WEEK 36: PARTY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

    Last Tuesday we waited for a van to take us to our area, but none came so we worked in our kabahays area.  It was good work.  On Wednesday I had exchanges with elder Anderson and elder Ropati.  We were in a threesome because another missionary needed a dentist appointment.   We were able to catch a ride after a while with these really nice people up to our area.   We went to the big family we found that came to church and they were all there,  it was awesome.    When they saw us, they  just started gathering and it was so spiritual and so awesome when they’re all listening so intently and asking good questions.  It just made me so happy.   We visited another investigator later in the day and she read the Book of Mormon for the first time and it was awesome.  I noticed there was this new light in her eyes, it was cool.  The Book of Mormon is powerful and it strengthened my testimony of its power and how much it can help us in our everyday lives.       So there is this party in our "neighborhood" and they have music and cock fights and stuff like that.  So many people show up to the cock fights and I'm just wondering where they all came from because we're in the middle of nowhere, haha.  

    On Thursday we found some  potential investigators but there was really loud videoke so we didn't teach.  We could barely talk and be heard.   Then we taught some other investigators about the gospel of Jesus Christ and focused on repentance and they really understood.  I felt like it really sunk in and it helped them.  It was a great lesson.  Thursday night we slept at the senior couples apartment so we could travel early to the other side of the island for zone conference.

     Friday, we had zone conference, it was awesome.  I learned so much.   To start the conference the zone sang hymn 112 and the spirit just hit me so hard,  it was an amazing experience.  The spirit was unbelievably strong.   I  got a great interview with my mission president.  I love my mission president, he is a great inspiration to me.   Another tender mercy was that I received a package!!  I want to give a huge shout out to uncle Scott and aunt Dawna for the package they sent.  It was so awesome and made me so happy to receive it.  The candy was delicious and it was a great package.  During the conference I just got a good feeling that this is where I truly need to be and this is the best thing I could be doing with my life right now.  

 On Saturday we had exchanges again.   My companion needed to interview someone and I went to my area with elder Lumanog,  it was such a great day.  It took a while to catch a van and the van was so slow so we got up to our area so late.  We only had 3.5 hours to work but the Lord provided and we had an awesome day.  We taught the large family again. they are so happy and so receptive and i love teaching them.  i was reflecting on the miracle of finding them.  There’s no way we could have found them without the Lord.  It is so incredible I can't comprehend it.   We taught some other progressing investigators and visited some people to invite them to church.  We taught sister enriquez again and she had read even more of the Book of Mormon and is really progressing now.  I only gave a really quick summary of the day but it was a good day and very productive.  

   Sunday was awesome again.  Our mission president attended our sacrament at the meetinghouse and then came with us to our two special sacraments.  We had the huge family come to church and sister enriquez, it was so awesome and it was a great sacrament.  Our investigators are really progressing and I can really see the progress of the area and am so excited.   We are so close to getting a branch in mamburao.  The Lord is blessing this area.   We got lots of referrals and the spirit was so strong at the mamburao sacrament.  I can't even list all the miracles happening but they are for sure happening and I'm so thankful. 

I would encourage everyone to continue or recommit themselves to Book of Mormon study.  It will help us stay on the right path to our heavenly father and to feel his love. It is so awesome. Love you all. 

Elder Snyder

P.S. Also we haven’t had power for two days but we're lucky that the computer shop has a generator. It’s so hot all the time because we have no electric fans and stuff. but we'll survive

Whatever works

Playing with the kids

WEEK 35: BEST SUNDAY YET

  This week was incredible for so many reasons. It was full of miracles.  It was also Holy Week, we had some challenges, but I feel the Lord really provided for us as missionaries. So last Tuesday we had zone training and it was on the other side of the island we're on so we didn't get back until night time but the couple missionaries close to us gave us cake and ice cream because it was an elder's birthday in our district. It was delicious. and of course every incredible week needs cake and ice cream but that was just the beginning. 

     Wednesday was pretty normal but one cool thing did happen.  We talked to this lady briefly as we were eating lunch and she said she had talked to the missionaries 19 years ago which was cool but she had to leave and we were still waiting for our food.  She was in a hurry so we couldn’t get her info, but later that day we found this new investigator and we’re teaching him and then that very same lady walked in.  It was crazy.  She was the wife of our new investigator.  She then started listening, and had great questions.   I don't know if it will go anywhere, I hope so, but it’s cool to see the Lord work in mysterious ways. There was a plan for her and it just took 19 years. It shows how perfect and awesome the Plan of God is.  We also had an interesting day of travel to and from our area, the vans we take are packed full.  There was like 20 people in the van (not including the driver) and they drive so crazy, it’s a different experience. 

