I met Joseph on the bus coming down from Baguio to San Fernando to hear from Elder Rasband, one of the living 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. 

Before the meeting I visited some of my Old Miembro friends. 

 
I made a bunch of these Bookmark things so my friends in old areas can have a fun little remembrance. If yalls want one, (just pouch me and I’ll make one, then pouch it to you).

 

Some views of Baguio.

We had a lot of things happen yesterday on Sunday. At church, we asked to be invited to Ward Council to share a suggestion we had. Baguio Stake is known for being a partly English ward, meaning that the language used in the meetings is mostly English. One thing that we had experienced, while trying to find less active members to invite them to come to church again, was that people were sometimes not feeling "at home" in the church services because they couldn’t understand very well the English talks being given. We asked if it was possible that the members who are assigned to give talks could try to speak more of the native language, if not kankanay or illokano at least the widely used Tagalog. We had some differing responses/reactions but overall the Bishop was very welcoming. We just wanted to voice the concern of the members and some of our investigators who would hopefully be able to come and feel the spirit as they listen to a talk that they really can understand.

Also one of our investigator families wasn’t able to come to church partly because one of their uncles had fallen from his roof the past Wednesday and fallen 25 feet, got snagged on a metal clothes line, until he finally landed on another tin roof. He was remarkably doing well besides the fact that he landed on his face. We went and gave a lesson about the Priesthood and how it was restored to and through Joseph Smith and what we can do because of this. We blessed him as well as 4 others, including 1 small child who had a fever. It was really neat experience. Before each blessing we made sure to evaluate and strengthen the faith of those who had afflictions. It is important that those being blessed as well as those around them know that the blessing works through faith; Faith of the blesser, faith of the person being blessed, and the will of God are the 3 parts that are needed for Priesthood blessings to work. I was very inspired by one of the members in the home who asked how to be worthy enough to give a Priesthood blessing, we told him and he said he would work hard to be ready so that he might perform these sacred administrations for his own family.

We went to a devotional last week in San Fernando and Elder Rasband spoke.  He was really good. He has a way of filling up the room when he speaks. He had a question about who assigned us as missionaries. He pointed at me and I said President Thomas S. Monson. He said no, he "called" you to the mission but you were assigned to your area by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was a tricky question.  Anyways, it’s ok, at least he pointed at me! 

Happy Valentine’s Day

Ingat kayo lahat eh

This weekend we will be traveling down to San Fernando, La Union, as a Mission to hear from Elder Rasband, one of the living 12 Apostles, sooo that’s pretty dang cool.

We were looking for some less-active families by using the Ward directory. It’s not as easy as it sounds. There’s always more houses being built and people moving in and leaving; it’s almost impossible to find the place you’re looking for. Also, the neighborhoods aren’t updated very frequently so there are some houses with like 3 numbers on them from the different time the officials have come through to do a new address system. Anyways, we found one house after asking probably 6 different people as we honed in on the right area and house, just to find out that she had moved to Canada 5 years earlier. Like, wouldnt that have been a good addition to telling us where the house is??? Anyways, it was a little frustrating but it’s just one of the struggles we have sometimes.  

Funny note: Elder Beck does not have the biggest appetite. But about 3 weeks ago he got really sick and was throwing up like crazy. Now whenever we go to someone’s house and they give us food and they mention that he only ate a little bit, I always bring up the fact that he got sick a while back and his stomach is probably not adjusted yet, even though it’s been about 3 weeks now. He always gets annoyed but laughs about the fact that I’ve been milking this sickness just to jab some fun at him. He never expects it but always rolls his eyes like crazy when I bring it back up. Anyways, that’s one of the jokes we have. 

Hope y’all is having a good Sunday.

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY!!! (Valentines Day ;) )

Elder Hennessey

Bowling ;)

 

A House overhanging a big ol' drop. Its supports are not very supportive.

A meeting we had with President Bangal and President Cabrito, the Stake President.

 

Bowling scores. I'm NB and Elder Mejica is OA (he beat me by 2 points).

Ok, so as promised here is the story of the scarriest thing whats happened to me on the mission, and probably the most dangerous too:

Dalwang martes noon, naglalakad kami galing sa bahay ni brother Turner. Naglalakad lang kami pupunta sa Siapno Road, kung saan may ibang tuturuan kami. habang dumadaan sa may mga Jeepnee, sumigaw ang mga jeepnee drivers "OI! OOH!" tumingin kami at nakita namin isang baliw, (na baliw talaga) na lumapit sa amin.
marumi cya at nagsasalita sa amin pero hindi maintindihan. tapos na bigla sinabi nya "What is your prpblem??!" sabi namin wala po wala po, pero linakasan nya ang voces nya "What is your PROBLEM??!!!" natakot naman kami kaya binalisan namin ang lakad para maiwasan pero sumunod parin. sabi nya, "do you want his?" tapos binuksan nya ang kanyang jaqueta (may dalawa cya) at kinuha nya isang bote na Royal, parang mag 8 or 12 ounces. kinuha nya isa pa, tag isa sa mga kamay nya. akala ni Elder Beck na babatoin nya sa amin pero hindi. Sabi nya, habang lumapit cya sa tabing calsada "Magic" at binasag ung dalawang glass na bote. Hindo ko alam kung anong gusto nyang gawin, pero hindi rin ako naghintay. Pagonce na binasag nya sila, tumakbo ako ka-agad hahaha oo, as in sobrang mabilis. iniwan ko si Elder Beck pero sumunod naman. Tumakbo kami ng mga 80 yards at noon tumingin kami wala cya, hindi cya naghabol saamin.
sa bilis ng takbo, nalampasan namin ang next na appointment namin pero oklang, next time nalang sa kanila. 

so now, pag nasa area kami palagi nasa red alert na ako. sabi ng mga nasa barangay nyen na baliw cya dahil sa droga at maraming beces nakulung cya. 

nakilala namin isang tao djan sa area at sabi nya na nakita nya kami na nagjojogging haha hindi nya alam na sobrang natakot kami noon.

Hahaha kung hindi mo maintindihan, tanongan nyo isang pinoy na kaibigan para magtranslate #ISpeakTagalog #PalayBigasKanin

Basically he broke some bottles like they do in a bar fight. I thought we were gonna get stabbed so I ran.  Here is google translation:

Dalwang Tuesday noon, we walked from the house's brother Turner. We go walking Siapno Road, where someone would teach us. while passing with Jeepnee, cried out jeepnee drivers "OI! OOH!" We looked and we saw a crazy, (really mad) to come to us.
cya dirty and speaks to us but not understand. then suddenly he said that "What is your prpblem ??!" I said we did not have much, but linakasan her voice is her "What is your problem ?? !!!" We were so scared we binalisan way to avoid but still adhere. he said, "do you want him?" He then opened his jaqueta (with two cya) and he took a bottle of Royal, as either 8 or 12 ounces. She took another, each in his hands. Elder Beck thought that he babatoin us but not. He said, while the curtain comes cya calsada "Magic" and broke my two glass bottles. Hindo I knew what she wanted to do, but I waited. Pagonce that they broke her, I'll run away yes, as in super fast. I left, but Elder Beck followed. We run 80 yards and then we look not she, who never trailed cya saamin.
Speeding, we overcame the next appointment but we oklang, next time just for them.

so now, in the area we are always on red alert me. said in the village Nyen touched cya due to drugs and many beces nakulung cya.

we met a man djan area and he said that he saw that we did not know nagjojogging haha ​​super scared we were.

Nice if you do not understand, tanongan me a funny friend for magtranslate #ISpeakTagalog #PalayBigasKanin

Some pics...