Mashed potatoes = happiness

Well, this week flew by. No surprise there! But there were 2 days that really stuck out to me.  Wednesday and Thursday.

On Wednesday, we had our MLC (Mission Leadership Council meeting) and we had a super powerful meeting, led by President Rahlf.  The Spirit was undeniable, and really gave me an extra push in wanting to succeed as a missionary.  Especially with the Christmas season coming up, since last year I was very weak in the language, this year I will be trying extra hard to find and teach people.  President Rahlf said "This may be the only time of the year where the people you talk to will hear about the gospel, and be willing to listen and accept it." Since the Philippines is so centred on Jesus Christ, our message could be just what they need! I'm so excited :) We also had a really good thanksgiving feast for lunch that day, which was fantastic. 

When Thursday rolled around, I was super stoked.  Us Americans in the Zone had been planning out Thanksgiving for about a month now, and now that the day had finally arrived, it was super exciting! We cooked up 3 1/2 kilo's of mashed potatoes, which turned out to be exactly enough for me to have some leftovers for lunch the next day.  Also, our Filipino companions weren't necessary excited about eating a meal that didn't consist of rice... but after enjoying themselves, they thanked us for putting it all together.  They learned that night just how fantastic Thanksgiving feasts can be :) 

It was also nice to lay down that night and ponder over the things that I am grateful for.  One thing that President Rahlf taught us during our MLC was gratitude, as well as the SIN of ingratitude. I said a prayer of gratitude that night, and made sure to thank my heavenly father for all of the wonderful blessings that I have received in my life.  

I'm so grateful to be serving here in the Philippines, and to be blessed with such an amazing family and with so many amazing friends. Thank you all for your love and support! 

It's crazy that it's already December, and as we near Christmas, let us ponder the life of Christ and always remember how grateful we are for the things we have received because of him.

Love you all! Have a great week :)

Stay True

Elder Walstad

Happy Araw ng Pasasalamat

Well, this translated means day of thanks... because it's too complicated to try and figure out what thanksgiving is... haha. 

Well, this week flew by pretty quick. It's kind of hard to believe that it's already the week of Thanksgiving. I remember last years like it was yesterday! Thinking "Oh fetch... I still have a long ways to go..." haha. And now look at where we are! Dang. 

So this week my companion and I really focused on, as we have been the past couple of weeks, rescuing.  The focus here in the Philippines isn't only on Baptisms but reactivating.  Which, honestly, shouldn't be a problem! But there is someone named Satan who is striving hard every single day, 24/7, to destroy our lives and take us away from what we know to be true.  And he has succeeded with a lot of people here... but he underestimates the power of the Spirit and what we can accomplish as missionaries.  We contacted almost a dozen inactive members this past week, and almost every single one of them had a look of gratitude and happiness when they saw us and knew that we had been searching for them, and that they haven't been forgotten.  It's a great feeling being part of such an amazing rescuing!

I also feel like I can officially state that I am pretty much fluent in Tagalog now :) Of course I still have A TON to learn, but I made it! After 16 months of hard work, I've finally gotten to the point of being comfortable in the language :) It's a great feeling! And it encourages me to want to work harder and achieve an even greater level of understanding!

Well.. I just want to share a short list of things that I am grateful for :) 

1 - My family (My father, mother and sisters)

2 - My friends

3 - My awesome Companion

4 - Knowing Tagalog

5 - Air Conditioning

6 - Food

7 - Water

8 - Internet

9 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ

10 - The atonement

That could go on for days... but this is just a glimpse :)

I love you all, and have a great week full of gratitude and yummy food!

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

Punted, but still goin' strong!

So this week, every day we went out to work, we got punted at almost every single appointment! Even when we would try to contact people, they wouldn't be interested, or they wouldn't listen to us. The people here have been getting harder to talk to, and it's been getting harder to find new investigators... but we are still going out every day, and we are trying our best to find and teach those who Heavenly Father has prepared for us! 

One way we are doing that is through members.  I just want to testify of the strength of the members.  When they give us referrals, that is where most of our success comes from.  One reason for that is they are usually friends of the members, so that also means that they have been around the members which means they have been around good standards, and they probably have a small understanding of who the "mormons" are.  Then when we get to them, they have been softened up and are more willing to listen to us! 

