May 23-29, 2011

This last week was awesome. It started with a great birthday party/family home evening with all the missionaries in our zone, because one of the sister missionaries had a birthday. There was great food and alot of games, like Zip Bong.

Then on Tuesday we went to Santa Cruz again foe special training. This time we learned about the importance of sacrament attendance foe our investigators and how to teach people and not just teach lessons. I learned alot about helping the investigators come to church, and all the blessings from attending the church that we can share to the investigators. Also we listened to a totally sweet talk by Elder Holland, I think it's called "Feed my Sheep." And I invite all of you to listen/watch it cause its the best. It was when he talked at the Provo MTC this last January. I learned a ton from it, Elder Holland is seriously the best speaker ever on missionary work. Oh and I think its rainy season again, its raining all the time now. :'( we are all wet and stuff. but hey at least its not as hot. :) It was a really busy week this week because on Friday we went down to Santa Cruz again, this time for Leadership Training. It was the first leadership training where i was one of the leaders so that was a bit new and interesting. It was about reading key indicators, conducting exchanges, obtaining unity in the zone and district, and also making lesson plans. I also learned a lot there. And for the district meeting this tuesday, its going to be the whole zone and we are gonna go over our lesson plans for Lesson 1, the Restoration, the way the mission president wants it. :) so me, the other district leader and the zone leader will be in charge and doin that. This week we really focused on the investigators and less actives to come to church, which went well. This week I really saw the love and concern of my comp for the investigators. He is still new and experiencing all the parts of missionary work and realizing that is is really hard, and I really felt for him, and came to know that he is really struggling as much as I am with trying to help the investigators. And I am really impressed with his love and desire to serve, maybe thats how I was when I was still new and havin troubles as well as a new missionary. :) We also enjoyed having members work with us, even though we were in the rain. haha. I also found out from my last companion, that the people in my last area actually do miss me a little bit, and they are sad that I didn't say goodbye. And the reason is that I didn't know I was leaving and gonna go back up to alaminos! absolutely crazy. haha. and i actually do miss all of them in balanga, it was a lot of fun down there. Well i thin thats it for this week. I sent some more pictures from the jubilee celebration last week and some pics from the birthday party. :) Love you all. -Elder Pennock

Letter dated May 2, 2011 to a Bro in my home ward

Dear Bro.
First of all thanks for your letter. Sorry it took me a while to write back, but I am having a great time on my mission and learning a lot. One thing I've learned is the importance of fulfilling church callings and home teaching, and I want to thank you for being a great home teacher and always visiting us.
The mission is a great experience. The language is not a problem anymore, and it feels so cool to understand and speak a new language. We don't have any vehicle, so we either walk or ride the Jeepneys or tricycle "taxis". The Philippines are great, a very beautiful country. The people are friendly and very content with what they have, which also brings challenges as a missionary. Its hard for them to change, and accept new things, and go out of their way or style. Family is extremely important to them, they have a lot of children and focus on working to support the family. Which also makes it hard for them to take time for the gospel. They are a very religious and faithful people in that they have strong faith and beliefs in God but do not know much or care to know about the Doctrine and Principles. They are a very relaxed, content, go with the flow kind of people.
I hope things back in San Marcos are great. I hope the ward is awesome. I just heard Pres. Haynie got called to be a seventy, which was amazing news. I hope you and your family are doing absolutely great, and you are continuing to help and serve the ward and others, and learn and grow in the gospel. I have learned and grown so much, and I know this church is true and that the gospel and God's plan are perfect. I've learned and enjoyed all the experiences from my mission, which you can and are invited to read about at elderpennock.blogspot.com which my mom is in charge of :)
Thanks again for the letter and everything.
Elder Pennock

May 9-15, 2011

Wow!!! What an awesome week!! We got more members to work with us this week and the in actives that we visited came to church!! I am now getting used to my new area, comp and calling. And its sweet. We are still just helping our investigators strengthen their faith so they can come to church, and finding new investigators. Some of our investigators our really great, they believe in the Book of Mormon and are reading all the time, but church is the only thing difficult for them. So that's what we are focusing on for them right now. We also found some new great families that are interested and want to listen, both of the families are way nice and very potential. The one father finished reading the Restoration pamphlet and now we gave him a Book of Mormon.
I also was shocked and surprised and happy to see the less-actives that we visited come to church. One is a family, their parents are always gone. The father is always at work and the mother is working abroad in Saudi. But we taught the kids one of which has a husband and a kid as well. So they are the ones who came to church, she also brought her husband who isn't a member.
The other inactive that we visited is actually an RM. He is single and is just spending his time working. I was really surprised to see him come to church, cuz he didn't want us to teach him, just visit and talk.
On Tuesday was the first district meeting where I had to teach the workshop. It was good, just kind of set and collected the expectations and goals from everyone for the district then we did a little teaching demo to practice companion unity and listening.
It was great. Then on Thursday it was Zone Conference in Santa Cruz. It was a brownout so there was no electricity which means there was no air on which also means it was so hot. But other than that the conference was great.
When we went to work on friday, we ended up doin a service project. One of our investigators was fixing up her bamboo house (kubo) for the rain so it wont get all wet and muddy inside her house, so we helped her while wearing our shirt and ties. :)
Then Saturday morning for preparation for the awesome 50th Anniversary Jubilee Celebration we helped set up the chairs and stuff at the auditorium in Alaminos City. Then later that evening was the show. It was the 50th anniversary of the church in the Philippines and all the branches in Alaminos District came and sang and danced. It was so cool, especially that I could see all the people I have met in Bani and Bolinao who couldn't believe that i came back. It was so cool to see them all again.
Then on sunday I was called to give a talk. I introduced myself again, and talked about the importance of family prayer, family scripture study and family home evening. Because I have realized these 3 things are so important and a blessing for the family and alot of members are not doing them :).
The talk was alright, but towards the end i started to get a little nervous, i am still not great at speaking in front of a ton of people. :( Hopefully that will go away by the end of my mission.
So pretty much everything is awesome, my comp and my district are great. Oh also, the Filipina sister in my district got sick saturday and had trouble walking and they called me to give her a priesthood blessing. One more cool thing about being a district leader. And later that night she was fine and helped with the jubilee.
Thats all for this week. Totally sweet. I got to go. Love you all. Elder Pennock


