Week 47

Hey Everyone,

The Elder I gave a shoutout to for keeping me good on what week it was just got his P-day changed to a new day of the week, so he's no longer keeping me on the right week. But its all good, I'll do it the old fashioned way and just check last weeks email I guess.

So its been another week and time is flying by out here. We had zone conference this last week and it was great to see old friends from other places again. We had a really good workshop on asking questions, and another one on our commitment to following the Savior and how important covenants are in our progression as people trying to make it back to the Father.

Elder Taysom and his companion had two baptisms this last week. They are some of the most prepared people I've ever met. Its been amazing to see their progress and sacrifice as they've come to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Love

-me

Picture 1 is my district bowling last week

Picture 2 is the baptism of Leo and Lalain

Picture 3 is President Espinosa my awesome mission president in the middle of a workshop

PS Its week 47 

PPS I was bowling left handed because it was most of these people's first time and also for fun

Week 46

Hey Everyone,

Hows it going? This week was a pretty fun one. I saw a horse. That's different.

We had zone interviews this last week. Its fun having so many new people here, both native speakers and foreigners. Its a lot of teaching and learning and questions.

We had a lot of people come to church yesterday and it was great! It's so amazing to see people taking the steps that they know they need to to come unto Christ. That's really the reason why we're all here, and it is an active process we all need to be engaged in.

I just want to add something I've learned this week: the importance of remembrance. we need to remember the experiences we have. we need to remember the love that we've felt for us and from us. we need to remember all the goals that we're working for and the things we need to do. Satan tries to get us to forget. his whole thing is to make us forget who we are and who our Father is. We cannot forget. The people in the scriptures (namely the book of mormon) are repeatedly called to remember again and again, and sometimes we even have trials to make us seek Him again. But, because God loves us, He gave us the Holy Ghost to "bring all things unto [our] remembrance." God gave us a gift to help us with one of the most important things we need to do because it is exactly that important. He gave us the Sacrament to remember the sacrifice of His Son every time we go to Church. He gives us so many ways to remember and we just need to try our best to remember Christ always. To remember His sacrifice and His Love. To remember who we want to be and who He knows we can become. Don't forget the love God has for you. No matter what he's there for you.

-Elder Collier

PS sorry if that doesnt make sense, I dont have time to proof it.

Picture 1 is us hanging off the back of a full jeep

Picture 3 Drug sign

Picture 2 is our new Beach Church

Week 45

I'm gonna open this email with a quick shout out to Elder Shakespeare for always letting me know what week it is in his weekly emails.

This week was a pretty good one actually. A lot of fun little things happened. The prime thing to mention is that we made tacos. I mean we still used plain white rice because we really made taco meat for ulam, but we used real spices such as cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and others. It was pretty good. We had tacos as ulam.

The second thing is that we got to go on exchanges with the zone leaders Elder Seve and Elder Sau. They are both great missionaries and it was fun teaching together. We were able to teach some really powerful lessons and help people.

I also got to help bail water out of a flooded house.

We went fishing earlier this morning and the first one I cost was a fish valued somewhere around 25000 Pisos so I just let it go before we got a picture. The others made pretty good ulam though.

Lastly, the family who feeds us every Sunday granted our request and fed us Dog. We didn't think they'd actually do it, and we thought they were joking when they told us one of the ulams was dog, but it totally was. It was actually super good. So just remember that. Also, dog meat is really expensive here because i think it might technically be illegal. Fun stuff. 

Love you all and I love the work out here

-E Collier

Picture 1 is Tacos

Picture 2 is me and Elder Taysom with lunch by the river this morning. 

Picture 3 is us all up on the roof while we were just waiting to start

Picture 4 is my district plus the zone leaders

Week 44

Hey everyone,

I'm a tatay! I just went down to Urdaneta to pick up my new companion. His name is ELder Notarte and he's from the Manila area. He's fresh out of the MTC and even though he definitely speaks the Language better than me its fun to teach him how to do missionary things. 

We are having a good time out here and its always a party in the rain. I get to wear boots a lot now because otherwise I get very wet feet. sometimes though we gamble on it not raining and it doesn't, and other times you wear just rubber shoes and then fall in a deep puddle up to your shins. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

This week I also got to work with Elder Taysom as we were waiting for our mga anak and we had some really good lessons and fun times. He's from St. George and says its a cool place, but I'm still saying California's better.

Hope you're all doing well!

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is Elder Notarte standing up on the seawall 

Picture 2 is me and Elder Taysom with our new companions, fresh from the MTC

Picture 3 is us doing face masks while there were just two of us in the apartment

Week 43

Hey everyone,

Elder Borejon dipped out of Dagupan 3rd ward and transferred over into Mangaldan Zone, not that very many of you know what that means. Its not very far though. We had a fun 6 weeks together and were able to do a lot of good work out here. I don't have a new companion yet, he should be here on Thursday.

