June 20-26, 2011

So it rained every day this week, and many areas have been flooded, especially all the rice fields. So we had a ton of fun workin in the rain, being soakin wet. haha. But first on Monday, we had a zone activity where we updated our areabooks, cuz we were were told they need some workin on :) Also for them to be checked again the next day at Special Training. This was the last Special Training of the mission president so its gonna be interesting next month when we have a new mission president. Also president said we will get portable dvd players to use in companion study and planning. That will be cool. We will watch the Preach My Gospel and church videos to help us in the work. More and more high tech. =) Next we will all get cars. ;) I also learned alot this week of how to more help our investigators, one thing I learned came from exchanging with our zone leader. He reminded me about extending baptismal goal dates which I had forgotten about. So from that reminder we now have more investigators with a baptismal goal date and they are really excited. Also while I was thinking why investigators aren't progressing and keeping their commitments, besides the fact that they couldnt come to church cuz its raining, I thought that maybe we need to teach more simply and slowly so that they will understand. Cuz our teaching is good, we use scriptures, examples, and inspired questions and everything, but they're just not keepin the commitments. So thats what we will try this week is teaching more simply. And now since that was the last special training, we now have district meeting every week, which means I need to prepare a workshop everyweek that will help our district improve in their work, their weaknesses and goals and stuff. yikes. But hey, my package came! and all my apartment mates loved it as well, all the ties and food. I also shared some food with our investigators, saying "try this, this came from america". haha Also I sent a few pictures of us and our branch missionary leader workin in the rain. It was really funny. The umbrella that he used was a spare at the house, and it was perfectly fine in the beginning, but then one little thing on it broke, then a few hours later it totally like fell apart. haha. He didnt even do anything, he was just holding it. hahaha. Well the work is great. I love you all. i hope you are all keeping your commitments =) -Elder Pennock

June 13 - 19, 2011

The first week of the transfer! but nothin really changed for us, its still the 6 of us in the apartment and we are still doin great. We just really worked hard this week to help our investigators progress and also to find new people to teach eventhough its raining all the time. We have quite a few new investigators that we are excited to go back to and hope that they will progress, alot of them are young men and preisthood too, which is awesome. Also at this one house where we tracted the people were way cool. They invited us in right away and were amazed by what we are doing(walking in the hot sun, or heavy rain everyday, talking to strangers and not getting any money from it). Also the fact that I was sweating(like always), had a hole in my socks and speaking tagalog. =) haha. They were just astonished that we are doin this for two years, leave our family and schooling,(and girls) to serve the Lord. They were a bunch of newly married girls by the way and their husbands were out working at the time. But it was so cool that they actually noticed and realized these things cuz most people don't even care or notice that kind of stuff. They were very interested and asked us a ton of questions, they also said that we are not like other missionaries of other churches who come in and sit down and go straight to gospel topics and are very stiff and boring. They said we were fun to talk to and very friendly. This was saturday morning by the way, we will try to go back to them this wednesday morning. We left them the Restoration pamphlet to read because alot of their questions will be answered in the message of the restoration. Hopefully they will read it and share to their husbands these things as well. So that was really the highlight for me this week, they even offered to feed us lunch before we left cuz it was approaching 12. :) Hopefully we will continue to find people like that and also to be friendly and confident in talking to people.
In our zone however are quite a few new people, 2 new filipina sisters and 3 new elders. One fairly new missionary Elder Adams from Kentucky who is already good at speaking tagalog be it his 4th month in the philippines, and a new district leader who is training a brand new Elder Palmer from the provo MTC. I havent met them yet but its gonna be cool. Also these are pictures of our house in Alaminos which my mom requested. :) I also took a picture of my comp cooking because he is always cooking for us and me washing dishes cuz I unfortunetely am always washing dishes for us. But it is way fun having 6 in the apartment, a bit crazy but alot of fun. The 4 of them sleep in the living room, while me and my comp sleep in our room on beds. :) Before when I was assigned in Bani with Elder Westwood we used that aircon in our room, and thats where the 4 of us before slept and ate, in the airconditioned room. way back last year with elder muliaina and elder gerbolingo. Which also means i just passed being 1 year in alaminos zone, 10 1/2 months in Bani and now 1 1/2 months in Hundred Islands. but its great, this is the best zone of the mission =) Ito na lang muna ngayon. Ingat kayo. -Elder Pennock

