General Conference Week in the Philippines

General Conference was amazing!!! I didn't get to see the last half of the last session because bishop got up and said that we were going to hold a meeting. It was a little disappointing but I will download it and watch today. :) I liked Elder Cooks talk and President Uchtdorf's in priesthood. They were probably my favorite talking about our choices and how we need to be responsible and go toward our goals. It was all in English. I did like how some spoke in their own language which was cool. It was a little sad that our investigators didn't come because lots where busy with their rice fields getting them planted.

We got to work a lot this week!!! It was great. Baliguat is good for the 25th. Brother is way excited. I am excited for them. We didn't go to Gaston. We think they don't really want to listen so we are setting them aside. We got some new investigators that will be really good. They want to listen to our message so it is good. One is the Saad family. They have a son that is a member. We are working with them to come to church and be baptized. We taught the Sabico family. We had a great lesson on Sunday with them and brother commited to come to church himself. We are happy that he wants to help his family to make it eternal. The others are just coming along. We are working hard to get them to read and pray.

We have been getting a lot of rain. This week was full of it because of Typhoon Opong that went through this week. It was hard to work in some areas this week because it was to muddy and the rivers were overflowing so we had to figure out what else we could do instead. We visited a lot of members to get some referrals. That worked pretty well. We have referrals coming in so we are doing pretty good.

Zone Conference is on October 21 so we will be good for a week. We will get as much as we need to work.

Sorry, a little bit boring of a week. Next week might be more exciting.

Love you,

Elder Nielsen

PS: I would like to order 2 jackets, 1 coat, 2 pairs of gloves, a face mask, beeny, earmuffs, hand and feet warmers and a scarf when I get home. I would like that in the airport so I don't die. Thanks. I am serious about this.

At the Manila Temple last week

Manila Temple

This was a really good week. Going to Manila was good. I love the temple!!! I was so happy to go back and do a session. We will get one more time to go there and do another session so I am pretty excited!!!

Elder Liquiran is doing great. He is almost fluent in Ilonggo so it is great. He worked in Kabankalan while I went to Manila. It was weird because I went with the Tabugon missionaries to Bacolod but I was all by myself going back to Kabankalan.

Our investigators are doing ok as long as we can teach them. We haven't had much time since I went to Manila. It is pretty ruff when you don't get a full week to work.

Baliguat is doing good. We are excited for their baptism. We are just pushing them along. We will be baptizing anywhere from 3-5 of them. We found out this week that Brother Carbadilla is a member. Everyone was saying that he was baptized but wasn't confirmed but the records said he was so we are now just trying to get him to church. It looked like it was going to rain and did on Sunday so they didn't come this week. We had a typhoon pass on Saturday and Sunday so it was pretty ruff. We got a few more new investigators so we will see how they go. We did get to Gaston this week. They are really busy with their rice fields so they aren't home very often.

We are excited to watch general conference. They will be watching the Sunday sessions on Sunday so we will attend in Tapi for Saturday we will be in Kabankalan. We are excited that our investigators will be able to attend those sessions. It will be good for them.

