Zone Conference

Week 43

21 September 2015

This week was terrific to be honest, never been so obedient in my entire life lol. However it was a great week. We worked on Monday night, and left to Lucena for Zone Conference on Tuesday. We caught a van with all the Lopez City missionaries, and me, Elder Aisa, and Elder Faka'i were just talking about things that only Australians can talk about. Poor Elder Reed who was in between us, said he sounded weird when surrounded by us three.

The Zone Conference was great! So much learned, and lots of missionaries to catch up with. There was 9 of us from my batch in our Zone Conference, and it was great to catch up with them all. Afterwards, we hit up Macca's and had a feed with the batch. On Tuesday night, Elder Akroyd and I caught up in the SM, and we bought matching cardigans, and rocked them to Zone Conference. There was so many confused missionaries when we said that we weren't companions, haha. 

Didn't get the package though, didn't arrive in time, so I hit up the Office Elders and they said for me to text them, and they will send it to me through the LBC. Got some new office elders, and they both heaps cool.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were days of hard work, but we still were able to spend an hour or 2 relaxing every day. Numbers wise, this was my companions best ever week, as we had 28 lessons, with 2 days off for Zone conference. My companion is excited, and I told him we'd try and get 40+ lessons this week.

We have some baptisms coming up in October, so I'm pretty excited about the work, and hopefully I can continue to have this motivation to work. The ward is small, but I'm happy to be here, and hopefully I can continue to love it. Just hoping that it stays good, but I don't stay here for another 6 months, because I want to see more of the mission.

Next week I'm 19! Never would have thought that the time would go by so fast that I would be 19 next week. Today is the 10 month mark in the mission, and I guess the next 10 months will go by as fast as the last 10......

Coming up this week isn't too much, Zone meeting on Wednesday, and Elder Aisa already asked me to give the talk.  I'm talking on the Book of Mormon - already organised before I went to sleep last night. Other than that, a full week of work, my companion's birthday on Friday, and hopefully 40 lessons.

After here, off to eat, go shop, then get out to work. Shooting for 5 lessons tonight, so we'll be busy. The families are cool, but not looking like getting meals. All good, used to it.

7 of the 9 batch.

My first district re-united almost.

Transfer Week

Week 42

14th September 2015

Transfers was long. We left Mindoro on Wednesday straight after our district meeting. We caught the boat to Batangas City, where we met up with the STL's who took us to the Batangas Chapel. We met the Batangas 1st Elders there, and they took us to their house to drop off our stuff, before me, Elder Calianga, Elder Estarez, and Elder Hapi went off to the Batangas SM to get a feed. We hit the Pizza Hut, and we ordered tonnes of food. 5 pizzas, 2 things of fish and chips, 2 garlic bread, and bottomless drinks. I couldn't even walk after that feed, but we went off to get some stuff. Elder Hapi and I ended up buying new bags for travel, big duffy bags that matched haha.

Thursday morning, we got up and left at around 8.30AM, and caught the bus to Santo Tomas. We stayed at Santo Tomas for ages! We were there relaxing, and catching up with missionaries who we haven't seen in a while, and some I won't see at least for another 4 months. We caught a bus to San Pablo at around 2PM, and the bus went directly to Lucena, so I dropped my travel-mates off, and went directly to Lucena. It was a long ride! So boring, especially because it was just me by myself. Got to Lucena, then another 2 hour ride to Antimonan, before another 30 minute bus to Gumaca. Didn't like the travel, and got in just before 8PM. I wanted to unpack and sleep, as I had no energy, but my companion and I went to visit someone.... 

We have had a good first few days, and my companion was commenting on how many lessons we got in the 3 days that I have been here. I told my companion that we would average at least 20 lessons a week, and try to get 30-40 lessons at least twice while we are together.

Church was cool, because we visited some less-actives during the week, and we had some of them come to church, and it was the first time my companion had seen them at church since he'd been in the area. Just from that, I felt like I might have some success in this area, if I can keep working hard and pushing to teach as many people as possible.

