Hey family! i hope your easter celebrations were good back home. they dont celebrate easter here. i didnt even remeber it was easter really at all.  but that's okay.  so this week has been pretty good.  i am in the same area stil but elder leng is gone. he is now in the La Carlotta zone down south but i have a philippino companion now as my follow up. his name is Elder Delos Santos from Manilla Area. He is a way cool guy and reminds me of Juanse! we get along real good which is good. Its also nice because he cooks for me everyday at lunch and thats definitly a bonus! its always good filipino food. i plan on him teaching me how to cook!! but he leaves in june so hes a experianced missionary. his english is okay but is kinda good casue im teaching him how to say stuff in english and hes teaching me Illongo! and he speaks cebuano and he said that here in minapasok hes been speaking about 80% cebuano cause thats what everyone speaks here. so i guess you can pretty much call my area cebuano speaking! haha. WHY ME!! 

So the language this past week for me was struggling hard. i think that its just cause with elder leng the langauage was a lot slower so i could understand him but with elder delos santos and the members they just all automatically click and just go off on fast rants in the language. its been hard for me to understand cause its just a different pace but i think thats good cause i think maybe the harder ill listen the more hopefully ican pick up! haha. but ive been studying the language like crazy the past few days just using all my books really trying to learn this langauge but when real life happens i just freeze and struggle at times.  but i know that i can do it! i think that i just progressed really well the first couple weeks then after that just didnt really know what to do but kept trying but i think that with a new switch and a philippino comp ill be able to progress! i just worry sometimes that time is just rushing away and im behind the pace. I gotta keep running unless ill be lost for real! but im going hard trying my best knowing that i can do it! 

But having Elder Delos Santos here is awesome. he clicks with the people really well and our lessons are so much better. we've stopped by our investagator Jomare Chaves and the lesson was going great there were like 20 poeple in there really engaged then this baptist lady walks in the house and just ruined the lesson kinda. she was just debating againts us that jospeh smith is a god and jesus isnt our savior. but we turned the lesson around and just tried to get our people engaged again cause they lost interest the moment she was trying to debate us.  After words we got a ride home on Jomares Motorcycle and he was like sorry about that lady. Come back next Friday and she wont be here. so i think they knew that the lady just kinda ruined it alittle! haha. but its all good! 

WELL family! thats prety much it over here in the philippines! know that i love you all and miss you all! time has flown pretty fast but im just trying to take everymoment in and enjoy it! I know that the church is true and i cant deny that! i so thankful for your support and i can feel your lve here in the philippines and it helps me get through the days the weeks the months and before i know it ill be home. long time still but for right now im here doing the lords work and thats what im going to continue doing! even after my mission! 

Love you and miss you all! 

Elder Sargent 

 

 

This is me and elder delos santos eating dog!

about the dog! that meat was so tender and good! it was seriously way good! 

 

 

Hello all again! i feel like this week is going way fast and it hard to catch up at times cause im always doing something. i just need a nice nap to slow things down! haha

So Collin Mortenson! finally he got his call!! i told elder leng i would bet anything he'd be called to california! He just looks like thats his place. is it english speaking?? i cant beleive he leaves may 1. thats so soon! but good for him! now its just down to adam. im calling hes going to brazil or manila! thats my guess! foreign for sure! 

So this week has been good! very fast but good. this week we have transfers so i have no idea whats going to happen. most likely elder leng will get transfered cause he's been here for 5 almost 6 months here in this area! but who knows! hopefully i just get a good experianced follow up trainer! thats all either of us wants and we feel like if we get that our missions will be great and on the right start jsut casue we are so unexperianced and just kinda thrown into this situation together. so its been hard but definetly a good learning experiance!! 

So this week. we struck out with Jomare Chaves. We stopped by with our branch president two times but he just works late so its hard to catch him! so our plan is to take the new missionary in this area here and just go try to teach him to the best abilities! the good part is that he speaks english so if i get lost i can say something in english but i hate speaking in english tothe members that know it cause i just feel like its a cop put. plus those are the ones that can help me with the language the most! but sometimes i have no choice if i dont know how to say it! but thats good! We finally were able to teach with Bro simeon but he just always debates us and speaks pure cebuano. I think my plan with that is just to bring a trainer up or my branch president if im here still and just go teach with them and let them show me how to do it. cause i know how to teach lessons but its hard to explain certain points or help them understand the points and doctrine cause of the language barrier sometimes! but i dont give up. im just looking forward to this next week and seeing what transfers bring me. What ever it is im going to take the best out of it and really try to make everything the best and learn this language and learn just everything of how to be a missionary. i think i have a good idea but its hard to do it sometimes with little experiance and i dont really have a model to show me how to do it! but i think i can figure it our next transfer! 

