2-16-2019

This week was busy as always with transfer day. Thankfully I did not transfer. We did get a new missionary in our Cobalay though his name is elder Capinig.

This week I almost got robbed!! I was buying groceries and as I was about to get my wallet out of my back pocket to pay (it was night and fairly dark) I felt something needed my immediate attention to my left. As I came around I looked into the eyes of a Philippino man about 25, unusually close (maybe a foot away) walking directly towards me. When I made eye contact with him he immediately rerouted and went the opposite direction because he could see that I knew he was going to try to grab my wallet and run. It all happened very quick but the moment I saw his eyes I understood what his intention was. He aborted the mission to steal my wallet when I saw him silently walking towards me from behind. That was pretty spooky.

Something else that was interesting that happened this week is that we got told by a catholic sister that it is taught in their church it is a mortal sin to entertain missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ. 

Other than that me and my cobalay have just been monkeyin around, interviewing baptismal candidates, doing missionary work, and of course climbing coconut trees to get coconuts.

This week at one point we had an investigator ask a particularly deep question about marriage. This question that they asked was the first opportunity that I have had on the mission to respond with I don't know. Sometimes as missionaries or members we get caught up in all this knowledge that we become shy or afraid to say I don't know. A scripture in Mosiah 4 talks about this, verse 9 says:

" Believe in ^aGod; believe that he is, and that he ^bcreated all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all ^cwisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not ^dcomprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.?

 I replied to their question with the basics. 

"I don't know the answer to that question. What I do know is that this gospel is true, god loves you and me and everyone else. What I do know is that as missionaries (and members alike) our purpose is to invite others to come closer to Christ." 

As we teach and learn about the gospel if we stick to the basics we will always be grounded through our faith in Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple but life changing. I promise if your faith is centered in Christ that when the whirlwinds come, the advanced questions come, the policies change, "that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds... when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat up on you, IT SHALL HAVE NO POWER OVER YOU TO DRAG YOU DOWN TO THE GULF OF MISERY AND ENDLESS WO, BECAUSE OF THE ROCK UPON WHICH YE ARE BUILT, WHICH IS A SURE FOUNDATION, A FOUNDATION WHEREON IF MEN BUILD THAY CANNOT FALL." (Helaman 5:12)

The gospel is built upon basics, built upon Christ, if you ever feel you are lost in the storm of today's world turn to to the basics, turn to the five principles of the gospel, turn to your faith in your redeemer and savior. As we do this we will better understand the gospel, god's plan for us, and how to find calm in the storm.

A few Pictures:

Blinded by the light.

Me on my bike

FHE with my favorite people from Osmena.

 A monkey asking for a filipino "up here" (high five) with his foot.

This place is unreal how pretty it is, rock straight up right next to white sandy beaches.

2-9-2019

This week was a party for sure. As we were working on Tuseday we were walking our bikes in between some bushes and a water barrel to park them next to our investigator's house. As we did so, a snake that was allblack on top, and bright yellow on bottom darted 6 inches in front of our feet. After we talked with our investigator we found out that it was a very poisonous cobra. So that was pretty cool. Not sure if it was a cobra or a different type of snake but it was bright yellow and jet black.

To add onto all the other fun crazy things that have happened here in the Philippines so far we have heard from members that a Corona Virus is starting to spread from China to the Philippines. Could just be rumours, I don't know for sure. I do know that the people who are affected by this need your prayers.

This week we were pretty busy with exchanges, moving our stuff from Marabut apartment to Basey apartment, and DCM. So unfortunately we did not get to work in our area as much as I would have liked. I am excited for this week to work twice as hard to make up for last week.

Transfer day is on Wednesday so I will keep you posted if I get transferred or not.

Part 2 on overcoming fear from one of my favorite talks from Elder Holland, "CAST NOT AWAY THY CONFIDENCE"

"Yes, there are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been genuine illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. You can find an apartment. You can win over your mother-in-law. You can sell your harmonica and therein fund one more meal. It’s been done before.

