•Kalihokan sa Zone Karong adlaw!‏ 10/31/2012

Kamusta tanan!  (Hello all)

I guess everyone has questions about the weather here, but there's been no change whatsoever, still awesome and beautiful outside!
Our investigators overall are doing well, but some of them are there physically for the lessons, but aren't coming to church. On the other hand, there are others where you look into their eyes and you can tell the spirit is working in them and they're definitely responding to it - it's amazing to see; yesterday, we found out that a super solid group of investigators stopped smoking a week or two before we even taught the Word of Wisdom! It's just so cool to see them following the Holy Ghost, and they haven't even recieved the Gift of the Holy Ghost where it can be with them always!!
I have continued to learn a lot from my companion - right now we're focusing on following the spirit because as it says in 2 Nephi 32:3 "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." This basically says that by reading the scriptures, praying, and going to Church every week, (and listening to the spirit,) then you will know what Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want you to do.
The other day I was talking to a member about how every member has a missionary responsibility, and he took the initiative then and there and thought of a person who was in his class in high school who needed the gospel and proceeded to make plans to visit them the next day to ask if they will let us in their home to teach them. We'll see how soon we can visit them; it's going to be hard with all the investigators we need to prepare for baptism right now.
One really cool thing that happened was when we did splits with our bishop for a little while after pagsimba sa dominggo (worship on Sunday) and while I went with some young single adults from the ward to visit some recent converts, my companion went with the bishop and visited a less-active member. He hasn't been coming to church, but making a lot of progress. He had a super spiritual experience as they taught him repentance and he said he would come to church for sure this week. Our bishop is such a stud! He understands his responsibility and is trying to do everything; I wish all the members magnified their calling like he does.
well, that's what's going on here! I'm at the end of my hour on the internet!
hope all's well with you!
og misyonaryo sa Ginoo,
si Elder Dallin Carlson

•Dakong tulumanon sa bunyag sa sunod buwan!‏10/24/2012

Hey everyone!
Since winter is starting and you might have some questions about the weather here, I'll start with that; here in the Philippines, as far as I know, the weather's the same almost year round except the hotter months around April to June - I guess you could call this the wet season, but for them season and weather is the same word here because there's not much of a difference for them - you ask what season it is and they look outside and tell you the weather because it's the same here :P I don't think I'll ever get used to how hot the weather is, though :P
I'm learning so much here in Naga! Being with an American companion, I get a lot of good advice because he went through the exact same things learning this language!  Right now we're working on accent - in America, it's cool and people even act like they have one, but here it just means you haven't learned the language yet, and people even laugh a bit and tell me that I have an accent and ask if it's my first area.  It's okay though - it just reminds me that I need to work on it. However, here I've been able to make a lot more progress with my vocabulary by using my pocket notebook all the time - I made my writing half as big, but the pages are still filling up!  At least I have enough heavenly assistance to learn it about that fast as well - it's so amazing to see the help of the Espiritu Santo diri anaa sa Pilipinas. Another thing me and my companion have been focusing on is praying always, mainly just in my heart and mind; we can ask our Heavenly Father for help with anything, anywhere, anytime - we just need to remember. Our Father in Heaven wants to help us all, and he is ready to, but it is conditional upon our asking for it.  We have only to ask for help in order to receive it. During one of our lessons yesterday, I realized that my learning the language is like others learning the gospel - in everything they're confused with, they can ask us or Heavenly Father for help, because if they don't pray or ask, they will stay confused and not really know.  But on the other hand, if they do pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ if it's true, as it says in the Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:5, "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things".
Anyways, on another note, we have 12 baptisms in our area planned for November 10th!  We're trying to combine it with all the other baptisms that week in one place, to make it more powerful and more memorable for the converts - with 25 or more baptisms at once, we may have to go to the ocean to do it!  We're hoping we can make it happen and maybe get a picture of it in the Liahona. But in order to make that happen with 12 baptisms in our ward, we need to make sure all of them progress in the next two weeks and progress in the conversion in order to get baptized. But some of them we don't have to worry about at all, like two of our investigators named McSylvis and Sonnyboy (yes, those are their given names as far as I know:) they have both progressed a ton since meeting them last week; they prayed about it, know it's true, and have a great desire to be baptized (on November 10th). So we do have a number of investigators that are very firm in the path of conversion and will be ready on November 10th.
Speaking of conversion, I would like to echo the leaders of the church in encouraging all the members of the church to continue in their conversion - never become complacent in your prayers, scripture studies, or in missionary work. remember that one of the main ways to help your testimony grow is bearing it. You can bear it to anyone, anywhere, whether they believe you or not. I would especially extend this invitation to those preparing for a mission; one of the best ways to prepare for a mission is following the pagawhag Si propeta Gordon B. Hinkley when he said, "Every Member a missionary". One of the most important reasons for doing missionary work is that when you were baptized, as well as every single week when you take the sacrament, you renew your baptismal covenant as described in Mosiah 18:8-10 which says in verse 9, "and to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places that ye may be in," .

It's so busy here - so much that needs to be done! I just finished washing and rinsing most of my clothes by hand this morning, I'll see about hanging them up later - second time washing all my clothes by hand! Eventually I'll get the hang of it :P

hope all's well with eveyone! (if not, "did you think to pray?")
Og misyonaro sa Ginoo,
si Elder Dallin Carlson

Ikaduhang erya!‏ 10/17/2012

·        Kamusta, kada kinsa

I don't even know where to start with the new area! My new companion Elder Deschepper is awesome! He's from California and has been out for about a year. It is a bit different with two Americans in the companionship, we get a lot of people yelling "hey Joe" at us. however, if they're within talking distance, we turn it into a finding moment by jokingly saying that we aren't Joe, and explain that we're mga misyonaryo gikan ang simbahan ne Jesukristo... and then teach a principle of the Gospel and invite them to come to church or offer to come by and teach them later.

