Merry Christmas from the Philippines

Elder Lundy via Skype

 

There isn't a letter from Elder Lundy this week...

Instead we were able to talk to him for Christmas.

 

We had a wonderful conversation with him and were also able to see and talk to him and his companion - Elder Valdez.

Elder Lundy is well and happy. He is currently serving in Bagabag. And yes I said the name completely wrong. When he realized that I was trying to pronounce the name of his area, Elder Lundy's smile was priceless.  We feel truly blessed having him on a Mission in the Philippines Cauayan Mission.
Thank you to President and Sister Carlos, the Senior missionaries and Members of the church in the mission. We know he is well cared for.

From the Lundy Family to you all...

Merry Christmas

 









Hey! :)

Thank you for the early birthday present! :) I am going to talk to Sister Carlos about ordering the nativity sets tomorrow in Cauayan. We have our mission Christmas party tomorrow. :) I'm excited.

Another set of thanks... Thank you so much for the packages!!! They are ridiculously incredible! :) I received the first on the 5th, and the second on the 12th. The first had the chamomile tea and bacon and gummies and bacon... the second had the Christmas tree, bacon, etc...

It’s amazing how much my body has adjusted to the Philippines. For example, I had the most amazing breakfast last p-day. I ate a whole package of bacon, eggs, hash browns, Jell-O, along with a cup of chamomile tea. (Yes I also shared with my companion ; )) After that I started to get some rather painful stomach pains and really weird bowel movements which have continued on and off until now as I continue to eat all the wonderful food that you sent me. :) :) :) I love every bite! I'm afraid of what is going to happen to me when I get home. The food there is going to tear me up bad. I'm going to have to get a rice cooker fast...

So changes this week in my mission... I am still in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya.

 

Elder Caoayan was transferred. My new companion is Elder Valdez.

 

He is a Filipino from Laguna. He is also practically American. He can speak fluent English and doesn't like eating rice if he can avoid it. He would rather ham or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Fun information about Elder Valdez and I, we were both assigned in Paddad, Alicia in the past. He was also Elder Forrest's trainer while in Paddad. Remember Elder Forrest? I was his follow up trainer, which also means I was the missionary that replaced Elder Valdez when he transferred out of Paddad. After we both transferred out of Paddad, we were made Zone Leaders. Now, we are together in Bagabag.  

So I have exciting news!!! :) We will be having our 6th baptism in Bagabag since I got here in just 2 more weeks! Sister E----- was a special case investigator. I won't get into specifics, but her situation guaranteed that she would not be allowed to be baptized for 5 years... or so the previous elders thought. They just assumed that would be President Carlos' answer... No one ever bothered to ask President Carlos for an interview. Sister E----- is amazing. She is in her 40's and as an investigator has read the entire Book of Mormon, and also started Gospel Principles manual and Teachings of Joseph Smith the Prophet or something like that... Last lesson, she broke down in tears saying how she is afraid of what will happen to her if she cannot be baptized, and how she knows everything we taught her is true... After that I asked Elder Caoayan if anyone had talked to President about her, and he said no. I did so the following Monday, consequently she was interviewed the following Saturday, and will be baptized 2 Saturdays from that. :) She is the most converted and ready investigator I have ever seen. I am so happy for her. :)

Other than that, I don't have much to report with our work. It was really low this week since we were in Cauayan 2 days, then had a Christmas Devotional put on by the mission (all the elders and sisters in Nueva Vizcaya and couple missionaries and Pres. & Sister Carlos) and…Then add a p-day in there and that is 5 days this week down the drain. Elder Valdez and I hit it hard this past couple days and we managed to teach almost as many lessons as Elder Caoayan and I have the past couple weeks. I'm excited for this cycle. It ought to be really good. :)

So what is this new youth program/teaching plan that everyone keeps talking about? Nobody explains it... and we haven't heard anything about it...

I can't wait to talk to you guys! I have to run to Solano right now to prepare for our performance at the Christmas Party. Wish us luck, we'll need it! (The sisters want to make it Twilight themed... lol)

Love,

Elder Lundy

Families can be Forever Families!

(I was having a rough week last week and I wrote this to our son…"I just wish that something I did seemed to last or be productive. I wanted to change the world."

Our Sweet Son responded…)

Mom, you raised me. You helped make me who I am. You helped me learn the truth of this gospel even if it took me 20 years to learn and obey it. You are still helping me and giving me the strength to keep going every week. This past week, my companion and I completed 3 families in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These 3 families, totaling 18 people, now have the option to return to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as a family. As an ETERNAL FAMILY. I think you are wonderful mother. You always say that your family is your most precious possession, the thing you care about most. It’s the same for all of these families. Through me, you have changed the eternal destination of these families. That is going to last. That has changed these people's lives. The world doesn't matter, you've changed people. Just a little thought for you. :*

So, we had a fantastic baptism on Saturday. It was my best baptism so far in the mission. Things went really smoothly. All of the tatay's wives were a part of the baptismal service. One gave a talk, another learned how to conduct music so she could do it for the baptism, and the last gave one of the prayers. After the baptism, we had a combined YSA, and 3 family FHE (including the BML and E.Q. Pres.) at the house of one of the tatays that were baptized. These tatay are quickly being welcomed into the Branch. It’s great! our attendance every week in sacrament is over 100 as well! :) The Branch is really starting to grow. Our Branch President is also on top of teaching about/ ordaining our tatays to the priesthood. They are being well cared for. It makes me happy. This is one of my first areas where the members have cared about any of my converts and done their best to make them a part of the branch. I love it!