    On Thursday some miracles happened.  I had exchanges with elder Jorgenson and we are in our area that loves Americans, it was fun.  Our first investigator was just leaving when we got there so we started to find new people to teach.  We went down a road I hadn’t been down before and then ended up walking down this small pathway and then I saw some people sitting inside and walked up and they basically let us right in . It was a huge family of 7.  It was so awesome, they were so happy and receptive.  I was so happy and blown away that it confirmed  the Lord really helps missionaries.   There’s  no way it was an accident that we found them,  we were able to get a return appointment for Saturday.   We saw so much crazy stuff because it was holy week here, many people do very intense things to remember the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  But I won’t get into that. 

    Then on Friday there were no vans going to our area because it was holy week, so we just worked in our kabahays area.   On Saturday  I saw that the Lord is really blessing our area (Mamburao).  We were able to return to the big family we found and they were waiting and they had 4 more family members there.  We taught 11 people total, it was so awesome.   They committed to come to church and are just so receptive.  Some of the 11 (the original 7) accepted a bap date which was amazing.  I'm so excited.  Also we returned to a guy I talked to on Thursday and he was waiting for us and he was so nice and said he felt it is true, and also accepted a bap date.  It was wonderful.  The Lord is blessing this area.    We went to an investigator that hasn’t been progressing for a while but she had just started reading the book of Mormon and is now slowly starting to progress.  The Lord can change lives and the Book of Mormon is one tool he uses.  Just like President Monson said, we need to focus on the Book of Mormon and our testimonies of the truthfulness of it.   

    Then Sunday happened. It was probably one of my best Sundays here in the mission. First off, it was Easter and so good to remember our Savior and all he did for us and the power of his love and grace.  He is incredible and the reason for all good in the world.  He is always there to help us and guide us and knows exactly what we are going through.  So the missionaries had to give talks and I was the concluding speaker and I busted out 20 minutes in straight Tagalog, so easy.  The Lord helped me. It was easier than giving my farewell talk which was also about 20 minutes. Cool experience. Then we went to our first of 2 special sacraments and we had 9 investigators there!!! It was unbelievable.  We have some investigators there that are really close to baptism. They’re just trying to get married, but they are so close, and they’re coming to sacrament which is awesome.  I'm so excited.  At the 2nd of our 2 special sacraments we had 12 investigators come.  To make it even better, it was the whole big family we found plus one more of their relatives. I felt the spirit so strong at both special sacraments.  Special sacraments are just so powerful,  such a good experience,  it’s hard to explain it.  So that was the best way to end the week and I am so happy.

    This morning we had an adventure, we hiked a mountain, it was so awesome.  We had to jump over this huge creek, wade through rice fields and flooded fields, walk over a bamboo bridge, eat buko and cut them open ourselves with a machete type thing and then drink super delicious juice.  We found a random guy on the mountain while we were hiking who then started hiking with us because his house was at the top. We found a b ball hoop at the top and played some ball on the top of a mountain. (ball is life here)   We kept hiking up higher and then the member that was leading us took us down the coolest path.  It was the coolest path because it wasn’t a path.  We just went straight down the mountain, it was so cool and fun.  We got real muddy.  We just went straight through the thick jungle like stuff, it was cool.  So that was our week. It’s hard to explain everything but it was incredible and I feel so blessed and I know the Lord will bless all of us as we continue being faithful.  Love you all

Elder Snyder

During our hike

Top of the mountain

This is awesome!

WEEK 34 : CONFERENCE, ITCHY EYE, VOLLEYBALL

  Hello everyone. I hope you had a wonderful conference weekend. I really appreciate conference more on my mission. I just feel more focused and ready to listen.  It’s awesome the things that we can learn from our living prophets. They are truly called of God and if we heed their counsel then we can receive true happiness and return to live with our Heavenly Father. Also, every session is important. I would advise all to watch,  go back and watch any sessions that you missed or fell asleep in (haha President Uchtdorf called us out).  

   Anyways, this week was great. Many good things happened.  So last Tuesday I had to go to the doctor but I was fine.  My eye was just itchy but it’s all better now.  It took the whole day to drive to the other side of the island, so we were not able to work that day.

   Last Wednesday my companion and I felt the power of the Lord in directing his work. He helped us find many new investigators. It was so awesome. I also had a great experience on the van home from our area. (we take these vans that fly through the windy roads. It’s pretty fun) I was sitting there and my eyes were tired, my body was and I was just out of it.  I felt like I needed to talk to the person next to me. I glanced at him and then like a rookie dismissed it at first.  I felt bad about that and felt I needed to talk to him but I didn't know what to say.  It took me a few minutes but I just went ahead and said something.  I don't remember what I said but we got a good conversation started and then he asked if we could come to his house to teach.  It was so cool.  The power of the Spirit is real. I felt so good that I had talked to him and glad I didn't continue to let me own personal interests (being tired and stuff) get in the way. It was a wonderful learning moment.  

