Week 36: Split Area, a New Companion and Housemates, and Two Sad Situations

What is up everyone? :) Miss you all :)

So this week was transfers and I am taking my talents to .... Arayat. I'm staying here :) That is Lebron's quote by the way. So I got a new companion Elder Soberano. He is Filipino from Ilo Ilo which is where my trainer Elder Gomez is from. I am his 14th companion which is a ton and this is his 9th area! That is so many! So he leaves in 3 weeks, so I will be the one to kill him (send him home). He isn't trunky at all and is really excited to work hard for his last transfer. I get along well with him and he is super into deep doctrine and stuff. That's what he love to do - read.

We also got 2 new elders in Arayat! So we split our area. The two new elders are Elder Cancel and Elder Drake. Cancel is batch with me and he is from Cavite. He is an amazing cook so I plan on taking advantage of that... I may get fat in the weeks while he is here :) also he is training Elder Drake who is from Sacramento and is a cool dude. He played football so that's cool :) The 3 football players in the mission are all in the same zone. Hopefully we will play sometime. I really enjoy having 4 in the apartment. It make things a lot more fun and interesting.

As for me, I'm doing well. No sickness or anything, and I'm having fun :) One unfortunate thing that happened this weeks was that Charlot ran away. She was supposed to be baptized 2 days ago but she was getting persecution from her family about becoming Mormon and then she ran away and changed her phone and everything...so sad.

I'm sure you may be curious about Ariel. So I found out some more about him. I don't know where his parents are but his grandparents live here. So he begs for money and would go to his grandpa's house. If he didn't bring home enough money, his grandpa would beat him. So Ariel doesn't go back there anymore and just sleeps in the burger truck. He attended church again last week and is becoming friends with all the primary and members :) He kissed my feet at church and it was awkward lol...

But, again I'm doing great :) loving the mission life and having a blast. Time is truly flying, close to 9 months. Bitters next month is at a year! What?! Crazy :)

Love you all. My prayers are with you and especially with Dan and Kim right now.

Have a great week :)

Elder Watkins

Week 35: Pictures!, and Ariel's Story

This week we received pictures and recordings this week! Dustin told us about his friend Ariel and part of his story. There were still some questions we had and hope that we will get some answers.

In his recording, Dustin told us about Ariel whom he met a while ago. Ariel is eight years old and basically lives on the streets. The family who owns a burger truck in the area lets Ariel sleep in the truck at night and they pay him to do some jobs on the truck. Ariel is a very friendly, happy little boy :) Dustin invited Ariel to go to church. The next Sunday, Dustin arrived and a member told him that his friend was looking for him but had left. Dustin went outside and saw Ariel across the street. When Ariel saw him, he smiled and joined Dustin. He was wearing a tattered shirt (which was too big for him) and tattered shorts, and had no shoes. Regardless, he was happy to be there. He stayed for all three meetings, and got a little sleepy at the end (haha, don't we all!)

Later that day, some of the sisters in the Ward brought some clothes for Ariel. Charity Never Faileth :) Relief Society sisters have the same heart where ever they are in the world. I love them!

As I was listening to Dustin's recording about Ariel, I wondered if he would ask if he could bring Ariel home with him...

Elder Watkins with some big artillery at Clark Air Force Base.
(Isn't he adorable?)

More of Elder Watkins at Clark

Elder Watkins' friend Ariel and a Ward member

Week 34: Mother's Day Skype!!!

Best Mother's Day Gift Ever!!!

Mariah is super excited to talk to her brother!!!

Cambri is happy to see Dustin's face!!!

He looks great and is so adorable :)

Elder Watkins with missionaries in his area
(picture from Sister Martino's Facebook page)

Elder Wilson and Elder Watkins
(picture from Sister Martino's Facebook page)

Week 33: Hard Work, The Lord Provides, and Heavenly Father Knows Me

Hey!

I can't believe next week I'll be skyping again! Time has and is absolutely flying by. 8 months already what?? Super stoked to talk with you all so soon :)

So this week was a lot of hard work in finding people. We were blessed with 13 new investigators! I'm really hoping these are the right people the Lord has prepared for us to teach and be converted to the Gospel.

I'll share a story about one of the new investigators.

We met her and her sister on tuesday. Their names are Relin and May. They are 18 and 16 and both Catholic. However, Relin is very interested in investigating other churches. She's been attending Iglesia ni Cristo and Baptist. She actually recently decided to be baptized to the Baptist church then we met her. We taught a short lesson and she invited us to return later that week. Upon our return we started teaching Lesson 1 and we were teaching about everything up until Joseph Smith. She had a lot of questions so the lesson was pretty long we decided to save Joseph and Restoration for the next meeting. She then told us that she decided to be baptized to Baptist church and asked if we would not return to teach her. We taught her Restoration immediately and the Spirit was so strong. We could see the Spirit really working in her as we testified about the Restoration. After she said she would like to think more about it and wanted us to come back and teach more. I was grateful that the spirit does the teaching and told her something that helped her choose to keep listening to us... hopefully she continues to let us in!

