Sunday, December 18, 2016

Christmas

Hello.

So this week was a busy one. SO so busy. We had a choir performance at a local mall, two sets of exchanges and a whole lot of other things to take care of. It was a great week. Just busy. This is going to be a super short one because we cut short on time.

But yeah. Christmas season is a great time to be with the family and enjoy their company. And most importantly we get the chance to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's great. I love this season and am so happy to share it with people this season. Hope you guys have a great Christmas season with your families. Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc

Meet Elder Flores. He's like a carbon copy of me. He's half Filipino and brand new on the mission. Great guy. 
All the missionaries who participated in the choir performance. We got pizza. It was awesome. Next stop SM. 

Sunday, December 11, 2016

False Limitations

Hey.

This week was SUPER DUPER busy. We were swamped with work, meetings, reporting, practice, and a whole bunch of other stuff that we barely had any time to breathe. But we managed. It was great though! We've been practicing for the past couple of weeks for a choir performance this upcoming Saturday. Super nervous but also super excited! We also had MLC this week. All the mission leaders got together to discuss the needs of the mission and what might help it improve even more. It was great and I learned so much! We also had Zone Training which was super awesome. I love learning from insights of other missionaries. We were able to give a workshop too! 

That leads me to the topic of our workshop and the topic of the week: False Limitations. We all have standards. We all set goals and strive every day of our waking lives to achieve those goals. But do we know why our standards are the way they are? And the same goes for how high we set our goals. Sometimes I think we're too scared to aim high, to achieve what seems impossible. We give ourselves these false limitations and set for substantially less than what we know we are capable of. I think if we break that attitude and strive to do something more every day, we'll undoubtedly achieve all the goals that we've ever set and will ever set in our lives. Needless to say it won't be easy. It takes a push, or even sometimes a forceful shove, to get to where we've dreamed of going. But we can get there, through patience and our effort to do so. I know that our Heavenly Father has high expectations for each and every one of us. Although we might not be perfect, he's give us every capacity and capability in order to do not only what we want to do, but what He wants us to do. And with that the seemingly impossible becomes reachable. Mosiah 4:27 says, "...it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize." So whatever our "prize" may be in this life, we be as diligent as ever in obtaining it. And by that, the Lord will certainly help us in every step of the way. Thanks for the emails everyone. I'll catch you again next week.

-Elder Bondoc


MLC




Sunday, December 4, 2016

Music

Magandang tanghali sa inyong lahat.

So this week... Brother Rexon and Sister Hermay were baptized! They're investigators that have been taught by missionaries for over a year now. It was such a special experience to help them finally reach their goal to be baptized. To say it was a privilege to be a part of their conversion would be an understatement. It was awesome. We were also put in a temporary trisome with another missionary named Elder Mercado. It was a good change and super fun! But other than that this week was full of work and a whole lot of other things. We ended up organizing a mission choir composed of 20 missionaries all over the mission. In about 6 hours we prepared 6 songs to sing to all the Stake and District Presidents at a dinner held by our Mission President. It was sweet. 

So that brings me to the topic of the week: Music. I think I've mentioned the power of music before, but this week I think I got the chance to understand it even better. Music is another form of communication, in my opinion. It's a way to express one's desires and emotions, especially with Christmas music. I don't think I ever gave really appreciated Christmas music as much as I do now. I feel a different sort of spirit when I hear Christmas music. I don't know what it is or why... But I love it. Hopefully we all get a chance to do a bit of caroling this Christmas season. Even if it's the classic belting of your favorite Christmas song should do. D&C 25:12 Hope you all have a great week! Talk to you next week!

-Elder Bondoc

Pictures of the Baptism


Sunday, November 27, 2016

Destiny

Yo.

So hey guys. This week was a BLAST. We got to meet a WHOLE BUNCH of new investigators. Elder Tabasin and I are striving to literally talk to everyone that we can and meet and we've seen a whole lot of miracles while doing it. We also have a baptism this upcoming Saturday so get ready for that! Weather's been great. Couldn't ask for anything else. I'm living the dream. OH we had a cool experience. We went door knocking the other day(if you can really call it that) and this lady started telling us that she was really good at reading what they call kapalaran  or destiny. So out of nowhere she grabbed our hands and started telling us things about us that I didn't even know!

