So this week has been a HUGE learning week, like I have learned a TON!!!  I have been reading a lot of scriptures, mostly from Jacob 5, which I spent most of the week studying… That takes some time for sure to understand, but I think I get some of it nowJ This is one of my favorite verses from it.  This is what I am seeking to do everyday, as a missionary this is the mindset, and the Lord is with us, "He will be on our right hand and our left, and His angels round about us to bear us up."  I love this promise and this is the goal every hour of everyday, "obey in all things of the Lord with our might."

Jacob 5:72 And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.

Also we were supposed to have a Level 2 typhoon hit Aurora on Friday.  But it really only rained pretty hard:(  But anyways we have been taking it easier this week to hopefully get my companion more fully recovered, so ya we are still working on that!

So we had a BAPTISM this week!!! Nanay Virginia Ronao was baptized on Saturday and it was an AMAZING baptism!!  After we all got to the church in Baler, took pictures, listened to some solid talks about baptism, then me, Elder Robinson, and Elder Obena all got in the font with Nanay Virginia and baptized her.  I was the voice, and the other two missionaries just helped make it way easier on Nanay to stand back up, because she is still recovering from a stroke.  And it was a SUCCESS!!! Me and Elder Robinson are now experts at baptizing disabled people that need more than one person to baptizeJ We have done it two times this month, and we are 2/2 ;)  But I think after the baptism might have been the best part for me.  Nanay bore her testimony and told how she has recovered so much quicker since the missionaries came. Miracle… She told how she really needed to know what was going to happen in her life, if she would die or not, and then Tatay Danny offered if the missionaries could come and teach her how to come unto Christ that very day!!  Miracle… She also told about the night before the baptism that she prayed with all her might, the the typhoon would go away so she could be baptized.  And it DID!!! Miracle…The power of prayer is real and she testified boldly of her testimony of that.  She is rock solid and loves to hear us teach her, and usually just wants us to come back soon so we can teach her more. So it has been a big growing experience for me to teach her and we are hoping that someday soon her whole family will gain that desire too.     

Also we got to go to Mother Falls this morning, it is a HUGE waterfall, and it was a super pretty hike up to it, crawling over rocks and stuff next to the riverJ

So thanks for the emails and prayers!!

LOVE YA’LL!!!

Elder Alldredge

Okay, so Kyle never did say how big the swordfish was, but yes we were definitely expecting a bigger "trophy fish" that would belong on the wall.  Very cool story anyways and ugly looking fish!

This week was a solid week, not quite as exciting as last week;) Sorry about that, but it is hard to beat all that happened last week!!  So first off just so everyone knows, my companion Elder Ismael is back and he is doing really well recovering from surgery.  We still have to take it a bit slow but he is doing well and is happy to be back.  But I was able to go pick him up from Tarlac, so that was super fun! We left Wednesday afternoon and got to Cabanatuan that night, then we bought root beer and ice cream and had root beer floats, sobrang masarap!! I don’t get stuff like that all the time okJ  Then we went to Tarlac and picked up Elder Ismael and another Elder’s new companion in Baler, then we took the 2 hour bus ride to Cabanatuan and then the 4 hour bus ride to Baler.  So it was a pretty exciting couple of days!

Yesterday at church we had 3 investigators at church, which was a little bit of a let-down because we had 7 that told us they would come, but hey it’s all good! I know that we can help them come to church this next week!!  One new investigator, brother JR came to church and then even worked with us and some members after church!! So that is just plain AWESOME!!! Then Nanay Virginia came to church, and she also had her Baptismal Interview which she passed on Saturday, so her baptism will be this Saturday!!! She is super excited and we are pumped for her.  She really has changed so much, she told us a story about her progress and how she has changed.  She said that one day a couple months ago she was praying that either God would take her life, or he would show her the way that she needed to go.  Then Tatay Devera came later that day, and asked her if she wanted us (the missionaries) to come and share to her.  So then she has progressed so much physically and spiritually.  She couldn’t even walk before, and now she even climbs the stairs at our church.  Before she didn’t know God’s plan for her, and now she does, she knows where she is going and how to get there.  This is such an amazing story, and will change her for eternity, I LOVE this Gospel!!!!!

Also last P-day we taught the Chief of the Borlongan tribe again, and we taught 11 people the Plan of Salvation.  Then we had a bunch of them asking if it was ok for them to be baptized, and how their family could be baptized too.  It is super cool, but the problem is that they are super far away, and they don’t have the money to get to the church.  But the Elder’s in Dipaculao are doing their best now to help the tribe out, so hopefully that is all able to happen for these people!!!

It’s been a solid week and I have learned a lot! I would for sure recommend reading the book “Believing Christ” if you have the chance buy it, read it, and you will be amazed!  One thing I learned from it is that it is different to Believe in Christ than to Believe Christ. Now you have to read it to find out the restJ

Well I love you all and thank you so much for the prayers and emails!!!

Love, Elder Alldredge

Catching up on the sleep in a jeepnee!

