Another Week Down. Another Few to Go

Well I survived my first week in Bato.

To be honest I was having a really big struggle this first part of the week. Satan was doing a number on me and trying to discourage me in all sorts of ways. The language isn't quite there yet. I can speak cebuano still but my ears are definitely not used to hearing it again, especially all the little phrases. On top of that, I had a really bad attitude about the area. I had it in my head that this is a hard area and there's nothing I can do about it so I'm just going to endure and wait until I transfer. This bad attitude of mine led to not having unity with Elder Empase nor the members. In short, I was not happy.

Thursday, I went to Tacloban to have a check up for my right knee. I got an x ray and there's nothing wrong with the bones or alignment and the doctor did a stress test and thinks that the problem is with my meniscus. We can't be sure unless I get an MRI which would mean going to Manila because they don't have an MRI machine in this entire mission. However, I'm thinking I'll be just fine. I have my Ibuprofen and my knee only hurts when I put a ton of stress on it for a long time. I know you're freaking out mom but I'm gonna be just fine. I only have 5 months left and then we can get it checked out there.

Friday we had a good couple of lessons in the morning with our investigators. And then in the afternoon we had a meeting with our BML to make the Branch Mission Plan. 

Saturday we had reactivation activity in the morning and we ended up teaching another investigator instead because his less active brother wasn't there. He ended up committing to baptism and coming to church. And then Saturday afternoon we were just walking along the road and it hit me in my mind. "Life is so good! Bato is such a great area!" I don't know why I had such a bad attitude before but this place is actually really great. I mean sure it's no Calbayog. But Bato is a really great area. The members here are magnifying their callings. We are having regular meetings. We have investigators committing to baptism. Members are working with us. I have an amazing companion. 

After this realization, things started looking up for me. The area was still the same and it's still going to take a lot of hard work, but my outlook is different now. I have a more positive attitude about it. A lot of this change is due to something I learned back when I was meeting with Brother Packard. Our Happiness doesn't depend on how many baptisms we get or how many friends we have or whatever material or worldly thing we acquire. Happiness is obtained by personal righteousness. Wickedness never was happiness. Alma 41:10. Really I can't describe how awesome it feels to know that the outward results of my efforts don't dictate my happiness. I'm happy because I choose to be and that's that. On top of that, I have a great opportunity to learn and grow here. It's been a very humbling week. We didn't have a single investigator at church yesterday which means we probably won't have a baptism this cycle. Regardless, the both of us are determined to be successful missionaries and to build up the branch here in Bato.

President Maurer is now here in the mission and President Andaya is being dropped off at the airport right now. Times have changed. We are having MLC tomorrow and Wednesday so we'll get to meet him.

I'm doing alright. Just chugging along. I am in Helaman right now. Nephi is easily becoming one of my heroes. I can only imagine how he must have felt after he performed an incredible miracle and then the people just left him alone. He must have been thinking, "How are their hearts so hardened? Did they not just see what I just did?" Right after that though, he heard the voice of the Lord. He was blessed because of his righteousness. He was given great power and authority and made mighty in faith and works. Sometimes I really feel like that. I especially feel like I can apply it to myself when it mentions that his brother Lehi was not a whit behind him in righteousness. I'm so excited that Rick got to go through the temple and that he is going to serve a mission. I know with all my heart that this work is the work of the Lord and that the Book of Mormon is true. I know God lives and loves us and answers our prayers and has an individualized learning plan for each and everyone of His children here on earth. Everything that happens to us is for our good. It all just depends on how we react to the situation. I think what Heavenly Father wants me to learn this cycle is how to impact my circumstances and be an agent for righteousness.

I love you all and I'm really grateful for your letters and support and love and especially for your righteous examples to me. have a wonderful week of missionary work! 

Love you!

Rock City

Dum du du duh!!!!!

I've been transferred! I'm down here as a zone leader in Maasin Zone in Bato, Leyte. Bato means rock in cebuano. Yes I'm back to speaking cebuano. To make things a little more interesting the missionaries call it cebuano-j because it has a lot of influences of Boholano since Bohol is so close. That means that the Y's become J's. Maayo (good) becomes Maajo. Yep already I'm missing waray-s but it shouldn't be too hard to transition. The gift of tongues is real. It's been a year and 2 months since I left Villaba but I can still speak and understand the language for the most part. My companion is Elder Empase. He is from Escalante, Negros in Bacolod Mission. He's a native cebuano speaker so that helps. He goes home at the end of this transfer. He's a great teacher though and is really determined to finish his mission strong.

