Sparking Testimonies and Refrigerators

Hey y'all it's Elder Espiritu here just living in the heat of the Philippines and doing the Lord's work. You know for having mostly the same schedule it's pretty amazing to see what interesting things can happen week by week and the weird things I can say that has happened to me while I've been here, such as my back drying up to the point where I feel like a lizard and our fridge having a firework show early in the morning. 

We are happy to report that I got to talk to an awesome 14 year old about how he came to know the Church was true and attend his baptism along with our baptism of Elizabeth!

I'm not sure how or why, but Monday night I just noticed my shoulder was really dry and it kinda hurt. I called the Sister missionaries who are in charge of medical stuff and they asked if it was just my shoulder. Turns out my whole back was just red and cracked. So I had to buy some random medicine and for the most part it's getting better. I'm just confused why this would be happening right before I go home. I mean I've been here for so long already and it only now starts to dry up. Oh well, it's all good.

Anyways here's a little fun story: On Wednesday from 6AM-6PM we had a scheduled black out (except here they call it a brown out). This isn't the first time I've experienced it so I'm used to that happening. You just endure the heat. It passes by fast and it's no big deal. But because there was no power the whole day all the ice in our fridge melted and leaked out.

 

Once we got back later that night we discovered a dead rat in the puddle that the fridge caused, so we threw it out, didn't think much of it. Turns out the rat was chewing on the chord the whole day so around 2:30 in the morning all 4 of us woke up to bright lights flashing downstairs and the sound of loud bangs. Once it stopped we went down to investigate and found out that the chord of the fridge got wet and because it was chewed on the chord basically blew up. The copper inside the chord was gone. 

We were not expecting anything like that to happen, but luckily for us, we got it fixed the following day. I never thought I would be able to say I've had a fridge blow up at 2:30 AM, but now I can!

Another fun story: As we were teaching a couple of kids we saw the mother come home and when she saw us she didn't really do anything, just kind of ignored us. So after the lesson we went over and tried to become friends with her. She didn't look happy at first and the first thing she said to us was "matigas ang kalooban nyo" which really confused us, because usually when you hear matigas (hard) said to you personally it's kind of an insult such as matigas ang ulo mo (you have a hard head) but what she was trying to say (but had a little harder time cause she is Ilocano and not Tagalog) was "Malakas ang kalooban nyo" which means we're strong willed. 

The woman was very nice and we learned to be friendly to everyone even though they may not seem nice at first. Just talk to and love everyone!

Alright now to the more spiritual side, because I'm now serving as a District leader, I get the opportunity to interview the other missionaries' candidates for baptism. The person I interviewed was named Christopher. 

Although only 14 years old, it was awesome to see how strong his testimony was. When I asked him why he says this church is true, it's because he prayed about it by himself and heard a voice tell him it was true. It was awesome and he was baptized and confirmed this last week.

Because of the hard work of the last 2 Elders in Cabugao, they left behind a wonderful woman named Elizabeth. She is an awesome 57 year old who has such a strong testimony. 

We were able to have her interviewed and baptized this last week with Christopher. She is so good and I already love her even though I've only known her for 2 weeks. You just come to love people so fast here on the mission and it's awesome.

The people here in Cabugao are awesome and I love it here. The work here is still a little slower because we're still building it up, but time flies fast. I'm lucky to be able to serve here in Cabugao and it's an awesome experience. 

I can't wait to meet more people that are ready to come closer to Christ! That's all for this week! Love you all!

Elder Espiritu

**you can email Elder Espiritu at joseph.espiritu@myldsmail.net

Baptism and Chopping wood :D

Straight Into Ilocos Sur

To my family, friends, and whoever reads this:

Hi!!! It's Elder Espiritu straight outta Cagayan province and into the wonderous Ilocos Sur area. Lots of changes and lots of updates. Lots of things seen and remembered from past experiences, and lots of great people. It's been an interesting week and I'm gonna make it a little fun this time by telling you what's the difference in my last area vs now.

The apartment: I'm moving from a dusty half outside yellow water apartment to a lot nicer wood/concrete apartment in a little neighborhood. It's pretty nice being out of the other one, but just like always still as hot as ever.

The District: I'm now in a district of 8 Elders, 4 of us from Cabugao (Elder Durbin, his trainee Elder Estrella, Elder Cabasal and I) and 4 from Sinait (Elder Wells, Elder Santillan and my beloved zone leaders Elder Bordeos and Elder Petty), and it's the bomb. Everyone gets along and is super obedient. Being a district leader will be fine and dandy.

