Dec 14-26, 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!! =) I hope you all had a awesome Christmas. Christmas is totally different in the mission field and in the Philippines. So it has been a fun, busy 2 weeks. Like every night there were groups of kids and teenagers "caroling". But the caroling here is way different, the soul purpose of it is to get money. They bang on cans or play guitars and they all sing the same songs. A lot of times it is just a few little kids goin around late at night. Crazy.
We had meetings these last two weeks, special training the first week, where afterwards the assistants and even the mission president and his wife split up and went proselyting with us. One of the assistants went with me and my comp. It was fun and i learned alot from him. Then we had Zone Conference the next week, where we just asked President some questions and concerns we have as missionaries. It was good.
These last two Saturdays we cleaned the church, one time we had some youth help us out but the other time it was just me and my comp. But we got it done in 1 and 1/2 hours, which is pretty good. We wanted the church cleaned because we had a Baptism. Sister Geraldine, 19, got baptised. I was afraid she wouldn't be fellowshipped in the church because there were no members who went with us to teach her. But with the Christmas parties at the church and at the members houses she made alot of friends.

The Christmas parties were way fun, one with the branch, where we had alot of games and food.

Then a Christmas party with just the missionaries. We had games, food and a gift exchange/swap. It was alot of fun. So I had a pretty fun Christmas even though i was away from my family for the first time. On the actual day of Christmas we worked a little then went to 2 member's houses to eat and have FHE. The work is doin pretty good. We are finding new investigators and they are also priesthood so that is way awesome. Cuz the branch is really short on priesthood.

This was the lst week of the transfer and my companion, Elder Niar, is now done with his mission. So I will get a new companion and i am excited for this coming transfer. I probably will be senior companion. Well everything is going great. Love you all. Elder Pennock

Dec 6-13, 2010

Its actually cooling down!!!! Thank goodness for December! Its still pretty hot but it is getting better. The nights are quite a bit colder now. Alot of cool things happened this week. Last Monday was the last couple days of the Fiesta in Bani. It is similar to a Town Fair in the States, their were rides, like a ferris wheel and all the local schools competed/performed at the Plaza. And there were a bunch of people selling stuff around the plaza in town.

On Thursday and Friday, after working in Bani for a couple months now I got to work in a different area. We did exchanges, and I got to work in the newly opened area, Mabini. They dont have a chapel there yet, and there is only a few members, but missionary work is doin good there. The good thing about this new area is the people there haven't heard or don't know much about the church, so we can easily talk to people and get new investigators. Also since it is newly opened area, people are not used to seeing missionaries, especially an American. There were some girls who asked to take a picture with me. . . crazy. So goin on exchanges was really cool and fun.

The work in Bani is doin pretty good. We have one sister, Sis. Geraldine, who just had her baptism interview. So she is goin to be baptized next Sunday! =)

Other than that we are just working with the new investigators we have and continuing to find new ones. One guy, Br. Ernieng is really interested in the church and is thinking about joining. He is reading the Book of Mormon and is really impressed with the change of one convert a few years ago who was an alcoholic. The only problem with Ernieg is he lives far away and we only got to teach him once, cuz he returns home from work late in the evening. I hope we can teach him.

On Saturday our whole day was takin up doing a service project at an elementary school in Alaminos. One classroom's roof blew away, and we demolished and started replacing a wall around the boundary of the school. So even until now I am sore from that, mixing cement, and carrying cement blocks.

Sunday evening was the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional which was really cool. And it was the first time I saw it or even knew they had one, that is actually what the pics are about, where we are showing number 1, cuz it was my first christmas devotional. :)

The other pictures were earlier up in Bolinao at the Branch President's house close to the beach. That matorcycle is the motor he races with, he has won a few times with that. Then that was our snack, eating sea shells (the animal inside). We cracked them open with a hammer and then put vinegar on it. mmm...delicious. :)

Well that is pretty much it for this week. Can't wait to call home next week!!!!! Elder Pennock

This is in Bolinao. The previous branch president has a house right by the ocean, it reminded me of our house in Mexico. Except i think it is more beautiful in the Philippines. :)

Nov 22 - Dec 5, 2010

Hello again. I have to update on two weeks now. The work is doin pretty good, we have one progressing investigator that has a baptism date for Dec. 10. So we are excited for her, the rest of the work we are just trying to work with the investigators we have and find new investigators, lately we have been goin to new places and finding new people. So hopefully things will start happening.
Last week we had Zone Conference, which was cool. The sister missionaries in our zone who usually get a ride with the couple missionaries, the Ashcrafts, had to ride the bus with us cuz there is not yet any replacement senior missionaries. So that was a little bit different ride for them but is was fun.
At Zone Conference we focused on teaching the Restoration, cuz it answers so many questions and if investigators just would listen and understand the principles of the Restoration, everything would be better. :)
Oh the investigator that we were excited to teach, Agnus, turned out to be a little conspicuous, we think she was a member before, she knows like all the lyrics to the hymns, but she is like in hiding, by moving all over the place.
This past week, there was an inactive member who passed away. So we had a service for her at the church, then because there is very little priesthood in our branch here, I dedicated the grave. My first time dedicating a grave, and probably my last.
What was funny was she was a chain smoker, so they placed a pack of cigarettes and matches on her casket. So I don't know that was just funny, especially since i dedicated the grave.
Also another crazy thing that happened, was we were teaching the Restoration to a few investigators, and right after we finished Sister received a text that her husband, who is working abroad, just passed away because of high blood. She then started crying. She was in such sorrow and pain. Me and my companion were just thinking how grateful we are to know there is life after death and that our families are together forever. And for my companion, his dad died when he was still new in the mission, but he continued his mission and had peace because he knew he will see his dad again. And i thought to myself if that would happen to me, it wouldn't be so painful nothing like what this one sister was feeling. Then i realized the blessing of eternal families, that no one else knows about except members of the true church of Jesus Christ. That experience also was a reality check for me as a missionary, cuz she has been an investigator for along time, and if she only knew or understood our message, or we taught better so she would understand and do her commitments, that pain, sorrow and anguish would never have happened. Her husband was an awesome and nice guy. I even had the privilege to meet him before he went abroad (that shows you how long I have been here in Bani, I'm 10 months now). Her husband said we were the only missionaries that he would listen to and not hide from, cuz we are not like others who say "our church is true, you need to repent and join our church or you will not be saved".
So those are a few big things that have happened, also the town fiesta is goin on, kind of like a town fair, there is rides, and dances and bands, I will send pictures next week. Elder Pennock

This was a funeral. There we are teaching the Plan of Salvation to the family members of the deceased. And there i am at the cemetery, I didn't know they were takin a picture, but you can see how the cemeteries are here. The caskets are in those white cement boxes.

The nativity




Eating "balut"

Helping to build an addition with bamboo.
This was a service project at a members house. We made walls to make a shed to store rice. The pic with me and Tatay, he is a part member family, he is the only one that is not a member.