Tomorrow I will be going on an exchange with my MTC companion ELDER HOWLETT! What a stud of a cowboy... we will be heading to Manila. We are going for fingerprints... however we have to be at the bus station at 415 AM... this is the 3rd time this week we have had to wake up before 430... man I'm tired... but its all good. I've actually noticed a cool trend. In the afternoon we have from 12-130 lunch! I used to eat my food fast and then take a nap. But I've noticed also that when I just study I feel more energized! The Lord provides! Also last Sunday I was walking and was super hungry... but I didn't want to buy food on the Sabbath. I was like the Lord will provide. I was thinking more in terms of energy, but the next house we randomly spoke with, total strangers just asked to come in and eat their food! haha so cool. The Lord truly provides 'take ye no thought for yourselves'

A spiritual experience I had yesterday which really helped me feel that my Heavenly Father is keenly aware of me and my feelings. I have been kind of down the past few weeks. I feel like I haven't felt the Spirit as much in the last few weeks while teaching. I couldn't tell if it was due to something I did, or if I was getting dull/numb to the Spirit (which I don't think is possible anyways). Anyways I was praying for help and more motivation and an increased ability to feel and recognize the Spirit. At church yesterday, I was asked to teach the Gospel Essentials class and the lesson was about tithing. Not usually the most spiritually powerful lesson. I taught and didn't think too much of the lesson. Later that night I we ran into a Recent Convert who was in the class. His name is Olbeth and he is around 30 years old. He thanked me for the lesson and said that lately he hasn't felt the same at church. He felt like he was missing something at church. He then told me that in the lesson he felt the Spirit more strongly than he had in any lesson he had at church. That same day I went on splits with a Priest from the branch named Ariel. He started off the day kind of bummed but by the end he seemed to do so much better. As we were walking home he explained to me that he had a bad day and was upset the whole day. Then we went teaching and said that he felt the spirit so strongly in the lessons today and was so much more happy. 

This just strengthened my testimony that the God listens to my prayers and knows my concerns. He knows me personally and He will answer me and give me the help and encouragement I need. 

Hope you all have a great week :) love you all :)

Elder Watkins

Elder Watkins and two wild chicks.
He is so adorable!

Week 32: New Area, New Companion, and A New Challenge

Unfortunately, no letter or pictures this week. He was having trouble downloading his recordings, so none of those this week either :(

Here is a summary of what we chatted about:

He loves the new area!! It is definitely more challenging that the last area because the lack of investigators or progressing investigators.

The Arayat Branch is considered a subdivision and is at the base of Mt Arayat. There is lots of farm land around the area. The Branch is great; the meeting house is right in front of our apartment which is really convenient. His partner is a great elder and super fun. The members are really nice and like to work with them just about everyday, especially the Mission Leader. They work with the youth a lot. Church attendance varies quite a bit from week to week. This week it was 62 which is really high; the week before it was 42.

Travel is a mix of walking and trikes.

The weather is about the same as in Cabanatuan - HOT!!  He uses an umbrella because it is just too hot to walk around in the sun. Dustin says he is a little more tan, but still light haha

We look forward to Skyping with Dustin on Mother's Day!!!

Week 31: Transferred to Arayat Branch, Challenging Work, and District Leader

Hey guys!

First off sorry to you all that I am on so late and not able to chat with you guys. It sounds like your trip to CA was an absolute blast and I pray you all make it home safely :)

So yes this week I transferred to a new area in Angeles zone. It is about 2 hours from the city in a beautiful 'bukid' or farm area, but to to me it looks like a kinda jungle :) We are at the base of a gorgeous mountain that looks like a volcano. It is not near the size of the ones back home but it is magnificent to look at with all the flat space and trees surrounding it. I look forward to hiking it in the coming weeks :)

First my new companion is Elder Gaudiano. He is from Visayas, and has 3 transfers left in his mission. He is easily the funniest missionary I have met on the mission. He is a very good teacher and definitely knows his stuff! I have progressed quite noticeably in the short time we have been companions concerning Tagalog. We speak on a regular basis and it is starting to become natural to speak about other things besides the gospel. I'm super excited to keep working with him :)

