Week 27

Hello all you people.

Good busy week here in Dagupan. I AM GETTING FAT HERE, but I love it.

We had success here in Dagupan on Sunday with 12 of our Investigator that went to church in only our 2nd week here in an open area. I love it here. But I am also busy

So peace out

​Balog

 ​fun fact it is hot here

Week 26 - Dagupan Transfer

Elder Terry here and it has been a crazy awesome week here. It was transfer week here in the Urdaneta Mission and I have been transferred. I sadly had to leave my beautiful branch of Mabini and my companion Elder Barredo, but I also had the great opportunity to be transferred to the DAGUPAN 3A Ward with my new cool companion Elder Obias. Dagupan has said to be known as the "promise land" and after being here only since Tuesday, I see exactly why. This is one of the biggest Stakes and Wards in Pangasinan, with a sacrament attendance of 250+, and we have had dinner appointments every single day since we have been here and on Sunday we even had 2 dinners. People are literally throwing baptisms at us because we are actually opening this area up so we have a lot planned for this Ward.

I am so excited to be here and to work so hard here. I still love missionary work with all my heart and I can't wait to get a new start in my new area. I did not realize how hard the work was back in Mabini until I got here. because after being here for a couple days the work had progressed so much and now the baptisms next transfer will be every week. we have 100s of baptisms lined up in just 5 days.

Elder Obias is way hard working, enjoys the work, is funny and our personalities clicked right away and the people we teach see it too.

We sing in almost all our lessons and we've made so many people cry from the spirit. This area has been specifically prepared for us to just harvest (no need to plant at all). Literally the members see us working hard and my Tagalog is basically fluent now (mostly) and we work well together so they just work with us and we go and teach them and they go to church and read and I just love it.

This area is awesome and I will get fat here. We already have dinner lined up all week.

Dagupan is a huge city and we went bowling today and investigators and it is basically America in the mall but everyone speaks Tagalog.

Here are just a few of the pics of what is happening in my life.

Me right before leaving Mabini, we made a Giant baptism wall to keep track of all our upcoming baptisms and to stay Motivated and Happy.

 This is my new companion ELDER OBIAS in our new open area Dagupan 3A

Nanay Gipa (cool grandma), Elder Hamilton (tallest missionary in the field), Elder Obias (my Companion), Elder Sills (first day on the field), and Choo Chai (DOG)

Teach every creature

Great week here in Dagupan

Till next week Elder TERRY

Week 24 & 25

Hello, sorry I did not write this week. I woke up Monday morning to Elder Barredo who was super sick with the flu and was not even able to stand up without shaking because he was so weak. So all of Monday and Tuesday Sister Deyro told us to rest and take a break which sounds nice, but after 2 full days it felt like I was trapped in jail and I just wanted to go out and work, which doesn't sound like me at all. So that's why I was not able to write. Some people ask if I have the opportunity to give blessings to sick people here. The answer is yes yes yes. I am actually out of oil because I have given so many blessings and it truly is a blessing from God to be able to use this priesthood power in my life to serve others and heal and comfort them. Other than that the week was pretty normal. So here are some pics.

The Cagawan Fam (aka future baptisms)

This is how they dry the rice in the Philippines

​​If you look closely you can see a wild animal in the bush

This weeks email

I of course started this week just cleaning the house and studying and I even had a little free time to take a nap because Elder Barredo was sick. This week was Interesting with trials left and right. People would cancel lessons and promise to read, pray or go to church but most would not follow. Sometimes agency makes me sad, haha. One day we were way far out in the middle of nowhere teaching a lesson and it started pouring and we had to walk back so it just kind of sucked and got wet, but a little bit through the walk I slipped on mud and literally just sat on a big chunk of mud. There was nowhere to wash it off except in dirty mud puddles so I sat there and tried to wash it off and it just kind of smeared around. We were way far out and the day had just begun so we just kept teaching. The kids we saw got a good kick out of the big brown stain on my butt. I have really learned to not think about myself and really just serve and help other random people I barely now. I have never been happier. I might just stay out here until they day I die.

Transfers are coming up, but so far it looks like I will be staying here with Elder Barredo, but not 100% sure yet

Companionship goals

​I slipped. It might of had some cow leftovers in it ( after I already got most off )

We teach everyone we see

I just laughed through the whole thing​

​Good week here

Love Elder Terry

Week 23

The Philippines is Kewl

I am happy for the growth here in the Philippines it's THE BEST

ANNOUNCEMENT

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Five and a half decades after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was legally registered in the Philippines, Elder Neil L. Andersen created the church's 100th stake in the country on Sunday.

