Pasko! 12/18

Dear Friends and Family,

I can hardly belive that this week is Christmas! This month has flown by. To start off this letter I want to share a miracle that we experienced this past week. Last week we had an appointment to teach two investigators who are students at a university here. When we went to their house their next store neighbor called out to us and told us they weren't home. We ended up talking to the neighbor who referred us to her daughter who is a less active member who was baptized 8 years ago. The daughter had moved but was still in our area. This past week we were able to contact the less-active member and we were greeted with a large smiles from her and her family. We taught Sister Dela Cruz with her husband and son. The spirit touched them as we taught about families and how the Gospel blesses families. This is one little miracle that happened. This week we have a return appointment and I am so excited. They have the potential to be an eternal family. That is really what missionary work is about. Building eternal Families. Working with part member families are such a great way to this.

This past week was another good one. The work is starting to pick up a little. We have a lot of investigators that are so close to gaining a testimony and becoming ready to make convenants with the Lord. I am excited for these next couple of weeks and what is going to happy. This time of year is such a great one. I am excited for my first Christmas in the mission. Joy won't be baptized this week but next week she will. Her brother is so excited to have his sister join the church and will be the one to baptize Joy. They also reffered us to their father this past week which I am excited about.

Right now I wish I had more time to type. However my time is up.

I love being a missionary and I love serving the Lord. This is the Lord's work and I am so blessed to be a part of it.

mahal ko kayo

Maligayang Pasko!

ps. the picture is of the branch missionaries, Elder Casilac and I eating lunch in front of our apartment before we went out to work. I'll send you Christmas pictures next week.

Endure to the End 12/11

Dear Family and Friends,

This is such an exciting time here in Angeles mission. This past week all of the District leaders and Zone leaders in the mission had a meeting about the new plans for our mission and the plans of the Area 70 for strengthening the church in the Philippines. Our new focus is Enduring to End. There is a very large percentage of less active members in the Philippines area and now we as missionaries are working on Rescuing our less active members. Not just rescuing them now we will teach them until they go to the temple. We are doing the same thing with our recent converts. This now means that we will be teaching our recent converts for a year after their baptims and teaching less active as long as it takes till they go to the temple. Without the temple we cannot gain exaltation. That is what the all want. Not just salvation but exaltation. We now have new key indicators and they are awesome. It is hard to explain all of these changes but just know that I am very, very, very excited. This work is about building eternal families and through the revelation of the area 70 and President Martino we will now be doing a better job that. I am just excited.

This past week was a hard week of work. Elder Casilac and I worked so hard, but we had a lot of things fall apart. We had so many appointments fall through and had some investigators tell us they didn't want to be taught. However miracles still happened. We talked to everyone we could and found some amazing people and less active members. One of the less active member families we found has 2 college age children who aren't members and we are planning to teach them tonight. One of the important things I have learned over the past few weeks is the importance of trials and difficultly. Without trials we can't grow. Through difficult circumstances we get to reach down and find out who we really are. My mission isn't easy but it is so amazing! I can't explain it words. I just love being a missionary.

This morning I finished the Book of Mormon again and I tested Moroni's promise again and received a witness of the truthfulness of hte Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is the most correct book on the earth and it is a source of joy, knowledge and revelation. It is also so crucial in all of our lives. If all members read the book of Mormon everyday we would avoid so many problems. I know that it is true and that it changes lives. I know that if we read it everyday, we will feel the love of God and the spirit in our lives more abundantly and things will just be better.

Here is a little funny story for you from this past week. As Elder Casilac and I were walking one night a group of about 15 children ages 5-11 were caroling. They were singing "we wish you a merry christmas". When they saw us they started singing louder and the leader of the group sang "We wish you Amerikano" Which means american. They all started laughing and singing "we wish you amerikano" and It was so funny. Elder Casilac and I couldn't stop laughing. It probablly would have been better if you were there but I enjoyed it.

I love my Savior and his Gospel and I love being a missionary

mahal ko kayo

Love Elder Leishman

mga p.s. - Next week I'll send pictures.

P.s. I am sending you a Christmas package but you won't get it before Christmas.... sorry!!!

p.p.s. I just got some news about Burgos and 8 of my old investigators there have been baptized which brings we great joy!

A New Week and A New Companion 12/4

Dear family and friends,

It has been another good week here in Cabanatuan. This past week was transfers and I got a new companion. His name is Elder Casilac and he is awesome! We were zone mates when I first went to Tarlac and I was very excited to hear that we would be companions. This is his first transfer as a zone leader so we are both pretty new but we are both really excited. This past week has been a great start to our companionship. Elder Casilac is Obedient, hardworking and we are just on the same page about a lot of things.

This month the motto for our mission is "Miracles will happen in December". This is a wonderful motto or a wonderful time of year and the miracles are happening. This past month we havn't seen a lot of progress in most of our investigators but the spirit is working in their lives and things are starting to happen. Yesterday we taught a young family that we have been teaching for about a month. They haven't been keeping a lot of commitments and havn't yet attended church. Yesterday we taught them about eternal families and the spirit touched their hearts. It was almost like a seeing a light switch on in their heads. They finally realized that the truth of what we had been teaching them and that we need to live the gospel to be able to return to Heavenly Father. The father who hasn't accepted a lot of the teaching because of his Catholic beliefs said that he wanted to live with his family forever and that he was going to quit smoking and start coming to church. It was a very spiritual lesson and I am so excited for this family. This past week we also made good progress with another young family we just started teaching. They said that after the first time they listened to us they started receiving blessings and they want to know more. I love teaching families and I love the Gospel.

Because it is December right now Christmas is starting in the Philippines. The people hear love Christmas. One of the things that I love is all the caroling. People go house to house and usually bring instruments and something even speakers in trikes and they Christmas songs. They do it at all times of the day and it's awesome. Usually people will give them a little money if they want more songs. I have loved listening to the carolers. The Filipino people love Jesus Christ and Christmas is a season which they show that love. One of the way they show their love is through their singing. The hymns here are the greatest! They bring the spirit so strongly. It is just a happy time here and I love it

One of the important things I have learned here is the need to be happy. Our purpose in this life is to prepare to meet God and to have joy. We all have trials and difficulties. Life can be really hard. No matter how hard things can be we can't forget to be happy. We need to find ways to have joy. We need to find times to laugh. Any person can be happy if they choose to be. Living the Gospel is one of the greatest sources of happiness.

As far as the Christmas call goes, I do not yet know if I'll be calling on Christmas eve or Christmas day. However we can either use a cell phone, or skype. If we use skype president says we can use webcam if we want. Let me know what you think about that. We'll get it figured out in the next couple weeks.

mahal ko kayo

Love Elder Leishman