Don’t give in. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. He wants everyone to be miserable like unto himself. Face your doubts. Master your fears. “Cast not away therefore your confidence.” Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.  "

Master your fears, win over your mother in law, find that apartment, sell that harmonica. Don't let fear paralyze you in the moment a decision needs to be made. Look to your savior Jesus Christ, in him there is peace.

FHE

The boys

A cool Acacia tree

Zone picture

A random lady sleeping on the bus.

2-2-2020

JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY

wish it were a Sunday, cause that's my fun day

(shoutout to my gurls, the bangles)

Highlights this week

FHE, First baptism, of course my funday SUNDAY\

FHE This week before FHE started we were arming the Philippino kids with their starter "roast americans in the street kit" we taught them the famous english phrases that we always encounter while proselyting. As we walked the kids followed us from the street into the house we had FHE. They saw we (Basey and Marabut elders) had food and followed us to the house where we had FHE planned, The other American from Basey was teaching them english filipino phrases that every Philippino must be equipped with. As he taught he would say the phrase and they would repeat it. The first phrase was, "WASH YOUR NAME" an infamous english filipino mash, it is a must have for the streets. The second phrase was, "WHERE YOU GOING" yet another undying phrase here in the Philippines for use only against Americans. The third phrase was very special so Elder Graham introduced in just that way, "THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PHRASE SO LISTEN CAREFULLY... HEY JOE KAON KA TAE!!" This is a classic here in the Philippines only to be used if you especially don't like the white dude you see. It means "hey white dude eat poop" Of course after he said it they all yelled it perfect pronunciation all in unison. It was so funny, all four elders cracked up.

This week was a busy one for the bois. I was able to baptize Nanay Lugasan this past Saturday. It was so amazing to see her bear her testimony and to see the tears in her eyes because of how appreciative she was. Her testimony revolved around the love she felt from her savior. I know that love is the true doctrine of christ and as we strive to attain a christlike love for all men we will be able to become more like him. 

We were also blessed as well with a ton of people at church. We had 12 investigators attend Church and 77 people attend church. It was another tender mercy to see God's hand hastening his work in Marabut Branch.

The scripture thought I would like to share relates to ACHIEVING OUR TRUE POTENTIAL

the steps to achieve our true potential from what I understand are as follows

1)understand our potential, scripture Psalms 82:6  I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are ^achildren of the most High.

If we don't know what we are aiming for we will never hit anything

2) Change our attitude

Nephi, Laman and Lemuel all experienced very similar things but the difference was their attitude. Laman and Lemuel murmured, Nephi said, I WILL GO AND DO

push forward in faith, ask and ye shall receive, move forward and you will receive guidance if you have a true desire.

WAYS TO OVERCOME DOUBTS AND FEARS

Doctrine and Covenants 6:36  ^aLook unto me in every ^bthought; ^cdoubt not, fear not.

If we are focused on our savior and the hope he brings we will never let doubt ovrwhelm us and darken our minds because he has overcome the world, so you and I can do the same

Jhon16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have ^apeace. In the ^bworld ye shall have ^ctribulation: but be of good ^dcheer; I have ^eovercome the world.

Last but not least is what Jesus said to his apostles when they were afraid of the strong tempest and the powerful winds while at sea.

Mark 4:37-40

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, ^aPeace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great ^bcalm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so ^afearful? how is it that ye have no ^bfaith?

WHY ARE YE SO FEARFUL, if we focus on our savior on our faith in him, we will not be distracted by our doubts or our fears.

Last but not least

Matthew 14:27

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good ^acheer; it is I; be not afraid.  

BE OF GOOD CHEER, HE WALKS BESIDE YOU EVERY DAY

Quick note from me, Mom:

A picture of the jungle there.  Jordan says the minute he walked off the plane onto the Phillipine land the song he heard was Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n' Roses.  He keeps saying in his letters it is by AC/DC so I had to correct him.

