Busy Busy Busy

Yeah so as you can tell by the title of this email we had a bunch of stuff going on this week.

1st off last week we had a FHE with a member super far in the Bukid.  We got to cook some food over a campfire and share a lesson and play some games and it was super fun.  It started pouring rain while we were there so we got to walk back home for like 2 hours in the rain and of course I forgot my payong(umbrella) so I was soaked.

2nd we had exchanges in Carigara.  I was with Elder Lopez who is from Utah and he is super dope.  We taught a bunch of lessons and it was good to be back in a Waray Waray area.  I like Waray-Waray much more than cebuano.  

3rd we had zone conference in Tacloban.  It was super fun to be with a bunch of missionaries and to learn from President Argana.  He gave a training about a talk from President Monson I think about Faces of Failure and Attitudes of Accomplishments.  It was basically that I don't ever need to be discouraged because as long as I give my all the Lord will make up the rest.  The conference was supposed to end at lunch time but it ended up going until 5 so we missed our van back to Calubian so our entire zone of elders stayed in the Carigara apartment.  It was a pretty good time.

4th we had exchanges in Calubian with the other elders in our district.  We found a couple new people so that was good.

Sadly Jhon Rex and Noel didn't come to church last week so we had to push their baptism back a few weeks.  They still want to be baptized they have just been busy so we are just encouraging and praying for them.

Also we had a member invite her friend to church.  Brother Joel and he is super awesome.  We were able to teach him at the Church and it was a super good lesson and the spirit was super strong.  He accepted an IBD so that was super awesome. 

Pretty busy crazy week but it was super fun. 

Elder Holmstead

Philippines Tacloban Mission

Carigara Zone

Zone Conference lunch with Elder Gomboc

Zone Conference haka???

Sitting in the Throne at Robinsons

 Us with the Family of Jhon Rex and Noel

Maayong Semana

This email is entitled in Cebuano because I have been trying to use more of  it but now I like can't really speak Waray-Waray of Cebuano it is just a mish mash or sagul as they would say which is what they speak here so that's all good.

Anyways this was another great week in Calubian.  We have realized that we haven't really had any new investigators for the past few weeks so this week we spent a lot of time just going to a bunch of houses and teaching lesson 1.  We have also taken the challenge of President Argana to use the Book of Mormon in every teaching opportunity and man the Book of Mormon has power.

I don't know what it is but like 3 people just opened up to us and were crying as they told us about trials they were having and we just testified that everyone has trials but if we live the gospel of Jesus Christ and stay faithful all of our trials will become things that make us stronger.  I have seen that soo many times already on the mission.  

One of new investigators Brother Jayce is super cool and he was super receptive when we started teaching him.  He asked us why there are so many churches and using the Book of Mormon we shared about how many churches will come saying I am the Lord's, I am the Lord's but they are just built up to get gain and he was like oh that makes a lot of sense.

We were then teaching his dad Brother Rodrigo and he asked about why infants don't need to be baptized and we shared Moroni 8 about how baptism is for the remission of sins and how children are clean and pure and he also was like wow that makes sense.  They both accepted Baptismal dates so hopefully they can progress.

Jhon Rex and Noel are progressing well.  Hillboy Family has been dropped because they must have moved or something.

Questions from mom and dad: How many miles does your mission cover?  I have no clue how many miles my mission covers but my address is just Calubian, Leyte, Philippines.

What is your favorite scripture or scripture story since you have been on your mission? I have two favorites:

1st: I have really loved the Stripling Warriors while i've been on the mission.  Just because they fought armies and were always outnumbered but they never feared or doubted and were saved.  I have been trying that to never fear or doubt or get discouraged and then I will make it through.

2nd: The end of Alma 31 about Alma praying for success as they go to teach and how the Lord blessed them.  It just always gives me a boost when I need it.

Love you tons!!

Elder Holmstead

Philippines Tacloban Mission

Another week in Calubian!

So this week was pretty normal not much exciting happened.  We did go to Tacloban for zone interviews and I learned that I lost weight :(  All the hills are keeping me thin haha.  I went into my interview with President Argana and he shared with me how President Nelson's talk from Sunday Morning was what the mission needed to hear and I was like hey that was my favorite talk no way.

We have kept teaching Brother Orlando, Sister Layza and Jhonrex and Noel.  Jhonrex and Noel should be getting baptized in two weeks so that is exciting.  Jhonrex and Noel were the only ones at church but we had a pretty good attendance so that was good and we helped our ward to plan a ward activity.  They haven't had any this year so that should be fun.  I'll let you know the specifics of the activity when it gets closer but it sounds like fun.

Our zone conference is on April 26 so hopefully I can get the journals and hear about when we get to skype home then.

Oh for riding the karabaw we were just walking down this path in the bukid and Elder Gomboc just asked a random guy if we could get a picture on the karabaw and the guy was just like sure.

And yeah dad Tatay is right :)

Question from mom and dad: What is the language going?  Language is going really good.  I can understand people which is a major bonus, sometimes it is still hard to speak but I feel like people can understand me so that's good.  Oh by the way I spoke in sacrament meeting yesterday and a member said that she understood everything and I did the whole thing in the language so that was cool.

