Getting Ready for Baptism

Kumusta!

The Gumaru family did not get baptized this last week but are ready for their March 16 baptism. Except for Michaela, who doesn’t want to be baptized and wants stay in Iglesia ni Cristo, but we heard that second hand from her father after she had passed the baptismal interview.  It’s going to be interesting, but I’m going to bring it up with her and the Gumarus.  However, brother Edison and sister Josephine are more than ready with BJ too.  So I’ll let you know what happens this week, next week.

I am good.  We never think about daylight savings over here. No affect on us.

This picture is awesome. 

What are the chances of you being able to send me a tie exactly like the one I’m wearing in this picture.  It’s the one you sent me for Christmas.  It’s a 'Jonathan David' tie.  You know its good because the guy has 2 first names.

Mahal ko kayo,

I love you all.

Elder Allen

Watch Your Backpack

Kumusta!

The lesson with the Gumaru family with Elder Ardern didn’t’ go through because of travel problems he had. Too bad.   But they are still awesome and it seems like everything is going awesomely with them. 

The Smiths have Twins? Did I know that? mabye. I hope they are doing okay.

Mom, I think you should hire a clown to do magic tricks just to change things up in Utah County meetings.  It would Make it less boring. Maybe get a bouncy house, too. Politicians and bouncy houses mix well.

Feel free to paint my room any color you want. I cant wait to see how it turns out.  Well, maybe not pink and stuff, but the brown and light blue sounds cool. It was always white and boring. Now it will be not boring.

Speaking of my room. How is looking into applying to college going? I’m hoping that I could get into BYU Idaho I would get the fall/winter track. But that means you have to apply soon.

I guess I have some bad news. My backpack was stolen. Luckily there wasn’t much in it.  In fact, ZERO things of monetary worth. But very sentimental.  One being my broken camera with the SD card.  All the pictures from my mission since I was with Elder Elgan was on that. The other thing is the triple I’ve been using since the MTC.  The cool one I had bound with my name on it and family picture in the back and 16 months worth of missionary notes. That’s what I want.  Along with some money, an umbrella, and other small things, only that backpack was taken.  Sister Carlos keeps insisting that it will show up, mostly because its disappearance make no sense at all.  But that is the most frustrating thing about it.  It’s gone, but no one understands how.  So just letting you know. Sorry about the pictures.

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

The Gumaru Family

Kumusta!

Thanks for asking about and praying for the Gumaru's.

The Guramu family consists of tatay(dad) Edision, nanay(mom) Josephine, and their five children; Mikaela (11)f, BJ (9)m, AJ(6)m, Mel(4)f and Heart(2)f. They are progressing wonderfully. Elder Oldem asked President Carlos if we could have a family home evening in the Mission Home with them.  President immediately took that chance to have Elder Ardern of the seventy sit and observe.  So this Satuday night, we are going to teach a lesson with the assistance of President and Sister Carlos, and Elder and Sister Ardern. Plus the Assistants to the President. I'm stressing pretty bad about it, even though I know I shouldn't.   I had a nighmare about it last night. 

Anyways. It looks like they will be baptized on March 9th.  Hopefully, I'll find a member to baptize them. 

That's how they are doing.

I love you all.

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

Sis. Flory tries balut for the first time.
She downed it like a champ.

I interviewed the young woman in this picture for baptism.

Look Up

Kumusta!

Elder Huffstatler and me
making eggrolls.

I think the most beautiful thing God created was the stars.  We don't see the stars much here. Smog, fog and rain. but when we do they are beautiful.  We can look at the stars and realize how small and insignificant we are, and at the same time remember the glory of God, to give us the stars.  Why would we ever aim for anything shorter than the farthest star? Satan can promise you anything on this Earth, but Heavenly Father has promised us the stars if we only follow him. Why would we settle for anything on this Earth, any amount of temporary happiness, when we could simply look to the stars and know the condescension of God?  Look to the stars, and think of the Work, the Will, and the Prize. It's as simple as following Jesus Christ's example.  Let us all think "the Stars my Destination." 

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

The sisters practice teaching me.  

Jesus the Christ

Kumusta!

We have been teaching this family, the Gumaru family, and they have been progressing really well.  An example of how great they are doing was when we explained a little of the Word of Wisdom to them and left them a pamphlet and told them to read it, and they all really loved their coffee.  All of them in a family of 7, down to the youngest child.  But when we returned to teach the Word of Wisdom, they said, "You told us coffee is bad, and we read that coffee is bad, so we got rid of all our coffee."  We were stunned.   They have been coming to church and praying and are doing better than anyone else I've ever taught.  It's great. 

