holds a special spot in my heart. As I go too my next area I already love the people there and I dont even know them. I am so excited to go to Narvacan!
Elder Waite is going to be running the streets in Luna and I am one jealous missionary! Missionary work is great. The lord is watching over us all the time and is always there when we need help. For that I am so grateful.
Take care, Ingat, Mahal ko kayo!
--
Elder Pitt
Monday, October 17, 2016
Typhoons cant slow them down!!
Another busy, awesome, exciting week has passed! I will try and make sure to remember everything that has happened!
On Tuesday we went on Exhanges with our Zone Leaders, I was with Elder Licayan in Bacnotan from Mindinaou and Elder Waite was with Elder Smith in Luna! The exchanges were so fun to learn from one another and also it was great to be with a Filipino working for the day! It was actually the first time since about the end of June that I was companions with a Filipino! Tagalog the whole day was so good! But it did make me miss English, even if it just was for 24 hours haha! We came to find out the next day when Elder Licayan and I went back to Luna that Elder Smith and Dallin played rugby together at BYU! He saw the family picture I have by my desk and freaked out he was so excited!
On Thursday we were able to meet with Jovylin and her kids! They are the best people in the world and the kids are always so fun to be around. I will try and calm them down next week to get a picture with them! Seeing how happy they are all the time makes me so happy and being able to be friends with them, and remember the days being a kid is so fun.
On Friday, mostly everyone was outside in the field harvesting rice! It was a pretty slow day and Elder Waite and I decided that we would make it a purpose of the day to help the people with the rice! All of the people here dont want us to because they know we are busy and are always way too kind to ask for help! So we just grabbed the bags and shovels and started putting the rice into bags! Right as we started, about 40 people stopped working and started laughing and cheering from the field for the two white kids filling up the bags! It was a fun time and we were able to do it successfully without ruining any of the rice! We then were able to go to Benjis house again and had an awesome lesson with him! Our lesson was focused on the Plan of Salvation. As we taught, Benjamin was reciting verses he had remembered from the Bible that were working hand in hand with the Plan of God. He loved it, I loved it, Elder Waite loved it, needless to say it was such a good lesson with him!
On Saturday, we went and played basketball in the morning and it was so much fun. Waking up extra early when its still dark outside reminded me of home getting ready with Brent McGary for basketball and also the numerous mornings going hunting. It was such a beautiful sunrise and a great game of 2 on 2! Later that day, we had dinner with a man named Clementes house, who goes by Sam! (his last name is Sampaga) and he lives in Washington State! He is going back to the US this week and invited us over for food before he left! He is such a nice man and it was so good to talk about Washington with him again!
Sunday we were on weather watch for a typhoon coming in! Typhoon Karen (Shout out to Mrs. Mclaughlin, trevors mom, and also to mrs. Brunson, spencers mom!) was rollin in hot to the Philippines, and we ended up having to cancel church as a stake because of the dangers. Where we are at right now the storm didnt hit hard but another one is coming next week so we will prepare for it! No need to worry! It gives us more time to study and learn! This week I have been learning about leadership qualities and the importance of listening to others in a counsel rather than fighting with one another. Listening is they Key to success in anything in life!
Be safe everyone and have an awesome week!
--
Elder Pitt
On Tuesday we went on Exhanges with our Zone Leaders, I was with Elder Licayan in Bacnotan from Mindinaou and Elder Waite was with Elder Smith in Luna! The exchanges were so fun to learn from one another and also it was great to be with a Filipino working for the day! It was actually the first time since about the end of June that I was companions with a Filipino! Tagalog the whole day was so good! But it did make me miss English, even if it just was for 24 hours haha! We came to find out the next day when Elder Licayan and I went back to Luna that Elder Smith and Dallin played rugby together at BYU! He saw the family picture I have by my desk and freaked out he was so excited!
On Thursday we were able to meet with Jovylin and her kids! They are the best people in the world and the kids are always so fun to be around. I will try and calm them down next week to get a picture with them! Seeing how happy they are all the time makes me so happy and being able to be friends with them, and remember the days being a kid is so fun.