June 6-12, 2011

We had a baptism!!! It was totally sweet! Alvin Ignacio, the one who got baptised, is 17, and he couldn't express his feeling. He said it was so peaceful, happy and a light(magaan) feeling. He also bore his testimony twice, once at the baptism after he got baptised and once in church the next day in class. Sunday was also awesome, Alvin got confirmed and recieved the Aaronic preisthood. The branch really fellowshipped him. He now has all the Duty to God stuff and is invited to mutual every saturday. But he turns 18 pretty soon, I dont think he will finish the Duty to God, but he is really doin great and loving everything. So that was one reason we were busy this week, preparing for the baptism and helping Alvin. Also the Mabini Elders had an interviewee for baptism, so I as the District Leader, had the privelege to interview thier investigator for baptism. It was great. He is only like 10 years old, in a part member family. And he had no problem with anything, He really wants to do whats right and follow Christ. So that was cool, my first baptism interview. But eventhough it was a (bisi)busy week, and it was raining almost every afternoon, we still got some work done. On Thursday we went on exchanges, I was with the zone leader in his area, Mabini. It was good. Their area is hard because there is no chapel nor missionary apartment, they have to go to and from Alaminos everyday and the members and investigators have to travel to Alaminos for church, but they are doin a great job. Some of the investigators and less-actives that we are workin with are still attending church. One of which is really progressing, his only problem is cigarrette smoking. Before he would smoke a whole pack everyday, but now he only smokes 6 sticks! It was awesome when he said that. We are really excited for him. Well this was the last week of the transfer. We found out earlier that me and my comp are not getting transfered, we are still here as well as the 4 other missionaries in our house. So im still the only foreigner in the house. :) But their will 5 transfering and 5 new missionaries in the zone. So we took a last zone picture of everyone. Thats prety much it for this week. The work is great. -Elder Pennock

May 30- June 5, 2011

Another great awesome week. This was the busiest week yet, we just worked and worked. That's whats good about having a young companion, he just loves and enjoys the work. We had a total of 33 lessons this week, which is the most I have had in my mission. The reason is because we are doing what Elder Holland said about being persistent and what our mission president advised that even if they say they are busy, share just a little bit, and get a lesson in at least if its only 10 minutes. So thats what we focused on this week, and its really working. There was one experience where this one investigator seems to be busy a ton lately and she stopped reading the Book of Mormon. We were persistent and insisted to share with her even if its only 5 minutes. She finally let us and we shared the verse in 3rd Nephi about "first seek ye the kingdom of god". When we shared that her whole attitude and presence changed, and she said she will start reading the Book of Mormon again. I learned there the importance of persistence and that it really works. That is one thing Elder Holland mentioned in his talk, is to "Be persistent and don't give up to easy". Also with this great week, we had more investigators progress and come to church. As well as the less actives that we are continuing to visit and find. The sundays at church are a lot better and funner now that we have more investigators and less-actives comin to church. Before, and in my other areas church was always pretty saddening and depressing cuz the people we were visiting or teaching wouldn't show up to church. But its goin great now, we also had a meeting after church where we reported on our work and about the investigators that are close to getting baptized but they really need a fellowshipper from church to keep them coming to church and continue to baptism, so they wont be shy and feel more comfortable. So at the meeting we told them who and what time we go to our investigators that need a fellowshipper and we gave them our cellphone number. So hopefully we can have some more members at our lessons to fellowship our investigators. And yes it now is definitely rainy season again. yay!! There is some good and bad with that. :) I also did another exchange this week with the other elders in my district. This time I went with the older/more experienced elder in his area, Alaminos 1. We worked on tracting and finding investigators, because they are having a hard time with that. We met a few people that said we can come back, so hopefully they will be good and the elders will continue to find more people. Oh yeah, the district meeting on tuesday where I and the other district leader and the zone leader explained the new way president wants us to do lesson plans. Its really cool, altogether in every principle of a lesson we list the purpose, baptismal interview questions, commitments, key points for that principle. Then we list the inspired questions, scriptures, examples, concerns and solutions also for each principle. Its alot of stuff but it makes it way clear and easier to teach and understand the real focus for that principle of the lesson. The picture of me and my batchmate(Elder Alms from the mtc) in Dasol is where we were on our way to leadership training last week and we got off the bus at Dasol. Because the bus route is ridiculous it goes on a side route around the town of Dasol and comes right back to the highway. So we got off their at the sign and waited for it to come around again. :) We also saved 1 peso form doing that. =) The other pictures are of my hands where you can see the scars from the wart surgery in Olongapo last year. Quite beautiful. The ole doctor loved lasering the stuff off, he didnt say anything that it would leave scars. But other than that, the work is really great. We should be getting some baptisms pretty soon if things continue to progress. Hanggang dito na lang. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Elder Pennock