Handmade Machetes

Hey everyone I don't have a whole lot to report this week. Work was super slow because we had to spend a lot of time working with the new sisters in our area. Two of the elders in my apartment got transferred to another zone, because the sister's area wasn't safe, so we got the sisters as their replacements. The don't know their area at all so we had to show them around everywhere. Besides that we had service projects, exchanges and all that fun stuff. One really great thing that did come out of the week is that one of our investigator families came to church yesterday! They are really great and told us they are really searching for the true church and seemed to enjoy meeting some of the members. They already have questions about baptism, so we plan on inviting them this week. 

One thing that isn't so great about the upcoming week is that...I'm getting a new companion. There was an emergency exchange in another area so one of them will be coming to be my new companion here in San Fernando. I know it's going to be kind of challenging, because I'm still pretty new to the area. But I'm up for the challenge and plan on doing what I'm supposed to do. Missionary work. We rarely get to chose what challenges come our way or when they come, we just have to know that the Lord trusts us to handle them and grow from them. I know whatever happens was meant to be and is just a part of the plan that was made for me before I even came to Earth. I can't choose what comes my way, but I can choose what to make of it. And I plan on making a struggling area into a successful one, no matter what setbacks come.

Love you all and hope you're doin great!

5/25/14

Getting the Work Moving!

Hey everyone!

We had kind of a rough week this week. What everyone told me about this area is turning out to be kinda true. The work here is pretty rough, but Elder Petero and I are determined to turn that around! We had a meeting with the Branch President and his Clerk yesterday to discuss ideas for getting the work moving here. We settled on doing an activity with all of the auxilliary leaders in the branch to work on getting them motivated to work with the missionaries. We are going to have some of the older members in the area come and tell about their conversion stories from back in the day when they had to walk super far to make it to church. There is one sister who was one of the first people baptized here in Naga back in the 80s. Now she and her husband have to stay home because they are super old and her husband can't walk anymore, but they are some of the sweetest old people I've met here. Super strong testimonies, so we are hoping to have them remind the other leaders here of their own conversions. The problem is, not all of the leadership positions are filled, and some that are, are filled by less active members. So we are hoping to fill all the open spots then really try to move forward with our work here and help San Fernando become a ward finally.

Besides that, the work here has been ok. We have one investigator, Stanley, who has really started progressing. He's already accepted a baptismal date and has started abstaining from alcohol and smoking and came to church yesterday! We just hope we don't run into any other problems with him.

Well, that's mostly my week! Like I said, it was rough so I don't have a ton to talk about. But I love you all!

Elder Van Boerum

5/19/14

San Fernando

Hey everyone! I'm running short on time again because of skyping earlier, but I just wanted to send something really quick.

I just got to my new area last week. It is San Fernando in Naga Zone and I have been called as the new District leader here! The last District Leader here was my second Companion, Elder Asbell and he just went home last week after his two years. From what I have heard so far, San Fernando is one of the toughest and most struggling districts in the mission right now, but there's been a good series of hard working missionaries starting to get things moving again out here, so I'm just hoping to keep moving forward with that! My new companion is Elder Petero from Fiji who just got out of his training and he is great. For being so new in the mission, his Tagalog is really good. One of the harder parts of the area right now is getting used to the new language here, Bikol. The granddaughter of one of our Less Active members always comes up to me and speaks straight Bikol and I can only get a couple of words out of it sometimes. I haven't heard Bikol since I left my first area and I never even learned any there. But I'm up for the challenge of learning that too to try and communicate more effectively here.

So far the work here has been ok. We have a couple of potential baptisms coming up so we are working really hard on that, but we also have to try and balance that out with our work for the Less Active members. That with trying to get used to being a District leader and the new area have made the last week super tiring, but we've started getting some good work in, and I already gave my first District meeting and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! We talked about asking questions and using the scriptures to teach more effectively. My District Leader's message at the end was just about D&C 122 and how trials help us grow, so I encouraged the members of my district to make a list of the trials they've had on their mission and with each trial, list how it has helped them to grow. So far I really like our district, and we will be adding two new sisters into the district this week as they open a new area in San Fernando! So far this transfer has been great and I'm excited to see what I can do here.

Love you all and hope you have another great week!

Elder Van Boerum
 5/12/14

Baptisms!

