New Missionaries and Transfer Day, February 22-24, 2012

Our new missionary from Canada, Sister Snow, standing with the 

APs as we were picking her up at the airport.  She is one 

enthusiastic young woman!  She was speaking Tagalog to 

everyone and doing a pretty good job of it! We love her already!  

Wonderful spirit!

Here we are again waiting for the bus bringing in the new 

missionaries from Manila MTC.

The New Batch!  This is a great bunch of missionaries!

Font Row, Elder Lalangan, Sister Nabus, Sister Francis, Sister 

Padua, and Sister Snow.  Back row, Elder Maiz, President, 

 Elder Biala, Me, Elder Rivera, Elder Lalo and Elder Pascua.

Missionaries Going Home, February 21, 2012

Our sisters going home are wearing their Ramzi hats.  Ramzi's gives free hats to the missionaries going home.  They love the missionaries, because they eat their a lot.  The price is right!!  

Sister Osborn, Sister Atillo, Sister Bowthorpe, Sister Uy, and Sister Gallagher.

They loved the hats!!

Now you can see how beautiful they are without their hats!  

Sister Atillo, Sister Uy, Me & President, Sister Osborn, 

Sister Gallagher and Sister Bowthorpe. 

Waiting for the bus to take them to Manila.  They are all very sad 

to leave their mission, but are trying to put on a happy face.  

We are sure going to miss them!

More Specialized Training, Feb. 18, 2012

We did some training in San Pablo, Lucena and Marinduque, but 

didn't get many pictures...This picture was taken in Marinduque

...Elder Illustrisimo, Elder Cortez, Elder Bandiola, Elder Burton, 

Elder Roxas and Elder Pratt are posing for me after some 

specialized training by President.  He taught them about the 

Philippines San Pablo Mission Training Culture, as follows:

1.  The 12 week training program...To accelerate the learning process.  Do it well and complete.

2.  Use the inspired teaching method...          

     a.  Ask inspired questions.

     b.  Listen to investigator express deep feelings. 

     c.  Discern (Be quiet!)  Listen to the thoughts and feelings that come.  It is revelation.

     d.  Teach with the Spirit.

3.  Obedience...Be an eye-single missionary.  This is His work & His glory.  D&C 59:1, D&C 88:67-68,

     D&C 4:5 and D&C 4:2

4.  Learn the Doctrine in Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel and open the scriptures.  Teach the spiritual part of such things as, Word of Wisdom or Law of Chastity.  When you go to teach the less-active, teach them lessons, not just a spiritual thought.  Luke 24:31-32, 3 Nephi 23:11-14. When teaching lesson 1, teach the whole lesson.

5.  Teach 25 lessons a week.  We have more teaching opportunities.

President taught them, "You will only face your mission once...and live in it's shadow ever after." He likes to ask them, "When did you covenant to be an eye-single missionary?  Answers include; when you signed your missionary application, in the temple, in your setting apart, etc.  The purpose of covenants is to change behavior and help us become something better.  As you keep your covenants, you receive blessings, promises and power.  He talked about how the first three months of your mission make a powerful difference for the rest of your mission.  This Training Culture for the Philippines San Pablo Mission is meant to prepare and strengthen you to be the eye-single missionaries you were meant to be!  You will receive blessings from your obedience to covenants...Power to receive; 1.  Revelation  2.  A witness 3.  A capacity beyond your abilities 4.  Knowledge  5.  Protection  6. Increased faith 

VERY POWERFUL TEACHING!

Elder Illustrisimo and Elder Burton have become close friends.  

They both are Trainees and seem to be doing very well.  You can 

see one of our Assistants, Elder Cortez, looking between them.

Elder & Sister Douglas came with us to both days of the training. 

