Well this is it... As insane as this sounds... This is officially the very last time i will email you before I see all y'all in person:)  I can't believe its been 2 years, while it seems like i haven't seen y'all in forever, its gone by so fast!!!

Here in the mission I have come to know myself a lot better.  I have learned that I have so many weaknesses, that I need Christ in my life because without Him I would be completely lost.  I love him for that, and I have come to know for myself here in the mission that God truly does know me, He loves me, and He listens to all of my prayers, I will always remember what Breanna said back in my training, that "One of the most important things if not the most important things you will learn on your mission is your dependence on your Heavenly Father."  I have come to know how true that is, and I would hope that every missionary to ever serve would hear that, because it really is so important!! We must know as members of the Church of Jesus Christ that we need His help, and be humble enough always to seek for His help and be willing to follow what He tells us...

I have loved being a missionary, a representative of Jesus Christ, there is nowhere else I would rather be.  This has been the hardest thing I have ever done, and while I can't quite say I loved every single second minute or even day... But I can honestly say that I LOVED being a missionary!!! I have learned so much and met so many people that i love so much.  I hope and pray that while I have been here I have become more like a Filipino, because they are amazing, so nice so willing to give, and I am forever grateful to everyone I have met here!!! And hopefully I can bring some Filipino kindness and culture of that home to America...:) 

Elder Alldredge signing off... for the last time....:)

Love, Elder Alldredge

Elder Alldredge - Signing off!

New Cabanatuan Mission!

Yes this is a snake, and yes I ate it!

Branch FHE which turned into a farewell for me!

The Primary girls did a little dance for me...haha

Dingalan Beach for the last time...

This week has been a CRAZY busy week, but it was soooo much fun!!!

I am now able to say I have served in 2 missions, under 3 mission Presidents:):):)

I am now in the Cabanatuan mission, and we will meet our new mission president in a New Mission Conference tomorrow.......

On Tuesday Elder Haney of the Seventy came to our mission and did a conference...  Me and Elder Zacchilli(my mtc companion) asked him if he remembered who we were, and he said "Yeah! You were the two missionaries that i ate ice cream with in the MTC way back when!!" We had met him and talked with him for almost an hour in the MTC, he spilled ice cream on his tie while talking to us, and he remembered that too:) We had a good laugh together.... haha  

But he gave us a presentation on the Philippines... And how amazing and what a special place this is. He talked about how the United States got involved to help the Philippines become free from Spain.  Which was all part of the plan of God because that was the way that members got into the Philippines.  He told stories and showed pictures of bamboo hut meeting houses back in the 1940's, before there were even missionaries in the Philippines, but because of the Mormon soldiers here, they were able to have a sacrament meeting...  Until the first missionaries came to the Philippines in the 1950's.  This country is the fastest growing country in the world as regards to new members.  And i learned so much more from him, basically i gained an appreciation to be assigned to serve here, i love this place, so thankful to have served here!!!

Then on Thursday we had our last Zone Conference with President Johnson.  He gave lots of advice to us for life, and it was weird/crazy to see it split, to hear them tell us goodbye... But I also was able to give a testimony for the Zone Conference, with my batch... It was a super weird feeling talaga giving that...  But I still got one more Zone Conference so i get to say goodbye to all the missionaries this week....

This week we also met brother Arnel Strementa, we saw him in front of his house, and started talking to him. He immediately brought out chairs and told us to teach him and help him come back to God.  Our first lesson was super solid as he really understood about the church Christ established, with Prophets and Apostles.  It was super cool to see him really understand that ya we need a prophet even in our day!! He also accepted the BGD for August... He still has some concerns but it was a miracle that we found him and he is on his way to gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration... SO COOL!!!!
Well this is Elder Alldredge signing off... i think i got one more of these.... so weird talaga...

LOVE YA'LL!!!
Elder Alldredge

This week was a super weird and fun week talaga!! We had some CRAZY funny things happen to us this week.  

-I met a Prince this week:) or so he said... we started talking to this old tatay and he asked us a question, and then went on to tell us how whenever he sees the "snatchers and the sneekers" he just looks at them until they stop stealing, or until they will die just by his looking at them... we were trying our very best to not burst out laughing while talking to him, but we held it in until afterwards, then we died laughing, i have met some pretty crazy and hilarious people here, its awesome!!!

-We taught a guy the restoration who totally wanted to bible bash with us... but we did our best to answer his questions about our belief, from the bible and about joseph smith... it was actually a testimony builder to me and my companion.  We came out of that friends parin with the guy but with stronger testimonies for sure that this really is the true church of Jesus Christ!!! I love that fact, its complete, it has a prophet and apostles and they have authority from God, and receive His revelation for our day, i love this church!!!

-We got "Hey Joe!!!" a TON this week, like it was abnormal talaga.  From big groups of people on the top of jeepneys to a drunk guy in his trike trying to give us a ride, to a little girl wanting to take pictures with us... it was a fun week:)

As for our investigators Nanay Toning was not able to come to church on sunday because she got some sickness and couldn't come yesterday.  Then brother Boboy was really hurting with his sickness as well, his body is getting weaker so skinny and he is hurting all the time.  He really needs a lot of prayers as well, he really wants to follow Jesus Christ.  He told us that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, he Loves all the verses we share with him and always asks us to tell him the page so he can mark it and read those verses later.  He has a huge desire to change, but the disease/sickness is pulling him back hard, he really needs God in his life, and i feel blessed that we found him when he got this sickness so that he can turn to God, change his ways, and have a miracle happen!! His favorite verse is Ether 12:18, miracles come because of our faith, so COOL!!!

So it was a great week, lots of fun, working hard all day ery day...:)

Love ya'll!!!