On Friday, mostly everyone was outside in the field harvesting rice! It was a pretty slow day and Elder Waite and I decided that we would make it a purpose of the day to help the people with the rice! All of the people here dont want us to because they know we are busy and are always way too kind to ask for help! So we just grabbed the bags and shovels and started putting the rice into bags! Right as we started, about 40 people stopped working and started laughing and cheering from the field for the two white kids filling up the bags! It was a fun time and we were able to do it successfully without ruining any of the rice! We then were able to go to Benjis house again and had an awesome lesson with him! Our lesson was focused on the Plan of Salvation. As we taught, Benjamin was reciting verses he had remembered from the Bible that were working hand in hand with the Plan of God. He loved it, I loved it, Elder Waite loved it, needless to say it was such a good lesson with him!
On Saturday, we went and played basketball in the morning and it was so much fun. Waking up extra early when its still dark outside reminded me of home getting ready with Brent McGary for basketball and also the numerous mornings going hunting. It was such a beautiful sunrise and a great game of 2 on 2! Later that day, we had dinner with a man named Clementes house, who goes by Sam! (his last name is Sampaga) and he lives in Washington State! He is going back to the US this week and invited us over for food before he left! He is such a nice man and it was so good to talk about Washington with him again!
Sunday we were on weather watch for a typhoon coming in! Typhoon Karen (Shout out to Mrs. Mclaughlin, trevors mom, and also to mrs. Brunson, spencers mom!) was rollin in hot to the Philippines, and we ended up having to cancel church as a stake because of the dangers. Where we are at right now the storm didnt hit hard but another one is coming next week so we will prepare for it! No need to worry! It gives us more time to study and learn! This week I have been learning about leadership qualities and the importance of listening to others in a counsel rather than fighting with one another. Listening is they Key to success in anything in life!
Be safe everyone and have an awesome week!
--
Elder Pitt
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Hello Hello!!
Man this week had so many things happen in it! It was such a good week and I am so happy to be a missionary here in Luna!
On Monday we went to the Bilyarmino household to celebrate the birthday of Roselle! We cooked some food and were able to get to know the Bilyarmino family more which was really fun!
On Tuesday, we had a zone conference in San Fernando with President Bangal and another zone. During the Zone Conference, President Bangal showed us the scene from Rocky which says: Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. Its a very mean and nasty place. And I don't care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you permanently there if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get his and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now if you know what you are worth, go out and get what you are worth, but be willing to take the hits and no pointing fingers, saying you ain't were you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that. It was so so good 1) To be able to see a movie, even if it was just one scene hahah, and 2) because I loved being reminded that life hits hard. And I am happy to know that when we get hit, and keep moving, me grow in strength and perseverance. Everyone has their Apollo Creed or Ivan Drago in life and those are meant for us to learn and grow!
I love the enthusiasm that President Bangal shares with all of us and motivates us to always strive.
On Thursday, we went to visit a man that had invited us over a couple days ago! His name is Sam! Turns out, Sam lives in Seattle and is an American citizen visiting his home town of Luna for a couple weeks! It was so fun to be able and talk to him about the United States and also Washington of course! We were able to talk about the Temple in Seattle that he has seen but never been to and the Church as well. Sam was so so nice and invited us back in a couple days to talk more about the Book of Mormon and to have dinner! After our visit we went and saw Brother Benji before he left to Banaue for about a week! I love being with Benji and learning from him while we teach. The Spirit is so strong when we are with eachother and like Benji said this week, "when two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) and boy is it true! Benjamin is awesome and is working so hard to find the truth through prayer and reading the Book of Mormon.
Elder Waite killed it this week in our lessons. He was able to really inspire and teach all of the people we talked to and it was so cool to see. We taught a man named Prodencio who has been looking into the Church since 2014. Some things in his life he has struggled to get over in order to prepare himself to be baptized and Elder Waite spent such a long time with him creating a plan for Prodencio to follow in order to help him. It was a really cool experience for Prodencio and for me as well and I know Elder Waite is going to become an even greater missionary in his time here.
