April 18-24, 2011

Well, Happy Easter to everyone! Even though there is no Easter in the Philippines. If you remember last year when I was still in my first area, they have Holy Week. Where they have traditions to remember Christ. And I was really shocked last year cuz i had no idea about it. In the morning the men while walking the streets whip themselves with sticks so they bleed and I even heard some really get nailed to a cross. They say its for repentance. Also in the evening everyone joins in like a parade where they hold candles and have floats of Jesus and Mary. So for a few days it was hard to go tracting, so we visited alot of members instead. We also watched the new Joseph Smith movie with them as well, which is totaly awesome. Its on the Doctrine and Covenants DVD.
Our work was good this week. We had a few members work with us which helped us get more work done. One priest age kids even said he really felt the spirit and enjoyed teaching. This was at one inactive member's house and I let him take the lead and share a message and he really liked it, which was awesome to hear. Also we had exchanges with the Assistants to the Principle because my comp is a zone leader. Even though I was with an assistant it was just the same, I led and we both taught the lesson. Where I was surprised and thought he would teach and help me out more as a missionary.
We had an interesting and eye-opening thing happen this week, we talked to two British men who don't believe there is a god. They both live here and have family here and were fine to talk with us. It was just way different to 1. speak english and 2. teach someone who doesn't believe in god.
I am thankful that I'm serving in the Philippines cuz they at least have faith and believe in God, and I really feel for and give credit to the missionaries in England and the US, and other places where they teach people without belief and faith all the time.
The two men were very bright and had good points, one even read the whole bible. It really made me and my companion think about the importance of faith and the spiritual side of things not always the physical and logical side. Because that's the only way you can know about anything religious or spiritual. How you gain a testimony, making right choices, knowing things to be true, and have true purpose, peace, and comfort in life. A ton its crazy. and its so important to keep strengthening and working on that spiritual, faithful side so we don't lose our testimony and faith and fall to the physical worldly side. Sorry if this is kinda out there and preachy ;) but talking with those 2 men just really affected me. Things like, how do you know the Book of Mormon is true, how do you even know if the bible is true, it all came from man, there is no afterlife, no before life. So that was just an eye-opener as well as a faith-builder.
Other than that we had a sweet Service project, with three of the wards, Balanga, Cupang and Abucay. We cleaned yet another barangay and all the trash on the roads. Cuz its like the national service day in the Philippines, they said. That is also what the pics are. You can see there when we are all walking in the street that me and the other american stick out. =)

Also at the end of the road by the sea there is a bunch of fish frying, "tuyo" as it is called here, dried fish. They are tiny and way cheap, and dont taste too great :)

Well love you all. And hope you are all strengthening and building your faith and testimony everyday. ;) Elder Pennock

April 18, 2011

Volleyball in Bagac

April 12 - 17, 2011

Work, work, work. That's all we did this week. It was great. We got a lot of lessons in this week, not too many new investigators but we are excited for the work. There is this one new investigator who is a member's friend and coworker. He was referred to us and he is awesome. We taught him at the member's house with the member present and it was a great lesson. He is way interested in the church, he has gone to church twice now, and had alot of questions. We taught him the restoration and he really listened and understood, we were asking his questions and explaining things as well as he himself was explaining and sharing. By the end of the lesson he committed to a baptism goal date in June.

Another investigator is having trouble going to church because she has 3 little kids and her husband is always out doin stuff. But after explaining about church and primary, she came to church this week with her 3 kids!

There is one more new investigator who is also interested, he wanted a Book of Mormon and had alot of questions, he is really strong in his beleifs so hopefully he will accept and understand what we teach him. He is also a part member so hopefully the members will help him as well.

Two days this week we had priesthood work with us so we were able to split to get more work done. Which was way cool, one other part member guy who we taught, who isnt really interested in listening changed and became interested in our lesson. We taught about the Book of Mormon, what it is, why its important, and how we can find out if its true. When we taught him I really saw him gain an interest to read the Book of Mormon, and it was so cool to see, i wish i can see that happen with more people.

Also at another inactive part member family that we taught, they want to get their new baby blessed at church, but they were to scared or shy to ask. They said that this is maybe the way for them to come back to church, which will be totally awesome.

Then there was another funeral at a part member family (there's a ton of part member families here) where we visited and ate.

