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