Working Hard in Bata

This week was great as far as finding new investigators.  We were able to find 15!  I prayed so hard last weekend and asked to be blessed with the opportunity to find these people and we did!  They are so prepared.  One family we met came to church the very next day. 

The Tosings are one of the families that we are beginning to teach.  We met Sister Tessie Tosing while we were waiting for another investigator to show up.  While we were waiting, we asked Sister Tosing if we could share a quick message with her.  She said yes and the lesson went okay.  As we were finishing up, Brother Tosing came home from work,  He was a little shocked and on guard that there were two men talking to his wife outside his house and I thought for sure that he didn't want us there.  Anyways, we asked if we could come back when he was there and he said sure.  We went back on Saturday after his work ended.  He is a champ!  He was very receptive and asked if it was okay if he came to church on Sunday.  It was a very tender moment when he thanked us yesterday for finding his family out of all the people in Bata.   Then he thanked us for leaving our families to preach the gospel.  That was one of those humbling moments when you really come to know that He is in charge and He is preparing them for us.  You guys wouldn't believe it if you saw their house.  It is just a square--maybe 10 ft. by 10 ft.  I am thinking four of them could fit in our theater room.  All they have is a makeshift bamboo bed.  But they are unbelievably spiritual.  Dad will love this--he seems kinda "familiar" to me.  It might be because he looks like Tyson Littlewood!

For a long time this area hasn't been productive, but things here in Bata are on the way up. 

So my rash is unreal!  I'm usually not one to complain about pain, but this is on a whole new level.  It literally feels like needles in my skin the moment I step outside.  If you guys could add that to your prayers, I would really appreciate it.

On another note, I was cooking adobo and I tried adding my left pointer finger to it!  I was chopping some onions and garlic and my finger got in the way and now I have a big gash.  I am sending a picture, but the lighting isn't the best.  It is closing up nicely, even though it was pretty deep. 

I had some good studies this week that I want to share with you.  One was when I was reading in D&C 101:16.  Many times we have trials and struggles and everything just seems to build up to the point we want to explode.  Jesus tells us what to do at that point.  "be still . . . and know that I am God."  We (myself very much included) need to remember who is truly in charge.  He will take care of us, we just need to be still and let Him do what He does.  Another was when I was studying in the New Testament in Mark 2:17.  It just drove home again that the Atonement is for all the "broken people."  So it is for all of us!!!  Along those lines, I loved this quote from Boyd K. Packer in the leadership training, "Properly using the Atonement is where we go back to where we first messed up and try again until we get it right."  I love that man!!!

Okay, one funny story before I go.  Once a week we have a dinner appointment at the Wycoco's house.  He is an amazing cook and always caters for the mission meetings.  Anyways, we were finished with dinner and just sitting around his table talking (he speaks perfect English), and he started asking questions about my family and Melissa.  I showed him the pictures of you guys that I carry in my scriptures.  His first line was, "Wow elder, your mother is like an actress.  She is more pretty than any actress I have ever seen and she looks like she is 25!"  Then he looked at dad and said, "Goodness elder, your dad looks like an actor too!  Is he Mexican?"  Then he saw Melissa's picture and said, "Oh no elder, you better fast and pray a lot.  She is too beautiful for the guys to not court her!"  I was laughing so hard!  He also said if we need a personal chef, he likes to be surrounded by beautiful people!  This guy is great!  He is teaching me how to cook lots of good food.  Just wait, I will go top chef on you all as soon as I get home.

Anyways, that was this week!  Love you all!

Getting ready for the baptism

The rash that won't go away

GQ--even if it's a little small!!!

Finger Food

Transfer to Bata

This week has been a rollercoaster ride.  To be completely honest, it was hard for me to transfer from EB Magalona.  I was so excited about some of the families that were approaching baptism, and then to be transferred was tough.  But, it's a part of missionary work!  It was so great being companions with Elder Stagg, that I knew anything following it would kinda suck.  Elder Rillorta and I are kinda starting over and trying to pick Bata Ward up off the ground.  Finding new investigators has been our focus this week, and I know that through the same hard work and obedience that Elder Stagg and I were able to accomplish, Elder Rillorta and I will have the same success.  It may just take some patience--the one Christlike attribute that I struggle with the most. 