From what I've seen so far in Bato these next few months are going to be a challenge. It's going to be hard adapting from Calbayog where there was a baptism every week and the attendance averages 170 to Bato, where there hasn't been a convert baptism in almost 2 years and the average attendance is 65. There's a popular Tagalog song called "Pusong Bato" meaning Heart of Stone and that basically describes a lot of the people here.  We meet in a rented meetinghouse. On the bright side, the active members are pretty great. On Saturday morning we had a reactivation activity. That really made me happy because they do that every Saturday in Calbayog. Our branch president, Pres. Gonzales is awesome. He has been a member for 7 years and the branch president for 4. He's 27. He seems to really know how to delegate the work to the auxiliaries and lead the members. He has 3 small children and drives a pedicab for his job. Their family is sealed in the temple. They're really great.

We have had a bit of success so far. We started teaching Julius. All his family members are members already but he's not because he was at school in Manila when they were being taught. We taught him Saturday night and he committed to be baptized. Elder Empase told me that that was the first time that Julius actively participated in the lesson. He said that his whole countenance was different. Sometimes on the mission, you just feel like Heavenly Father is preparing people for you. He didn't go to church yesterday but he's a low hanging fruit that we are going to go after. He lives in the Matalom Sisters area but he wants us to teach him because he prefers us instead of the sisters. Matalom isn't a branch yet. Still a special sacrament group. I love being in this phase of the work. Where the church is still being established and it really requires us to be good examples and show what the doctrine of Christ can do for one's life.

In other news, I finished Jesus the Christ for the second time. Afterwards I wrote my testimony in it and gave it to Cian. He is going through some tough persecution from his family. If you get a chance, please put his name on the prayer roll in the temple. His testimony is super strong though. He continues to work with the missionaries and members for reactivation. He gave me one of his jerseys as a remembrance of him. It's a NBA AllStars West jersey with his last name on it. It's pretty legit.

So this is President Andaya's last week. It's kind of a bummer that I transferred because he is doing a devotional on Wednesday in Calbayog and then working with the missionaries on Thursday. I'll miss him but I'll never forget what I've learned from him. I'm very excited to meet President Maurer. I think we might have MLC next week so that we can meet him but I'm not sure of the schedule yet. 

My personal study has been in the war chapters. I'm studying about the stripling warriors. I finally found the verse I was looking for. Alma 56:27.  (And yes I got the package you sent :)) I love the quote in the student manual from President Packer, "Keep your covenants and you will be safe. Break them, and you will not." It's so true. When these covenant people were moved with compassion to help out their brethren by breaking their covenants, Helaman stepped in and told them that they had better keep their covenants instead. Can you imagine if they had broken that covenant? We would have never been able to learn from the example of these faithful young men because their fathers would have gone off to fight. We would never have the verses about how these young men did not fear death nor did they doubt the Lord's protection. I also love the fact that these young men were so faithful because of how their parents lived their covenant lives. I'm so grateful that I grew up in a home where sacred covenants were honored. I'm grateful for every sacrifice that was made to give me the opportunity to let me develop a testimony of my own.

That's about it for me. Pray for me that I can understand the people. Pray that their hearts will be softened. Pray that the members will be faithful the the covenants they have made.

Go share the Gospel. Tell your friends about the joy you have because you know you can be with your family forever.

I love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!

Loving Life in Calbayog City

Well it's transfer week so get out your map and make a guess! We don't get the announcement until Wednesday and at this point I'm indifferent. If I transfer I'm fine and if I don't I'll be fine as well.

Father's Day was great. I really enjoy the fact that almost all of the recent converts are priesthood holders. Earl Nabong passed the sacrament and he came and worked with us last night. He has such a strong desire to do missionary work and to serve a full time mission despite his humble circumstances. Bro. Nikki is really taking him under his wing and is going to buy some slacks for him. I gave him a tie and he has a nice white shirt as well. 

