Salvation Never was Easy

Yo.

Hey everyone. This week was cool. Last Saturday we had a one day mission where eight missionaries of our district and members of the Labo ward got the chance to work together with the objective of finding less-active members of the Church. It was a lengthy, tiring, and, most importantly, fulfilling to meet new faces who aren't new to the Church. It hardly rained this week too which was such a blessing. I can hardly believe how much progression we've seen in Labo in my short time here. It's such a blessing and I'm sure to see much of the Lord's hand in the work we're doing here. That and we got to have a district activity this meeting at some waterfalls in our area which was awesome. It was a good break from 24/7 work. I love our district. They're the best.

But on to the weekly lesson I learned... It actually has to do with our salvation. So this week we got to teach a lot about our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation and how we can eventually obtain eternal life. With that, I also studied Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk entitled "Missionary Work and the Atonement." In the talk he frankly states that missionary work is hard. It's not all happy all of the time and that it quite frankly takes a whole lot of effort to get a small amount of success. In the grand scheme of things, that's how life really is. Christ knows it. He knows us specifically and individually. So in order to receive any degree of salvation or success in this life, we have to work for it. There's no other way. God has prepared a way to save his children, but it's up to us to show if we're truly willing to follow Him and put Him in our lives. Salvation isn't and never will be an easy goal to obtain, but once we get there it will be how gratified and blessed we will be. I love being a missionary. That's all for this week. I'll talk to you all again next week too! And oh yeah. Happy July 4th. Go America.

-Elder Bondoc

I <3 Labo

This is (still) the District

10 months to go! 

Pose they said.. So we posed. 

Sometimes you just gotta ride on top of a jeep. 
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Goodbye President and Sister Reeder! :(

Hello po.

FIRST OFF...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLA (Grandma)!

Too bad I can't be there to celebrate with you, but I know you guys will have a great time.

This week was incredible. First and foremost, Elder Maquimot and I have been doing great. We've pushed ourselves this week to find more investigators and less-active members in some of the farthest parts of our area. We found an investigator, brother Gyson, who was a former investigator in Daet, a neighboring city. Ever since he moved here to Labo, he said the missionaries never got the chance to teach him. So we showed up at his doorstep and he was more than welcoming. He's one of the most genuine people I've ever met and I can't wait to continue to teach him and help him come unto Christ. We also had our last interviews with President and Sister Reeder. They go home this week and the new mission president and his wife come in. It'll be very sad to see them go because I've learned so much from them, but I'm very excited to learn and hear from the new mission president and his wife. It's also rained here every day for the past week, but I've somehow managed to not get my feet wet this week. I'm truly adapting.

Other than that, something that I learned this week is how Christ's Atonement can be applied to missionary work. Imagine. Jesus Christ, the most perfect person to have ever walked on the face of the earth, was spit upon, rejected, and blasphemed. As perfect as his teaching was and the gospel that he shared, he was despised. As missionaries, people don't always accept us, especially when we're doing our best; when we're at our peak. But it's at those times that Christ is at our side. He knows what it's like. Elder Jeffery R. Holland noted in a talk regarding this that as difficult as missionary work is, in order to become the least bit consecrated or to know who Jesus Christ is, we have to go through these things as missionaries. It's hard. People say no and we don't know why. But I know that if we have Christlike love for those we teach, nothing else matters. I love being a missionary. I hope all of you have an awesome week and I'll talk to you again next week.

-Elder Bondoc

My last picture with President and Sister Reeder. :(

​We got the chance to teach a group of students the other day. That was a neat experience. 

I Can Cook! ... Well... Sort of.