So thats pretty much it.  Just a little expericane i had and im off....

This past week me and elder leng have been working with our Branch pres and he's just been helping us with introducing topics our translations into one topic into the next and He was just talking about the First Vision and how we dont have to recite the whole thing cause they wont understand all the words so he said to just make it our own.  My mind starting wondering a little bit and i was just thinking about the whole thing and how it happened and was trying to put my self in Joseph Smiths shoes and feel like how he would tell someone he saw Jesus Christ and God and then i was putting myself in an investagators shoes and thinking what are the most important parts to tell them. I was translating it im my mind saying... "Nakita ko ang isa ka hiligi sang kasang sa ibabaw gid sa akon ulohan" (i saw a pillar of light over/above my head) then i just continued then i got to the point of ... And isa sa ila naghambal sa akon nga ginatawag ako sa akon ngalan kag nagsiling... nagatudlo sa isa. ini ang akon hinigugma nga anak. Pamatii sia.  (one of them spake unto me calling me by name and said... pointing to the other. this is my beloved son. here him.)  

I was reflecting on that and the spirit hit me hard. "Ginatawag ako sa akon ngalan." ("Calling me by name.") HOW GREAT IS THAT LINE!!! i was thinking that more importantly at that moment in time. even more important then God and Jesus appearing to Joseph is that they CALLED HIM BY NAME! proving the point that God is aware of all his Children. He knows us and he knows us by name. he knows what we need. he knows what is best for us and so he called a prophet, by name, to restore the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST. THE TRUE CHURCH AGAIN ON THIS EARTH!!! I just cant comprehend all of what happend but what i can comprehende is the spirit that bore witness to me once again that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God. that we have the true church on this earth and that God knows us by name. he knows us beacuse he is the father of our spirits. He is our Heavenly Father.

Well fam and friends! i love you all and i hope you know that im doing great! everyting is good with me! thanks for your sipport and i feel it! even all the way across the world! 

Love you and miss you all!

Elder Sargent! 

Sorry for my spelling! Im forgetting stuff to easily already in english! haha 

 

this is one eyed money from Harry Potter! i thought skye and dee would like this! haha

A member writes the names of missionaries on their houses and this is my name i guess! haha

yeah you could call me guapo! 

 

im really only like 4 feet up this tree! haha. we just made it look like im way higher! 

me and elder leng just on a hill! 

Hello everyone! I’m so glad that I’m here this Monday getting to email you. For some reason this was one of my more busy weeks with traveling and stuff but it has actually felt very slow moving! haha. It’s been a good week! 

 

So just to jump straight in it. I have no pictures this week! It’s one of my weekly goals to at least take two pictures a day! If I keep taking no pictures I’m going to regret it down the road! It’s just hard sometimes to think about taking pictures going from house to house! haha but this week and the weeks to come I will do the 2 or more pictures a day!

 

So Monday:

 

Monday I spent my day in Bacolod! That was way fun! Bacolod is such a fun city and just has lots of little markets with just hand crafted little things! While walking around that day I was talking to one kid in my zone.   He said "are you related to a sis sargent that served in Quezon city? I said yeah tha't’s my cousin. He said that’s my missionary! haha he said that her and her companion Sister Rolamae or Sis Rebelde taught him and I think his sister.  His name is Elder Tallano! Hopefully she remembers him.  And also his companion Elder Albao was in the ward she served in at one point! Crazy to see that Tessa's efforts are paying off and I can see them.. first hand witness! So Bacolod was nice! Lots of good food at the mission home including spaghetti and lots of ice cream. Not enough for me but still I guess some is better than none! So Zone Conference was good! Very interesting topics. Learned lots. Prez Lopez talked about agency and obedience which was good! Then sister talked about the law of tithing and the whys of why we pay tithing. The Zone leaders from two zones focused on how to introduce and teach commandments and the others taught how to perform a baptsimal interview. I liked that one cause that is something I may be doing pretty soon here in the mission and I better be able to do it whenever I am needed! I actually had the opportunity to sit in on a baptismal interview with my Zone leader, Elder Tanaggan. He is really a good elder. Has about just under two months left in his mission and I learn the most from him out of any other missionary.  Just sitting in with him in an interview... it was so cool to see him just automaticlly click with these people we interviewed, making them feel comfortable.  And he asked all the questions he needed to, but the way he asked them just weren't robotic but filled with actual interest and concern.  I learned a lot from him and it was cool to see people ready to enter into the waters of baptism this next week!

