A great transfer to Kayipian

Wow, what a great week! I have had a busy, busy week but it has been so, so good!! |My new comp was in a very similar situation and our trainers were super similar. Anyways, we are both eager to work hard and get busy and really, both of us are learning together and I am speaking a lot more Tagalog here. He is learning English and I Tagalog, so we speak mostly Tagalog to each other and then sometimes English, but weekends and pdays are English days and weekdays are Tagalog days- cool, right? Anyways, he is so awesome and this ward is really, really good! I am super thankful to be here and I am doing good continuing to see progression and its really been a blessing to have this transfer. The ZLs are much more obedient and my DL is awesome too. We had basketball early this morning and we have been having a great time! I forgot to take pics of the apartment, but its nice and clean! Well, cleaner than before- haha. We live in a great subdivision and it is super cool. The elders of the ward next to us are cool too. They actually transferred homes this weekend and we helped them! I pretty much moved all the heavy stuff by myself and they cleaned and I absolutely loved it, just working hard and stuff. Then we went out to work after that. It was a great saturday. We had a really, really good week! So now the elders live one street away and they have AC so we have slept at their house a couple times- haha- it's nice to have AC, but the best part is my comp is awesome. I am helping train him the best I can, but we decided to help eachother as comps and get better together. We are both excited for this transfer! 

Anyways transfers have been good. This time adjusting was so much easier I remember my first day trying to figure myself out here in the philippines, but now I have a much better Idea of my life here. Anyways, this week we have been teaching a lot and finding and getting to know the area. My comp knows the area and I am still learning it but we are just two young missionaries and so now we are just learning and growing together. I really love this area and will send more pics next week of the pretty views.  I am realizing how to do stuff better and better and lead the majority of things now. Scary, but it's coming. I am thankful for my comp, Elder Tamayo, he is awesome and a great missionary. He is so kind and is helping me talk more and more in tagalog. I cant believe I am learning this language- haha. Then also he is a really realy good dancer!! Also before I left last week in my old ward tonsuya they had a little party and stuff for me going away and I also saw the biggest rat there in tonsuya that was the size of a cat. It was sad to leave those family and friends there but now I am here to work and making lots of friends and stuff here in Kayipian. I am really excited for this transfer. So me and my batch mate left early in the morning to go to the mission office cause he is training and I am finsihing Eloder Tamayos training and so we had a trainers meeting and our trainers. Our comps said we needed to leave early so we got up at 3:45 and left at 4:30 and holy crap, we got there at 5 and our meeting wasn't till 7. There was no traffic which was nice so we just chilled and talked and helped set up chairs and stuff for the meetings. It was good. Then I travled here and jumped right into the work. We have been busy this week and this ward mission leader is really great and proactive so we have lots of work to do. I cant wait. Mahal ko and ebanghelyo ni jesucristo and alam ko po na ang simbahan ni jesucristo ay totoo.  Thanks for all the prayers and messages. If you havent yet go watch this video and learn a little more and send it to a missionary you know. Its really good. https://youtu.be/4ZYzc0REOao  

More to come this next week and more pics love you all and over an out... wait, there's more-

Remember each day is a great day to be alive so make each day count!

Elder John Landon McAllister

Last week in Caloocan

Ok! So some highlights is that one of our investigators, Richard, now has a baptism date and has been good at keeping commitments but he was so sad to hear I am being transferred and I will miss his baptism but I plan on visiting him before I leave my mission, cause he really is such a great guy. I will send pics this next week. I got to say bye to tons of members and take pics with families we are close with and it's been hard to be all pumped to lead this area to just get transferred. My thoughts on transferring are nervous, but excited for the opportunities ahead. I will be training, so I hope to do good and really be a good trainer, even though I am not very great in Tagalog. I got to go on an exchange with an RM this week and Elder Reber, and man, he taught us so much and really taught us how to be more effective missionaries. I am so, so excited for the opportunity to do that in my new area. We talked to a white guy that was just a dirty Joe (American) living here and that was funny. We only do missionary work in Tagalog and so doing it in English made me realize how much easier it is to talk your native language- haha. I felt like a master, haha, cause I should be! I mean, I have spoken English for 18 years and tagalog for like 4 months- haha. Anyways, it's coming along and actually, I have really accelerated in teaching this week cause E. Mangandi is a good example of teaching. I taught lesson one and two to this part member family this week and he told me after that I sounded like a Filipino and I was going so fast and he loved it! It was super cool and a great confidence builder. Anyways, that's only in teaching, I can't speak like that in conversations with people....yet- haha, it will come as it slowly has thus far. Other cool things that I learned this week is the Four "SW's" of missionary work. Here they are:

Some Will

Some Won't

So What

Someone's Waiting.

