Christmas Parties in the Mission

Caloocan Tonsuya Ward Christmas party 

                                               Quezon City North Mission Christmas Party

It's been a great week!

So this week was a complete turn around from last. We had such a busy week. I went on exchanges on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday. The mission tour was on Wednesday and then we only working in our area together on Friday. So Tuesday was a good hard work day just knocking and finding with a ZL and it was good to talk and just have a good day. Then Wednesday was awesome to travel to the mission office and see half the mission. The "tour" means the general authority is touring all missions and giving workshops. Great workshops from him and pres and their wives. So I had a really nice chance to sit down and have some great convo with all the senior missionaries. Sis cole and sis Morris are awesome. Since they are seniors they have phones and can call family and they are both good friends of pres and his wife. But it was great to just talk with them. i am never going to shut up after my mision. I just love talking with people. You can learn so much from people. Then on Thursday I went out on an exchange with Wood. He is awesome and both of us are very young in the mission and so we aren't very experienced in Tagalog but we went out and had so many invitations and he told me today that one lady that I led a lesson on and had like a really good lesson, I invited her to read the BOM and she did and really was happy! A great family potential. It was so good to go out and we don't have much in our tool belt but we used what we knew and taught 11 lessons and 8 were full length sit down lessons and it was awesome. Really good time with him. So thankful for his friendship here in the mission. Then Saturday I worked with E. Reber who is getting his new trainee tomorrow and he just barely finished his training. I see that that could be me soon and I know that the Lord will help me do that if that be the case. Also I have thought this week of others in our mission. There is many beautiful  places in our mission and they are full of trees and there is many areas that are very nice to work in. I realize too that it doesn't matter where you are. Its all about the people and the work. I work best and function best when pushing myself the right amount and learning and working. Knocking doors and contacting people really calms my busy brain. That's one of the reasons we had such a good week. Yesterday we taught many lessons too and I really enjoy seeing  myself improve at teaching and I always debrief with E. Mangandi to see what I can do better. One thing, and Dad we talked about this last week, is the voice inflections or the delivery. I gave an invitation to read the book of Mormon to a lady who is hard of hearing and she didn't really understand. I felt dumb in the moment. I talked to Mangandi after and he said make it sound more like a question. Next lesson I really built up to my invite to pray and read and then I delivered it in a way that made it sound like a question and let her know how bad I wanted to share this glorious thing with her and she said of course very humbly and it was really powerful and cool. Lots of little things in each day I wish to share but I guess those are things that build me that just cant be shared, due to time and stuff. I want to share some fun or little weird cool things from this week. Today I saw a giant dead smashed rat in the road- haha. The smells of areas that people dump trash are like incredibly, incredibly different. I can not even begin to describe- haha.  Some things that may have been in my letters may be included in here too. So last week for pday I realized I am sick of not being creative so I bought lights and hung them up in our apartment and I am getting more this week too haha. Also I am going to buy everyone a small cheap gift and wrap it and have on Christmas day for them- haha cool right? Way more fun than not doing anything. I really enjoy doing that kind of stuff too haha. Also we went to the barber and the barber Facetimed his friends to show them he was cutting a white guys hair. They were just quiet at first and then the first words said on the call were "you are very handsome". They love, love white skin here haha. Then on Tuesday last week I saw 4 of the flipping biggest pigs in the entire world!!!  It was crazy. Then on Monday night last week we met an Iglesia ni cristo who as looking to bible bash us and he gave me a magazine of theirs and I read it cause I was really curious what they believe in and it is no joke, I think the great and abominable church. JK, idk -maybe. They are a very wealthy church and they have some really good beliefs but for the most part their beliefs are very very false if you know what the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints teaches. They have some weird stuff in their book. Their churches look like cathedrals too and are gigantic and are more of a symbol of wealth. Even the Manila temple is pretty but not like giant. But man theirs are huge. 

 Also one of the funniest things happened this week. Me and Elder wood are just lookin for somewhere to get dinner. We stop at this shop and there is this girl there and I was very skeptical if it was a girl but it had the figure of a girl. It looked pretty and i turned to wood and asked him male or female. He was like dude its obviosly a girl look at its shape. I told him look again. He said " If thats not a girl then I feel really gay right now" man that killed me cause it was like the perfect example of how a mans brain is programmed to work. It came and served us our food and it was definitely a man. There is so many weird people like that here. Yuck! such a a funny moment. So I took the win on that one and I knew it was a guy but man that phrase killed me- hahaha. 

