There (to Baua) and Back Again (4/21/13)

Dear Family and Friends,

Howdy Ya'll! Hows things going in the world of the where ever you are as you read this? I have no idea really how many people see the letters that I write since they go on my blog, but I hope everyone has had a good week. It has been a pretty good week here in the Laoag Philippines Mission.

So just a few hours after I sent my last email, Elder B and I taught Al. He is our fastest progressing investigator and is also the security guard of the mission home. He referred his wife to us last week and the Sisters in their town have begun to teach them. But on Monday, we taught to Al about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a great lesson he understood well. At the end of the lesson Elder B asked him where he felt he was in living the Gospel Of Jesus Christ.  He said baptism and then accepted a baptismal date for 1 June 2013. the Sisters in Batac taught to him and his wife and then we followed up and committed him to attend church, which he did. We are all super excited for him and Sister Barrientos has said that we will all  go to the baptism in June (Office Elders, APs, and President and Sister Barrientos). It is going to be a great day.

I got to do my first traveling as an Office Elder on Saturday. Elder B and I traveled up to the northern areas of the mission to do some finance stuff. I got to see more of the mission in one day than I had seen in five months. We left at five in the morning and got back to the office at 9 at night. I got to see lots of missionaries, some that I know and others who I have never met before. I will probably get to make the trip again in the coming weeks and also probably head down to the southern areas of the mission. There is really a great variety of scenery in the Philippines, from rice fields to jungle to mountains to beaches. And it can all change so fast. 

We are finally moved in completely to the new apartment. With our cleaning this morning we are now officially in and there to stay for a while. We have a washing machine still, so we can still do laundry faster than if by hand. it is a Philippino style whasher, so it isn't quite the same, but I like it. It makes me do work while giving me time to do other things, like cleaning or eating. Speaking of eating, it's a fifth week month. Yeah. No worries when your companion is the finance manager though. I did just learn how to make a really good Philippino dish. Kind of like Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal but with rice. Really good. Hopefully I can find the ingredients to make it at home.

I hope that you are all doing well. We just got in our Liahona Magazines, and I have read some of the articles. One that stuck out to me was "Drawn to the Temple" by Elder Mazzagardi. It made me think about how blessed we are to live in a time with so many temple on the earth to bless the children of God. I want to invite and encourage you all to go to the temple in the coming weeks, to go in or just be walk around the grounds. It is the house of God and he will bless us for faithfully going to feel his spirit and to work for those who cannot. God bless you all. Mahal Kita!

Elder RKahoy