That brings me to what I'd like to share with all of you this week, regarding our "destiny." After the lady stopped manhandling my... hands, I got thinking. What does destiny really mean? Well God has given us the freedom to choose to do literally whatever we want to do. However, he's also given us guidelines, or commandments, that if we choose to follow them He, in due time, is guaranteed to bless us. But the opposite is also true. We all aren't perfect and constantly make mistakes. We ultimately sin and suffer the consequence. No matter how much our Heavenly Father loves us, no matter how much He wants us to succeed, he doesn't force us to do anything, good or bad. So it's up to us. We make our destinies. If we follow the map the Lord has provided, we'll find ourselves at with Him once again. We're the authors of our own story. Let's make it a good one. Love you all! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc


​We had a community service project the other day. It was great!

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Thanks.

Maray na aldaw.

This week was awesome. Elder Tabasin and I had a GREAT week really getting as much work as we could in  the week. We had a baptism this last Saturday for a 9 year old kid that we've been teaching for the past couple of weeks. It was awesome. And my companion, the MAN, gave me a haircut this morning which was AWESOME. Love the guy. But yeah. Ummmm. Nothing new honestly. We have another baptism this upcoming December 3 which is super exciting. Can't wait. 

But something I learned this week actually has to do with gratitude. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I think that we really have to show our appreciation for the things that we are blessed with and even give back to show it. I cannot even begin to describe just how much I've come to be thankful for as I've been here on my mission. I believe that if we take a step back and just think about everything that we're already blessed with instead of what we could be given. Each of us is blessed. May we be grateful, not only now, but every day of our lives. Love life. Man, are we blessed. Have a great week! Love all of you! And thanks. For everything. :) 

-Elder Bondoc
The picture we put on our zone calendar.
Gabriel and Nash, two awesome kids who were baptized on Saturday.
Gotta love kids. They rock.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Miracles on Miracles

Hey.

So I'm going to make this a short one because we're so short on time right now it's kinda ridiculous. First off, transfers. My companion is getting transferred and I'm getting a new companion tomorrow. His name is Elder Tabasin, from Iloilo. He's a great guy. I'll get you guys a picture next week. Which reminds me... I won't be able to send any pictures this week because my micro SD card thing broke. We went to get some pictures printed the other day. As I took my SD card out of my camera all I heard and felt was a sharp but piercing snap. Goodbye "last 3 months of pictures." BUT that's okay. 

What I'd like to share with all of you this week is the true power of miracles. This week we experienced so many miracles. It would be impossible to explain each one in full detail. BUT IT HAPPENED and it was great. I believe that God grants miracles. That's just how He is. He loves us and wants the best for us. But at the same time I believe that those miracles are wrought by faith. Sometimes we just sit and wait for the windows of heaven to open and for God to just rain down everything that we have ever asked for.

Nope.

Faith precedes miracles. That's just how our Heavenly Father shows His love. He wants to see if we truly have a desire and are willing to show it to Him. After that, He takes care of the rest in due time. I love that. He's there, even if he's waiting for us, He really is there and waiting. Hope you guys had an awesome week. I'll catch you again next week! 

-Elder Bondoc

Monday, November 7, 2016

Reaching Our Potential

Maray na aldaw sa indo gabos.

Hey. It's been a busy week. Elder Bowen, Area President of the Philippines came this week and gave the entire mission a good workshop about missionary work. It was awesome. I'll talk about that in a sec. BUT other than that, we had a super duper busy week. The weather's been doing a lot of raining and we've been doing a whole lot of...well nothing different really because NOTHING CAN STOP MISSIONARIES from sharing the word of God! (Okay I mean we're not invincible or anything. But I love missionary work way too much to let a bit of rain keep me from proselyting. Like come on now.) Anyway, we've done a whole lot of visiting with our investigators which has been awesome. We also got to participate in baptizing the investigators of the Sister Missionaries who are in our ward. It was a great experience. We had a combined zone activity with the Naga Zone this morning. Super fun. We had a couple of activities in a local sports field. Loved it.

