Dynamite and a broken pipe

So this week has been a good one. Pretty average actually. Some days we got punted and some days were good. One thing that's been hard this week was finding how to study. I am always changing what I study and stuff cause there is just too much stuff for me to flipping study! I have some plans this week and hope they work out. Anyways, I was kind of a little self conscious of my Tagalog yesterday cause it just so happened that when I was talking with people, or people were talking, my tongue got tied and my brain tuned out so when people asked me questions I just wasn't fully understanding and kind of looked like I didn't know Tagalog. But then after that people just assumed I didn't know Tagalog for a bit. Even my comp was like explaining things to me that I already understood in Tagalog. It was just one of those days, I guess. But it really got much better after that cause we taught a lesson to our investigator who will be baptized in a couple weeks and then I felt much more comfortable. I feel good when I can sit down and talk gospel Tagalog. Anyways He is really, really good. His name is Roberto and is 60 and he is great. Super tall and skinny and just a kind, genuine person searching and striving to be more like God and he is super excited for his baptism and so are we! Especially me! That reminds me, we had a baptism on Saturday and I baptized her. Her name is Ainna and she is a great girl! She is 15 and gave a great testimony and is a rockstar. I have a goal that when any of our investigators get baptized to have them very prepared and ready for the baptism interview. Our district leader was happy with the interview and said we did a great job teaching her, so that made me feel great. We are setting up top- hopefully have 7 baptisms in March and I think we can absolutely do that. I am really praying and faithful and hopeful God will help us reach that goal as we do our best. I think that that's true for life too. Make a plan and take it to God in prayer then work hard for it and he will help us. I want to share a little about my week starting with Pday. 

So, last pday we emailed and went shopping and got lots of food for the next couple weeks. Then we cleaned and did chores and stuff around the house then the other elders that live close to us came over and we made lunch. We did these giant long chilis filled with meat and wrapped in this tortilla thing then deep-fried and holy crap, they were so spicy, we were all sniffling and sweating and breathing heavy and drinking water and we just couldn't stop cause they were so good! Then while they were cooking that we had hung up a mirror over our sink using these sticky hooks, but the pack of hooks was in Japanese, so we didn't let them dry cause we couldn't read the instructions and it turns out that they fall if you don't let them dry. Anyways, the mirror fell and the mirror was totally fine! I can not say the same for out faucet however. All the sudden, there is water pouring out of our wall and we realized the mirror had broke the faucet off the wall, so I ran outside and shut off the water and looked at the damage and realized that The mirror broke a metal pipe and stayed intact. Wow. Anyways, so we tried sticking towels in the pipe and stuff so we could still have water to shower and washcloths and stuff and we just ended up getting wet. Nothing worked. So then while they finished cooking the "dynamite" or the peppers ( dope right?) I ran outside and cut off a big branch of a tree and then stuck a branch down the pipe and made it work surprisingly- lol . So we turned on the water and the branch worked! So for two days we had a branch sticking out of our wall and we washed the dishes in the shower-haha cool right? Just like they do on the movie (I think) Flipper with the dolphin? Anyways, it was funny to brush my teeth in the shower every night and morning haha! Then they got it fixed a couple days later andeverythingg is back to normal now. Also on pday I made this stuff called Mango Graham cake (and fun fact: Filipinos say gray-ham, haha ) so its pretty much layers of graham and cream and mango and then you freeze it and its way good. We actually took some to our investigating family. The dad is a member and the family is great. I actually hope to baptize the kids and hopefully the wife too.  So we brought that over and had dinner with them and a lesson and they are great. The dad asked us to use the bible in our lessons for his kids to have stuff to back up to tell their friends. Hope that makes sense.  Anyways the family is great and they really like to joke with me and have fun and our lessons are going good. We are trying to get the mom to come to church but the dad has been coming and his two oldest kids. Makes me so happy to see a good family like them. They are the reason we do what we do. To help families. Man, I love my family so, so much. 

So yeah that's kind of the fun stuff in my week! We have had some flipping scary dogs this week- man, they always bark and come for us but then stop, but there are so many times where I just keep walking and am so close to pooping my pants.  Nothing too close yet.

Some good things spiritual this week have been I have been trying to get better at using the scriptures. I need to try and memorize more scripture references. Note for all youth in seminary. Actually listen to the scripture mastery. The ones I have memorized already help a lot and I wish I knew more.  But I have to say that mission time has sped up and it seems like we are much more busy. I have some things I keep wanting to do and really I just can't find time. We really try and stay very busy and we really do. It makes life easier and more fun and time go faster when you are busy. So I am super grateful for that. Things are still hard for me sometimes but I know now a little more than I did yesterday and tomorrow I will know a little more than I know today. If we get better each day things get easier and life keeps moving forward. Learn something new and apply it and keep that life moving forward. I think the most spiritual experiences I have are when I bear my testimony. Cause I feel so strongly about this truth. I want all people to know what I know and I want people to know of Gods love for us. I am giving all my effort to this right now and so this means a lot to me when I bear my testimony. I know that this is true. I have meaning and feeling behind the words " I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that's why I am here today" I love saying that. I love sharing these messages with people. Also I loved hearing the testimony of Ainna who just got baptized. It was so cool to know that we helped her build a love for God and a desire to be more like Christ. That is the whole purpose of this. To invite people to come unto Christ. There is so many blessings along  the way too.  I love this work and I know I am doing the right things. I am where I need to be. I have to share that the knowlege of things doesn't make them change, but it makes them easier. I know that the mission is still hard and has its trials. I have been learning that first hand these last months and really getting a better sense of life and myself but also I have been changing my focus to others, to the good and to the positive. I have been able to find more peace in the hard. We can find peace. Its still hard at times and probably hard times to come. But that doesn't change my testimony, my purpose, or my drive. It will be hard, but like helaman 5:12 when we build on Christ nothing can shake us. I can not be shook. Even if all things are thrown at me and life gets really hard, It would be hard, long and super difficult, it wouldn't change my testimony. It can not shake me cause I am built on Christ. Kyler Welsh always wrote Phil 4:13 on his shoes cause Christ is how we can do all things. I have a firm testimony of the gospel of christ. I love this work and hope to continue to be able to do missionary work better. I am humbled by the miracles God gives me and the ground he covers for me when I fall short. 