1-26-2020

This week was amazing. There was a lot that happened and one of those things that happened was the 45TH BIRTHDAY of my good ol' mom. Before I start I would l like to thank my mother for all she has done for me. For her patience, for her guidance, and most especially for her love. I can remember growing up and my mother reading to me every night. I can remember the lullabies that she sung to me as I would fall asleep. I can remember her encouragement as I struggled to remember the 12 articles of faith and the FAMILY PROCLAMATION. I know that she is by far the best mother in the entire world. Without her I would not be the same person I am today. The teachings and guidance from her as I grew up helped me to make the decision that I wanted to serve a full 2 year mission. Even when I am being the worst child ever and antagonizing my siblings she is patient and shows her love for me. My mother along with my father have taught me one of the most important lessons I have learned so far in this life. That is that love at home, love for your family should be unconditional, always. I have learned from my mother that family is always there for you. That your family will always love you. I would not be the same person I am today without my amazing family.

A quick verse about some amazing mothers in the book of mormon

Alma 56

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the ^aliberty of their ^bfathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their ^cmothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their ^amothers, saying: We ^bdo not doubt our mothers knew it.

I love ya mom I hope you had an AMAZING BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY!!

The work this week is still booming. We will have a family Baptism this week on Saturday for the Lugasan family if they are ready and I am so excited for them. There is still Philippino sized vans, monkeys and coconuts everywhere out here. I have been soaked to the bones 3 times this week from biking several miles in the rain from one investigators house to the next. Interestingly enough I am still happy even if it is raining on us while we are working. I know that this Church of Jesus Christ is true. Joseph Smith was called of God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth. He sealed his testimony of this church with his blood. The Book of Mormon is true, it can answer some of your deepest questions. That book is from god. It is "the most correct of any book on earth". I promise as you read the Book Of Mormon and "abide by it's precepts" you will "get nearer to God. I promise as you read, pray, and go to church every day your testimony will never wilt from malnutrition but grow stronger every day.

If you do not doubt, God will deliver you from whatever trial you may be facing now.

I love you all, 

Elder Belt over and out

A full moon:

Some good advice if I do say so myself:

A beautiful sunset:

1-19-2020

THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME! This week was full of good work, because of NPA, my fall, and the hurricane we have been on and off with work but this week was the first full week that we just got to work, it was satisfying to say the least.

This week we managed to work for 64 hours and share a total of 30 lessons, the area Marabut is exploding like the volcano in Manila is. From what I have heard 8,000 people have been evacuated because of the volcano that is spewing out ash. Sometimes it feels like I am in the quarter quell from hunger games where every hour a different disaster strikes. The first week was the NPA threat in our area. The second week was when I fell and split open my head. The third week was a hurricane. The fourth week was dengue fever  (the night after the hurricane we woke up and had mosquito bites all over our legs, 2 of my american friends got dengue). The fourth week is the volcano. Who knows maybe we will get a earthquake next... ;) You gotta stay on your toes here because something is always happening.

The Philippines is awesome and this year is going to be another one for the boys. My favorite part of everyday is going out and sharing the message.

 It puts a big ol' stupid smile on my face every time I get the oppurtunity to share about Christ with people. The reason being that this message is not your average every day message. The message that missionaries share with people is a life changing message and has brought so many people happiness and light in their lives. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, I know that Jesus Christ is our savior, our redeemer, and our brother. He bled from every pore in Gethsemane so we may once again have the opportunity to return to our Father in heaven. His suffering was indescribable and his atonement Infinite. Through their grace we are saved. 

One of my favorite scriptures I read recently is in 2 nephi

23 For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo.  

I love you all, until next week gang

Elder Belt over and out

A picture of our zone:

 A picture of a puffer fish.  I had never seen one before:

Our investigators:

1-12-2020

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR YA'LL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry there was no email last week. We had a Hurricane for Christmas Eve here in the Philippines so when we woke up most people woke up to their houses either partly destroyed or completely gone on Christmas day. There was no electricity for about a week. If there is no electricity, that means no fans, no fans means no sleep, because of the mosquitoes and the heat it is hard to sleep here at night if there is no electricity. Unfortunately two American elders right now have dengue from the night after the bagyo (hurricane) because there were so many mosquitoes. We all woke up the morning after Christmas with mosquito bites covering our legs and feet. 

