Week #76 - Happy Easter

March 28, 2016

Hello!!

This week in the Philippines it was Holy Week, someone got crucified, and OUR INVESTIGATORS ATTENDED CHURCH!!!!!!!!

So yeah I think we have established that this week was Holy Week. For those of you that don't know what that means, it's pretty much when Catholicism celebrates the last week Of Christs life step by step. For example they crucify someone. Sadly I did not get to watch this event because I was in a meeting with the branch president here in Hilongos and other various auxiliaries. But I did hear that the cross fell over after they had gotten it set up and every thing. Also on Friday night I got to watch the Procession. This is pretty much a massive parade with giant floats with statues of saints that they worship. For example, Peter, James, John, etc.. It was actually a good opportunity to OYM to the sister of one of the members here. 

So one of the huge problems here in Hilongos is finding new investigators and then getting them to come to church. Usually the second step is harder! But this week we had success!!! We had two of our investigators attend church! It was so awesome to see them there and they were so full of questions! It's an amazing experience to be able to explain these things to someone that has never experienced them before. Especially in another language. We also had a ton of less actives attend yesterday!! The attendance almost hit 100!!!

Well work was kind of hard this week with the holidays going on! Everyone kind of just told us to leave because it was Holy Week! But we prevailed and continued to go hard! I am so grateful to have Elder Brimhall as a companion! He has such a good attitude and nothing can put him down!

Well that's it for this week! I'm actually out of time so I'll put in more next week! 

Elder Child

Pic 1 - The four missionaries that are living and serving together in Hilongos

Pic 2 - "I went on exchanges with this guy, Elder Fakava; "He is huge and he is from Tonga"

Pic 3 - in one of the neighborhoods in his area

Pic 4 - Brett & Elder Brimhall twinning

Pic 5 - "We had a one day mission for the branch.  This is us at the church waiting for the members one hour after it was supposed to start"

Pic 6 - the one day mission finally started

Pic 7 - the Procession parade

Pic 8 - a wall that all of the missionaries carve their name in

Week #75

March 21, 2016

Hello!!

This week in the Philippines we had 0 money for 5 days and happened to survive, it was really hot, and I freeze to death.

So this week was trials upon trials. First we had no money so that means we had no food!!! Not good for a missionary. Or anyone... But thanks to the kindness of the members we were fed and nourished and blessed. Honestly I think missionaries are the only teenagers on the planet that can get invited to eating appointments for every meal. I love being a missionary!! Free food!

So here in Hilongos it's pretty much an oven. During the day I feel like I am going to melt into the scorching hot pavement. But during the night it is freezing cold! Like I have to layer on clothes during the night because I freeze. It's so amazing and I will probably never get to enjoy this luxury again until I get back to the states so I am enjoying it while I can!

Work was a little difficult this week! We went all out in everything and we were met with very little success. Everyone just seems to be busy. But we kept going and we learned that a good attitude changes everything! That despite getting punted all day and getting rejected, if we kept a good attitude the work would be way more fun! It's kind of weird though that on a mission you can go home at night exhausted and barely being able to stand after an entire day of getting rejected and still feel successful and content. We feel this way because we have done all we can and God knows it too. 

So we just found out that Elder Brimhall and I are related! His grandma, Ivy LaPriel Brimhall, is related to Fannie Burnett Child, Arvil Child, and Keith Child!

My spiritual thought comes from King Benjamin's address to his people in the book of Mosiah. In chapter 4 verse 19, King Benjamin asks two questions that I really like and that I have continually pondered over. He asks, "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?". At this time King Benjamin was giving a discourse on giving to the poor and needy. Of course we as people all depend upon God for everything that we have. For what is substance if there is no God? He has created everything and has the power to take everything away. We truly are beggars and he suffers our pleas every day. He loves us so much that we cannot comprehend it. Let us show our love for God by helping others that stand in need.

Well that's it folks! Thank you all so much for the love and support!

Elder Child

Pics 1-3 - they enjoyed a "massive FHE last night"

Pic 4 - Elder Brimhall, Brett & a boy from the FHE

Pic 5 - "We visited the statue of liberty this week.  It's currently under renovation and they painted it white"

Pic 6 - Brett and his companion, Elder Brimhall

Week #74 - transferred to Hilongos

March 13, 2016

Hello!!

