Week 34

I am not dead

I am very happy

I grow everyday

I strive to be obedient

I understand the will of the Lord

I love you all

I have no free time

I forgot my camera

I am not dead

Week 33

Hello everybody I got a Hairs Cut

Another successful week here with hard work and cool stories, but nothing really special happened this week. Life here is now officially the norm and Tagalog language is not really a problem while teaching and the culture makes more sense now than American culture. So it is cool to see the progress in myself through Christ-like attributes.

Christmas is coming up which means lots of activities and ideas and singing coming up. So I am pretty excited especially with skyping family and friends coming up because I do not forget any of you and I of course miss you all and appreciate the love and support you all give so much.

Here we had to postpone 3 upcoming baptism for Veronica, Cherry May, and Melanie to ensure that they truly had a testimony and followed all the commandments for them too endure to the end. Sad to postpone but in the end I know it will help out the situations in their lives. So great seeing my new friends(investigators) change their lives and for the opportunity for me to help guide them into the best and happiest path for them is quite fantastic.

Sad News
Earlier today I found out that my first Baptism, Tatay Edgar Radam, back in Mabini had just passed away at age 50 and it really made me sad at first, because I was planning on visiting him after my mission to follow up on his life, but luckily we believe in the Plan of Salvation, the plan for families life after earth and I know he is happily where he needs to be now. A very difficult situation can always be shown the happy side through the gospel. Keep his whole family in your prayers for them all to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

and of course some pics

tagalaba

My set up

Eating at Chow King

My new family lol

ILY Elder Terry

Week 32

What's Up Po

Good to have this opportunity to email you all to keep you updated on everything, and I am also truly thankful for the emails and support you give to me in the hard time and great times. It never goes unnoticed.

It was a good week here in Dagupan with everyone worrying about transfer week and with us not having to worry about any transfers in our areas it really helped us focus on the work. We had a total of 41 new investigators with over 50 lessons throughout the week and led to us having 7 of our investigators going to church and they got to see the primary program. Because of the primary program we hit a record high Sacrament Attendance of 294 in the ward. I was so happy to see the work here progressing bit by bit and I now truly understand that the work here is actually not about numbers. Success, as it says in the Preach My Gospel, that, "Your success is measured primarily by your commitment to FIND, TEACH, BAPTIZE, and CONFIRM". Even though we can be perfectly obedient in doing everything right, sometimes God has another plan for us and these past couple of weeks have helped me understand to be patient and understanding to the will of the Lord.

Here in the mission I have read the Book of Mormon (BOM) every single day since Day 1 whether in Tagalog or in English and to this day I get the same feeling of confirmation through the Holy Ghost that the Book Of Mormon is true. This book is what gives me the answers and motivation in everything that I do and if you have not read the BOM yet or have stopped, I highly, HIGHLY suggest getting it started up again.....It's pretty good if I do say so myself, but I will let the book speak for itself.

Some pics

​Our Baptism, Manalyn Obniala, and all her supporters. She is way smart and awesome and I know one day through her, her whole family will be baptized and follow her great Example.

None of our kabahay's are transferring till after Christmas so sick

BOIIIIII

Perfection of a picture

​Love you all and Love it here

Elder Terry

Week 31 - All Saints Day

Como estas hows life going on back in the states

Ang buhay ko dito sa Dagupan ay maganda at masaya talaga.

This week on November first was a special Holiday here called "All Saints Day" where the people here all visit the cemeteries to remembered their lost family members and OF COURSE us as missionaries saw this as an opportunity to teach the Plan of Salvation and find new investigators. I was a bit hesitant at first about offending people here or something, but when we showed up I saw something I wasn't expecting. Everyone was basically having a fiesta and there were stores all around selling candles and flowers and tons of horns and bells and kids running and jumping around the graves like it didn't matter at all. The cemetery was right by the beach and a GIANT mound of trash. I kind of just looked around and said let's just work. In just 3 hours we taught like 7 lessons and found 20 new investigators and the families we taught were in large groups just gathering around us because they were bored just sitting around and they wanted to listen to the two gwapo Mormons. So pretty successful.

Other than that we have been having success here with a baptism this last Saturday and another next week and than another interview for baptism next next week. So pretty astig.

Some pics peeps

The back of the cemetery

​If we get punted we teach the goats

Short story about Ralph.
He is a crazy kid who is really smart, but has a short attention span so sometimes it's pretty hard to teach him, but finally we taught him all the lessons and it was time for him to be baptized. It actually took him 3 tries to be baptized correctly. The first time he went to be baptized after the prayer he proceeded to throw himself backwards without plugging his nose and then he got right back up while spitting out water and almost throwing up. This didn't stop his desire to be baptized because we then told him to to crouch as he was being put under and so during the whole prayer he stayed crouching so low that the water was up to his chin and EVEN after that his hand was still sticking out of the water again. Luckily the 3rd time was correct and successful but that was awesome to witness. I still laugh about the to this day and I wish it was recorded for you all to see

​I saw a movie about this once

Thank you all Ingat

Week 30

Kumusta po kayo lahat

Nagpapasalamat ako sa pakakataon na magemail sa inyo. Before I begin I just want you to know that the Philippines is lit no doubt about it and I learn something new everyday. My Tagalog is definitely less of a burden on me so I am now learning more deep Tagalog words and even trying to learn some Pangalatok which is a very common dialect in Pangasinan. But again as always this week has been filled with ups ad downs and because it is GRATITUDE WEEK here I will only talk positive.