They were still staying with us in the Mission home.  Sunday, we 

took them to a branch in the Lucena Stake, San Juan.  It was a 

beautiful experience.  We were all asked to speak.  Sister 

Douglas offered to play the piano, which really touched their 

hearts, especially the Branch President.  He said it was the first

 time he has known anyone to play on that piano.  Sister Douglas 

was very touched and was drawn to those members.  I am sure 

they will visit them often to help them and maybe visit the less 

active there.  Monday, we took the Douglas' to their apartment 

in Lucena.  It is actually a pretty nice apartment, but I think Sister 

Douglas was having a bit of culture shock.  She is a good sport.  

Visiting Authorities February 17, 2012

We were so pleased to be able to spend time with the General 

Primary President, Sister Wixom and  the Counselor in the 

General Young Women Presidency, Sister Dibb.  Here we are 

pictured in the living room of the Mission home, President, me, 

Sister Wixom, Sister Dibb, and Sister & Elder Teh of the Seventy 

 (Area President). They came to our home and after showing 

them through the Mission home and office, we went to a 

restaurant on the lake in San Pablo called, Clyde & Josh.  After 

having a wonderful native meal, the four of them went to visit 

some homes of members in San Pablo with primary age children 

in one and young women in the other.  We met them later at the 

stake center, where they gave a wonderful training meeting for 

the leaders of Primary and Young Women in the areas close by.  

They did a wonderful job of team teaching and each asked for 

questions to be asked of them or problems they could discuss 

solutions for.

New Couple, Elder & Sister Wagner, Feb. 15, 2012

The Wagners have arrived!  They will live in Lipa and serve there 

in the Wards and Branches of the Lipa and Cabuyao Stakes, and 

the Branches of the Balayan District.  They will also help the 

missionaries in those three Zones. We are so happy they are here.  

They seem excited to serve and we truly need them!

The Wagners with President and me in front of the Mission office.  

I should have take another picture because it is kind of blurry.  

The Wagners are very at home in the Mission office.  

We are so blessed to have them!

Zone Leaders Council February 9-10, 2012

Unfortunately, we didn't get a group shot this time!  This picture is when they were doing their practice of teaching the "Hard Things".  The hard things...meaning the things that are hard for the people here to get a deep conversion to...such as, Tithing, Sabbath Day, Word of Wisdom, and we need more than just having "God in my heart" for salvation, etc.

Taking good notes...Elder Basco, Elder Judd, Elder Villanueva (face hidden), Elder Dioso and Elder Castor.

Getting ready for preparing the monthly PSPM Training plan.

PSPM Training Plan

Teaching the Hard Things...

  February 2012 – April 2012 

Doctrine:

Tithing – D&C 64:23, Malachi 3:10, Alma 13:15, D&C 119 

Sabbath Day – D&C 59:9-13, 3 Nephi 20:8, 3 Nephi 18:11-12, Mosiah 18:23-25, Moroni 4:3, 5:2, 6:5-6 

God in my Heart – Ecclesiastes 12:13, James 2:14-18, 1 Nephi 14:10, 14, Mosiah 4:6-7, Matthew 5:48, 2 Nephi 25:23, John 14:12, 15, 21   

Offended – Alma 61:9, 1 Nephi 15:2-5, Heleman 3:33, Mosiah 26:29-31, D&C 98, 1 Nephi 7:21, 3 Nephi 13:11,14-15, Matthew 17:6-7, 3 Nephi 14:3-5, John 3:20-21 

Preach My Gospel: Chapter 3  

Talks:

All talks will be on the above doctrine. 

Health and Safety:

- Signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion is headache, dizziness, nausea, sometimes fever

-Drink water & other good liquids. Avoid caffeinated drinks

-Rest & relaxation for stress management 

Accountability:

-Report numbers to District Leader by 9:30pm on Sunday night.

-Budget your load wisely.

-Keep Preach My Gospel time schedule.  Get out and work on time.  1pm for trainers/trainees.  Everyone else 12pm.

-Strive for the mission standard of 25 lessons.

