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
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