Being an Agent

​Hi.

This week was awesome. It was jam-packed with so many things, I don't even know where to begin. Well first and foremost, we had a baptism! Brother Harold was baptized! It was such a blessing and honor to be part of his conversion. Next week Sister Marilou is going to be baptized! We're super excited for her. Elder Bednar also came and gave a talk to all the missionaries in the mission. It was awesome. We also had stake conference on Sunday. About 900 members from all over Naga showed up. That was super cool also. 

But Elder Bednar's talk was actually the message that I wanted to share this week. Something that he emphasized frequently in his time with us was about becoming an agent in our lives, acting out of our own free will and agency, instead of becoming  objects, merely acted upon. That's totally true! It's so much easier to just do things because people tell you to do them instead of being accountable and just taking charge. I believe that our agency is such a blessing from our Heavenly Father. He knows that we'll learn and grow from our mistakes, making us the people that He wants us to become. Cool, right? 

"And now remember, remember, my brethren that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free." Helaman 14:30

If we use our agency with righteous intentions, I know we'll be blessed. Hope you all had a good week! Until next week.

-Elder Bondoc

The baptism and everyone who attended!

Brother Harold!

Making a Bad Hair Day into a Good Hair Day

Hey.

Sister Xyra was baptized on Saturday! It was such a successful baptism. A lot of people were able to attend. It was such a spiritual experience. Loved it. We have another baptism this upcoming week. His name is Brother Harold. He's been taught by the missionaries for a really long time and is ready to be baptized! Super excited. Another thing. So I totally forgot to mention in my last email that almost all of my hair got chopped off. But yeah it happened. And now everyone who I ever run into tells me that my new haircut takes about 12 years off what I currently look like. That makes me an 8 year old in a necktie and name badge sharing the gospel. Kinda weird. But we had exchanges with the Assistants and the Calabanga District Leader. That was awesome. I love learning from other missionaries during exchanges.

But yeah. The whole haircut thing. So that leads into what I learned this week. Sometimes we get those really  bad haircuts in life. Even though we give the clearest instructions and planning to get a good haircut, the outcome sometimes is SO far from what we expected. But when you think about it.. the hair GROWS BACK which is kinda like life. No matter what happens things work out. So I guess I was kinda rattled this week, especially every time I looked in the mirror and saw "8 year-old me" but I'm over it. Life is awesome. Sometimes you just gotta laugh at life and all the bad haircuts you ever get. It'll grow back. I know it. I have no doubts.

 "Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven."-Judges 16:22

There's hope.

But really. This week was awesome. No complaints. I'll talk to you guys again next week.

-Elder Bondoc

Sister Xyra! And 20% of what was left after the incident.

Some of the other baptismal candidates and some of the members that attended. a blast!

​

True Repentance

Hi.

So this week was awesome everyone. I'm going to be straight to the point. This week was awesome. My new companion, Elder Lanuza, is the MAN! He's from Cainta, Rizal and is my batch going home! He's awesome. We get along super well and have really high expectations for our area and the mission. He's super humble too. Anyway, we were able to work this week and found a lot of success. We're hoping to see the fruits of our labors in the coming weeks. We also had a community service project. That was awesome. We helped a member haul huge sacks of dirt into their house to help level the flooring in their house. They're extending their house, but needed some man power so we were happy to help.

Something that I learned this week actually has to do with repentance. This was a recurring topic in many of the lessons that we taught. Something that I learned is that repentance is an ongoing process. It's not merely stopping the sins that we've committed. In order to say that we've fully repented of our sins, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, that through Him and only Him can we fully overcome our sins and shortcomings. It's cool to think that there's someone who's 110% willing to lift us and strengthen us every step of the way. I love that. Christ loves us. I know it. "...Repent, for except ye repent, ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of heaven." Alma 5:51. 

Love you all! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc

​The District

Things Will Work Out

Hello.

No time so this is gonna be quick. Sister Diane was baptized! That was awesome. We also had Zone Training. The missionary schedule has changed! We now have flexibility with our current schedule. Sweeeet. Overall a really good week, just like any other week. I'm also not being transferred. Elder Tabasin is being transferred, and I'm staying here for another six weeks! My new companion is going to be Elder Lanuza. Super stoked.

This week was awesome. I got to read a couple of talks by President Gordon B. Hinckley. He always had a great attitude and outlook on everything. He would always say "Things will work out." And it's true! No matter how hard life gets, in the long run, God's plan just unravels. Life is great. Hope you all have a good week! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc

The baptism!

Cool sunset.
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May Our Weaknesses Become Our Strengths

Hello.

This is going to be another quick one. So Brother Owen was baptized this Saturday. That was cool. Sister Dianne, another one of our investigators, is being baptized this upcoming Saturday which is super exciting. We also have Missionary Leadership Council, Zone Training, and exchanges with Elders Powell and Christie this week which is super awesome. We had a district activity earlier this morning at the local institute building and totally had a budol fight which is pretty much just a big group of people eating food off of a banana leaf with their hands. It's awesome. It makes me feel like a real man.

So this week was super successful and super humbling at the same time. Something I really tried focusing on this week was connected to a verse in Ether 12:27 which says that we all have weaknesses and that only through Christ and being humble, those weaknesses become our strengths. Missionary work is so awesome. It really helps me understand who I am as a child of our Heavenly Father and what I can improve on. Such a blessing. Such a privilege. Until next week everyone! Thanks for everything!

-Elder Bondoc

The District.

Brother Owen's Baptism!

The BUDOL FIGHT!!!! 
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Love One Another

Maray na buhay sa indo gabos.

So it's been a busy week and we don't have much time (again) so I'm going to make this one short. We had Zone Conference. That was cool. We had exchanges with the Camaligan District Leader and his companion. That was also cool. And we should have a baptism this week and next week, which is the coolest. Can't wait.

Overall, something that I learned this week was about respecting others. I was able to give a talk at church yesterday about the importance of sharing and uplifting those of other faiths. As missionaries, we aren't here just to baptize people, but to really help them understand the love that Jesus Christ has for each and everyone of us. I think that's awesome and I applaud those who hold on to what they believe and am willing to defend their freedom to do that at any given moment. I love being a missionary and sharing the love of Christ with everyone I meet. "...Love one another, as I have loved you." John 13:34 God abhors conflict and contention, but praises and encourages empathy and support between those of different faiths. He loves all of us. And with that.. Love you all! Until next week!

-Elder Bondoc

*sorry. No pictures again this week. I've been slacking with the whole picture taking thing. I'll do better this week. 

Miracles on Miracles

Hi.

So this week was awesome for a number of reasons that I can't really explain in a timely fashion, so I'm gonna make it quick. We met a whole lot of people who have potential to be baptized. We also did a whole lot of community service work for people who were affected by the typhoon. It's been 3 weeks or so since the storm passed through, and until now people are still recovering. So we're trying to help them in any way that we can. It's great and such a big blessing. On top of that, we had exchanges with the Calabanga District Leader and his companion. It was super fun. I love exchanges because I get to learn from other missionaries and apply those things in my own mission. This upcoming week is also gonna be a really busy one. We have two community service projects, Zone Conference, and exchanges all lined up for this week's schedule. So pumped.

Which leads me to what I learned this week. It's a short one. Love your neighbor, even if you don't know them. Any service rendered to others is one of the ways that Christ uses us and makes us blessings in their lives. So yeah. You never no what kind of impact you might have on the life of someone else. That's one of the reasons why I love being a missionary so much. It's such a blessing and privilege. Thanks for the emails everyone! Talk to you again next week!

-Elder Bondoc

Just a picture some other elders and I took after a CSP. Love these guys.