But back to the highlight of my week, Elder Bowen's workshop on missionary work and "Who We Are." In essence, he was totally frank in saying, "Okay missionaries. You're working at this level. When you could totally be working at this level," moving his hand bottom to top. He explained in a very bold way that we set goals that should be stretched so much more than we think they should... which is true! As missionaries, we teach the principle of faith in Jesus Christ. Elder Bowen helped me realized that we really have to apply that in our lives when we set our goals and go out every day trying to reach them. We have to push ourselves and really exercise our faith that through Christ, all of our goals really can be achieved. This can be applied to ourselves, as well. We have such high potential. We can do so much more than we think we can. We just have to do all we can every day to reach those goals, and if we're living in accordance with the will of Christ, He'll help us achieve it. If we do our part, He'll do His. So my companion and I push ourselves even more every day. It's really helped me realize what Heavenly Father knows I can become, not only as a missionary, but as His child. Anyway. That's all for this week. Missionary work is a cool thing. Doesn't get old. Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Bondoc

The Canaman Zone (minus 4 missionaries...they went home a bit early because their area is about 2 hours away)


The Baptism! :)


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Life is Meant to be Enjoyed

Maray na aga/hapon/banggi sa indo gabos.

So it's been a super busy week. We got to go on exchanges with one of the District Leaders in the zone on Tuesday and THEN we got to go on exchanges with the AP's on Friday. Overall it's been a jam packed week. On top of that we've been practicing for the upcoming mission tour. President Bowen, Philippines Area President and his wife are coming to see how the mission is going which is SUPER nerve wracking (spelling?)  but we'll manage. So yeah. We've been up to our eyeballs in planning and follow-ups just to make sure that everything runs smoothly this upcoming Thursday.

Something that I learned this week. Ummm. I think I've really just learned to enjoy missionary work and that it's actually a huge blessing to be able to teach and serve. We went on exchanges this week with the Assistants to the President, and my temporary companion and I got talking about how our missions have been. He's the kind of guy who's always happy and just has a great attitude about things, even if things don't go as planned. So what I got from that... we just have to enjoy life and make the most out of every moment. It's full of growing experiences and challenges. Gotta love it. 

Thanks for all the emails everyone. You're awesome. I'll catch up with you next week.

-Elder Bondoc

One of the iconic statues here in Naga. It essentially depicts the history of the Philippines in a single statue. Super cool.

Monday, October 24, 2016

He Really Loves You!

Yo.

So this week was cool. As you've all probably heard by now the Philippines was hit by not one, but TWO typhoons. Gladly, we only got some rain and wind here in Naga. But I've heard that some other parts of the Philippines got battered. Praying for them. We're doing okay. Nothing new. We had a community service project earlier this week. We got to clean the front yard of a member. It was awesome! Gotta love me some service. 

This week I learned a whole lot about self-evaluation. In the hustle and bustle of life, I believe that we get way to caught up in the stress of it all; emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. This week I learned how important it is to really just take a step back and look at the big picture. That's one of the blessings that the gospel has to offer, actually. It helps us see what God sees in each and every one of us. Sometimes we feel like nothing but a speck in the grand scheme of things, but in reality, our Heavenly Father has an abounding love for all of us. He cares and wants us to understand that. So if we take a step back and just... well... breathe, everything will work out, and God really will find a way. Hope your week was awesome. Hope you all had an awesome week and I'll catch you next week.

-Elder Bondoc




One of the elders in our district is from New Zealand. He did this cool island dance thing. We copied him. Took a picture. Thought it was hilarious.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Busy With More Than Just a Bagyo

Hoy!