We had two baptisms last week, one was someone we'd been teaching, and the other was a family we'd been helping out. Always amazing to see. 

This week I want to just write something about the stuff I've learned recently. I've learned that God is infinitely merciful and is constantly extending His arms to us, welcoming us with a loving embrace if we will just accept Him and do the things He commands. If we will just live His gospel. I've seen God answer the prayers of his children just trying to find the truth in this chaotic world. I know that He'll answer you too. Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. I've learned to focus all things I do and teach and say on Christ's Atonement, and I've felt the power that comes from testifying of the most important truth in this Universe. The truth that our Lord and Savior, our older brother, felt all of our pains, paid for all our sins, and died for us, just so that we could have the chance of making it home to him and the Father. I invite you all to learn more about Jesus Christ and apply those things to your lives. You will see the changes as I have.

I love you all!

-Elder Collier

The first picture is us with Helly-Jane (right) and Orly (left)

The second picture is Dane with the only Bunny I've seen in the Philippines (the first one he's seen)

The third picture is my district, half of which are now gone, but they're still doing good work out here in other zones

Week 42

Hey everyone, 

Sorry this is gonna be a short one but its been a good week out here in Dagupan 3. We had a baptism on Saturday and it was awesome. Seeing people change and commit to living the gospel. To commit to following our Savior Jesus Christ is amazing. I've started reading the Infinite Atonement this week and its a great book. I've already gained a greater appreciation for what the Savior did for us and I would like to invite you all to study Christ's Atonement - to come to know what he really did for you. 

We also got a new kabahay for a week and it was fun having Elder Assistant to the President Estabillo with us. I learned a lot and it was a fun experience. He was my first zone leader and it was good to see him again even though he goes home next week. 

thats it for now,

I love you all and love hearing from you

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is my district 

Picture 2 is what I need to get to combat all that rice I'm eating

PIcture 3 is us with Dianne and her family

Week 41

Hey everyone,

So its been another week and once again we had a very important national holiday that just isn't the same over here in the Philippines. If you don't know what that Holiday was, I am sorry for your loss. The answer is 7-11. It was a sad day that I had to pay for my slurpee, but, I did get one. It was pretty good too. 

That being said, we had zone conference this last week and it was a good experience to learn from the workshops and see people I haven't seen in months. It was a cool experience enven though we had to get flu shots.

People are progressing and the work is good. I'm trying each and every day to be as Christlike as I can be and to help as many people as I can. I know that this is the Lords work and I just want to serve him every day. 

Hope you're all doing well. I love to hear from you.

-Elder Collier, or as I sometimes get called, Elder Gwapo

Picture 1 is of course my Mountain Dew Slurpee 10/10 because the machine wasn't broken

Picture 2 is of us at the Maramba Family who last night fed us American food like Chicken Alfredo and salad and baked mac and cheese. Don't worry though, I still had my rice and chicken like a good missionary. We also drank Buko Juice straight out of the coconut with just a straw. It was masarap.

Picture 3 is just a sign that informed me that I work in Beverly Hills

Week 37

Hey everyone,

Its been another week and I'm in another area. I'm in Dagupan 3rd ward and my companion is Elder Borejon. I've been in Dagupan for about 3 hours and it should be pretty fun. My area has a beach daw, so I'm looking forward to that even though I cant swim out here. 

My last week in Bugallon was a good one and there are a lot of people who are progressing and figuring out their relationship with the savior for themselves. I can't express how much joy the work brings me and how much I've learned about why we're all really here. I echo the words of Nephi in 2 Nephi 4 and I know in whom it is that I have trusted. God is great and His plan is perfect for each and every one of us without exception. We just need to work on aligning our will with the Father's and do all he asks of us with joy.

I'm inexpressibly grateful for the 4 months I had in Bugallon and all the work I was able to do there. I know that I was there for a lot of reasons and it will be the same here. Look for the hand of god and you will see it. Your whole life is in the hand of God.

I love you all,

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is a bukid rain selfie in my favorite barangay Banaga

Picture 2 is the Navarro crew

Week 36

Hey family, friends, acquaintances, and any random people who might stumble across this on the internet. Whats new with you guys?

Its been a good one out here in Bugallon and I got to work with some pretty cool people this week. I had the chance to go on exchanges with Elder Jazmin (I'll get a picture with him hopefully this week) and we had a really productive day. I was able to learn a lot from him, because he's way good at just becoming friends with people and getting close to them in order to better help them.

