tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27686858246994783042024-03-05T16:45:30.171-08:00Upon the Isles of the SeaTommy Oslundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06808585998419656112noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-37088980206079943632015-08-19T18:46:00.001-07:002015-08-19T18:46:12.877-07:00Second Chance to Email<div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey ya'll :)</span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Just so you know that I'm alive and doing fine I wanted to attach the picture of our FHE we literally just had. I haven't been able to shower or brush my teeth yet for today and I'm wearing the same clothes that I gave my sacrament talk in yesterday morning and it's <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">9 o'clock</a> PM here. It's been really, really hard work here. We've obviously been busy with a lot of things in our zone the last few weeks. The training we gave went great but after I got admitted to the hospital for check-ups and I had bad bacteria in my body fropm food and water here that put me in there from <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2">Monday-Thursday</a>. Then we had another Elder come back from Laoag who had Dengue in our zone so we needed to make sure he had companions in Aparri hospital that's 45 minutes away from our apartment. So we were literally racing around the entire zone this week from Gattaran to Aparri which is about 2 hours just one way. So needless to say we were busy. Very, very busy. I'm happy to say that it's all over and that Elder Cuyog was able to get out of the hospital earlier today :)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So despite of the illnesses and all of the things we need to do in the zone and not being able to bathe and what not for a couple of days, we are having great success ion our area right now. Elder Gozon and I are having a blast (during the times we can FINALLY be companions) and we have 4 progressing investigators right now. 2 of them will be baptized <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3">on August 29</a> which is my 6 year anniversary in being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints :). What a way to celebrate huh?! But it just goes to show that the Lord qualifies you for this work. We haven't been able to work as much as what we should be doing just trying to attend to all the assignements we have and now we are p[reparing the chapel for a tri-zone meeting with President on Tuesday. So it's been just hectic. Very very, very busy. It's nice to unwind right now and write home :) But again, despite the business, we still find time and manage to care for our area and investigators here. Again, there is no place greater in the ENTIRE world than in Lal-lo :) I experienced that first hand tonight at our FHE. :) I'm spoiled to be doing this work right now. I've had some of the feelings of the greatest joy, peace and happiness while doing all of these things this week, why? Because it's HIS work. He qualifies those He calls and He sends the Comforter to those who stand in need. There is not a way or a chance in the world I could have gotten through these last few weeks with out the Holy Ghost by my side. Guys, trust me, I felt your prayers this week, and THANK YOU! They were MUCH needed. Keep them coming because it's not like it will get any easier from here on out haha trust me :) But just know I'm doing great here. The mission is great, we're obviously busy, but everything is great. I love this work!!!! :) Love you guys!! I love being able to serve here in Lal-lo Aparri zone. I love the Philippines, and I love my mission!!!! I hope you all have a great one this week :) I love you all so much! Have a good one :) </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="cid:3279E743-610C-4CD0-B4B3-87320D7C662F" alt="3279E743-610C-4CD0-B4B3-87320D7C662F" height="336" style="padding: 0px 1px 1px 0px;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-16347985875041614422015-08-06T08:45:00.001-07:002015-08-06T08:51:30.979-07:00What a wild week!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys! </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So this won't be long because we have A LOT of things we still need to do for tomorrow but I just want to let you know that I'm doing okay now! I had a pretty rough time in Laoag these past two days with having a really high fever that almost put me in the hospital but I'm okay now thankfully :) I'm really grateful for a loving companion to take care of me and for him giving me a priesthood blessing so I can return to my calling as a missionary because let me tell you, it was not a fun time in Laoag haha. But after the priesthood blessing Elder Gozon said "I bless you with a speedy recovery." After that I fell asleep for about 8 hours and my 105 degree fever was gone by the time I woke up at 5 in the afternoon. It was a miracle indeed :) It's as if nothing happened in the first place. :) I'm so grateful for the priesthood! It saved me from having a very bad week for sure.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But right now we're just preparing all of our trainings for tomorrow's Zone Training Meeting at the Lal-lo chapel which will be my first training on my mission. I'm excited for it. I prepared myself very well for it despite being sick so it'll be good I think :) I love being in Aparri zone. It's one of the hardest zones to be a zone leader in because it's so far away from the mission home and it;s one of the missions biggest zone so if something goes wrong, it's only us that can fix it immediately, because there will be no back up for at least 9 hours. So yeah, we're a pretty long way out from the mission home. I'm grateful for the Lord's trust in putting me here though. It's a big responsibility for sure but I love it. There's a reason why I'm called here with out a doubt :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As for everything else, Lal-lo is the best! The members are awesome as you probably saw from my picture this week haha but I'm just really blessed being able to be here in Lal-lo. It's like an extended family of Magapit :) It's so much fun! I love it!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Gozon is the best. When I was sick he didn't even leave my side, he made sure that my body temperature would cool down and he took every precaution in helping me gain strength again. It was one of the hardest two days of my mission because of that fever which was suspicion of Dengue but he helped me through it all. He's a great example to me of Christ-like service and loving to his companions. And it wasn't just him either, all the Elders in Laoag stayed by my side the entire night to make sure I was doing alright. I'm just very very grateful for them and just reflecting on that makes me realize just how special the Elders in this mission really are. I'm so grateful to be around such amazing people! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As for everything else, it's the same old same old, just planning and coordinating with our leaders about missionary work now which is kind of new but very exciting. It's very exciting to be able to do this work right now :) I love it! But we have to go now to get ready for our training tomorrow! I wish I could update you all more but time is short. I love you all! I hope you have a great week :) I'll talk to you again shortly :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-54700086441744504762015-07-26T20:35:00.001-07:002015-07-30T21:21:43.415-07:00Changes in the Laoag mission :)<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys!!!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So a lot of things have changed now since this is President Andrada's first transfer in as mission President. For starters, I'm no longer training Elder Pongyan anymore which really stinks but I've been called to be a zone leader now in the Aparri Zone, Lal-lo branch. My new companion is Elder Gozon who I've known and have been really good friends with through out my entire mission so I'm really excited to be companions with him before he goes home after this transfer in September. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'll tell you what, I was a shocked, shocked yet happy person after I received the phone call from President Andrada on Sunday morning. Shocked just because I never ever expected that to hap[pen especially when I was a trainer, but excited because the Magapit branch used to be combined with the Lal-lo branch before Magapit beame a branch a few years ago, so my new area is literally 5 minutes away from where I have been living in Magapit, but other than that I already know most of the members in Lal-lo from activities and baptisms. In fact, we attended a funeral service last night where Magapit and Lal-lo branches were at and when word got around I was going to Lal-lo everyone was really, really happy about it. But then the members in Magapit found out and it was hard to say I'll be transferring because it really is like a happy family in Magapit. But it'll be good :) The Lord needs me to serve in a different sphere now in the zone so I'm excited for it :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was a good week though. One experience of finding this week was when we went to our complete farthest area of our area and we planned on being dropped off at a park in the middle of NOWHERE. But then Elder Pongyan and I just said it didn't feel right. We continued on when we passed over a white bridge and we told the driver that w'll get off there. Well, where we were dropped off at was probably in the dead center of the middle of nowhere until we found a dirt road that lead up to about 4 houses, and that was it. Well in one of those houses was a jeep of someone that I always saw driving and he always had on a ball cap, sun glasses and was always driving a jeep, and he has a long black beard. If any of you know Filipino culture you would understand that that is NOTHING like the Filipino style of clothing, it just reminded me of the south whenever I saw him. So we found his car and we came up and turns out that when we were talking I asked where he was from he said that he was from there. Then I ask whose farm this is and he said it was his Aunt's then I asked where his Aunt lived, he said America, Tennessee. So then I thought oh cool we have at least something in common then he said. Yeah, Nashville, actually, she works in Murfreesboro Hospital. At that time he immediately became my favorite. He just looked and had the personality of someone back home, needless to say his family is from where we are. But, I'm leaving now so I guess it doesn't really matter haha but hopefully Elder Pongyan can go back and find him again because he was one of the coolest people I have ever met so far. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So those were pretty much the two stories of the week from me, everything is great here still :) I'm excited for this next week! I'll email you all on Tuesday (my time) because I need to go back down to Laoag for MLC (Mission Leadership Conference) So my P-Day is Tuesday next week. I'm excited to get started on my new assignment as Zone Leader here though! Pretty crazy huh? Anyways, Love you all!! I'll talk to you all again next week :) Love you guys!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-18148414540787940882015-07-22T17:38:00.001-07:002015-07-24T21:47:40.430-07:00Hello again!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another fast week and 14 months to go! Haha time just is not slowing down one bit! It's bitter sweet for sure :)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But how is everyone?! It's good to hear from everyone back home of course :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week has been a great week. We met some very interesting people these past weeks and have really increased my testimony of the actuality of the apostasy and the essential need of the complete Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith. It's been some of the funniest lessons that I've ever been in to see how mad people get when they start to hear the truth. Elder Pongyan and I kind of look at each other and just laugh a little when we come across those people, it's been fun haha.