Anyways, Love you tons!!

Elder Holmstead

Philippines Tacloban Mission

Me with Noel and Jhonrex

Eating some cheese flavored seaweed

A pretty epic dart throw by Elder Gomboc

Conference and New Companion

So we had transfers on Wednesday and I got a new companion.  Elder Gomboc, he is from Manila.  He goes home in September and is super awesome.  We get along really well so that's good.  His english is okay not great but we speak a lot of Cebuano, which is good because I haven't really used Cebuano since the MTC.

We finally got a little bit of progress going in Calubian.  We found a less active family that is super awesome and we learned that there kids are not members so we have been teaching them which has been super good.  They are 10 and 9 and are super smart.  One of them memorized the first paragraph of the intro to the Book of Mormon in between our visits.  Jhonrex and Noel they are legit.

Also on to Conference I loved it soo much.  I have so many favorite parts that I decided to make a list to make it easier to remember what I liked:

Favorite Talk: President Nelson Sunday Morning 

Favorite Session: Sunday Afternoon

Other Favorite Talks:Elder Holland, Pres. Eyring Sunday Morning, Bishop Causse, Pres. Nelson Priesthood, and Brother Durrant

Best Joke: Elder Holland-Rushes of Revelation, Elder Wakolo-15 brethren behind me, Elder Durrant-Es Posible?

Coolest Moment: Solemn Assembly, seriously gave me the chills and I felt the spirit super powerfully, and also Standing to sing Rise up oh men of God in the priesthood session.

Best Story: President Nelson-Wilbur Cox and Smashing Alcohol bottles, Elder Holland-Home Teaching Story, Bishop Causse-People researching church for temple approval, Elder Wilson-Man receiving revelation on the ship. Elder Christofferson-George Goats

Weirdest Moment: Hearing President Oaks conducting instead of President Uchtdorf.

Biggest Surprise: No More Home Teaching and the New Apostles

Best New Temple: Cagayen De Oro (of course!) and unnamed city in Russia

Funniest Moment: When President Nelson announced Layton UT temple. and Elder Gong's song

Hardest to Understand: Elder Zivic and Sister Aburto

New Word for a talk: Interregnum

Coolest Voices: Elder Robbins and Bishop Causse

Biggest Theme for Me: Receiving Personal Revelation

Best One Line:  "I love you mom" -Elder Durrant, because same

Yeah I really loved conference, it has become one of my favorite parts of the mission.  I know that President Nelson is the Prophet that God has chosen to lead the Church today and that he truly is guided by God.  I know this Church is true.

Oh and if you could send a new journal or two.  I am almost out of room.  They have some here they are just not super good.  Thanks

Oh and mom Pancit is like ramen noodles but it has meat and veggies in it.  It is everywhere here.

Question from mom and dad: What are the bathrooms like in your area? 

The bathroom took a little to get used to but now it is just normal.  There is no toilet paper but there is like a little bucket with water next the the toilet that you use to clean yourself and you dump water down the toilet to flush it.  No sinks.  They have normal bathrooms but only in the big malls in Tacloban.

Anyways I'm loving the work

Love you tons!

Me and Elder Gomboc

Me and Elder Gomboc with Sister Baronda, her house is super nice

Me riding a karabaw, or water buffalo

Easter Weekend and Conference

Maupay nga Semana,

So not too much happened but it was a good week.  We didn't have anything to crazy happen for holy week except for we got to watch a huge firework show from our back porch I will try to send a video.  And they had a huge parade through the town that we didn't get to see but we could hear it.  Easter here was basically a big excuse for tons of people to just party.

Sadly Brother Orlando didn't come to church because his family got offended by the bishop. That is a really common problem in this ward because the bishop has been the bishop for 7 years and everyone thinks that he stole all the relief from Typhoon Yolanda so it's a challenge.  And we haven't been able to contact Hillboy because all the people who are Catholic in town flocked to the huge catholic church.

It was super crazy on Friday because everything closed.  Seriously we were like the only people on the streets the entire day so weren't able to talk to anyone.  

But the beat goes on I heard about the new apostles on Sunday which was super cool because Elder Soares visited my mission for my first zone conference and I got to shake his hand so that was really cool.  It is crazy the home teaching is no longer a thing.  That helps bring our ward here because it was a major struggle.  And Awesome that the PHilippines is getting a new temple!

Answering the Question (What do you do on P-day?):  P-Day in Calubian goes just like this

we wake up then we head to a calendaria and buy some pancit, it's super good then we do our weekly laba.  After that we head to a little computer internet cafe thing for our emails.  After that we kinda clean the apartment and kinda chill.  It's kinda nice to just rest because we are pretty worn out by the end of the week.  Then at 5:30 we head out and work until 8:30.  Pretty chill day I love it.

Also transfers are on wednesday and I think Elder Martin will transfer so I'll let you know what happens.

Love you tons

Elder Holmstead

Philippines Tacloban Mission