A Wonderful, Rainy Week in the Philippines!

Dear family and friends,

As always it's been another great week in Burgos. There was a Baguio and it rained for 4 days without stopping and almost all my clothes are wet. We got punted a few times because our investigators were out in the fields planting rice becuase of the rain but despite the rain it was still a good week. We had our last zone conference with President and Sister Puzey. It was awesome! It was such a spiritual, uplifting conference. President Puzey focused on the the need to be Christlike, and Love. Chapter 6 of Preach my Gospel (Christlike attributes) is my favorite chapter. As missionaries it's not just about what we do but it's about who we are. I have mentioned this chapter a few times but I really love it. As missionaries it's all about love. We need to gain charity and love for all people; Our Savior, our families, our investigators, our companions, the members, the people you sit next to on jeeps and even the drunkard who swears at you as you pass by. When we have charity we are different people. People also need to know that we love them. There is a saying that I hear a lot from other missionaries "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" It's really true. It's like the Example of Ammon. King Lamoni probably wouldn't have been converted if Ammon and marched in and said "I'm here to baptize you!" . He first served the King and showed his loyalty of love.

Saturday was a crazy day. I woke up to the sound of pouring rain and my first thoughts were about Pepito's Baptism. I knew that we probably couldn't hold his baptism at the river. I spent a most of the morning praying that we could find a way to have a baptism for Pepito. When we went to the meeting house no one was there. Our branch presidency had gone out into the fields to work because they thought we wouldn't have the baptism because the river was dirty and overflowing. The wife of our branch president was home so she was able to get a hold of the Branch Presidency. We then were able to contact the Zone leaders who happened to be having a baptism an hour later at the stake center. We hopped on a couple of trikes and headed into the city. There were only six of us, because there was no other transportation for the members but things worked out great. The trip to the city took 1 hour each direction in the pouring rain. When we got the stake center the font was filled and Pipito was baptized. I am so grateful that the Lord provided a way for Pepito to the baptized. When there is faith and will, there is a way. Yesterday the rain was still coming down. I knew that Pepito would have a hard time getting to church. Pepito is very poor and he usually barely has the money to go to church. Since he used all his money for his pamensahe to his baptism, the Tanedo's gave him some money so he could go to church and be confirmed. Pepito was able to get a ride with a private jeep (which never happens) and was able to attend church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Pepito said that he had been praying for a way to be baptized and to be confirmed. He said he knew that because of his faith and prayers the Lord provided a way. This was a testimony building experience for Pepito and for me. The Lord does answers our prayers. However faith needs to be the essence of our prayers. I am so grateful that everything worked out and that the Lord answered our prayers. When we have faith nothing is impossible.


Things with Elder Calianga are good. His style of work is almost exactly opposite of Elder Pioquinto's so we are working on adjusting to be able to teach and work together in Unity. He is really quiet and very serious but slowly he is opening up to me. The work is good right now and it's continuing to improve. This week we have four baptisms and again I pray that everything will work out. It seems that right before baptisms crazy random things happen in the lives of investigators. This is Satan's way of trying to prevent them from following the Gospel. However with faith, effective follow up and the support of members things work out.

Here is a little funny story. Last night we had a member drive us home on his trike. It's a 1 hour and 45 minute walk from his house to our apartment so we pay for his gas and he drives us home. Last night the store where we usually buy gas was closed so we were going to get gas closer to our apartment Halfway home we ran out of gas.... We then pushed the trike with the member's son steering for 30 minutes in the rain. We were using a flashlight to see. I loved every second of it and we laughed a most of the time. When we were about 10 minutes away from our apartment we finally were able to get some gas and we were able to make it home before 9.

