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. 
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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. 

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. 

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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

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. 

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

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.