Ok cge. The store in Lamut, artisan carvings and such...

I have already bought you a nice but simple Nativity set. I actually thought about that way back when I was assigned in Solano, my second area... :) It’s the best one you can find unless you go to a master carver.... as I am in the process of doing. ;) Sister Carlos showed me a nativity she bought from the father (master carver) of one of our past AP's/ my first district leader, Elder Cajumban. It may be the one she posted on her blog. I don't know. I decided that I want that nativity set for my family later on in life. When I saw it, I also thought you would love it. It’s one of the only sets I have ever seen where the people and animals are Filipino. As it is carved by a master carver, it is more expensive though. The set I have is just a traditional nativity set at about 10 dollars. The set Sister Carlos showed me can be the big set, or small set. (Big/small- means number of pieces, not size.) Big is about 100 dollars or so. The small is about 75 dollars. I just emailed you a picture of the BIG set I saw so you will know if it is the same you saw on Sister Carlos' blog... I want to buy the big set for me. I kinda want one of the 500 peso sets like I already bought too though... What would you like mom?

As for your offer of money for my birthday, I would love it. I'm only in the Philippines once, if I’m not lucky. I'm gunna miss it here. Remembrances would be nice. Thank you.

So, I have a question... Where are you guys reading in the scriptures right now? Just curious. :) I just started Alma. Mosiah was sick! :) While reading Mosiah I started making a history report on where all the people were coming from and who were their leaders. It’s sick. I also learned that King Zedekiah had one son who was not killed when Jerusalem was taken, si Mulek. He also immigrated to the American continents. It happened just a bit after Lehi and his family left. :) That was news to me. I thought the only people that came over in the record of The Book of Mormon came from Lehi's family and the Jaredites... cool stuff! :)

So mom, have a good week! I'll let you know official plans about skype and my new companion next week.

 

I love you! :*

-Elder Lundy

BIG NEWS!!!!! : )

Hi!  : )

Thank you for giving the letters to Bryce and Dillon. : ) I'm glad they enjoyed it. I feel a big part of my mission has been helping my young men fellowshippers get ready to serve a mission. The majority of the young men that work with me have made the decision to serve while I’ve been with them. I know that Dillon and Bryce are still young, but I know they won't forget this. I may not be their teacher anymore, but I can still do my part to help those boys get to a mission. I love 'em.

Pertaining to the packages you have sent me... I have not received any of them yet. If they arrived back on Nov. 15, then they probably took a week to get to the mission home after that. So they are probably waiting for me there. Truth be told, unless Elder and Sister Gottfredson or President and Sister Carlos come down here for our baptism on the 8th, I’ll have to wait to transfer day to get them.

SO, I HAVE BIG NEWS!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) This is an excerpt from my report to President Carlos this week...

We didn't reach most of our goals this week, but we had a huge success. Bro. H------ D., Bro. R------ L., and Bro. R-- B. were all interviewed for baptism and all passed. R.'s son also passed the interview. All of these are part member families. The first 3 are fathers. With the baptisms of these good men, all three of their families will be completed in the church. All of these families are also starting to set goals to go to the temple to be sealed as well. Bro. R. has already tried attending our branch temple trip he wants to go so bad. He was more ready to go than most of the members... Their baptismal service is on December 8, 2012. Bagabag Chapel @ 2 pm.

Yup! :) We have 4 baptisms on December 8th! :) I'm really happy that we are baptizing fathers. That has been my personal focus my whole mission. I’ve always taught the Nanay and children, but I’ve always searched out the Tatay. Up until now, I feel like I haven't achieved much baptism-wise. I know that's not everything, I know I have helped many other people find the truth. But with these 3 Tatay, it’s different. They were the last hold-outs in their families. They aren't just getting baptized either. They are being converted. This is opening up the opportunity to their families to return to Heavenly Father as a complete family. Up until now, that has only happened with one other baptism in my first area. I'm excited.

2. about coming home 3 weeks early... President Carlos may very well use me as a swing/filler. I could go home at any time to be honest. The new mission president will have no say in when I go home though. My date will be set and flights will be booked all before the new mission president arrives. That is all done a few months in advance.

3. The whole thing about transfer schedules... the transfer schedule is being shifted 3 weeks starting next year. Most mission president are choosing to extend their missionaries 3 weeks. President Carlos has chosen to send everyone home 3 weeks earlier, rather than later.

One last piece of news. Elder Dixon and Elder Badol moved out of our house this morning at 6am. They found an amazing new house in Lamut. Before they had to end their work day at 7 pm because that is when the last jeepney would leave Lamut to come back to Bagabag. Now they can actually work in their area now! It’s a bitter sweet thing for me. I'm gunna miss them, but I’m glad that their work will progress now.

I found an amazing store in Lamut. It has all the native artisan wood carvings. They have all kinds of statues of native things like carrabaos and huts and people/warriors, all sorts of dishware like plates, bowls, serving dishware, "candy bowl" with a sick stand...they have wall hangings, backpacks and shoulder bags with native decorations/patterns/colors.... They have a lot of really cool stuff there...

Well, I gotta go.

: * love you!

-Elder Lundy