I'm grateful for the struggles though, and the trials that I am experiencing, both personally and in the work, because I recognize that I am growing and learning a lot, and I am also getting closer to my Heavenly Father and coming to know my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ more personally. I'm so grateful for that!

A funny story.... earlier this week, after a long hard day of working and biking almost 10 miles, I fell asleep pretty quick that night.  My companion, Elder Pandaog, told me that around 12:00 a.m. I woke him up because I was talking in my sleep. He said that I was speaking Tagalog! Haha. Then I mixed it up with some Taglish... but he said he couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't stop laughing either, once he told me! That's pretty cool though... the language is starting to become more natural that I am starting to speak it while I sleep! Cool Beans! 

Anywho... I hope everyone has a GREAT week. And I love you all! :) 

Stay True!

Elder Walstad

Oh yeah

Well, this email will be short this week.  We didn't do too much because I, again, got sick... but we still tried to go out and work as much as we could, and it always feels good to get out there in do work! 

We have been focusing a lot of our time lately on finding and rescuing less-active members.  We actually found a lot of members through contacting on the street.. who after a few minutes admitted to us that they "used to be members." We always tell these people that they are still members, and welcome back. It's funny because 95% of the time, the less actives always have excuses, and most of the time, they are just ridiculous things that they obviously made up on the spot.. which we know because everyone always has the same excuses. Hehe. The main one is "oh, I'm too busy." But the next day we go by their houses and see them just sitting around, and when they see us, they either run away or try and make it look like they are hard at work.  

We still try and try and through Charity and patience, we sometimes see the blessing of these members return to activity in the Church.  I actually read about pride yesterday, and it's interesting what it said.  "When people make excuses, or try to avoid their responsibilities, that is considered pride." It also said that pride will be the destruction of nations.  Especially as members of the church, we should try and avoid pride, and be more Christlike.  Of course, it's easier said than done, but I know we can do it :) KAYA NATIN!!!!!!

I'm super duper grateful to be serving in the Philippines, Cauayan mission. It's the best. 

Love you all, and have a great week!!!

Stay True

Elder Walstad

P.s. - I'll have pictures next week :) 

Wow, talk about a full week of awesomeness

So there were so many awesome things that went down this week! We had an amazing leadership council with Elder Schwitzer of the Seventy (He spoke in this last General Conference btw...), then the next day we had an awesome Zone Conference, then just earlier today we went to BANAUE RICE TERRACES!!!!!!!!! It is one of the wonders of the world! And when you see the pictures, you will understand why :D 

So first of all, our amazing leadership council... it was so amazing because he gave us so many wonderful tips on how to become a better leader. Some of those tips include - "Seek to inspire, not to impress." "Simplify your life, so that your tasks you have to do don't dilute your ability to concentrate." And one of my favorites was "Have INTEGRITY and PREDICTABILITY." I thought those were super interesting, and I have been trying to apply those things into being a Zone Leader. It's helped for sure, and I know that it will help me throughout the rest of my life!

Next we had our Zone Conference the next day, which was super great! We learned a lot about Repentance, and the role that it plays in the Plan of Salvation.  We also learned a lot about how to better use the scriptures both in teaching and while studying.  It has really helped me!!! One example that he used for the scriptures was when Nephi chastises his flippin' brothers because they are being so annoying... and he uses the scriptures to prove to them that what Lehi and Nephi have said is true. It isn't that we are here to prove, but really to inspire.... which is one of those Leadership attributes again ^.^ It's all comin' back in a full circle. Yup. SWEEEEET.

Also, to make the week even MORE AWESOMER, we went to the Banaue Rice Terraces.  It was unbelievably gorgeous.  It is nearly impossible to try and describe what it is like in words, and just pictures... but my attempt would be this. With the cool air and incredibly intricate sculpted rice terraces below you, it is so crazy COOL to be there and see the work that has been put into such an amazing work of art. Plus, the hike is flippin insane... it's SO steep, but it was So worth it. :) Yup.. that was kinda a summary of the Banaue Rice Terraces. ^.^ 

So, this week was awesome. More awesome weeks to come. I am going to be here in my area for another 8 weeks, so I am SUPER excited about that! It's gonna be awesome! #Blessed.

Have a super great week! 

Stay True

Elder Walstad