On Saturday we went to General Conference! I was like a dog who had been in a cage all day when we were on the bus to San Fernando ta watch it. I was so excited! All of the sessions were so good and strong in Spirit. I love being able to be a missionary and take the things I have learned from the Prophet and Apostles, and teach them to our investigators and members.
We had to wake up at about 5:30am to make it on time but the lack of sleep didnt hold either of us down! Elder Thurman, the man of the year, took us home from Conference and on the way back we stopped at Camp Spencer, a memorial sight just on the outskirts of our area where US troops and Filipino troops received needs from submarines! It was very cool to be able to feel the Heritage of this land and the history. Elder Thurman really put into perspective for us the importance of remembering our history.
Then on Sunday, we were able to find a Jeepney (with the great help of Brother Ragaas) to take us to San Fernando as a Luna Branch! Elder Waite and I rode our bikes around the whole city letting people know that there was a jeepney for all of us to get to San Fernando and on Sunday Morning at 7:30 the jeepney was full to go! I honestly was not expecting so many people to come but I am so so happy they did. There were actually so many people in the jeepney that on the way back after General Conference, Elder Waite and I had to take a bus home because we couldnt fit inside! Hahah it was a true blessing and I am so thankful for Brother Ragaas and his effort to find someone to take us there.
The Luna Branch is amazing. Whether only a couple of people come to Church or we arent able to find anyone to teach an entire day, I am so happy. I love the town of Luna and the people here. The Gospel is true and the Prophet said it best this week in Conference:
"I testify of the great gift which is our Father’s plan for us. It is the one perfect path to peace and happiness."
Ingat po kayo! Mahal ko kayo!
-Elder Pitt
On Monday we went to the Bilyarmino household to celebrate the birthday of Roselle! We cooked some food and were able to get to know the Bilyarmino family more which was really fun!
On Tuesday, we had a zone conference in San Fernando with President Bangal and another zone. During the Zone Conference, President Bangal showed us the scene from Rocky which says: Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. Its a very mean and nasty place. And I don't care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you permanently there if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get his and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now if you know what you are worth, go out and get what you are worth, but be willing to take the hits and no pointing fingers, saying you ain't were you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that. It was so so good 1) To be able to see a movie, even if it was just one scene hahah, and 2) because I loved being reminded that life hits hard. And I am happy to know that when we get hit, and keep moving, me grow in strength and perseverance. Everyone has their Apollo Creed or Ivan Drago in life and those are meant for us to learn and grow!
I love the enthusiasm that President Bangal shares with all of us and motivates us to always strive.
On Thursday, we went to visit a man that had invited us over a couple days ago! His name is Sam! Turns out, Sam lives in Seattle and is an American citizen visiting his home town of Luna for a couple weeks! It was so fun to be able and talk to him about the United States and also Washington of course! We were able to talk about the Temple in Seattle that he has seen but never been to and the Church as well. Sam was so so nice and invited us back in a couple days to talk more about the Book of Mormon and to have dinner! After our visit we went and saw Brother Benji before he left to Banaue for about a week! I love being with Benji and learning from him while we teach. The Spirit is so strong when we are with eachother and like Benji said this week, "when two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) and boy is it true! Benjamin is awesome and is working so hard to find the truth through prayer and reading the Book of Mormon.
Elder Waite killed it this week in our lessons. He was able to really inspire and teach all of the people we talked to and it was so cool to see. We taught a man named Prodencio who has been looking into the Church since 2014. Some things in his life he has struggled to get over in order to prepare himself to be baptized and Elder Waite spent such a long time with him creating a plan for Prodencio to follow in order to help him. It was a really cool experience for Prodencio and for me as well and I know Elder Waite is going to become an even greater missionary in his time here.
On Saturday we went to General Conference! I was like a dog who had been in a cage all day when we were on the bus to San Fernando ta watch it. I was so excited! All of the sessions were so good and strong in Spirit. I love being able to be a missionary and take the things I have learned from the Prophet and Apostles, and teach them to our investigators and members.
We had to wake up at about 5:30am to make it on time but the lack of sleep didnt hold either of us down! Elder Thurman, the man of the year, took us home from Conference and on the way back we stopped at Camp Spencer, a memorial sight just on the outskirts of our area where US troops and Filipino troops received needs from submarines! It was very cool to be able to feel the Heritage of this land and the history. Elder Thurman really put into perspective for us the importance of remembering our history.