This week was awesome. Rainy. But awesome. So it started off with Missionary Leadership Council (MLC) on Tuesday where all the mission leaders gather in Naga to discuss the mission, what it needs and what we can do to help it, along with other concerns. It was awesome to hear insights from zone leaders of other zones and what they're doing to help their zone progress. Our mission president was there to which was awesome. He gave some great counsel that we're definitely going to apply in our zone! Then that Thursday we had Zone Training. Elder Reyes and I presented a training session to our zone. We discussed the needs and weaknesses of our zone, as well as the accomplishments and strengths. We even got to present a workshop which was super cool. It was my first time so I initially thought I would be a wreck, but it ended up going super well. Then that evening we started packing up all the stuff in our apartment in preparation for moving on Friday. THEN on Friday we spent all morning and afternoon moving into our new apartment. Glad to say we're finally settled in. THEN on Saturday there was a bagyo (typhoon) centered right here in the Bicol region of the Philippines. Luckily nothing catastrophic happened. Just a lot of rain and wind. Overall... a busy week.

Something I learned this week?... Time management. Life gets busy, and sometimes we just don't have enough time to do all the things that we want to do. Thus, we end up planning for the things that we need to do. That's what happened this week and everything actually went quite well. So yeah. No complaints. Missionary work is sweet. The Savior lives and truly loves us. Sometimes life gets all wonky on us, but that's okay. Life just ends up becoming a big wonky mess. But it can become a lot less wonky if we turn to the Savior and let Him be our guide. Thanks for all the emails everyone. Have an awesome week!


-Elder Bondoc

The Canaman Zone
MLC. Sorry about the foggy part in the center. There was a smudge on the lens. Dang it. 

Monday, October 10, 2016

Boys, Be Ambitious!

Hi.

So this week was cool. It was a really busy, rainy week but full of miracles (as always.) We've been swamped with paperwork and meetings this week which has kept us from working a little bit. BUT NO MATTER! We've found ways to teach lessons as much as we could and found some great success. Other than that... Ummm. We're also moving into a new apartment this coming Saturday. We've been looking for an apartment for weeks now, almost every day... And JUST found an apartment this last Thursday. We're moving in and couldn't be more excited. My companion is awesome. Missionary work is cool. Life couldn't be better.

So something that I learned this week has to do with a talk given by Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita of the Quorum of the Seventy. He briefly mentioned the history of Dr. William Clark, an respected educator in the late 1800's who happened to find himself teaching for eight months in Japan. Before he left, he said the words "Boys, be ambitious!"--"Be ambitious for Christ." So that's what we do as missionaries. We find success in our ambition and desire to achieve that success, ESPECIALLY when it relates to our Savior. I know that He helps and guides us every day in everything that we do when we are living in accordance to His will and commandments. We have to aim high and do our part, and Christ will help us do the rest. We can't go about life without His help. I know it. Missionary work is thrilling. I don't think I've completely wrapped my mind around the fact that I'm still here doing the Lord's work. I love it. In everything we do, may we be ambitious, selfless, and dedicated. Christ will be there to support us. 

Thanks for all the emails. I'll catch you guys next week.

-Elder Bondoc​​​​​​​​​​







Pictures for our Zone Calendar. 

Only cool missionaries wear glasses.



My favorite fruit on the entire planet called mangosteen. 

Monday, October 3, 2016

Chaaaaarity

Hey World

It's gonna be another short one because I'm SOOOO short on time right now it's ridiculous. 40 of us missionaries sang at the flag raising ceremony at the Naga City Hall. It was great. We had exchanges with the District Leader of the Deaf Squad (a companionship that only teaches deaf people all over Naga) which was also super cool. It's been rainy. My companion is awesome. Can't complain.

Ummm. Something I learned this week... Charity. Charity is really cool. As missionaries we give up everything to help others. Christ did that. Christ was perfect in every way, so if we every want to be perfect, we just have to give all that we can to cheer make someone's life better in anyway that we can. What would Jesus do, right? Yeah. I love being a missionary. I've been on my mission for like 17 months now and I can say that it is the best thing that I've ever done in my entire life. Do something good for someone you love. Even for someone you don't love. In fact, even if you don't know them, help a guy. I love you all! I'll talk to you all again next week!

-Elder Bondoc
Elder Powell was my companion for exchanges. He rocks.
Us and the Deaf Squad.
Missionaries and the Mayor of Naga.
FOOOOD TRIP

Monday, September 26, 2016

A Word of Wisdom

Hey Guys.

