Sept 19 Isa pang magadang linggo sa Burgos

Dear Family, friends and loved ones,

This past week has been a very busy, successful one! It's hard to choose what to write about and where to begin. First I want to share and experience this from this past week I had with an investigator. This past week we were teaching Dixtor who has been an investigator on and off for over a year and had attended church lots of times. While we were teaching him we asked him what had been keeping him from getting baptised for the past year and he brought up a lot of different questions and concerns. I answered one of his questions with the book of Mormon and then I asked him if he had really been reading the Book of Mormon. I then bore testimony to him about the Book of Mormon and how the answers to his questions are in the book he was holding. I also told him that the Book of Mormon was his way to know the truth. If the Book of Mormon is true then we don't have to worry about why we should avoid coffee because we know it's a commandment that came through a living prophet. I said more things about the book Mormon, but it basically came down to if you want to know the answers to your questions and know if everything the Elders have taught you are true, read the Book of Mormon. This experience really strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon and how it really is the keystone of our religion. The Book of Mormon is such a powerful tool in conversion and is essential for investigators to gain a testimony. It is also essential in all of our lives. I love reading the Book of Mormon everyday and I don't know what I would do without it.

This past week we tried to contact a referral 4 times but were unsuccessful. However yesterday she came to church on her own and the member who referred her introduced us to here and we taught her the restoration yesterday. Her name is Nina and she is so prepared to receive the Gospel. The fact that she came to church on her own says something. I am very excited to teach her and I pray that she will progress and gain a testimony of the Gospel.

Our new chapel is far away from a lot of the members and a lot of members have meetings after church. Because of that a lot of members brought lunch to church yesterday, because they wouldn't be going home will 3 or 4. So yesterday after church we set up a few tables outside and we all ate together. Everyone brought their own rice and ulam (rice toppings, main dish, ect...) but most of the families ended up sharing ulam. It was like a little branch picnic. Elder Tating and I brought food to because we go straight to work after our meetings. I loved eating with the members yesterday. We were like one big happy family. I feel so blessed to be here and I love my branch so much!

This week we have 2 baptisms for Nora and her Daughter Ronalyn. I'm very excited for them. They are very ready and excited to become members. Right now we also have 7 other investigators for Baptisms in October 15. That is like our universal baptismal date right now and I just pray that our investigators can continue on the path.

Today marks 8 months on my mission and it really is just hard to believe. It goes fast... too fast. The important thing is to take it a day at a time and to do the very best you can.

I love being a missionary and I love you all so much

Mahal ko kayo

Love Elder Leishman

ps. the picture is of me and 2 of my favorite kids. Clarence (recent convert), and John Ray. They are awesome!

Pumping Time

Well this past week has been a great one! Some of our investigators have made some great progress. Currently we have 5 investigators with a Baptismal goal date of May 14. I hope and pray that they can continue their progress in coming unto Christ. We also have a lot of other investigators but the speed of learning an progress if different for all.


I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable in the language. I am doing many things to learn and study the language but I have learned that the most helpful thing for me so far has simply been talking. Talking to members, talking to investigators, talking to someone sitting next to you on a jeep talking to anyone. It still is hard sometime to just open my mouth because I know my Tagalog isn't perfect and people often times laugh at the things I say because of my Tagalog, however I never regret talking to someone after it's done. I am trying to speak to as many people as I can.


This past week we had a great experience with a new investigator. His name is Tatay Remegio Tanedo. He is 67 years old and his children and wife are members. After 12 years of his wife being a member he finally decided to listen to the missionaries for the first time. The second time we taught him we asked why he decided to listen to our message. 12 years of seeing how the gospel had had blessed the life of his family finally softened his heart. He realized the mistakes he had made and he now has a strong desire to change. The change we saw in a week with Tatay Tanedo was a miracle. In a matter of days he went from avoiding us like the plague when we tried to visit him and now having a baptismal goal date of may 14. Seeing the change in him was an amazing the experience. One of my most powerful teaching experiences so far on my mission was teaching Tatay Tanedo about eternal families. Speaking of families I loved all of the messages about families in general conference. On my mission I have realized more how important families are and how blessed I am to have the best family. It's been amazing to see the changes that the gospel has made in families lives in the short time I am here.


I also loved the many talks from conference about welfare, service and just doing good. I have learned that you are happier and your work is better when you are looking for opportunities to serve and are thinking about the welfare of others. I forgot who said this in conference but "when you give a crust to the Lord you get a loaf in return" This principal is true as we serve others. As we seek to serve we actually end up getting so much back. Elder Bednar's talk was another one of my favorites. I loved the analogy of receiving revelation like turning on a light in a dark room or like a sunrise. In my life my testimony has come like the sunrise, one little bit as a time. As a missionary it's important to have patience as you learn the language, seek for inspiration, try to strengthen your testimony and try to become a better missionary. So often the change seems like a sunrise where there a little bits of light at a time but as sure as the sun rises and night turns into day these changes occur in us as we strive to be obedient and strive to become like Christ.


Oh yeah quick side note. Something with our water system in our house broke and now we have to pump everything by hand and either use our filter water bottles or boil our water for drinking. It's been pretty fun in a way and has made me gain a greater respect for the people here who pump their water into buckets and carry it to their houses everyday. The people here are amazing and I am begining to really love them.


Fight the Fight of Faith


Love Elder Leishman

PS: Tatay means Father :)