Elder Alldredge

June 18, 2018

This week was an amazing and super fun week!!! Lots of miracles happened and we are really excited about the work that is happening right now, this week we saw some more success than we have seen in a little while, so me and Elder Limnoan are excited for the work...

One of the awesome things that happened was with Tatay Tirso.  He is a uncle of one of the members, brother Emil. Oh and also Tatay Tirso is a drinker.  Like its an everyday thing, morning, night whenever.  But that member thought that his uncle could use our message, so he invited him over to be taught.  The first time he came over he had only drank a little bit, which is really good for him, so we took the opportunity and shared a little message to him.  Then sunday came and Brother Emil took Tatay to church with him!! It was seriously a miracle, and we are excited to keep teaching him, and keep seeing him change.  I know that God knows who needs the gospel, no matter what they are doing in life, or whatever their circumstance is, the gospel will help them!

Then this week we really focused on helping Nanay Toning to get to church.  We have been teaching her for a couple of weeks, but this was the big push week to get her there...  Then on friday we taught her nephew brother Boboy with nanay, and on sunday we picked them up for church!! Nanay said she really enjoyed listening to the speakers and the stories they told, and that she just felt good at the church, like there are no problems in life when we are at the church she said... :)

So life is good, sa Palayan parin:)

Love ya'll!!! 

Elder Alldredge

June 10, 2018

So yes its true a typhoon hit the Philippines!! But it was super weak so it did nothing, we only got hit by a lot of rain, we were soaked all week, it just kept raining, but hey it wasn't blistering hot so you better believe i'm thankful for that:)

My very favorite lesson that happened this week was with the Esqueval family.  They are in their 20's and they have 2 little girls.  It was so astig to see them sitting there, and even the little girls so quiet and listening.  I love teaching families, i feel like i am doing what i am supposed to when i get to teach a family... We taught the Restoration and they asked a bunch of questions about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and apparently sister really enjoys reading so she will be reading it daw a lot in her free time...Super exxcited for them!!!

Love ya'll have an awesome week!!!

Elder Alldredge

One of the miracles that happened this week was with Tony's Lolo. Before he was the one that didn't want Tony to be baptized but now we are teaching him and he is actually super receptive.  We shared again yesterday about the Book of Mormon, and he hadn't read it yet but he told us that he really believes that God will answer his prayer, that He listens, and he said that he would read and pray about it.  Its so different to teach when the focus is on helping someone to know of the truth through prayer about the Book of Mormon, so yup we gotta read that book every day, trust me we all need it.  I've never met someone that is less active who reads the Book of Mormon everyday... So read the book na lang:)

One of our investigators sister Tony will be interviewed this saturday for baptism, she is super awesome!she knows its true and is already super involved in all of the activities for the youth here in Palayan.

We built a Kubo,grass hut with cuayan branches for a CSP this week.  It was super fun to get my hands dirty ulit, and have some chalices, its been a while:)  So it was funto see the kubo be built, while we were chopping all of the branches and getting them ready to go on the kubo...

Well life is good:) lalo in the Philippines!!!

Love Elder Alldredge

So this week has been an awesome week, lots of miracles like always...  One of the coolest miracles this week was with a Nanay named Tony.  We met her and found out that she was from the Visayas, the southern part of the Philippines, and she speaks Visayan just like my companion, so they were speaking Visayan, i was nose bleeding, trying to pick out some words, but then she told us that God hadn't answered her prayer, she said she had been asking God to take away her life, so she didn't have to worry about all the problems and hard things here on earth, and she kept asking why why why... So we shared with her about how she has a purpose in life, that God needs her here, that there is something that she needs to do that she hasn't done yet... It was a powerful lesson, we felt it strong, and she sure felt it. At one point in the lesson she told us "You know, maybe you are the reason God hasn't answered my prayer yet... So I could meet you missionaries, and follow what you are teaching me, that maybe that is why i am still here..."  It was cool to see her realize for herself as well, while we were testifying to her.  God really does lead us where we need to go, to the people that need our message, thats for sure!!! I'm thankful for that!!

Oh ya and lately my companion has been teaching me how to speak Visayan:) I don't know too much but its fun to learn another dialect!! 

Hey ya'll have a fantastic week, oh ya its summer!! have a good one:)

AMPING!!!

LOVE, Elder Alldredge

A Miracle this week was teaching Tatay Juanito Marigman.  We went to visit our investigator and she wasn't there, so we talked to Tatay and he threw down his cigarette and told us we could share a message with him... We shared about the Plan of Salvation, and as we shared we could tell that He wanted to follow God, He knew it was important, he knew that God loves us all no matter what religion we are.  Then he brought up the concern of why there were so many religions here with only one God.  We explained it to him and the spirit was there so strong, he could feel it we could tell.  Then we committed him to pray and he was he would, then he prayed for the end of the lesson, and it was a very long prayer, lots of pauses, long pauses, like he was really pondering what to say, and to get out the right words to God.  As he ended we looked up at him and he had tears streaming down his face...  We then testified to him of God's love and concern for him individually.  Its amazing the things you learn here, the people you meet, the things you feel.  Its such a good feeling to be a missionary, that every single day, many times you can help someone change their life, give them knowledge to help them to come back to Christ... Man let me tell you I love that!!    

So its been a solid week, fun stuff, being a missionary...

Thanks for the emails, the best talaga...

Love, Elder Alldredge

us and a caribou:) boo ya he was nice!!

the district before transfers

MANGOS!!!!! yes we have a tree in front of our house, yes we eat them every day, yes we make mango smoothies almost everyday, and we freeze them and eat them after coming home from walking in the heat:) i love mangos!!!