This Christmas is by far the most humbling Christmas I have ever had. The people here have so little, after the hurricane they had even less. Yet they still remembered the true meaning of Christmas. They still celebrated and loved even though their houses were in shambles. They remembered the doctrine of Christ and it was truly a humbling learning experience for me. I hope I can always follow their example and always remember Christ's perfect love.

STORIES THIS WEEK: 1) TENDER MERCIES 2)PHILIPPINO SIZE

TENDER MERCIES: This week was full of tender mercies. The first was that 70 people attended sacrament meeting yesterday, our average is 47. Our tiny pink meetinghouse was packed from wall to wall. The second was the number of investiagators that came to church this week, we had 13 investigators come to church. We usually have 3 or 4 come if we are lucky. This has truly built my testimony about our lord's work. Doctrine and Covenants 84 reads

88And whoso ^areceiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go ^bbefore your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my ^cSpirit shall be in your hearts, and mine ^dangels round about you, to bear you up.

He truly is preparing the people,this truly is his work. I know this without a shadow of a doubt. His spirit is in each of our hearts and he goes before each and every one of us preparing our way, preparing people to receive his gospel and take his name upon them. He is the reason why we had so many investigators come to church, he is preparing his work and preparing the people in Marabut branch.

PHILIPPINO SIZE: I came to a realization this week. Everything here is Philippino sized. The shirts in comparison to american shirts are all tiny. In america I wear a large t shirt. Here if I wear a large it looks like I am wearing my 11 year old brother's shirt. I immediately transform into TIGHT T SHIRT TOMMY if I put on a large t shirt here... EVEN the transportation here is Philippino sized. When I get in the jeepney(like a large public schoolbus) my head will push into the ceiling if I sit straight up. The seats in vans are lower than I am used to because philippinos have shorter legs so my hips when I sit in a van feel like they are going to explode. Last but not least the space in vans is perfect for philippino knees but if you are american and have a little bit longer legs your knees are immediately jammed into the seat in front of you. IT IS A PARTY. Transportation here is pretty funny, the busses they pack full of people, so much so that people will be hanging on to things inside and their bodies will be hanging out of the entryway into the bus. If you drop a peso, good luck finding it because their isn't room to move. It is amazing here, though difficult I truly love becoming part of the philippino culture and becoming a true PHILIPPINO.

Last thing I would like to share is a scripture in 3 nephi 27.

6 And whoso taketh upon him my name, and ^aendureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.

7 Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.

8 And how be it ^amy ^bchurch save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso ^arepenteth and is baptized in my ^bname shall be filled; and if he ^cendureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.  

I know that this is his church, I know that as we serve, love and live here in this life taking upon us his name we are preparing to meet him again. As we take upon ourselves his name, picking up our cross and following him we will inherit the kingdom of god and experience a joy unlike any other.

2 nephi 9

18 But, behold, the ^arighteous, the ^bsaints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the ^ccrosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall ^dinherit the ^ekingdom of God, which was prepared for them ^ffrom the foundation of the world, and 

their ^gjoy shall be full ^hforever.  

That is all my scattered thoughts today love you all!  

Picture time.

The damage to our apartment ceiling. We live in a different apartment now.

My area.  Imagine the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow as you view this work of art.

A tree that got straight clapped by the hurricane.

Some members and a fat pig.  The pig usually eats trash and he tried to attack my companion.

Me and some amazing investigators.

Hurricane damage.

Christmas night with the classic gingerbread houses.  The elder who is making a weird face is the one who has dengue right now.

Downed power lines all over the place after the hurricane.

Water left after the hurricane.

Christmas party in Basey the day before we got evacuated to Tacoloban because of the hurricane.

The classic camera selfie with the district.