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