Then on Sunday, we were able to find a Jeepney (with the great help of Brother Ragaas) to take us to San Fernando as a Luna Branch! Elder Waite and I rode our bikes around the whole city letting people know that there was a jeepney for all of us to get to San Fernando and on Sunday Morning at 7:30 the jeepney was full to go! I honestly was not expecting so many people to come but I am so so happy they did. There were actually so many people in the jeepney that on the way back after General Conference, Elder Waite and I had to take a bus home because we couldnt fit inside! Hahah it was a true blessing and I am so thankful for Brother Ragaas and his effort to find someone to take us there.
The Luna Branch is amazing. Whether only a couple of people come to Church or we arent able to find anyone to teach an entire day, I am so happy. I love the town of Luna and the people here. The Gospel is true and the Prophet said it best this week in Conference:
"I testify of the great gift which is our Father’s plan for us. It is the one perfect path to peace and happiness."
Ingat po kayo! Mahal ko kayo!
-Elder Pitt
Monday, October 3, 2016
Hello po - October 2, 2016
Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a great week and watched General Conference! If not, go on to lds.org and check it out! We arent able to see it until next week on the 8th and 9th and I am so so excited to watch it! This week was pretty solid! Nothing too crazy happened but we were able to meet almost all of our appointments and help people come closer to our Savior!
This week we went back the the Nagrillo household, the people who cooked for Elder Waites Birthday, and when we went we wanted to teach about the Book of Mormon! The grandpa, Maximo, cant read really small letters so Elder Waite and I printed out part of the Book or Mormon in huge letters for him to read! It was such a fun time and Im happy to be able to say he was able to read the large letters! It just goes to show that there is always a way to read the Scriptures no matter where we are or what is holding us from reading! We also had the chance to go to Brother Benji who is awesome! He isnt from Luna but he is from the Highlands so he is so good at english! Its fun to teach in Tagalog and English and I know Elder Waite loves being able to teach in english as well! Benjamin is so smart about the Bible and churches. He keeps us on edge making sure we know the same things he knows haha. This week he shared with us his love for Christ and how important it is we follow him. We talked about the Plan our Father in Heaven has for us and how we can always stay on that perfect straight path!
Benji is so awesome! He has such a strong spirit and loves the Gospel!
One of our members, Brother Dela Cruz moved this week so we went to say goodbye! He is such a soft spoken nice guy and I wish him the best! I wish you all the best and hope you have a great week! Stay safe and always turn to Our Father in Heaven when you need help!
--
Elder Pitt
This week we went back the the Nagrillo household, the people who cooked for Elder Waites Birthday, and when we went we wanted to teach about the Book of Mormon! The grandpa, Maximo, cant read really small letters so Elder Waite and I printed out part of the Book or Mormon in huge letters for him to read! It was such a fun time and Im happy to be able to say he was able to read the large letters! It just goes to show that there is always a way to read the Scriptures no matter where we are or what is holding us from reading! We also had the chance to go to Brother Benji who is awesome! He isnt from Luna but he is from the Highlands so he is so good at english! Its fun to teach in Tagalog and English and I know Elder Waite loves being able to teach in english as well! Benjamin is so smart about the Bible and churches. He keeps us on edge making sure we know the same things he knows haha. This week he shared with us his love for Christ and how important it is we follow him. We talked about the Plan our Father in Heaven has for us and how we can always stay on that perfect straight path!
Benji is so awesome! He has such a strong spirit and loves the Gospel!
One of our members, Brother Dela Cruz moved this week so we went to say goodbye! He is such a soft spoken nice guy and I wish him the best! I wish you all the best and hope you have a great week! Stay safe and always turn to Our Father in Heaven when you need help!
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Elder Pitt
Post from September 25, 2016
Hello everyone! I will try and keep thiis email short but so much happened this week I cant believe its already monday again!