The mission is super hard, harder than I thought, it's also great, and much better than I thought. Also, Im super blessed to see some prettier scenery which helps too!

I love you guys so much and hope you have a great great week!

5 months!

Well, I am alive and doing good. I will start off with a little rundown of the week and hopefully just let my fingers run. Funny though, cause before my mission I couldn't type worth crap, and now I can fly like the wind baby. This week has been a really good one. I am with a Philippino and he is a rockstar at talking and building relationships. He is still a trainee which makes me a trainer, but we are just working hard and both trying to learn and get better. Anyways, this week rocked cause we got ten people to church and we will have a baptism this Saturday. Also, our ward is really helpful to work with and get people to church and fellowship them, so that is the biggest blessing to us. We aren't some crazy missionaries or anything, but God is just helping us do what we need to for these people right now. Anyways, each mission is so different too- I realize that reading all my friends emails. I love all those friends out serving missions too, they are great. Also, people back home reading this, help the missionaries out anytime you have a free second or anything. Members are how you help do missionary work. It's true. Anyways, this week was good and we started off last pday just shopping and stuff. Grant Huff said he doesn't know how to cook and I'll say the same- lol. Anyways, I can actually cook a little more now. They have these way good eggplant egg things we make. That reminds me, this transfer I have been working out so much more and eating less rice, cause I am not happy with a little rice belly. I have lost 8 lbs and I feel so much better eating eggs and eggplant and this stuff called cangcong and its just a much better life than rice and bread 24/7,   So this week we work with the youth of the ward to get a lot of stuff done and get people to church and investigators. Also, we had zone conference yesterday. Pres talked about how we should never be content but always look to be better. He talked of a cycle of : Faith. Vision. design. action. success. and learning and then repeat. This is a cool concept and our pres has high expectaitions for our mission. He is a businessman and he runs his stuff like a business to make things effective and then uses the gospel to inspire and make miracles happen. It was a great day. A couple things I learned yesterday are: discipline is something that you can control for your self and will make you more successful the more you practice it.  Learning to learn and be successful. If you haven't for a while, read a book that has something you are interested in. I got a book for christmas about focus and it's cool to read and see how we can get better at controlling our own minds. This next week I will have my thoughts more organized I hope- haha sorry everyone. Then yesterday on the ride home we were on a trike and I took a video of the sunset and just was kind of speechless at Gods mercy and love for us to give us sunsets. I love sunsets and they really put me back to my regular, happy, calm state of mind. One thing in the mission is that I have been so stressed (in my first area) with my comp or area or language that sometimes it's hard for me to calm down and feel like things are all good and natural. Right now I feel like that though and I am so thankful for that feeling. I am now with a comp that is eager to work hard and I am getting more aquainted with the area and the mission and I am finally starting to feel more comfortable in Tagalog and I think things are starting to feel a little more natural and part of my life. I am so thankful for this happening too. One quote I love is "embrace reality" cool right? It is that simple. Also we need to embrace it and then do our best. My quote I made is  "do your best with what you've got, where you are." It's true, just always strive to do your best in all you do. Then trust that God will help you make up the difference. One thing that I have noticed is that when I am trying my best and doing all I can then God will speak through me to the people he needs to. Example: some lessons I blank and my Tagalog is gone for a minute. But then there are times that are like beams of light to my life. Like this one time with this investigator, this last week where we had a lot of people listening and youth with us in this lesson and I was teaching and my tongue just felt loosed. Like I could explain things and talk and everyone was listening. Not cause I was " on " but because I wanted to do my best and the lord needed to let that person hear that message. She is a really good investigator too and hopes she will be baptized in March. But the point I make is that things we do aren't us, they are from God and he uses us as we try our best. I think this is true in lots of aspects of your life. Think about that for yourself and see what you can do your best at and then ask for the help of God to help you make things stronger, to use you as an instrument of good. Cool concept to me. This week has been a really good one. I am feeling more like my self and just starting to relax a little bit. Don't worry, I try to watch myself and continue to pound my studies and languge every day. I know that will be a work in progress for the next 2 years. But yeah if you have any questions feel free to ask me. I will try to have things more organized next week. A mission is something that can't be explained, but has to be experienced for each person individually. Each day is different and place is different. These things are all for our growth and progression in life. This time on earth is a time to prepare to meet God. So do your best, be obedient, work hard, turn your passion into action, learn to live, take advantage of the small things, love your family, hug your mom, smile at people, tell a funny story and laugh, go for a drive and look at gods creations and live a life you will remember. I love all you back home and anyone that reads this truly I am so thankful for all you. Especially my parents and all they did for me and do for me. Continue to be amazing all of you. 

I know that God loves us and one thing Sarah told me one time is that no matter what happens in your life or for anyone, there is one thing we should remember and that is that we have a loving heavenly father. There is a reason that is the first doctrinal point we teach as missionaries. If we remember that we will always be ok. Know that he loves us all. never forget that. You are a great child of God.

Love, 

Elder McAllister