Another new companion

So this week has been kind of a long one. But I have seen a lot of miracles, and also a lot of "trials."  I said goodbye to Brother Bilog on Tuesday, and said Hello to my new companion, Elder Tabudlong.  He is pretty cool. He is really hard to understand, which gets frustrating at times, but it has been really helping me learn more vocab and really improve my listening skills.

We also gave out 3 baptismal dates this week! :D That was so fantastic!!! We are hoping that they will all follow through, and that as we continue to teach them, we will continue to have the spirit with us so that they will continue to feel the love that our Father in Heaven has for them.  I have really been focusing this week on trying to make sure I have the spirit with me during ALL my lessons, and it is amazing to recognize how the spirit will put little thoughts into my head, or the spirit will bless me with the Gift of Tongues, and I am able to understand a question, or explain a principle that isn't so clear to the person. We should ALL strive, erryday, to have the spirit with us, because when we have the spirit with us, all things are possible. We literally are nothing without the Lord and the spirit.  When we are left to ourselves, we will fail.  I definitely have a testimony of that, especially as a missionary; because we are not the ones who do the converting.  That's the job of the spirit. We are just the instruments in the Lords hands. And through our "mission experience," we learn and grow and are shaped into who we need to be when we come home. I can definitely testify of that with all my heart!

I am so grateful for all the love and support I have, and I can definitely feel it helping me through each and every day! I love you all.

Stay True

Elder Walstad

The gift of tongues

I saw a lot of miracles this week with the Gift of Tongues.  Since my current companion doesn't really know English at all, I am forced to speak Tagalog.  I have had many ups and downs with the language this last week for sure.  Some days I am fluent, and other days I have no idea what this language is. haha. But I have noticed that I am really starting to get this language down, and that through my Language study, and with being forced to use the language more, I am really starting to grow in my ability. It is amazing.  And I know that it is definitely the Spirit and the Gift of Tongues working in me; because of how much I have learned in just 2 weeks, and how much I feel like I have improved.  

Yesterday, we were teaching a lesson to our golden investigator family, and it was about the plan of salvation, and how we all have the wonderful opportunity to return to live with our Father in Heaven for Eternity, with our families. It started off kind of rough at the beginning, but after about 2 minutes, I just felt completely overcome by the spirit, and I was, literally, fluent.  It was AMAZING. I understood everything that they said to me, and I was able to explain everything in "depth" as well as answer all of their questions.  One question that they asked me that got me thinking was "I'm scared to die, because I'm worried that I won't make it paradise because of my sins. How can we make sure we go to paradise."  I thought for a second, and my answer was that, of course, everyone has sins.  There aren't any perfect people, but as long as we are striving to do our best, and to live righteously, following the commandments of God and always using the Atonement in our lives, the Lord will make up the rest.  We just need to do the best that WE can. 

The spirit was So incredibly strong during the lesson, and I am so grateful for that amazing experience.  They also told us that they are super ready to get baptized and become members, but they still need to go to Church.  Their desire is so strong, and I am so grateful for them and their strong spirits. 

We also had a special training earlier this week, and we were able to go to a "famous" restaurant in our mission, called Mrs. Bakers.  They serve quality, legit, American food. It was amazing!! I felt back at home a little bit :) So that was fun! And of course, as long as there is food involved, I'm totally down. 

I am so grateful for all of the love and support that I have, and I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I don't know what I would do without it. It brings me true happiness, and I'm glad that I have this chance as a missionary to share this happiness with the Filipino people. 

I love you all, and remember..

STAY TRUE!

Elder Walstad

I'm a District Leader, and I'm "Training"

This week has been a crazy one full of so many changes.  So on tuesday night, after Elder Maagad had already left, I went and slept over at the Zone Leaders Apartment.  Around 8:30 President Rahlf called me, and told me that I have been called to serve as a District Leader.  I was pretty excited actually.  As stressful as being a leader can be, there are SO many opportunities to learn and grow, that I probably wouldn't have otherwise.  I am so excited to watch myself grow even more.  And being a leader also gives me the chance to not only serve the Filipino people, but all the other missionaries in my District.  There is so much service goin on right now, and I keep thinking of the scripture Mosiah 2:17. 

President Rahlf also told me that I will be getting a part-time missionary as a companion.  I was a little confused about it at first, but when we arrived in Cauayan for Transfers, I met my new companion, Brother Bilog.  He has his mission call right now, but since he doesn't leave for a while, he is getting a taste of what being a missionary will be like for the next 4ish weeks.  Another FANTASTIC thing is Brother Bilog doesn't really speak or understand english... I was freaking out at first, and I was worried that it was just gonna be silent for the next 4 weeks. Haha. But actually, it has been the complete opposite.  I feel like I have improved ten fold in my language skills, and I KNOW without a doubt in my mind that it is the Spirit and the Gift of Tongues. My testimony of the Gift of Tongues AND the Gift of the INTERPRETATION of tongues, has grown SO SO SO much.  I am so grateful to have this chance to train because I am seriously improving so much in all aspects of everything. hehe. 