To a capacity congregation gathered in the Kia Theater in metro Manila, Elder Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke of the historic milestone for the Philippines — the first nation outside of the Western Hemisphere to experience this level of LDS growth.

Why among all the nations of the earth “has the Savior set his feet so firmly here in the Philippines?” he asked. “It is because of who you are.”

Elder Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, praised the Filipino church members for their gentleness, humility, education, optimism and belief in Jesus Christ.

YEAH

It's great to be apart of the growth and the Urdaneta mission holds now the 101 stake here in the Philippines. The work here is great.

Dinner

​It's time

​IDK

 My only friend

Elder Terry loves you all...till next week if the power doesn't go out

Week 22

kumusta po lahat

I am super happy again for this opportunity to email this preparation day. This week has been pretty normal compared to the rest here, so it was crazy, as normal. For everyone out there just know that I love it here and I have fun experiences. It is now September here in the Philippines and here they actually start celebrating Christmas right now literally just because they love it so much. Stars are up everywhere and Frosty The Snowman Radiates through all the malls and homes, and I think it's great, but I am pretty sure I will get sick of it by Halloween...lol. This week we found a blind old man walking in the middle of the street who was completely lost walking in the wrong direction so we guided him to safety so that was cool. We had about 25 invitations to baptisms this week so I am praying for many baptisms to be coming in the near future.

It's a 30 min drive to the nearest Mac Dol, but it's worth it for sure

Elder Barredo getting ready to head out and save the world

The kids thought it would be funny to draw eyebrows on all the dogs and I thought so too.

The Alaminos zone leaders

​​Love,

Elder Terry

Week 21 - Miracles Everywhere

The Purpose of B.A.T.C.H. using love

Since the day I showed up in Mabini Area Alaminos Zone my companions and I have been praying, fasting, and working day after day, trial after trial and seeing the small bits of success every day always made it worth it, but the prayers have truly been answered and miracles are taking place here. We have been focusing on Less Actives like crazy and working with members left and right and getting them motivated for missionary work, and this week was Branch Conference so we saw this as a great opportunity to get ALL the members to use B.A.T.C.H. (Bring A friend To CHurch)-the genius of President Deyro.

Our average Sacrament Attendance for the past 10 years has been 40 to 50 people, 2-3 ISM's, but this week we hit a record of 85 people in attendance and a total of 15 investigators with 6 different FULL families investigating the church. Before my mission I would never even think that this would be a reason to rejoice, but after working here month after month and seeing our tiny little church building become completely filled with children sitting on laps and fully grown men sitting on the floor with the lack of space and chairs available truly brought tears to my eyes. The biggest thing I learned from this experience is to just LOVE you ward, branch, or even your tiny little meeting house like your own family and use them to their full ability because they are one of the most powerful tools you have.

I love being a missionary more than I ever thought I would, or can even describe and I will work my self to death if I have to to build the kingdom of God because seeing families and friends come together is worth every single bit of it all.

beautiful view outside a members house

 My district at district meeting

 Elder Barredo and a crazy kid

That is all for this week thank you all for all the love and support and emails.​​

Love Elder Terry

Week 20

HELLO PO

It's been a nice fun week. Everyone is worrying about transfers and meetings and Elder Barredo and I are staying together again in Mabini so it was a successful week just focusing on our work. Sacrament attendance is slowly rising and Investigators are progressing and tons of less actives are coming back. The key to missionary work for me is just working your butt off and enjoying it while you work and just always pretend like you know what you are doing even if you are completely lost(which is always). We have been exploring new areas in our zone so it's been way cool, and It's been raining a ton, but it has also been way hot at the same time.

We also got 2 brand new missionaries in our district and it was low key nice seeing them be scared and freaked out just like I was. I forgot how much the Tagalog has progressed and how I am getting the hang of things. I pray everyday to be successful and have the gift of tongues to help as many people as I can. Other than that just normal things happened this week like face planting in mud, getting yelled at by random strangers, and crying myself to bed haha. (I actually haven't cried on my mission at all lol but I did face plant in mud and I got back up and kept working lol. It made a good story for the people I taught later in the day as I smiled through it all.)

So yeah...Some pics

Having fun exploring new areas

My only friend

 IDK

 Elder Carpina and I chillin on splits as people buy us food

Love Elder Terry