Dreams like a 40 story cross! Sept. 17, 2017

Hey everyone! Merry Christmas! The Christmas songs have started here in the Philippines. It is time... but other than that I was able to give my first talk in church and my first blessing!

Mark had his interview for his baptism and he passed! So its going to happen this Saturday! Were super excited and we've been helping him get more ready. Hes been to church 8 times now. Hes a stud. Were going to baptize him at the church. It has a font.

So this week we got a text from my first area telling us we had to give a blessing for a member in the hospital here in the city. And it turned out it was Tatay Fernandez. This tatay worked with us so much in our first area and he is a big asset to the missionary work in Bagac(my1st area) but he had a heart attack. So we were able to give him a blessing and it went good! He has been recovering and hes getting better slowly. But it was awesome I was able to give him a blessing for the 1st time in the field.

We weren't able to teach our member referral this week. So we were pretty bummed. But we will teach her this week. Were going to make sure she understands the Book of Mormon and is reading it! And then we will move onto lesson 2. We were able to teach Bobby some more and his family. Hes such a cool guy. We also need to help him get reading the Book of Mormon and we haven't been able to teach his family in a little bit. So hopefully this Friday we can teach them as a whole family! We were also working with some of our not progressing investigators and it doesnt look like they are going to progress. Thats the family where we went to their church. But it is what it is. God has a plan. We will see what happens. But weve found some new investigators that weve been trying to progress. So its all good. Something else funny that happened this week was we were asked if we could be taught tagalog for a class video. So this group made a video of us and they taught us some words in tagalog for their class. We knew all of them except for 2. It was sunset and dimple. Haha but we acted like we didnt really know the tagalog. It was funny!

We also got to taste a fruit that is only here in the Philippines. Its called atis. Its sweet and you rip it open and eat everything but the seeds. Its super good and nice and sweet.

We also had our President interviews this week and that's always a good time! Its always nice to sit down with President Lacanienta and talk to him! Hes super cool and he has been doing great since he and his wife have been here!

Saturday night we got a text from the Ward and were asked to give a talk. Theres 4 of us in the ward so they wanted 2 of us to talk. So me being the longest in the ward i decided it better be time to chastize them. haha jokelang. And then we decided Elder Orchard was fit for the other spot. It went good! Except that i laughed at my own joke. I told them how Brian and Terri Ann were married in the Salt Lake temple and Janae and Connor followed them and then i said and hopefully i follow them too. Haha it was funny. But i was able to talk about the Book of Mormon. It went all good and it was all in tagalog. So i was proud of that.

But yeah that was pretty much the week! I hope you guys had a good week. I love you all. We just got back from a zone activity. We played sports and went to Mount Samot. Its a big cross on a hill and it has some cool history. Its basically just a memorial giving thanks to all of the solders who helped free the Philippines in the time of World War 2. The bases here in our mission helped that a ton. And my first area is from where they marched the prisoners all the way down to where we are now. So its super cool. Its super history. But then the USA nuked Japan so it ended everything. So go team. But that was my second time there. this time was better because it wasnt foggy like last time. but other than that

I'm grateful for this opportunity to serve in such a cool place. I'm really loving it more and more im here. It is really great!

Pics of the Week!!!

I Can't live without rice. SALMON AND LEAVES

Batch mates!

Bowling Master! 

CHRIST LIVES Sept 10, 2017

There's no reason to stress all my people out there reading this, because Christ lives. We have every reason to be happy because of that. Were in the right church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

Iv'e got to this point in my mission where i dont see how these people can deny this message. Like why would you say no to Eternal Families? why would you say no to the Book of Mormon when you can hold it in your hands and read it for yourself. But Its all good. I will do my best and its their decision to decide if they want to accept it or not. That's on them. I did my best. But hey its all good

This next saturday should be a convert baptism! So its going to be great. His name is Mark. He is 12 years old. He is the only one in his family who listens to us. His family is catholic. On Sunday he stays home while they go to church in the morning and then comes to our church in the afternoon. Hes super cool. But hopefully he passes his interview for the baptism! So we will see what happens! 

The Lord gave us a blessing. A member referral. The biggest blessing ever. haha. All we have to do is teach the girl. She has such a good desire. We taught her twice. the member took her to church. Everything so its super good. ah it helped so much. So we need to give her a baptismal date. that's on Wednesday. The girl actually has a cool story. So she investigated the church when she was 18. She told God to give her a sign when she prayed. And that night she had a dream about the 1st vision. So is that not a good sign or what. She asks such good questions and everything when were teaching its super cool! So hopefully that continues.

THE LORDS WORK MOVES ON. 16 months na lang! 

It was a good week tho. The things from Elder Bowen have been helping us in the work and staying focused and what not so its really good. Go missionary work! We are so lucky to have the gospel and lets all go share it! 

Sept 3, 2017

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Me and Jasmine and some others. !!! Bro Bantugan and the branch pres and his wife.  Jasmine is the lady that I baptized in my first area:)

Pics of the Week!!!