I would appreciate if this wasn't shared with everyone but just family and friends for the confidentiality of elder wood haha. Great story though hahaha 

 Overall a really good week. i am very thankful to be here. Somethings that have helped me are to focus on are Christlike attributes. Charity is one I have liked and PMG is a good place to learn about christlike attributes. Also there is a new PMG for next year so that should be kind of cool. Been a good week. I find that I have more strength when I serve and when I teach and when I am working. Thats how its suppose to be I think. I am thankful for the tender mercies of the lord this week. I really have seen him change me this week. There will always be to much good in the world to let us focus on the hard and wallow in the sad. We have to look for that good and be that good and make that good in the world. Be sad for a moment and stuff but one thing I love that you said Mom was, take a breath and take a sec. Last week I had lots of those but this week was the next step after that. Take a breath, take a sec, and move forward. I kept taking breaths in hard times and minutes to be sad but I wasn't moving forward like I wanted. Be sad for a sec or feel bad or know that its hard. It will be really hard at times but then make the next day better and make each day better. Each day is a gift cause what you did yesterday is done. And you can't do anything about tomorrow. So focus on what you can do that day that time. Take some time for yourself if you need it in hard times. Talk with someone close to you or write down your thoughts. Maybe cry a little or something. Then say a prayer and realize that things are going to get better. Be Christlike in all you do and keep having patience. My week was hard and good and a roller coaster last week. But this week as I really just relaxed and focused day by day hour by hour what I need to do then I was able to relax and have fun and see more good. Then take this good week and push it forward striving to make every week great. Have a hard week? Look for the good in it, realize it's in the past and then go make the next day, next week great. 

I really am learning the depth of somethings. I knew a lot of things before but I am learning to what extent I lacked knowledge. I am experiencing much and learning to apply many things I have learned from people and classes and stuff.  Example: in psychology we wrote down the good each day. 3 things simple as that. It helped us have more thankful mindsets. At the time it was good but now out here in a hard week and a good week I have done that and now I understand that it really works more than I thought. When life is easy its easy to be thankful. Its more helpful and means more to be thankful and look for the good even hard times though. Just a little example. I really enjoy writing my thoughts out. Its fun. One last thing I realized this week. I have been thinking on my misison of the statement "Opposition in all things" This is true. I was feeling sad or down at times last week cause that was satan working on a missionary trying to slow him down and trying to get him frustrated. Sometimes realize that satan will tempt you or work on you. Also there truly is opposition in all things. So know that we have to fight uphill at times or that its gonna be hard. But its never to hard for us. We can do all things through Christ. If you are willing you can accomplish anything. 

I have been thinking of that opposition in all things. What is opposition sometimes? People, animals or kids can be opposition in a lesson. Sometimes your mind can be opposition in what you want. Sometimes its time itself, too slow too long or whatever. There is opposition in all things. There is two sides to all things. In most things there is many many sides and perspectives. It's something I hope to better compose my thoughts on some other time. I will think about how to say what I think this week. Hopefully it makes sense.  I think we just need to know there is opposition in all things so do the best with what you have got.   

Make each day great because each day is a great day to be alive. 

Elder John Landon McAllister

A week of Roller Coasters

A week of roller coasters.

Man a mission is crazy. Who knew mission life would be like this? Not I! It is a lot of prep and study time and learning. I am still a trainee so I am constantly learning a ton. It can be hard at times. I feel many, many times like a consumer. I have to actually look to see what I can produce or share or give that day. Its hard cause I feel like I am always searching for help in language or teaching. I know that I can give one thing for sure. I know I can smile big. I can help in any little things I see. I try and look for those. This week we had two baptisms. We have been working with both for a couple months and the one girl just turned 9 and we thought the bishop would have time to interview her but he didn't get to it. So we baptized her. Aljon is a 21 year old who is awesome! He always come to church all smiles and is very knowledgeable in the gospel now! Well, more than he was. It was cool because I got to baptize both of them. They have pretty long names so I was glad I remembered them- haha. It was so cool to see their big smiles! I felt bad cause the water was kind of cold and the young girl, Leanica, was shivering a lot when she got into the font. Super cool still and super spiritual. 