Just so everyone who reads my blog knows that my girlfriend still puts me in my place, this is a part of our email conversation today:

Me:  I know, but it is so discouraging having to do the baptismal interviews for the people that I found and taught, and then watch another elder get to baptize them.  Honestly, nobody remembers the elders who started teaching them, it's just the two that were at the baptism.  They are the ones they have the pictures with.

Melissa:  Colton James.  You know I'm not one to get mad at you when you vent, and I want you to vent to me, but the only person who matters that remembers anything about those baptisms is God.

Me:  Ouch!  That hurt a bit, but you are completely right!  I have been very selfish the last couple of days.  I promise I will be better!

Okay, so now I want to share with you guys a little something I learned from my personal study this week.  I studied about HOPE in Preach My Gospel and in the scriptures and it was great!  Hope you guys enjoy and can apply some of it.  So I read a quote from James E. Faust talking about how hope is the anchor for our souls.  Then, while I was reading Ether 12:4, it talked about hope being the anchor to our souls again.  I thought there must be something to it, so I started thinking about it.  It is true!  The hope we have in anything is what anchors us to making the right choices.  But, like a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, if we only have a little bit of hope (like putting an anchor 5 ft into the water), our hope is not going to help much.  The hope of the Atonement is what anchors us to making the right decisions and not veering off our course.  Then I read another quote that said, "Hope is trust in God that, through faith if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future."  How awesome is that?  Anyways, that was my breakthrough study of the week!

Another funny story--I was doing a baptismal interview for a little girl yesterday and I asked her what she understood about the law of chastity.  She knew all the right stuff, but then she finished with, "kag, bawal para isa ka Filipino kag isa ka Americano nga magkasal indi sila pwede."  Translated, that means "it is forbidden for a Filipino and an American to get married.  They can't do it."  I told her that wasn't true, but I was laughing the rest of the day!  She was about 10 years old, so it was way cute!

We were able to have a baptism upon my arrival here, which was nice.  We also have two upcoming baptisms next week.  After that, however, things may start to slow down for a couple of weeks as we look for more investigators.  The teaching pool here is a little bit more shallow than it was in EB.  We did have a good experience visiting a less active lady for the first time.  She has a son who isn't baptized and she hasn't been to church in about 15 years.  She said she felt shy and that Heavenly Father was disappointed in her.  We reassured her that He is never disappointed, but He is always inviting her to come back to Him.  She was bawling during the lesson and it was one of those strong lessons that makes you glad to be a missionary.  Yesterday she came to church with her son!

Anyways, that was my week!  I sure do love you guys!

Apron that Melissa sent me in my 1-year package 

Gotta love the blue walls!

Goodbye Elder Stagg

Another Great Week

Elder Stagg and I were able to really see the fruits of our labors this week. We had ten investigators come to church!  It was a great Sunday and we even had a small family show up to church who are relatives to our bishop. We have set an appointment for Tuesday with them.  Another blessing this past week was we were able to find seven new investigators.  Elder Stagg and I have been praying very hard for new investigators to lengthen our teaching pool, and it all seemed to come to fruition this week.  This is tentative, but right now we have a baptism set for each week until the first week of September! We will continue to work our hardest so that we can make it happen.

Elder Stagg is continuing well on his progression.  He is starting to OYM (Open Your Mouth) people while we are on jeeps or buses.  Even on the way to the Internet Cafe, he started talking to an older lady that we were sitting next to on the way to Silay.  He is also improving in our lessons. We had a lesson with a new investigator and he did almost all of the BRT.  The man was wearing a soccer jersey and that is Elder Stagg's favorite sport, so he was all over it!  It truly is a blessing to be able to work with him and to see the progression that we have witnessed here in EB Magalona.

One of the best parts of the week was when the power turned back on.  It came back on Tuesday night, but we didn't figure it out until Wednesday at lunchtime because we had all the lights turned off.  We found out because we saw people watching the NBA finals on our way to the market--and yes, I stopped by to find out the score!  I am just hoping that the Spurs keep it going.  You better believe that as I write this, they have the game playing on one of the computers right next to us.

Another blessing from this week is that we killed three more rats!  It has been about five days since we have seen one, so I am thinking we may have terminated the problem.  I am still setting the traps though!

Something that is beginning to wear me out on the mission is doing laundry! I feel like I finish one load and then my laundry bag is full again.  It is the most frustrating thing ever!  Another kinda stupid thing is our shoulder bags.  I feel like such a fag when I wear it!  I am always like, "oh wait a second and let me get something out of my purse!"  Don't worry, I am sending a pic so you can see.