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Magapit is a tough little area though. For the most part it's in the middle of nowhere and is the only meeting house in the entire Aparri zone. We don't have a lot of members but the members are very active in missionary work which is really nice but it seems to be that all of our investigators are students either in high school or in college so it's fun teaching them but the problem is is that they tend to go home to wherever their from on the weekends when there's no class which leaves us empty handed at church a lot. The only problem with that is that because our area is such a small area, I'm pretty sure we have visited every single house along the highway at least 3 times now. It's been tough to go finding so we have really relied upon our members and referrals recently for help, which is nice because we've been able to get those referrals to go and teach people we never thought of going to before. But it's been fun lately :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week we're planning on going contacting the referrals in our far areas which kind of stinks because of our apartment layout. It's usually a 15 minute tricycle ride to Magapit junction which costs 20 pesos and we usually walk to our area which is about another 45 minute walk just to get there, then our far area is about an hour walk to get there which leaves us very little time to do our original plans, but we're still doing good and getting A LOT of lessons in actually. It's been nice, but just a different kind of trials in proselyting. But we're doing great here and the area is as good as can be :) My heart is set on my mission which is nice when the only thing that is going through your mind from sun up to sun down is "how can I help the people in my area today" It's a good problem to have and I'm just happy I have the opportunity of helping people everyday of my life for two years straight. I love it so much :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all and I hope you all enjoy the email! I'll talk to you all next week! Love ya!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-51136145175129092562015-07-15T21:10:00.001-07:002015-07-16T19:38:07.633-07:00The miracles of charity :)<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was one of the fastest weeks of my entire life. Where is all the time going seriously? This entire transfer has felt like a complete blur. It's just getting faster and faster as the time goes on. I gotta enjoy every second while I can before it's all gone. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But this week was one of the best weeks of my mission as well. Not in any sense except for the learning that I was able to have through my new mission President's counsel and being able to grow because of it. First off, I love President and Sister Andrada. Right when I met them I felt an immediate connection with them. I really, really love them. They are an amazing influence and example for all of the missionaries here. They're of course different in there way of handling and governing the mission than President and Sister Barrientos, but I love them so much, it's nice to have these changes, the mission will benefit from it :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But let me just tell you about my week, we had a much better week of proselyting, still not good, but better for sure haha. Elder Pongyan and I are learning and growing a lot together side by side. It's amazing how much you can teach your companion and how much you can learn from one as well, I hope I've been able to help Elder Pongyan as much as he has helped me become a better person. I really feel that Elder Risenmay is a big brother to me. (Aside from his actual name being Marc haha) but Elder Pongyan is like the little brother I never had. I love that guy so much. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Basically, we may be way different in personality, but in all honesty, we're not too different at all, it's just been a lot of fun being able to be his companion lately. It's just been a blur I'm telling you. But I can say that it hasn't ALWAYS been like that. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I like to think that through out my mission that I have developed amazing friendships and relationships with the Elders and Sisters around me, and I have with out a doubt, these past 10 months have been some of the best months of my life in being able to be around some of the greatest and most amazing people of my life, but I felt that the work was missing something. One thing I could tell from the impression and stories that President Andrada gave to us was jut how much he loved his companions, and how much his companions loved him. And he gave us his first training about "How people can know that you love God, and you love the people" I thought to myself well of course I love God, and I love the people, I'm serving them each and everyday to my ability. But President Andrada said the way you can tell if you love God and you love the people is by how you love your companion. My heart just sunk and just thought I haven't been doing that as well as I should have. The words sunk deep into my heart and I went back to our apartment and just pondered on the things we were taught. I ended up praying for the longest time on my knees for charity for my companion. After, everything was just BETTER. Work was the same but I had more fun doing it because I loved the person I was doing it with, the conversations were more fun, the days were faster, and just everything was better. The gift of charity truly does never fail and upbraideth not. Some of the greatest feelings of peace, joy, and happiness came after asking Heavenly Father for charity for my companion, now I can't even notice days go by, it's just been one big day of happiness and love in our work and apartment. It's been fun. It was an amazing week for sure and even a greater learning experience. I love my experiences on my mission and my leaders. I have truly changed my entire nature because of my mission. I'm so grateful for my companions and for my Savior and for this opportunity to share His gospel. I'm in love with my mission, I just can't control how happy I am now. I love it :) And I love you all back home as well of course! Everything changed after asking for charity. I'm so grateful for this experience and for EVERYTHING :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you guys so much. I'll talk to you again in another fast week :) I love you all so much :) I couldn't be happier than I am right now. It's impossible to be any happier :) I have found God and I have found true happiness. :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you guys so much I hope your week is great :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-49177053759583131652015-07-05T21:12:00.001-07:002015-07-05T21:23:44.142-07:00Week 4 of 12 Week<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone! </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I hope the 4th was good for everyone! It was good here, just not the same haha. We took our fellowshippers and Magapit missionaries to the caves in our area this week and had hot dog and hamburgers down there with them and explored in the caves for a little bit. I lost my missionary handbook and Ministerial Card in the process which stinks but at least we can go back now and look for it again haha! Just kidding. But it was a fun time remembering America and helping others celebrate it here too haha :) Then later on we had Precious' baptism at 3 which was amazing. I was able to conduct the baptism, Elder Pongyan baptized Precious, and yesterday on Sunday I was able to confirm her a member of the church by the laying on of hands which was the first time I ever did that. It was an amazing experience and it was amazing to feel the spirit guide and direct the words in that special blessing of hers :) Now, we're starting to teach her father because Marina moved to Manila to go work abroad for a few years in Taiwan. It was a bummer when we found that out, but it happens here, a lot haha. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But this week was a hard week. Remember the warning of my faith being tested? Yep, it's happening. Of course not each day and not each week is going to be golden and happy and perfect. But it has been hard this week. Basically, one of our recent convert family's (The Cortes family) had their father drown in the Cagayan River this past week which has been awful on the family. Riel the teenage son is now smoking, drinking, gambling, hanging out with the wrong crowd, and the recent converts who are high schoolers are mostly all less active with no real desire to come back to church. Our investigators who we tried to focus on this week were all out of town or working on their farms this week so we couldn't teach them, then no one was progressing or coming to church because we had a typhoon and earthquake yesterday afternoon. No damage at all, but we'll have another either today or tomorrow. Either a signal 1 or 2 typhoon coming in. But it might sweep away from us, we just don't know now. But our focus areas have been hard to focus on this week. Each day is a test of faith to keep going and doing what's right. I just feel bad for Elder Pongyan because this is his first taste of missionary work and we're just not doing good (in results, baptisms, lessons, investigators at church, etc.). We spent a couple hours last night to really plan out what our next goals for this week is. We tried everything that it said in PMG to do to find new investigators, searching the area book, doing everything for the last few nights, so I hope we can see results hopefully soon. It's been hard though. Let alone, fighting a small earthquake and some typhoons and having your power go out in the middle of summer here is just another faith tester. It's been a trial I guess you can say. But, we'll do better. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I know I was warned by the spirit it was going to be a hard transfer for me, but it's just hard because Elder Pongyan still doesn't know too much about missionary work, and still getting adjusted and just trying to follow what I'm doing. He gives great suggestions which I'm amazingly grateful for, he's a very, very good companion and an amazing trainee. So I'm very very grateful for him and I love working and being his companion. I'm excited for this next week though. It'll be good this week. There may be some more tests of faith, (everyday is a test of your faith) but it'll be a better week. I can feel it :) But we are increasing baptismal dates and our teaching pool which is really helpful to the least, but this week will be better without a doubt. :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways, I love you guys, this just about does it for my week, pretty eventful and not too much to write home about haha, but it was good, we'll have a better week next week for sure :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways love you all! Hope you have a great week! :) Love you Stay safe guys!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-73710008010847542612015-07-01T21:17:00.001-07:002015-07-01T21:22:05.181-07:00Hey all!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So sounding by the news in America, it seems like I'm in a good place to be at now haha. The news of God's eternal truths being hidden or TRYING to be done away with because of social fads or pressure is disappointing to say the least. But it makes me that much more grateful to be a Latter-day Saint and to defend these truths even if it means persecution and ridicule for standing for what's right. That lesson has been learned, and I'm grateful for the experiences I've had in my mission to stand up for what's right always and to not be afraid to face persecution. The growth during the mission and the growth in the gospel protects you from all the opposition the adversary may throw at you, including the social and political problems of today's generation. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways, How is everybody? Not really too much to report on this week. Training is going well. Elder Pongyan is a good guy, but it's been a little hard lately, but he's a good guy to be around. He's growing just as I grew in my 12 week program. At the end of it, I'm sure he's going to enjoy it just as much as I did. It's fun training him :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Precious' baptism got pushed back to July 4 because she's 8 years old with her mom as a member so she's a child of record. I'm not upset at all that she is a child of record. It's been the most amazing thing to be apart of teaching their family back into activity and seeing the growth and changes in their life because of it. President Barrientos said "The greatest miracle you will ever see in your life is when you see someone change" Seeing someone change from a person they once were to a COMPLETELY new person is nothing short of a miracle. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Speaking of President Barrientos, tomorrow is his last day as my mission president. I'm going to miss them to say the least and I'm sure it won't be easy to have a new mission president at first but we'll get along and be alright :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Speaking of Presidents, the new Assistant President will more than likely be Elder Risenmay when President goes home. It's not 100% for sure yet but he went straight to zone leader after he was with Elder Kelley in Santa Ana to prepare to become the new AP. I hope it happens. He deserves it. If there's anyone in the mission who deserves it it's him. I love Elder Risenmay a lot and I'm so grateful to have him in the mission longer. He's my favorite companion hands down. And anyone who can survive training me at first deserves to be AP haha just kidding of course :) It was a struggle though to say the least.