Ok everyone, I'm sorry to say this again, and you are probably sick of hearing it, but I really am short on time this week! I'm getting transferred tomorrow, so I have to spend some time packing all my stuff for 6 hours of travel tomorrow (at least). Anyway, we had a great week last week that ended with three baptisms that we were able to do in the ocean. The were Eman 8, Arman 9, and Leonard 11. All brothers and the sons of an inactive member we found about 6 weeks ago. They were really happy afterwards and it was a great time! Anyway, I love you all and I'll email you more next week from my new area!

 Elder Jakob Van Boerum

5/4/14

Who we are is not who we can become

Soooo. I'll try and take a little more time this week for my email. Too many complaints. The sad part is...nothing much really happened last week.

One fun part of our week was heading into a different area here in Paracale to do a Service Project. We had to take a boat to get to part of their area and took a tricey out into the middle of nowhere, then walked forever, asking directions on the way trying to find the house. We finally found it, and it really was out in the mountains way far away from anything. We had planned to help her build a new house (her old one fell down). But the best part was....she wasn't there haha. So after waiting for about 3 hours and eating her some of her coconuts, we had to start our walk back, which took nearly 3 hours, this time no tricey. But it turned out to be ok, because we met a member in their area who used to be the Patriarch for Daet Stake here. He had a stroke, so he is mostly confined to his house. He can walk around some, but is really slow, so he can't make it to church. The other elders go and visit him on Sundays to give him the sacrament and also teach other investigators out there. He is probably the nicest guy I have ever met here, and we stayed and talked to him for a while. He joined the church back in '73 and left to work in Saudi Arabia, but s soon as the temple was built here, he moved back to the Philippines to work there and be close to a temple. It's sad that he has to stay home, because he really is so great.

For church on Sunday, we also had one of the biggest attendances we had in a while. It was branch conference so everyone wanted to show up for the Stake Presidency. It was a pretty good day and we had some investigators come which is really great because now...they are qualified for baptism! So this Saturday we should be holding a baptism for these three kids that we have been teaching for the past couple weeks, Eman, Armand, and Leonard. On Saturday they were all feeling pretty sick, so we gave blessings to those three and three other kids in the home that were sick, and they were all better the next day and ready for church. As long as they pass the interview, they will be all set for this Saturday. And then the week after will be transfers so I may be heading out of here. Just make sure you pray for all of them this week! 

Anyway, like I said last week, I wanted to send a little something about that quote "Who we are is not who we can become". I've realized this a lot in my mission, especially as I've seen some people really change their lives as they accept the Gospel. I myself have for sure changed a ton from when I entered the MTC last July 17. I've grown so much more in my testimony and Gospel knowledge, and I believe it is because I had to be given some "traction" like Elder Bednar talked about. In life, if we want to progress and become "who we can become", we need trials and hardship to help us to move forward. Nothing in life comes easy, and that is especially true for good things in the next life. We always need that traction to push us forward just a bit, push our faith a little more, make us just a little better than we were before. A surgery, though painful, ultimately can save or improve a life. Yes there is always risk to it, but there is risk to this life as well. We took the risk by choosing to come to earth. We don't know if we will for sure make it back to God, but we can do all that we can and trust in Christ for the rest. And even death is simply a little traction that we need to move onto something bigger and better than we could ever dream of. Like Lehi said, there must be opposition in all things, but that opposition is exactly what we need to move ahead. Who we are is not who we can become, and we need that traction to help us achieve our potential and follow Christ and eventually become like him.

Love you all and hope you all have a great week. Hopefully next week I'll have a baptismal picture to send to you, but here's all I have for now.

Elder Van Boerum
4/27/14

Easter in the Philippines

Sorry everyone, but I ran really short on time again this week! Had to
travel a lot, so it took up a big chunk of my P Day! Holy Week here
was pretty good, but things also got kinda crazy so we had a curfew on
a couple of days because there were so many drunks and people were out
in the streets whipping themselves for Christ. Not exactly the safest
environment, although most drunks here are super friendly.
Anyway I know I wanted to talk a little more about conference, (I know
that was a while ago for all of you) so I will for sure do it next
week! Sorry! I think next week I will try to focus on Elder Bednar's
and Elder Hallstrom's talks, with a little bit about patience.