Hi

So this week has been a pretty busy one. On Tuesday, we took a four hour bus ride to get to Naga for a workshop by President Reeder and the assistants. Then on the same day we took that same four hour ride back. Then we had exchanges two days ago with the Zone Leaders in Daet, the neighboring city of Labo. SO the past couple of days has been full of travelling and learning, which is the best. I love it, as much as it hurts my puwit to sit for four hours, it's worth it to learn and grow as a missionary. This morning I cooked... well not really cooked, but made this Filipino food called kinilaw for lunch. It's raw tuna soaked in vinegar with calamansi (small lime-lemon type fruits), ginger, salt, pepper, and onions. My companion and I woke up and 6 to go to the public market just to buy this fish. It took about two hours to prepare, but was SO worth it. It's like a Filipino version of sushi or ceviche. It. Was. Delicious. And on top of that, we found a whole bunch of new progressing investigators that are so interested in the gospel. I'm so excited to help them in their progress in the Gospel.

So this week I learned how important it is to..well.. learn. Of all the things that happened this week, I've found out more about my weaknesses and the things that I can improve in myself as a missionary and person. I don't think we value knowledge and life skills enough. We get comfortable with what we have and, most frequently, aren't willing to learn, change, and grow; to stretch ourselves. It's hard to say that we're wrong, especially when we KNOW (or knew) that we were right, but doing such is part of the learning process and becoming better people and, most importantly, children of our Heavenly Father. I love learning and won't stop until I die. That's all for this week everyone. Hope you had a good one and can't wait to talk to you next week!

-Elder Bondoc

Elder Howard said he wanted to get on the blog. That and we were wearing matching ties. This one's for you my friend. 

Too pogi to handle.

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The preparation process and final result. 

SO HAPPY. I can make food now.

The others were happy too.
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At One Moment You Think You're Safe From the Rain, and Then...

Yo

Wait for it... Wait for it....

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!!!(this upcoming Sunday, of course) Hope it's a good one. Do something extraordinary, okay? Dads are cool. Mine, specifically, is the coolest of them all. 

So it's been a great week. This week we focused on the new areas that were given to us by the sisters, and boy was it awesome. We have found a lot of investigators that continue to surprise us with their desire and urge to come unto Christ. I love it! It's been raining here in Labo every day for the past three or four days now, so I've currently gotten used the squishy feeling of the shoes beneath my feet every step I take. The best. So my funny story for the week; We were walking to one of our really, really far barangays the other day in the bright daylight of the sun, which was awesome. After about 15 minutes of walking, to our surprise clouds had engulfed the what seemed to be cloudless sky. That was awesome. But then the cloudy weather turned into drizzly weather which turned into rain which then consequently turned into a blistering rainstorm. So here are my companion and I walking in hurricane-like conditions (I'm over-exaggerating. Mom. Dad. Don't worry.) thinking "This is nuts." So we found shelter under the roof of an Iglesia ni Cristo on the side of the road. So here are two Mormon missionaries, soaked from head to toe, standing at a church that isn't theirs, in the middle of a forest, without any clue on what they're going to do next. Only in the Philippines, right?

Something that I learned was how to control our emotions. So life as a missionary, isn't easy. That in itself is an understatement. Even if with the nametag, we're still punk 19 year-old kids without a clue. Promise. So as human as we are, we get frustrated, we worry, we get annoyed, all this really really bad stuff. So the work we had this week was pretty challenging. I was frustrated and a bit annoyed for a moment, then I thought "You know. You have the choice to stop being frustrated, right? It would probably be better if you were happy instead." And at that moment all negative feelings were gone. Everything was back to normal. SO in times of challenges, though we have the total right to be sad and angry sometimes, we have complete control over what we feel, think, and do. No one controls us. No one forces us. So be happy. Be sad for a bit, sure, but then be happy again. It's as simple as that. This next week should be awesome. I go to Naga tomorrow for training, Should be great! Everyone have an awesome week!

-Elder TheWeatherCan'tBeatMe

We got the chance to help a sister in the ward, who's a teacher, paint the outside her class building. 

Here in the Philippines I guess elementary-age children are taught about drugs. Sometimes I guess we really just have to ask ourselves, "What is drug?"
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Adventure Time, Round 2

Hi.

