Week 7  4/29/13

Pamplona district where I used to be is now a zone and Where I live now is a district.  My companion is now the district leader here in Spicot so our job is basically to hold the fort down.  It's just us and 2 other Elders.  So if something happens help is like 1 hour away.  so I have bought some black market guns to protect us, just in case there is a revolt and they come after the 1 american missionary here, don't worry I'll be safe. Ha ha! I have been practicing the piano when ever we go to the church, it gives me something to focus on.  On a cool note, the other companionship in my district just got a new Elder, Elder Jacobson, he is from the Bay area, he sounds like Arnold Swartzenagers "John Conner", he reminds me of myself when I first got here. Last night we played a joke on him, he went to bed early and we made dinner and to wake him up we started making scary sounds, it was so funny he was just sleeping and woke up startled.  We could see him but her couldn't see us sooo funny, he still doesn't know it was us, we just said look out for the "aswong", that means monster in Tagalog!

So I feel much better about the language, I have adjusted my ear to their language, it takes a month or so that and so the next part for me is just continuing to memorize words and to keep talking to people. Before it was super hard to talk, not so much now.

I forgot my journal today so its hard to remember everything.  We participated in Mormon helping hands this week, that was cool! It seems like every time we teach someone, we get a new investigator from them.  We got like 5 new investigators this week.  so the teaching is good.  We have a young man that wants to serve a mission, he really reminds me of myself.  He wanted to go into the Filipino military but he basically supports himself and his family.  His mom doesn't want him to go on a mission (not like me) and he has asked us for help.  We have yet to teach the whole family but our plan is to teach a lesson on sacrifice and the first thing that came to mind was the John Tanner story.  There was a man back in the 1800's that was really wealthy and he had an infection in his leg and wanted to do all the good he could do.  His intent was to expose all the Mormons as imposter's.  so one night he attended one of the lessons that they were teaching and that night he met with them and became intrigued and started to take more lessons.  then one night he said he believed in everything that they were teaching him.  They asked him to be baptized but he couldn't because of the infection in his leg.  Then a miracle happened they blessed him saying if you have faith you will be healed then they told him to stand and the infection was gone.  They baptized him that same night and he walked away using the leg he hadn't been able to use for 6 months.  The church at first had alot of finacial problems and he decided to pay all the debts and just had a not written for Joseph Smith to pay him back when he could.  his may was broke because he gave all his money to the church, even his family turned against him. This man choose to go on a mission and right before he left on his mission he talked with Joseph Smith and gave him back the IOU.  Joseph Smith replied and said that he is eternally grateful for the sacrifice that John Tanner has made for the church and that he is in his debt and then asked what he should do with the note, if he wanted to give it to the sherriff or a police officer.  What John Tanner did next had pierced my heart, he took the note and tore it up and said, "the only debt is the debt of gratitude and that is mine." He gave everything to the church and he died 6 years later, still strong in the faith.  They estimated that he gave almost 300 million.  We need to have that sense of sacrafice every day to the ones we love and to God and if we do I know that God will be eternally grateful.  We need to give our all each and everyday. This is the lesson that we are going to share to our friends mother and I know that because of the sacrifice, our families will be blessed.  I am eternally grateful for my family and for the friends that have always been there for me. Thank you for the birthday package, it made my day.  It made me miss home and all of your faces.  I love reading your cards and e-mails, it keeps me motivated.

All is well here, I have a great week coming up, I get to go to Pampolna and have another sleep over while attending a zone conference.

Brian Sutherland you are the man!! The heads are the best thing I have ever seen in my life and I am going to find some bamboo for them.  Trevor I did meet up with Manny Paciquo and beat him to a pulp along with some terrorists I am basically Superman! I think of myself as the man of steel. I'll leave you with that mental image...

Mamahal ko lahat kayo...

Elder Llorens