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TyBlog.11.12.2012

Hello everyone this has been another good week.  It has been a very rainy and muddy week and I have had quite some adventures.  Really every day out here in the jungle is quite an adventure compared to home.  I heard about all the snow back home well that is cool and I miss it and want to go snowboarding.  Out here there is no such thing as winter or snow it is just a myth ha ha.  It is also hot here even when it rains and pretty much the same temperature all year round.  So this week we had splits one day and I worked with Elder Lopez in my area and Elder Agustin went to the other place for one day.  It was good and I enjoyed it.  Then the next day we had an interview with one of the counselors of President Lopez to get some of our investigators permission to get baptized.  They had problems because they can't remarry due to the rules here but they passed and are excited to be baptized.  It was more people in the Gepiala family so we have almost converted the whole family!  On Wednesday we had a good day and later had a family home evening for this family and it was the birthday of a hopefully future missionary. It was fun and after we had a crazy adventure coming home. It was pouring rain like crazy and way dark. It was way muddy and we were at the top of a mountain. I gave my broken umbrella to a member and just got soaked.  It was way muddy and slippery and we were soaked going through puddles of mud.  It was a fun adventure and we had to walk all the way home because there were no motors. Then the next day a similar experience on the way home. We had a long hike to the road to get a ride and it was so muddy. The mud was up to my calves and I kept losing my shoes and having to go back for them. I also forgot my light that day but it was fun. On Friday we had this thing called the mission tour where Elder David Evans who is an apostle in the missionary department came and talked to us and taught us for the day.  It was a cool experience and at lunch I got to sit by him and have a conversation with him for like 15 minutes. He is a cool guy, normal, but I could feel the power of God when he taught us and know he is an apostle.  He has a way of blowing everyone's minds ha ha and get us to think.  He taught about the life of Joseph Smith, and the importance of the endowment and the protection from God to missionaries who are faithful.  He focused on the importance of having the Spirit and following it whether it be to do something or to not do something - following the Spirit is crucial. We need to be obedient in order to have guidance and protection from God. When we had a break Sister Lopez talked about “love being tired” because this is the Lord's work and he will give us strength.  Sister Evans talked about how we have so many more missionaries now which is crazy.  Then Elder Evans spoke again about the atonement and about true repentance. True repentance is not just confessing it is a true change of heart which means you lose the desire to sin and do your best to serve God.  It is conversion to the gospel. He talked about how Lehi's family is like all of our families, just trying to complete our family in the gospel and help them partake of the fruit and joy of the gospel, never give up on your family.  Then we talked about a bunch of great atonement chapters in the Book of Mormon like 2 Nephi 2, 9, Enos Mosiah 2,3,4,5 Alma 7, 34 and there are many more. One thing that hit me hard was Mosiah 2:36-38 and he drew a circle which represent being blessed, prospered, and preserved by God but only if we are obedient to the commandments can we be in that circle of love. If we are out of that circle it is because we left God and didn't follow the commandments.  In order to come back we must repent and come to God -  not the other way around.  We can't have these blessings until we repent.  We are all imperfect and need to always apply repentance.  We first must come unto Christ before we can help others and no matter what we have done we can repent and be forgiven.  To apply to the Philippines, the less active problem is so big here so he focused that we need to help these people really understand repentance and baptize them with a determination to serve God until the end, not baptize them unto less activeness.  It truly is such a problem here and I need to make sure that all the people I baptize stay active and understand repentance.  Anyone can baptize here but we need our converts to stay active.  President Packer said, "You get what you go for" that is true in life and missionary work and I like that.  He also said they still expect a high number of baptisms - just true converts.  Then later he focused that we need work with members and get them to trust us and see us as representatives of Jesus Christ and trust us and then they will give us people to teach and they will stay active because they have that friend.  Help to complete families in the gospel. Well I could really go on forever I have so many notes but it was way good.  I know that we all need to repent and need the atonement in order to return to the kingdom of God and have everlasting happiness. So anyways on Saturday night and Sunday morning there was a ton of rain and the river flooded so there weren't many at church and unfortunately we had some investigators miss church so they will have to move their date back. We had some investigators at church though that are progressing. We had another adventure Sunday morning inviting people to church. We go every Sunday and have little success but it is worth it for those who come. My testimony has grown so much here.  I love you all and have a great week. 

