Well I'm alive and in the mission field

That's right i made it to Tacloban safely and on time! But nothing would ever be an adventure unless we had a little excitement to get your blood pumping on the way. To preface this I forgot to bring my camera to send pictures from this week and the last but I promise i will bring it next week for sure.

So monday night i called home and it was great to talk to all of you and hear your voices. Thank you all so much for your  love and support. There's no way i could do this without your prayers and love. We got on the plane from LAX to Hong Kong at 1 in the morning utah/az time. From there we just sat and slept for the next 15 hours. It was really cool racing the sun to China. It was dark basically the entire flight except the last hour. we got to Hong Kong and  I took a few pictures/ (Next week I promise) I borrowed a razor from  Elder Robertson (He's headed to Bacolod) and we waited for about an hour. We had to go through security again. and then we just waited at the gate in Hong Kong. At about 30 minutes to board, Elder Shields comes up to me and says "I can't find my passport" Im thinking you have got to be joking me... but no he really couldnt find it. I said a prayer in my heart asking for a miracle. I did not want to leave my companion in China but  the instructions on the travel plans said it is more important to not miss a flight than to wait for someone. After my prayer we  were sprinting through the Hong Kong airport back down the up escalator to security. No dice... Things were really starting to look bad. I prayed again asking for a miracle because we had been obedient all week long. We sprinted back to the gate, hurdling a janitor cart in the process (in my suit too)...the line was gone but the plane was there and the staff knew what was happening. one of the workers asked if she could go through his bag. within 20 seconds she had found it.  We got on the plane for Manila and all was well. God is a God of miracles. He blesses those who have been obedient and faithful. I still can't believe we made it, but we did.

So wednesday night (we lost tuesday cuz of the international date line) we flew to Tacloban. I tried talking to a woman on the plane but cebuano and waray are just too different. It's all good though. We got to Tacloban around 5:30 and President Andaya and the APs were there to pick us up. We went to the Mission Home and had dinner and interviews than we went to the apartment and slept.

Thursday we had more training and orientation from President and Sister Andaya. (Don't worry Mom and Jess, I now know how to  stay healthy and survive here in the Philippines)

Friday Morning we drove to Palo. That's where Leyte landing is with the MacArthur monument. It was really cool. This is where we met our trainers. It was really cool. we all got in a circle and they calledeach new missionary to the front and said their language they'd be learning, zone, area and then trainer. I'm speaking Cebuano (big thanks to the Lord on that one) in the Ormoc zone in the area of Villaba. My trainer is Elder Cottle. He's from American Fork and has been here in the Philippines since April this year. He's is a huge help to me. Even though I'm in a cebuano area its difficult to understand all the words that the members are saying. He is great at the language. Villaba is on the northwest part of Leyte. We took a bus from Tacloban to Kananga and then a van to Villaba. Our apartment is literally a stone's throw away from the ocean. (picture coming i Promise!)

Saturday we finally got to work. We went to a branch activity in the morning and then we taught the Balombao family in the afternoon. I could understand most of the conversation but I wanted to make sure I was getting the right idea and be able to answer Tatay Balombao's questions. It was great. We taught about prophets and apostles. I testified that Thomas S Monson is a prophet today. 

Church was great. I played the piano for sacrament meeting. There are a lot of less actives here in Villaba so our main focus is trying to reactivate everyone. Last weeks attendance was 47 of about 120 or so. Elder Cottle and I have made goals to really improve that this week. 

All is well and I'm excited to get to work this week. Please pray for me.

Love you all!

Elder McGuire

 

 

IT'S GAMEDAY!!!!!!

Well today's the day!

I leave the MTC at 4:30. Our flight doesn't leave until 8:30 so I plan on calling home between 6 and 7 tonight. We fly to LAX and then we have a layover until we get on the plane at 12:05 AM for Hong Kong. I'll get to Manila around 11:30 AM on Wednesday (Philippines time) so it will be around 8:30 PM tuesday night(?)...