Well I love the Gospel, I love the Work, I love the Lord, I love my investigators, I love the members, I love my family. It's all about love

Love Elder Leishman


Note from mamalar:I thought Joe looked terrible in this pic compared to the pics he has sent the last two weeks. He assured me that he is healthy and feeling great, he just looked like that because of the rain. Hmmmmmm

A rainy pday in the Philippines

Dear Family and Friends,

Right now it's a very rainy P-day. It's rainy season now so it rains a lot. The good part about rainy season is things are starting to cool down. My area is also getting very green and beautiful. As usual this past week has been a good one! It has been different to lead the area and to have a new companion but things are good. Elder Calianga is from Quezon City. He is really serious and doesn't like to talk a lot but he is a great teacher. We have only been together for 5 days and one of them was a split so things are just beginning. It will be a good transfer for sure. Right now our baptismal goal for this transfer is 6. I hope and pray that our investigators can continue to progress and gain strong testimonies about the gospel. This Saturday we have a baptism for Pepito and next saturday hopefully we will have 4 more. I don't know how much I have told you about Pepito but he is awesome. He has been the most prepared person to here the Gospel that I've taught yet. Before we met him he had been praying to find the religion with the word of Christ. A member casually introduced us to him as we were leaving an appointment and we decided to OYM him. From there on he has kept every commitment and has gained a testimony that this is the true church. The Tanedo family has been his fellowshippers and without them his church attendance wouldn't be possible. I am so grateful for the help of the members here in the work. I have realized that every investigator that we are teaching that is really progressing has some connection to the members. Members are so important in missionary work. Without them conversion and retention is very difficult.

Because the zone leaders are in my district, my companion is automatically the district leader. Because Elder Pioquinto and Elder Calianga have been district leaders I go on a lot of splits with the zone leaders. I even had a split with the AP's. Companionship exchanges are such a great opportunity to learn. I have been grateful for the opportunities to see other missionaries teaching styles, get feedback and set goals to improve.

Right now one of my barriers in my teaching is my Tagalog. It's coming slowly and surely but it's not where i want it to be. I can say pretty much anything I want to but not in the way I want to. I want to teach in clear simple terms but it's hard in Tagalog. However I have to say the gift of tongues is very real. There have been times in teaching situations where I have taught and said things I didn't completly understand in Tagalog but later learned the meaning of what I said and realized how it was what the investigator needed to hear.

This past week while studying about the atonement the phrase "infinite sacrifice" really stood out to me. I thought about how I have found comfort through the atonement in my trials and pains. I then thought about the pains and trials of the people of the Philippines, then the people of the world then about all the "living creatures" to ever live on the earth. I can't even come close understanding the magnitude of the suffering and sacrifice that our Savior Jesus Christ did for us. This helped me better understand that Jesus Christ knows our pains. Every single one of them.

Things are good in Burgos. I love the work. I love the Gospel.

Mahal Kita

Love Elder Leishman

ps. about the second picture. can you say zone jerseys?

A New Companion!

June 15, 2010

Dear Family, Friends and Sportsfans,

Drumroll please...... My new companion will be Elder Calianga! The actual transfer happens tomorrow so I havn't met him yet. I heard he's awesome and I'm really excited. This next transfer will be a great opportunity to set goals, to learn and to grow.

The work in Burgos is great right now and I pray that it continues to improve. Elder Pioquinto is going to be a zone leader this next transfer. Not going to lie, I'm going to miss the Elder. We have grown a lot closer these past two weeks. I've realized how much he helped me. I'm really grateful for the opportunities I had to be companions with him. This past week Hinckly's baptism was great! President and Sister Puzey came unannounced to the baptism which was a great! All the members, investigators and Hinckly were 30 minutes late..... The 45 minutes of sitting with President Puzey with no members or investigators were a very long 45 minutes! ha. However everything worked out just fine. It was a very spiritual baptism. Hinckly's father was able to do the baptizing which was what we were hoping for. I'll attach a few pictures of the baptism for you. Hinckly was confirmed on Sunday and is now a great happy new member of the church!

This past Sunday we had some visitors at the Burgos Branch. The Banson Family attended church in Burgos and it was great to meet them! They were so kind and so awesome! They showed me pictures of Tanner Leishman, Grandpa, Mom and dad in Manila last year. It was great to spend a few minutes with them. They really love Grandpa Lolo. After church they gave us a ride home and gave Elder Pioquinto and I 2 big bags of food! It was the good stuff too! I am so grateful for their kindness. Mom, it would be great if you could express my gratitude to them. I also am attaching a picture of The Banson Family and I. Last week dad asked about the food here. The question is where to begin. I love the Filipino food. My favorite food is fruit. Mango, Bananas, Pomello, Papaya, Guyabano, Pineapple and Langka. To say the Least I eat a lot of Fruit. I also eat a lot of rice. My favorite ulam (dishes) here are adobo, sinagang pork, paksiw talapia, adabong sitaw ect... Really it's all good.