The area: This one was quite a change. First the enviornment's way different. I'm going from pretty small and humble concrete/ bamboo houses with dirt floors to several legit nice looking/big houses. A lot of people in our area are called "Balik-bayans" which means they've lived outside the country and eventually came back. We met someone from California the other day, and there are several like that.

Now when you're in the Cagayan province for the most part everyone is very friendly and lots of people are willing to talk to you. I totally forgot that in the nicer areas sometimes it's a little harder. The first time we went tracting here I had several people hide. How do I know that they were actually there? 

So in the Philippines when people are home, they leave the door wide open so you can see inside. So one time we went to a house with the TV on and when we knocked the TV mysteriously turned off and there was no one home. Another time we saw a woman and said hi, and she closed the door and walked away. Then with the other one I saw the person and asked if I could ask a question, and then they got up and just ignored me. To be honest every time that happened I just laugh. I know it's not them personally rejecting, and it's just not their time. So it'll be an interesting experience. 

What Elder Cabasal and I are doing is called an "open area" where both of us are new so we legit have no clue on where anyone is or where to go. Luckily we have a good resource.

The members: It's only been a week and I think the members here so far are awesome. Almost every day we have had people work with us so they could show us where the previous missionaries used to go. If it weren't for them we would've been lost. Not only are they helpful but they're all really fun to be with and I felt comfortable around them right away. 

It's really a blessing because usually when you are in a new area it can be slightly overwhelming when everything's new, but I feel fine which is great. Also one of the things that  Cabugao is famous for is feeding missionaries. One member says that every missionary is her "anak" (child) so she feeds us on a regular basis, and she's not the only one. The YSA (young single adults) are cool and everyone's just really friendly.

So that's the basis of the area, and like everyone told me I am enjoying it so far. The work is slower because we don't really have much to build off of, so we're almost starting from scratch. However, there is one amazing soul that the previous missionaries have prepared that we get to help reach the gate of baptism, which should be this week! It's going to be awesome!

We didn't even get to go to church in our own branch cause we had a district conference in Vigan! I never thought I was actually gonna go back to Vigan but now here I am in Vigan zone. 

Cool fact: After the Sunday session a member came up to me and said he wanted to talk to me. He was a middle aged gentleman who told me that when he was in Primary he had a missionary that he remembers would always come to his house on P-days and do activities like riding water buffalos and stuff. That missionary was Elder Espiritu, my dad! I'm so blessed to be serving so close to where my parents served and I love it.

Everyone tells me I'm nearing the finish line of my mission, and it's almost 100% positive that this will be my last area. So I gotta do everything I can to give it all I got before I leave. 

I get to paint my own picture here and though it'll take some work, we can do it. No matter where I am assigned, I know there are people ready to receive the message of the Restoration. If I don't give it my all I may never find them. 

This church is true and growing everywhere! That's all for this week! Love you all!

Elder Espiritu

**you can email Elder Espiritu at joseph.espiritu@myldsmail.net

Elder Cabasal and I with the Members

Pictures of the Apartment

More Changes to the End

First off I will start by saying Happy Mother's Day! I'm 100% sure I have the best mom in the world! Love you Mom! 

Secondly, this week was another hectic week. But just like that it's over. We've been running around everywhere and that was my last time doing that here in Ballesteros zone. Almost every day was eventful and memorable, even though it seems the same, interviews, meetings and baptisms all have different experiences every time we have one.

Like life always is for Elder Ballan and I we had a missionary coordination meeting with President Credo in Ballesteros, so that's where we went on Tuesday. Another great meeting went down and the Spirit was strong. Shortly after that we got to interview 2 awesome candidates for baptism from Ballesteros. They passed and we got to see 2 more amazing souls get ready for baptism. The next day we went to Abulug for another interview, and all went well. 

This last Thursday we needed our district leader (Elder Willougby from Canada) to go interview in our area for one of our investigators who is ready for baptism. Elder Willougby and I went to our area first to teach lots of people. We taught a variety of people such as several cousins in one setting, or a mom and her daughter in an area 20 minutes from where we usually go. But they're all worth it. The day ended and our investigator was qualified for baptism! All good things.

