We got a baptism!

John Thomas McGuire <john.mcguire@myldsmail.net>	Apr 27
to Pernell, me, Kristin, Jessica, Rick, Lindsay, Alyssa, Cameron

Well this week has been absolutely amazing! Cian's baptism was absolutely wonderful! The Spirit was so strong! Elder Quinco baptized Cian because his friend Jerome is still in Manila. I gave a talk on Baptism and the Holy Ghost and also sang a musical number with Sister Nelson. We sang Dearest Children, God is near you. Cian's cousin came to the service too. After he was baptized he shared such a powerful testimony. I would be just fine for the rest of my mission if I was rejected by everyone I talked to, just because Cian's conversion is so deep and is going to be so lasting. Yesterday he was confirmed a member of the Church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost and then after church he was ordained a priest. He's going to bless the sacrament next week with the Elder's Quorum President. I am so happy for him. The entire two years will be absolutely worth it just because of this one day. The promise in D+C 18 is so true. 

The rest of the week went really well too. I went on exchanges in Sta. Margarita with Elder Carlson, not the one I lived with in Tacloban. It was a pretty good day but it's a really hard area. We still managed to teach two really good lessons to some less active members.

The Nabong Family is doing great! I gave them my copy of Book of Mormon Stories in Waray-h so that the kids can know more about the Book of Mormon. Such a great idea. The big challenge is trying to get a job for Bro. Nabong because if he doesn't get one, he's going to leave for Manila. Thankfully, a member in the branch has an open spot for him at his mechanic shop. Just something for him to help around with that pays decently. Bro. Nikki is also trying to help him out by getting him some vocational training. All but two members of the family came to church yesterday. Bro. Nabong shared his testimony in Priesthood Meeting. He's the only member of the family. We really need him to stay here in Calbayog because he is the driving force and spiritual strength for his family. He's the one pushing for scripture study and family prayer. Such a humble man. We are planning to have a family baptism in May. Either the 24th or 31st.

This week should be great. We're having a mission tour with Elder Nielson tomorrow. It will be the first time I've seen him since Manila last November. I'm excited to talk to him and Sister Nielson. Then on Wednesday we have MLC. I'm so stoked to see everyone again. 

Life is just going really well. I'm managing the stress of being a zone leader. It's stressful during the last week of the month because of reporting and such but we've gotten super organized so that it's much easier. It really helps that our zone has awesome missionaries. Despite a lot of them being sick a lot of the time.

Also, Bro. Nikki, our Branch Mission Leader, took us to Ciraco on Saturday night after the baptism. It's a 5 star hotel. He paid for our dinner. Gotta love people who love the missionaries. Go take care of your missionaries in your ward. Go give them referrals and teaching appointments. Go participate in the marvelous work and wonder.

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Conference Week!

This week was great!

So we ended up having zone training meeting on Tuesday. It was good. I think I"m getting more confident in giving trainings. We trained on patience. And then we found out the the Zone Conference was still going to happen on Wednesday. We had to apply the training we just gave. We had to work out getting catering for lunch and cleaning the chapel and get President Andaya a hotel reservation. Elder Quinco and I have decided to get companionship shirts made that say #IheartAdministering. Thankfully our Branch Mission Leader is the most converted man on the island of Samar. Bro. Nikki helped us out with the reservation and lunch. And we cleaned the chapel with the STLs. It was a good service project. Oh and also we had to find some time to prepare another training to give at zone conference. We decided to talk about how to build a relationship of trust with our investigators and helping them gain trust in the book of mormon. And then we had to give that training in front of the Andayas and the APs and Catbalogan and Catarman zones. It all went really well. I am so grateful for the hand of the Lord in my life. There is no way we could have done that all without divine help and have it turn out so well.

Cian is doing so awesome! We are just about finished with the lessons with him and he is excited for the 26th. He came to conference in Catbalogan. Elder Corbridge's talk was exactly what he needed to hear. His family is mostly hostile towards him joining the church. Why? Because it's the truth. I loved that talk too. Look for the biggest dust cloud of opposition and you'll find the truth. When people leave other sects of religion, what happens? they just go away quietly. But when people leave the true church, they can never leave it alone. This world will never leave the truth alone.

I LOVED conference! Especially Elder Oaks, Elder Nelson, Elder Perry and President Uchtdorf's talks. I had all of my questions answered that I brought to conference. That's the best feeling in the world. To know that even after all I've gone through, Heavenly Father still loves me enough to answer my questions through living prophets. Revelation is real. The Gospel is Real. Faith is Real. It's my new goal to go through my notes and set goals for the next few months. Mostly I'm going to be working on having an attitude of gratitude.

My life is so awesome right now. I have an awesome companion. Elder Quinco is from General Santos City, basically like the same neighborhood as Manny Pacquiao. He and I both have the same taste in music. He is the oldest of 4 boys, 2 of which are also on missions one is in Cebu East and the other is in Baguio. He's the greatest! We play basketball every morning and he was the perfect companion to get me back into missionary mode.

Calbayog is a great branch. We are averaging 160 in attendance. The District President's goal is to split the branch by the end of the year. This is the strongest branch in the district. All the district leaders are in our area. Mostly this is the most missionary minded branch in the world.

Well the typhoon hit south of us, so mostly it's just been pretty rainy this past week. Nothing to worry about.

Thank you all for your prayers. I love you all! Keep exercising faith. Is your life LED by living prophets and their words?

The work is sweet

This past week has actually been pretty awesome!

Cian is one of the most humble, teachable investigators I have ever met. We are through with Lessons 1-3 and we are trying to go rapid fire with the Commandments so that he will be prepared for his Baptism on the 26th. He came to a baptismal service Saturday afternoon and we were able to teach him the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity in one lesson. He has no problems with either. He used to drink coffee, but his friend Jerome already opened up to him about it so he decided to stop. In Priesthood meeting on Sunday he stood up to introduce himself because there were quite a few visitors. He bore a great testimony and is super excited to join the church. He is going to be such a great missionary. He is also a really popular kid at school because he is a phenomenal hip hop dancer. So hopefully we will be able to teach some of his friends soon too. That's actually how he started investigating the church was coming to the baptism of one of his friends last December. I am so excited for him.

Herald is still doing awesome. We are planning to have him baptized the first week of May. Hopefully his mom will see the changes he is making in his life. He is really humble and is trying to change a lot of things. He wanted us to teach him about baptism so he could explain it to his mom. We did so. Hopefully that will help him. 

We have a new family of investigators and I am so excited for them! The Nabong family is awesome. The dad was baptized back in the 80s but fell away because his job was on Sundays. . Now he has no job. A couple of weeks ago, a Relief Society sister dropped by his house and invited him to church. He came and we started talking to him and got to know him. Now we are teaching his wife and 5 kids. They are all really interested and committed to be baptized. They're in some really humble circumstances right now. I'm really excited to visit them some more.

In other news, MLC was awesome! I got to see a bunch of people! I got to see Elder Carlson and Sister Schaap and Bro. Viray and it was just a blast! There is nothing like having good friends. Tacloban is starting to look better. It's no longer a ghost town.

So we were supposed to have Zone Conference this coming Wednesday but it has been postponed because there is an incoming typhoon. I'm not sure where or when it is going to hit. So please pray for the people of the Philippines. I'm pretty sure I'll be just fine but just pray. Keep exercising faith. Keep on trusting in Him.

I love you all! I'm so grateful for your examples of faith. 

Have an amazing week! 

Love you!


this is a FHE last week. Sis. Amora is in the center in the yellow and it was her birthday. Our district president is on the far right