Week 64 ba?

Hey everyone! 

Honestly I have kind of lost track of what week it is, but it is officially the last week of 2019! This entire last year (2019) I was a missionary living in the Philippines just serving God. It was a year of serving and struggling and joy and heartache and triumph. What a good one. How were all of your 2019(s)?

I hope you all had a good Christmas. Ours out here was pretty good and full of food and fun. We had a lot of people come to our Christmas party. It was a really good chance for some people to get more familiar with the Church and a lot of fun and games. Life is good and time is flying and no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. 

We have this family, the Banago's who have started to come to church and activities recently and are really enjoying it. We teach the mother and father and 2 of their 3 kids (the youngest is 15 months) and they like the church. They want to become members and I really hope they are able to progress and to come unto Christ.

I love you all!

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is the crew when we went and hiked Mt. Balungao this morning

Picture 2 is me and Elder Baldovino

Picture 3 is FHE with some cool members and i took a picture because they cook really good food

Week 63

Hey Everyone!

This week we had a really great week! Saturday was the stake Christmas baptism. In the Rosales Zone we helped 24 people make their first covenant to come unto Christ. It was a super cool experience. We in Umingan had 3 people who were baptized on Saturday which was a super good experience. Ramil is a part member whose mom got baptized back in September. Maricel is their neighbor who wanted to learn about the church and has made a bunch of changes in her life. Nelson is a kid who started to come to church a couple months ago on his own because he wanted to get baptized. 

Life is really good out here. Its the Christmas season and people are coming unto Christ. That really is the reason for the season. So I just want to wish you all a happy Christmas and invite you to remember Christ. His life and all He did for us. I love you all! Merry Christmas!

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is all the people at white Christmas

Picture 2 is me and Elder Baldovino with Nelson, Ramil, and Maricel

Picture 3 is some really fun Taglish that shouldn't be on an official vehical (the plural in Tagalog is "Mga Kagawad" but they threw on the English 'S' which is how we missionaries Taglish)

Picture 4 is if you thought my neck tan was bad see the sisters shoe tan. note the little dots of tan on the toes. there are no winners out here

Week 62

Hey Everyone,

This week was a pretty fun one. We had the chance to go to Urdaneta for Christmas Conference. Which was Zone Conference but we got to play games and wear regular clothes for half of it. That was pretty fun. I got to see a lot of my old companions and friends and to say goodbye to a few who are going home. It was a great experience. Both spiritual and super fun. 

This week as we think about Jesus Christ and his birth, I have been thinking about how much we can be like him. Its not limited how like him we can be. We don't need to be just 20% or 50% or even 90% like Christ. We can be "joint heirs in the kingdom of God." Everyone believes in being like Christ, but sometimes they have limits on how like him we can be. Remember, his invitation for us is for us to be like our Father in Heaven, nothing less. And though that may sound overwhelming to some and impossible to others, remember that Christ himself started as nothing more than a babe in a manger. So this Christmas season as we remember his birth, we remember that we can follow in the footsteps of his life.

Love

Elder Collier

Picture 1 is me and the batch

Picture 2 is me and Elder Fox who is going home

Picture 3 is me reading the book of mormon in a tree

Picture 4 is me and Elder Weaver

Week 61

Hey Everyone!

This last week Elder Baldovino and I had a lot of fun and did some good work. We got to find some new people and mostly went to contact members of the church who haven't come to church in a while. Its been interesting to hear the different reasons, but to know that no matter what it is, there isn't a reason for leaving Christ. We all just need to follow him to the end.

We also had the opportunity to share the gospel with a minister of a very prominent church here in the Philippines. He was super nice and very respectful of us and we gave him a book of mormon and got to testify of Jesus Christ and his Restored Gospel. I know the book of mormon is true and that God has restored his gospel to the earth. I love His work

 Merry Christmas!

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is my district

Picture 2 is us with the pastor of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (its called that in America too)

Picture 3 is us teaching a lesson out in the middle of the bukid at night

Week 60

Hey Yall,

Elder Herrera is out. We had a good transfer together, but he's going back to his first area which will be his last area in the mission. My new companion is Elder Baldovino who will go home in February, so we should be together until he goes home. 

Umingan is pretty fun. This last week I saw some Americans from Pennsylvania, and because we saw them twice on the same day in two very different places I went and talked to them about the church (which is super difficult in straight English). They're just visiting family and brought their spouses. But it was pretty cool to talk to them. 

Tatay Jose is one of my favorite people in the world. He really wants to learn about God and LOVES the gospel and the things he's been learning. He's been a member of a couple different churches, but he was excited because since we've been teaching him he's learned how to pray. He has come to church twice and loves the things he's learning. I've seen him grow, as well as his ability to understand the things we teach because of his desire. He's learning that God really does love and know him and its amazing!

I love the work!

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 Us with Tatay Jose and Brother Nocasa who is his good friend in the branch

Picture 2 is me and Elder Herrera at a young women party we helped set up after ministering with the ward in the morning

Picture 3 is me at the border of Pangasinan (we didn't cross) which is the mission boundary

Picture 4 is us with Analie and her family (also super cool and have come to church twice so far)

Picture 5 is me with Elder Miller on exchanges