Love Elder Mifflin aka Nature Man 

...feel like Ammon

TyBlog.11.5.2012

Hello everyone this week has gone by way fast as usual. We had a good family home evening with the relief society president's family because her husband and kids are less active - just the usual games and we played Book of Mormon "go fish."  Elder Delos Santos had it and we used it and the people loved it. Then on Tuesday we went to Bacolod early in the morning for a meeting for all the trainers and trainees. On the bus ride there the driver was listening to this way sweet classic American music which put me in a way good mood. It was like Stairway to Heaven, Hotel California, Can't fight this feeling, and more. I gave him a pamphlet because he was so cool. The meeting was good and I learned some things how to be a better missionary and trainer. They focused on obedience as usual but it really is important to keep the rules to have the spirit and teach with power and authority and stay out of trouble. I am trying my best to be obedient, sometimes we don't understand the rules or they seem dumb, but like Adam - he still did the sacrifices even though he didn't know why.  For example they made a new rule where you can't play basketball with the members which was so hard for me because I love that.  I didn't understand and want to keep playing.  But I guess it is for liability things and to keep it a spiritual relationship. It is hard sometimes but I know if we obey then we will be blessed.  So we spent the whole day in Bacolod and got home late. Then this week we have just been focusing on our investigators with a baptism date. We have two on November 10th that live near the Gepiala family. We have two planned for Nov 24th that live right by the church and are way good.  The other two are Delmer and his live in Ophelia. He is the son of Dorico and lives right by him. They are way good just didn't want to be baptized before they were married, but now they realize that it is almost impossible to remarry and God knows their situation so they are ok, so they accepted to be baptized on Dec 1. We are also trying to focus on the recent converts. There are so many here. The ones that have been baptized since I have been here are active, but a lot from the past are less active. The less active problem here is just crazy ha ha. We also are focusing on some referrals from the Gepiala family and hope that some are elect. The Gepiala family is so good and always feed us now - fish rice veggies and I hope that they still eat. They love us so much. I really feel like I was meant to teach them and have felt such joy from the people I have helped find the truth.  I feel like Ammon how he felt about the people he converted.  Also this week in one night we got two dinners which is way rare, the first official dinner appointment since I have been here.  The people are way poor but way good. Then after we had a birthday dinner FHE for one of our investigators.  Also on Saturday we started a class with a bunch of members. We taught about the sacrament and practiced teaching and sent them out to teach less actives and we had many people at church. We will do it every Sunday. Also we contacted some referrals that I got from when I was waiting in Bacolod. We will see how it goes. I am doing well though and time is going by fast. My companion is doing good and is a fast learner. I hope to stay here as long as possible. I love you all and know that this church is true and Jesus is our Savior and true happiness comes from the gospel. When we apply what we read in the Book of Mormon we are happier and can help others. Have a good week.
Love Elder Mifflin