Hey guys. So it's been a rainy week and the absolute opposite of last week. So here's what went down. Instead of us being punted out of our mind, we got a lot of really good lessons and have a lot of potential of progressing. HOWEVER, we got dumped on by the tears of the skies. I mean it. And even better, I remembered my umbrella. So despite the whole "I'm prepared. I'll NEVER GET WET!" mentality, we got POURED ON. I loved it. When we walk on rainy days, our shoes make this squishy noise that can't really be described. Loved it. And we also had a lot of planned and unplanned appointments! That was awesome! Blessings are a real thing. 

So one thing I learned today is how important it is to just accept change and go with the flow of things. Yesterday, we and some other missionaries discussed what we could do to help the Labo Ward progress even more. We decided that it would be a benefit for the whole ward and the work if we gave the sister missionaries some of the our areas that are closer to the center of the city while they gave us the farther areas that haven't been visited by missionaries in a long time because the areas are just so far. So to put it simply, Elder Maquimot and I are starting at zero again. We have about 6 or 7 new neighborhoods. I'm super excited. It's a challenge and actually kinda sad to give up some of the areas that we've worked so hard on. But that's a part of life. Adjusting every day... Missionary life is the coolest. I hope you all had a great week. Thanks for the emails again! I'll catch you all next week!

-Elder WetFeet

The "gubat" or jungle. I am now a certified adventurer.
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One More Transfer in Labo!

Yo.

So transfer announcements came today. Looks like Elder Maquimot and I will be companions for another six weeks! I'm super blessed because I know he and I have a whole lot more work to do here. Hmm. Cool things that happened this week? Well I totally forgot my umbrella on a rainy day so I thought I was going to get absolutely drenched by the rain. But this is what happened. I rode on the top of a tricycle thinking I would get rained on. Nope. Not a drop. So we went to our first appointment, expecting to get rained on. As we were teaching, the heavens started weeping. At that point I thought to myself, "I'm done." But just as the lesson ended, the rain stopped. AGAIN. That pattern continued for about three lessons. Blessing? Definitely. Either this was the craziest coincidence and that my luck was at its peak or that God just really had my back that day. Either way, a miracle was definitely witnessed.

So what can I say I've learned this week? Hm. Well. I don't know. I guess something that I've mentioned in posts before that I'd like to mention again is how sometimes expectations aren't met. This week we tried to set appointments with some people that we met last week. We were hoping to have at least some follow through, but sadly almost all of them fell through instead. So yeah. It was rough. But that's totally okay because life has its ups and downs. If we appreciate the small things, it becomes much much easier to accept the negative and just move on. Missions are cool. This next transfer is going to be the BEST. Have an awesome week everyone. Stay cool. It's hot out there. 

-Elder Bondoc

Sorry guys no pictures this week. I totally forgot to bring my camera with me to places. Sayang. 

Guess Who's Been On His Mission for One Year

Hey.

SO I have SO much to say but so little time to say it so sorry if my thoughts seem super scattered. So here's the downlow. I've been on my mission for a year. That's right. I have now been in the Philippines for one year so in one year's time, I'll be going home. WEIRD. So in one year I've learned so much and can't say that I can put all of it in one email. I've been on some sketchy bridges. I've been rained on. I've learned a new language. I'm like a new me. It's great. The mission has taught me so much and I would never take this time back for anything in the world.

So now what can I say. I guess I can that something that I've learned in my one year of service as a missionary is how important it is to be open to learn and grow. I look back at myself as a missionary in my first year and can honestly say that I was a pretty prideful person. Sometimes we get this feeling like we're always right. That we know everything. But sometimes we just have to admit that we're wrong, and it kinda hurts. I do it daily. But we have to. I've seen so much growth in the work, myself, and in my companionship with every companion that I've had. Missions are great. Onward and forward until the end. 

-Elder Bondoc

On exchanges this week, we walked on this bridge in the pitch black. It was awesome.

Labo District... Being a District Leader is really a weird thing. 

One year nalang!

It was rainy. I wore plastic bags over my socks so my feet wouldn't get wet. Not even sorry.

A fashion disaster.

Our district activity this week at the church. Totally killed it. 
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