A full/stuffed week!

So this week was kinda crazy! It kinda feels like it was the longest week ever, but it really just flew by! But first of all - I just want to shout out to my buddy Bryce Lund! He just came home from his mission this last week! That's crazy! And also my cousin Quincy! He's just awesome :) He's a boss!

So yeah - Tuesday, we had an Elder's Conference, with all of the elders in the mission - and we learned about how to be a "real" man. It was so great!! We had a great in-depth study about Ammon, and how, even though in the beginning of his life, he was the vilest of sinners, and he turned out being the best missionary EVAH! I know that we can all make that kind of change in our lives, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Elders Conference

So on Friday, Elder Valdez and I talked to a lot of people, and we are really sad that our time together is almost up! The time seriously just flies by! Elder Valdez is awesome :)

Saturday, we had a super cool opportunity to attend a Mason party. We OYM'd (contacted) a guy who i a less-active memeber, who is also a Mason, and he introduced us to a member of the Mason group here in Santiago City, who holds a high position. He then gave us an invitation to their 64th anniversary party!!! It was super cool! We actually ended up meeting/talking to 5 different mayors, very successful business men, and other people with high positions here in Santiago. It was a super great finding opportunity for Elder Valdez and I, and we are hoping to be able to follow-up a lot of those people we came in contact with there.

Food at the Mason party.

I'm super grateful for this chance to be serving the people here in the Philippines, and to bring them the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! May we all pause and think about how much of a blessing the gospel is in our lives :)

Love you all!!

Stay True

Elder Walstad

Spending FHE with the Sablay Family!

A cold week!

This week was really nice! It was "cold" every day up until yesterday... just because it's called sunday doesn't mean it has to have the SUN! :P But it's all good... it's been nice though not sweating to death every single day. hehe.

This past week was also transfers, but I wasn't affected, since I am still training Elder Valdez. He is so great! I am learning so much! I am really trying to improve my teaching right now, and I think that will improve more over time as I increase my knowledge and am able to explain things more simply.

Also, my new zone leader is one of my batch mates from the MTC. Elder Higgins. It's pretty awesome - my batch is pretty great! :)

Well... we have a few investigators that we are trying to really focus on right now - especially Alekxy.  We are hoping that her father will allow her to be baptized, and we are hoping and praying that he will allow us to go and teach them as a family. Alekxy is super awesome, and her desire to become a member is growing tremendously! It's awesome :) I love it! This is the joy of being a missionary :)

Well, Love you all! keep being awesome

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

P.s. - There will be pictures next week :)

A week of hotness and... snails?!

SO this week was pretty great :) I really feel that I learned a lot, and Elder Valdez and I had a lot of fun together. We have been giving out some baptismal dates to our investigators, and we are hoping to start harvesting next cycle. Those investigators names are Jefferson, Jerrix and Alekxy. They're pretty awesome :)... They just gotta go to church ;)

So for one of our dinner appointments this week, they made us snails.... I was kinda freaking out because they were all sitting around staring at me waiting for me to eat one. The way they cooked it, though, was actually super tasty! And the first one I sucked out shot straight into my throat, and went straight into my stomach.... so I was scared to do it again. hehe. But I DID! And it was pretty yummy! Who knew?! I'd like it! But I only ate a few, because I saw what the inside part looked like, and I couldn't do it anymore. But yeah! Snails! :P

(Slurping a snail!  Ick!)

Also, we had a baptism this week, and it was a great service! The Spirit was strong, and it was short and sweet. It's so great to watch those investigators walk into the waters of baptism, and witness them becoming clean and seeing that smile on their faces. Awesome. 

Other than that.... I have really been studying a lot in Mosiah and I have been really studying Chapters 21-23. I LOVE the scripture Mosiah 23:21 about trials, and then the story of Limhi's people in Chapter 21 (especially verses 15 and 16.) LOVE IT! ^.^ so yeah. 

Love you all! Keep being awesome.

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

Happy B-day to ME! ^.^

So this week was a pretty good one! We finally got a lot of rain, and clouds, so the temperature has been a little lower. So that means that the work is better ;) Because we stay out longer and work harder because the sun isn't killing us :)

So... I turned 20 years old this week. That's weird. But it's cool! I went to a restaurant called shakey's, and it was pretty good! It's one of the closest restaurants to American style food... so yeah! :) nummy in my tummy! 

I guess we all get older, and we all grow up, so I just gotta enjoy this next year!  I think that this year will be a very memorable one, so I gotta make sure to give it my all!

Quincy came home, "my bro from another mo who is the sis of my mo!" :D He's awesome! Thanks for your example buddy! 

(Cousin, Quincy... Welcome home!)

This week, our work has been pretty good! Elder Valdez and I went back to Cauayan for his 4-weeks training. It was pretty great! I love being taught by President Rahlf, and now we have kind of had an extra boost to help us rock it in our last 8 weeks together. I'm super grateful for Elder Valdez. He is so awesome. I've said this before, but besides the technical things, I am learning more from him I think. Training is such a great opportunity, and I'm grateful for this chance to train Elder Valdez :) 

I just want to say that my testimony has really become solid. Like adamantium (The metal that ironman uses ^.^) I am so grateful for my trials (Ether 12:6,27) and for how much I have learned on my mission. The time really flies by so fast, so as long as I am trying to be my best and learn all I can... that's success for me :) 

I love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I'm grateful to be serving him here in the Philippines! It's hard, but worth it.

Love you all! 

Stay True!

Elder Walstad 

The Vicencio Family (Our recent converts)