On Tuesday at zone training Elder and I went on exchanges with Elder Fisher and Elder Dum. So what that means is that I was companions with Elder Fisher in his area and Elder Dum was in our area with Elder Waite for the whole day! It was so fun to work with Elder Fisher! He is such a smart missionary and is so so good with his Tagalog for being so young just like Elder Waite! We worked in Baloan and had a really fun time with eachother! It made me miss Luna even though it was just one day! haha
On Thursday we had dinner at one of our members house, Je-an! She is so nice and was willing to show us around our new area where the sisters once worked! She also made a delicious dinner and i gained at least 5 pounds just at that one dinner!
On Friday i hit my 6 month mark in the mission! Its crazy how fast time flies! I dont know where the time has gone but I can see now its true what all other missionaries say- you blink and youre almost done with your mission- I guess i will just need to keep my eyes open the next couple of days for time to slow down. I love working here in Luna and in the Philippines. 6 months sounds like a long time but it really is so short when you're working for the Lord.
That night to celebrate, Elder Waite and I bought Balut! It was his first time as well so it made the occasion even better! He seemed to like it enough! I didnt see him spit any out so thats a good sign!
On Saturday we had a service project in a neighboring city called Bangar! The missionaries and members there, and us, cleaned the outside of the chapel and dug up some weeds! It was really fun and the members in Bangar we so nice and outgoing! Then that night we had an FHE at the Nagrillo family household! I must have gained 7 pounds there! They went all out for Elder Waited birthday which was on Sunday! I will get to that in a second, but I want to express how much I love the Nagrillo family and how happy I am to be able to know them and be friends with them. They are so loving and caring, and Ramil, the father, has started to read the Book of Mormon and he is so smart and knowledgeable!
SUNDAY WAS THE BIRTHDAY OF ELDER WAITE! Happy birthday Elder Waite once again! I must have said it over 100 times yesterday with no regrets! At church we had so many members and investigators with us making the day even better. And after church a member, Sister Ofelia cooked us a huge lunch in honor of his birthday! only 4 pounds at that lunch was gained but boy was it delicious! After a hot long day of wokring and seeing our awesome investigators we made our way back to the house and partied! I cooked chicken sisig for dinner and after dinner we had cake! On saturday Elder Waite bought a cake from a shop that Elder Moreland and I spotted one day but never went to. Elder Waite got a carrot cake and it was So. Good. I cant explain how delicous it was, and to top it off we ate Mango Graham ice cream! (at least 7 pounds gained there)
All in all this week was so good. So many chances to talk with new people about the Gospel. 6 months down, 1 Birthday boy and if i counted correctly 23 pounds later, this week has ended and i am so excited for next week.
This work is so amazing and being able to help other come closer to Christ for the last 6 months makes me never want to stop. I love it and I love you all. Be safe and have a great week! Mahal kita!
Elder Pitt
On Tuesday at zone training Elder and I went on exchanges with Elder Fisher and Elder Dum. So what that means is that I was companions with Elder Fisher in his area and Elder Dum was in our area with Elder Waite for the whole day! It was so fun to work with Elder Fisher! He is such a smart missionary and is so so good with his Tagalog for being so young just like Elder Waite! We worked in Baloan and had a really fun time with eachother! It made me miss Luna even though it was just one day! haha
On Thursday we had dinner at one of our members house, Je-an! She is so nice and was willing to show us around our new area where the sisters once worked! She also made a delicious dinner and i gained at least 5 pounds just at that one dinner!
On Friday i hit my 6 month mark in the mission! Its crazy how fast time flies! I dont know where the time has gone but I can see now its true what all other missionaries say- you blink and youre almost done with your mission- I guess i will just need to keep my eyes open the next couple of days for time to slow down. I love working here in Luna and in the Philippines. 6 months sounds like a long time but it really is so short when you're working for the Lord.
That night to celebrate, Elder Waite and I bought Balut! It was his first time as well so it made the occasion even better! He seemed to like it enough! I didnt see him spit any out so thats a good sign!
