Monday, March 24, 2014

Week 53 - Everything is awesome!

Week 53
03/23/14

This is the family that is teaching me how to cook, and feeds us often


So this week was pretty awesome week.  We really got to work. We had a lot of lessons this week and because of it we were able to get some people to come to church so we were really excited about that. The highlight of the week was having this little party that we the missionaries set up at the church. We invited everyone, a lot of members came and some of our investigators that we are teaching also came. We had a little spiritual message and at the end we played some games it really fun. On a side note, they make this noodle here called pancit bato and while writing this I had to run to the bathroom to do some business so i dont know if they put a worm in it but its literally been killing me for the past 2 days. Hmmm? TMI? Anyways back to my awesome week. So on Tuesday  we found a less active while an investigator blew us off which turned out great because the less active came to our party and she also came to church woo hoo! and we got a investigator who asked if she could be baptized and become a member sooo "wow okay,,,yes!" haha. So we'll add that to one of the things to do for this April. We also taught the another investigators of ours and so far their baptisms are for April 5 so holy cow I'm super happy for all the things that happened this week. This week our lessons taught was our highest. in the district. We were able to teach one lady who hasn't been to church in a while a great lesson,  we focused on families and after that we saw her at the party on Saturday. Progress!

After our party outside the church building

So guess what I killed another giant spider yucks..... i just drowned it in poison... now this might freak you guys out we got attacked this week by mice. Eww!  We had to bring out the big guns, so  we got a pretty heavy piece of metal and then me and Elder Losaki brained them..... thats kind of graphic but yeah, thats our living conditions, sorry. But funny thing  I found out Elder Teiatwanas fear, hahaha I never heard a grown man scream that loud.. I have no room to talk about that thought.... the big spiders suck. 



YUCKS



We have had a lot of dinner and food appointments this week and my stomach has been killing me because of it, but its okay because  its  been super fun.  This week I made some pretty delicious pork steak.... the secret is coconut milk. We also had a birthday party for a member, we bought her some candy for her birthday and that was great because we found out it was the only thing she got. So that made us feel pretty good that we remembered. ahh this was what I wanted to say.... so I am not transferred but I am going to train a new missionary again... woah what the heck I'm a tatay ulit. So yeah I'll tell you how that goes this week. Mamaya (tomorrow) we have another food appointment. Some thing else  that happened this week is  that we found a cat nest in Elder Teitawanas closet... but  the good thing is the mom found a better place for them so we didn't have to move them..... and yes this morning the fire alarm went off I thought it was the fire department telling us that there is flooding but nope I must have been half awake for that one. But yeah that's about it for this week. Shout out time I just want to say happy birthday to Adriana. She says shes wiser now so find her and ask her really hard questions for me. Well thats it for this update I hope everyone has a great week. I love you and I'll update next week. 

Elder Llorens uragon

Monday, March 17, 2014

Week 52

Week 52
t




So this week has been one of the best weeks for me in the mission. I got
to go on exchanges with my good friend and aki ko Elder Relf on
Tuesday and I got to cook Bicol express for us on Tuesday night..look

it up. It is a stew made from long chilies, coconut milk, shrimp paste or stockfish, onion, pork, and garlic.) 


On Wednesday I got to go on exchanges again with Elder Villamore he's one of my Filipino friends in my batch that came to the mission with me and that was a blast got to hang out and actually have a Filipino companion! My last Filipino companion was Elder Parohinog and that was last year this time. Crazy to think that next week he gets to go home and he's finished with his mission. I am going to really miss that guy and all that he taught me. On Thursday I gave a workshop for our district meeting. Then on Friday we did some planning for our
upcoming week and we were just out teaching some people and right before we were about to teach some people a really old small grandma came up to me trying to basically argue with me and stuff... quite funny but a little sad. As soon as I was going to explain our selves and what we were doing she just walked away with her little posse'. Basically at the time we were teaching some of her former members in her congregation and she got a little mad and came after us for it. She just wanted us to leave and never come back. She ended up embarrassing a lot of people because she did that and I had some people come up to me and apologize. I just said sorry you have to deal with that, and that made the situation better. But later that night went we went to a members house and learned how to make pork steak wooo! I can't wait to cook for people when I come home its going to be great.hahaha. Then we had  a little Baguio (storm) that night and it was horrible is walking home in it, but saw lots of frogs. Saturday morning we found a less active and taught them and I got a haircut afterwards. Then we went out going to a far area walking and while
we were walking a dude said he wanted to talk so we were like okie dokie we'll talk.....found out we was drunker than a sailor and we said we  will come back later but he kept telling us he loved us and stuff… a little too much love for me! So we will  head back at a later time and hopefully catch him when he's sober the thing is we talked to him at like 2 in the afternoon…. but we will keep our fingers crossed. Its been raining on and off.  Sunday we just taught the usual people but then went out to a far area and we took a tricy. We were able to teach one less active and then right before we were about to leave we were talking to a man on a bike who before was taught by the Elders but the Elders forgot to go back. He had a few questions about the church and so we were gald to answer them and he is more interested to listen and so we will be going to teach him hopefully Wednesday morning. So because we spent an hour talking and answering his questions no more tricys..night time. So for our walk back home I had to buy a phone load because we were out so we bought some load and talked to the lady's who we bought it from and they were quite impressed with us and how nice we were. and they said they would like to feed us sometime. So there's your lesson for being nice. Than a drunk dude came up to us with another drunk dude and told us that his family is members in Utah and said he loved us as well. So love is good! But the lesson to be learned, always be a good example because there is always someone watching. Okay so that's my peace for the week.. I'm  thankful for everyone that does amazing things for my family and for me. Shout out to  Pj who just came home from his mission and also Josh Chang you guys are cool! hahaha sigeiyen lang para sa ngayon. sana ang darating linggo ngayon ay astig. salamat sa indo ulit. ingat!


