15 November 2010

Chaaaahooo!

Hello Family!
Yeah, I'll try to take more pictures, sorry I'm kind of bad at that. I'm no photographer okay!? So I guess I'll start with most recent, transfer announcement was today. And I get to... Stay in Roxas!! I'm excited, but I do get a new companion, a follow-up trainer. So this transfer 2 people from my apartment are leaving. So transfer day is on Friday, so I'll let you know next week who is the lucky man who gets to teach me next.

So this week was really good actually. We have been working a lot with less active people in our ward, and it's turned out really good. Last week we met this guy named Hamil, who is a really nice guy. He works as Tie-Quan-Do (yeah I can't spell) teacher. His dad used to be a member (who we talked to too). His dad was actually stake president. He joined a different church because he said he didn't feel he had enough opportunities to worship God in our church. He said like at church he would just want to shout out like "Hallelujah!" but he said since he couldn't, he left the church and joined a different church where they like dance around to worship God. It was interesting. I tried sharing about service both in Matthew and in Mosiah and how serving our fellow beings is the best way to serve God, and the church gives you plenty of opportunities to do that. Anyway, he still didn't come to church, he married someone in the other church, so that makes it hard. It was funny because we were talking to them about how everybody here calls out to me "Hey Joe!" and they told me it's because it's a common american name. (which I figured) but I told them I have met a lot of people here in Roxas with the name Joe. Then the wife said, well, my name is Josephine, but I just go by Joe. So I just said, "oh, HEY JOE!" Well, they thought it was pretty funny, especially Hamil. Anyway, Hamil came to church and when we asked him about it he told us, "It's good to be home." So that was sweet. He also invited us to come on a P-day to his gym because he wants us not to get beat up and he'll teach us for free. That's sweet!

Another less-active we had visited a couple times in the past has come to church the past week. Actually, it wasn't really because of us missionaries he came, not really our invitations. He came right after some SAs invited him to a conference in Kalibo, and he's come to church the past two weeks. So, you all, as members, can really do your part! Go help the missionaries! Anyways, after he came to church we went to his house and checked up on him. He asked us for more reading materials in the Book of Mormon and he wanted to study by topic, so we left him with a bunch of pamplets and he seemed really excited about his studies. Then we tried to ask for a referral from him (which is something we don't receive to much:referrals). But he gave us a referral, an entire family. He worked with the father. And he didn't just tell us where the family was, he drove us there right then on his motorcycle and taught the first lesson with us. It was sweet! Then yesterday on Sunday, he brought 2 friends with him to church. One of them Elder Tiamzon and I had actually talked to before. Which was really cool! So members are really powerful. So do your part as members! Fellowship someone! If we had more fellowshippers, well, it would be better. Right? Every convert needs a friend, responsibility, and nurturing of the word of God! So anyway, good things happen.

So anyway, on Thursday we got to go on splits with the ward missionary, Bro. Toto, and the WML, Bro. Bermi. I went with Bro. Toto and we visited this sister we had been visiting the entire time I've been here. She always reads what we give her but she never goes to church. We've invited her to be baptized and she always says she wants to know more about our church first. (Which makes sense, but if she knows its true, she should be baptized right? You don't have to know everything to be baptized! That's hard for me to explain though, so if you have ideas, if that makes sense.) Anyway, we taught her a lesson with Bro. Toto and it was really good. A hard thing is sometimes she controls the lesson with her questions and we get off topic. One time when I was first here and couldn't understand anything Elder Tiamzon taught a two hour lesson with her. Anyway, I could tell Bro. Toto if a really good missionary and always focuses on our purpose and even though he listened to her concerns he kept control of the lesson. It was a cool lesson about like the atonement, and love of God, and then church too. And she ended up going to church for the first time this sunday. And she's been an investigator for like at least 16 weeks. Then Bro. Toto and I also taught this other less active Brother we've been visiting. He hasn't gone to church in like a couple of years. And we've invited him every week. Anyway, we reviewed with him the Restoration of the Gospel and the Book of Mormon and talked about church and he came too! It was amazing! a miracle! or something right? Bishop commented to us, wow, there's a lot of investigators at church! I'm not sure what we did different as missionaries too much this week. But like I did see the huge difference in the members participation. It's amazing, wow.

Anyway, on Friday, we went on exchanges for the transfer. I worked with Elder Reyes. He's a pretty cool guy and loves to laugh. He's been in the mission 22 months now and is 28 years old now. That surprised me to learn. He's the one staying next transfer, Elder Bosotros, his companion is leaving. But Elder Reyes has been in 10 areas now. And has had a lot of companions. I'm still in my first area and I'll be here at least till my 6 month mark :D. Anyway, Elder Reyes told me before his mission he didn't go to college or have a job, he just hung out all day every day for 13 years. crazy crazy gid. I was wondering how he ate. Anyway, we worked in my area for the exchanges. He didn't really talk to much and I had to lead all the conversations we had into a lesson and lead all the lessons, then he offered testimony at the end. It was probably his secret way of training me because Elder Tiamzon doesn't let me talk to much during the lessons. But with Elder Reyes, I had to like lead all the lessons and talk to people before, so it was fun. He was kind of weird though, like once I was talking to this member of our ward and then I heard this thunk and "meow!" Elder Reyes then said, "I hate cats!" The way he said it was funny. He had just thrown a coconut at a cat, don't worry you cat-lovers, (I don't know if any of you love cats, I don't really like them) he didn't hit it. Though he told me about how he saw these two dogs murder a cat, which explains why there was a dead cat outside our house the other week. Sorry, this is grody, I'll talk about the spiritual stuff. So it was a good experience with him, just because I again realized I can do more than I have opportunity too.

So that night with Elder Reyes, we taught this family we had been teaching for a while. They haven't really been keeping their commitments, but we've tried focusing on them because they are a complete family. Anyway, I met with him with Elder Reyes, and talked to him for a while. He had read what we left him which was good. (Alma 34 if your curious.) Then he had a TV so we showed him a DVD called Our Father's Plan. It was good and then after we talked to them and asked if they believed God had a plan for them and they said yes. So we talked about through the restored gospel we have a knowledge of the plan and it's important we know it and follow it and we try our best to figure that plan out. I asked them some questions about that to get them thinking and find out what they were thinking then we talked about knowing if this plan is God's plan, and if this church is God's church. We talked about reading and prayer and churching. I asked them to go to church and then seemed really willing. I asked, so if it really is that important to know God's plan for us, will you go to church....? Then they said, we do want to know if it's true, but on sunday it's sisters birthday. Plus there is a live fight of Manny Pacquaio! Anyway, they committed next week which was sad because it seemed like they understood it was important, but not more important than people punching each other. :( Anyway, I hope they go next week.

Anyway, that's really all that happened. But speaking of that boxer, at church that sunday someone at church called me Elder Pacman. They told me I looked like Pacman. I thought they were talking about the yellow circle that likes to eat dots and be chased by ghosts. But Pacman is Pacquaio's nickname. It seems I should have known that because he's famous or something, oh well. Plus I'd rather be told I look like a famous boxer than a yellow circle.

So, family ko, I think you are all very gwapo. And you can tell your friends that you are gwapo too. Not because you are suplado, but because your missionary has very high standards of his family-when it comes to your physical appearance.'

Love ya'll!
Elder Burton



I'll start though with the excuse of the week. Every week people seem to have a excuse for why they can't keep their commitments! This week, it was Manny Pacquiao, who is like a champion boxer if you didn't know. He had a fight this Sunday, live or something.