On Saturday we had a service project in a neighboring city called Bangar! The missionaries and members there, and us, cleaned the outside of the chapel and dug up some weeds! It was really fun and the members in Bangar we so nice and outgoing! Then that night we had an FHE at the Nagrillo family household! I must have gained 7 pounds there! They went all out for Elder Waited birthday which was on Sunday! I will get to that in a second, but I want to express how much I love the Nagrillo family and how happy I am to be able to know them and be friends with them. They are so loving and caring, and Ramil, the father, has started to read the Book of Mormon and he is so smart and knowledgeable!
SUNDAY WAS THE BIRTHDAY OF ELDER WAITE! Happy birthday Elder Waite once again! I must have said it over 100 times yesterday with no regrets! At church we had so many members and investigators with us making the day even better. And after church a member, Sister Ofelia cooked us a huge lunch in honor of his birthday! only 4 pounds at that lunch was gained but boy was it delicious! After a hot long day of wokring and seeing our awesome investigators we made our way back to the house and partied! I cooked chicken sisig for dinner and after dinner we had cake! On saturday Elder Waite bought a cake from a shop that Elder Moreland and I spotted one day but never went to. Elder Waite got a carrot cake and it was So. Good. I cant explain how delicous it was, and to top it off we ate Mango Graham ice cream! (at least 7 pounds gained there)
All in all this week was so good. So many chances to talk with new people about the Gospel. 6 months down, 1 Birthday boy and if i counted correctly 23 pounds later, this week has ended and i am so excited for next week.
This work is so amazing and being able to help other come closer to Christ for the last 6 months makes me never want to stop. I love it and I love you all. Be safe and have a great week! Mahal kita!
Elder Pitt
Monday, September 12, 2016
Another Successful Week
Hello all! So much happened this week I will try to get through it all!
During P-Day last week while getting groceries, I ran into Elder Mereki! We both flipped out! It was so much fun to see him and talk to him! Theres no more language barrier with him because we are now able to speak to each other in Tagalog, which is so crazy to me to think that now I am able to speak to someone from Kiribati, in Tagalog! I love Elder Mereki and he is such a great person and missionary!
After our P Day on Monday we went to a Family Home Evening at brother Ragaas' house! His daughter Nicole and I had a cook off, I made Chicken Sisig and she made Chicken Curry. Both were delicious but she definitely took the cake!
This weeks work was somewhat slow but it was good! We were able to visit the Bucaoto Family, whos son, Neo, is crazy good at english! They are such an awesome family and are so nice
We also found out this week that the sister missionaries in our area are transferring out, so that means Elder Waite and I will cover all of Luna for our work! We are so so excited and also nervous all together! The best part is that we are moving into the house where the sisters used to live and that house is so so nice! No more having to pump our water? astig! I can dig it! Im going to miss having the sisters in our area but it will be good for Elder Waite and I to push ourselves at the same time! On Friday we went to nanay Ofelias house for a service project! We cleaned and Elder Waite mopped her house that she is renovating! And on Sunday we had a lot of members and visitors at church! I love Church here so much because everyone is so close to one another and loving. It truly feels like a family at church which makes home sickness go away just a little bit more.
I will have more to send next week hopefully! Including pictures in the new house! I hope all of you have an amazing week! Stay safe and please dont judge me for any typos! Ingat kayo! Mahal ko kayo!
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Elder Pitt
During P-Day last week while getting groceries, I ran into Elder Mereki! We both flipped out! It was so much fun to see him and talk to him! Theres no more language barrier with him because we are now able to speak to each other in Tagalog, which is so crazy to me to think that now I am able to speak to someone from Kiribati, in Tagalog! I love Elder Mereki and he is such a great person and missionary!
After our P Day on Monday we went to a Family Home Evening at brother Ragaas' house! His daughter Nicole and I had a cook off, I made Chicken Sisig and she made Chicken Curry. Both were delicious but she definitely took the cake!
This weeks work was somewhat slow but it was good! We were able to visit the Bucaoto Family, whos son, Neo, is crazy good at english! They are such an awesome family and are so nice
We also found out this week that the sister missionaries in our area are transferring out, so that means Elder Waite and I will cover all of Luna for our work! We are so so excited and also nervous all together! The best part is that we are moving into the house where the sisters used to live and that house is so so nice! No more having to pump our water? astig! I can dig it! Im going to miss having the sisters in our area but it will be good for Elder Waite and I to push ourselves at the same time! On Friday we went to nanay Ofelias house for a service project! We cleaned and Elder Waite mopped her house that she is renovating! And on Sunday we had a lot of members and visitors at church! I love Church here so much because everyone is so close to one another and loving. It truly feels like a family at church which makes home sickness go away just a little bit more.