Just for the record, there has been a baptism in Calbayog Branch every Saturday since May 24. The branch is 2 baptisms shy of the yearly goal for convert baptisms and the year isn't even half over. The branch is really helping us out with retention too. We had branch council meeting on Saturday and things are finally getting super organized. We're going to start having PEC and other meetings regularly. Mostly I'm just so ecstatic about all the Recent Converts. They are all so converted. They aren't missionary converts. They have real, strong testimonies of this work.

We have some new investigators as well this week just to shake things up. We are teaching the Tanio family. Marvin and Jenny are in their early 20s. He drives a motorcycle sidecar for his job. He's given us a few rides recently and is really excited to have us over. Yesterday we taught all of the Restoration and they committed to baptism.

We also taught Tanny, Bro. Nikki's friend. He has been working in Saudi Arabia for the past 5 years. He was really open to having us over and teach more about the restoration. His wife is kinda diehard Catholic but Tanny is really humble and said we could come back on Friday or next Sunday.

Krystel is doing better. We're super close with her. She is feeling the Spirit and starting to recognize it. She continues to read and pray and come to church but she's not quite making the connection. We need to explain that if she feels the Holy Ghost when she prays about the book of mormon, that means that it is true, which means the church is true and she needs to get baptized. I'm glad that she is so smart though and really wants divine confirmation before she makes such a big decision. Let's keep in mind that she's only 12.

I'm not sure what to do about Herald. He thinks his mom won't let him be baptized because she wants him to be Catholic. We talked to her and she said she doesn't want him to be baptized yet because he hasn't made sufficient changes in his character and relationship with her. It's becoming a sticky situation where they don't really communicate and when they do it's a fight. I'm thinking that he might just wait until he turns 18 in September. We continue to teach him. We taught him about the Stripling Warriors and committed him to study more about them and be exactly obedient.

Zone Interviews was really great. President gave a training on the Doctrine of the Family. He sincerely desires that each one of his missionaries has their own righteous family when they go home. So now we're trying to take what we've learned and apply it to the branch and strengthen the families. We're continuing to help the 4 families to prepare for the temple this December. The temple trip would be the same day that I go home. Kinda just a long shot but if Mom and Dad decided to pick me up, I would love to go to Cebu and participate in that temple trip :) I'll leave that up to you two to decide :)

I am continually grateful for your prayers and support. Thank you for the letters and especially for your righteous example. Have a wonderful week!

Love you!

Mission CSP in Tacloban and other fun happenings

Well this past week not a whole lot of proselyting happened because we had like a 3 day "vacation" in Tacloban.

Monday night we had a really fun FHE with Sis. Morin. Her husband actually lives in Canada about an hour and a half from Quebec so we got to skype him in and we had a really good time. It was interesting to hear how missionary work is where he is at. Apparently he travels an hour and a half each sunday and has to take a ferry just to get to church. Rick you are going to a cold cold cold part of the world :) Love every minute of it!

Tuesday morning we teamed up with the STLs and waited at the Grand Tours Terminal for the Catarman ZLs and STLs. We all headed down together. It was a blast catching up with them! We took a van from Calbayog to Catbalogan and then the bus from Catbalogan to Tacloban. I really want to be assigned to Catarman! The waray they use there sounds so interesting to me. It's kinda like Calbayog but they use a lot of weirder deeper words. And on top of that when you go on exchanges you basically have to use Tagalog because there are areas which are Cebuano and Bikolano. So much fun right? When we got to Tacloban we went to Burgos chapel. I love running into people I used to know. Bro. Viray's son is now home from his mission. Tacloban 2nd ward attendance is now averaging 230... that's 100+ increase from when I was assigned there. Tuesday night we had the opening devotional for MLC in the mission mansion. President Andaya read his release letter from the First Presidency. It was so spiritually moving. He testified to all of us that he wants some of us to read the same letter someday and that his purpose as a leader wasn't to train followers but to train more leaders. He told us that when he was set apart by Elder Hallstrom 3 years ago, the advice he gave him was to train his replacement. That's why I love President Andaya so much is because from day 1, he has been more concerned with how I am developing as a missionary and as a man than he has every been concerned with my numbers. Every training that he and Sister Andaya give revolve around us as missionaries becoming righteous fathers and mothers who will raise a righteous generation.