Our area is a challenging one. In terms of work. The average lessons per week is 25 when it should be closer to 40. We only have 3 Investigators w/ Baptismal dates and 2 are quite tentative. But the members here in the branch are quite amazing. Our ward mission leader is blind but he works with us every day! He loves missionary work and is super enthusiastic! I love the guy. So the members are pumped and I'm pumped to work with them along with Elder Gaudiano. I'm hoping to see some miracles happening here :)

I also got called to be the District Leader here. LOL of me and my companion!! Our district used to be comprised of other Elders but apparently there was an emergency transfer and their area was dissolved. President plans on having more missionaries out here next transfer... but they were supposed to be here this transfer so who knows :) I'm just excited to have some extra work and responsibility. It'll help me grow and learn to render more Christlike service :)

One sad experience from this week was Friday morning. Although I was sad to leave my last area, I was very excited! But Friday morning was our first companionship study. To start the study we obviously begin with prayer and reciting a few things, followed by reading 3 pages of the Missionary Hand Book. We started where I had left off and it happened to be "Communicating w/ Converts" I just started bawling my eyes out when I read it. I was just so sad to leave them. It didn't hit me until that moment that they were gone, or rather I had left them... Even though it will be hard and I will continue to miss them. I know the Lord has need of me in other places and I am so happy to continue serving wherever he may call me. I love His work, and it is going by too fast... I cannot believe I am going on 8 months... 1/3 of the way through... only 16 more months to change peoples lives... Gotta get busy :) love you all again have a fantastic week!

Your missionary,
Elder Watkins :)

Elder Gaudiano (Dustin's new companion) and Elder Watkins and
Mt. Arayat(an extinct volcano) in the background.
Elder Watkins is all kinds of adorable!!!  

Week 30: Saying Goodbye, Lehi's Vision, and Gratitude for My Family

Hey everyone! :)

This has been a sad week for me. I've been saying good bye to most of the people that I teach. You truly don't know how much you'll miss someone till they are gone... It's been sad but I have loved all the experiences and memories that we have shared together. There was a farewell lunch after church and we all ate then it was kinda awkward/sad but I sat in the middle and then people around the room just said their goodbyes. What I mean be awkward is that on the 1% chance that I stay in this area, I return to church after all the goodbyes and say, 'I'm back!' hahah I think it would be funny.

Anyways I had been really worried with leaving the area with something to build on. As 4 of our investigators became Recent Converts, it left our teaching pool for potential baptisms on low. We really focused the past few weeks on finding new people to teach. For the past 3 weeks we have had over 7 new investigators every week! and a lot of them have baptismal dates for May. So I am pretty excited about that. The work will hopefully continue to grow here in Talavera Ward. It's interesting but the work in terms of baptisms is basically doubling every new companionship. Before me there was 1, then Gomez and I 2, then Choresca and I 5, and hopefully Choresca and his new companion get 10! :) The work is starting to pick up in the area and I'm excited for it.

As I was going to teach my favorite person I've met here, sister Nela, I had no idea what to share with her, as it would be our last teaching appointment. We got there and I still didn't know what to teach. So we had the opening prayer and I thought to teach Lehi's vision. I had no idea why but as I started it I realized that it was totally her story, as with most people. Lehi starts in a state of confusion then prays and the Lord shows him a tree off in the distance that would make him happy. No coincidence that the tree was inferebly far away. The Lord requires us to work and show faith to him to receive his blessings. I really thought this was Nela, she was in a state of confusion in her life when we met her. We showed her a way out, the tree. Not only did she eventually partake of the fruit, she sprinted to it. We then went on to enduring to the end and holding to the rod. But that lesson was so powerful and I could just feel the spirit so strongly. It goes on how when Lehi partook of the fruit he desired it for his family.

On a slight tangent from that, I'm still in touch with my friends that are on missions and a few that are at home, and I am so happy to be where I am today. I was reading my Patriarchal blessing last night, and the first thing is how blessed I am to be born into the family that I have. It's so true. I see so much sadness here and hear about others back home. And it is most always due to family problems. Everything starts with family and I am so happy with the one that I was born into. I love you all so much and am so grateful for the great examples you are to me. I couldn't be here if it were not for each of you.

I hope you all have a fantastic week :0

Love you all 

Elder Watkins

Most of the Benedicto Family

Family Home Evening hosted by Sister Maan. She is on the right, Rochelle is on the left.

Elder Watkins with Javen before he moved.

Elder Watkins with Sister Balangatan and family. She gave a talk at Rochelle's baptism.

Dustin loves caribous!!!

Sipping on a drink Sister Nela made...yum :)

Dinner at Sister Nela's!

my groupies... after my lovely singing...  lol jk this is jus after the missionary musical fireside :)

Elder Watkins with some elders from The Zone

Elder Watkins with the dude that cuts his hair (in the black shirt),
Elder Choresca, and  another stylist at the salon.