1st Zone Training and other Meetings

Pretty jam packed week this week. We had a meeting with our Sister Training Leader's on Tuesday to prepare for our Missionary Leadership Conference on Wednesday, which went well. President gave us a few new rules for our mission, and cleared up some old ones that some Ronny's here weren't following. He also gave a Workshop on Increasing Your Teaching Pool with the AP's. It was a pretty sweet meeting, being there with all the Great's in the Mission. Lots of them are my good friends so it was fun to see them all and talk with them. Me and Elder Pasadillo have been planning really hard this past week, and we came up with this great Action Plan that we are implementing with our Zone. We also had a great meeting with our District Leaders yesterday night after our Zone Training which was legit. We discussed some concerns in our Zone and listened to our District Leaders in what they thought, then together came up with this plan to report the amount of people we've tracted daily, and out of that amount how many allowed us to come back on a later date. So we'll see if our Planning went well or if it went all for nothing. I haven't been this tired in my whole Mission yet, Physically or Mentally. But Spiritually I'm up in the clouds. Man I love listening to President Guanzon when he speaks to us. There's always stuff I'm learning from him. Such an amazing man. I also had Interviews with him this past week. Ha it was more of like asking me how I was and then him telling me that he's happy I haven't been on Facebook...uh ya ha thanks President? Just made me laugh, ha he said everythings well and just to keep on doing the things I've been doing and I'll be fine. He was pressed on time I guess haha. But thats alright, the one at the end of the Mission's the one that matters. Oh and our Zone Training that we put on went very well. Its so much easier now for me to talk in front of people now, but I can't wait to just not have to worry about meetings and stuff like that anymore. Now I look at the younger missionaries here and think "Just enjoy your time as a Jr., it doesn't get much better than that!" Oh well, times a tickin so I'll make the most of her while I'm still preaching the Gospel! Nothing beats this Work! I love it!
Love Elder Akins

Where was I transferred . . .

So ya I got transferred this week...but I got lied to really bad by all my office buddies. They told me that I was opening a new area in a different zone and told me I needed to pack, so I did. Well we get to the Transfer Point and they start reading names and stuff. Then my Zone Leader, Elder Pasadillo gets up and reads off all those who are coming into the Zone. Elder Cameron, his comp, was leaving so that means we get a new ZL. So he starts then pauses right as he goes to read the name...and looks at me. Then my heart sunk ha and sure enough he calls my name. So I go up onto the stand and whisper to Elder Tevaga that I'm gonna beat him like a red headed step-child as I go past him, then give Elder Pasadillo a handshake and sit down. Ya I was pretty shell shocked for a minute ha. Never thought I would get anywhere past a District Leader, but I guess the Lord has other plans for me. We've been running errands for the AP's a bit, planning everything for this coming week with all our meetings with the Zone and Mission, we have Interviews with President this Wednesday, and still trying to punch out a regular working schedule this week, so its been a little hectic for me. But I figure all it takes is time and it'll all be normal for me, so I'll just keep pushin. The worse part of the whole getting transferred situation is that I already said goodbye to all the members here haha so they were all laughing at me when they saw me on Sunday...its so bad ha. But I'm really glad I'm still here in Daraga 1st Ward, the best ward in the Mish! But no ward beats Santa Clara 5th Ward so its all good. Random fact, I met an Elder Rupp from Logan, Utah and turns out he know Christin Voran from back at home, actually they're cousins which I thought was funny because he knows Booty's somehow too so I told him that Boots Frei is my cuz and that I know Voran. Small world eh?! My new housemate is Elder O'Connor, my Dirty Aussie (as I call him) buddy. He's a batch behind me. We've been having lots of fun and we've been working out hard in the mornings...its time to get all this fat off from all the super good food here. I love Filipino food so much ha. Actually I broke a bamboo couch this week so ya I think I've gained some weight ha. Highlight of the week was getting my Christmas Package! The Jerky hit the spot, I think Dad made that but I ain't sure. Thanks though! Well my new area is pretty good. It kinda stinks though because everywhere I go I can see my old area ha but I can't go to it. We walk right down the street to go to the Magallons but I can't even go to their house! Drives me nuts! Me and Elder Pasadillo are already doing work here. For example, we have this Less-Active in our area who doesn't want to pray at all, she hasn't for like months now they said. Our second lesson with her we got her talking to the Lord! It was great, and she really felt good after. I love Missionary Work ha! Well I don't know to much about the area, so I'll have some more updates on the work here next week. Love you all, ingat!
Malapit na akong matapos sa Mission ko ha!
Love Elder Akins