I don't have a lot of time so I'm going to make this a short one. We've been working a whole lot this week. We continue finding more and more people every day to teach which is awesome. It's been raining a whole lot lately too which makes for muddy shoes every day. But that's okay. It's one of the best things about missionary work here in the Philippines. Love it. I've been doing a whole lot of adjusting here in the city. Everyone's busy all the time, but we find ways to teach lessons and help people progress. We also had an interzone activity this morning. Our zone, the Canaman zone, and the Naga zone coordinated a huge activity that was comprised of about 40 missionaries. It was super fun. I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK. 

Something I learned... Ummm. I think it's important to take care of our bodies. We have a responsibility as children of our Heavenly Father to take care of the vehicles of our spirits. If we don't not only will we feel gross every day of our waking lives, but through that we show Him that we don't respect this gift. In essence, go to bed on time. Wake up early. Don't take substances that you're not supposed to. Always eat your vegetables. Hope you all had a great week. I'll talk to you again next week.

-Elder Bondoc

Canaman and Naga Zones
We went on exchanges this week with the Calabanga District Leader. This is Elder Taylor, my temporary companion.
The four of us. 
This is actually super cool. During my mission, I had the chance to train a missionary. Then HE had the chance to train another missionary, which is this guy, Elder Zeta. In missionary terms, when you train a missionary or become their first companion, you become their tatay or dad and they become your anak.or son/daughter This is the anak of my anak making him my apo, or grandchild. :D 
Bush maze thing at the park that we went to earlier this morning.
Just me and a Philippines national hero, Jose Rizal, having a good lesson about politics. 



Monday, September 19, 2016

Welcome to the Naga

HEY WORLD

So it's been a pretty crazy week full of adjustments but I've managed and seen the blessings that come from it. So now I'm currently in my new area. I'm right here in the center of Naga, which is one of the main cities of the Bicol region here in the Philippines. This is super new to me because almost all of my past areas have been out in the mountains or on the beach or in rice fields.. The city is completely different. The hustle and bustle is kind of overwhelming, but it's alright. We've managed to find ways to find new people to teach. My new companion is Elder Reyes. He and I lived in the same house for about six months a few months ago so we REALLY know each other which is super exciting. He's the man. We both go home at the same time too. Love the guy.

This week I learned about how important it is to adjust (what a surprise) to unforeseen circumstances. Like what happened to me this last week, I feel like that happens to all of us sometimes. It even happened to prophets in the scriptures. Sometimes we just can't do anything about situations that are out of our control, therefore making us the ones to adjust. Let's use Abraham as an example. Here we have a very, VERY elderly prophet of the Lord with a young son. He's enjoying life as a dad, but out of the blue he's commanded by the Lord to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Whoa. WHOA. But he did it without questioning why. He was prepared to give up his everything for the Lord. We all know that an angel stopped him right in the process of the sacrifice. I don't know if I'm that devoted yet, but I'm striving every day to be a faithful servant of the Lord. It's hard to accept sometimes, but I know that if we trust in Him and adjust according to His will, we'll be happy. That's what it all really boils down to. If we trust and submit ourselves to the Lord, in His time and manner, He will provide. I love being a missionary. I can't wait to work here in Naga. Thanks for all the emails everyone! I'll talk to you again next week!

-Elder Bondoc

 
After a long day of work, Elder Reyes and I decided to take advantage of his camera's "Face Detection" feature. If the camera recognizes a face, without pressing the shutter button, it'll take a picture. The problem, however, is if you want it to scan your face you have to smile REALLY REALLY REALLY wide. We tinkered with it for almost an hour. It was great. 

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Do or Do Not

Magandang umaga/tanghali/hapon sa inyong lahat.

Hey. So this week was awesome. First thing first. On VERY very short notice, I am getting transferred to Canaman, a city right in the center of Naga. I'm super excited but still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it's happening on such short notice. But yeah. Crazy. Next week I'll be emailing from the CITY! My past three areas have been pure province, any this is going to be a very new to me, working and proselyting in the hustle and bustle of the city. We also went on exchanges with our Zone Leaders this week. Elder Key was my companion and he is literally more than twice my size. He's the man. Exchanges are always a great time to learn from one another. 

So something I would love to share about is the principle of DOING instead of just TRYING. This comes straight out of Star Wars, but is totally applicable to our lives. 