Cool right? I have heard in the mission to be efficient, but one thing I learned on my own now is that efficient goes along with busy, busy and working hard. If you have 3 investigators then one gets baptized, think of all the free time you'll have. Wrong, wrong, wrong. We should have 30 investigators and be dropping and getting new people all the time. I am learning more and more of how to be a missionary though others and myself. One thing I try to do is see what others do that I don't like and do it better, I try to see what went wrong and get better at it. I see that sometimes missionaries are lazy or don't have as busy as schedules as they can. With this new area, I hope to really keep just busy, busy. Get to work truly. I like trying to learn from missionaries that are really good too. Elder Andrade is a great example and I ask that man so, so, so many questions and I have learned a ton from him. I really admire him. I have learned a lot from a lot of people here in our zone, from their good things and their bad things- haha. I think that I am super thankful for Elder Wood and our friendship and also Elder Reber and Elder Chambers, they have all been fun guys to talk to and we are all the same age and it's been great to talk with them. We all get along really really well too. It has been a big blessing. Anyways this week has been super, super good. I am excited for the things this week holds too. Oh, I forgot that at our district meeting yesterday I gave the workshop. I talked about the river of life. One thing I have been thinking of was an analogy of a river. In a river, there is slower water and faster water, and sometimes it feels like we can get stuck in the slow water, or sometimes get pushed to the sides and scraped by branches. But one thing is that the river never stops around us. We can stop in the river and its good to stop and relax or sit in the river for a minute and stuff, but remember that as the river gets choppy at times or hard or fast or slow, that it will always continue on and that there will be easier parts ahead. Remember that things will always mellow out as we continue on the river of life. I have been thinking of that analogy cause It applies much to the mission life too. I have hit smooth water now and am really enjoying it. I also just found out I am transferring and that will be a whole new patch of rough water. I will be training a new missionary too, but man, oh man those are some big rapids coming up. I hope that I can explain that analogy in a way that makes sense. I really enjoy comparing it to a river there are many many things to draw from them. Relate it to life, a mission, trials and good times. My challenge is for each of you to think of how a river relates to your life. Think a little deeper. how can it connect to the gospel. Really use your brain you guys. 

I know for sure that there were some times this week that things really pushed my buttons with my kabahays (housemates) and stuff. Anyways, I just kind of move on. Most things aren't worth dwelling on or getting upset over. I will say this is one example. I spent 100 pesos on some frozen bacon and on one day I looked over and it was open in a pan being cooked for all of us to eat. Who does that without asking? Also when I snitched some off the plate they said "wait for the rice to finish cooking" and I said, "I paid for this, I should be able to eat it." Man, everyone back home- don't just steal peoples food. Just have the decency to ask. Most people are nice and will be nice if you just ask...

I hope that this next chapter will have lots of growth and I am sure there will be lots of opportunities to do so . I think that we need to seize every opportunity in the misison, and in life. It may not come around again, so seize it while you can. This transfer helps me be more appreciate of being happy in the mission, cause after 6 weeks or 3 months it will be gone, it's something new. You live in 6 week life cycles here, which is crazy. Also, I get lots of flashbacks of memories and stuff and am really thankful for all the people in my life. Whoever reads this email just know that I am thankful for you and all you taught me. I have been really appreciative this week of all the people I know. I miss talking with all of you and all of friends and families and examples, teachers and all that jazz, but know that will happen someday. Just know I am thankful for all you. I am also thankful for my time now to meet new people and touch lives and be engaged in this great, great work. I am so, so thankful for my family too. I love them. I am so thankful to my Father in heaven too because he has blessed me much more than I deserve. I have been so impressed and humbled by his mercies towards me in all aspects of my life. He is so kind to me and I want to bear testimony that He knows each of us individually and blesses your life more than you think, I promise.

Anyways, a great week and another day in the office. We will see what is in store for this next week. Lots of changes and lots of new things. Let's go get them. Its a great day to be alive, remember that everyone.

