Week 75 (Corona week)

Hey everyone,

I'm doing okay. I dont have corona. Sorry to all the people who live in Corona. And to all the people who live in areas affected by the disease...

Anyway, Life is pretty good. Missionary work took a turn for the more difficult when church got cancelled and Manila went on lock down, but we are still proselyting because there really is nothing more important than the news that Jesus Christ is our Savior and gave us a way to be made clean and free and safe. With that news we don't really need to fear anything other than our own unworthiness which, turns out, is solved by repenting and relying on Christ. So thats the message of the week. I like how in the Introduction to the Book of Mormon we read about how the Book of Mormon tells people what they need to go to find 'peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.' That is the message. It is true. It is there for a reason to help us. That book is the key to peace in this life as we come to know Jesus Christ.

Last week we also had the super cool experience of getting Elder Taniela B. Wakolo of the area presidency to come speak to us. He shared a lot of doctrinal insights and a very powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. I am very grateful to him for that.

If you were wondering, I do have food storage, and yes it is 25 kilos (55 lbs) of rice. That should last two people a couple weeks.

I love you all

Stay safe

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is me with the container we bought to hold all the rice (we used to only by 5 kilos at a time)

Picture 2 is the batch at zone conference (Sister Cunningham will be going home this transfer if there are still planes leaving Manila)

Picture 3 is me and Elder Sio welcoming all the potentially infected people fleeing Manila into our small little province of Pangasinan. 

Week 74

Hey everyone,

So this last week was a pretty interesting one. We had a lot of ministering with the branch which was pretty fun. The thing about ministering is that everyone rides motorcycles to go from house to house. Thats super cool and saves them a lot of time, but it also leads to a lot of walking back and forth for me and my companion who are not allowed to ride on motors. We made it to the last 5 minutes of like 4 different ministering appointments, but they were all appreciative we were coming along. We called them cheaters for using motors though. Bikes would be nice in this area. Or a car.

Anyway, life is good in Umingan. Elder Sio and I really wanted to go explore the mountains this week, so we went finding and found some pretty cool people to talk to and teach. This morning, we went and hiked an hour and a half up a river bed (not completely dry) to get to a waterfall we had only heard vague rumors about with no real idea of how to get there. We found it and it was really cool. It made me appreciate more the beauty of God's creations.

Love you all, and until next week, its been me.

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is my super buff companion at the falls

Picture 2 is us in the falls

Picture 3 is lunch after (the 8inch diameter burgers were only 4 dollars) 

Week 73

Hey everyone!

Its march right now so thats pretty weird. Also happy belated leap-day! I hope you did something to celebrate. Here we were blessed to be able to help Diane and Joshua Vendiola enter the waters of baptism and be reborn through the covenants they made with Christ. A very cool experience always.

Last week I finished the Book of Mormon on my 21st birthday. I had been marking the Book of Mormon highlighting good and bad, or things that made me rejoice and things that made me sorrow. Yes there is a lot of sorrow in the Book of Mormon, but the good is greater than the bad is bad. The Atonement of Christ does not just negate the fall of Adam, it completely destroys the effects of it. God is better than Satan is bad. God is infinitely more than is Satan and if we'll just try to follow His plan, we'll see the blessings.

Oh yeah, shout out to the super awesome Banago family who got me a cake on my birthday. They're the best! It was a pretty fun day and week overall. Elder Sio and I are doing good together, and we're going to have a lot of fun out here.

Its been another one,

-me

 Pictures 1&2 are me (ft Elder Sio) on my birthday celebrating it up

PIctures 3&4 is the Vendiola's baptism (ft the branch)

Week 72

Hey Everyone!

Its been another week, and it was a pretty fun one. Elder Baldovino left to go home this morning, and I'm going to miss him. He's finished his mission and he finished strong. We had a fun 12 weeks together and did a lot of good work out here in Umingan. We had a farewell/happy birthday FHE at the church last night, so that was pretty enjoyable. 

So, the coolest thing that happened this week was the baptism of the Banago family. I met them one day while working on exchanges in my area about 3.5 months ago. I was sitting on the outside of a tricycle and saw the house I had never noticed before and felt very clearly that that was the house I was supposed to go to. So we went, and they welcomed us right in. We shared a quick message, invited them to have us back, and then went on to our next appointment. Over the past 3 months we've been able to see their lives change as they've come to accept the gospel and get to know Jesus Christ better. It was awesome to see them baptized even if it was in a swimming pool of the local resort. Oh yeah, Saturday morning as we were filling up the baptismal font we noticed there was a hole in the font and it wouldn't fill up, so with no other options, we went to the closest pool. It was simple and fun and the spirit was there. A very cool experience.

I love you all!

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is the Banago Fam's Binyag

Picture 2 is us right before Elder Baldovino got on the bus to leave this morning

Picture 3 is a goodbye to Baldo at the party

Picture 4 is the I love Umingan sign (hidden behind a wall we don't know why)

Week 71

Hey everyone,

Its me again with another week and last week was a very busy one. We had exchanges with the zone leaders in Carmen on Wednesday, had zone conference in Urdaneta on Thursday, and then spent Saturday going all over the place to interview people for baptism. Yet somehow in all of this business we still managed to get everywhere we needed to go. 

The coolest thing that happened last week was just this lesson with this kinda grumpy old man. He's been looking for a church in a lot of different places, and nothing really seems to satisfy him. We taught him about the plan of salvation and I got a very clear prompting to ask him about his wife, who we found out had died fairly recently. We were able to answer some questions for him, and he came to church on Sunday. He's way cool.

Also, out in Umingan, the middle of nowhere in the Philippines, I saw a lady with a Corona Del Mar High School T-shirt, so of course we OYM'd her and taught a lesson. She's way interested in the plan of salvation and asked a lot of questions. God works in mysterious ways to lead you to people all the way across the world. It was pretty fun to see.