Elder Llorens

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Week 51

Week 51
3/10/14



So this has been sort of a rough week for me. At the beginning it was really good. We had a lot of lessons and even a baptismal invitation. I went on exchanges with some Elders to help them out.  We accomplished a lot of work ,but it kind of just got a little rough. My companion got a sick ,so our work slowed down the last couple of days. But I am coming to understand more about honor.  I got a really good letter from my father about Senator McCain when he was serving in the military and when he became a prisoner of war. He talked a lot about having an honor code. Basically for officers in the military they are expected to be a good example to others and to always be doing the right thing. I can relate to it as being a missionary. It gets rough at times for sure. Always being a good example, but its more worth it when you are the example and you see others recognizing it. So being a missionary has changed my whole life. I would like to think of myself as a meatball still, but I have to admit that I have matured really fast in just a little over a year. Its hard but its   shaping my whole life. At times I will fall and that's just a part of growing and life. But I was talking to a really good friend the other day and I remembered this quote, " arise and rise again, until lambs become lions" when ever we fall we can't quit, we have to  just keep going on. The days may seem dark and lonesome but then I remember that I have a Savior who watches and protects me and I have a loving Heavenly Father who is always willing to help and forgive me. That's a lot of love, it reminds me of how good and precious life is. No matter how bad and dark life may get, there is always a light that will break the dawn, something to look forward to.  I am grateful again to be here and serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am grateful for all the trials in my life because they will help me pick myself up and to press forward, on  straight path. I have seen so many miracles from being here that its impossible to deny that God lives and Loves us and that's the truth. I know that life is the playing field and I have to make most of what I have and I intend to. I am also grateful for all the family and friends that give me help especially when I don't think I  need it. You are a blessing. Thank you again and I hope you all have a great and amazing week.
Elder Llorens

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Week 50

Week 50
03/03/14


Dear Family and Friends sorry about no letter last week on top of internet problems we unfortunately found out that my companions mother passed away. We went to our head quarters in Naga city so I was busy in my district leader role. So this week has been kind of rough coping with the loss and stuff. But now we are starting to get better and he's doing great. I'm super proud to be his companion and to be serving with him at this time in his life and to help him. But this week has been good. On Wednesday we were able to go to our far area and to start looking for less actives and to teach them. So we got 2 lesson from less actives who haven't been to church in like 10 years thats a pretty good accomplishment. Funny thing too, Elder Teitawana ripped his pants. So at the house we were at there are no chairs and they just sit on logs or big boulders and he went to pick up a boulder and his pants just ripped all the way down the middle. Then we were walking home because after 6:30 there is no more tricy services so on the way home we ran into a member and he told us to come to his house and eat some dinner so that was a blessing! We got to watch some Prince of Persia it was weird to watch or hear American people talking, usually its Tagalog or Bicol that I don't completely understand. The next day we went to an even farther area and basically got no lessons and there is no tricey service there so its walking all the way and walking all the way back. But earlier we had a good district meeting.  
We did teach a former investigator and she is still really interested in the teaching so we got a return appointment later in the week to go back to her. Its sort of difficult because she wants to listen but her husband doesn't really want to. After that we went to a really nice area to teach a recent convert, beautiful area and nice people and for the first time I saw something that sort of looks like a horse, but really looks like a mule. Not sure what it was. LOL Later on on Friday night we went and had a dinner appointment at the Padernal house and just hung out. Later  this week they are going to teach me how to make Filipino port steak so I'm a little excited. We ended up going  back to the far area and taught a less active family a great lesson. Everyone really felt the spirit testify to them, and its was the sons 18th birthday the next day and what do you know the son ends up going to church! Estig!! So I was really excited about that. Church was great, we taught a new investigator that a member brought to church so we received a new investigator and later on last night we gave a baptismal invitation to a boy for March 29 so I am excited about that.  This week has been good even though it got off to a rough start. It just goes to show that obedience to the Lord pays off! It's really freaking hot now and humid so its officially summer. Last night we also had a dinner appointment and that was fun. I also talked to a recent returned missionary who served in Quezon city north we were talking about mission experiences and I found out he knows some of my friends serving there so it was funny talking about them. But I am really missing home, but I am continuing to enjoy my mission experience here in the Philippines. only got 10 more months left and I am going to make the most of it. Thank you for all the letters that you continue to send to me I love you all. Sorry no pictures the computer I am using won't send them..I will try again next time.

Salamat ulit
Elder Llorens