Week 41: Tuesday March 18, 2014

Family,

   It's another nice, cool, & rainy day in Bayawan city. I walked out of the apartment today & looked at the palm tress, smelled the rain on the pavement, & felt the cool breeze. I felt, if only for a moment, like I was back home in America. 

   It was nice to hear about everyone's week! I completely forgot that it was St. Patrick's day. I turned & told Elder Glines...he forgot as well. If I would have remembered, maybe I would have worn a green tie to celebrate. Anyway, I loved the pictures from your trip to Arizona! Daxton is getting so big & you & Chad have got the be the best looking couple I've ever seen. You two are so gwapo! I can't wait to go down to Spring Training with you guys when I get back. Me & Tanner can speak Cebuano together! I'm sure he still remembers it. 

   Let's see...As for work this week, it has mostly been contacting. We focused on finding people last week & this week we have tried to go back & contact them. Some have been successful & others not so much. It breaks my heart to say, but I think we are going to drop Jenny. She has great potential & certainly recognizes that there is truth in the gospel, but she just isn't ready to change yet. Her husband works all the time, so we haven't even met him. Hopefully some time in the future, the missionaries will contact her again & she will be ready. Also, I think I told you about Marie Nessa. She is the daughter of a member in the branch here. We taught her about the Book of Mormon & the lesson was awesome! She is so great, but like I said in my last letter, I hesitate to baptize her without her husband, so we will just see how things play out these next few weeks if I am still assigned here (transfer call is on Monday, can you believe it!). 

   I want to tell you about a lesson we had just yesterday. We were contacting a lady that former missionaries had taught & she invited us in. It was just her & we were getting to know each other a little bit. We prayed & right as we were about to start the lesson, I heard a voice from the back room. The voice was quiet & asked who was there. The lady responded that her husband was in the room & that he was unable to walk. I walked back there & found this 60+ year old man laying on a bamboo bed. His hair was long, his body crippled, & his eyes innocent. He proceeded to tell me that he has very bad problems in his stomach & he has a disease in his leg that makes it near impossible for him to walk. We sat down & started to teach him. As we did, tears filled his eyes & he gladly accepted the invitation to be baptized. I am very excited, of course, but I am unsure about what to do because he can't walk. Since he can't walk, he can't come to church & there is no way the he will be able to stand to be baptized. We are going to give him a blessing next time we visit him & hopefully a miracle happens.

   Miracles happen everyday. It is truly incredible to witness them. 

   We have our zone conference tomorrow, so I am excited to go to Dumagete & eat some McDonald's! 

   Love you guys.

-Elder Staheli

Week 40: Tuesday March 11, 2014

Family,

   It sounds like you are all doing well & I'm glad that the funeral service was nice. I appreciate the pictures & e-mails, as always. Me & Elder Glines are looking at them right now talking about how much we miss the red rock. There is nothing like it here. St. George is such a beautiful place to live. Of course I miss it at times, but I live in another part of the world that is equally as beautiful, just in a different way. I'm actually pretty happy because it has been pretty cool this week. In fact, it's overcast & rainy today, so I am completely content.

   I mentioned last week that there are going to be 2 new zones opening in the mission that are being taken from the Bacolod mission. I don't remember what I told you all about it, but they are the San Carlos & Escalante zones. This will give us 14 new branches & 2 districts. That's great news! They are both on Negros, about 2 hours or so from my last area, Bais. They are white-washing the area so 40 missionaries from our mission will be assigned to open the new areas. I am very excited & would be happy to be a missionary to serve there.

   Work has been great this week! We are working with Jenny, who actually goes by Chen-Chen, as I mentioned in previous letters. She is still progressing, but unfortunately she is kind of hard to get a hold of. We aren't able to teach her as much I would like to, but every time we do, the lesson is always great. In the next lesson or two, we are planning on inviting her to be baptized. Hopefully she accepts!