Hallstrom's quote that stood out to me was "Who you are is not who you
can be come" and Bednar's was about traction. Next week I want to talk
about how that traction (our trials, hardships) help us to become who
we can be. I saw two Mormon Message videos about patience that really
stood out to me, especially one that said blessings don't always come
when we want them most, but they always come when we need them most.
But we don't always know when that is. Even then, some blessings we
won't receive until the next life. Which is what I'm going to talk
about next week, so I'm sorry if this is confusing. It will make more
sense next time.
This week was really slow, so I don't have a lot to talk about, but I
love you all and I'm excited to hear from you next week!
Elder Van Boerum

3/21/14

Conference Thoughts

Sorry everyone I ran short on time this week because of problems at
this computer shop so I don't have a lot of time! But I did finally
get to chance to see conference and it was so great! I loved all the
talks, but did have a couple favorites. I don't have a lot of time to
talk about them, so I will try next week, but I'll just leave you with
a couple of points that I really liked.
"Who we are is not who we can become"-Donald L Hallstrom, Priesthood Session
Ucthdorf asking in Priesthood if we are Sleeping through the Restoration
Elder Bednar's talk on needing traction to move forward
Uchtdorf's talk on Gratitude
Sorry but I will try to discuss these more next week. I had some stuff
I wanted to say, but ran out of time! I love you all and hope you have
another great week!
Elder Van Boerum

4/13/14

Conference Weekend

Well I haven't actually gotten to see conference yet! We don't get it
until next week here because of the time change and everything. So
Saturday, I will get to travel a couple hours to the stake center here
to watch it and then probably end up staying there overnight because
of the travel and everything. So I'm still pretty excited about that!
It will be kind of a nice break, but that just means we are going to
have to work extra hard the days that we are actually in our area.
This past week was ok. We had a couple of really tough days in the
beginning where we couldn't really get any lessons that we had
planned. We also tried working in a part of our area that has never
really had much missionary work, but since then have decided it's a
little too far for the time being. The hour and a half walk both ways
in the middle of nowhere convinced us to wait for just a bit before we
trying pushing into that area any more. We did have a couple other
pretty decent days though. We worked a little more with Emmy, our less
active with a bunch of kids that could potentially be baptized. We now
have 3 of her kids preparing for baptism and are hoping to keep
inviting the others. We are still also working with Angelo to overcome
his Word of Wisdom problem and to gain a stronger testimony. He says
he knows the Book of Mormon is true, and believes the church is true,
but isn't sure if it's the one he wants to choose. So we have really
been pushing with him the past little bit. Our church attendance was
also probably the highest it's been in at least a month and a half so
that was great because the Stake President visited to see how the
branch is!
So our work was kind of slow this past week, but I'm looking forward
to this week too! I'm especially excited for conference,so I think I
will wait until next week to send something a little bigger, but I'll
leave a little something for this week. This is from a talk by Elder
Holland years ago while he was President of BYU called The Bitter Cup
and Bloody Baptism. In part he quotes Martin Luther King Jr and C.S.
Lewis. I would recommend the full talk to any of you that want to read
it.