 

Speaking of waters of baptism... we still don’t have a progressing investigator but we feel so good about this Jomare Chaves guy! He speaks English which I kinda feel like the Lord was like alright if you get lost in your lessons just speak English! Here he is- now go teach. We both feel that way about him.  He asks so many questions and I know he is worried about his salvation.  He was asking about who's Alma and who is Mormon. Is Joseph Smith a God or a prophet. He's heard a lot about our churh just through rumors and just really wants to know. He is Baptist, but he doesn’t debate us like Bro Simeon. Bro Jomare knows the bible pretty well and always quotes scriptures and asks if we beleive that. The other day he was driving us home on his motor and he said you know elders I believe all that you have said so far! Hearing that was a relief for me and I know Heavenly Father is instrumental in putting him in our hands for working hard and not losing faith these past 10 weeks!  We are planning on stoppping by and teaching him twice this week about prophets, Joseph Smith the Book of Mormon! Just everything and just really answer his questions and getting him to church and tani(hopfeully) with a baptism date! We taught him last Friday and the lesson was a little rough. We took too long with getting into the lesson and struggled with the langauge a little and he kept asking questions about  Prophets and what not so after the lesson I was a little down hearted. It was really the first time in my mission were I have felt inadequate to do this work. I went home that night and was reading in Ether and came across the famous Ether 12:27  "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humbled; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."  I really thought about that and wondered where in my life I can humble myself.  Then yesterday in Church we actually had stake conference and it was Satellite from Salt lake for the Southern Philippines. The speakers were David F Evans of the Seventy, Sis Coon or Cook form the YW general presidncy and Elder Holland and Robert D Hales. I’ve never really gotten into Hales before just cause he's always been slower delivery or I’ve just fallen asleep on the couch during conference, but as he was speaking I felt like I should just focus in on him real hard.  As I did this his talk was good but didn’t seem to click or  apply to me in the way I wanted when at that same time I thought to zone out he said.... "All great missionaries feel inadequate. This is the Lords way of building them up to what He wants them to be as long as they trust in Him."  That hit me really hard.  It was an answer to my prayers. Humbling doesn’t mean just becoming poor in heart or poor in spirit, but what it really means to me is just totally, 100%, full heart trusting, in the Lord to guide HIS work. Not me guiding my work or His work but Him guiding His work and me just being the instrument or tool that he uses to accompish HIS work.

 

I'm so thankful for prophets and apostles and for their guidance in the Lords work to help me with my trials or my many inadequacies. I've realized that answers to prayers don’t always come in feeling, but in acting and listening, thoughts and words. I’m so very thankful for this work and for the oppurtunity that I have to be an instrument in the Lords hands. 

 

That’s my letter... that’s my time... that’s my week! Hope you enjoyed!

 

Love you all and miss you all!

 

Love

 

Elder Sargent   

 

 

Hey all - so here I am in Bacolod city Monday morning writing all of you while you are at home Sunday night! So weird with the time changes and all, but at the same time it’s kinda cool! At least we are up at at the same time.  So this week has been rewarding in a weird way.  For some reason I felt like I just progressed in my language speaking skills and that is a big factor when you can start to say anything that you can think of.  It’s still slow to transition at times but it’s coming slowly and sure. That’s a huge blessing. The gift of tongues is really playing a role in my ability to speak.  Listening is still at like 80 percent. I don’t understand everything people say and usually it’s out of context but it’s still better than nothing.  I’m a little nervous cause we have transfers in two weeks and there is a a huge possibility I can train but at the same time I did have an American trainer who just finished his training right before I got there so there is a chance I can have a follow up but from what my zone leaders tell me I won’t cause three missionaries out of 6 of us in our district will either be transferred or go home which leaves me and Elder Pulsipher and one of our zone leaders. So I really don’t know what will come up. I feel like I can train if I needed to but I also feel like if I had a follow up trainer that was like experienced, I would progress so much faster then I have in the past 10 weeks here and also I would know how to be a better missionary. Cause like that experience that Connor McCook had that’s how I feel like I would be as well!!

 

But I do feel like I’m progressing maybe just not as fast as I'd like or think I could if I had the resources, but I don’t let that get me down.

 

But like I said this week was a good week!