We have a great ward mission leader in our ward who is good at English and helps missionary work a lot in our ward! He is the biggest blessing to the ward. So fun loving and goofy and awesome. I got to go on splits with him this week. Earlier in the day when I was studying, I was struggling, just feeling down, ya know. Anyways, I planned to take a nap after weekly planning cause we had time till we went out. I instead studied and prepared a small spiritual thought in Tagalog and I didn't know why cause I really wanted to take a nap. Anyways, I ended up teaching that thought to some members later that night and they said it was the perfect lesson for them. Super cool. The lord helped me out there and I most definitely felt his hand in that.  

Also, the members always give us food. They will invite us to restaurants if they see us and there is one girl preparing for a mission here and she always gives us food whenever she sees us. There is a really good barbecue stand right next to the church that's so good. Its so smoky though, they use a fan to blow the smoke and smell away from the stand haha. I have done better at not stopping and getting bakery items so much this week too -haha. This new mall opened up in our area and its big and mostly empty still. There is a lot of food places- people eat on the bottom floors but there will be stores still moving in for the next months.  

A little thing this week is I went on an exchange with the ZL and he had to cover his mouth and he was gagging when we walked past two rivers in our area. It was so so funny- haha. The rivers are very ripe but never have I covered my nose or anything. I have been blessed with a strong tolerance here because this area/ zone is hard because it is so busy and full of people and everyone is always doing something, but also its very dirty and in the real gut of the city and the small houses and dirty street. Also, the smells are crazy here. I am not complaining but I am letting you know that they are very very different hahaha- thats why the ZL was gagging- hahaha. 

Missionary work isn't exactly what I expected, but I know its great and a great work. I love the people here and I love knowing I'm serving god and his children. No matter how hard it can be at times. Remember he helps us in our hard times and he is always with us when we are doing the right things. Continue doing the right things.  Love, serve, smile, learn. Keep being amazing and another week in the grind. I am so thankful for my family. I really appreciate them out here. I miss them dearly, so dearly, but I know I am where I need to be. I love my father in heaven too and this gospel. 

Elder McAllister

                                             

Thanksgiving and the Tombstone Challenge

(An excerpt from Landon's Thanksgiving Letter)

I'm so thankful for my parents who love us more than we can comprehend. They are amazing and I love them. I love our family. Our family is special. Each of us are special in our own ways and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for the opportunity to write this to you. You are all my dearest, closest people and I love you all. I'm so thankful for you. I love my family. I love my Heavenly father who blesses us more than we know. I know I'm serving him and his children and I'm thankful to be where I am. I'm thankful for so much. I share my testimony of families being the most important unit here on the earth. I testify of God and his graciousness to all of us. I love him and you guys and leave my testimony with you in Jesus name, Amen. 

(The Tombstone Challenge)

One of the biggest events this week!! Two childhood dreams came true! First is a baptism on my mission! Wahooo! Second is.....well let's tell you the story, shall we? There is a burger place called Zarks Burgers. We heard of this challenge burger called the Tombstone! How cool is that? Yes...for all of you who know me, you know the story pretty much now. We went there for Thanksgiving. Me and E. Wood got the Tombstone. 8 patties and 400g of fries in 10 minutes. Tons of food! We started and its just go for it! Wood had been sick so his stomach wasn't that big and he got like 80% there. I finished it all in about 8 minutes. I pounded it and still ate a dessert after. I will get a t-shirt in a couple weeks and my picture goes on their wall for all of time! I'm the first one to finish at that locations! WAY cool right?!? I was so happy!! Super cool. I will be in the Zarks burger Quezon City Philippines for forever now! Awesome! 

He had to sign a contract! Haha! 

This week has been good

This week has been good. 