Elder McAllister

My week

So a couple things about my week. In my planner I wrote down a little phrase or paragraph for each day about what we did. Anyways, on Pday we went to this fishing/nature place and it has a pool and it was so nice to see some nature and just relax there for like 20 minutes. We just walked around and now I know if I am ever really stressed, just go take a walk through there. Anyways it was cool and very green. Too bad the rest of our area isn't like that. Then Tuesday was the service project- just picking up trash and stuff and I loved it and we moved some bags and stuff and I looked for more opportunities to serve and it was great to find a couple more small things during the week. Then I had exchanges with Elder Wood on Wednesday and we didn't plan on going out cause he wasn't supposed to, but he actually felt fine, so we did anyway. Then we had no plan cause the other guys took all the plans they had. We walked through one of our areas and he was shocked at what it was like, he said he was kind of nervous to be there. It is a sketchy part, but man I have gotten used to it and It made me realize that yeah, this area isn't a walk in the park- haha. We talked a lot and it was good then we worked with Brother Edu cause I had no idea what else to do, we had no appointments. Oh, actually we had one to just go find a referral and he told us to come back, but later in the week he sent us a text telling us that he has to move now cause the people that own the place he lives saw us and they are Iglesia ni Cristo and then don't want missionaries there so he said he will contact us when he finds a new house or a place to teach. Pretty crazy, right? The landlords saw us on the cameras. Crazy world. That was Wednesday and then on Thursday we had zone interviews and I talked with Pres about my little situation (disobedient companions) and it was guided by the spirit and went exactly how it needed to go. Then had great lessons to our investigators later that night. Good day. Then Friday I felt really tired and had to take a nap after studies cause I was so tired. I dont know why- then after that we had good lessons and the thing from this day was 2 new investigators! Also, The banana salesman are the best!!  They are so stinking friendly and smiley. They are so nice to see walking down the street. Also, we got really punted on Friday, but the Lord was so nice to let us find two new people from being punted. Then exchanges on Saturday were busy and we had so many appointments and a FHE and we walked so, so, so much and I had to lead our area with the ZL and he really let me talk more and it was good and I was really nervous at the start but the day ended and I felt good with how it all went. I am glad to have people around me that can speak Tagalog when I stumble and flounder my words. Anyways, then yesterday we got to hear from Jeffery R. Holland and it was a super good talk and it was a broadcast to all the Philippines. Super, super cool and he is such a powerful man. He talked of hastening the work and all the changes being made in preparation and how we need to continue to prepare for the second coming, even though we have no idea when it is. He talked on Christ and how amazing his sacrifice was for us and it was really, really good! Then we went out and went to lots of appointments and got punted from a few but it was good. Then we walked across this bridge in our area that has a nice view and it was cool to see more sky than normal. Usually, I am looking to see where the poop is in the road or what house we are near or what street we are on or always looking for cars and it was so nice to stop on the bridge and just relax for 10 minutes and see the sky! I feel like I dont see the sky as much as I want sometimes but hey, it's all good. I get to help others see the sky, aka the way to the sky, aka the way to heaven.  A little funny thing here is that little kids love bums. They touch my butt all day long. As we were on the bridge relaxing for a sec, there is like 10 kids running around on top all screaming and we have no idea if they have parents or not, and isn't that crazy? People actually just drop their kids off for the day somewhere random and then pick them up later that night. That's the conditions here. I have seen kids just playing in the street eating ice off the ground just for fun and there are no adults to be seen. Anyways, on the bridge relaxing they kept running by and pinching my butt or just like slapping it- haha! IDK why it's funny or anything... Actually, it's way funny -haha- they have never seen an American bum- haha!

Overall good week. Starting to get the hang a little and feel a little more comfortable and just like learning how to be a better missionary. Really good week. Continue into next week. Missionaries are engaged in a great work of sharing the gospel, I am thankful, so very thankful, for my opportunity to be serving. What a great day to be alive. 