I will have more to send next week hopefully! Including pictures in the new house! I hope all of you have an amazing week! Stay safe and please dont judge me for any typos! Ingat kayo! Mahal ko kayo!
--
Elder Pitt
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
September Already?
Time is flying here and I wish it would slow down! This week was filled with hilarious moments with Elder Waite that helped us get through a blackout and slower couple days!
On Tuesday at our Zone Training Elder Waite and i went down the hall looking at all of the stuff on the bulletin board in the church. There was a letter from a member of the ward that is serving a mission in New Zealand right now. He had sent a picture of him and his companion and their convert on the baptism day, and small world believe it or not, His companion is Elder Brunson!!! I said out loud "hey looks its Tyler...
ELDER BRUNSON WHATTT!" Elder Waite and I were both so so excited and freaking out hahah, small world! He looks awesome though!
On Wednesday it was raining super hard and while we were riding our bikes up a hill to a members house, Elder Waites gear shifter broke! His chain was just hanging around and the piece to fix it was no where to be found... So we started on our walking journey again! Thank goodness our landlord owns a shop that is able to repair bikes, we took it over and it was good to go in no time!
Thursday started out with lunch at Nanay Ofelias with Nanay Karing! They made a delicious chicken adobo and fish. Elder Waite and I made some Turon and Lumpia! I love our Branch members so much and they are so nice to us. On Friday we had our Trainer/Trainee follow up at the mission office in San Fernando! It was such a good time! Elder Waite was able to see everyone from his batch and I was able to see them and other missionaries as well! I am going to miss all of the missionaries leaving in just 1 short week, but i am excited to see the changes in transfers and see if anyone new comes into our zone!
The work here is hot, and it is worth it. I love it so much. Words cant explain how great of a feeling it is to be with The Spirit and to help others come closer to Christ.
I am so grateful that Our Father In Heaven looks after every single one of us every single day. He knows us, He loves us, and He guides us as we seek guidance.
Have a great week everybody! Mahal Ko Kayo!
On Tuesday at our Zone Training Elder Waite and i went down the hall looking at all of the stuff on the bulletin board in the church. There was a letter from a member of the ward that is serving a mission in New Zealand right now. He had sent a picture of him and his companion and their convert on the baptism day, and small world believe it or not, His companion is Elder Brunson!!! I said out loud "hey looks its Tyler...
ELDER BRUNSON WHATTT!" Elder Waite and I were both so so excited and freaking out hahah, small world! He looks awesome though!
On Wednesday it was raining super hard and while we were riding our bikes up a hill to a members house, Elder Waites gear shifter broke! His chain was just hanging around and the piece to fix it was no where to be found... So we started on our walking journey again! Thank goodness our landlord owns a shop that is able to repair bikes, we took it over and it was good to go in no time!
Thursday started out with lunch at Nanay Ofelias with Nanay Karing! They made a delicious chicken adobo and fish. Elder Waite and I made some Turon and Lumpia! I love our Branch members so much and they are so nice to us. On Friday we had our Trainer/Trainee follow up at the mission office in San Fernando! It was such a good time! Elder Waite was able to see everyone from his batch and I was able to see them and other missionaries as well! I am going to miss all of the missionaries leaving in just 1 short week, but i am excited to see the changes in transfers and see if anyone new comes into our zone!
The work here is hot, and it is worth it. I love it so much. Words cant explain how great of a feeling it is to be with The Spirit and to help others come closer to Christ.
I am so grateful that Our Father In Heaven looks after every single one of us every single day. He knows us, He loves us, and He guides us as we seek guidance.
Have a great week everybody! Mahal Ko Kayo!
Monday, August 29, 2016
Kumusta ti biag?
Hello sa lahat! This week was so good! And I am so happy being a missionary here in Luna!