Elder Dela Cruz, Elder Sanchez, Elder Sheperdson, Elder Blanco, Elder Eldridge, Elder Visoria, Elder, 

Elder Bactad, Elder Yance, and Elder Ramos in the background.

Elder Villanueva, Elder Dioso, Elder Cortez (our new AP), Elder Castor and Elder Basco.

New Couple, Elder & Sister Douglas arrives, Feb. 8, 2012

Here is Elder & Sister Douglas at the airport, just arrived!

Here we are together in front of the office.

A happy couple!  We are so blessed to have them!

Roadside Scenery--February, 2012

Scenery along the way while working and traveling with the 

Bennetts and Packers.  A very old building...not sure if it was a 

government building, a church or what.

This is a covered picnic area looking off a bridge by a river.

This is the other side of the river...

A young girl on the bridge where we were taking pictures...

An area next to the bridge...

Here we are having a nice dinner together after a long day of 

work and travel...Sister Bennett, Sister Packer, Elder Packer, 

Sister Peterson, President Peterson & Elder Bennett.

Checking out Missionary Apartments

This picture of me, Sister Bennett, Sister Villasis and Sister Packer 

was taken at these Sister's apartment in Tayabas of Lucena Zone.

We added Sister Mathangi to this picture!

President loves his job!... :-)

The ones doing the real work is Elder Packer and Elder Bennett.  

Sister Packer is looking on.

Bowling with the Office staff, Monday, February 6, 2012

Elder Cortez and Elder Roxas...Where are their balls?  Was this a pose?

                            Elder Surio's pose!

Elder Michaels looks pretty happy with his score!

                Hey...we are having fun!

Saying Good-bye to Elder Abanggan February 3, 2012

President's assistant, Elder Abanggan is here between the other  

assistants, Elder Roxas and Elder Cortez, his new replacement.

Our goodbye picture with Elder Abanggan.  He extended  his 

mission a couple of weeks and so he left by himself.  He was 

a great assistant.  We will miss him a lot.

  Elder Abanggan with his mother.  We took him to Manila

     to spend some time with her before flying to Cebu.

Here we are saying goodbye to him at the 

hotel with his mother.

Manila Temple with the Outgoing Missionaries, February 1, 2012

Because the temple would be closed when this batch of 

missionaries would be leaving, we brought them to the temple after 

our Sisters' Conference and went through a session with them. 

 It is a beautiful temple and it was great to get to go.  We had to 

get permission, because Manila is out of our Mission, but not far.

Pictured...Sister Peterson, Sister Osborn, Sister Bowthorpe, 

President Peterson, Sister Uy, Sister Atillo, Sister Gallagher 

and Elder Abanggan.

President with his Assistant who is going home!  We will miss him!

          A beautiful picture taken outside the temple...

Sister Marzan, a returned San Pablo missionary is with 

Sister Osborn.  Sister Marzan had been companions with 

several of the sisters that we took to the temple.  

She met us there so she could say goodbye one last time.

Sisters Conference January 31/February 1, 2012

Here we are will all of our beautiful sisters in our mission!  

The AP's had to sneak in the picture! From the left, 

Sister Howell, Sister Bennett, Sister Pruden, President, 

Sister Salon, Sister Peterson, Sister Escalona, 

Sister Mathangi, Sister Billings, Sister Packer, Sister Grow, 

Sister Villiasis, Sister Cayanan, Sister Gabonada, Sister Guzman, 

Sister Tumaliuan, Sister Osborn, Sister Tacbobo, Sister Sagaysay, 

Sister Pajarin, Sister Yorro, Sister Atillio, Sister Morton, 

Sister Agustin, Sister Gallagher, Sister Watkins, Sister Buton, 

Sister Pascual, Sister Paul Raj, Sister Ramos, Sister Rombaoa, 

Sister Gabuyo, Sister Bowthorpe, Sister Uy, Sister Donato, 

Sister Romua, Sister Baladad and Sister Roque.

