Monday, January 26, 2015

January 26th



Another blazing fast week! They are getting faster!!!!! Well same as always I am in another hurry! So ignore the mistakes.  I am just going to go! We got Harvey Baptized. YAY! He is the first person that I was able to find teach and see baptized! So special. The baptism was great a actually spiritual. Sometimes they get rushed and its kinda loud with a lot of kids running around but this one was great!!! We were able to teach so many lessons this week. We did not get punted very much at all! We are focusing in one area that is on fire right now and we really don't have to walk very much in a day! because are all appointments are so close are we are sitting down teaching all day if you can believe that! The reason we have so many sweet investigators is because of the members. They are really excited to help us and it is super effective!

So for my exotic food for the week! I ate a head of a chicken. Its actually pretty common here. There are people everywhere on the streets with a grill. Where they grill intestines, fat, heats, liver, and good old American hot dogs:) So pretty cool!

So sadly this might be my last week in this area and with Elder Cruz. It has been great to be with him! I have been lucky with my companions!!! I got to see all of them in Roxas on Thursday and all of us are best friends its great!

I don't know what is going to happen this week but I am excited. Sad to leave this place that has won my heart but excited for the challenge ahead. It sounds like you guys have had a great week with Snow Basin and good old ice fishing at Devils Creek. You guys sure do a lot in a week!!! I love the pictures!!! Well guys take care sorry it sounds like I am in a hurry but I am!!! I love you guys! Bye~

Love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne





Monday, January 19, 2015

January 19th 2015


Wow another sweet week here in the Philippines. I looks like everyone is trying to make me jealous about them being in the cabin but it wont work!!!!! Ha cuz I am in the Philippines!!!! Today I totally went fishing in the ocean using shrimp as bait! I was only there for five min. and I caught one right out of the ocean! Earlier today we had a zone activity at a nice beach and I cooked all of the food! Filipino style!!! It actually turned out pretty good!!! I am excited to show you!!! 

So this was the week of the Atiatihan (big week long celebration and parade) which means a lot of our investigators were not home. But that was OK we still were very busy! We had one of the best first lessons with an investigator since I have been here. They are all getting better but this one was especially good. We were tracting on the beach and we decided to talk to a dad who was with his kids picking up sea shells. We gave him a pamphlet and he wouldn't let us set an appointment but said he would text us when we can come over to his house. Which usually means can you please leave. Hey but this time guess what the guy actually texted us! He wanted us to come to his house at 8 in the morning. And when we came he was all prepared and said he wanted to give us his religious background and it was perfect. He talked about how he has gone to so many churches and he said there has to be more! So when we talked about the Book of Mormom he was really excited and I showed him my Quad with all of the scriptures in one and he wanted to buy it off of me because he thought it was so cool! It was awesome I have been praying so hard for the Lord or prepared some people while we are tracting and this guy named Teady Revera seemed very prepared!

We got to go to the Atiatihan but we OYMed the whole time. So I didn't sit and watch it. It was huge! Tons and tons of people and really it was a giant parade for a week straight!!! Our area was like a ghost town on Sunday because seriously everyone goes. But we were able to get Harvey who will be baptized on Sunday to stay for church so he can get baptized on Saturday. And he did which was a good way to show his faith! So I was very happy to see him come even though our attendance was super low because of the parade!

Well family we are doing it! We are having success and its great! This might be my last week in this area and then its going to be all different again! so I am excited for that challenge. Sounds like you guys had fun at the cabin! Thanks for the pictures they are sweet.Well I need to run the Perlas family is cooking us dinner!!! I love you guys so so so much and I seriously am just loving the Pines!!! Take care

Love,
Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne





Sunday, January 11, 2015

January 12th

Wow another fast fast week. I feel like I just emailed you a few days ago what is going on? Time goes by fast. Everyday is so fast as soon as I get home from work I still go to sleep right after we plan for the next day! It takes all my energy to focus on what people are saying and then focus harder on how to say something back! But its so cool and I love it! It is really cool to see the simulates of languages.