   Last night, we went to a part members home to teach. We were able to teach the mother (a very active member), & two of her daughters, one of which is baptized & active. We taught about baptism & the girl had a lot of questions which is great! Usually the people don't have questions because they are either shy or don't really understand. They are a very smart family. The mother is a teacher & knows English very well, but of course we teach them in Cebuano. The one girl had many questions about the Book of Mormon, prayer, life, etc. It was really great to discuss with her about these things & as we did so, you could see that it was making sense & she was happy that she finally was getting answers to things that she had wondered for so long. At the end of the lesson, we invited her to be baptized...& she accepted! I am very happy. We still have a lot of work to do, though. I also want to teach her husband who is not a member, & I would like them to be baptized together. It's much better if they are baptized together so that they can have a support system. More often than not, if only one of them is baptized they will be in active soon thereafter. We have taught him once & it went well. The problem is that he works a lot & his job is far away so I fear that they will struggle keeping the commitments that they need to in order to be baptized. But of course we are praying very hard for them & I am confident that they will be baptized, even if I am again not there to witness it.

   That's about it! I'm sorry that I am the worst at sending pictures, but as soon as I get my camera charged I will send lots! Love you all!

Elder Staheli

Week 39: Tuesday March 4, 2014

Dear Family,

   I want to start off my letter this week by saying how sorry I am to hear about the passing away of Darin Walker. I have known that he has been struggling with his health the last few years, but this news came as a shock to me, as I'm sure it did to everyone else. I am deeply saddened by his passing away, but I also feel peace knowing that he will not have to continue in pain & suffering. Please let Leslie & the rest of the family that I love them very much & that they are in my prayers at this time.

   I was very happy to read your letters this week, but I was especially excited when I read Casey's! I smiled the whole way through. I am looking forward to hearing what similarities we experience & how you feel about things over here in this wonderful land. I'm glad you made it safely! I want to comment a little bit about some things that you wrote in your e-mail, Casey. First off, it sounds like you are busy & on a very tight schedule. I hope you get some time to explore & see the sights. However, I must say that Manila is very different from the rest of the Philippines. You are right, depending on where you are at, it doesn't feel third-world at all! Especially in Manila, I have heard missionaries say that it feels like they are in California. Also, I think that the biggest mall in the world is in Manila, (maybe I'm wrong) so I was not surprised to hear about all of the malls & American restaurants around you. Cebu is not quite as modernized, (thought it certainly doesn't look third-world) but there are parts that are extremely so. I laughed when you mentioned the geckos. There are geckos here, but there are also little lizards here called tuki's.There are all over & there have been many in every house I have stayed in. I like watching them. They just sit on the wall & wait for a bug to land by them & then they pounce! It's entertaining. They get their name from the sound they make. If you ever hear a lizard making a noise like that, it's a tuki. The larger ones are called tuko because they are bigger & have a deeper voice. Anyway, I am just excited to keep in touch & hopefully meet up these next few months!

   I arrived here in July right when the rainy season was starting. Well, hello summer! If you think it gets hot in St. George, come & experience the Philippines in the summer! This last week has been the hottest that I have had so far, no doubt. We walk from one appointment to another, & I feel almost dizzy & out of it because of how hot it is. It makes coming home at night to an air-con room that much better!

   We didn't have the chance to go back to Jenny yet; she's been out of town. We are going to try & go backtomorrow or some other time this week. We have found & taught some pretty interesting people though this week. My favorite thing to do is tract & find people! It's so interesting to get to know about people. Other than that, not much has happened this week. We have a training meeting tomorrow that I am excited for. Also, with so many new missionaries coming in, we are taking 2 zones from the Bacolod mission & adding them to our. This means that a lot of transfers & white-washing will take place. Also, with so many people leaving these next few transfers, most of the leadership positions are going to be filled with very young missionaries. It's kind of scary since President Schmutz is leaving in June. Our new mission Presidents name is Mcmurry (spelling?). They are from Idaho. Before President Schmutz & his wife were called here, they traveled quite a bit. They have been to India, South America, Europe, etc., so they kind of knew what to expect. I was talking to Elder Glines about it & he said that they were skyping President & his wife, & Sister Mcmurry asked if there were spiders in the Philippines...I hope they know what they are in for!