"Martin Luther King once said,
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige,
and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and
hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a
higher and more noble life.[Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love
(New York: Harper and Row, 1963)]
But what if in this war it is neither a neighbor nor yourself at risk,
but someone desperately, dearly loved by you who is hurt or defamed or
perhaps even taken in death? How might we prepare for that distant day
when our own child, or our own spouse, is found in mortal danger? One
marvelously gifted man, a convert to Christianity, slowly watched his
wife dying of cancer. As he observed her slipping away from him with
all that she had meant and had given him, his newfound faith about
which he had written so much and with which he had strengthened so
many others now began to waver. In times of such grief, C. S. Lewis
wrote, one runs the risk of asking:
Where is God? . . . When you are happy . . . [you] turn to Him with
gratitude and praise, [and] you will be . . . welcomed with open arms.
But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is
vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound
of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You
[might] as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the
silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be
an empty house. . . . [Yet he was once there.]What can this mean? Why
is [God] so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very
absent a help in time of trouble? [C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (New
York: Seabury Press, Inc., 1961), pp. 4-5]
Those feelings of abandonment, written in the midst of a terrible
grief, slowly passed, and the comfort of Lewis' faith returned,
stronger and purer for the test. But note what self-revelation this
bitter cup, this bloody baptism, had for him. In an obligation of
quite a different kind, he, too, now realized that enlisting for the
duration of the war is not a trivial matter, and in the heat of battle
he hadn't been so heroic as he had encouraged millions of his readers
to be.
"You never know how much you really believe anything," he confesses,
until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to
you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as
long as you are merely using it to [tie] a box. But suppose you had to
hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover
how much you really trusted it? . . . Only a real risk tests the
reality of a belief. [Lewis, p. 25]
. . . Your [view of] . . . eternal life . . . will not be [very]
serious if nothing much [is at] stake. . . . A man . . . has to be
knocked silly before he comes to his senses. [p. 43]
. . . I had been warned--[indeed,] I had warned myself. . . . [I knew]
we were . . . promised sufferings. . . . [That was] part of the
program. We were even told, "Blessed are they that mourn," and I
accepted it. I've got nothing that I hadn't [agreed to]. . . . [So] if
my house . . . collapsed at one blow, that is because it was a house
of cards. The faith which "took these things into account" was not[an
adequate] faith. . . . If I had really cared, as I thought I
did[care], about the sorrows of [others in this] world, [then] I
should not have been so overwhelmed when my own sorrow came. . . . I
thought I trusted the rope until it mattered. . . . [And when it
indeed mattered, I found that it wasn't strong enough.]
. . . You will never discover how serious it [is] until the stakes are
raised horribly high; [and God has a way of raising the stakes] . . .
[sometimes] only suffering [can] do [that]. [pp. 41-43]
[So God is, then, something like a divine physician.] A cruel man
might be bribed--might grow tired of his vile sport--might have a
temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have [temporary] fits of
sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a[wonderfully
skilled] surgeon whose intentions are [solely and absolutely] good.
[Then], the kinder and more conscientious he is,[the more he cares
about you,] the more inexorably he will go on cutting [in spite of the
suffering it may cause. And] if he yielded to your entreaties, if he
stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that
point would have been useless. . . . [pp. 49-50]
[So I am, you see, one] of God's patients, not yet cured. I know there
are not only tears [yet] to be dried but stains [yet] to be scoured.
[My] sword will be made even brighter. [p. 49]
God wants us to be stronger than we are--more fixed in our purpose,
more certain of our commitments, eventually needing less coddling from
him, showing more willingness to shoulder some of the burden of his
heavy load. In short, he wants us to be more like he is and, if you
haven't noticed, some of us are not like that yet."

Love You all and I'm so glad I have the opportunity to be out here
putting my faith to the test and helping others strengthen their faith
as well! I've seen so many blessings, and despite the trials, I know I
grow stronger every day because of them. So in the future when other
trials come, I will know that my "rope" is strong and will hold fast.
Elder Van Boerum

Happy Birthday to Mom and Dad!

Hey everyone! Sorry I'm a little short on time again this week! But we had another really good week! Got our inactive member Emily to attend church with her kids and now her kids are going to start working on getting ready for baptism in a couple weeks, as long as we get from permission from the father! The kids were all really excited for church and it seems like they loved primary! We also found a bunch of other new investigators, some of which have a lot of potential and seem really interested in the message! I love you all and I'll try to send more next week! Thank You! Give mom a hug for me on her birthday!

Elder Van Boerum

3/30/14

two pics from last week^^^ 

Nagfifind kami

Hey everyone! Kumusta kayong lahat?

Well it's been another week and it was another pretty good one. This week we did a lot more work finding new investigators to work on building our teaching pool. It's been slowly getting smaller as we've had to drop some of our investigators or they moved away. The week before their baptism. But that's all ok, because we had a lot of fun doing it and had some really great experiences with sharing the Plan of Salvation and the Restoration. While we were working on finding a referral, we ended up talking to someone whose child died two years ago from cancer. We took the opportunity to share the Plan of Salvation and that he will see his kid again someday. He seemed interested and thanked us for sharing, so I'm really excited to go back and visit him soon.