Wednesday morning we had MLC. Most of the focus was on solving the concerns of missionaries in our zones and becoming "quick to observe" I really liked it. It's something I can definitely improve on is reading body language of both members and investigators and then discerning their needs and acting. It's a very impressive leadership skill to me. I found the principle in the scriptures in Alma 18:8-9. Lamoni asks, where is the man with great power and the answer is, he is cleaning the stable stalls and preparing the chariots. Great leaders serve while mediocre leaders have others serve them. In the afternoon we went out to MacArthur Park to see what sections each zone would be cleaning. My zone kinda got shafted and we weren't even assigned to a single section so they kinda just grouped us in with another zone. Wednesday night we all went to Uncle Sams which is a filipino restaurant that sells expensive american food. They had real ice cream. It was a really fun night.

Thursday morning we all got up and headed to Fatima in our CSP clothes and then they shuttled us out to MacArthur Park. It was pretty hot and almost everyone got sunburned. So much fun though. Our zone didn't have supplies because they forgot about us but we still had a great time weeding and cleaning up garbage and stuff. We had 160+ missionaries cleaning up there and it looks a lot better now than it did. I'm hoping that we'll get to do it again when President Maurer arrives. After the CSP we went back and showered and got ready and had a mission devotional. Unfortunately I burned a hole in my pants with the iron. So bummed about that.... pun intended... The devotional was great. It was the last time most of the mission would see the Andayas. Luckily, we have zone interviews this wednesday so I will see them one more time. (or 2 if I transfer) After that we took the Night Bus all the way back up. We left at 7 and got home at 11:30... not my favorite ride.

Friday we did weekly planning. Then we went to visit the Nabong family and had an interesting discussion. Earl apparently had some really sore teeth. Bro. Nabong, having recently been ordained to the office of priest and being in possession of the Family Guidebook which contains instructions for priesthood ordinances, decided he would give it a try. He gave his son a blessing despite not having the Melchizedek Priesthood. Strangely enough, Earl was fine half an hour later because his tooth fell out. Brother Nabong has a lot of faith. We explained to him that he needs to have the Melchizedek Priesthood. He was humble enough and realized that he needs to prepare still and said he'd ask for help the next time someone in his family needed a blessing. Such a wonderful family.

Saturday morning we went to Gandara to do a baptismal interview. Elder Parsons conducted it while I prepared for my lesson on Sunday. As soon as we got home we went to the chapel for another baptism. That makes 4 weeks in a row now and there is another one this upcoming Saturday. Cian conducted the service and is actually really good at English. He worked with me during reactivation and told me he really wants to serve a mission right away as soon as he hits his year mark. I asked him about school and he said he would put it on hold like me and Elder Quinco. He studies, not just reads, the scriptures every day. He is enrolled for the mission prep class that starts next week. He is the most amazing recent convert ever.

Sunday was really good too. I love going to church and feeling uplifted. It's a relief that I don't have to work to make sure others feel the Spirit and that the members here are so great. Pres Salazar taught the investigator's class and I taught Elders' Quorum. My lesson was on the Gift of the Holy Ghost from the teaching of President Joseph Fielding Smith. One scripture I found was D+C 88:33. What's the point of Heavenly Father giving us a gift if we don't receive it? I tried to emphasize that we have to do things and put ourselves in the places that we will feel the Spirit everyday. I connected it with 3 Nephi 19:9 and 1 Nephi 13:37. Having the Spirit with you is the most desirable thing in the world and as we seek to bring forth Zion we will have it in our lives.

Thank you all for your prayers. I can feel them strengthening me. I love you all and I thank you for your love and support. I hope you have a wonderful Spirit filled week as you all try to bring forth Zion. Go preach the gospel!

Love you!

We own the Fourth!

It has been such a great week!

Well to start it off, I got pretty sick on Tuesday afternoon. Like feeling like I had a worm or something in my stomach so we didn't really get to work.

