TYLER MIFFLIN - THE BEST TWO YEARS

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.