Also I'm not sure how long it takes for DearElder's to get to the Philippines. So all of you faithful DearElder.com users please convert over to just emailing me :)

This last week at the MTC has been great! Finally got to learn some waray-waray! Sister Blonquist brought her Waray to English dictionary that she bought on her mission. If I ever see the book in the Philippines I will buy it on sight! I don't know a whole lot but I know enough to bear my testimony and say a prayer, which is really all you need right? It sounds a whole lot faster and more harsh than cebuano. There are 7 waray-waray zones and 3 cebuano zones in the Tacloban mission.(or at least there were when Brother Anderson got back 8 months ago...) Its crazy to think I'm going to be introducing myself next Sunday in some branch or ward 7500 miles away in a foreign language. That fact alone is a testimony to me that the Lord is blessing and supporting me in this. This morning in the temple I went in with a prayer in my heart, asking Heavenly Father to let me know that I will be safe. When I got to the Celestial Room I opened some scriptures and stopped on D+C section 15. I received my answer. Everything is going to be just fine and I am doing the right thing.

It sounds like everything is going great at home. Rick I'm super excited to hear about your story! I've been praying for you especially with regards to your audition. The Lord is still a miracle worker in the latter days!

I received everyone's packages last week and I have weight to spare in packing my suitcase. I actually bought another suitcase here at the MTC just because I figured out how to make it work better. Thank you Lindsay for the tape. I started to listen to it for about 5 minutes before I had to turn it off. Can't afford to be homesick right before I leave but I promise I will listen to the rest of it when I get settled in next week. Thank you Call family for all the food! Fun fact for you all... Did you know that poor people in the Philippines eat potatoes instead of rice. Also, Jess I forgot to tell you but Gakus in cebuano means "hug" Some things are just meant to be.

I am excited beyond description. Dili ko maghulagway sa mga pagbati nako. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night half expecting this to be a dream. But this is my life. This is what I have been called to do. I love my calling. I have been so blessed to be able to serve God and my fellowmen.

I know this is the Lord's work. I like other missionaries will come and go but the work will continue on until it has sounded in every ear and heard in every clime and nation, until the Lord comes again and says it is done. This is the true church. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Thomas S Monson is God's prophet on the earth today. Heed his counsel. Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration. Above all, I know that Jesus is the Christ. The Holy Son of God. Saviour of all. He knows each and everyone of us personally and intimately. He invites all men everywhere to come unto Him and repent and be baptized in His name. He is our advocate with the Father. He is my elder brother and best friend. He has pulled me from misery and set me on a course that I will never deviate from. My shoulder is set to the wheel and I will not look back.

I love you all, but I've got to go now.

Fear knocked at the door, but Faith answered and there was no one there.

Onward. Ever onward.

Elder McGuire

Week 8

Hello again family and friends!

Another monday and another letter :)

This week has been great! To start things off, our district hosted on wednesday. It was so cool to relive the first day experience again! One car that stopped at my spot had twins! One was headed to Detroit and the other to Tempe. It made me think a lot about Gray and Nash. It's gonna be them in like 17 and a half years haha. Thursday was great. Elder Shields and I have been teaching this investigator, Mildred. She's a single mom who works on Sundays only to support her 2 young children. We finally committed her to going to church. Its amazing how real role plays can be and how strong the Spirit can be in some lessons. Its gonna be even crazier to get to the field in a week and do it all for real.

We also got our flight plans on Thursday. We leave the MTC at 4:30 on the 19th. Our flight leaves SLC for LAX at 8:05. We leave from Los Angeles for HONG KONG!!!! at 12;05 in the morning! When we get there we have like 2 hours until we board another plane for Manila. From there President Andaya will pick us up and we'll go to a different airport and fly to Tacloban. P.s have any of you seen the Tacloban airport on google maps? GO check it out! It's pretty gnarly. I get to call from the Salt lake airport so Mom Dad Rick and Alyssa make sure you're all home for family night and keep your phones on so I don't have to call all of your phones to get through :)

In other news, I finished Jesus the Christ. Such an AMAZING book. I know what you mean Dad. That basically could be scripture. I have learned so much about my Savior's life. He truly lived a perfect, sinless life. Always forgiving. Always helping. Always going that extra mile to make sure he did exactly what the Father wanted him to do. My testimony has been strengthened so much. I can say that I know that my Redeemer lives! He lives who once was dead. He lives and while He lives I'll sing. He lives my Prophet, Priest and King. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He suffered the Atonement to take away all my sins. He suffered so he could comfort us to each of our individual needs. He lives and because He lives, we will live again as well.