I shot an email to Brock.  I feel so bad for the kid . . . I am so so so happy that I am almost down with one year and not just starting!  I hope he is doing good.

I am so happy to hear that everything is going well for all of you.  I really am not worried about a single thing that is happening to you guys because if I am being exactly obedient, I feel like only blessings are going to head your way. But, if trials ever do come your way, read Ether 2:25.  Just remember that when you are crossing the "Great Deep" (trials and struggles of life that we will all face) to have no fear because the Lord has prepared you (through experiences that have already happened in your life) to cross it and overcome whatever obstacles Satan tries throwing your way.

Cole and Elder Stagg

Another rat takes the bait

Cole eating lunch in the mission home during the
Specialized Training for new missionaries and their trainers

Cole and his "purse"

When It Rains, It Pours

We had another good week in EB Magalona.  I only worked for two full days because of the MLC and the exchanges with Elder Cannon in Manta-Angan.   Elder Stagg was able to lead the area twice and they had very successful days.  I know pride is a sin, but I'm feeling pretty proud of him right now.  I really am not having to lead him along like I did my first trainee.  Elder Stagg has been a go-getter from the very start.  It is no surprise to me that our area and he is progressing at such a good rate.

Elder Stagg and I did actually limp into the finish line this week. Friday night we were about a half an hours walk away from our apartment and a freak rain storm hits.  Neither of us had our umbrellas and we got soaked from head to toe.  It was a bit brutal.  Saturday morning, there seemed to be trial after trail coming at us.  We were supposed to go proslyte with our bishop and visit some less active members.  He cancels and tells us that he won't be able to come to the baptism later that day and it is his niece that is being baptized!! After his call, we went to a further part of our area to proslyte and because of high tide, we weren't able to make it.  It made us waste an hour and a half of a pretty short Saturday, but we were still able to teach two good investigator lessons. As I am making the programs for the baptism, the printer jams.  Then we get everything set up in the church and a brown-out hits -- no electricity. Our speaker than calls 15 minutes before it is supposed to start and says she won't be able to make it.  I am about ready to flip out at this time.  We prayed, worked hard, and actually had a good baptism despite all the problems that occurred.  Later in the day we find out that the brown-out is supposed to last until the middle of next week.  Last, but not least, the rats are now eating my Cliff Bars you sent.  I started the week with ten of them, but I only have one left.  I have to keep telling myself that I am still a missionary and it is all good!!!!

If you get a chance, get the latest issue of the Liahona/Ensign and read President Uchtdorf's message, "Walking in Circles."  It is one of the best things I have ever read.  Enjoy the pics!  I love you guys so much!

Studying outside during the brown-out

The results of walking in the rain without an umbrella

Best Baptism Yet

Not a whole bunch to report on this week.  Elder Stagg and I had the opportunity to help another one of God's children enter the straight way to His kingdom.  That was a great experience.  Mostly because for my whole mission, I have never been able to help fathers progress.  That was something I was blessed with when I was set apart, was that my biggest influence would be to fathers and older men.  This was one of those experiences when my testimony was strengthened that the Lord fulfills all of His promises.  Now we need to get his wife baptized and continue to strengthen them in the gospel.  I have the feeling that one day this man will become a leader in EB Magalona.  He is very hard and sometimes tough to read, but his testimony of the gospel is unshakable.

Tuesday I was very sick and couldn't talk.  Because of that, we didn't go out and I have been coughing up disgusting stuff the rest of the week.  Elder Stagg and I set the goal to have a higher amount of lessons this week, even ought was lost a day.  I am happy to say that we did it!

We found a new family to teach this week.  It's a good thing too, because Elder Stagg and I ran out of money and didn't have enough for the bus fare. We had to walk to their house which was an hour and a half away.  Luckily they were there and they listened! We were blessed again because 20 minutes into our walk back, we saw a member and they gave us a ride home. That was much appreciated because it is so flippin' hot here.

We found out that although we did kill the rat, there are two more.  One is bigger than the one we killed and the other one is smaller.  I just hope they are the same gender . . . the last thing we need is two rats getting freaky and having World War III on our hands.  I am thinking of buying six traps and setting them in a line so that we can trap them in their little corner.  I WILL CONQUER!

Brother Antonano's Baptism