First Week as a Zone Leader

This week was a good week.  Our numbers were still relatively high despite our low proslyting hours because of Zone Leader Conference and the one day mission on Saturday.  We were able to contact a couple of referrals throughout the week who turned into some new investigators, and even one family that speaks only cebuano, so it is great that I have Elder Saure.  I haven't been able to communicate with them the whole time I have been visiting the recent convert that they live with.  The spirit definitely knows what it is doing when it comes to transfers!

So this week was my first full week as a Zone leader and it was busy and fun. Monday night and Tuesday morning we had our Zone Leaders Council.  All the zone leaders meet at the mission  home to talk about business and to receive training from the AP's and President Lopez.  It was way fun, because it is like all the cool missionaries and none of the annoying ones!  I got to see Elder Doane and Elder Esteves.  They are both doing good.  Elder Esteves leaves on May 8th.

Wednesday we had our Zone Leader Training, where our whole zone meets and we present training to them about what we learned in the ZLC.  It was good, except Elder Saure gave my training!  He though he was supposed to give the one I was giving, and since he went first, my whole plan went out the window.  I had to give a training on what he was supposed to give with zero preparation.  I literally winged it, but it was great!  Everyone in the zone told me it was the best they had seen and even the couple missionaries came up and said, "Well, I think we know who the next AP is going to be."  I just laughed and said thanks.  I know it is a cocky statement to make saying it was really good, but it was--especially with no preparation!

Saturday we had to conduct a one day mission in Murcia, which is about 30 minutes from Handumanan.  It is for all the stake missionaries who are preparing to serve missions.  We do a training for them and then they go out in the barangay (town) and proslyte and look for people to teach!  It was fun, but it cut into our work and that is always rough to try and decide who is important to visit and who can wait until the next day.

Sunday we went to church and then had a meeting with the stake presidency and President Lopez about missionary work.  About two hours before the meeting, I texted President Lopez and asked him what he wanted us to talk about so I could prepare something.  He texted back, "baptism".  I was like, what the heck--thanks for being so specific!  I didn't say that to him, but to Elder Saure.  Anyways, we are in the meeting and they turn the time over to us, so as instructed, I start talking about how we can get more baptisms.  I tell them what we need is the members to start giving more referrals and we need to figure out what we can do to get them more excited about missionary work.  Well, I guess it cam off a little strong because after the meeting, President Lopez talked to us about how to conduct meetings with stake leaders and he said, "Elder Wilstead, you probably shouldn't do what you did in there again!  I understand what you were saying and I liked your confidence in a meeting with leaders, but you might want to tone it down a bit next time!"  I was laughing and just said, "Well President, I talked about baptism!"  He laughed and it was one of those things that you just chalk up to experience!

So, one cool thing I have seen here in Handumanan is a major spike in attendance at Sacrament Meeting.  When I got here it was at 125, and yesterday we had 155!  I was so excited!  It made me feel like maybe I have made a difference here.  I definitely will not take all the credit, but I might sneak some of it!!!

About my choice of scripture for my plaque.  If there is one thing I have learned from my mission, it is that without Heavenly Father's help, we are all very weak!  I promise I could not still be on my mission without his help.  It is too mentally, spiritually, and physically (surprisingly) draining for a man to do this by himself.  I have learned just how much we truly rely on God for everything we do! I don't know if I would say I am not cocky anymore, because I am.  I just know where the true source of my strength comes from!

I love you all!

Transfer Day

Wednesday we found out that Elder Paano was getting transferred.  I was very happy to stay in Handumanan.  I am comfortable here and I have great relationships with the members.  I would be fine staying here for a lot longer if this is where I am needed!

My new companion is Elder Saure.  He is from Manila and is 21.  He has been on his mission three more months than me and is really kind.  He reminds me a lot of Elder Doane, but I don't think we will become as good of friends as Elder Doane and I.  He is 5'8" and weighs 180 pounds, so he is pretty big for a Filipino.  He kinda looks Samoan, and I think he will be closest I get to having a Polynesian companion--unfortunately!  He is exactly obedient, so we won't have any problems there.  This is his first time being a zone leader also, so we don't really know what we are doing.

Being a zone leader is pretty cool.  We are in charge of all the missionaries in the Bacolod South Stake.    It is one of the biggest as far as missionaries in the mission.  We are in charge of 18 missionaries, and 8 of them are sisters.  Sister missionaries are diligent and great, but are really needy!  They blow up my phone all the time with "Elder, I need this.... Elder, I need that," but it's all good.  The next biggest zone has 16 missionaries.  We only report to President Lopez and we present training for the missionaries two times every transfer and also during zone conference (in front of President Lopez).  I'm not too worried about that.  I am sure I can "fake it 'til I make it"--just like in high school!

We are working really hard on the Rescue right now!  We are trying to bring back less active members and we are having success with it right now!  We just returned a 50-something year old man who will be a great leader one day. I teach him in English and he is very smart.  he fell away and right now we are working on getting rid of his smoking issue, but he is doing well.  His name is Mike Exito.  I really like the guy and am blessed to have gotten to know him.  We have returned seven people in the last two weeks (to return they need to attend church four weeks in a row) and that includes two families! Now we need to get them to the temple!

Love you all!

Cole and Elder Saure

Finished with Training

We just had an okay week as far as numbers went, but I was actually proud of how we did.  This is the first transfer where I have actually felt like I had a chance to be transferred.  That, mixed with the fact that I have been in this area for six months, has me feeling very area trunky!  It really surprised me how hard it was to not have the pre-transfer week let down. I don't know if I will be transferred or not, but if this is where I am needed I will continue to work hard.

As we finished with Elder Paano's training last week, I thought about where he was at the start of his training and where he is now.  The change is amazing! I remember the first time I told him to invite someone to be baptized and he was so scared, he couldn't do it.  Yesterday, he asked an investigator to be baptized without me even asking him to do it.  The investigator said yes and we were both really excited.  We had exchanges and he led in that area too.  I am very proud of him.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to train him, and I know he will be a great missionary.

I went on an exchange with Elder Dulalia.  I was impressed with the way we worked together.  We had great companionship chemistry and we taught some very good lessons.  The one thing I really like about him was how he utilized short lessons.  We taught four or five lessons within ten minutes and I didn't feel that they lacked anything as far as the Spirit was concerned.  We also had the wonderful privilege of teaching a Seventh Day Adventist Minister about the Word of Wisdom.  He said it was great and that he also believed that the law of health should be a part of the gospel.  However, he believed the Word of Wisdom was missing something.  He went off about the clean and unclean animals and the Law of Moses.  After about ten minutes, I realized his issue wasn't with the Word of Wisdom, but with Joseph Smith.  After that, I felt like Elder Dulalia and I pummeled him with the Spirit by bearing strong testimony of Joseph Smith.  To be honest, my favorite part of being a missionary is when people challenge my beliefs and I get to bear testimony to them.  It is great!  The feeling of the Spirit is so strong it feels like you chest is going to explode!  Needless to say, he said he has lots of questions about Joseph Smith that he wants answered in their next lesson with him.

So I bought a scale last Monday.  This morning before we left the house, I weighed in at 201 lbs.  My first night in the mission home I weighed in at 228! Who knows, Logan may even be bigger than me when I get back!

I love you all so much!