Happy Elder + Great Companion = Great 1st Week in New Area

Dear Friends and Family,

Okay, so I assume by now maybe from Mom's facebook that everybody knows that I got transferred! I'm now in Kabankalan Ward. Kabankalan city is like 2 cities merged into one. There are 3 companionships here in this ward. 4 Elders and 2 Sisters. Our apartment is right next to the other Elder's apartments. We just see each other all the time, don't really do much with them, we just focus on what we each need to do. Which is a good thing! I miss Elder Racaza, I wonder how he's doing with the old AP finishing the rest of his training. Elder Burnett is his new companion. He goes home in June though so I guess Elder Racaza will stay in San Enrique a long long time. I just really hope that our baptisms keep going through of the people that we found there, that's the only thing that's on my mind right now and how we're going to get weekly baptism in my new area. 

Last P-day with Elder Racaza

Fried Bananas

My new companion is Elder Espiritu from Quezon City, well just north of it, but we'll just go with that. He's 25 years old, super awesome missionary, and a GREAT companion. He's super focused on the work and he's really making me be a better missionary. I don't even think about non missionary things that much anymore, which is still super hard to do! I know the whole 100% dedication to the work thing, it's super hard to do sometimes, but he's really always just talking about investigators and how we can teach certain lessons better and this and that and it's super awesome! Now I'm always thinking about those things too. We even have a baptism coming up this Saturday. Brother Whenie Mendoza. He's the only person in his family that isn't a member of the church yet. He's 23 years old, his family lives in all different parts of the island and all in different houses, not really sure of the situation or why. The Sister missionaries here just baptized his younger sister this past Saturday, so now he's the only one that left that's not a member. He's had problems with Word of Wisdom, but for the past 5 weeks, clean as a whistle and he's going to be completely washed of SIN on Saturday. 

New companion Elder Espiritu
(goofing off)

We had a great lesson with him last night and the spirit was just super strong. 

So far my companion and I this week got all the investigators that we are actively teaching and wrote them down. In the Bacolod mission we keep a chart of every Saturday or the month for 4 months, the days that baptisms are held. Then we assigned every single investigator that has a date now to their respective dates of baptism and then all the one's that don't have dates yet, we've planned dates to give. So far we have all the way till June 7 I think it is lined up. We're really going to work on finding this week and next week and prepare for June and July. I told Elder Espiritu that I want to have weekly baptism until I go home. That's 21 Saturdays that I want to fill to have a baptism! So far we're doing good and giving dates and getting investigators at church. We had 6 at church yesterday, which is everybody that is getting lined up well for this month. However yesterday we found out that one of our investigators relapsed and smoked a week ago I think is what he was saying, I was on exchanges, but we just don't know FOR SURE, so we're going to check back tonight and see how he's doing. If they relapse once, it's okay, they can still continue on, but if there's a pattern we've got to move his date. Him and his wife should be baptized though on the 24th of this month. They're a super cool family. This past week we had good lessons on the law of tithing and fast offerings and it was just super good and they totally got it. Most people are still way confused. I think Elder Espiritu and I work really well together. I'm glad I have a great companion right now. Super awesome.

So here in Kabankalan there's this mountain area, we call it, THE BUKID. Meaning, the mountain. Okay, so there's about 10 members up in this area. It's not our area, it's the other Elder's area. They work there about 4 days a week and then they have a part of the proper that they work in too. So when it comes Sunday, one of us goes with them to the Bukid and the other goes to church so they can make sure that all their investigators are accounted for. Since I'm new to the area and don't know all the recent converts and less actives, I had the chance to go the Bukid and go to the church up there. Super hot! Long sleeve shirt! Gotta love it! We worked after the sacrament meeting and things. There's a lot of super good people up there that are devoted to different religions. More than I was expecting. I worked with Elder Mercialles. First time I've met him was here in Kabankalan. It's his 3rd area though. But it was a good day. Then on Sunday night we had a dinner appointment, which was good cause FAST SUNDAY was a killer! Super hot and I was hiking mountains all day. Definitely a good sacrifice I'd say! Haha. But hey, prayers get answers and fasting works, so what can I say? I won't complain ;) The greater the sacrifice, the greater the blessings. 

Special Sacrament meeting in Bukid

I was doing my personal study this week in 3 Nephi and of course, it's my favorite! The best part of the Book of Mormon for sure! The part where Jesus Christ is teaching all the people, I've just started making a list of everything that we hear on a daily basis; of it's all God, it's all the same, all churches are true, I've already been baptized, all this stuff. But this week I took extra time to write all the scriptures down that I'm going to start using to just completely refute these concerns. We had a great lesson yesterday, but I used 1 Nephi 14:10 and just said, there's really only two churches and asked the investigator, which church do you belong too. That was AFTER she had told us that she believes the Book of Mormon to be true! So, it was way cool, It wasn't my area, but I'm excited to see what happens with her. My study has just been really good this week and I'm always just loving the Book of Mormon! :) Like always!

All is going well and hopefully I'll have a better report for y'all in the coming weeks! ;) We're going to have a baptism on Saturday so I'm super stoked!!!! Wish us luck! Y'all are the greatest!

Love,

Elder Ellis