Back to the Field Dec 9/2012

Dear family and mga kaibigan, This past week has been another busy week. Last monday night President Martino called Elder Adao and I into his office and showed us the transfer board. I saw my picture up in San Jose Zone. I'll be opening a new area called Portal. My new companion there will be Elder Soberano who is still really new in the mission. Last tuesday Elder Adao and I picked up Elder Cohen, the new assistant, and brought him back to the office to get train him on his new resposiblities. After two days a training and 8 hours in the Land Transportation Office we got him all trained up and were able to convert his liscence to a Filipino drivers liscence. Getting his license was quite the process! Lot's of sitting, waiting and sweating but we were able to meeting some cool people and introduce the Gospel while we were waiting. On thurdsay we had our meeting with the trainers and trainees and then I got dropped off in Santa Ignacia to be companions with Elder Bellen (Elder Cohen's old companion). Elder Bellen and I are only companions for a week but It's a been an great week so far. Our trainer and Trainees meeting this past week went awesome. It was my third time to give training at this type of a meeting but this was by far the best. Elder Adao and I ended up changing a lot of what we had planned in order to fit the needs of the new missionaries and it ended up being an extremely spiritual meeting. Leaving the office was hard. I had a lot of mixed feelings. It's hard to leave something you have but so much time and effort into and have loved so much. At the same time I'm really excited to go back to the field for my last transfer to open a new area and be able to focus every second of my time on my area and on the people of I'm teaching. It will be awesmoe to just work. It also was hard to leave Elder Adao. I am so blessed to have had him as my companion for 6 months of my mission. He's like my brother and I have learned soooo many things from him. I love Elder Adao. The past few days have been an adjustment as well. However things are good. I know that this is what hte Lord wants for me. One of the cool things about being in the office was seeing how transfers work and how the Lord directs the transfers through President Martino. I know that the Lord has a part in all transfers that happen. I am so thankful for thetime i had to serve in the office. I feel so blessed for hte opportunity. I learned so many things that I don't think I could have learned anywhere else. I feel blessed to havebeen able to spend so much timewith President Martino. What an amazing man! These past few days in Santa Ignacia have been great! The bishop here in the ward actually spent a night at Grandpa Lolo's house when he entered the mtc to serve his mission in California. His name is bishop Eugenio. Over the past few days we have had some really cool expereinces. one of my favorites was lastnight when we decided to tao po the next door neighbor of an appointment that fell through. A women opened the door and after a few seconds of talking we found out she was a less-active member. We were able to teach her a lesson and I was shocked with her knowledge of the scritpures and the Gospel. She told us that when she started college she started getting busy and stopped going to church in order to study. She also told us she really wants to come back because she misses the spirit in her life. We taught about the sacrament and atonement and you could see the spirit work on her. She told us she was coming to church on Sunday before we could give her a commitment. The Lord led us to her house. This past week I have been reading the war chapters in Alma and have been getting a lot out of them Especially what I have read about hte strippling warriors. They thought more about hte liberty of their fathers than of their own lives and had incredible courage. The ability to think about others more than ourselves is a gift from God. It's a fruit of Charity. I was asked to gived a last minute talk yesterday in sacrament meeting when the assigned speaker didn't show up and the bishop told me to talk about a Christ like attribute I chose Charity and love and related it to Christmas and Christ example to us. I love this time of year and hte brotherly love it brings. It helps us live the Gospel better in our daily lives as we think about serving others, just like the strippling warriors did. Speaking of Christmast We have been singing Christmas songs in Church and it has been awesome! The FIlipino Saints really know how to sing. They sing with their heart and it brings the spirit. Also speaking of Christmas, We recieved our guidlines about Christmas calls and we can call during the week of Christmas at a time that works for us. We will have up to 40 minutes for our phone call. I was thinking I will call the day after Christmas in the morning so it will be Christmas night for you. I'm really good to do whatever. Let me know what you thinkand we can get it coordinated. Also this is the address for the new mission office. Philippines Angeles Mission F. Tanedo Street Tarlac, Tarlac 2300 Philippines That's where stuff should be sent if it will arrive after Christmas. If you have sent something already it isn't a problem, I'll still get it but from now on please use this address. Salamat \ I love you all so much. I love this work and i am excited for this next week. Keep fighting the fight of Faith. Mahal ko kayo nagmamahal Elder Leishman