Love you,

Elder Nielsen

Training

This was a great week. We had such good experiences this week. It was a little weird because the batch ahead went home. One of the elder's parents came here to pick him up and visit his areas. I got to talk to them and it was weird. They have a very thick accent and I didn't understand what they were saying some of the time. It was weird. They asked "Where are you from?" and I said "Utah" and then they said "We know that but what part?" and it was weird because usually people are ok with that. I didn't know what to do. It was like culture shock all over again!
This week I worked in Tabugon from Monday until Wednesday. I stayed with them for that time since I didn't have a companion. Wednesday was off to Bacolod to pick up Elder Liquiran. I picked him up on Thursday and went back to the area and was finally able to work.
Elder Liquiran is from Pangasinan. He speaks Tagalog. We have fun trying to talk to each other. I try to talk in a ruff Tagalog language and he tries to do the same in English so we understand each other but it sometimes takes a while before we get what the other is saying hahaha. He is really great though. He is picking up Ilonggo really quick. I am surprised. He is a really quick learner. He is going to be a great missionary.
As far as investigators go, we didn't get much teaching in so it was a little bit hard but we did alright. Baliguat will actually be baptized on October 25. They wanted to be baptized as one family unit so we moved them so they can. We needed more time anyway because we are still trying to help sister with praying. She is struggling learning how to pray so we are helping her to learn. The Gaston family we haven't taught all week. They found some work and haven't been home because of work so we haven't taught them for a while now. We are going to keep trying so that we can continue. Brother Sabico we didn't see either. He has been busy and we haven't had time to go there so we will see if we can teach him this next week. We did get to teach Brother Carbadilla. He is willing to do everything but  hasn't come to church for a while so we are working on him again to get baptized. We are working on finding a fellowshipper for him to help him. Adrian's and Bryan's mom said that they couldn't be baptized. We still need to talk to her so we are hoping to do so this week to help them. They really want to be baptized but we need her permission and it would be great if she would join as well.
We are getting excited for General Conference as well. Our bishop is going to ask the stake president if we could do a showing in Tapi so that it would be closer for everyone to see. If that doesn't happen it will be in Kabankalan which will be hard for the members because it is 64-66 pesos for 1 person to attend which is really expensive. We are hoping it will just be in Tapi to make it easier for the members and our investigators because they will want to go attend as well.
This week I will be going to Manila. We have to do fingerprinting there so we can return to the USA and while we are there we get to go to the temple!!!! I am excited to go to the temple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you all,
Elder Nielsen

Birthday Week

Well, it was good bye to Elder Delima this week. He left this morning about 6:30 to go to Bacolod (by himself) and I am with the  Tabugon missionaries until I get to go to Bacolod and pick up the real greenie of the mission. Yep, I am training again for my last transfer. It is going to be a challenge but President talked to me about that and said that he wanted to make me tired before I go home. I think his plan is going to work. I don't know anything about my companion and won't until Thursday when I pick him up.

My birthday was good. It was a little sad because it was also Elder Delima's last day so we celebrated my birthday put in the end everyone was crying that Elder Delima was leaving. It was ok though.

We did get a good week of work though. I am excited for the work that is going to come from our efforts this week.

Baliguat family is doing great. Brother has stopped his smoking and they are doing really good. They will be baptized on October 4th. They are really prepared and love the gospel. Their granddaughter, Macie, is going to be on the 18th. She is doing good as well. She just needs to come to church and then she will be good. We are teaching Brother Sabico as well. I think we got a spark going with him. He seems more interested in what we teach now and he was a little sad because church was in Binalbagan because it was stake conference. They didn't have the money to get there so they didn't get to come. This week they should be coming. The same thing happened with Brother Carbadilla. He loves to listen but couldn't come this week for the same reason. Gaston couldn't come as well. They are really thinking right now if they are going to change religion or not. That is something we are waiting for and trying to get them to pray about. If they convert they will be really strong. We are just waiting to see what happens with them.

Hmmm... what else happened this week. It went by so quick I am having a hard time remembering.

I think that was about it.

My birthday was good. I bought a cake and we ate it. It was pretty good but not as good as a carrot cake. I am still expected one of those when I get home.

Well that is about it.

Love you all,

Elder Nielsen

More Rain and Mud

First of all, we got a little scaried because Baliguat said they were going to Manila for a couple of weeks. We didn't know why but they were going. We found out later that is was because brother wants to stop smoking so he thought he could do it easier in Manila. They are going to stay here now but we will have to wait for their baptisms until he stops. He didn't smoke on Saturday so he might have started already. We still aren't sure when the baptism will be. We are teaching Adrian and Bryan. They are doing great and love the gospel but we will have to wait a few months before they can be baptized. Our bishop wants to make sure that they stay active so we will have to see if they continue coming to church after their fellowshipper has gone on his mission. We don't know when that will be either. The Gaston family is doing great. They love to listen and we have a good relationship with them. They really wanted to come to church this week but didn't make it. It would have been hard for them this week because it rained really hard on Saturday and Sunday making it really muddy and hard to bring the kids to church. Maybe next week they will come. We are also working with Brother Sabico. He is probably in the same position. That was a lot of our week.