August 23rd marked 5 months of the mission done! It is going by way too fast, I wish I could slow it down just a little bit! It rained quite a bit this week so we were able to stay cool during the day which felt nice! On Tuesday after our District Meeting we had a boodle fight and probably ate a little to much! Elder Waite and I will need to workout extra hard in the mornings if we want to stay slim here hahah.
On Wednesday Elder Dum had a meeting at the mission office so his treinee, Elder Fisher, came and worked with us for the day in Luna! Elder Waite and Fisher were companions in the MTC so it was cool for them to work with each other in the field! Elder Fisher is AMAZING at the piano as well so at our district meetings we always make him play anything and everything! He has only been called Joe one time on his mission! So I made sure to change our schedule around so that we could go to the areas where everyone always calls us Joe!
His smile on his face after getting called Joe was priceless! And it happened every time! 3 new American missionaries just trying to run the streets all day making it a great day!
On Thursday we met this man from the high lands who speaks little to no Tagalog and loves speaking in English! Elder Waite was so happy to have an investigator that we can teach in English and the man, Benjamin, is so nice and willing to listen and ask questions! It was somewhat hard for me to teach him in English! All of my sentences would come out in Tagalog first! Elder Waite and Benjamin both got a kick out of it though.
We have been able to cook all of the week and not eat out as much! One of my favorite snacks is Turon, a banana with sugar, cinnamon, wrapped in a lumpia wrapper!
Being able to cook is a lot better than eating out every day, thanks Elder Moreland for the cooking lessons!
Missionary work is the best, one of our investigators asked us the other day this question: What is the most important thing someone can do in this life?
Its something that I have though about for the last couple days with the answer and then changing my answer again and again.
For me, I feel that the most important thing we can do in this life, is to strive to be who Christ is and develop his attributes. Once we have started on that trail, we will be able to help our friends and family on the same path, a path that helps us be able to live with our Father in Heaven again.
Being a missionary is such a blessing and i wouldn't change it for the world.
I love you all and hope you all have great weeks!
-No pictures this week, sorry! I will try to take more next week!
Elder Pitt
August 23rd marked 5 months of the mission done! It is going by way too fast, I wish I could slow it down just a little bit! It rained quite a bit this week so we were able to stay cool during the day which felt nice! On Tuesday after our District Meeting we had a boodle fight and probably ate a little to much! Elder Waite and I will need to workout extra hard in the mornings if we want to stay slim here hahah.
On Wednesday Elder Dum had a meeting at the mission office so his treinee, Elder Fisher, came and worked with us for the day in Luna! Elder Waite and Fisher were companions in the MTC so it was cool for them to work with each other in the field! Elder Fisher is AMAZING at the piano as well so at our district meetings we always make him play anything and everything! He has only been called Joe one time on his mission! So I made sure to change our schedule around so that we could go to the areas where everyone always calls us Joe!
His smile on his face after getting called Joe was priceless! And it happened every time! 3 new American missionaries just trying to run the streets all day making it a great day!
On Thursday we met this man from the high lands who speaks little to no Tagalog and loves speaking in English! Elder Waite was so happy to have an investigator that we can teach in English and the man, Benjamin, is so nice and willing to listen and ask questions! It was somewhat hard for me to teach him in English! All of my sentences would come out in Tagalog first! Elder Waite and Benjamin both got a kick out of it though.
We have been able to cook all of the week and not eat out as much! One of my favorite snacks is Turon, a banana with sugar, cinnamon, wrapped in a lumpia wrapper!
Being able to cook is a lot better than eating out every day, thanks Elder Moreland for the cooking lessons!
Missionary work is the best, one of our investigators asked us the other day this question: What is the most important thing someone can do in this life?
Its something that I have though about for the last couple days with the answer and then changing my answer again and again.
For me, I feel that the most important thing we can do in this life, is to strive to be who Christ is and develop his attributes. Once we have started on that trail, we will be able to help our friends and family on the same path, a path that helps us be able to live with our Father in Heaven again.
Being a missionary is such a blessing and i wouldn't change it for the world.
I love you all and hope you all have great weeks!
-No pictures this week, sorry! I will try to take more next week!
Elder Pitt
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