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We're getting good work done though. We're teaching A LOT of 18 year olds now which is A LOT of fun. We play basketball a lot with them as well because of course all of them play basketball but we're doing it every P-Day which is nice. We should have some baptisms coming up hopefully but the biggest thing with teenagers in the Philippines (and just about anywhere else) is pressure and ridicule from friends and of course cigarettes and alcohol , just the word of wisdom in general. But these progressing investigators seem very good and we'll be focusing on them this next week. But it's been a fun time this week and it keeps getting better :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all and I'm excited for the new change with President Andrada this week! I'll let you know how it goes! Love you guys!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-22447003882592078332015-06-24T19:23:00.001-07:002015-06-28T15:48:06.887-07:00Hello from Laoag (Again)<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So this is the second time in one week being in Laoag haha. We're here now for a mission conference before President and Sister Barrientos go home after next week. It's going to be awesome but I'm sure it'll be hard for them. I'm excited to see the changes and the new mission president come in! It'll be interesting to see what ends up changing in the mission. Right now, we have some of the strictest mission rules in all of the Philippines but also some of the most successful K.I.'s. It'll be interesting to see what ends up happening. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But speaking of the mission, there's a lot changing already. We had one of the highest baptizing missions in the Philippines last year but we've dropped A LOT lately. Like it's been not too good of work recently here. I'm not too sure what the problem is, we're working hard, but we do have some problems within our missions but it'll be okay. When I first got in we had about 200+ missionaries but after the October batch there will only be about 140 missionaries in our missions. I really don't know why it's dropping and changing so much, maybe it's just to get ready for the new mission president but it's been a really substantial drop so far. It'll pick back up though :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But as for the week, it was a lot of fun! You learn a lot from training. Training is DEFINITELY the best calling as a missionary. You have so much fun doing it and you learn to build the greatest relationships with the members here because of it. It was a weird adjustment having to do EVERYTHING in the area for the first few days, it was hard but it was a lot of fun. Now it's getting better and it's fun being a trainer :) I love it :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My companion's name is Elder Pongyan and he's from Bacolod, Philippines. He didn't go through nearly the changes I had to go through but he's doing good. It's hard right now just because he's just kind of socially awkward but it's fun still. I enjoy it :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We have a baptism this coming Saturday with Sister Precious! It has been amazing to see the miracle in her family's life to going from completely less active to VERY active within a span of a few months. She'll be baptized and Elder Pongyan is the baptizer which will be good for him for that experience :) Hopefully we'll have more with some other investigators but we're going to start proselyting an area in SITE which is the housing projects in our area, I just felt last night that's where a lot of the prepared investigators are, so we'll go with the revelation and start going there now :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's been fun so far in the mission though. Brother Bhong declared me as one of his type 5 favorite American missionaries and if you get to know Brother Bhong, it's an accomplishment haha! Man it's been fun working though! I'm just being myself and loving to teach and to go to investigators houses and find new people. I actually dislike coming home at times because I wanted to just stay out and proselyte longer. I love it so much! It's crazy to see just how much my faith and teaching skills have grown throughout the mission because of my studies though. It's been the most amazing thing to see. Miracles just continue to happen in my life and in the lives around me :) I'm so happy to be a part of this work :) Everything will be going great now in the mission and in our area :) I'm so excited for what the future has for the Philippines and specifically the Laoag mission :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all! I'm excited to talk to you again next week :) Love you!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-64949621418873911152015-06-17T20:43:00.001-07:002015-06-17T21:30:05.128-07:00Back in 12 week program!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys! So I won't write a lot today. I'm in a huge hurry to get things for the apartment before I head down to Laoag for a few days to get trained on how to train a new missionary! I'm excited to be a trainer but when I was praying last night the spirit told me my faith will be tested this transfer. I don't know exactly what that means, but I hope and pray my faith will be able to be strong enough to make it through and help my new companion. But, I'm excited for it. Just help me out a little bit if I'm struggling of course :) It won't be easy this transfer or two I'm sure. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I won't be too long on here but basically the story is that I don't want to go home haha. Saying goodbye to Elder Kabiling was hard to do but I apologized to him and he asked why, I just told him "because you're going home" Ha! I of course miss you guys a lot but I really never want to go home. Life here as a missionary is just too much fun and just so awesome. Living in the Philippines has it's challenges but I never want to leave. Ever. This place is a place that was prepared for me to go since before my mission call even came. I know I am supposed to be here. It makes me sad knowing it's only for 2 years. I told my friend if I could be a missionary for my entire life and live in the Philippines my entire life, I would die the happiest man ever. It's true. I don't want to leave. I don't want to ever think about leaving. I hate even thinking that the day will come that I'm going to go back to the United States. Like I said, I love all of you a lot and miss you dearly but there's no better place in the entire world than the Philippines. I hope my family can come out and see why I love it so much when I go home. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm sorry for the short email this week, but I'm in love with my life here. I'm sure I'm going to need that testimony later in my transfer. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm going to have a lot of really hard times coming up ahead of me. Please help me out if I'm having trouble! I love you guys a lot! Please keep me in your prayers and I'll do the same of course :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all a lot! Sorry if it sounds like I'm in a hurry, but I need to prepare a lot of things before I bus off to Laoag for 6 hours tomorrow at 4 AM. Fun stuff right!? Haha I love you guys!! I love you all a lot! I miss you guys!! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Here are some pictures that give a little feel for what life is like for Elder Oslund...what it looks like where he teaches, goes to church, and the happiness he feels!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-66385557670105996822015-06-10T18:25:00.001-07:002015-06-12T20:44:32.652-07:00Hello from Aparri!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything is great here now! Some tough experiences to get through, to learn and to get better. Moving up to Cagayan was like another culture shock for me all over again but it's a fun place to serve!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Basically my area now is one stretch of highway with houses on both sides and we proselyte there everyday so I've seen the same people each day for the last few weeks which has it's ups and downs but it feels like a small town here where everyone knows everyone and they really love seeing the missionaries here. It's a branch in a meetinghouse in Magapit, the meetinghouse is old and worn down, there's no air conditioning and the fans only blow hot air during Sunday service so needless to say I'm about to die during some of these hot summer days here. It's full of all new challenges but it's fun :) We haven't had a single second of work here without a member helping us so it's been a blast to have that kind of help here and share some experiences with the people here.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Like I said it's different, the food, the area, everything. It's very country here. It's very green, everyone is a farmer here no matter what, so we end up eating some pretty nice fruits and what not, but we eat other things. The other day Brother Bhong bought us Chicken heads, chicken feet, grilled chicken blood, intestines, Pork flesh, and I cooked a dog after it got ran over by a car also. I didn't eat it though. So yeah, it's pretty crazy here. A whole new culture shock but it was an easier adjustment this time :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our area is mostly walking but since we're in the middle of nowhere we ride on the back of flat bed trucks a lot that are driving along the highway. Elder Kabiling says they pull over especially when they see an American so I guess that's a plus for us here :) It's been a pretty crazy new adventure here for sure but the work is all the same :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We're teaching a part member family and reactivating them right now and the 8 year old Precious will be baptized on June 27th here. It has been a lot of fun receiving the revelations for them :) They've changed a lot since I first arrived. The main concern is how hard it is to be a member in our church. One thing that I've learned, no matter where you live in the world, it is NEVER easy to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ because it was Never easy for Him. Elder Holland said that we need to pay a small amount of the price that has been paid for us. This mission has helped me to understand about 1/10000000 of what the Savior had to go through, and I still have trouble getting through at times. I'm grateful for the Savior in my life!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The members here are so much fun to get a long with. Everyone here is easy going and just encourages you to work hard and have fun, and it's just so much nicer when you're with a companion and an apartment who enjoys doing the same. I love working hard, I love being obedient, and I love being a missionary here in the Philippines despite some of the hardships, but you experience hardships no matter what mission you're assigned in. I'm grateful to be able to experience them here in the |Philippines though. I have never loved people so much in my life, but I have never been tested to such an extreme in my entire life as well. Each day has been worth it, each day I've grown and I've gotten better. And I hope that each day from here on out for the rest of my mission will continually be a learning experience. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you guys so much and thank you all for your emails! Sorry I wasn't able to respond last week but everything is great here now. I love it in Magapit! I love you guys! I'll talk to you again next week :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-41116399867095400202015-05-20T18:21:00.001-07:002015-05-23T18:02:21.833-07:00Missionary work, Lakers Jerseys, Just another week in Vigan :)<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone! </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So if you're wondering what the heading means it means that I'm getting everyone in Vigan 1 and 2 to start getting Laker jerseys so we can play basketball at night. The young men here are TOO much fun. Every night they call us and play basketball with us after work and we just play and make fun of each other here and we're just having A LOT of fun. You will not have so much fun in your life than with the members here in Vigan 1 and 2. We're spoiled with their love here so much! The basketball court we play on is at the church but we play on a dirt one to practice in the mornings for our workout time right behind our house. Some of the times we have here is too much fun with everyone in Vigan. I'm too blessed to be serving here. The Lakers jerseys are making their appearance here for sure :) Haha</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was so much fun. It was a little hard at first just with the differences in our apartment but we were able to settle it a little bit better and end up developing such a fun and loving apartment with me, Elder Hoopes, Elder Rodrigo and Elder Leifi. We still have our differences sometimes but it's always fun. this work has always been fun for me since Laoag :) But it's just getting better and better now :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some of the things that we really need to improve on this next week is just finding and teaching new investigators. We haven't had supplies in our apartment (Book of Mormons, pamphlets, etc) for about 3 weeks here and the work hasn't been as fun without it because we've kind of been teaching empty handed lately and haven't been able to use ALL of our resources but we have a lot now so sacrament attendance and baptismal dates will go up again which will be nice to see :) The work has been suffering a little bit here because of the lack of supplies we have but it's all okay now :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Rodrigo and myself have very different proselyting attitudes. I like to find and teach new and progressing investigators and he usually leaves a good reading assignment for them and I've liked proselyting like that so far especially in Vigan since there's not too many members in our area and our area is big, but he mainly likes to go to less active houses and teach them. Both are good and are needed but we haven't been having the amount of lessons recently because of it and it feels like we are just kind of not helping anyone progress which is hard but we'll find a good way to proselyte this week for sure :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Like I said, we have differences, but we become better because of it :) I'm excited to become a trainer after this cycle though. Elder Hoopes will be training here too so it'll be A LOT of fun to train with him here. Hopefully everything will go better and we'll be able to work better because of it :) I'm excited for it for sure :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways. nothing too much to report on on this side of the world. It was a good week of missionary work and a fun week with the Elders here again in Vigan. I hope to have more spiritual moments this next week than what we had this week but we'll be working hard for them for sure :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways I love you guys and I hope you have a good week this week as always :) I'll talk to everyone next week again :) Love you guys!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-1875644991919127882015-05-14T08:58:00.001-07:002015-05-20T06:20:08.632-07:00Seemed like we just talked :)<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys so I'll keep this short since we literally just got off Skype with each other but I just wanted to write so everyone can have an email too :)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Skyping was amazing today! It was great to see and talk to everyone again since Christmas :) I'm so happy to see that everyone is still doing great! I love you guys!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As for me, my new companion is Elder Rodrigo from Davao, Philippines (Mindinao Region) It was a hard adjustment for the first couple of days but we got everything working yesterday and I'm just loving it now :) I can't be anymore blessed than to be here in Vigan right now with Elder Rodrigo, Elder Hoopes, and Elder Lefi. Each day just keeps getting better and better.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My Tagalog keeps improving it seems like everyday. At first it was hard because of my American accent kind of but I wouldn't say that I'm a "native" speaker now but I would say I'm about 75% of the way there. :) But let's just say that the language is no longer a barrier for me anymore which is so, so, so much nicer.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was awesome to Skype on Mother's day though. Just being on my mission makes me so much more grateful for my family and especially for my parents. I know that families can be together forever through God's eternal plan for us :) That knowledge brings me so much peace in the troubling times that we sometimes have to go through in each one of our lives :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything here is going great as always though. We're just getting the work started here in Vigan and hopefully we'll have Brother Bernandino baptized at the end of the month. He made some amazing changes in his life to quit drinking alcohol, quit smoking and drinking tea, and he's taking his first steps towards his baptismal date now at the end of the month :) I really hope that he'll continue to have these experiences and continue changing. I really hope and pray Elder Rodrigo can leave his mission with an amazing miracle in the lives of our investigators :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We're helping a less-active family right now get a job so that they can come back to church and be sealed together in the temple as a family at the end of the year. They live so far away from us and the church and they are trying to support their kid while both being unemployed so they don't have enough money to really support all of their needs nonetheless enough money to go to church and back. The scripture that comes to mind when I think of them is 3 Nephi 13:31-33. How great are His promises to those who keep His commandments first? :) Our Heavenly Father truly does know our needs before we even ask Him. He's anxious and willing to help us and I'm so grateful for the blessings we receive if we follow and keep ALL of His commandments :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways, it was a simple one today because of the Skype this morning but I just want to say I love you all again and I'm happy to see everyone and talk to everyone again :) I'll talk to you again on Christmas! :)) Love you guys!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-66077618444748293302015-05-06T18:03:00.001-07:002015-05-20T06:24:52.374-07:00Hello Ulit from Laoag :)<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone!!!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So I'm writing this email from Laoag right now since Elder Gamboa is going home now. The bus ride was horrible but we made it haha :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's really, really fun being back in Laoag right now. We get to work in my first area and I guess it's pretty fun to see my old "stomping grounds". Laoag is a great place :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything is going great here though, Elder Gamboa and Elder Angolluan just had their President interviews and we get to work with Elder Angolluan again tonight which will be a really really fun time. Then I go back to Vigan tomorrow morning when I pick up my new companion from the GMW here in Centro. My new companion's name is Elder Rodrigo and he's the District leader in our district now and he'll be going home after this transfer as well. All I know is that he's Filipino haha. Elder Risenmay is still up in Santa Ana but now he's up there with my co-batch mate Elder Kelley. They're way too lucky! But when I was in the office today President Barrientos pulled me in and told me to keep Elder Rodrigo working this transfer so he can end his mission with a bang and go home having a memorable mission experience. Then he said that I'll be training and become the new district leader once this transfer is over which is pretty cool I guess! Something to look forward to I guess :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's funny to look back at it now and see how worried I was to have a Filipino companion for the first time and all the differences we needed to get over, but now I would love to have a lot of Filipino companions through out my mission. They're a lot of fun I'm telling you!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Our new apartment mate with Elder Hoopes is Elder Leifi who's also going home this transfer but we met a lot of times before this. He's a really, really built Samoan who's planning on playing some college football after this which is pretty cool. It's going to be a good transfer this next transfer :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As for this week, it was A LOT of fun again! We got bikes in our area so it's nice to not have to pay for pamensahe (travel funds) everywhere, but now we bike to the mountains and back so it can take it's toll on you in the summer heat but it's still fun :) Elder Gamboa went over a bump to finish up his mission yesterday and his front wheel completely fell off and he ate it pretty hard which wasn't fun at the time but now looking back on it it's pretty hilarious haha!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Rolando Baro is doing great still! He has a job at the Pepsi plant and is employed by a really strong member there but we aren't able to visit or teach him until Sunday afternoon but he's still excited as ever about the church and the gospel :) He was also able to get the Aaronic Priesthood conferred upon him yesterday which was really special and HOPEFULLY he'll be able to get a church calling soon. We'll be praying for him for sure through out these next few weeks :) Sister Janalyn took the kids and moved down South for her work yesterday morning which sounds devastating to us Americans but it's pretty normal here to move away for a long period of time to support your family. Keep praying for them to remain strong together though :) Everything will be great in the end :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Things are getting a little weird in our apartment though just between us and the other Elders. There seems to be A LOT of murmuring going on which is really hindering our relationship in the apartment. Elder Gamboa just advised me with what President Barrientos advised him with when he moved into the apartment, just serve, love and be patient with yourself and the others. It's sad to have that in your apartment as missionaries, but it happens and you just need to work it out between each other. Hopefully everything goes better soon though :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything else is going pretty great though!! I'm still loving it here in Laoag and in Vigan of course haha. I'm excited to keep working this transfer and hopefully we'll have just as much success this transfer as we did the last transfer. It's been a lot of fun lately though! I love it here! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways, I love you all and I hope this week is great for everyone :) Love you guys!!