As for the area here in Naga Ward (Talisay stake), it's pretty big - a lot more bukid than my last area, but that was in Cebu City. We sometimes take a "tricycle" or jeepney, but other than that it's a LOT of walking! It's ok though, it'd be super expensive if we did anything else.

General Conference was awesome!! It was super inspiring, and they (along with the promptings of the Holy Ghost) answered all the questions I had. As it happened, I made myself remember a fireside video from Elder Bednar, one of the twelve, to not make a copy of the talks (like the large plates of Nephi) but make a record of notes similar to the small plates with only the spiritual promptings, etc. that I would actually read later - I'm still super excited to read their talks in later versions of the Liahona!
We're going to have a baptism this Saturday! His name is Ezra - he was baptized when he turned eight, but he wasn't confirmed so since he isn't eight anymore, he had to be taught everything in order to be baptized again - at least we'll be sure to have him confirmed! He's super bright, and can answer any questions about our lessons.

I have yet to meet the ward because of general conference - it was a ways away at Talisay (twice the fare on the jeepney) but church services will be at our simbahan (church) here in Naga! I'm super excited to meet everyone there, we've been getting a good amount of lessons (through a lot of walking) and I've been meeting a lot of investigators and less actives! We've been getting at least one dinner every night, I guess that helps with getting really skinny from all the walking and sweating! At least the weather's been super nice, the ocean breeze reminds me a bit of home :)

Looks like I'm at the end of my hour of internet - got to go! hope all's well with you!
og misyonaryo sa Ginoo,

gugma si Elder Dallin Carlson

•General Conference Sunod Domingo!‏ 10/10/2012

Hello everyone!

We're going to see the rebroadcast of General Conference next week - the only part we heard about was the change in age - it's cool for them, but I'm glad I got to have that time away from home at college so I was prepared to be away from home and do everything for myself and not be homesick.

Speaking of being sick, I caught the bug which has been going around our apartment in Apas - so far, 3 of us have caught it for sure. I've been under the weather for a few days, but my fever was gone this morning, but I can't afford to rest today because there's so much to do - you'll see that part in the next paragraph.

Earlier today, we received the transfer call and found out I'm going to transfer! I'm going to be transferred to Naga area, Talisay Zone somewhere on Cebu Island. I'm really going to miss the area here and the people (the temple and temple tours as well), but I know I'm leaving the people in good hands - Elder Villegas is a great missionary, and in one visit he finds out more about them than I did in two months. While I'm going to miss it here, I'm looking forward to finding out what the Lord wants me to learn and do over in Naga area (wherever that is) ... it's going to be so different even with just the apartment, from 5 Filipinos to only one other American, and no washer (not even one that's broken like ours is now :P ) ....speaking of washing, I wonder how I'm going to wash clothes today with no washer - I guess I'll have to find somewhere to give it to wash (no Laundromats here - just places where you can drop off your clothes and they wash it and you get it back later cleaned and dried). I was hoping to rest today but that's not possible if I need to wash everything and pack and see everyone before I leave.

As for investigators, there was one that said she wouldn't continue because of her parents, but this Sunday she showed up at church!!! It was super awesome to see her continuing with attending church and taking lessons.  In our lesson after church we asked about it and she said that even though her parents may not like it she would continue and pray that they will eventually accept her decision. This is super cool because she is showing such strength so early in her learning about the church! It really helps that she's staying with members in the ward - when they found out about her decision they encouraged her to pray about it and it was super cool to see the results of that! The members of the ward she's staying with is a guy from Argentina and his wife, a Filipino with pretty good English but no Spanish.

So that's what's going on here!

Hope all's well with you!

Gugma si Elder Dallin Carlson

•Bagong mga referral!‏ 10/03/2012

Hello everyone!

The weather is bright and amazing outside! It's a great day in Cebu - we just had an activity where we went to a Chinese place - I think it was called taoist - anyways, that was a pretty good zone activity (there's one in each zone/area every couple of months)

funny thing - the missionaries are Tagolog here, and "why" in tagolog is "bucket" :) It's always super funny to hear them say it - my favorite thing to do with it is say, "pero...bucket?!"  (but...why).  Another thing about them is that whenever it's time to do something or start something, they say "Sigge - game na!" (ok - game now!)

We received a referral from our ZLs that's super good - they came to church on their own! They seem to be doing really well, they moved into the area because of work. The wife was inactive, but she's coming to church now! She referred the missionaries to her husband, and so we taught her husband and her two sisters! That was Sunday, before church - a couple hours later, they came to church!!

Another cool thing is how the sister missionaries in Talamban ward told me about an investigator of theirs - a lady who said she received a Book of Mormon from me.  The only Book of Mormon that I remember giving to a lady is the one I gave on the plane from Hong Kong- she's on vacation right now, but if that's in Finland, that's one out of the three Invitations To Learn (I2Ls) I got on the way here!!

daghan trabaho diri sa Cebu! kinahanglan ko magadto aron sa pagsulat bisan mga sulat! ayo-ayo!

gugma si Elder Dallin Carlson

My companion has  been meeting everyone and our investigator who was pretty much golden and super receptive, talked to her parents about getting baptized (she was scheduled for October 27) and we just received a text today that she follows her parents and that's why she won't continue.