"Do or do not, there is no try." -Master Yoda 

I feel like sometimes we use the word "try" to justify some of our shortcomings and imperfections. If we mess up, we usually end up saying that we tried. Don't get me wrong, we can't avoid being human, but at the same time, I believe that we shouldn't "try," but should rather, "do." It's so important to stay motivated and just do. This idea has helped me motivate myself to do literally everything in my power to be the best missionary that my Heavenly Father expects me to be. We learn this from Nephi's experience.

"...I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded..." 
1 Ne 3:7

As hard as life gets sometimes, it's not enough to just try. We must be motivated like Nephi to go and DO

I hope you all had a great week, as always. It's been a crazy week, but has been filled with so many blessings. Until next week.

-Elder Bondoc

Me and the man, Elder Key
Yeah I know the whole Polynesian haka face doesn't really fit me. It just makes me look like a dufus. 


Sunday, September 4, 2016

Merry Christmas!!!

Hey.

This week was awesome. Another simple one, to be honest. I can't say anything REALLY stuck out other than the fact that... yeah nothing really new happened this week. We got our gas replaced, so now we can cook real food again. Ummm... Yeah it's still hot, but not as hot as it was before, surprisingly. OH OH OH I totally forgot to mention...

MERRY CHIRSTMAS!!!!

Yeah it's September here in the Philippines, and officially Christmas season. It's what they call the start of the "Ber" months... So yeah. Super early. But I can't complain. Christmas should be celebrated ALWAYS. All the local stores are selling Christmas trees and all the local radio stations are now playing Christmas music. I love it.

So something that I learned this week is the significance planning. I mentioned planning many posts ago and thought it would be important to reemphasize the importance of it again. So we, as missionaries, have a set schedule every day. We always have somewhere to go to and a set time for each appointment. Something that I've learned is that if something in a plan falls through, it is CRUCIAL to have a back up plan, and then another back up plan to that back up plan. To put it simply, expect the unexpected. As sure as we are with our plans, we can't always be 100%. Life is full of stuff that we can't forecast, but if we plan effectively, I know we can combat whatever comes our way. Our Father in Heaven has a Plan for us, after all. How much more do we then need to Plan? Anyway. That's all for this week. Nothing new really. We have a baptism this upcoming September 17th! So we're super pumped for that. Anyway hope you guys have a great week. Thanks for the emails. I didn't bring my camera around this week so I'll send you guys a whole bunch of pictures next week!

"And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death." -2 Nephi 11:5

-Elder Bondoc

Monday, August 29, 2016

Frying Hot Dogs in a Toaster

Hey.

Yeah. Last night we ran out of gas in our apartment and were hungry out of our minds. We ended up frying hot dogs in a toaster. It works! It may take FOREVER but it works! And we also had some super spiritual experiences this week. We did a whole lot of door knocking (well.. shouting sometimes because there isn't really a door to knock on all the time.) But yeah we found a whole lot of people that have a lot of potential to be helped by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's been such a blessing to be able to just meet new people and get to know their story and who they really are. 

So this week I studied about the importance of religion in any setting. Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (my man) gave an awesome talk last week about this topic. I realized that, obviously, as missionaries, no matter how much we try to share the Gospel with any set of individuals, it all comes down to the point where everyone chooses to believe what they want to believe, even if it's not what we missionaries believe. But despite that, the importance of religion remains in our lives, in our familial ties, social ties, and even civil ties.

"True religion, the tie that binds us to God and each other, not only seals our family relationships in eternity but also heightens our delight in those family experiences while in mortality." -Elder Jeffery R. Holland

But what I'm trying to say not only as a missionary, but as a 19 year old kid that has done a lot of self-searching in the past 16 months. If you really want to find peace and comfort in your life, religion is the key, and hopefully that religion is the Gospel of Jesus Christ (I'm a missionary. I'm obligated to say it, okay. :D) But even if you find that the gospel isn't for you, find God in your life. This is what will truly bind you, your family, and whatever you hold dear together. I love the Lord. I love being a missionary. I'm on top of the world right now (well not literally. I'm actually super close to the equator.) Hope you all had an awesome week. Thanks for all the emails and stuff. You're all the best.