   I have a lot of pictures to send! I will try to figure out this dropbox thing so hopefully I can send them all to that. It's much faster & you can send many more at a time. I will do that right now while I still have some time. Love you all!

-Elder Staheli

Week 38: Tuesday February 25, 2014

Family,

   I didn't get to send all of the pictures that I would have liked to last week. There are still so many! I might make a drop box account like you were telling me, Starr. Maybe just write back & remind me how to do it? Elder Glines does it & says it's great! Also, some bad news, my camera died & I left my charger in one of my last areas.... I am going to try & look for a new one today, but I'm not sure because we live in a pretty small town. If not, they for sure have one in Dumagete & I'll pick one up when we go down there in a few weeks. I'll send you some more pictures though that Elder Glines took on his camera. It's of the most amazing sunset I have ever seen in my life! I wish I could have stayed in that moment forever. It was so beautiful, so peaceful. My eyes were filled with tears as I looked across the sea, filled with old fishing boats, & the sun setting in such a way that could only compel one to tears. I'm not sure if I will ever have the opportunity to return to the Philippines, but whether I do or not, this place that seemed once so foreign has found such a special place in my heart forever. This is my home away from home.

   As for the work this week, it has been great! It has taken a week or two to adjust to the area, (a new companion, teaching styles, streets, etc.) but we are finally starting to make progress! This area was only opened a transfer or two ago, so the teaching pool is still fairly small. However, this week alone we have found about 10 new investigators, so we are keeping busy! I want to share one experience in particular with you. This is about a lesson that we had justyesterday.

   It was about 1 or 2 in the afternoon & me & Elder Pantilo were working in an area called Poblacion. There are many less active members in this area & that was our focus for the day. We went to the Martinez' family & started speaking with them. Their home is very small, as is the case with most of these people. The Philippines is an extremely poor country as you are all aware. We invited everyone to join in the lesson, so we ended up having about 7 people not including me & Elder. These people included part of the family (some were not home) & three friends of one of the daughter. I want to focus on one of the friends. Her name is Jenny. She is 22 years old & has one child. As we started teaching, our plan was to focus on the family, which we still did, but of course whenever you have someone new join in you adjust your plan to also focus on the new faces. This is what we did. In this case, we had originally planned to teach the Martinez family about families & the temple. When I saw that there were new people there, I felt like we should change the lesson to make it more applicable to everyone present. I changed the lesson to something very simple & easy to understand: Faith in Jesus Christ. As we started the lesson, everyone was listening & we were discussing about our Saviour, His life, ministry & atonement, & why it is important to have faith in Him. As I taught these things, the spirit filled the room. Before too long, I looked over at Jenny & tears were running down her face. It was hard for me not to do the same thing. I testified to her & everyone else that Jesus Christ lives, & if we are willing to follow Him, we can return to live with Him someday with our families for time & all eternity. I testified that the feelings that they had were Holy Ghost testifying to them that these things are true. I asked sister how she felt at that moment & she responded, "malipayon kaayo." She gladly accepted the invitation for us to return to her home & teach her family. 

   It's experiences like these that that touch my heart everyday. I think of the struggles & doubts that I had at the beginning of my mission, & while I still have them everyday, it's moments like this that fill me with gratitude that I have the strength to keep going. 

   I love you all very much. I will try to send those pictures shortly if Elder Glines can get it to work. I will also send you pictures of the Jamito baptism! 