It was a little hard to work. It rained so hard that we couldn't go out at some points because it rained so hard and then some places we coudn't go because the mud and one area flooded. It was a little bit trying but we should be good for this next week. The rain is hard but it should be better this week.

Elder Delima is still working very hard. He is great and is a great missionary. I will need a new cook when he goes home. He cooks so well that I am gaining weight!

Love you,

Elder Nielsen

In the Mountains

This has been a very good week and I am very tired because we are always walking. It takes a long time to go from house to house and it is a very mountainous area. Mabini wasn't even close to this. To get to Kabankalan it takes 3-4 hours and then it is another 30-40 minutes to get to Tapi. It is fun!

Elder Delima is great. We were in the same apartment for a short time while we were in Escalante. He is a great companion and has already taught me a lot. I am kind of sad that he is going home in 2 weeks.

The weather has been a lot of rain. We are high enough in the mountains that we get fog sometimes. It has been pretty cold were we are. I just have to say the water is freezing. I am looking forward to that warm shower waiting for me when I get home!!!

Tapi is a very good ward. Everything is set up and the bishop is great. He is an return missionary and does everything he needs too. Tapi became a ward last March is it is a pretty new ward.

We have lots of good investigators. Lots of families. It is amazing to see the work happening here. We had a baptism on Saturday of Reynaldo Rose (Roo- see). He has a great testimony. His wife was a member so it really helped him. We will be having a baptism on September 20th. The Baliguat family has been preparing and are doing great. They are an older couple and brother wanted to be closer to God so when the missionaries went to him he was so prepared to listen. They also have a grandchild that will be baptized on October 11 named Macie. Then we will be having Adrian and Bryan being baptized on September 27. They are 9 & 8. Our ward mission leader is really helping them. He is their support to come to church and they love it. He says they ask him if they are going to the church everyday they are so excited to be at the church. We also have a lot more investigators. I will tell you more when I can remember them more and can tell you more. I don't know the area very well yet so it is a working progress. I will send you pictures of a family that we are teaching. They were making smashed bananas with sugar which was really good. I will show you how they make it. We are also working in one area called Balicotoc. It is pretty far. We have to walk 30 minutes to get there after a 10 minute motor ride. They motors are called habol-habol. It is a pretty fun ride. In that area we are having a special sacrament and are hoping to start baptizing there so we can have a group there. A group will allow missionaries to be there so they can then progress to be a branch. It was an amazing week. I look forward to the coming weeks to see what the Lord has in store for the area and for us.

Love you all,

Elder Nielsen

PS I just want to be the first to wish you all a Merry Christmas. The season has started here in the Philippines.

PSS I expect to hear Christmas when I get home!

Week Full of Surprises

Well this was a better week and it was full of surprises. You will never guess but I am transferring today! I wasn't expecting it but it happened. I am with my new companion right now. Elder Delima is my companion. He is pretty new in the mission. I think about 23 weeks and 1 week. Yeah he goes home in about 3 weeks. He is the district leader so I get to be junior for the next couple of weeks. By the way I am in Tapi in Kabankalan zone. I can't tell you where I live, I haven't been there yet.

This week we did a lot of good work. It didn't show all the way but that was alright. We found a part member couple. Brother Jonathan is a member and his wife and her sister aren't. We started teaching them and they were very receptive. We gave them a date for October 6. They will probably continue for that date. We were so excited to find them. Then we went to some formers that were pretty interested. They just stopped because the missionaries got transferred and no one returned. We were going to go back to them this week. Spencer was going to come to church this week but his head was hurting. We gave him a blessing. He will be baptized soon. Sister is no longer working so they will be able to come to church. Earljon got shy right before church so he didn't come. He needs member support in order to progress. Jona has work now. She is 2 months pregnant. We didn't get to go to her because she is working 7 days a week now. It makes things hard for us. Hopefully it will work out for her.

I don't know what else to say. I haven't gone to the new area yet. We are e-mailing then we will eat and then head down there I will tell you a more next week when I know more about the area. I hear it is in the mountains so I am pretty excited for the area. I like the mountains better then the city.

Love you all,

Elder Nielsen