Also every week we have a missionary correlation meeting with the people who work with us and the mission leader, which happen to all be single adults. But its good, we are currently planning for an activity where members split and work with the missionaries for a day, after learning a little teaching and tracting skills.

So the work is great, we are working hard and excited and hope it will continue to progress. Love you all. Elder Pennock

ps - the pics are the four of us in our house, Cupang Elders (me and the somoan, E. Muliaina) and Balanga Elders (E. Cagayanan and E. Schwiedert)

April 4 - 11, 2001

Well another busy week.;) So we had little time to work this week, but we found one investigator who is way cool. He is 10, is fairly religious and has tried a few different churches. He also said he likes the story of Joseph Smith because it relates to him, and he committed to a baptism goal date. So that was way cool. We also found an investigator who has some siblings that are members and she seems real interested and wants to know more. We had a ton of other things goin n. But it was awesome and we learned a ton. On Wednesday after weekly planning, we had exchanges, my comp was Elder Scharman, the other district leader in our zone. It was good, thats when we found that 19 year old investigator. Scharman's a good elder and loves missionary work, it was cool to work with him. Then on Thursday it was the Leadership Training, with the Mission President and all the leaders and their comps from Orion, Balanga, Dinalupihan, and Olongapo Zones. So it was sweet to see some new missionaries and some old ones, like Elder Westwood, my follow up trainer. The training was great, learned about giving workshops, exchanges, and key indicators. We also learned about being a good example as a leader, resolving concerns and becoming a missionary. Later we attended a high school graduation, because a few members were graduating. It was pretty interesting, they had fireworks, games, and first did all the award winners. Then Friday, we had a Service Project at the chapel in Bagac. We cleaned out, mopped and organized their huge storage room there. Cleaning and moving chairs, desks and pulpits. That was a ton of fun, especially racing and havin like a water fight with the hose. Then Saturday and Sunday, General Conference!!!! It was napakaayos!! I learned a ton about service, love, family and becoming more chirstlike. I also learned that I shouldn't delay getting married when i come back. ;) Also just to hear the great testimonies and words from the leaders of Christ's church strengthens your testimony. It was also cool, cuz for the saturday afternoon session I listened to it in tagalog. I understood everything except, it got pretty hard when that fast talker came on, the tagalog was way faster too. :) This Monday we had an Areabook update activity (thats what the pics are). We fixed and updated our areabooks in the whole zone. Then that other pic is Elder Graven, an awesome and funny filipino missionary, he is the one i rode with when we got transfered from Alaminos. And he's there in between two big foreign elders on the jeepney. Well I need to go. Love you and miss you all. Elder Pennock

March 28 - April 3, 2011

This week was another busy week. I think they're always gonna be busy weeks with a zone leader companion. We had to do apartment checks at 3 apartments in our zone, so that was alot of traveling. But it was fun to see the other missionaries and their areas, and ride on the jeepneys and minibuses. :) There was also a funeral this week where I had the privilege (?) to speak. I didn't have any time to prepare so I just had to quickly think of something. With the work this week we focused on tracting and finding new investigators, many of the people we contacted were willing to listen and some even invited us in. We also had alot of members work with us, fellow preisthood holders so when my comp had to go to Zone Leaders Council they were my companion. It was good having them be with me because they showed me where alot of in-active members are, who also were very glad to see them. Also while my comp was gone, me and the Balanga Elders had a service project friday and saturday morning, both of them at member's houses. The members on Friday are currently caretakers of a huge 4 story warehouse so we cleaned and swept a ton but only got 2 floors done. It was fun though, the members helped and cleaned with us. Also on Saturday, we went to another member's house who has a huge yard/garden. That was with the whole ward, we cleaned and cleared a ton of brush and leaves. Those are the pictures that I sent, and the big group one is their Balanga Ward, I took the picture cuz I'm in Cupang Ward. And also their house is right next to Bataan Tourism Center, so I got to see that.

Oh and that other picture with the cross on the mountain is really cool. Next week or two we will go up there as a zone and go inside. But I just took that picture right outside our house.

Well that's pretty much it for this week, we have a few good investigators that are coming to church and have a baptismal date. We hope we can get more of our investigators to church and commit to a baptism goal date this next week.

Salamat. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Elder Pennock