This week in the Philippines I get transferred, I finally get to live in a house with more elders than just me and my companion, and I TAKE A HOT SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First I would like to start with the most important. I took a shower for the first time since November 27th, 2014. The apartment I am living in has a hot water heater thing attached to the shower hose. Sadly it only has three settings... luke warm, a little less than decent, and then raging hot lava. So it's hard to get the full experience but it's ok!

Oh yeah I got transferred!! I am now in Hilongos area, Maasin zone. The language has changed a little too! It's still Cebuano but they decided to add a little twist to it. Here in southern Leyte they replace all the Ys in the language to J. So it makes it a little more fun! My new companion is Elder Brimhall! He is the best and he is so funny! He is from Virginia and we have been friends since that typhoon hit us in December 2014. Anyways Hilongos is the best! The members are so kind here and we have been rockin' it up here. We are in a small branch so of course yesterday I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting...

So something super awesome happened to us on my first day and even within the first 3 hours here in Hilongos! We had a lunch appointment at a members house. For our thing that we ate with rice we had something called ginamos! Just look it up on google! Basta then there happened to be some students eating there too because one of the members invited all of them to eat before they went back to school. There was one of them named Mariel. Turns out she has been super interested in the church for a very long time but every time she asked her friend questions she never got an answer. Anyways when she saw us she started bombarding us with questions. We got them all answered and then shared with her the message of the Restoration of the Gospel. It was an amazing lesson and the spirit was so strong. She started crying at the end when she thanked us for sharing with her and she expressed how happy she was that she had found us!

Sadly I never had the opportunity to see brother Dino baptized. But I heard it was successful.

Well this week I started the Book of Mosiah in my scripture study! I would like to share from Mosiah 2:21. I like the message that king Benjamin put across here. In essence he explained how much the Lord has done for us. So much that we cannot repay him for what he has done because it is not within our power. He explains that even if we serve with everything we have for our entire lives we would still be "unprofitable servants".

Well that's it for this week! Thank you for everything and I love you all!!

Elder Child

*He says his new area is "pretty fancy, with lots of rich people"

Pic 1 - playing basketball this morning

Pic 2 - "a weird monkey thing we found"

Week #73

March 7, 2016

Hello!!

This week in the Philippines it's really hot, I eat snail things, and a baptism gets postponed...

Well maybe I'll start off with the bad stuff. Brother Dino Ebacitas was supposed to get baptized on Saturday! You can't even begin to imagine the excitement we were all feeling for him! This man has waited the best part of 3 years to be baptized and the day finally arrived on Saturday! But then nobody showed up. There was a max of 8 members that showed up for the baptism and none of them were members of the Bishopric. So we had to postpone the baptism because there has to be a member of the bishopric present. It was so sad to see Brother Ebacitas and his family walk away disappointed but we have rescheduled for this coming Sunday so it's sure that a member of the Bishopric will be present!

So work has been a little hard this week! We started off with exchanges with our district leader in his area and it went great! We had some good work and I learned a lot from the exchanges! Then we finally got back to our area Wednesday afternoon and that's when the trials began! Everyone just seemed to be busy this week and they were never home! 

Finding was also unsuccessful this week. Everyone just told us that they are Catholic and they don't want to change their religion.

Transfers have been delayed until Wednesday. I find out tomorrow if I will be transferring or not! It's a suspenseful time.  

My spiritual thought comes this week comes from D&C 38:27. Here we read that "...if ye are not one ye are not mine." Here the Lord explains that we need to have unity in the church. If we are not unified then we are not his. Here in the mission I have seen the importance of unity and trust especially in the companionship! I have seen the difference between a unified companionship and a non-unified companionship. Unity is the basis of a good companionship! When there is unity the spirit accompanies us and we can receive revelation. I know that as we all strive to be unified and one in Jesus Christ we will receive blessings, the spirit will accompany us, and we will become stronger and happier.

Well that's it for this week! Thank you for all you do!

Elder Child

Pic 1 - Brett and Albert (this picture makes me smile!)

Pic 2 - investigator interview with President Maurer (he passed!)

Pics 3-4 - they were invited to a birthday party at a pool, "sadly we didn't get to swim"
Pic 5 - Posers