Sister Grow and Sister Pruden with a pose.

Sister Donato, Sister Roque and Sister Bowthorpe 

showing their excitement. 

Sister Paul Raj and Sister Romua are happy too...

Sister Gallagher, Sister Pruden and Sister Morton.  

Sister Gallagher and Sister Morton are companions. Sister 

Pruden and Sister Morton met in the MTC in Provo.

Sister Watkins and Sister Villasis having a fun conversation.  

They can always take a moment to pose for the camera!

Our Sisters are ready and eager to learn.

Our program was as follows:

PHILIPPINES SAN PABLO MISSION

SISTER’S CONFERENCE

“Remember, Remember…

Ye Must Build Your Foundation”

Welcome & Introduction………………….President & Sister Peterson 

Opening Song………………………………………………Sweet is the Work # 147

Chorister………………………………………………………………………Sister Sagaysay

Pianist……………………………………………………………………………Sister Osborn

Opening Prayer……………………………………………………………Sister Paul Raj

Remember, Appearance & Hygiene…….................Sister Bennett

Remember…

·       Be patient with yourself………………………………………Sister Osborn

·       Commit time & energy to things that matter most..Sister Gallagher

·       Be happy now………………………………………………………..Sister Atillo

·       The “Why” of the gospel……………………………………..Sister Uy

·       The Lord loves you………………………………………………Sister Bowthorpe

Remember Obedience………………………………………………Sister Packer

Remember a Positive Attitude………………………………Sister Howell

Remember, Look to God………………………………………….Sister Peterson

Closing Remarks…………………………………………………President Peterson

Closing Song…………………………………………………”The Lord is My Light”

Closing Prayer……………………………………………………………Sister Buton

                       Passing out the balloons to let go!  

Sister Gallagher & Sister Morton

                  Sister Romua & Sister Roque

Here we are, releasing our balloons...symbolic of letting go of our 

burdens.

We were taught well at the conference...Our five sisters finishing their mission gave some great counsel in the talks I assigned them.  They were each given one of the five things President Uchtdorf advised sisters to never forget...only we used, "Remember, remember"... 1. "Be patient with yourself".  Sister Osborn learned that lesson well and gave the sisters wonderful advice. 2. "Commit time and energy to things that matter most", was something I knew Sister Gallagher felt strongly about and she gave good advice too.  3. "Be happy now".  Sister Atillo is always happy and works hard too.  That was the perfect choice for her.  4. Remembering the "why" of the gospel was discussed well by our very bright, discerning Sister Uy.  5. Our sweet, confident, 

Sister Bowthorpe, encouraged the sisters to remember that they are loved by the Lord.  All sisters did a wonderful job.  Sister Bennett, Sister Packer and Sister Howell said all the right and needful things pertaining to their subjects of appearance and personal hygiene, obedience, and having a positive attitude, respectively.  My words were meant to lift their hearts and minds to our Father in Heaven and use the Atonement to ease their burdens.  President, in his warm and loving way, taught the sisters about being master teachers.  After the meeting, we gathered outside with the balloons and, much like Elder & Sister Carl Cook did at a women's conference in Africa, we let go of our balloons representing the burdens that may be holding us back from being the eye-single missionaries we wanted and needed to be.  The sisters seemed to really feel the spirit through the wonderful teaching and that simple activity.  I watched their happy faces as they listened and as they quietly watched their balloons, or burdens, be lifted away.  A lot of tears and loving embraces.  It was a wonderful conference.  President talked about it for days and how pleased he was with what happened there.

             Sister Roque, Sister Uy, Sister Baladad, Sister Buton, 

                             Sister Atillo and Sister Romua

Sister Tumaliuan, Sister Bowthorpe, Sister Cayanan 

and Sister Yorro

                   Sister Rombaoa and Sister Tacbobo

Sister Mathangi and Sister Buton

       Sister Roque, Sister Agustin, Sister Atillo and Sister Baladad