We had zone interviews to talk with president and get a training on how to better learn the language from the AP's. It was great. Pres talked about mastering my mind and it helped a lot this week to work on pushing thoughts out. Then on Wednesday and Thursday I spent on exchanges that were fun. I wrote about this in my letters home. So hopefully you can see them there. Anyways. Highlights: Dunking with all the kids and people screaming and cheering and videoing. I may not know a lot of what they said but it was a fun atmosphere, haha. Also I had my best lesson yet. I haven't had a lot of times where I was surprised with what I said but this week in that lesson I did have one of those moments. Most times its like I just know that I said it way wrong. haha. Anyways, its coming along. Also whats some other fun things??  Days are a lot the same so its hard to remember haha. Hopefully you can get some good stuff from my written letter pics. Or maybe even at least read them haha. Just been a good week that has gone by pretty quick. I'm excited for Christmas here. We will have a really fun ward party here on the 15th. Also we have a baptism of two kids this week and then brother Aljon whos 22 on Dec 1!  Oh here's a unique experience that I had. So Aljons girlfriend is thankful for our help in bringing Aljon to the church. We are so excited too! So on Sunday / yesterday they offered us dinner! Little did I know that it would be at KFC I was like, oh we aren't suppose to do that on a Sunday, haha. I realize that that isn't suppose to be how it is. But that's not how life was. We went with brother Ed the ward missionary. Aljons girlfriend payed for all of us and I really had to just focus on being a friend, Not judging. It wasn't hard once I came to peace thinking about how they were sacrificing and how were we building a relationship. It was good. Sometimes things don't go the  'way they are suppose to". See the good in it. I don't justify it or anything and I wont do it if I have control of the situation, but here I've realized that sometimes its more important to be about the people and be a friend and kind then to say 'oh we actually cant take your offer because we want to be so strictly obedient. Thank you for offering your only time that works and quite a bit of money to offer though!!"See what i mean? I just think we should follow the rules the best we can and then love and serve. Be the best you you can be. The best you can with what you've got where you are.  

People here are so generous too. They love the missionaries. This one area we go to, I always have like 4 kids on each hand and arm just holding on laughing and playing and they love when you just smile and talk with them!   This area it is very apparent to see how poor people are. They all share strength in the gospel of Christ and its nice cause many people here believe in Christ already so we automatically share that common ground. 

Ano pa? (What else)

Just working away. Lots of study. Lots of trying to remember stuff that I usually forget the next day. But its slowly coming. 

i will try to write a little each day this week so i can give more to share about my life here. Feel free to send questions too if you have any

Keep being amazing!1 more next week as usual!!

Elder McAllister

THOUGHTS  

I have had a little extra time to email today and I have read some emails of other missionaries. Wow, its crazy to realize that many missionaries, friends, brothers and people I call family are dealing with such similar experiences. I know that missionary work is soooo good and I absolutely love it!!! It is amazing!!! But there is a side many people don't see. They don't see the hours and hours spent learning a language, and studying the gospel. They don't see the times or days where you are so emotionally spent that you don't want to do anything but lay down. They don't see the times where you are so stressed and don't even know why. They don't see the times where you feel like your brain has stopped working or the times where you are sweating so much and sitting there just thinking and struggling. I read a quote that I think is true. " Some of the hardest, most vigorous battles will be fought in the depths of your soul." Some days feel crazy hard. Sometimes your mind will run for hours on end, and you will hit a low. A low of feeling like you will never get this language. A low of feeling like you will never be good enough to be an effective missionary. Feeling like you're tired and beat hot and uncomfortable and angry and frustrated. But then in these moments......sometimes nothing will happen, and you will simply start to move past it. You will continue on. This is where our patience is tried. This is where we must move on. Will you sit and give up? Or keep moving on? (moving on means you are having faith and you are also showing your faith- fun fact). Sometimes though, you will read, or pray, or something will touch you to bring about a change of heart. Something will inspire you to get better. Now these are the times where Christ works in us. He helps us and builds us up. He is always there for you. Now when you hit these lows, and for some they might be weekly, daily, or even hourly. But they are only for a short time. Time always moves forward and gets better. This is something I know to be true. I know that Christ will always help us get better. But now lets look at the flip side. Christ always helps us, we know that. I talked about how sometimes we feel so much stress. How you can feel as a missionary. But lets talk a little more positive. People don't see the countless hours faithfully spent diligently studying the gospel, or a language. They don't know that you only improve slightly each day. That it's little by little. They don't see that when we feel these ways, we continue on. These times of continuing on are what build us, Show our faith and make us better. These days come and will be hard. But that's ok. They make us stronger. As we move forward we learn to better control our minds, our thoughts, we improve and get better. I talked about what people don't see, but all those times are times of faith, hard work, diligence, long suffering, having hope, being obedient. These are all attributes of our savior. Sometimes us as missionaries don't realize that. Sometimes we think that its just hard. We need to realize that we are doing a magnificent thing. That we are trying and giving our time and lives to the Lord. And as we do all these hard things, we become more Christlike. We show willingness to learn. We are humbled, we are taught, we are tried and tested. And all of this is part of Gods plan. We left our families to be here as we left our families in heaven to come to earth to be tried and tested. One thing I notice is that when we take a step back and look a little broader we see far more good than bad. Far more growth than struggle. Far more blessings than heart ache. 