   Then on Thursday we found 3 investigators right by the ocean. The breeze was wonderful and the lesson was awesome.  The spirit was so strong.  I felt like I always had the words put into my mouth of what to say and one of the people we found seems really genuinely interested, the others a decent amount.  Then the Lord continued working miracles and like 2 minutes later we talked to this nanay and tatay on the street and they let us teach and it was an awesome lesson,  it was spiritual.  We felt we should give a baptismal date and they accepted it. It was fantastic.  The Lord really does provide.  Later that day we found another really good investigator that’s pretty curious and interested about the Restoration.  It was awesome.

   On Friday we had a great day.  We taught and the spirit was there and we found some new investigators and I can see myself learning so much from my companion and I can feel the Lord helping me grow.  Also  Friday morning there were these piglets that came into our yard and we chased them but those guys are fast and we couldn't catch them because we were trying to film and chase haha.  

   On Saturday we of course watched general conference at the meetinghouse (conference is the second week here).  It was so awesome.   I really liked Elder Bednar’s talk and Valeri V. Cordon's talk from the Saturday sessions.  There was a small earthquake which  felt cool.  

   Sunday we also watched conference.  I really liked Elder Cook's talk.  The Tagalog translators for conference are so fast but I understood a lot more than I thought I would.  Even the Filipino’s have trouble understanding sometimes because it’s so fast so they can keep up with the English.  General conference was awesome.  I love it and I can't believe I've already had my second one in the mission field.  Time is going by so fast. 

This morning we had a zone activity on the beach.  It was so fun.  We played games and volleyball and our mission president gave permission to the zone to go in the water up to our knees.  It felt so good and was so beautiful.  Mindoro is awesome and I love it here even if it’s out in the middle of nowhere away from more populated areas.   I hope you all have a good week and try to apply what the prophets taught us.  Love you all

Elder Snyder

Wilbur was too fast for us

Look, I'm still the tall one

Up to my knees

WEEK 33: THEY THINK I'M GOING TO SPEAK ENGLISH, THEN SURPRISE!!

  First off I cant believe its April.  The time is going by so fast. It's crazy.   We had an OK week.  The work is different here and we really need the Lord to help us, but I know that he is always there and he has a perfect plan for everyone and we need to work according to his timetable and not ours.  

   So last Monday we worked in our kabahays area for p day, our area is so far away that we can't go there in the few hours we have to work on p day, it was good.  We taught a great lesson.  Some of the people speak Tagalog so fast here which can be hard but I'm doing good. 

   On Tuesday we traveled to this one part of our area and got punted at first but were finally able to teach some progressing investigators.  The only problem is that they need to get married they're trying to save and get all the paperwork, it can be hard here.  It was a good lesson, then we headed home.   lots of travel in this area.  

   On Wednesday we were talking to this nanay and she was literally asking us to teach but we couldn't because there was no male 18 years or older so she went and got someone and we taught and boom, they both were great. they have great questions and it was a great lesson. I'm learning so much here of how to teach and how to become a better missionary.  We also taught this other guy who has so many questions about the book of Mormon.  It's awesome but sometimes he gets into insignificant topics but its great he has lots of questions.  He is really comparing it to the bible school he has been to.   

   On Thursday we had to walk a lot.  We walked to these one people's house,it was a 30 minute walk and their house is basically on the beach and no one was there so we had to just turn right back around, it is so hot here. Later in the day we had a finding miracle and found two new investigators that seem pretty interested and we taught them.  They could be great investigators.  Everyone here thinks I'm going to speak English and then when its Tagalog it makes them so happy and is a great way to break the ice. 

   On Friday we were finding.  Finding is different here than in the city.  In the city there's doors and streets, here its just like walking from hut to hut and stuff.  We had talked to a few ladies outside their house earlier in the day but there was no male so we couldn't teach.  Then as we were walking by later the tatay was there.  The problem was that we had to go around this big flooded area to get back to them.  We said if they call us over we will go and then tatay saw and waved so we turned right around and went back.  We taught some progressing investigators.  It was spiritual as we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is so simple and if we live it then God will bless us and provide us with what we need.  If we accept and live the gospel then we can receive true happiness. 

   On Saturday we taught some good lessons and worked as usual.  The crazy thing was what we found.  We found a guy with a 16 ft python.  His name is Sam and there's a sign outside the cage that says don't throw things at Sam, its so crazy.  I of course touched him and we talked to the guy.  He was busy but told us we could come back.  The size of the snake was mind blowing.  

   Then on Sunday we had our three sacraments again.  One at the branch building and two special sacraments for the members that are so far away.  The sacrament is so great and a great time to reflect on the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It's such a spiritual experience. I encourage everyone to always try to make the sacrament a spiritual experience and think of what you can do or change to make that small amount of time each week a really meaningful experience.  

   Love you all and remember to always endure to the end.  I read John 16:33 this week.  It's one of my favorites.  Turn to Him when you're in need. He has already overcome and will help you.  

Elder Snyder