These are all the pics from the jubilee... The first being Bani Branch doing their dance with the buckets :) Me and my comp with our Branch Mission Leader, who is awesome. Me with some of the young women in Bani, they can't believe I came back. My area before, Bani, with the cool green costumes and hats on the stage. My new area, Hundred Islands branch, with fancy dresses and green costumes on the stage. Then Bolinao Branch with the colorful, cool dresses and hats.

May 9, 2011

The first picture is my district, 100 Islands District with 6 elders and 2 sisters.

This kid is eating a sea urchin, which is called pana-pana :) One of our investigators fishes for them.

This is the Julibee Celebration, 50th anniversary of the church in the Philippines!

The first one with the girls in the dreses is Balinao branch, also with the kind of shield like things.


The one with the girls and flowers is Alaminos Branch 1

The one with the umbrellas is Alaminos Branch 2.



The people in green is Hundred Islands Branch, yay!

Then thats me and my comp having one heart and one mind ;). Love you

May 2-8, 2011

Wow! I bet you can't guess where i am now. My new area. You know how I used to be in the north in Bani, Alaminos zone. Then I transferred all the way down to the south in Bataan. And now I got transferred, last Tuesday. All the way... back to Alaminos city, the Hundred Islands Branch! It was crazy, when the missionaries here saw that I cam back they couldn't believe it. I can't believe it actually as well. But its cool.
I got a great comp, E. Olbes, he is still new in the mission, I am his follow up trainer (2nd comp). So that's way cool. I am also the District Leader here in 100 Islands District, which is also a new big responsibility and chance to grow and learn.
So this week was quite fun and exciting, new comp, new area, new responsibility, new branch, new investigators, and new transfer. There is also 6 of us in the house I am the only foreigner, so its totally tagalog :)
Also I am back to workin in the bukid (rice fields) no longer in the city.
This saturday is the stake jubilee also and I will be able to see all the members from Bani. That will be totally awesome. This saturday its like a cultural celebration, with dances and singing, and us missionaries are assigned to be the ushers =)

But this week in my new area was great. Tuesday was the long bus ride from Balanga to Alaminos. And the zone leaders in Olongapo didn't put one of my bags on the bus. I do have alot of stuff but that bag is at the mission home and i won't get that bag back until zone conference on thursday. Crazy.
In this new area there are alot of investigators who have a baptism goal date but they are not going to church or reading the book of mormon. So that will be our focus for them is to first gain a testimony and read the book of mormon so that they will go to church and collow the other commitments.
Oh and the pictures are of me and my new comp, and there we are workin/walkin in the hot sun (thats why we have umbrellas) and the rice fields. :)

May 2, 2011

Zone t-shirts and study pics

April 25 - May 1, 2011

Wow. The last week of the transfer, and i just found out earlier that I am gonna transfer. So I will be leaving Cupang Ward and my comp Elder Muliaina. But this last week was a fun, busy week.
On Tuesday we had interviews and the cooking demo. We had some great food, fried tilapia, monggo, and a manggo float cake dessert. We were only able to work a little bit this week but it was good. We have one new investigator with a baptismal goal date and she really enjoys listening and learning. She even does the reading and has some questions for us. And from what President said at Interviews we will focus more on the investigators reading the Book of Mormon so they will gain a testimony.
Then while my comp went to Zone Leader Council I went with the Balanga Elders to their ward activity. These pics are the Balanga ward activity. A swim party, with food. There was this cool statue there as well. :)

Then on Saturday was the Jubilee, the celebration for the 50 years that the church has been in the Philippines. It was way cool, it was a cultural activity with singing and dancing, it was broadcasted to all the Philippines. Then on Sunday as well Elder Boyd K. Packer, Elder Cook, Elder Teh and Sister Beck all spoke and gave great talks for all the Philippines.

So that was this week. Next week I will tell you all about my new area and comp. Love you all. Elder Pennock