Aug 15-21, 2011

Hello everybody! It was a great week this week. We are still making alot of changes in the work. We have a few great progressing investigators that we are still continuing to help get to baptism. We also have two new investigators, both of which are part-member families. so we are really excited for them. We also stopped teaching a ton of investigators that aren't progressing at all, and focused a little more time on visiting members, which will be great if we can get some referrals and get to know the members better. So eventhough the work is challenging right now, me and and my companion are ready. I am also enjoying my role as a district leader by interviewing and meeting baptismal candidates of other missionaries. We are also enjoying the work cuz we have a few members who are continuing to work with us. Also this week there was the service of the one returned missionary who became inactive, his burial took place this last saturday. It was great because he is a member of the local government so a ton of people attended and were able to enter the church and hear some of our beliefs. Thank you guys for everything, love you all. I decided to send the 2 last pics on my camera, it was set on timmer and I was the only one aware. haha.

Aug 8-14, 2011

So it was an interesting and exciting week this week. Alot of changes in the work,there's alot of investigators that we have stopped teaching because they are not progressing at all, and a few new potential part-member investigators that have already been goin to church for awhile. so we are excited for them. Also there's this one in-active returned missionary who we have been visiting every once in a while, he served in Hawaii and is one of the pioneers here, but he got offended and started smoking and drinking and doesn't want to go to church. Well cuz of his high blood and a heart attack, he was hospitalized and passed away this last week. Before he passed away, we visited him and blessed him in the hospital, and he said he wanted to and was ready to come back. Its real too bad he had to be hospitalized to make him realize. So this week will be the service. On saturday,we had a joint service project with all the members in the Alaminos District. We went to the mountains of Sual and hiked up them to plant manggo trees. It was absolutely crazy. So far, hot and exhausting.We had to stop and rest a ton of times along the way, it took over half the day, we got back home at like 4 o'clock. And what we did is actually what those people do for a job! Crazy!!! But eventhough it was tough and we all got sunburned(but i was the only one who turned red, cuz im the only white american :) it was pretty fun. Also this morning, monday, we had another service project in Bolinao, at the house of Pres. Balad. After we did yardwork at his house we went to the zoo at Rock Garden. It was pretty cool, eventhough it was my second time there. But it was cool with the new people here. :) We are just continuing in the work. Well i think thats pretty much it for this week. hope you guys are doin awesome. i miss you and love you all. - Elder Pennock

Aug 1-7, 2011

The first week of August! We are still as busy as ever and enjoying the work. It rained a ton this week, and i finally decided to buy a new and bigger umbrella to replace the one i have been using for over a year now, when i was still in Bani. Its way awesome by the way, its way bigger, but can still fold up and fit in my bag. So that makes the work a little more enjoyable, also we had one sister work with us two days this week, which was way fun as well. Thats the girl in the red, and there we are in farm area where there are a lot of trees, mud and floods. Its crazy, some areas get way flooded and muddy, especially when its been raining as hard as it has lately. We also have a ton of investigators, some progressing more than others, but that's missionary work, and what makes it fun and challenging. And my new companion and I are excited and enjoying it. We found 2 great new families who are awesome and were actually taught by missionaries way back, so we are excited for them. Our new zone is also doin great, we got some zone jerseys which are totally cool. Just lovin the work. Love you all. -Elder Pennock

Zone Jerseys

I sent some cool pics. of the new 6 elders in our house. and thats our new zone uniform. totally sweet! the language of tonga is on the front which means Zone Unity, because that big guy, Elder Masima (eventhough his nickname is on his jersey) is tongan. but the jerseys are awesome. just dont notice my farmer's tan. :)

July 25-31, 2011

The first week of a new transfer, and a new companion. My new companion is Elder Cagayanan. He was with me and E. Muliaina, and Elder Schwiekert in Cupang. We also got 3 more elders in our house, Elder Masima and Elder Parco. They are great guys as well. But before these guys came, and before the other guys left we ate lunch at Maxine by the Sea. Thats what the pictures are, where you can see the 100 Islands. Way cool! The missonary work is doin great! We have alot of new investigators that are interested in our message and want to learn all about it. We also had a baptism, another priesthood holder, Esagani Misola, who is the cousin of the returned missionary who always works with us. He is the one with the blue necktie. That last picture is a family home evening, where the father wearing blue, is an RM as well. The food was awesome! Well I got to go. sorry for the short report. Love you. - Elder Pennock