   Until next week,

-Elder Staheli

2.21.14

2.21.14

2.21.14

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2.21.14

2.22.14

Week 37: Tuesday February 18, 2014

Family,

   Wow! Sooo much has happened this week, I'm not exactly sure where I should start. I guess I'll just start with last Wednesday, one week ago. As I told you, we went on a hike up to some waterfalls last week as a district. It was amazing! I took a lot of pictures! It's was so cool, the entire time I literally felt like I was doing a hike up at Zion, only it's much greener & jungle-ier here. I will try to send photos this week (really!) but the computer I am at is kind of ghetto... Anyway, the day we went on the hike, it was cloudy & raining very lightly. It was perfect! The entire hike was like that & made it bearable since it wasn't blazing hot. I hope the pictures do it justice; it was so fun & so beautiful! We rode in the back of the truck on the way back to our area (the senior couple came along & gave us a ride), when it just start pouring rain! So all of us Elders are in the bed of the truck, getting soaked. It was so cold, I loved it! It was super funny to hear the Filipino elders complain about how cold it was. It was probably mid-70s & raining. Some of them said that they have never been that cold in their life. I just laughed to myself. The ride took about an hour  from our place in Bais, & we dropped the other Elders off in their area about 30 minutes away. While we are driving home, our zone leader gets a call. He can't hear since he is in the back of the truck, so he jumps in the front for the last half of the car ride. When we finally arrive, he gets out & tells me that I am being emergency transferred to Bayawan, a city on the other side of the Island (Negros) which also happens to be the very farthest area in the entire mission from the temple & mission home. It's about 6 or 7 hours away from the city. So, it turns out that my streak of having a new companion every transfer will continue! I am now with Elder Pantilo, another Filipino, who has been out for almost 5 months. He doesn't know a lick of English, so I'm sure my language will continue to improve! But that's not even the best part! We are also housemates with our zone leaders. Elder Antonio was my district leader in my first area & is an awesome missionary. My other zone leader  & housemate just happens to be my fellow St. George-ian, Elder Glines! Man, it's so much fun talking to him! We stay up late & talk every night. We talk about St. George, people we know, etc. It's so great. It really amazes me at how small of a world it really is. What are the chances of living with someone from the same place as me, that I knew before my mission, 7,000 miles away on the other side of the world by complete chance? It's so crazy.

   As you can tell, I'm pretty excited about my new area this transfer. The area is so beautiful! I can tell you all about it & I can send pictures, but I wish with all of my heart that you could all see the things that I see & experience everyday of my life here. It's breathtaking & indescribable.

   On the other hand, I am upset that I left Bais. Rolan passed his interview the day before I left, so him & Alma, his wife, are going to be baptized this Saturday. Also, Bernard & Dimple have already finish their paper work for their marriage, so they will be married this March & baptized shortly thereafter. So many great things happened in Bais, I wish I was there to see the outcome. But I'm also really not that upset about it because I know that I have played a part in changing their lives forever, & I don't have to see them be baptized to know it.

   It was also kind of a cool experience when I left Bais. I left on a Sunday & for sacrament the entire branch started sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." I've seen 4 missionaries transfer during my stay in Bais, & they didn't do that for any of the others. I'm sure it's just coincidence that they sang that song the day I transferred, but I like to tell myself it was something more than that.

   Well, that's about it for my crazy week! I am super tired from packing to traveling to moving in to working... I need a nap. I will try to send those pictures today. Love you all!

Elder Staheli

Week 36: Tuesday February 11, 2014

Family,

   Transfer week has come & gone, & for the first time in my mission I am staying with a companion for longer than 1 transfer! Yep, me & Elder are staying here in the land of Negros for another 6 weeks together. I'm actually very excited about it. As much as I want to travel & visit as many places as possible, we have 4 investigators who are progressing very quickly & I am happy to be able to continue working with them for another transfer. It's kind of a weird feeling that I have. I feel like my entire mission has been progressively getting better; each area I seem to have people who are just a little more excited & a little more willing to accept the gospel. The only way I can explain my feeling is that I am feeling on the verge of something great! 

   The Jamito family is still doing super well! We will have another interview with Rolan in the next couple of weeks & if all goes well we are planning for Feb. 22. We are still teaching Lexus as well, & she may be able to get baptized this transfer if all works out as well. Also, we started teaching this great new investigator! His name is Bernard & he is the boyfriend of a member whose name is Dimple. At the moment, they are living together & have a little girl, Nadel, but he really wants to be baptized. In order for him to be baptized, they have to be married. We talked to them about it & today they are going down to the city office to start the paper work to get married! Our branch president has a marriage licence, so he will be able to marry them. If all goes well & works out, we should have him baptized this transfer as well! Just pray that all works out with everybody!