Missionaries are a great example of trying to be like Christ and becoming more Christlike. They are a great example of learning and growing. Missions are great. Don't ever let the hard stuff keep us from the good. That's something we should apply to life. There are many things we can apply to life. We should always look with a big perspective. Always try to have those Christlike attributes and improve them. Always work hard for those things we want to achieve. Want to learn a language? Study and be faithful in that study. Want to get a certain job? Study for that thing. Work hard every day. I have lots of thoughts on this but the main message is that there is a lot of struggle in a mission. There is so much that people don't see. There is so much that I didn't even know about till I got in the field. There is also so much good. They do soooo much good. They grow so much. We grow so much. We must look to have a positive perspective on things. Look to broaden your perspective. Cling to those good thoughts and those positive things and don't let those negative hard things stay with you. Have a growth mindset that is strong. Now my last thought is that for all of this we must have a strong foundation on Christ to do so . When we are built on a sure foundation we can not fall. When we build on him we know that we will be supported and that he will not give us anything we can not bear. This is important.   Life is tough, but so are you. Never is there too much bad in the world or in your life. Never is there enough bad to outweigh the good. Everyday is a chance to think like this. Everyday is a chance to learn and grow. Everyday is great day to be alive. 

The week and the Orangutan

 This is their plastic washing machine, but they dry everything outside.

 Apartment from the outside

Here Is an update and some facts and stuff. I hugged an orangutan today at the zoo- it was cool. Street food rocks here. Its good. A mission is really good and really hard. I was talking with elder Wood today and we agreed that we had no idea what a mission was like before we came here. Its much different than I thought. Easier in someways and harder in some. Its interesting. Anyways, everyday us new guys agree, that the mornings are harder, but the nights we always go to bed so happy and excited. Its great. This week I had a cool experience. I was real frustrated for a bit one day cause I felt really stuck In the language and felt real dumb. Anyways, I read in Alma 13:28 and 1 Corinthians talking about how God doesn't push us till we break but he gives us stuff we can handle. So don't fear. All things are possible with God.  

Last week I got a haircut way shorter than I thought haha. The guy took off a lot of hair but It looked good and fine. Every night I make a bottle of 2 liters of tang and put it in the freezer and in the morning its a slushy and is such a blessing after I workout cause its soo refreshing. My house mates and comp are all way older than me which is weird. And everyone here is stunned when I tell them I am 18- they always ask if I'm joking -haha. My comp Elder Mangandi is 22 in a month and the other companionship is 22 and 25. Crazy Right? They are Filipinos and are like done with their schooling haha. I have a lot of life ahead when I get back. I'm a youngen.  Its really going to help me grow up and be a man. I had some kids this week just run and jump all over me -they were these young primary kids haha this was at church and they were pulling off my tie and belt and stuff it was like I was getting mugged hahah. Cute, but crazy haha. Also the primary program was this week and was awesome! A lot like the ones in Utah. The church is pretty much the same everywhere. The gospel always is the same but so is everything else too!! Kind of cool. Anyways I had a dog try to bite me this week luckily he got caught by the chain. You would never believe how my area looks. Very crowded and very very poor. Lots of trash everywhere. This is the hardest zone in the mission too. Its going really well though and our ward is doing awesome. We had 11 investigators at church this Sunday! Cool right? WE are anticipating 4 baptisms in December!!