Wednesday morning I was feeling much better. We had this really cool opportunity to preach the gospel to a group of people. A few weeks ago we were eating lunch at Chow King and this foreigner sits down by us and starts talking to us. He is from Florida and his wife is from Calbayog. He owns a fiber optic factory here. We started trying to bring up the gospel and the restoration and he was mostly uninterested in hearing about it but by the end he gave his name and address for us to pass along to the missionaries in Florida and then he also said that we could go to his factory and teach all his workers there. It was such a cool experience! We showed up a little before 10 and set up a whiteboard and had a picture book and then at 10 it was the workers break time. ALL of them came and sat and listened to us. There were about 40 to 50 people there. We just taught like any other lesson. We opened with a hymn and prayer and began to teach about prophets and the apostasy and the restoration through Joseph Smith. Some people were in tears. We brought 15 copies of the Book of Mormon and they were all taken. 10 people gave their names, phone numbers, and addresses saying they wanted to be taught. A lot of pamphlets were also taken. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had on my mission! We're hoping we can get a baptism out of this. If not, at least we were able to plant a lot of seeds.

In the afternoon, Elder Parsons got a huge migraine so we weren't able to work. But I was able to read a lot of Jesus the Christ. This is my second time through on my mission and I love it! I'm about halfway done. This time around I am noticing the simplicity of the Savior's mission and the people's sheer doubt and unbelief and inability to comprehend what the Messiah's mission really was. He truly was the Son of God who came to save the world from their sins.

Other big news was the Nabong kids' baptism! It was such a great service! Saturday morning we had to go to Catbalogan to do a baptismal interview for the elders' investigator. I conducted the interview. Carlo is a really cool kid and is definitely ready for baptism.  He's going to get baptized next week. After the interview we went to Jollibee for lunch and I spilled chocolate shake and pineapple juice on myself. Really embarrassing but not a huge deal. We headed back up to Calbayog and I cleaned myself up then we went to the baptism. Bro Nabong gave the opening prayer and he was so happy. I baptized all 4 of the kids. Earl, Earwel, Earlyn, and Errol. On Sunday they were confirmed and Bro Nabong and Earl were ordained priests and Earwel was ordained to be a deacon. I'm so excited for them! School starts today (summer is over here) and Earl is enrolled in Seminary which is fantastic. He's come with us before to lessons and teaching appointments and he really has a desire to learn more about the gospel and serve a mission. Our next focus for their family is to get Bro and Sis Nabong a CENOMAR so that Sis Nabong can get baptized.

Our recent converts, Cian and Joy, both were interviewed to receive a calling. I'm so happy for both of them. Cian came and worked with me on member splits last Saturday. He is going to serve a mission next year once he hits his year mark. Another member in our branch Renz Amora finally got his mission call. His application was in the mission office when the typhoon hit. He's been very patient. He wasn't sure it was still coming and so when the APs told us Sunday night we called him Monday morning. He was on his way to enroll for school but couldn't find an important paper. He was so happy! He's going to work with us all this month because he reports on July 4. He's assigned to the Cavite mission.

We've visited all 3 families in our area that the branch council wants to get to the temple this December. All were very happy and want to go to the temple. We're going to start the missionary lessons with them in the coming weeks.

The work is going great! I'm not sure I want to leave but I get the feeling that I'm getting too comfortable in my circumstances here. The field is so white and ready to harvest here and the members are amazing. Regardless, I'm going to work my hardest until I transfer. We are entering the 4th quarter. I wish I had a picture to send to you of me holding up 4 fingers. I feel like I'm at the top of my game and still trying to overcome challenges and trials. Missionary work is the best thing in the world regardless of anything that happens. 

I love you all. I really appreciate your prayers and love and support. Keep fighting the good fight. It will never get easier until we get stronger. Share the gospel. Show forth good examples to the world. Let them know that you're a disciple of Jesus Christ. Go buy a personal copy of Preach My Gospel like Elder Ballard told you to. Come help roll this stone along.

I know God lives. I know He hears and answers my prayers. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know he atoned for my sins and that through His Atonement I can be cleansed and strengthened to overcome anything that comes my way. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. I know Thomas S Monson is our living prophet today and that he holds the keys of the priesthood. The Church is true.  Have a wonderful week! 

Love,

Elder McGuire