   Casey, it sounds like you & Chantel had a crazy trip! It will be a trip that you remember for the rest of your lives. So many crazy things happened & you were able to see so many amazing things along the way. From my short mission experience, & even my experiences that I have had before my mission, I have found that the most memorable & cherished experiences have been those that haven't gone according to plan. Life does this crazy thing where it throws these unexpected pleasures your way & makes you appreciate & realize how blessed you are. Your trip sounded awesome.

   I'm glad you are all feeling better! Chad, with that new TV you most be feeling great... Thanks for the video of Dax! It put a huge, needed smile on my face. The last few weeks have honestly been a little rough & I've been missing home a little bit. But it's hard to stay feeling that way when you are so busy helping people improve their lives. It's a feeling that isn't even comparable.

   Starr, I laughed at what you said about how Hunter always cries now. It's the strangest sensation, but it's true. Something about being out here changes you & makes you more sensitive & emotional. Like Hunter, you could not have found me crying before my mission. Since being here, I find myself tearing up at the smallest acts of kindness that I see. Sometimes I get mad at myself & tell myself to stop being such a baby! But it's not like that at all. Love & kindness should make people cry more often; it's such a beautiful thing. I am also glad to hear that you are feeling better, Grandma! Hopefully this month will bring you good health & happy spirits! 

   Well, seeing that I forgot to send more pictures last week, I will try to remember to send some now. I have to read some more e-mails first though.... Also, we are going to hike up to some sweet waterfalls today, so I will take pictures of that to send next week as well.

   Love you guys!

Elder Staheli

2.12.14

2.13.14

2.14.14

2.16.14

 2.16.14

Week 35: Tuesday February 4, 2014

Family,

   HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY! Wow, you're 32. Do you feel old? I'm sure that it seems like just yesterday you were on your mission & now look where you are! You are married, have a beautiful wife, & live in New York! That's crazy. Casey, I just want to tell you how grateful I am to have you in my life. Your example has been one of the most important to me & I am truly blessed to have you as my brother. I love you!

   Thanks for all of the pictures! I'm pretty sure that there was over 100, so I know what I'll be doing for the next few weeks. I'll try & send some more today! Krue, you look so tough with your new haircut! Don't poke anyone's eye out! Well, today is my 8 month mark. I look back at what I have experienced over these last few months & I see so many changes within myself. I could write for the next hour about everything that seems to have changed about me to some degree or another, but I will just say that I am happy for the attributes that I have attained during this time. I would not have been able to grow & mature in the way that I have any other way.

   I know that I still have a long ways to go before I return home, but I would be lying if I said that I haven't thought at all about what my plans are for when I get back. The plan before I left on my mission was to move up North with Jazz & Madison's families & attend the University of Utah. Even when I left, this was the plan. As I have progressed in my mission, for some reason I have been thinking very hard about what I want to do. This has been weighing on my mind for a long time. The more I have thought about it, I have had some change of feelings. I still desire to live up North as I had planned, but I'm not sure. The options that I am considering right now are these. 

   1. Continue with my plan to move in with Jazz & Seager & attend the University of Utah. Utah students ride for free on the Frontrunner & Trax trains, so I would not have to pay for gas & commute everyday. Also, though I'm more than willing to help with payments, groceries, etc., I'm sure Jasmine & Seager would swing a nice deal for me so that I could still have some money.

   2. Attend Dixie State, if only for my generals, to save some money. I would be closer to Daxton & get to see him grow up for a little bit! Depending on what happens, I may stay in St. George for awhile or move up North. I'm not sure! 

   3. I have really been re-considering Weber St. lately. Again, if only for my generals, but it is very close to where Maddie & Jazzy live, so the commute would again not be too bad & for the other reasons previously stated. 

   Of course, I still have plenty of time before I need to start worrying about it, but these are just my thoughts as of now. I don't think about it too often, I will have plenty of time later & that's not why I am out here. Right now, all of my focus & attention are on the people here in the Philippines. I only get to experience this once, so I am trying to take in all of the beauty while I can! 

   Okay, I'll send some pictures right now. Again, happy birthday Casey! Love you all!

Elder Staheli

1.28.14

P-Day Activity 

 1.29.14

Family Home Evening 

(I Lost..)

1.29.14

Ivan