July 18-24, 2011

This week was another great and busy week. On Monday we spent most of the day cleaning the house cuz on wednesday the Mission President came and did apartment interviews. So the house needed to be clean. ;) We also bought some food at CSI the local grocery store. Which is an awesome place cuz it has a bunch of american food, like pringles, oreos, gatorade and other stuff which I really enjoy buying all the time. =) But there's no beef jerky or fruit snacks. For the district meeting on tuesday, we focused on working with members, how to involve them in the lessons and help them feel comfortable and ready with their role in teaching. Because its so important to have members fellowship the investigators and be there for the teaching. Just having a member friend resolves many of the concerns that investigators have. And im real thankful for the few returned missionaries and members that work us full-time missionaries. Those are really the investigators who progress the fastest and become strong members, like the one investigator of ours who got baptized last month and the investigator who is getting baptized next week. :) We also have a ton of other investigators who are still having trouble attending church and stop their addictions like alcohol and cigarrettes. We are continuing to work with them and help them. The apartment interviews were great, the house was clean, we got some new irons and ironing boards and they said we should use the airconditioning at night, when we sleep. So thats way cool. Also President is really proud of our work and what we are doing in Hundred Islands. According to him, I just need to eat more. But im kinda tired of 18 months of rice, I want some steak and potatoes, and ribs and mexican food! :) On thursday, we had exchanges again, I went to Alaminos with Elder Adriano, and our work was good, eventhough it was far and we went over cool bridges and stuff. We met alot of people who were taught before and they are ok with us coming back and teaching them. This saturday and sunday, we had District Conference, with the Mission President and a member of the area seventy, also all the members in Alaminos District. So I got to see all my friends from Bani! It was sweet! (Except that they all said I have gotten skinnier). We also had 5 investigators who were able to come. So we are excited for our investigators who are showing progression. This moring we just found out that my companion is being transferred! As well as 1 sister in my district and 2 other elders who stay with us in the house. So there will be many changes goin on. Altogether Sister Jackson, Elder Olbes(my comp), Elder Suaybaguio, and Elder Rosales will transfer, and my companion before in Bani, Elder DelaCruz, is done with his mission so we will have another new missionary replacing him. Exciting and a little scary what will happen. I will let you know next week who the new people are. Ingat - Elder Pennock

July 11 - 17, 2011

So, this week I will write in English again so my family can understand. :) This week was great, we were so busy! I forget how many lessons we had that one busy week last month or so. But this week we had a ton as well, 35 total lessons. We are just workin like crazy. We finally contacted a couple of our referrals, and they quickly became new investigators. They however didn't come to church this last week though for whatever reason. But we will go back to them and see whats up. Im still also learning my role as a district leader, and hopefully I will start getting used to giving the workshops in District meeting. haha. Me and my comp are just really enjoying the work. Especially in our new area(Baleyadaan) that we just started working in, all the people are very friendly and welcome to us and want to learn. The only thing is we dont have enough time to get to them all. :) One of them is one great family, the Mejia family, who were once investigators. But they were very busy, because they used to have work in Zambales and the father is in the local government. But they are very friendly and want to be taught again. So we are really excited to start to teach them. There is also this one guy, where when we met him he was reading the bible! We met his wife before and gave her the L1 pamphlet and he finished reading it! So when we met him he asked about the Book of Mormon! so of course we gave him a copy. Hopefully he will continue to be awesome and we will be able to teach him. I also did exchanges twice this week. Once on thursday with Elder Rosales in their area and once with Elder Suaybagiuo in our area. They are really great guys and missionaries and I learned alot when I exchanged with them. I also was surprised how good Elder Suaybaguio is cuz he is still brand new in the mission. There was also alot of members who worked with us this week, which was way cool. Cuz the work was fun and having members work with us really help our investigators. Well i guess thats it for this week. Love you all. _ Elder Pennock