Elder

John Landon McAllister

My Life

Well, this week was another week- haha. The holidays have been great and stuff, but I am excited for people to get back into their regular routine and for us to get back to more consistent weeks. This week felt kind of long and just nothing really exciting happened. On New Years Eve at 11:50 I woke up to millions of fireworks, aka bombs and shouting and horns honking and people screaming and partying and it was so, so, so crazy how much stuff was happening- haha. It was cool and I will absolutely never forget those moments sitting in my window looking at the fireworks of the city and the smoke that just filled the air. It was like an hour of constant fireworks and horn honking- haha- it was awesome!! The ZLs didnt get home till 2 am, so that was it's own battle in my head for the week but it turned out ok cause actually last night I sat down and talked with my comp and them and let them know how I feel. I cant allow disobedience to go on. They assured me it was only a seasonal thing (transportaion is down on the holiday) and they apologized, cause they all acknowledged they were in the wrong. Moral of the story- just talk with people and be bold enough to sit down and talk real with them. I think it was really good for me to do that. Anyways, this week was a good language week and I studied well and have been able to see alot of improvement. One of the tricks is still not to be to hard on myself but continue to push to grow. Kind of a hard balance to find. Anyway, we have had some good findings this week and I got to go on two splits and it was really good. This week has felt so long now that I think of it, haha. I have done a lot of work each day to teach and share and better myself in the language. I am now doing the majority of the teaching and trying hard to communicate with people outside of the gospel language I know. I am trying to be better at conversational stuff which is hard cause there is so many words to learn still -haha. Anyways, I think I am doing a good pace for now. I hope it continues to grow and get better. So our transfer day will be the 23rd and I could potentially train and I am not sure how I feel yet. I think I could do it but man, it'll teach me to grow up yet again. It will be hard, but I know I can do it. I have faith and confidence that whatever happens is exactly what needs to happen. Mangandi and me have had a couple moments of tension this week. They are easily resolved but I just can tell you I love Mangandi a ton and he's funny and a great guy, but I would not make him a permanent roommate or comp for life. I am thankful for all I have learned from him and I am praying he doesn't get trunky the last week of the transfer. I have big plans and how I want to work when I train and as I get more and more used to this mission. One thing I have seen is how different each missionaries life is and their mission and stuff- haha. I have seen missionaries with carpet and rugs and couches and stuff in their homes -haha, and I can say I have the same thing here -haha. Also, who knows how hard each missionary works. Each transfer is different and each comp is different and each day is different and man, who can know? One thing that keeps us all the same is our desire to serve the Lord. I love knowing I am doing his work and someday that's something that really helps me work though a language stumble or though an appointment that gets punted. So this week our investigators are doing ok but we really tried to expand our amount of investigators cause I know Elder Mangandi can work harder and I want to be busier so we got more people to teach this week and I hope we can really start some good progression. We need people to come to church so that'll be nice now that the holidays are over. Anyways, I am excited for this week to have zone interviews and we have a service project tomorrow which should be great! I cant wait! I hope to someday be assigned in the Province where there is so much more service to do. Here, it's actually not a super common thing. I can see now why this is one of the harder areas. Anyways, I am excited for this week we have a lot of good work to do and stuff lined up. I can't wait till I am older in the mission and this will all get so much easier to plan and teach and talk and share and find and all the good stuff we do. It's a grind, but hey, that's what I am here to do. I hope to keep doing good and gain confidence out here. I love the gospel and am thankful for the growth I have seen. I am thankful for this experience, no matter how hard or long or great it seems at times. One thing in our mission email this week was talking about opposition in all things, and I think it's true. Opposition is everyday and in everything and so we need to enjoy that opposition cause without sad you cant have happy, with out hard you can't have easy, and so now I am just learning a little more about these things and learning a lot more of life and myself. I know this is exactly what I need and I am thankful for it. Another week down, right? I love you all and am so thankful for all you guys do. Keep being amazing and I love you all.
Elder McAllister 

A few more pictures from December 2018

Happy New Year

Well, another week down right? haha- man, don't even get me thinking about time still on my mission- haha it's no use to think of time- haha. Gets you nowhere.

This week was good. I have to say that I had a great great day Friday and Saturday and that is the focus of this email. 

But to start just a little about the life here and the week. Chatting with you guys on Christmas was the greatest thing. Missionaries should be given more connection with their families. That is just a fact of life. We got to go out with the youth to families in the ward and to some investigators and just wish them a Merry Christmas. It was good. Then we had exchanges which were good and I was inspired to continue to adjust my Tagalog studies to maximize my learning. I have finally gotten into a good system of Tagalog study. Then we had a youth Christmas party this week which was a great opportunity to practice conversational Tagalog and that was nice. Then Friday we had to go on splits cause my comp had to do a baptism interview for the ZLs and then after that they would come to our church to interview our candidate. But in the meantime, I would teach our investigator the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom and tithing. And I did!! I practiced for them in the morning time and worked hard to make sure I was ready and I was! I was able to teach all three lessons and go over the interview questions to prep him and help him get ready. It was so cool to really feel like I made a difference and helped him prepare. I have been in charge of leading and planning more and I enjoy having more control of my life. Makes me feel like a human again. So then Friday we went to our investigators all in the rain and invited them to church and talked with them for a sec then we went and made a program for the baptism and then we had 2 baptisms and they went off without a hitch. It was awesome.; Both super prepared. Then after that, we went to our investigator and taught him Lesson three the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was having a good Tagalog day and have been working hard on teaching better and better and so in the lesson I asked him what repentance is to him and he pretty much explained exactly the process of repentance and that was just a testimony builder for me of how the Lord prepares people to teach. He is a great investigator and he is amazing. The Lord prepares people for you to find. Not hundreds of people, but he prepares people for you. Sunday we got to take some Come Follow Me manuals to members which was good. So that's my week in a nutshell, but I really saw Gods hand in my life this week.   Keep grinding away and getting better each day. That's the hope for everyone I think, haha. More to come next week. Much love. Look at the Come Follow Me manual this week, that's my challenge and also make this week a great one. Each day is a great day to be alive!

Love you all tons,

Elder McAllister