Letter to friends, family, and fellow missionaries 10/29/2012

Hello all of my friends and family around the world.  It is time for another monthly newsletter to all of the homies out serving the Lord across the world.  I am sure we have all had so many crazy experiences and good times and have all grown in our faith in Jesus Christ.  Our missions are so different and we can't compare them but we all have the same purpose and are all serving the Lord - and time is going, it just keeps going doesn't it?  Nate is almost one year now - that is crazy.  So this month has been a good month while Elder Delos Santos and I were serving in both Stop and Mabini.  It was crazy and way busy but way fun too and we had a lot of success.  We were able to harvest some souls that were ready for the gospel. So earlier in the transfer we had four baptisms - 3 in Stop one in Mabini. Then October 6th was the best day of my mission so far.  It was such a spiritual day.  In the morning we had a wedding for one of our less actives and his live in.  They are the Cabungcog family by the river in the jungle I always talk about and that we have had so much success with.  It was way cool to help them get married and they want to be married in the temple one day.  Then later that day we planned to have 3 baptisms for some of the rest of that family Dorico, Evelyn (his daughter who is married), and Evelyn's kid, Lines. We planned to have it in the baptism font in Stop but the water was way dirty and so gross and smelled so so bad.  So we decided to try to go to Toboso chapel like - 15 minutes away and we had a big service jeep from one of the members so we just brought them along. But the water there wasn't working either. So I just suggested the ocean because it was way close and that was my dream to baptize in the ocean.  They all wanted me to baptize them so I was way excited.  It was such a cool experience to baptize them in the ocean and I could feel the Spirit so strongly testifying to me that this work is true and they are doing the right thing. They all bore such powerful testimonies and said that they felt so good and that this church is true.  For the dad, he has been baptized four times and he bore such a strong testimony that this church is true and I know he will stay active.  Dorico, the old grandpa reminds me of my grandpa and I love him so much. That family has been so good to us and love the word of God and give us food whenever they can but the people are so poor here.  I always joke around with these people and say that they are my family here in the Philippines and that I am just going to build a bamboo home here and stay here forever... don't worry mom, just a joke.  So I was feeling way good already and then later that day we went to Mabini to have 4 baptisms, 3 from Mabini - a mom and her two kids who have been investigators for a year and Elder Natural my trainer taught them, and 1 from Stop, a way old guy who is kind of crazy but way faithful and funny, Florencio.  They all wanted me to baptize them so I did and it was such an honor to baptize 7 people in one day.  I was filled with the Spirit and so happy and thankful and knew without a doubt that this is the true work of Jesus Christ and that we are making a difference.  It is nice to see when your hard work finally pays off when you see the fruits of your labors. Then later I got a birthday package from family and friends that had a bunch of American candy which was so good and letters from my friends and family. So ya, it was the best day of my mission so far and I was so happy. Then transfers came and at first they made a mistake on the text and said I would transfer but texted back an hour later and said I was staying. My heart dropped at first because I love this place so I am way happy to stay here.  I am training now and my companion is Elder Agustin from Luzon, Isabella which is by Manila kind of but not really. So this month I have been training him and he is a good missionary and has a strong testimony. At first I thought I may need to learn Tagalog again but he is good at English so it’s ok and I am teaching him Cebuano.  It has been fun so far and he is a cool kid we are alike and like some of the same things and can joke around, he likes basketball and hiking which is good. I have also learned some patience from training and it is a lot of studying but it has been good. General Conference was way good and I know that it is all true. Back in the day it was hard to focus but now I love it and could listen all day.  Then also I enjoyed my birthday.  We had a fun zone activity and I had my neighbors make brownies from America in their bread oven which was so good.  Then later in the week we cooked American cookies in our toaster oven which was so so so so so good.  Oh yeah and my companion from the mtc, Elder Hagen is now in my same house and his comp is my old comp so it has been fun here chillin'. Also last Saturday the 26th was a way good day. We had two more baptisms. Lea Cabungcog, the girl we helped get married, and then Rochelyn, another kid of Evelyn. So that family is so elect. And we had Alberto, the returned less active and husband of Lea baptize them.  It was way cool and I felt so happy and the Spirit strong all day.  We invited the other Elders to come because we sang "I need thee every hour" and after I had a party for my birthday for all the members there.  I bought a lechon which is a roasted pig and a bunch of rice and drinks and we had lunch.  It was fun - we had a bunch of people there and they loved it. I will send some pictures next week. So the work here is good and I hope I can stay as long as possible. Also in Nov. we plan to help Dorico and Alberto get the Melchizedek priesthood and hopefully some more recent converts.  Another cool thing that I did this month was I got my scriptures this way sweet clay design over it and it has engravings. On the front I have the Salt Lake Temple and it says Mifflin, Honor your Family name, Tyler Matthew Mifflin, then on the side it has a Liahona, and on the back it has a triforce and says Nature Man.  It is way cool and I did it because my family is so important to me and I know that through the sealing in the Salt Lake Temple that my family will be together forever.  I did the Liahona because of course the scriptures being our the guide to a happy life, and the triforce because I am holy Link on super smash ha ha and it is a symbol that I will stay holy.  I wrote Nature Man because I am Nature Man and Love Nature.  So anyways I am doing well and time is going fast.  Of course we still have problems here and everything isn't perfect.  The extra study has been good and I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and living by what we read gives us true happiness. I know that through prayer, reading scriptures, and church we will build a strong foundation of faith in Christ that can't fall.  I know that this church is true.  Jesus is our savior, Heavenly Father lives and loves us so much and through Christ we can return to Him forever and have eternal happiness.  The gospel was restored through Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet today.   It isn't always easy to live the gospel but it is always worth it.  I love the Book of Mormon and know missionary work is so important to be instruments in God's hands to help others have eternal life and happiness.  I am excited to see you all soon and all my family, but until we meet again just work hard and do some miracles. Love you all.
Elder Mifflin aka Nature Man.