July 14, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

And we're back, live from the Philippines Laoag Mission office during email. WE are emailing a bit early today because our house is currently being sprayed for termites, which we discovered earlier this week and have been waiting patiently for our landlord to take care of. Apparently the apartment has had problems in the past and the landlord thinks the construction going on behind the apartment has caused the termites to go on the move again. It's not too bad, just by the back door over the kitchen sink and counter.

This week, as the week after transfers has been a great week. We have been able to get back on our normal Schedule of work and we hauled in lessons this week. Elder B and I got 16 lessons this week. The most I have ever had in the office is 10. 160% efficiency yeah! There is still room to get more and we are looking at having an even better week this week, with at least 20 lessons. We have been able to get to more of our investigators this week than in any previous week. We were able to get to E, Ni, the Sim family, Nanay R and a new investigator Mo. It was a great week. For our lesson with E we brought Bro. Ss, who is a less-active that lives in the next Barangay. WE asked him to come with us and then planned the lesson with him. He was super excited and jumped up after our lesson to go get ready, even though the lesson was not for another hour. It was a great lesson with E and we were able to help her resolve one of her concerns, about how baptism would effect her marriage. And she brought it up because of things Br. Ss said. PERFECT!

I am going to start training for finance this week and in the coming weeks. President told Elder B on Saturday to have me watch what he does and explain it to me. We are going to start doing that for 30 to 45 minutes each day for office work, since the work I have to do in the office is simple and quick. I am over apartments too currently, to reduce the amount of stuff Elder B has to worry about. It is only a temporary thing, so I'll still be doing it as finance. I still have at least two transfers till I have to take up the role though. 

We had ZTM this week and it was all about using the missionary daily planner to its full capacity. I'm really glad that that was the topic. It is something very basic, but is something that I have needed reminding about. I have started applying what Elder M and Elder A, our awesome Zone Leaders, taught and I can see the difference already. AS missionaries we are so blessed to have so many resources given to us for our work. Just as we are blessed as members of the Church. WE know about so much that others do not, like the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants and a living Prophet and Apostles. We are so blessed to have the restored Gospel and it is our duty to take that to all those who are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.  We are so blessed to live in this time and to know what we know. Let us all do all we can to help others receive those blessing too.

Well it has been a great week, and so much has happened but I'll leave it at that. If you would like to learn more, feel free to email or write me. Keep up the faith and bee strong! Mahal Kita! Kita Kits!

Elder Ryne Warren Wood