On Friday we got to wake up bright and early to make it on time to zone conference in Aparri. Like always zone conference was pretty good, and the thing I really liked was about revelation. We are all capable of receiving revelation, even if it's just thoughts or feelings that come to you. We can also improve our spiritual capacity and capability. That's one thing I really want to do. This zone conference was the 2nd to last zone conference President and Sister Andrada will have. The next one will be quite special.

Then we hit Saturday, where we first had interviews with President and Sister Andrada, and then we had a baptism later that day for our awesome investigator Sister Olive! She has legit been so awesome from when she started to now. I still love the fact that the Book of Mormon is her best friend. She's going to be an awesome member. I'm so blessed every time I get to see the change in peoples lives. Missionary work is so awesome.

The next day we got an unexpected/expected text that I am now being transferred. Am I surprised? No. To be honest I had a pretty strong feeling that I would but I was hoping I would just have my last area here. Guess that's not what the Lord wants. But that's okay, I'm excited! This 7th area will for sure be my last. 

My next area is Cabugao, in Vigan zone with Elder Cabasal, the farthest zone south in the mission. It'll be my last adventure! It's also sad to say goodbye to the members again. I always grow so fond of them, and then I have to leave them. That's just part of the mission life. They will be perfectly fine without me. They're all awesome. 

Time just seems to be going so fast, yet at the same time I still have a lot of things to do here in my mission. I still have so many opportunities that I can do in the time I have left. I know that this Gospel has the power to change lives no matter where they are in the world. Whether it's here in the Philippines, Africa, or America, the message changes the lives of everyone. 

Although I'm leaving again, I get to help another group of amazing people. That's all for this week, life's all good, and here we go! Love you all! 

Elder Espiritu

Baptism of Olive, Maricon and Diane

Last Sunday in Allacapan

I really do have horns  haha

#Dontwork

Ha you thought I didn't work at all huh? Nah I did, just not with Elder Ballan. This whole week I didn't work with Elder Ballan even once hahahaha. Every day I worked with someone different. But that's fun right? Gives life a twist. 

Because we had P-day on Wednesday, this week legit flew by. How did we spend it? Well what's a good week without exchanges and splits? It could probably still be good, but you know, you get it.

One thing I love about splits is to see how different missionaries work, especially when they come from a different country. I got a fun opportunity to go with a new Elder from Tonga named Elder Vaea (pronounced VAI-AH). It was a fun experience. I always love going with newer missionaries, cause there's so much you can teach them and things you can learn from them too. 

They're always really humble and willing to learn. Since he's knew he struggled speaking the language during the exchange, but it was alright. He's getting it down. For 2 months he's doing alright. 

Hearing the background of the missionary is pretty cool. I learned a lot about the culture of Tonga from him such as food, the way they treat others and cultural dances. It's quite different but they sound like really cool people. This mission has showed me how different every culture is. 

The following day we had splits with the other Allacapan Elders so Elder Ballan could interview one of their candidates for baptism. So I took Elder Dollano with me to my area. He's always a fun Elder to work with, and has a knack for making people laugh. He's also really good at magic and at teaching doctrine. It's a good mix. He's well loved. The exchange went well, people fed us and we had another good time.

The next day because we didn't have much work this week we decided to go on splits. Elder Ballan went to a farther area while I took 2 members with me to a different far area. It was a little more difficult because a lot of people were busy, but we managed to find people to teach. We taught a couple of members and investigators too. Something that's always hard to balance is teaching investigators, less actives, recent converts and members equally. Especially here. There are lots of recent converts and a few less actives. We're still working on finding more investigators.

Sunday rolled around fast and Olive cam to church again which means.... she's getting baptized this Saturday! I'm so happy to see yet another soul change because of the gospel. 

One thing she told us that I would like to share is her best friend is the Book of Mormon. It really helps her out in life. We couldn't be happier seeing how much she's come to love the gospel.

I'm always grateful to witness or take part in the conversion of others to the gospel, but I know it's not me doing it. No matter how good of a teacher I am, I am nothing without the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can reach them if they don't decide to act for themselves. But when they do, he carries the message unto their hearts, and it's up to them to accept it. It's great when people accept it. 

We still have more possible people who will accept it, like a certain girl that we used to teach last March, but we never found her house. Now after a month of not teaching her we found her, and even though she has no contact with any LDS member, she is still reading the Book of Mormon and is now in Mosiah. There are little miracles everywhere here and I love being part of it.