My Cebuano is maayo. I feel confident enough to say what I want to express. Now I think I'll get to start learning some Waray-waray. I know about 15 words so far. I can't really string a sentence together though. I'm not sure what language I'll be speaking in my first area but I am completely confident that the Lord will bless me and support me. I want to let you all know how real the gift of tongues is. Everything I know in another language is because the Lord has been gracious to me. Gihigugma nako Kaniya.

The most important thing I learned this week is diligence. Every second on my mission is not my own so I cannot afford to waste time. It is the Lord's time.

Also can someone forward me letters from Elder Frost and Elder Frost. I'd love to still hear their stories from their missions.

Life is great and I'm feeling awesome. I can feel all of your prayers. Pray hard this week for me. I'm always praying hard for you all. Remember that the Lord hears and answers every sincere prayer. Kada pag-ampo gikan sa mga kinasingkasing nga kasingkasing.

I love you all!

Elder McGuire

P.s. My favorite scripture this week is 3rd Nephi 5:13. Really hit me hard with the Spirit when I was reading it.

Week 7

AYO!!!!!!

Week 7 was an awesome week!!! We got a new cebuano district!! It's so crazy to see what I was like when I started. Theyre awesome though. 4 out of 5 are headed to Tacloban! It's so cool to be on the other side of things. My cebuano is really starting to improve since I can answer all their questions. I'm also reading from the Basahon ni Mormon and actually getting a lot out of it. the cebuano word for "faith" is hugot nga pagtuo which literally translates to a "tight belief." Faith is an incredible concept. Everything we do is an act of faith. we increase and strengthen and tighten our faith by exercising it. It's like a living muscle. I love Ether 12:6 and 12:12 and Hebrews 11. I'm also 10 chapters away from finishing Jesus the Christ. By faith we can move mountains. It's very significant that when Jesus Christ is about to heal someone he asks, "believe ye that I am able to do this?" He certainly had the power and capability to heal the afflicted but the blind and sick and diseased had to believe in him and exercise their faith. Another great chapter I studied this week was Alma 18. I love the exchange between king Lamoni and Ammon. I went through my scriptures and just highlighted all the actual dialogue and then the methods Ammon used to teach. First, Ammon had great faith and he was faithful unto the Lord. Because of his exact obedience he was blessed and protected from the Lamanites who tried to scatter the flocks. Because he protected the king's flocks he got the kings attention. King Lamoni wanted to know more. Ammon continued to be exactly obedient by executing every command of the king. When Ammon came before the king, because of his faithfulness and obedience, he was able to teach with power and authority. He taught specifically to the kings needs. in fact Ammon basically goes through lesson 2 of chapter 3 in preach my gospel. Such a great example.

Elder Shields and I are really coming together as a companionship. It's going to be weird in the field when we both have to go get new companions and trainers. I'm super excited though. 2 weeks until I'm on a plane over the pacific ocean!!! HALA!!! (cebuano expression for WOW!!)

Halloween kinda came and went. They don't really celebrate Halloween in the Philippines. Its called Kalagkalag. or day of the souls. Our district still celebrated a little bit. (see the picture)

Mission conference yesterday was awesome! Sundays are amazing! I'm super excited to just get out there and shout from the bukid to the tubig that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and that they can live with their family forever.

Yesterday in sacrament meeting I bore my testimony about missionary work. I know that this is His work. I love D+C 4:3 "Wherefore if ye have desires to serve the Lord, ye are called to the work." This work is to bring about the eternal life of man. How great is my calling! I am so grateful to be a laborer in the vineyard. I also love the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The Lord has called more laborers for this final hour of the day. What an exciting time to be on the earth!

Life is wonderful! We get our travel plans this week. Still hard to believe this is all happening to me. I keep thinking that I'll wake up and it will be a dream, but this is real. This is true. This is my intent and purpose because I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. The Savior and Redeemer of the world. He lives. He lives who once was dead. He lives and has loosed the chains that would bind us and drag us down to the gulf of endless misery. He lives and has made it possible for us to live again forever in Celestial glory. I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in that sacred grove. I know that he translated the gold plates and that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that he is the prophet that opened this last dispensation and the truth will never again be taken from the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on the earth today. I know that He will come again and I look forward with great hope and the knowledge that one day I will see my Savior.

I love you all,

Gihigugma nako kaninyo

Elder McGuire