Borlongan Tribe Community

This week has been one of the most crazy/fun/exhausting/completely awesome week of my whole entire mission!!!  So last P-day as we were chilling by the beach looking at the waves crashing in we saw a bunch of Filipinos pulling on a HUGE rope that went out into the ocean, so we asked around about it and found out that a couple thousand feet out there was a net of fish.  So of course we decided to help them out!!! So we go and start pulling these ropes and after like 15 minutes the net was getting real close.  Then they saw this swordfish jump out of the net into the free water, so this guy ran into the water and somehow grabbed this swordfish so it wouldn't get away, then he ran back on shore and threw it on the ground, afterwhich a kid tried to take it and Elder Robinson heard him say "Hindi para sa mga foreigners yan!!"  then after they took in all the fish and they were distributing them to the people, then that same guy brought the swordfish with the 3 other biggest fish and threw them at our feet... This is the Filipino culture, they will give all, they are the nicest people ever, and even in their "hanap buhay" or finding food to put on their table at night, they will give some random foreigners the 4 Biggest fish!!!  This is one HUGE reason why I LOVE the Philippines, i LOVE the people, and I LOVE the culture, it amazes me how people can be so giving and Christ-like.  So we told them we couldn't take it and all we want is some pictures with the swordfish, then we gave it back to them.  But this literally is the Filipino people, and I am so grateful to be able to serve in such a beautiful land with such amazing people!!!

So if you think that was the only amazingly cool thing that happened, you are wrong:) To be short and to the point, we went to Borlongan and taught a Chieftan of a tribe, who also came to church on Sunday, and bore his testimony there in Dipaculao!!!  So this Chieftan was a referral of a member in Baler,and he had been given a Book of Mormon before we went last Thursday.  And this happened because we had exchanges with the Dipaculao Elders to go and teach this Chieftan.  He is an amazing man and is ready to receive the gospel, the only problem is that it is far away! Like way far!! Like we are pretty sure that we went the farthest any missionary has ever gone there while proselyting!! Also he told us not to work there, by going house to house, because he will just bring people for us to teach, so we just sit and he will bring them all, hopefully that happens soon, but this just shows how ready and willing these people, and especially this Chieftan is to be taught. So yes I can now say I have taught a Chief of a tribe;)

Also we had a baptism on Saturday, it was Tatay Jimmy Prado and he is from San Luis.  The cool thing about this is, that about 2 months ago our whole district worked in San Luis to help them out a bit... Then me and Elder Ismael found Tatay Jimmy!! We taught him the Restoration, and he has gone to church ever since!! Then I am now in a trisome with San Luis so I got to help baptize him!!! Which was an amazing experience, because all 3 of us got to baptize him!  He is crippled and has to us a wheelchair.  So my job in the font was to make sure he got all the way under, but when the time came for him to go under he couldn't grab his nose, so yes that became my job:) hahaha it was an AMAZING experience, and I am so happy and excited for Tatay!!!

So yes its been a crazy week, we have worked in 4 different areas this week, and will continue to do that until transfers where we hopefully get some more missionaries here in Baler!!!  Also Elder Ismael is recovering well, but he is still in Manila.  Maybe a week or two more then he will be back!!

Thanks for all the emails and prayers!!!

LOVE YA'LL!!!

Elder Alldredge

This week has been a CRAZY week!! So first off my son Elder Ismael is no longer with me! Which is crazy, he is going to Manila to get surgery, but will be back in 2 or 3 weeks so I can finish his training.  So don't worry its not me thats getting the surgery, but its my anak, but he is super tough so it will be good!! But now I am in a trisome with Elder Robinson and Elder Pojas and we have 3 AREAS!!! All of our companions have either gone home, gotten transferred, or are getting surgery… so now we work in Maria, San Luis, and Baler which makes everything that much crazier and let’s just say planning is SUPER important for us right nowJ We are just trying to help ALL investigators in ALL areas to stay afloat and progress, it’s been a fun time so far!!!

Another cool thing that happened this week was we had District Conference in Baler!  President Johnson came and presided over the meeting and gave an amazing talk about how we can all be that ONE, the one who says that kind thing to someone, who says we miss you at church, who goes the extra mile to help them out in whatever way possible, but WE CAN ALL DO IT!!! Because all of us can change the world, so that’s something that our trisome is working on right now, changing the world, so let’s all be that ONE and go change the world!!

We had a referral this week and his name was JR and he is 19.  So the members set up that we would go and teach him at their house on Saturday night.  So after a little waiting he came, which was a MIRACLE!!! And he is super ready to hear the gospel, he agreed with everything we said, he wants to pray and read the Book of Mormon to know if it is true, and next week he will come to church.  This was the very first time in my entire mission that I have shared the Restoration in a member’s home.  But it was SO COOL, and like President Clark said before “this is the ideal!” teaching an investigator in a strong members house.  The spirit was there and I believe that he is ready to do everything to come to know its true, so excitedJ

Missionary Life… I love it, and I’m so thankful to be in the Philippines, the people here are incredible and sometimes I forget that and take it for granted how amazing/special these people really are.  Sister Johnson also gave a talk and from when she served here in the Philippines over 40 years ago there was just over 15,000 members and now there are over 750,000.  And she said that the Philippines is the fastest growing country for the whole church in the world since the Restoration… I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of it…

Thanks for all the emails, and prayers!!!

LOVE, Elder Alldredge