It's interesting to see how the one thing constant to me in my mission is change. Change in people. Change of areas. Change is good though, at least the things I'm witnessing. I hope I've changed for the better too. 

I know my testimony of the gospel is definitely changing and growing and I hope to keep growing it my whole life. Seeds are also being planted in the lives of others I've met and it's great to see them grow. Time does wonders and God is loving and great. 

I know this work is true, and I'm excited for this week with interviews and zone conference! That's all for this week! Until next time, Love you all! 

Elder Espiritu

**you can email Elder Espiritu at joseph.espiritu@myldsmail.net

Grabbing some mangoes off the tree 

Eating at Sister Rosalinas house with Olive and Zyrinne

Exchanging, Power Outs, Baptisms and Trips

Wow, I'll tell you this week was really really busy, and now it's all a memory. It was such a fun/busy week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a little more late in the week now but hey, it was fun! Almost every day we had something going on. 

We visited another district meeting, an overnight blackout, had 3 different exchanges, witnessed another soul being saved, then traveled to Laoag and Vigan for our Missionary Leadership Council.

Tuesday we went to Lasam to visit their district meeting, and received an excellent training by Elder Holmes, a former AP. He taught about a mighty change of heart, and how most of the time, however mighty it may be, it's not just all of a sudden. A change of heart can happen gradually, but has a great impact. It was a good lesson. After it we had some fun doing practice teaching with the 2 new trainees. They were super nervous trying to speak Tagalog, but they did well. 

Later that day we had a blackout from 4pm to 5:40am the next day. We had no water and electricity that whole night. It was a little rough and hot but we survived. 

The next day I got to have an adventure with my batch mate Elder Seegmiller. Elder Seegmiller was a former zone leader and is now a district leader in my zone. It's always fun to have exchanges with someone who went in the field the same time as you. He was very athletic so biking for him was a breeze. Taught a lot of people and many people stared at us for being white. haha Elder Seegmiller is a great guy!

The next day the Elders from Ballesteros headed down and I went with Elder Madsen. He's a fairly new Elder from Riverton, Utah. He's also really awesome and still learning the language. He hadn't biked for 10 years. We taught more lessons and people still stared at us for being white ;)

On Friday we had more exchanges with our district leader and his companion. I went with Elder Dollano. He is the same batch as the Elder I trained and is fun to teach with. We had a couple of interesting experiences like getting yelled at by a drunk guy and trying to ask permission to teach a woman's kids. We also traveled 30 minutes through steep dusty roads but it was also fun.

Highlight of the week: Kathlyn was baptized! She passed her interview, got ready for the baptism, and I had the wonderful opportunity to be the one to baptize her. She is already such a strong convert even though she's only 14 years old. She is going to be a great member! 

The night finished off with a delicious dinner at the Rosario family. The members here are awesome!

That Sunday right after church we headed to Laoag, ate, slept, then Monday morning we got to visit a couple of really cool places like Paoay chapel, a mansion which was owned by a former President of the Philippines, sand dunes and Vigan (one of the biggest tourist locations in our mission). 

I can now finally say that I have been from one end of the mission (Vigan) to the other (Sta. Ana). 

The following day we had our council. I learned a lot and found out more ways to help our zone. We're doing well, but we can keep stretching. After the meeting we headed out, got some stuff and arrived back in our own area around 2am.

It was such a busy week and I enjoyed it. I felt the Spirit in several of our lessons on our exchanges. I love seeing the "mighty change of heart" which sometimes comes little by little in the people I teach. 

This church is true. I know it. I have felt it in my own heart and seen it in others. 

For the rest of this week we have one more exchange and some interviews. I love the mission and seeing the impact it's had on me. That's all for this week! Love you all!

Elder Espiritu

**you can email Elder Espiritu at joseph.espiritu@myldsmail.net

Baptism for Kathlyn and Cherry Mae

Missionary Leadership Council May 1, 2018

A silhouette of me at Paoay Lake

My cousin (in law) Elder Maroket

Our Sister training leaders

 the Laoag sisters (Sister Pangilinan and Sister Tadoy) 

Elder Ballan and I at the sand dunes

Recreating history at the Paoay chapel :)

A picture my mother took there as a missionary!

Bantay watchtower

Vigan! 

One of my father's former areas during his mission!