Well enough of that the language is going good. But still have a lot to learn. This week as you heard in my voice recordings (if you got my voice recordings). We had miracles happen this week. Well we have miracles every week but this week was special. I really learned the power of family prayer. I remember at home every night before we would go to bed we would study the scriptures and have a family prayer. Most of the time we would complain because we had  homework or were busy but eventually mom convinced us to get together for just a few min. How thankful I am that she put up with our complaining and stood strong in her decision to have a family prayer every night. Man that must have been hard. Sometimes I am sure she felt like she was the only one who wanted to. Thank you mom for having that as a goal and making sure we did that. It left an impression on my life. The Perlas family there are 5 kids and the mom got baptized when she was 14 and hasn't been to church in 25 years. But she wants to go back and she wants her kids to come with her. The only problem has been the dad and the rest of his family. So we talked about family prayer and how my mom would always gather us together every night and how special it was and how much I missed it. They loved the idea and they tried it and their dad saw them pray and his heart changed and now he is ready to learn! How cool is that??? THERE IS POWER IN FAMILY PRAYER!!! If you are not doing that in your families right now I encourage you to try it!!! Thanks mom you ROCK!!!!

We have worked hard and tracted some sweet investigator families who keep us busy everyday. The one problem now is they are so far away from any members and really don't even know any members of the church. So this week we arranged appointments for some solid members to come with us after work!!! So we are way excited about that. This is such a great area and is really picking up super fast. Its been dead for a while but now the members are excited about strengthening their ward!!! Its so sweet I wish I could explain it but. I just love this. We have seen the change that the Book of Mormon can bring in people lives. The reason we have some really sweet investigators is because we have really stressed the importance of the Book of Mormon like we really focus on it! I remember my dad saying"the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion so make it the keystone of your mission" We have done just that and it helps!!!

Well family and friends I just love this! What more can I say this is just so cool! I love being a missionary and I love the gospel!

Love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne








Monday, January 5, 2015

January 5, 2015


Wow it is 2015!!! I am so excited to this whole  year that I can dedicate to our Savior! I am going to make it great!!! We all know the importance of making goals. So that we never stop improving! Always having something to work at and stretch. That is how we become something great! Probably the same as everyone else. I refuse to get fat even though the food is so amazing. So I have decided I am going to eat a lot. I am not going to waste this opportunity to eat Filipino food. I just have to wake up early and exercise. We will see how that goes. But I have written down a lot of goals in order to improve my "Christlike Attributes" So that I can be a better teacher and the Spirit can lead me during my mission! 

Well this New Years was great we had an activity with a bunch of members. Where they prepared a lot of games for us. One of them we had to use our mouths to dig for coins in a bowl full of flour. So that explains the picture. It was a lot of fun. Of course we got fed great food! After that I was completely exhausted and went to sleep. So there was not a countdown for me!!! Usually they say that this place goes crazy with fireworks but this time it was kind of stormy so there was none.

So the next day Jan 1 was our Barangays fiesta!! Every little neighborhood has a day set apart where they just throw a huge party with loud music and everyone just goes out and dances!!!! Then pretty much every family cooks giant meals and they invite everyone to come eat! So us as missionaries of course got invited to about everyone houses! HA! They really enjoy feeding people here more than back home! I don't know why but they enjoy it and you can't really say no to them!!! No matter how much you try! So that was a good day:)

 We really wanted to find whole families to teach this week and set it as our goal! And guess what? We found a great family to teach. And we are way excited for them!! Well I wish I could explain more about that but we just got a text from Bishop and he wants me to go to the sementario to go dedicate a grave! Wow how great it is to be a missionary in the Philippines?!!! I love it! I love you all so much! I have got to run!

Love,
Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne



In a letter he wrote to us yesterday he explained a little bit about the family he found.  Here is what he had to say.


"We found and invited a whole family of 6 to get baptized this week and they accepted and went to church!!! The Fernando Family. A 16 year old daughter came to the Christmas Party and invited us over to her family! And they are all so great!!! They gave us all sorts of fruits from their trees when we came! It was just a great lesson!!!"