 

First things first.. I cant believe that Adam and Collin are so close to getting their calls.  I’m glad to see them both striving to do their best with getting ready to go.  I’m interested as well to see how Nate Legendre, Austin and Taylor are all doing. What are their plans right now! Also, so weird to think that Quincy is back and just chillin in the good ol' AZ now. So crazy to think of... that went by fast.  I remember before she left we were doing the math to see how long it’d be before we see each other cause our missions would overlap and we figured like 3 - 3 1/2 years. So crazy to think that she’s already home that fast and now I only have about a year and a half left here.  Crazy how fast time really does fly and if we don’t take it in... that time is dead and gone and possibly wasted! A good reminder to me to work hard and take everything in cause 2 years seems like a long time but in eternity its nothing but a speck of time.  Crazy!!!

 

So this week we have another investigator.  We met him while riding back on his motorcycle to bug-ang.  His name is Jomarie Chaves.  He is probably about 30 and has two little kids and a wife. He lives with his wife’s family and they have lot of them. We stopped by their house and taught the whole family the first lesson in PMG... "Gods Our Loving Heavenly Father."  We thought the lesson just was okay. We found our struggle, and that is how to begin teaching and we've been practicing that during our companion study.  We feel really good about him, but we've returned to his house twice and he hasn’t been there cause of work so we are trying to find good times to stop by and find him at his home! He is really a good guy and seems to accept our message pretty well.

 

Bro. Simeon. We stopped by his house later in the week but he was busy and tired cause he just got back from the tobo fields(sugar can fields) were he works and he told us to come by later. So we are planning to stop by his house this week to teach him. He’s a little harder cause he knows the bible very well and is a very devoted Baptist so he always rebuttles when we teach, which is fine, but sometimes I just want him to hush and listen! haha. So that’s something I’ll pray for this week!

 

But besides that we've just been working with our less actives and really trying to work with them. We feel like the past elders have just come in to the area and just been like CHURCH CHURCH CHURCH. You need to go to CHURCH! Which is so very true but at the same time when elders do that the people just give us answers that they think we want to hear... like those famous primary answers even if we know for a fact they aren’t doing those things cause the husband is always drunk.  She’s always gambling and they haven’t been to church in years! haha.  It’s so frustrating. My favorite lessons are with those that are less active but they actually admit they just haven’t been to church in years or they actually give us the truth. Not excuses like oh I was sick. Sometimes I just want to say. Alright so you were sick... what about the past 5 years sister! haha. ahh man. This area just struggles but like I said we’ve been working with the less actives and have just been trying to teach them the basics again to start a better relationship by fellowshipping rather then just teaching them about church day after day cause if they don’t know the doctrine or if they don’t have a testimony why would they come to church?  I wouldn’t either.  But as we strengthen their testimonies and strengthen their knowledge they are going to have a greater desire to act on their faith in Jesus Christ.  I know that for a fact cause we've seen that in people like Bro Pilapil.  He’s been coming to church for a few weeks now.. just becoming a returning member but he missed church yesterday due to a cold so he has to start his weeks over in order for us to call him a returning member.  But he was actually sick. We visited him and he was just out of it. Had no voice just a runny nose so although he has to start over with his weeks at least by fellowshipping and teaching him the basic doctrines we have seen our efforts in him and he continues to strengthen his faith!

 

Well family I really do love you all and miss you all as well!  Every week goes by faster and every month gets even faster as well!  Hard to think that this month is already halfway through.  With that in closing HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NENNA AND BK!! Wish I was there for you guys to celebrate but you'll have fun without me! Eat some ice cream for me!! I hope you all have a good week and hope everything goes well! I love you all and love this work! It truly is the work of the Lord and is not getting smaller but enlargens everyday probably faster than any other church because this is the Lords work and He has His hand in it! I know that for a fact!

 

Hope all of you have a good week and don’t miss me too much!

 

Love you all!

 

Robbie (Elder Sargent)  

 

Elder Leng at door to meeting house

our church meeting house.

Hello everyone. So this week I’ve been bombarded with emails telling me to write more about the people and the work. Everyone that wrote me this week said something about doing more of that so that is something I will try to work on. Sorry I haven't been fulfilling my email duties but these past weeks we haven't had much success in helping people with commitments and finding investigators but this week was a little better so I’ll focus on those things this week.  But of course I do have some stories and just some highlights from this week so I’ll start off with that.  