I will start with a story with one of our investigators Manalyn a 14 year old girl who is way smart and had a problem. She was taught by the missionaries in the past enjoys having us over has prayed to know if this church was true, BUT never received an answer. So we decided to text her every single day to remind her to read the Book of Mormon and pray about the truthfulness of the restoration. After 2 weeks of her saying she wasn't sure if this church was true One Day she finally said that she had received answer through Faith, time, reading, and praying. These moments may seem like not much to some people reading this, but it is the moments like this that makes being tired everyday worth it and walking 15 kilometers everyday seem not so bad, because you grow so close with your investigators and know we set her baptism date for 2 weeks from now and she is more than ready to be fully active and activate her whole family too.

I sadly keep forgetting to take pictures because everything here seems normal, but here are just some of the ones I took this week.

These are the utensils I use in Dagupan because we get fed so much here

Chicken Intestines are thrown away in America, but here they are put on a BBQ

Ralph our baptism this Saturday

I read the BOM in Tagalog

Sige po ito lang

Salamat sa horas nyo at ingat po kayo

Week 29

Hello. Po sa inyo lahat. Sorry for my last couple of emails because my P-Days have been full and busy and a little stressful running around trying to do everything, but now I am here and will respond to your emails and try to write as much as I can describe about the past couple of weeks.

Dagupan has been great to me because we continue to have lots of support from the members from food and them working with us and words of encouragement. FUN FACT - If you actually look at a overview map of Dagupan it is actually just water and fish ponds everywhere with lands houses and roads just kind of built on top of it all.. There are floods constantly on the paths and it's so common to the people here it doesn't even bother them. Also as winter comes closer the weather has gotten way more tolerable, but stormy season is coming closer upon us so I am hoping that will not become a problem to us here.

To be honest this past couple of weeks have had some crazy ups and downs. We have been trying our best to be perfectly obedient and working our butt off, especially in trying to find new investigators.We have found soooooo many people to teach and it has been a humbling great experience. These people are so accepting and loving to us here that everyday we finish the day with over 10-15 full lessons. They love our happy attitude and the true message of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we have for them. We taught one Family, the Fabinas family that just moved in the area and we taught them about the Book of Mormon and we then came back to follow up if they read and they all read together thru chapter 2 and some even already to chapter 6. So happy to see people progress.

But sometimes our investigators just choose not to keep the commitments we are leaving with them especially with going to church. It's sad because they have these concerns, promblems, and challenges in their lives and this message we have is THE BEST way for them to grow repent and become like Christ. I do not have the desire to drop any of the people we are teaching, but there are also more people out there that are ready right now for us. As you return to the people again and again you truly gain a love and desire for them to be happy so we are planning on giving them all another chance to change and the only way for that is the TOOLS OF THE LORD. yes we are all just tools in the LORDs ministry and it took me a while to learn that and figure it out.

Of course sometimes I miss home and want to sleep in, but it's not about me at all. Sure I am growing and learning everyday through these experiences, but I am only here to invite OTHERS to come unto Christ. I love my mission and I am OK and safe MOM, I love the people, and the food, and I love my mission 2 X's. I keep forgetting to take pics so this doesn't really capture much but here you go anyway.

Cool story about my work here.
Tagalog is not as much as a concern as it used to be so my true personality and talents and happiness is coming out. Elder Sills, Hamilton, and Obias and I all get along very well and we love to be be obedient. The members are taking notice to. they are saying things like, "we feel the spirit strong with you guys",  "are you guys actually related" , and they are always willing to help out. We seriously have dinner appointments every single day with the members. It's a good life here.

It rained the whole day and flooded everywhere, but Elder Obias and I don't care we worked.

​I don't know how to basketball

I am surrounded by bugs and water you just can't see

Our baptism next week, Ralph, who just turned 9 and is crazy

LOVE ELDER TERRY

Week 28

Hello sorry again for the late email. I am just here to let you know that I am safe and I did not die.
The missionary portal was down all day so I am here now. ur welcome. Last week the internet went down and I spent 2 hours of my pday just trying to fix it.

Little update we watched general conference last week and it was honestly 10 times better because I have so much more of a purpose and a reason to take notes and listen to the apostles and prophets. Pday's are full of adventures and are slowly taking up my whole day and it is starting to take away all my time for email. I promise next week we be way nicer.

At stake center watching General Conference

 Companion

 New area has lots of water