Transferred Again

Alright well I'm gettin transferred this tuesday to who knows where. I'll keep ya filled in on the det's next week. Wish me luck though! So I had a cool opportunity to work with my Trainer again on Exchanges this week. We had a lot of fun, and its good now that we can communicate a lot better than back when I didn't know Tagalog haha. We met up with the other AP's and ate at this nice restaurant for dinner. We just sat there cracking each other up for the whole time, and me talking smack on Elder Tevaga haha. It was a super good day, its always a cool opportunity to work with you old companions and stuff like that, its kinda like going back in time. The other day during my Language Study time I was sitting outside of our apartment with one of our old neighbor guys who I love talking to, practicing my Tagalog and talking about how things are back in Utah. He was really interested in our farming and stuff. We talked about guns and all sorts of stuff. I love that guy haha I'm sad I gotta leave him and all the other people I get to know really well. Thats what I really love about the Philippines, I just get tight with the randomness of people haha. He's the guy who hooked me up some Carabao Horns ha hopefully those make it through Customs. I'm gonna miss this place for sure. We also did a Service Project for the Magallons this week, clearing weeds in the backyard so they can plant vegetables and stuff this year. I always love doing Service Projects...especially if its for them ha! And like I said I'm leaving so we came back that night and taught a lesson on Missionary Work and talked about how they were Fruits of that Work. I committed them to doing Missionary Work, living the Gospel and staying true to the Gospel their whole lives. I think it was meant to be that we knew each other. I'll never forget them and the many happy memories we shared with them in that little cement house. Gosh dang I hate leaving people! The good news is I'll be able to stop by and say hi anytime that I come through because they live in Daraga and we're always here for meetings and stuff! Yay! Saw 2 drunk guys get into a fight this week too, way sketchy. We hightailed it outta there ha we were going to teach one of our investigators but decided it to better to come back the next day. Well the end of this week was full of tears, I'm gonna miss this Ward! This Ward is just so special, my companions next companion is super lucky. I'll miss these people so much, thats gotta be the hardest thing about Missions, leaving people you come to love and know so well. I don't like it at all. But life goes on, and thats the way God wants it to be I guess. All is well. Love you all. Take care this week!
Love Elder Akins

Happy New Year

Had a pretty good week this week. We found some New Investigators, one in particular with a Word of Wisdom problem. We descerned in the first lesson that he wanted to stop so we invited him and he commited to us that he would abstain from those problems he has. We are gonna be trying our best to help him these coming weeks, his name is Salvador. I had the oppurtunity to go on exchanges twice this week, once with a new trainee and the other with my batch Elder Cameron. Elder Gonzalez is the new trainee, and he's a major stud! Kids got tons of potential, wouldn't suprise me to see him become the AP here after I leave. It was fun to see the fire he has, kinda like when I first got here. Sometimes I see myself just get into the Old Missionary lull, so I think it helped me to realize that I gotta have that fire all the time! I think I really got into it when we were teaching the Magallons, but I gotta find it again. Then at the end of the week I went with Cameron, and we had lots of fun! His area is way out in the boonies, ended up gettin a little lost ha but we found the way again. We found a new Family this week too! So excited to start teaching them! We've taught a little about the first lesson with them, and they are really interested. Sadly we can only teach on Sundays because Brother has work all week, he's only home on Sunday. We'll see how it goes. Not much went down on New Years, watched some fireworks then went to sleep. The fireworks here are so loud ha I swear I thought the Chinese were invading this week! And the best thing that happened this week was Brother Conrad, the one who has cancer, was able to come to Church this sunday! He really tries hard to make it every week, but his pain is really uncomfortable. Hes such a stud though, everytime we go to his house he's always reading the Book of Mormon and always has something new to share with us that he read! I love the Mission! These 2 years are something I'd never give up! Thanks for all the support and love guys, and I hope everyone has a Happy 2015! Also shoutout to Booties Frei and his new wife and Lexi Bunting and her new husband for gettin hitched this week! Next up TJ Larson!!!
Love Elder Akins