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-36438553248749911242015-04-29T20:32:00.001-07:002015-05-20T06:26:03.322-07:00Baro's Baptism<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So this last week was of course better than the last :) Things just keep getting better and better here! Yesterday we were able to baptize the Baro family and that was one of the greatest days I could have asked for :) There was such an amazing spirit the entire day from the start of their baptism, through their confirmation and just all throughout the day :) It was really, really amazing to see them after their baptism! You can just see the joy from Brother Rolando throughout the day. After his own baptism he grabbed a mop and just mopped the church and after sacrament and our classes he stacked all the chairs and we tried to insist that we would take care of it but he just wanted to help out in any way possible. You can tell that they started a new life after that baptism as disciples of Christ :) We later taught them as recent converts about missionary work and they were super happy to tell us a story of telling their neighbors why they decided to become Mormon. It was one of the most memorable days in their lives for sure :) It was amazing. I asked later on what they felt after their baptism and they just simply said that there was "no doubt" that this church is the true church of Christ restored again through Joseph Smith. They shared a one sentence long testimony of the church after their baptism but you could tell that they knew that this was the best thing that they could have done for their entire family :) It was very, very amazing to find and teach them with Elder Gamboa this transfer :) But now there's an even greater responsibility on us to make sure they stay strong in the church especially with the trials of Sister Janalyn having to leave her family again to go work down South. It's going to be hard for them but the gospel will always help their family no matter where they are :) Your prayers would be amazing for them right now!!! They need them for sure :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything else this week was great :) Elder Gamboa and I are having a BLAST together! It's been so much fun these last few weeks of the transfer with him. I can't even begin to tell you the fun and the things we've been able to do recently with him but it's all been so so so much fun :) And it makes it even better just being able to be here and being able to do the Lord's work while still having fun at the same time. So yes...you can have fun while still living and spreading the gospel :) That is very, very possible haha. But as far as how much our relationship has grown, we've shared pretty much our life story with each other and depending on how soon after the mission he gets married, we'll probably meet up again either in the states or in the Philippines and just have some fun with some of the people we've met while on the mission. I've been able to meet some really, really great people so far and it's just been some of the best times of my life being able to be here with all of them. It's been a blast :) It'll only get better as time goes on as well :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week we're just going to focus more on our areas where there's farms and corn fields because that area hasn't been proselyted in for a few years so there's A LOT of potential in our area. We've found 120 new investigators in this transfer alone from those areas hahaha! It's crazy I swear. We're really, really busy right now just finding and teaching and baptizing. It's been a blast thus far. I can't wait to keep it going :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you guys and I'm excited to hear back from everyone next week! :) I love you guys!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-1477781319208095292015-04-21T10:32:00.001-07:002015-04-21T11:10:20.309-07:00Too happy!! :)<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone!!!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So this past week was one of the best weeks of my life!! I love Elder Gamboa so much! I've never had so much fun in my life! It all just came down to accepting each other's differences and loving each other no matter what. And I have never, ever, ever loved someone as much as I love my companion and the people whom we serve here in Vigan. It was one of the best weeks ever! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Being in an area with a companion that you love and an area you never want to leave from is the most amazing feeling. If I could, I would live in Vigan forever. This place has it all! I've never had so much fun in my life than being in Vigan! Being able to go to the mountains, go to the beach (on P-Days :)) and just being able to teach all the people here has been the best experience I've ever had in my life. :) I love it so, so, so much here :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This past week was really simple but really fun. Despite all the fun we've been having, we're getting A LOT of work done. We had 40 lessons this week (The most since I've been on my mission) and we have the Baro baptism coming up this next Sunday and their confirmation the following Sunday!! It couldn't be any more amazing than what it is right now in our area :) We have the best area in the mission hands down :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was so much fun to teach lessons this week and especially to the Baro family to help them get ready for their baptism! It's going to be the happiest day of my life when we get to see them in their baptismal clothes with their two kids in their arms after realizing what they have been going through as a family. The most amazing thing to see as a missionary is to see how people change their lives after gaining a knowledge of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. And it has been one of the purest joys of my entire life to see how the Baro's have changed and not only them, but myself as well. I can say now that I am TRULY converted to Christ and His gospel :) It's been the greatest joy I've ever received since being in the Philippines :) I've never, ever, ever loved people as much as the people that I've been around these last few weeks. The Lord has blessed my life in degrees unimaginable and I feel that this missionary service is a small token that I'm paying for the love and the blessings He has constantly showered upon me. I cannot possibly thank Him enough! :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways, I love you guys so much and I hope this email helps people understand how much I love I love my calling as a missionary here in the Laoag mission! It's been amazing and it will only continue to get better! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you guys!!! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-57834416825450008272015-04-14T06:48:00.001-07:002015-04-21T06:28:09.783-07:00Happy Conference :)<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hello Everyone!! :)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week got harder before it got better for sure. It's been hard with Elder Gamboa recently. We don't really have a lot in common but that really isn't the problem. I woke up to him on Tuesday morning packing his bags and walking out the door. I was just baffled at that time so we needed President Barrientos to come down and help the situation a little bit. It's been a really hard time this transfer. Some of the hardest times to find love for someone that I just can't click with. I feel that it's my fault for not being able to love him as much as I need to but it's so hard to truly love someone who you can't trust all the time. It's been hard but it's been getting better little by little. I know there's a lot of things I need to improve on in myself to be able to help him better. I learned that you can't change someone else, all you have is the power to change yourself. So that's what I've been doing, trying to change myself so we can get this companionship going a little bit better. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was a good week of work towards the end of the week though :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We have two investigators who are a husband and wife who we taught at the beginning of the transfer and they'll be baptized on the 25th :) Their baptismal interview is this Saturday and we're making the announcement of their baptism on Sunday. Rolando and Janalyn have been AMAZING to teach. Sister Baro had an addiction to drinking coffee but as we taught her the Word of Wisdom she immediately threw away her coffee products and decided to get Milo instead. They're different compared to any other investigator that we've had because they've truly searched and prayed with a humble and sincere heart to know if The Book of Mormon is true and as they did this then as it says in the Introduction to The Book of Mormon that they will also come to know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God and has restored the fullness of Christ's gospel again on the Earth. In short, EVERYTHING we know to be true in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is built upon our testimony that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. And I KNOW that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's amazing to be able to baptize a family of 4 and help them receive the eternal covenants of Salvation and help prepare them to make more covenants in the Lord's temple after this baptism. I'm so, so, so excited for the Baro family and for their son and daughter to have the gospel in their home. I'm so, so, so excited for them :) Words can't truly describe how happy I am for their family :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything else this week went great! :) Conference was amazing as always. I reflected on my life and realized how grateful I am to have prophetic counsel in my life to guide me and help me through a world that is getting farther and farther apart from Christ's doctrine. Their counsel lead by the spirit has given me more advice in my life than ever before. I can't really say which conference talk was my absolute favorite because each one I was able to learn and grow from in a different way. It made me more grateful for the Savior and His atoning sacrifice, it made me more grateful for my family, for my parents, and grandparents, sister and brother. It made me more grateful to understand that we can be together forever through the covenants in the temple and the importance of doing family history work so that we can be united together again with a celestial bond. And it just made me more grateful to have a loving Heavenly Father to help me out in times of need. He really does reach out and talk to us through His appointed servants. I'm so grateful for this gospel and for the Restored church of Jesus Christ! :) That is the reason why I left on my mission, so that others can feel the love of the Savior in their own lives and receive the same ordinances that has gave my life peace, direction, and love. I love this church! :) and I love my Father in Heaven and His plan for us! :) I hope each and everyone of you who reads this email can feel the love that I have for Him and for His plan and can feel closer to Him because of this email :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all so much and I hope you all are able to find love, joy, peace, and happiness as I have found in my life through living the restored gospel :) I love you all! :) and I hope this week is great week for everyone! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-37825358842632627162015-04-05T23:04:00.001-07:002015-04-13T21:32:40.944-07:00Happy April 6th :)<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys! </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So besides it being April 6th today which is just a good day in general. Today is the 185th anniversary of Christ's church Restored and organized again on the Earth. How amazing is that? And not only that, today is the day that is accepted through revelation in this dispensation as our Lord and Savior's birthday. April 6th is a very, very, very amazing date in time and history for the entire history of the universe. Some of the most important occurrences in all of history happened on this date. How amazing is April 6? :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was a pretty good week here in Ilocos Sur. It was Holy Week here in the Philippines and I have some very, very crazy stories about Holy Week here. Unfortunately, some of them aren't all good, there were people crucified, I had an encounter with someone using black magic on me in downtown Vigan to try and steal my money. It was just very very bad at times. The black magic experience was very abnormal. Elder Gamboa and I were walking through downtown Vigan to try to get back to our apartment and it was Wednesday night when everyone was celebrating Holy Week. And Holy Week is very big in the Philippines, especially in Vigan with all of the Catholic churches and landmarks here. So we were walking back and there was a parade outside of one of the old classic Cathedrals here when we saw a beggar. Elder Angolluan told me if you ever see a beggar (especially in Manila) to never look in their eyes because they use hypnotism to try and take all of your money. So when I saw him I immediately felt to not look into his eyes. So we walked by him and immediately he just started following us. Then we stop and he stands right next to me with his hand stretched out to get money. Then I was just tempted to look into his eyes. Biggest mistake of my life. This guys eyes were completely black, they had absolutely no white in them and I felt just a dark presence come over me and I had to tell myself to look away. When I finally looked away he did everything he could to get back into my eye sight so that's the time Elder Gamboa and I just decided to hurry back to our apartment. Next thing you know he's following us back to our apartment when we see a police officer leaning up on a tricycle and told him that someone was following us. Then he tries to grab him and this guy just bolts down the road faster than I've seen anyone run before in my life. So that's what Holy Week was like here haha. Pretty crazy stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The typhoon, thankfully, never hit us this week, It dispersed over the Pacific at the very last second and we didn't even get a single drop of rain. Only a little wind is all. The prayers really did help this week :) I'm so happy it didn't hit the Philippines. It would have been devastating if it would have came here.