Thats my week,

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 the lady with the CDM t shirt

Picture 2 us and the Banagos on the way home from a lesson

Pictures 3 and 4 old friends at zone con

Picture 5 is Elder Baldovino giving his departing testimony at zone con

Week 70

Hey Everyone!

It's been another week of a lot of fun work out here in Umingan. It's hot but also it rained so that's pretty confusing. I broke out my old shoes with holes in the bottom, because I thought we were done with the rain. It turns out we were not, so my socks were wet, but it was worth it. 

I had a cool experience while on exchanges with Elder Miller. We were exploring a new part of my area looking for people to teach, and ended up in the middle of the bukid not sure where we should go next. We'd planned to go to one area, but had drifted a little in our finding, so we prayed to know where we should go. We felt impressed to go to a different area than we'd planned and started walking (down a very convenient path we'd happened upon (guidance of the Lord)). It took about 45 minutes in the noonday heat, but we were able to talk to someone we hadn't seen in 3 weeks. She'd just gotten back from vacation and was ready to keep meeting with us, and in need of a little spiritual nourishment. We had a good lesson, and because some circumstances were changing in her life, she asked when she could get baptized, so we set a date. God leads us to where he needs us.

I love you all,

-Elder Collier

Pictures 1 and 2 are us working with members and having fun

picture 3 is basketball wrestling which was super fun to watch

Week 69

Hey Everyone! 

Shoutout to Lauren my sister Lauren and, Elder Izu for their keeping me up with the right week in the count.

Its February!!! I've been out in the field for exactly 16 months today! 2/3s done and honestly the fact that I only have 8 months left is pretty ridiculous. It feels so short. There are still so many people that need help. So little time. 

But life is good. Honestly its been really enjoyable this last week. We woke up early and taught a lesson at 530 in the morning to some people who weren't available at any other time, had zone interviews, had a district service project (yes we got it payag'ed) and have just been able to share the word of God. The work is progressing and people are coming to Christ, and I get to be a little part of that. 

I've been thinking a lot about charity this last week. Refocusing my thoughts and attentions and just loving everyone no matter what. It hasn't been hard, because it doesn't come from me. But it has been a really good way for me to see how Christ wants me to be. We don't make Charity from ourselves. It doesnt come from us. It is something we let into our lives as we strive to be like Christ. It is His love not ours. It is just ours to show to everyone. "Let you light so shine," ya know? And that light is the light of Christ. So that's what I'm working on.

I love you all!

-Elder me

Picture 1-3 is on the hike this morning

Picture 4 is us at the service project mixing cement

Week I have no idea (68)

Hey, can someone tell me what week Im supposed to be on? I don't know where I am in this count.

On a different note, this week was pretty cool! So was last week. Sorry I didnt send an email last week. We went to Dagupan and Urdaneta and ran errands but it was fun. It took a lot of hours but it was fun and we got to see a lot of other missionaries. 

The first cool thing that happened was we had a really fun family home evening at the Banago's house. We had a bunch of members in the ward come over and they all brought food and we played games (i lost (see the pictures)). It was super fun and a great way to introduce them to the ward in a relaxed way. 

The second thing was a really cool simple experience just seeing Tatay Jose pass the sacrament for the first time this last Sunday. Our branch president just bought him a white shirt and tie and he was so excited to wear them and to serve in the church. He's one of the coolest people I've ever met. 

I've been thinking a lot about faith and I just want to say that miracles are wrought by faith. Don't limit the miracles that God can perform in your life. We read in 3 Nephi that Christ healed everyone because of their faith. There wasn't a person he didn't heal because their faith was so strong. It really can be like that for us too if we just actively work on developing that faith.

I love you all

-Elder Collier

PIcture 1 is the FHE we had at the Banago's

Picture 2 is a dramatic walking photo

Picture 3 is a dramatic looking into the sunset photo

Picture 4 is me being a pioneer

Week 66

Hey everyone, 

Its me. But you all already know that. This last week was a pretty fun one. I had the chance to go on exchanges with the Zone Leaders in Carmen, and then have exchanges in Umingan with the other Elders in my district too. It was especially cool getting to work with my old companion Elder Miague for a whole day. It was a fun old vibe and we were able to find some cool new people. 

Life in Umingan is picking up again now that vacation is over, which makes our life a little harder, but its all good. We're just trying to do our best to share the gospel and invite people to come unto Christ. We had 7 interested people come to church last week including the Banago family. They're way cool and this was the first time that they were all able to come as a family. 

I love you all,

PS If I dont get to email next week its because I went to a different city in the mission to run some errands and didnt have time. 

Picture 1 is us with the Banago Family

Picture 2 is me with some super cool workers (including Andre Banago)

Picture 3 the district before Elder Miague left

Picture 4 is me in the bukid

Week 65

Happy 2020 everyone!

For the record, I beat most of you to 2020 by like 16 hours. I win!

2020 is off to a great start out here in Umingan. Tatay Jose decided he really wanted to live the #newyearnewme ideal that a lot of people try and fail. He started 2020 by making a covenant with God and literally starting a new life. I cant imagine a better New Year's Resolution than the commitment to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Life is good and people are progressing. We have a really wide area and a lot of places to go and not that many hours in a day really. We walk a lot and we talk to a lot of people and a lot of them don't want to listen - but a lot of them do. Thats the joy of His work. Sharing His simple message with people and seeing their lives change as they come to know him. Its the best. Even though I wont be full time for all of this year, I'll make the most of it here. 

I love you all

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is Tatay Jose's Baptism

Picture 2 is us with the 10 people who worked with us (we went on splits) and a bunch of bata who came to see us.

Picture 3 is Umingan municipal hall

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