It rains a lot out here and rain is pretty fun. Friday night it started pouring right before we took a trike home (trikes in the rain = not fun) but luckily we got one with a door. The street that we live on was a river and there was tons of lightning. It was way fun. We got soaked. As a side note, I'm sick, but for the record I was sick before the rain.

Its good times out here. sorry this is a weird one

-Elder Collier

Picture 1 is a picture of me acting naturally because my mom didn't want any more posed pictures

Picture 2 is the boys in the rain after getting home at the same time

Picture 3 is the boys in the rain ft. Elder Nonu

Week 35

So, it's been 8 months since I reported to the MTC.  How crazy is that? It really doesn't feel like its been that long because I still feel super new out here. Its weird to see the changes that have happened in my life and the weird gaps between what I think I can do and what I can actually do. Apparently I speak a lot more Tagalog than it feels like I do, which is nice to here, and I've actually been able to start picking up and processing the Pangasinan that I hear in the street. The gift of Tongues is real, because I know that this isn't coming from me.

I had an experience this week in teaching about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ where I was so clearly able to feel the Lord guiding me it was amazing. We were sitting out in this little shack in the middle of a bunch of fields and it was raining ridiculously hard. The pounding of the rain on the metal rook and the wind made it hard to hear. It was windy, it was almost cold, and we were doing our best to help this girl answer her questions. We were teaching about prophets and why they were and are so important for us, and I had this moment where I was speaking and at the same time, realized that the words I was speaking weren't coming from me, but coming from the Spirit to help her hear exactly the things she needed. It was amazing and a powerful witness that the Lord is using me out here.

Love you all and hope you're all doing well,

-this kid

Picture 1 is us walking our workers through the bukid and they were all amazed we knew so many shortcuts like thats now what we do all day

Picture 2 is a bunch of people who wanted to take a picture with us at church on Sunday

Week 34

Hey everyone

This week was pretty fun. We did a lot of work and Elder Miague and I grew a lot closer together. We had some really powerful teaching experiences, and its amazing to see people take the first steps on the path to Christ. I think its important for everyone to remember that God, our loving Heavenly Father, really does answer prayers, and through the Holy Ghost, he will let you know exactly what you need to do in this life. It's wonderful to see people take those steps to pray and ask God if something is true, and then get to help them act on those things they know and feel to be true.

We also went on a pretty fun hike today with a bunch of missionaries up to Mount Zion and we just got to sit at the top for a while and talk about life and the gospel and how we've all changed and grown so much for the better. Life is good out here in Bugallon. I'll be sad to leave it, but hopefully that's not for a while. I love you all.

- E COOLER (which I get a lot of the time)

Picture 1 is me walking in a bukid

Picture 2 is me digging a whole for the foundation of a house

Picture 3 is Mr Zion Jesus

Picture 4 is us by a river just having fun

Week 28

Hey everyone,

So, Its rained a lot this last week. Its supposed to be Tag-init but we've been having a lot of rain all week. Friday night we got caught without umbrellas out in the rain and we had a fun time getting completely soaked as we went from house to house trying to invite everyone to General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. People were very surprised to see us but it was something we needed to do.

The next night we rolled up our pants and threw on closed toed jandals because we had some mud to trek through in one of our areas, and it was going well until my jandal broke. But its all a good days work right. We even got a free trike ride home that night from a super nice trike driver who delivers water in Dagupan. It was a simple blessing of the Lord because that late at night there are never trikes or buses or jeeps so we usually end up walking pretty far.

If you haven't I would like to invite you to watch general conference and act on whatever promptings you have. I still have a lot to do to, and I'm always trying to grow closer to GOd and be the best missionary I can be.

-Elder Collier

Picture one is Elder Weaver and me out on a dike trying to find new people out in a bukid

Picture two is a trendy picture of 7-11 ice cream because its 15 Pisos and delicious

Picture three is what cemeteries look like here (that's a pretty nice part of one)

Week 24

Hey Everyone, 

Hows it going out wherever you all are? Things are going pretty well out here in Bugallon. Its officially summer here and all the kids are going to go on summer vacation soon. That means its about to get a lot hotter. That being said, it did rain a little last night which was way nice.

This last week we had a zone conference and Elder Teh, a general authority, came to speak to us. We learned a lot about how we need to be more focused on listening to the spirit and having him as our constant companion always. That's something I've been working on this week.

Sorry there isn't much in this one. 

Love,

Ya Boi Elder Collier

Picture 1 is an even sketchier bridge than the one in my first area. Its really bouncy and I almost fell off. It was fun

Picture 2 is a fun sign by our house

Picture 3 is some of our workers who took my camera and took pictures. The guy who took the picture is now serving a mission in Davao City, and the girl in the pink shirt will be serving in the California Anaheim mission in April