We had Zone Conference this week and it was about love and inviting people to be baptized and truly living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was good.

I have been studying Third Nephi in personal study, because it's when Jesus comes to the Nephites after His resurrection and all the horrible things that happened to Him in Jerusalem.  I have been fascinated by every aspect of Jesus' life lately.  Obviously, I always have Jesus on my mind, but after reading Jesus the Christ and studying Him this long, it's amazing how overwhelming he was and what he did was, and how it all worked out. As a kid, I always took the idea of Jesus Christ for granted, but now He seems like a real person to me and I understand more and more of Him everyday.  He has Saved us from our sins and Redeemed us of our short- comings.  Because of what He did, we can return to him and our Eternal Father and sit with them in eternal happineness and understanding; if we just look to Jesus for the way back. The Gospel of Jesus Chirst is the purest, truest thing we can come in contact with in this life.  Everything else is made by man, granted there is truth in everything, if you look hard enough, but nothing holds the fullness as His Gospel does. 

I Love you all. Believe all things. Hope all things. Endure all things.

Mahal ko Kayo,

Elder Allen

Don't Know What You've Got 'til It's Gone

Kumusta!

After talking to you on Skype at Christmas, I decided to start trying to write more letters.  I usually sit down to write a letter and cannot think of anything to say.  That is something I feel I have come to learn about myself on my mission so far; I am not good at communicating through letters or emails or texts or anything like that, but I’ve gotten pretty good at talking to people face to face.  I need some interaction .  I think that’s something I’ve developed and I hope it’s something you notice as well, when I get home.   

I’m sorry I won’t be home until the end of October.  I feel bad for ruining any plans, but I hope we can still go on a family trip then.  I really want to go do something with my family when I get home.  I really want to do what you had planned in October and I feel kinda stupid for messing it up.   Can we still do it if we just push it back a little?  I’m sorry.

I can’t wait to get home and do things with you all and go places with you all like we used to.  I always loved family trips, but looking back now, I don’t feel like I appreciated the family part of those trips enough.  There is not a moment in my head that I remember being more happy or having more fun than I was with one, or some, or all of my family.  I oove you all so much, and I can shamelessly admit the truthfulness in the words, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,” because I didn’t.  But instead of regretting what I wasted before, I promise to treasure each one of you that much more.  I promise to be a better brother and son. 

Football for Elders of the Cauayan Zone,  before Elder
Hufstatler  (with football) goes home.

I love and miss you all. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Elder Allen

Difficult Decisions

The missionaries from my zone all sang
Christmas Carols at the local prison.

I just dropped almost all of our investigators. It was a difficult decision, but sometimes it just needs to be done, and missionaries usually don’t want to do it.  So, I get to deal with it and I just happen to be the type of person who can let them go if they don’t want to come closer to Christ and keep any commitments.  Other missionaries can follow up in a few months to see if they’ve had a change of heart.  That may make me sound heartless. The APs told President Carlos that I had dropped almost all of our many, many investigators.  President Carlos pointed out that it’s a hard thing to do, but sometimes just needs to be done. Now we have time to seek out more lost sheep who may be ready for the Good Shepherd. 

Another inspirationl sign at the entrance of a neighborhood.
The typo "I'll" is a hint that English is not the local language.

We only have one real investigator right now, but it’s a family of 7; the Gumaru (Goo-ma-roo) family.  I still have a hard time saying that name right so don’t fell bad if you can’t.  While we are constantly looking for new people to teach, (usually by asking everybody for referrals, that always seem to wind up being in the APs area.)    We have changed the main focus of our work from teaching everyone who will hold still, and switched to seeking out the unfortunate less-actives that have been forgotten about through the years. The branch presidency kept telling us that there were only a few less-actives in our area and kept giving us the same five names we've always been going to, so we started seeking out the active members, and asking who of their neighbors were members. This way we have found tons and tons of members that have obviously been completely forgotten about.  So our job is to help them want to come back to the fold of Christ.  It’s the member’s job to befriend them again. Thats what we have been up to the last few weeks.

I hear it’s extremely cold in Utah, but is there any snow?  The worst is when its freezing and it won’t snow.  It’s hot here,  but it’s not a nice hot. I’m a long way from manila and it’s generally hotter up here than down there.  It was great talking to you after Christmas.  I’m not good at sitting down and typing messages to people.  I’d rather just talk to people. I love you so much Mom.  Have a great week, and enjoy the cold for me.

Mahal ko kayo,

I love you All

The APs get a car.  Sometimes Elder 
Samar and me get to ride in the back. 

Elder Allen