The tough point this week was mostly getting our investigators to come to church. We visited Angelo and found him drinking with a friend, even though we had taught him the Word of Wisdom a couple weeks ago. He said he knew it was wrong to do, but justified it by saying he's not perfect and that it's just the culture of the Philippines. And while that is true (about the culture. I talked to so many drunks this week and every single one said they wanted to be my friend), we had to sit him down and tell him that he needs to try harder. Saying we aren't perfect gives us no excuse for sinning, but instead simply mocks the Atonement. Angelo tried sharing with us the idea that he can't change himself, so he's mostly waiting for God to change him. 

It reminded me of something that Brigham Young once said concerning faith as a means of action. The situation was one in which he was asked to give someone a priesthood blessing.

When a person requested a priesthood blessing, Brigham Young would ask, “Have you used any remedies?” To those who said no because “we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed,” President Young replied: “That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and [then] to ask my Father in Heaven … to sanctify that application to the healing of my body.” 

We can't ask for blessing from God without putting in the effort on our part. We can't change, unless we really want to. And if we really want to, then we will do something about it. If investigators want the blessings of the Gospel, they need to act. If I want to improve as a missionary, I have to study and practice and teach. If anyone wants to improve in any way, simply sitting back, eatin popcorn, and waiting for something to happen is not enough. Ether 12 is a great example of what can happen when we have the faith to act on what we believe. I'm not discounting prayer and the power of blessings of course, but I might as well go into an office building and ask for a paycheck when I have never put in a single minute of work at that place.

I've seen myself grow as a missionary and as a member of this church more in these few months than I have in a long time, because I decided to act and serve a mission, and everyday I act by going out and sharing the Gospel, even when I'm tired, even when I feel sick, even when I've been rejected and laughed at by complete strangers. That action AND the blessings from God have helped me to fulfill my purpose as a missionary. And I'm thankful everyday for that.

I love you all and hope you have another great week!

Elder Van Boerum

3/24/14

"Read the Book of Mormon"

Hey everyone!

Well it's been another week, and this one sure was a lot better. We made the decision to really make a push in finding new investigators this week and it's really started to pay off! We found a some new investigators that have a ton of potential for them to help us, and from the short time we were able to spend with them, they could see how the Gospel can influence their lives and their families for good! 

The high point of the week for us was yesterday, when we got to visit a recent convert family that went less active a couple months ago for a lot of reasons. But they moved in with a less active member, Brother Berja, who has slowly been drifting away from the church because of problems he had with some leaders and some technical questions he had such as why do we celebrate Christmas in December if we know that's not Christ's birthday. He told us that he doesn't have any faith in the Church anymore, so we told him that's his decision. But the thing he hadn't realized that it's not faith in the church that's important, it's faith in Christ and his Gospel. President Uchtdorf even said that the church is run by imperfect people, and imperfect people make mistakes. And that's what we told him. We let him know that whatever bad experiences he had in the past do not prove that this Gospel isn't the truth. So we challenged this man, Brother Berja, to read the Book of Mormon again. Not to take our word for it, not to take the word of the members for it, but to actually read it again and ask God if it's true and what he should do about it. He agreed to do it, and I think we may have made some huge progress with him, especially since this is the first time he has even talked with us! We both left their home feeling great and like we had made a difference for him.

I'm really glad for the work we were able to do this week, and I hope you are all still doing great! I'll send some more next week! Love you all!

3/16/14

Missionary Work

Well I'll start off by saying this was a really tough week for us. We just had another one of those weeks in which nothing seemed to go our way. But it of course may just be one a challenge that we have to work through. Nothing ever comes easy in life, at least nothing worth working for. 

Missionary work can be hard. In fact it is almost always very hard. We have this great message that we want to share with everyone: A way for them to have eternal families; A way for them to return to the presence of God; A way for them to take full advantage of the Atonement offered by Jesus Christ and wash away all the past mistakes and sins from our life. As missionaries, we dedicate two years to go out and share this wonderful message with people, two years of being away from our families to go try and help other families. And what do we get? A lot of times, rejection. I remember a talk I heard from Jeffrey R Holland about missionary work. Why it's not easy, why we don't have people asking us to be baptized. I think he says it best so I will just copy it on here instead of paraphrasing. It's a little long, but it's so good.

"Almost everything I have said here has been an aid directed toward the missionary process, ultimately toward the investigator. May I close with an extended testimony about how focusing on the Atonement helps full-time and member missionaries and mission leaders.

Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.

For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.

If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.

The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

I know that this is true. There are so many times where missionary work can be so frustrating. Those we teach can come up with every excuse in the world not to keep their commitments. And at the same time we know the one most important reason why they should: Because it's for them, their family, and for their eternal benefit. And so we teach them. And despite the rejection, we keep going. Because as Elder Holland said, One that is greater than us was rejected more than any of us ever will be, He got hit harder than anybody ever has or ever will be. But He got back up, and He rose again, and kept pushing forward, and in fact, still is pushing forward. This Church and this Work is evidence of that.

I know that despite all the difficulties we experience in life, there is a purpose to it all. "Salvation is not easy." But that's because it's worth it to those who endure.

I hope you all are still doing great and I always love hearing from you! Have another good week this week. Love you all.

Elder Van Boerum

3/9/14

Preparing for Holy Week

Hey everyone I ran out of time! Again! Sorry about that. Not a whole lot to report on this week anyway, work was kind of slow. But I'm still doing great and love being out here! Had a few really frustrating days, but it really helped me change my view and increase my faith so it may have turned out for the better! We all have our hardships for a reason and we can always come out stronger (D&C 122).

As for things here, they've already started preparing for Holy Week, Easter. They've started setting up little bamboo crosses all around the streets in my area and I know if the preparation is already starting now, it's going to be a crazy celebration. Some places the celebration is pretty mild, but in others (I'm thinking my area) they go so far as to crucify a couple volunteers to help them repent and if you don't do that, you can just whip yourself. Basically things are going to start to get crazy soon, but don't worry I'll stay safe!

Love you all and hope you are all doing great as well!

Elder Van Boerum

3/2/14

English Class!

Well another week has gone by super fast! It was another pretty good week. We had a lot of luck working with some referrals this week, so that was really cool. We even gave a baptismal date to two new investigators in our second lesson and they seemed pretty excited. They both listen very well, so hopefully it will all work out!

We also had some really cool experiences with Angelo. We've only been teaching him for about 3 weeks now, but he has decided that the church is true and is wanting to be baptized. he just says that he isn't yet ready, because he is still feeling bad about past sins. So we taught him the Atonement and repentance and hopefully he will keep working his way towards getting prepared for baptism. We also found out he has a problem with the word of wisdom, so we have to work with him on getting that settled before he can be baptized! But it all looks like it will turn out very well.

Sadly we had to move a couple baptismal dates this week. Here in the Philippines when it rains on Sundays sacrament meeting attendance takes a huge dive. So because a couple of investigators didn't show up, we ended up having to change their dates to another time. We hope we will get to visit them this week and work everything out though.

We also had a really fun service project this week. A couple of our members work in gold mining outside of Paracale so we went to where they are living to help them clean up their house and everything. We had to take a boat to get there and then walk through some rice fields, but it was way beautiful. And I got to climb some more coconut trees and have some fresh buko. Then they killed a chicken and used the coconut to make lunch for us. So that was all pretty fun. It ended up taking up most of our day though so our work was kind of shot for the day. 

Nothing else too exciting happened this week, but we are finally getting things rolling on starting our English Class. Hopefully next week! Well I love you all and can't wait to hear again from you next week!
2/23/14

Baptism?

Sorry Everyone I ran out of time this week! Not a whole lot happened, but I will try to share as quick as I can.

On Wednesday I finally got to meet my new companion and trainee for the next 3 months, Elder Mabalot. He is from Tarlac, Philippines and just turned 18 last December. He is super excited to work, and so far we've had some pretty good experiences teaching!

Anghelo is still progressing, and even came to church yesterday! He did great and a lot of the members loved him. He answered a ton of questions during the classes and seemed like he enjoyed hearing more about the Gospel.

We also got a new investigator and in the first lesson gave her a baptismal date! We met her when we went to teach her mother, but her mother wasn't home. It turns out she was an investigator months ago, but never got baptized. At the end of the lesson, we asked her what she felt she needed to do, and she said get baptized! She also gave us the information for her husband who is working in another mission so he can be taught as well!

This week was kind of slow for work, but I'm excited to see where we can go with it this next week! Love you all and I'll send some more next week.

Elder Van Boerum