I have also been having to lead my area, and start off the conversations on the street, and I feel like I have been blessed with so much courage and faith to be able to accomplish the things which the Lord would have me do.  We actually talked to a lady a couple days ago, and she told me that "If I was blindfolded, and I could only hear your voice, I would think that you were a Filipino." And she kept telling me how fluent I sounded. haha. It was very nice of her to say that, and it helped me see that I really am improving.  Line upon line, precept upon precept.  I have been making a lot of mistakes though too, which sometimes is funny.

Being a missionary is such an amazing blessing, and I am so grateful for this time I have to be serving my Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for the Spirit which I have with me, and for all the things I am learning.  

Have a fantasmasticle week errybody

Stay True,

Elder Walstad

Tanner's new companion, Brother Bilog, is on the far left.

A fast, full of new investigators, kind of week!

This week has flown by! I don't know what it is... maybe it's because Elder Maagad leaves tomorrow? Or because we were working insanely hard? Or maybe because we were super busy every single day? Whatever it was, this week was pretty great! It's also kind of a sad one.  I have to say goodbye to Elder Maagad tomorrow morning.  I just have to say that he was such an amazing friend, and companion, and that I have learned so much from him! I have really grown as a person and as a missionary.  I am also very excited for the new adventure ahead, so that's some ups and downs for ya!

So this week, I did a lot of Contacting (Talking to random people on the street) and there has really been a lot of success coming from it.  We have been able to find and teach a couple of families, as well as other people who seem to be ready to listen to us.  I hope and pray that they will accept the gospel into their lives, but they all have their agency, and the most we can do is teach with the spirit, and then leave it in the hands of the Lord. We do have one "Golden Couple" - the Suniega family - who they are incredibly receptive, and they are going to, hopefully, be baptized in a month from now.  If they go to church 4 times in a row.

We also did "feeding" again at the school for the children, and it was a great experience, again.  It is so great serving people, and seeing their smiles, and you can tell that they are just so grateful.  It is amazing.  We did it with our Zone Leaders, and some ladies in our ward.  It was awesome! :D

Finally - I have been coming to the end of Jesus the Christ, and as I have been studying about Jesus Christ, and how towards the end of his life, even when he knew what was going to happen, he still went through it. For US! The atonement changes so much when you change the way you look at it.  He went through that intense pain and suffering, because he loved us.  That is a love that is hard to comprehend, and that we are all indebted to.  As we all go through this next week, let us all try to strive to have more Charity (The pure love of Christ) for everyone! Even those people who are kind of gettin' on your nerves ;) hehe. I notice that the more I try to incorporate charity into my life, I feel happier, and the people around me can feel that they are cared for, in some form or another. 

I love you all, and the Church is true! I know that without a doubt in my mind!

Stay True

Elder Walstad 

SUMMER in DA PHILIPPINES YO!

So this week was kind of a long, and hot one... at the beginning.  We had some amazing things happen towards the end of the week.  But first, about the summer here.  We are starting to enter into the hottest months here in the Philippines. So that is... exciting!... not.  But it's all good! I'm starting to get tanner.......... (HAHAHAH :D). 

So this week, at the beginning, our work was pretty slow.  Not many people wanted to listen to us, and we were getting "punted" from all of our lessons. So we didn't really teach very many people.  It kind of gets super tiring when it's 1000 degrees outside from 10 a.m. to 6, sometimes 7, p.m. :P Crazy!!  But anywho, we finally were able to teach one of our recent converts, and they actually had some family over (Their son in law) and their kids, and they wanted to listen in on our lesson.  Afterwards, they seemed to be pretty interested, so we taught them right after we finished teaching our Recent Convert!! The Spirit was SO strong, and they were so incredibly receptive.  It was so amazing.  Then they asked us if we could come back the next day and teach them again, and we totally accepted!! Again, the spirit was so strong, and they were very receptive.  Again, they wanted us to return again!!! So we went back again (This was yesterday, Sunday).  But before that, we received a referral, and that family was incredibly receptive too!!! It was so amazing.  Then we went and taught the family about the restoration, and the Spirit entered into that little room, and I could see their whole demeanor change.  It was so incredible.  They also asked us if we could come back and teach them AGAIN today!!! But sadly we had other appointments.  But we are going back on Wednesday, and oh my gosh.  It is so exciting!!!! We are going to be giving all of these new investigators Baptismal dates this next week, and we are hoping and praying that they will accept our invitation.  

The sad part of this though, is that Elder Maagad goes home, and he is pretty disappointed.  He actually told me how he wants to extend, just so he can help baptize these families.  When he said that to me, I realized how greatly blessed we have been to have this opportunity to be instruments in the Lords hands, to bring the message of the restored gospel to these families, and help them come closer to Jesus Christ.  I think it would be amazing if Elder Maagad extended... but I don't think that would happen. I am just so grateful for this blessing, and this really is when being a missionary feels SO rewarding.  

Other than that, we went and did a service today (We fed some kids at an elementary) which was a great experience.  I am so grateful for all the love and support I have had from all of you! Thank you!

Stay True

Elder Walstad