This past week I think I put on a little bit of the weight I lost. I couple weeks ago I was pretty sick after eating at a member's house but besides that my nothing has made me too sick. The first week I didn't know how I was going to eat fish for two years but now I actually really enjoy a nice piece of fish. Needless to say the food here is amazing! Mom, also in my package I would love a copy of my mission call. This past week I got the deodorant dad sent! It was a great moment in my day and I have really been enjoying having my old spice back.

These past week I have spent some time studying ch 6 in Preach my gospel (Christlike attributes.) I have learned that just as important as what we do is who we are. As a missionary I am a representative of Jesus Christ and I need to strive to be like him. However becoming Christlike is a lifelong process that we commit one day, one decision at a time. Before I came to the Philippines I kind of had this idea that when I got here I would magically become a great missionary. I would be able to speak the language, be a good teacher be Christlike and all the other things that we picture a missionary being. It didn't take me one hour to realize this wasn't the case. These past two months have been very humbling and I have realized how we need to Lord in everything we do. I am nothing without the Lord. I can't become the missionary I need to be without the Help of the lord. Progress towards becoming Christlike and the missionary I need to become happens one decision, one day at a time. The time to focus on is now. I have also learned that If we aren't progressing we are digressing. Progress is more rapid when we set goals and strive to achieve them.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a missionary. I love the Gospel. I am so thankful to have the gospel in my life. I love the Lord. I love being a missionary. I love the Filipino people. I love my family. I'm glad you all had a great trip to California. I love you all so much! Everyday I realize just how much I love my family and how lucky and blessed we are in our family. I didn't get to write a lot of the things I wanted to write about investigators and the work but I'll give you a good update on Monday about the work and my new companion. If you ever have questions for me don't be afraid to ask. I love reading your emails and hearing about your lives.

Mahal Kita

Love Elder Leishman

Another Lunes sa Burgos

Dear family and friends,


This past week has been great!!!! It is amazing to see the Lord's hand in his work. Yesterday President and Sister Puzey attended our branch for church. Our attendance was 93 which is way more than our average of 65. We also had 10 investigators attend sacrament meeting which is by far the most we've had. It was such a powerful fast and testimony meeting. The spirit was so strong as the members bore their testimonies about our savior Jesus Christ. It was also great to hear President and sister Puzey bear their testimonies. The first time they attended Burgos branch was a year and a half ago and the attendance was 15. The area got reopened to missionary work a year ago and the growth in the strength of the Branch has been great! Everyday I realize more and more how blessed I am to be a missionary and to be assigned in Burgos. This week we have a baptism for Hinckly, the investigator who is 14 and is the only non-member in his family. He has a strong testimony and is ready to be baptized. His dad will be the one performing the baptism which will be so great! I really excited for his baptism and pray that things will work out this week. We found a new investigator this week named Jackielynn. Jackielynn is 17 and she really wants to know the truth. She reads all of her reading assignments and more. She also takes notes and writes down questions she has when she reads. Her cousins are members and have already helped her stop drinking coffee. We also have one investigator named Pipito who is from Bisayas. He struggles with Tagalog but is studying it so he can better understand the gospel. Right now his baptismal goal date is June 25. This past week really was a very successful week and it was largely due to the help of the members. Now with the help of the members we are teaching twice as many lessons as we were in my first few weeks. The lessons are also better because more than half of them have been with a member present. I have seen so much better misisonary work is when members are involved. I now have a strong testimony of the importance of members in missionary work. Being members of this church we all have a responsibility to be missionaries. It isn't always easy but it's always worth it. Right now two our our recent converts are struggling. Nicko and Joshua Haro. These two brothers are awesome. The problem is their mom is discouraging them from going to church. School started again today and now with their studies their mother wants them to think about school. It's a hard situation. Their mother is a former investigator and we are trying to gain her trust and teach her again but she doesn't want to. They have good support from the members but their parents are the main problem. I pray that we can find a way to help Nicko and Joshua.