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Gamboa and I are still working hard but it's been different to have him as my companion. I feel like he lies a lot to me and it causes a really big disturbance in the apartment as well with the other companionship. So we sat down and had a talk for about 2 hours today and it really really helped himself and myself as well. Basically I just told him that he needs to grow up and stop looking to judge other people. I found in my own life that as I have cast out the beam out of mine own eye first then I can see clearly how I need to change myself. I'm trying my best to help him and we are a companionship so I will always be there for him and support him and trust him. But it's hard sometimes, but as I pray for charity for him then I'm able to love him even more despite the difficulties and tough circumstances. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vigan is a very, very good area. I love it so much here :) It's A LOT different than Laoag though. There's no members who live in our area so we don't develop the close relationships with the members like what we were able to do in Laoag. That's what i miss most, just the members there. They were the best and they made Laoag a great place to serve. If it wasnt for them, Laoag would have been the hardest 4 1/2 months of my life. But because of them, it was the best 4 1/2 months of my life. I'm so grateful for the members there :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everything else is going great though! Just working hard and getting ready for General Conference this next week for us here. I'll be starting to study Ilokano this upcoming week to try to be fluent in that as well, then after that I'll study Cebuano, then if i have time maybe even a little Spanish towards the end of my mission. I figured what a better time to learn new languages than when you're on your mission haha. It's fun but it's hard work still. It takes a lot of faith, hard work, determination, and takes a lot of courage to not be afraid of making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. But it's all fun stuff, and it all makes me rely more fully on Christ for His help while learning these languages. :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That's about it for me this week! :) I hope you all have a great week this week! :) Love you all!:) I'll talk to you all soon :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-29645719814116264362015-03-30T11:58:00.002-07:002015-03-30T12:45:31.181-07:00Vigan!<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
T<span style="text-align: center;">his week in Vigan was amazing!! The coolest city I have ever been to in my life! The best way I could ever describe it is that it seems like Venice, only in the Philippines, with weather like California, mountains like the ones in Utah, with a country side like in Tennessee. So needless to say I have the best of all worlds here haha. Vigan is soooooo much fun though!! It's by far the most unique place I've ever been to in my life. I forgot my camera today but I'll send you pictures next week! Vigan is AWESOME! Plus we get to teach in the Philippines which makes it even better :)</span><br />
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So I realized this week that I'm pretty fluent in Tagalog. I understand every word that is being spoken of, I'm able to respond, and I'm able to read and write in it too. Of course there's still a lot more vocabulary I need to learn to be able to be better at the language but I've hit the point of fluency which is really really cool to think about. Plus it just makes it so much more fun when you don't really have to worry about the language all that much but I'll still be studying everyday for sure and trying to learn Ilokano too. Being in Ilocos Sur now there's not too much Ilokano speakers but it's still a nice skill to have to be able to communicate to ALL of the people here. And Ilokano is like 80% Spanish too so i might be able to pick up a couple more which is really really nice. Just got to keep working hard and keep studying, praying, and striving for the spirit. It would have been impossible if I didn't have the spirit with me :)</div>
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But my companion Elder Gamboa is different than all the rest of my companions. I'm grateful for all of my companions because I have learned and grew so much because of them and having to adapt to their different personalities, weaknesses and strengths, which has made me a better person in return. I'm very grateful for all of my companions and I have grown with all of them and the same will be with Elder Gamboa too :)</div>
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We worked really hard this week. We had 38 lessons and taught 30 new investigators. The Elders before didn't do anything in the area so it's kind of like opening up a new area. When I first got there there was no progressing investigators, no baptismal dates, and no teaching pool but we worked hard this week and got 12 new baptismal dates and 3 progressing investigators. Vigan is a REALLY big area so there's a lot of people who have been prepared and we're excited to be able to help them here :)</div>
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Everything else is great though! I'm in an apartment that's pretty big and pretty nice in San Vicente. Our area is actually mostly in Bantay, very little of it is in Vigan. But we live with two other Elders which is A LOT of fun to have. It's SO much fun in our apartment haha. Bantay is BEAUTIFUL. If there was an area where I think I could live in the Philippines it would definitely be Bantay. It's really really nice there.</div>
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The church is great in Vigan! Everything is organized and nice and calm and spiritual during Sundays and we're able to have a good church service which is really really nice. The chapel is BEAUTIFUL and it's been a really really nice change so far. I miss Laoag but I fell in love with Vigan almost immediately :) Everything is great here! :)</div>
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I'm excited for this next week of work in Vigan! It's great here! :)</div>
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Anyways I love you all and I'll talk to you all next week! :)</div>
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Love,</div>
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Elder Oslund</div>
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A NOTE ABOUT THE PICTURES FROM ELDER OSLUND:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So here's some pictures from the boodle fight, and some random ones and my farewell yesterday! Enjoy! Hopefully you can feel how much I love the members here from these pictures :) Love you all!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-72742409655158372782015-03-22T21:33:00.001-07:002015-03-22T21:39:42.475-07:00Heading Down to Vigan!<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone!!!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So my new home will be Vigan 2A! Going from one city to another but Vigan is apparently one of the 7 wondrous cities in the world (according to the people in the Philippines). So I'm really excited to get there tomorrow and start working down South! Vigan is the farthest area South of our mission until it gets into Baguio mission. From what I've heard it's really amazing down there because it was a city that the Spanish founded in the 15th century or so and there's a lot of Spanish culture mixed with the Philippines culture and is one of the top vacation spots in the Philippines. It's going to be a fun time there for sure! But I'll be able to find out more when I get there and start working and tell everyone about it after :) Elder Tanner came from Vigan and he says he misses it a lot. I'm excited to get started down there for sure :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My new companion will be Elder Gamboa who is the same batch as Elder Angolluan so this will be his last transfer in the mission field so we'll be finishing it up strong for him with out a doubt! Being companions with Elder Angolluan has been a real blessing in my life. He's taught me A LOT in how to add power and boldness in the lessons and how to be loving at the same time. I learned how to serve my companion better with him. I learned that you serve the people you love not just that you love the people you serve. My time in Laoag has been amazing and has been the most growth both spiritually, mentally, and physically, in my entire life. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was a good last week in Laoag! I'm very grateful and humble to have been able to have served in such an amazing place for the first part of my mission! There's Ivy Tolentino and Lexter De Guzman that I've told you about who will be baptized this upcoming transfer! :) Unfortunately I'm too far away from Laoag (about 3 hours) to travel by bus to see them be baptized but it's been amazing to have found them, teach them, and to help prepare them for baptism! I feel like I came and accomplished what the Lord wanted me to do in my time here in Laoag! :) We were able to get long time less-actives to become active again and we were able to learn and grow as missionaries and children of our Father in Heaven in my time here. Some of the experiences here brought me the purest and greatest joy I've ever had. :) I don't think you can get any other ward quite like Laoag 3rd Ward. They were the best!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Above all I just love doing the work of the Lord in the Philippines. I love learning and teaching and testifying of the truthfulness of His church and gospel to a world who is in essential need of the Restored truths. I love knowing that I have been called of God through a prophet to be here in this mission and teaching this people in their native language. I don't think there's enough words to describe how much this calling has meant to me so far. It's been some of the most precious and amazing, yet most challenging and difficult 6 months of my life but each second has been worth it. Every blood, sweat, and tear and mile has been completely worth it and I know that the pure motivation that I have to keep going is that I know that this church has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, and that Jesus Christ is at the head of this church and this is the only true church restored again on the earth. My testimony of the Restoration and the atonement of the Savior has carried me farther on this mission than I could have ever imagined. And I'm very, very grateful to be able to keep learning and progressing, and to keep serving in my new area in Vigan. I can't tell you how thankful I am to be here! :) Time to get started working down South! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love you all and I'll see you all in Vigan! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-22649981406898184382015-03-18T19:46:00.001-07:002015-03-18T20:34:14.930-07:00The Beginning of My Last Week in Laoag!<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone!!!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So as you can tell transfer week is coming up this next week and President Barrientos already told me I'll be transferring but I have no idea where to. I'll tell you next email! But he told Elder Risenmay that I want to go up north to Caguyan (which I didn't) so maybe that's a hint of what's to come.who knows! Time will only tell haha. But Caguayn is known as missionaries paradise in the Laoag mission. It's so green up there, white sand beaches, blue waters no cities, the people are humble and accepting and I heard nothing but amazing things. But like I told President when he asked me where I want to go "I'll go anywhere where the Lord wants me to go." :) So we'll see soon!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was a pretty good one! I love working with Elder Angolluan! I've never had so much fun in my life because of how fun he is to work with! I've learned so much from him and it's been such an amazing blessing to have him as my companion this transfer! :) We're housing missionaries this week for a mission wide zone conference on Tuesday so Elder Risenmay is staying with us for this week and I didn't realize how much I missed him until we started talking about everything that's been happening. The missionaries here in Laoag are amazing and I know most will be lifelong friends after my mission as well! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Summer is for sure coming up quickly now. It's pretty miserable actually on some days because of how hot it gets in Laoag and there's no breeze, no cloud coverage, just sun, sun, and more sun when you're always on the pavement in the city too it's just brutal. It'll be nice to get the fresh country breeze again when I get transferred :) All I know is that Laoag is the most densely populated area in our mission so what that tells me is that the rest of my mission is pretty much little city and population outside of Laoag and Vigan! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Without a doubt I'm going to miss the members here in Laoag. I've grown so close with a lot of them and they have been such amazing blessings in my life to be able to serve them and to be able to serve alongside one another. I'm going to really miss the families here in Laoag 3! That's probably the thing that Laoag 3 is known for is just having amazing families that love the missionaries and are just amazing people! I love it here because of them!! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We had a really good week with the our investigators too! :) Unfortunately, John Neil and Allen Rae really don't have a desire to be baptized and they try everything to avoid being taught by the missionaries now so without a doubt it was a really hard day to realize that we can't teach them anymore as we had been doing in the past. I still love them a lot and I still pray for them but we need to find those who are ready to hear the gospel and it breaks my heart that we can't help them be prepared to be baptized. It really, really stinks. But we have new investigators now who are really doing amazing! Seeing one of our investigators come in when Antero Ligot picked her and her two kids up in Barit and drove her to church yesterday and seeing how joyful she looked when the sisters in Primary took her into their arms and care was probably one of the sweetest gestures of Christ-like love I have ever seen in my life. I love replaying that moment and that feeling I received when I saw and witnessed that love from the members of the church. It was one of the purest joys I have yet received on my mission.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then we've been teaching Lexter De Guzman and he's been doing amazing! He's been keeping every commitment we've been giving him, you can see the interest and desire in his eyes to keep the commitments that we extend to him because he's witnessed that the commitments that we give him brings him profound joy and happiness and amazing blessings in his life. Unfortunately, his baptismal date is on the 28th and if he continues preparing for that then there's no doubt he'll be baptized on that date! I'm so excited for him!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A lot of our less-actives that have been less-active for a long time are now considered active in the church and even Cornell is bring his daughter now to really try and help his family receive the gospel. It's been an amazing work in Laoag 3B and I'm so blessed and happy to have spent my time here and help others receive the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't be any more grateful for my time here and I will forever cherish the 4 1/2 months here as sacred and some of the hardest, yet most amazing moments of my life to this day. I love each and every member, family, investigator, and less-active that we have been able to teach. I can't tell you how much I love the people here. I'm sad to leave but I'm excited to see what's next in store.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all and hope you have a great week! I'll talk to you all again next week and I'll fill you in on where my new area is! Wherever it is, it''s where the Lord wants me to be! :) Love you guys!!! I'll talk to you next week!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-24263582041759124052015-03-09T19:08:00.001-07:002015-04-21T06:28:45.015-07:00MABUHAY!<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I guess the heading brought out my Filipino and Tennessee side at the same time! HA!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As you can probably tell I'm in a very amazing mood right now! It's amazing to be serving the Lord right now in Laoag! I just can't control how truly HAPPY I am right now!! It's really for no special purpose at all other than the reason of being able to be here and doing this great work! I LOVE IT! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm surrounded by the most amazing people, with a companion that I truly love to work with and be around. With Elders and Sisters in Laoag who I just feel truly blessed to be around. I've truly NEVER EVER have experienced such profound JOY, LOVE and HAPPINESS in my entire life! This is truly the Lords work and I'm so happy to be apart of it! Out of ALL the things I could be doing right now and ALL the places I could be, there's NOTHING that makes me more happier than being here in the Philippines, with the most amazing people, speaking the most amazing language, with the most amazing members in Laoag 3. I can't express my true gratitude that I feel right now to be here serving our Lord and Savior. I LOVE IT! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week really wasn't anything special! But man did I love every second of it!! From the moment we wake up at the crack of dawn to go running along the river in Laoag to the moment my head rests my pillow at night around 10:45 I can't control how much I love to be here. I feel like my face is just hurting all day because of how much I'm smiling and laughing throughout the day, any place at any time because of the love I have for the members and the people we teach and the love I have for my companion. I've never had so much fun teaching and testifying about our Lord and Savior and His gospel and His church that has been restored through His prophet Joseph Smith. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I think the reason why I'm always so happy is because I'm teaching and testifying the TRUTH. I'm always so happy because I've seen how the Lord has helped me get through EVERY second of EVERY day as I learn to rely and trust in Him. He provides the strength I need to do His work. How else could I be able to be so happy being so far away from home, speaking a language that I never knew of until my mission call, and teaching in a place I never imagined myself ever going in my life unless it was truly from the Lord. There's no other explanation than that the Lord called me here to Preach His Gospel and to teach to His gospel to His children here in Laoag speaking Tagalog. I feel like I'm the most blessed person in the world to wake up every morning and to do this work until I fall asleep at night. And CONTINUE to do it EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can't express how grateful I am!! And I'm especially grateful to be here in Laoag 3 with the most amazing members you can ever ask for!! I just love it here!!! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Today is just another P-Day but we'll be going to the Laoag Bell Tower later on to check it out. It was made when the Spaniards where here and it's one of the most unique places in Ilocos Norte so I'm excited to be able to see the history of Ilocos Norte a little better later on :) It's great to be a missionary at this time!!! To not have to worry about anything except serving the Lord with all of your heart, might, mind and strength is such an amazing calling to have in this day and age. I'm so grateful to be a missionary at this time!! :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways, time is almost up!!! I hope everyone has a good week and can feel a little bit of the joy that I'm feeling right now! It's a Great day in Ilocos Norte :) haha</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you all!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-29402325822246849272015-03-01T20:47:00.001-08:002015-03-01T20:47:22.294-08:00Only in the Philippines!<div dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There's a reason why everyone says "It's always more fun in the Philippines" and "Only in the Philippines". To end Laoag's one month festival they had a 5 kilometer Boodle fight! Which here means, each Barangay (neighborhood) cooks up rice, ulam, and gulay (vegetables) and they build a 5 kilometer table. Close down the entire city. So that there can be a 5 kilometer eating competition between each Barangay in Laoag. There were 300 representatives from each Barangay, That did in fact beat the old world record which was ONLY 3 kilometers. SO, we were walking by and they were about to start when our ward mission leader saw us and told us to eat. So Elder Angolluan and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat and help break a world record so we decided to eat with our ward mission leader. Well, the Philippines News for Ilocos Norte caught us eating and put it on national news for the world's largest boodle fight. So needless to say, when we showed up to church yesterday everyone greeted us with laughs and telling us that we're making the church known here by breaking world records! HAHA! Who would have thought that that would have happened while serving a mission! That was TOO much fun! I love the Philippines and their culture here! It makes me smile just being around them and seeing how happy people here are! I love the Philippines!!! :)</span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These last two weeks have been awesome but difficult at the same time. So the language is coming a long A LOT better and I'm finally starting to understand native speakers and using proper sentence structure and the words are starting to just flow out of my mouth because of having Elder Angolluan as my companion. I love having him as my companion! I'm learning so much everyday from him and we're really able to get some good work done here! I'm really learning to not be shy because of the language barrier. He's helped me a lot with that. So instead of being shy I just act like myself with our investigators and if I make mistakes in the language or it doesn't sound right then they just laugh at me and we move on. HA! But because of Elder Angolluan helping me with that we've been able to gain greater access into the hearts of our investigators and the members here as well. I'm so grateful for that!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The work is so enjoyable here in Laoag! I really can't imagine a better place to have started my mission than here! The families that I've been able to meet and the investigators that we've been able to teach has helped my life and has helped me become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. The families in Laoag 3 are some of the most amazing ever! Each day I'm so thankful to be able to serve them and serve the Lord as His missionary! </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There's some great things happening here in Laoag! John Neil and Cornell are showing up to church again, we're finding new people to teach everyday, we're able to really LOVE the people here because of the blessings that the Lord has given to us and has given to His children. There's something about the Philippines and the people here that is just amazing and I'm so grateful to be able to be here and serving the Lord as well. Although times are hard sometimes and although it's hard having to come home after a long day and having to hand wash clothes and take showers using a bucket and cold water. There's something about the work here, and the love I have for the people here that continues to make me even more grateful and even more excited to continue serving and to continue doing everything we can to help the people here. The love I have for the people here in the Philippines and the love I have for my Savior and the relationship that I have been able to develop while serving him are some things that I will forever be grateful for. I'm so grateful to be here and serving the Lord and helping to bring His children His gospel!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways I love you all, I hope you all have a great week again! Your emails always are amazing and I'm so grateful for them! :) I love you all!!!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div></div><div><font color="#666666" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></font></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-17493218280622044312015-02-26T20:13:00.001-08:002015-02-26T20:37:29.608-08:00Hello Everyone Again :)<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Well, first of all. I'm so happy that my Grandma is doing better and receiving strength after her surgeries. I know it can't be a great time in my family's life right now and especially for my Grandma and Grandpa to go over this process again for the 3rd time now. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I didn't find out what had happened until about 15 minutes ago, but I felt that my family had been having a very hard time in their life. And I was out of sync the entire morning on Thursday morning and wondered what it could have been. I went back to our apartment where I have a picture of our family and our grandparents in a frame from my brother's temple marriage. I looked at them and felt like they needed help. I looked at my grandma and felt that she needed strength. So I I went up stairs and cried for my family to our Lord. I cried that they would be strengthened and their burdens can be made light and that they can feel the love which Heavenly Father has for them. After reading my family's emails I know that it was an inspired plead to our Heavenly Father to help my family with their trials. I hope and pray that you all felt the love which I wanted you all to feel and the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the love of our Savior in this trying time in everyone's life.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of my favorite scriptures is from Alma 7:11 that has comforted me every time that I feel weak on my mission or that I need strength from my Savior. I know that this scripture applies to what is happening right now for our family and the strength that they need in their lives right now as well. The scripture says "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith HE WILL TAKE UPON HIM THE PAINS AND SICKNESSES OF HIS PEOPLE." </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I don't know what my grandparents are feeling, I have no idea what my brother, sister, mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins are feeling through this ordeal. But I know that our Savior knows. I know that through Him that we can be comforted. That we can have peace. And only through Him can we have the sicknesses and trials be made light in our lives so that it will be as if the trails don't even exist. I know that he is our Savior and Redeemer. And through Him we don't have to have feel the temporal pains and afflictions that we're subject to in this mortal journey of ours. This knowledge has helped me time and time again in this mission. I have overcome trials and hardships in my life that I wouldn't have been able to get over with out our Savior. He is willing, waiting and anxious to help us with our burdens as soon as we learn to exercise faith in Him and His atonement by pouring out our hearts and souls to Him in sincere and heart felt prayer. To literally cast our problems upon Him. I PROMISE that as we learn to do this in our lives that we will no longer feel the pains of the trials that we have in our life. We will no longer feel the pain that we have, both physical, spiritual, and mental. I KNOW that this is true. I am a living witness of the truth that our Redeemer still lives and that he will support and help us in these times. Don't be scared or worried, rely on Him and He will be there. I PROMISE that this is true. I love and I REJOICE in this knowledge.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm sorry if I didn't tell you about my week. It wasn't too exciting anyways :) haha But everything is still going great here :) My Tagalog is going up so much and I LOVE working with Elder Angolluan|! But mostly I love serving the Lord!! I love you all!!! I'll continue to pray for you all! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love you!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">PICTURE DESCRIPTIONS </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">FROM ELDER OSLUND:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Enjoy!!! The zoo in the Philippines!! Not really, just and investigators house haha</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-87931599647779090832015-02-21T10:58:00.001-08:002015-02-21T11:30:28.377-08:00Another week in the Philippines :)<div dir="ltr">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hello everyone again!!!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week was a pretty big change for me. Having your first Filipino companion is in fact as hard as what most people tell you that it's going to be. Not being able to use any English in your communication now is extremely hard but my communication in Tagalog has shot up A LOT in just a week! There's a big difference in cultures as far as living styles that you NEED to have charity and patience for or else it will be very very very hard to live together. But I LOVE Elder Angolluan! He is the man!!! He's from Antepolo (Manila) and is 23 coming up on 24 years old. During language study he teaches me Tagalog and I teach him English and it just seemed like this companionship was received from revelation specifically for this area in Laoag. He only has 3 months left on his mission and hasn't ever served in the city but he knows how to help wards progress, something that needs to happen in Laoag 3 BADLY!! It's been difficult these past few weeks here in Laoag and has gotten a lot harder lately. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The only progressing investigators that we've had for the last 8 months in Laoag 3 moved last week back home to Baguio. It was Ryan and Algen and I was so, so, so sad when they told me that. They just packed up everything and told us that they were leaving that night to go back to their family. We asked if they knew the church was true and with the most stern and reassuring voice they said, "It's true" then without even hesitating they said they're going to be baptized in Baguio and come back to church so we can see them as members. I was so happy when they said that! I've seen how much they've changed these last few weeks in trying as hard as they can to be worthy to be baptized. If they were here they probably would have been able to be baptized on March 7th but I hope and pray they'll continue being taught to be baptized :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's hard changing companions from an American to a Filipino in just a day and really have your world kind of flipped but it's getting a lot easier now :) The weirdest part at first was just having to speak, write, talk, text, EVERYTHING all in Tagalog. It's still something that I'm trying to get used to now but it's coming along :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One thing that I learned this week was to learn how to receive strength to overcome these trials instead of trying to change the situation completely. Sometimes you can't change the situation you have in life, I'm sure there's a lot of people here in the Philippines that wish they can change their situation, and I wish and pray for the same thing as well, but something that I can do better and can learn from, is to learn how to pray for strength to NOT change these situations, but learn how to rely on Christ to make these trials made light. This knowledge has helped me out the most this past week to have the trials of living in a third world country be made light. It's not easy, it's the hardest thing I have ever done trying to do this day in and day out, every single day. But there was someone who did it perfectly who lived along time ago, so that when we face a small amount of the trials that He faced in His own life, we can have someone to look to for strength, and an example to look to, and for someone to cast our fears and our trials on and we will immediately be strengthened :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways this is it for me for this week, I love you guys, prayers will be accepted anytime :) hahaha!! But everything here is great!! I love the Philippines and Laoag!!! I couldn't ask for a better place to serve in :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love you guys!!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mahal kita,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>PICTURES:</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Elder Oslund says:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So there's a lot</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The cooking was done two weeks ago, that's ALL the parts of the goat, even the blood. Made into a jell-o type deal</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then an art gallery for Allen Rae was this last week. I was so proud of him! I love art now! This art really does capture all of the emotion and amazing detail of the Philippines that I can never describe in words. Art is amazing :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then the rest are for you to enjoy :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The one with me pretending to pee on the wall is because the wall says "Only dogs can pee here" in Ilocano/Tagalog :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Last photo with Elder Risenmay</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">First photo with Elder Angolluan</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768685824699478304.post-58112972461990207582015-02-15T16:55:00.001-08:002015-02-15T17:23:10.646-08:00Hello again from Laoag :)<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey guys!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So Laoag 3B will continue being my home for the next month and a half! Elder Risenmay got the text last night that he's heading WAY up north to the farthest point of the mission (but with the most beautiful beaches) in Santa Ana. He's looking forward to it! I'll miss him though, over the last couple of weeks he really became my best friend. At least we'll get to see each other throughout the mission because he isn't leaving anytime soon either :) haha But I sure did grow a lot with him as my companion! I'm extremely grateful for the three months we've had together :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My new companion is coming from up North from Kagayan. His name is Elder Angolluan. I don't know anything about him but all I know is that he's a Filipino. Everyone has said that your first Filipnio companion is a little difficult because of the differences of culture and the language barrier as well. I'm excited to get working with him and start developing more skills in the language :) It'll be a hard adjustment though I'm sure! Prayers will be needed! But the most important thing in a companionship is charity! Once you have charity you no longer see the differences in the culture or allow little things to get to you. I'm happy to have learned that early on my mission rather than later :) haha It all really does start with the companionship though! If the companions are fighting then the area won't do as well because the spirit can't dwell within contention :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This week went by QUICK! It didn't feel like a full week at all so there's not too much that's new to update you on.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm am EXTREMELY grateful to be able to continue being here in Laoag though! The members are awesome and I love the people we teach! Laoag is said to be one of the harder areas in the mission just because it's so busy and it's such a small area but I sure have enjoyed my time these last three months here :) </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's been hard for the people who we've been teaching to come to church lately. It's one of the most disheartening things to see as a missionary when you go over to people's houses 3-5 times a week, share spiritual and sacred experiences together, and pray for them night and day and you don't see anyone at church. It's not disheartening as in "I stink at teaching" or "I'm not a good missionary" but it's disheartening in a sense that you love them SO much and you want the best for them and you KNOW that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the best way for them to truly be happy in this life. It gets disappointing, and you have those days when you feel like you're just walking in circles all day in the sun and you don't have anyone to go to. This work is really tough but there is NO greater joy than seeing people change because of the Spirit and because of them coming to realize the joy that comes from following the example of the Savior :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of the coolest cookouts we've had was this week too. One of our members is moving from here to Denver to marry his girlfriend so we had an Elders Quorum activity. It was a cookout from 7-12 but we were only there for a couple of hours for lunch. They got there early to prepare the goats and the chickens that we ate later on. And when we eat goat here, we eat ALL of the goat. I had the brains, liver, skin, intestines and they gave Elder Risenmay and I the other parts and gave us the entire BBQ chicken intestines. All in all it was all pretty good! HAHA Pictures to come :) But it was so much fun to be there and just have a good time with them! I love Laoag 3!!! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anyways that's about it for me this week. I love you all and hope you all have a great week and a great Valentines Day! :)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mahal kita,</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elder Oslund</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0