BAWAL ANG TAMAD SA OLONGAPO. (or its not allowed to be lazy in olongapo!)

Us in a jeepnee! 

My islander friends! From Tonga, FIJI!

Our District! man its been great a senior couple moved into our area! YES!

Its more fun in the Philippines September 3, 2017

This week was a good week! I feel like i had to take in so much from this week and somehow try and apply everything that I heard! 

This Wednesday we got to hear from a General Authority from the 70! Elder Bowen and his wife! It was really good what his wife talked about. Something that stuck out to me that she said is that we need to show our love for the Book of Mormon to our investigators! And that stuck with me and that's something i am defiantly going to try and do! And Elder Bowen also gave us 6 things that will change our mission! I feel like its getting revelation from Thomas S. Monson in a sense. So it was super cool to hear from him! I defiantly learned a lot. I really want to try and apply what he told us to do. Some of the things he told us to do were to  wake up at 6:30, plan for 30 minutes a day, have 30 cti's a day. A CTI is a contact, testify, and invite. So its going to be good to goal everyday. And its something i wanted to do before but i never really had the spire to do it until now. So its going to be great! 

Thats something else to here. Sometimes our investigators and people we talk to think we know everything and have studied for years and what not. But in all reality, were just 19 year olds trying to do what we think is right. Its fun haha but it really does get stretching at some times. 

We should have a convert baptism on September 16 if everything goes good! And it has been we just gotta make sure he knows whats up with all the lessons. And were helping him so its going great! Were still having a hard time getting people to go to church! This week it was at the stake center! We had stake conference! It was super good! I got to see my 1st area again! It was super fun to see them. Bagac. I saw Jasmine! She was the girl i baptized and right now..shes the Seminary Teacher! So she is super awesome! Its crazy to see how much she is growing in the church! Its great! I also saw the Narbuco girls! 3 girls that we were teaching while I was in bagac! We were just finishing up the commandments with them and i got transfered right before their baptism but, theyre baptized now! Its really awesome to see the fruits of my work. Its great! I'm so happy for them! 

So this week were really going to try and focus on getting fellowshipers and work with the ward to help these people get to Jesus's church on Sunday. So its going good we just gotta keep grinding out the Lords work. But stake conference was awesome! Our mission president, President Lacanienta and his wife spoke! It was a great time and they did a good job! President even spoke in tagalog for some parts! It was awesome. Lots of stuff i learned from that. 

But i hope you all had a great week! 

The Lord's errand requires our effort. And that's what the gospel of Jesus Christ is about. Giving our effort for the Blessings of the Lord. We all need to give our effort in order to receive blessings. And i pray for me and you that we will be willing to do the will of the Lord. I love you guys so much. Keep Pressing forward all of you. And keep REPENTING. Accept the invitation of the Lord and come back to him. I testify that his arms are always open. He will never turn our backs on him. I love him. And he loves all of us. WE GOT THIS! GO TEAM. 

Elder Breinholt CUPANG 8-27-2017

Hello Everyone! 

What a good week we had out here in the Philippines. 

This Sunday we had Ward Conference and it was awesome! The ward put together a choir and there were a ton of them. Filipinos are really talented when it comes to singing! And they are not embarrassed to sing in front of anyone. It's super cool and they did a great job! The topic was on service and it was super motivating to us missionaries seympre because we are here dedicating our loves to the work of the Lord. It was a great Sunday and I felt the spirit a ton. It was even better to see Mark there too! Mark's baptism should be coming up soon! So were still teaching him about the commandments and still getting him ready! Its so cool that even though his family goes to a different church he goes to our church! What a good example to us! He just has a great desire to learn more. We all need to keep that spark of learning in us at all times! 

This week was a good week of teaching people the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were also able to do some service too. I read something that i really liked also in D&C 10 this week. It helped me deifnantly in my teaching this week. It says

 57 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not.

58 I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

59 I am he who said—Other sheep have I which are not of this fold—unto my disciples, and many there were thatunderstood me not.

60 And I will show unto this people that I had other sheep, and that they were a branch of the house of Jacob;

61 And I will bring to light their marvelous works, which they did in my name;

62 Yea, and I will also bring to light my gospel which was ministered unto them, and, behold, they shall not deny that which you have received, but they shall build it up, and shall bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me.

63 And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they dowrest the scriptures and do not understand them.

This helped me alot this week with everything. So much goes on in this crazy world but we need to focus on whats most important and thats that Jesus Christ lives. He is directing his church through his prophets and apostles. And His love is not comprehensible for us. And we are so lucky to live in the fullness of times. Everything that was in Jesus Christ's church before has been restored through the prophets. Lets just hope these people read the Book of Mormon! Kaya nila!  

I love you all and have a good week everyone!  

JESUS LIVES!

next week pictures. sorry 

-- 

Elder Breinholt

Philippines Olongapo Mission