 

First things first... it has been a busy week and have been filled with traveling. We actually had the opportunity to go to Bacolod and attend a meeting with all those in my batch and their trainers. Not everyone was there cause some places are too far away but luckily Me, Elder Pulshipher and Elder Cannon were all there so that was fun to have us all back together and talk about our experiences and recount on the old days when we were at the mtc.  That was pretty.  But the training we had was really good. President Lopez talked to everyone at first about our true purpose and how it is to bring to past the immortality and eternal life of all men and the only way you can do that is through the gospel. He talked about how believing in Christ is not enough.  We need to know Christ. We need to know who He is. What He does. How He does it. What He does for us. It’s really interesting cause I’ve never really thought of it but this gospel is truly the only way to Know Christ.  Many people believe in Him which is great but their actions never lead them to know Him. It’s the repentance process  and the reading of the scriptures. The praying that we truly learn of Chirst and get to know who He is what He does for us. I really liked that.  After that we had lunch. Just soup and rice. It was okay. I wasn’t really hungry. Had a fever on and off last week so I didn’t have much appetite but they did bring out the ice ceam and and I did have an appetite for that! haha. Typical me! But then after that we got split up. Trainers and trainies. The trainies with President and the trainers with the AP's.  In our time with President we had a round table and he was just asking us about our trainers and asking how we felt if we were to train and who we would rather be trained by and who we would want to train. American or Pinoy.  At first I thought I’d rather be trained by a Philippino and train an American but now I think I’d go Philippino both ways. I feel like the philippinos just understand the people, the culture, the language and everything so much better than Americans. That is going to help me progress and become a better missionary.  At first I thought I’d rather train an American so I could help him feel comfort those first weeks but then I thought that what it comes down to is if you want missionaries to progress or be comforted. It definitely depends on the missionary and the situation but I know for sure with me I’d progress way faster than I have with a Philippino. Someone who understands the langauge and someone I can just take full advantage of.  That’s one thing I’ve felt a lack in my training is that I haven’t had the full advantage of a companion to really train me. Elder Leng is a great guy. Great missionary and great trainer but for me it’s just hard sometimes cause I feel like maybe I’ve been progressing slower than I can cause of the lack of resources I have. So at times I feel a little discouraged like I could be doing so much more but then I have to remember I’ve been here in the field for 2 months now and I’ll progress... I just have to be patient. So that trainers training meeting really opened up my eyes.  Then we had time with the AP's and they just said to always be evaluating your teaching nightly or after lessons and as you check your progress in things you do you can only rise to a new level.  So that was a great day in Bacolod. By the way... I also bought a new umbrella in Bacolod but haven’t used it yet because there has been no rain. Something that would happen! haha. It’s been like a straight week without rain. Something that never happens here. I guess it doesn’t rain March and April here.

 

So for people we have taught this week. 

 

We have a new investigator. He will be hard, but were are going to try.

 

Bro Simeon - Brother Simeon is a 69 year old man. Very Baptist. Very smart. He knows the bible very well and always has something to defend or say.  We taught him up to the Apostasy and he understands everything we have taught him.  We really think that as we teach the apostasy and the restoration we hope the Spirit will touch his heart cause he’s too selfish in his Baptist ways. If he doesn’t feel the spirit he won’t understand the importance.  He is a very nice guy and very open to discussion which I love cause he actually talks to us unlkike everyone else who just sits there when we ask questions. But brother Simeon always has something to say. I find myself leading the discussions.  Really hoping that we can turn him into a investigator to a progressing investigator and hopefully a baptism!

 

Bro Pilapil - Brother Pilapil is probably about 56 years old and is a returning member. He’s been inactive for years and randomly showed up to church one week a few weeks back. We have been visiting him every week and since then he hasn’t missed church. He is really progressing and we really enjoy him and we see that us visiting him is really helping him feel fellowshippped and welcomed and he continues to come to church. 

 

Those are two of my favorites that are progressing and that I enjoy teaching. 

 

But family and friends. I hope that all of you are doing well. This week has been pretty good! I just keep continuing doing everything thing that I’m doing and I’m enjoying it. I hope that all is well back home and I enjoy all your letters and it sounds like all is well!!! I know the church is true and I know that everything I’m doing is the right thing. As I’m obedient and strive my best, the days are never bad.  I’m thankful for all that I have and I’m so thankful I can share it with others!

 

Love Elder Sargent,

 

P.S.  I got my package! So thankful for the snacks and the ties! Me and Elder Leng are eating well now. I shared a trail mix with Elder Pulsipher and he was very happy to see that! So that was a great joy to get! Thanks a lot!   

 

me in a open field! 

ME walking doing my work