We actually have a few possible investigators that could be baptized as early as the first week of October, if they keep moving along and attending church. We will continue to work hard with them and help them stay converted in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Other news, my Zone Conference is this Wednesday. I'm actually going to be sleeping in Lucena on Tuesday night, and I'm staying with one of my old companions, Elder Erickson! An anticipated re-union for sure. Elder Aisa called up last night too, as my new Zone Leader, and told me his family now lives in Brisbane, so he'll be going home to Brisbane, not Cairns. We'll be catching up soon, and hopefully going on some exchanges.

Only two weeks until my birthday, and next week will be 10 months long in the mission. Crazy how fast time goes, and I hope it continues to go by fast, while I work hard, and before you know it, I'll be home.

Getting transferred!

Week 41

7th September 2015

I'm being transferred to Gumaca, Lopez Zone! I will be following up a missionary fresh out of training and I may have to teach Tagalog...keen to get to the new area.. 

Apparently my area has like a Macdonalds, so I'm excited to be somewhere with fast food, even though they call the Lopez Zone "Outer Darkness", it's like on the other side of the mission!

I know I'm e-mailing pretty late, we just got back from Victoria, from our Zone P-day. Nearly half of the zone is transferred, but 3 missionaries that have been here for 6 months are still here for another cycle! All of us that came in with them were laying into them about having 5 cycles in Mindoro. 

We just played a couple of games as a zone, and they were crack up! We played this game where we had to walk through a tunnel, with the other missionaries holding the rope in the way, and we couldn't touch the rope, while blindfolded. I was one of the 4 who had to be blindfolded, but I knew the game (the ropes conveniently move when you get close so you don't touch them). Elder Nikau was the last one, and we spun him around, and put him well away from the path. He started to army crawl, and went head first into the wall! Me and Elder Fa'asavalu put him there, and the whole zone was laughing our heads off at him. Poor guy, NOT! Waaaay too funny. It was a good zone p-day, too funny.

This last week was just me kind of waiting to get transferred. Only a few visits to members, and a couple to some investigators. 

This next week, should be interesting. Visiting members and saying goodbye, and then heading off to Batangas on Wednesday night, to head out to Gumaca on Thursday. 

I have probably the longest trip in the mission, and I'm travelling most of it by myself! Not excited, and people will try rip me off but I'm a good bargainer.  I have to travel by boat to Batangas, bus to Santo Tomas, bus to San Pablo, bus to Lucena, and then bus to Lopez.

In fact, in my new zone is my second trainer Elder Santos, my MTC companion Elder Faka'i, and Elder Aisa from Cairns. Elder Aisa is my new zone leader, and his companion is one of my old zone leaders, Elder De Sosa. Looking forward to the new zone, and the new challenge.

Honestly, I'm really going to miss Pola. I loved the members here heaps, and they re-payed me with love back. Branch President wanted me to stay 7 months, but I'll go where the Lord wants me to go.

Yeah, it's weird that I'm going to be 19 in 3 weeks. It's funny too, because most that I hang out with are around 20-23, except Elder Hapi, who's 19 as well.

Zone conference is on the 17th of September! I think so anyway, 17th, 18th, or 19th, one of those days. Lopez, Lucena, and Marinduque are all combined which means I'll get to catch up with Elder Finau and Sister Purcell in my batch, Elder Akroyd, and a tonne of my old zone mates in Mindoro, especially my old companion Elder Erickson! I'm really excited for that, and it should be a cool zone conference too.

You would not guess what I have had to eat all the time here...... hint: it stinks... Yep... Durian! It's a delicacy over here..... I've eaten it once every week for the last transfer..... not that I like it very much... I won't be eating it in my next area, not with a maccas in my area. I miss eating balut though, it's been a whole 6 weeks since I've had it!