-Elder Bondoc

It was my companion's birthday. We celebrated it on Monday. Elder Cortez is the man.
The Bishop's Fam.
The district this transfer.

​The whole hot dog ordeal. It was awesome. 

Monday, August 22, 2016

I'm Still Going to Be in Labo!

Hey World.

Life is good. This week was awesome. So first and foremost, I am NOT being transferred. I am SUPER duper blessed to get to work in Labo for another six weeks. It should be awesome and I'm super excited! Elder Cortez is still going to be my companion soooo yeah. We have a lot to do. This week we got the chance to work in Sta. Elena, a bayan that is about a 2 hour jeep ride from Labo. We met a whole lot of really nice people that are really interested in the message we have to say so hopefully missionaries will get the chance to serve there one day. There we saw this monkey that was missing a hand. I thought it was cool. I also forgot to tell you last week. Remember when that one lady asked me to spit on my finger and rub her child's bellybutton? Well the same sort of thing happened last last week. This grandma was holding a baby and she said, "Pa-usog sa paya niya kuya," which roughly translates to "Lick your finger and touch my grandchild's foot." My companion didn't hesitate and just did it. I soon followed. It was kinda weird. But whatever. It made the grandma happy. 

Anyway I learned how to be patient this week. Missions are fun and very, very enjoyable. I wouldn't take any minute back of it. But sometimes, or even most of the time, it gets tough. We have to step back, take a look at the bigger picture, take a BIG, DEEP breath, and then take on the challenge one step at a time. But I love what I do and will continue to love what I do until the end. I LOVE being a missionary. The black name tag brings so many blessings. And to some degree, rather than just enduring trials, I'd much rather enjoy them, wouldn't we all?

"Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days." D&C 24:8

So yeah. It's inevitable. Life will be hard. But may we endure and enjoy until the end. I know that Christ will be with us every step of the way. Until next week everyone!

-Elder Bondoc

Yeah. I can't do the whole "take pictures seriously" thing.
The name tag. 
That one monkey that I mentioned

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Capalonga!

Hey.

Wait for it...

...

HAAAAPPY BIRRTHDAAAAY MOM!!!!
AND
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY LOVELY PARENTS!

Without my parents (especially my Mom) I would be literally nonexistent. But luckily my mom gets to celebrate another fantastic year of life and my dad gets to celebrate another fantastic year of being married to my mom! (Because I love my mom a whole lot. Sorry, Dad. This just isn't about you, okay?) I hope you guys have an awesome day! You're the beeeeeessst!


So this week was AWESOME. Let me tell you all why. SO this week Elder Cortez and I got to do a little bit of adventuring. We got to take a two hour bus ride to another bayan in our area called Capalonga. This place has been untouched by missionaries for years now, so we figured it would be a good idea to see what was there and if it had any potential to progress. Literally every person we met showed some interest in us or were just nice enough to let us in and share a message. Such a blessing. We've seen so many miracles in our work this week. And I know the same will happen next week. 

Anyway, this week I had the chance to ponder about the idea of empathy and how in order to know and really understand someone, we must put ourselves in their shoes. It's hard sometimes, especially here in the Philippines. Coming from the other side of the planet, it is sometimes difficult to really understand what someone is going through. But that key trait is necessary in order to become a successful teacher. Christ was and is the perfect example of a perfect teacher. With kindness and love, he taught doctrine and counseled all his disciples how to become better. He even comforted the weary and healed the sick. So to some degree, we should show sincere love and empathy for those we meet and love. Through that they just might feel our love for them and more importantly Christ's love for them. 

"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" John 13:34 

This week we adventure in new territory... Santa Elena! It's another city in our area that is right on the border of a different mission. I'll let you know all about it next week. Thanks for the emails everyone! You're the best! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc

Capalonga. (It's a play on words. If you understand Tagalog, you'll get it...)
Me, my companion, and the ward mission leader. 
It was a windy day, thus the rockstar hair. But I was stoked to find out that the ocean is in our area. 

​L A B O missionaries. Sorry my face looks... well... not normal.