This past week I spent some time studying faith. Ether 12:6 really stood out to me, "for ye receive no witness until after the trail of your faith". Faith is our foundation, our first building block. However it can't be strengthened until it is used, tried and tested. We all have trials, obsticals and barriers which try our faith. As we follow god's commandments when it's the hardest, when we use our faith when the trials are the most difficult that's when testimonies are strengthen and we feel the blessings of the Lord in our life. For a lot of our investigators they have real trials of their faith. However I have seen that as they try their faith they gain their testimonies and see blessings in their lives.


The work in Burgos is great. The field is white. I'm so thankful to be a missionary. This upcoming week is transfers so I will be emailing on Wednesday not Monday. Elder Pioquinto is going to transfer for sure. Next week I'll get my followup trainer but I have no idea who he is, but I'm sure he'll be great.


Fight the Fight of Faith


Mahal Kita


Love Elder Leishman


ps. the pictures are from a CSP. The brother is our branch president President Valdez.

June Malapit Na!

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been another great week in Burgos! This past month our attendance at church has increased every week and our work is increasing. May has definately been great. I can't belive that in two days it will be June! Yesterday in church our Branch President gave us 20 minutes at the end of our fifth sunday meeting to review the Branch Mission Plan with the members. It was so great to be able to coordinate with all the members. Through our little meeting we were able to establish a plan for the retention of our new converts, assign members to visit less active families and have more effective fellow shipping. When I first got to Burgos there was little work with members. They rarely would accompany us to lessons, there was no home teaching, and there wasn't a really strong spirit for missionary work. It has been so great to see the more members get involved with the work and see how much more effective the work is when you have the trust and support of the members. Right now one of the most active member missionaries in Tatay Remigio. The change that has occured in him is so amazing! A couple months ago he hated the missionaries. He has felt the blessings of the gospel his life and has changed dramatically because so. Now he wants to share the blessings he feels with others. Now the Tanedos are visiting less active families, Tatay remigio helps others go to church, he lets us use his house to teach an investigator and shares his testimony and he just is astig!

Right now we have an investigator named Hinckley. He is 14 and is the only non member in his family. He isn't a member because his family has moved around a lot. He was been staying in Burgos for his summer vacation. He has come to church everyweek and I didn't even know he wasn't a member till his father came and visited the branch and told us so. We have been teaching him but he already has a great gospel background. It has been really great to teach him. Right now his baptism date is June 11, the week before he goes back to his house to go back to school. The timing has worked out great with him. I pray that things continue to work out. We are already starting to coordinate with the missionaries in the area of his house for when he returns to school.

This past week I started the Book of Mormon again and I really love the example of Nephi. No matter how hard the situation, how big the task, how pesimistic his family is, the attitude of Nephi is "I will go and do". When the first attempt to get the plates from Laban failed Nephi said "Let us go up again". Nephi had great trust in the Lord. We need to become like Nephi. We need to be exactly obedient. When things are hard, when things don't work out, when we feel inqadequate we need to "go and do the things that the Lord commands". When we don't succeed and we feel down we need to "Go up again". As we do so our trust in the Lord will grow. We will become great like Nephi and be able to do all things.

Well right now we are heading into Tag-ulan or rainy season. From what I hear Bountiful has been having it's own rainy season. It rains every day and usually when it rains it pours. However the rain is pretty warm. The plants are turning green and farmers are starting to flood their fields. It is so beautiful in my area right now! One of the things I love about the Philippines is the babershops. getting a hair cut is awesome. The babershops are little hole in the wall places and the tatay's that cut your hair know what their doing! They use the old school tools and methods and are good at it. When their done they even give you a little shoulder massage. The Philippines is an amazing place. I have new experiences everyday that I could only have here. The Philippines is really starting to feel like my home. I am so grateful to be able to serve the Lord here.

Well till next week!

Mahal Kita

Love Elder Leishman