April 27th 2015

April 2015 is almost in the books! And another transfer as well. Right now I am in my 7th transfer on the mission. Time is crazy! This week was wonderful. Like I said last week our area got split in half. So now there are 6 missionaries here. So this week we started over and found people in a new place. So we found a lot of old investigators from other missionaries in the past and they seemed excited to have us back! The three families we are focusing on are the Portillio, Uball, and Lago family! All of them are great and have huge potential.

I love the people we are working with. They are solid and are investigating the gospel for the right reasons and that's what I love! We got I new apartment mate. Elder Crihton from Australia and he is Samoan. He actually stayed in the MTC for 12 days. So very fresh! He is a lot of fun tho! For pictures this week! I was able to get one downloaded. But it is taking a very long time to get the others. I know I am struggling at sending pictures. 

But we had a stake wide service project this week where we cleaned up a part of the town that was destroyed by the Typhoon and made it look really nice to make it a symbol of the church in Roxas! It was a great idea and looks great there were a lot of people that helped and was very successful! 

This week I studied a lot about the Atonement and was amazed how many times the Book of Mormon talks about the Atonement. It really does but it in detail the magnitude of the Atonement or in Tagalog Pagbayad-sala. Which bayad means pay and sala means sin! So literally the payment of sin.I am so grateful for the knowledge of the Pagbayad-sala ni Jesu Cristo. Through the atonement he really understands our pain and trails. So we can never say that no one understands what we are going though because that just isn't true! He knows! I am so grateful for that!

Again I am just loving my mission. And all of the things I have learned and still have to learn! There is nothing like being on a mission and talking to people who are so surprised and so happy that you can speak their language. its special and I get a lot of joy out of serving!

I love you all so much and know all is well at home!

Love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

April 20th 2015

Musta na kamo???? We just received a lot of pesos and I get to go buy an apartment for the new area and fill it up with the things they need today! So I will just send a quick little letter. Another great week here in the Pines. We were very successful with the group this week but after this week we might lose the group and give it to a new set of missionaries. So our area is going to shrink and change a lot. We were able to contact a lot of new people this week because we lost most of our investigators to the new Elders! 

The Cortillio family is still in our area. And they went on vacation this week so I have no news for them! give it another good shot this week! 

Something that was very different this week was the missionaries got invited to sing in a choir for a HUGE festival in Capiz. There were tons and tons of people. Did not know I would do something like that on my mission. But it was pretty crazy. Very big stage and lots of people. Its cool our church was 1st and we represented well!

The mission is doing great its the best thing in the World!

I love you all so much and love hearing about your weeks. I took pictures of all your letters so I can read them tonight when I have time! 

Pallanga ko kamo tanan!!!

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

April 13, 2015

Today has been one of those bad internet days! I don't know whats going on anyway I only have a few min. to write. So I will share a few things I learned this week!

First of all wasn't conference great? My favorite was President Uchtdorf where he talked about not being a fake member of the church. Where you go to church and look like your doing everything right when really you don't get the full meaning! He really just challenges us to evaluate ourselves even when we think we are good. We can always do better and always grow closer to our Savior!

The lesson that I learned this week is really what my purpose is here! So last week we met a few people who were investigating the Jehovah Witness church. So they told us that the next lesson they wanted to tell them why our church was right and the other was wrong! So that night I did a little bit of studying and got my case ready for our next appointment with them. I was very excited and confident going into this lesson. When we started the lesson and I told them what I studied the night before to tell them why they should stop investigating one church and to come to ours. But man I will tell you what it was very different from the other lessons that we have taught. And not in a good way. Its not like what we said was wrong but it was lacking the most important tool......the spirit. We thought that we could teach without the spirit just to prove that our church was right. There is a huge difference between a lesson with the spirit and a lesson without the spirit. So half way through the lesson we decided to change our tactic and go back to what our purpose is. Which is not to prove us right and prove others wrong but to teach and testify of the truth! That is when the spirit comes and teaches! So to end the story after we realized we needed the spirit those investigators committed themselves to come to church before we even invited them! 

The church didn't get started here in the Philippines because a bunch of 19 to 21 years old came over and proved their church right. But that God actually is guiding and anxiously engaged in this work. Its though the spirit that people learn of spiritual truths! I hope that makes sense. I don't have a lot of time to think and make sure what I am typing sounds good. I'm just going!

I have a lot more to say especially about the Cotrillio family. The mom is very very Catholic and so it will be a process for here but we have see positive progress with her. Since we have taught about Joseph Smith and the First Vision she has been very different in a good way.  I will hopefully have good news about them next week!

So thank you so much for all the support. Got to give a shout out to Ben for making Junior Class Vice President, going on his first date, getting his license and just for being a great kid. So proud of him!!! I love you family more than anything!

Love,

Elder Craythorne!

April 6, 2015

Sorry I didn't send a group email last week I actually don't know what happened! But I am very excited to send this off this week! A great week!

 Well the Magno family came to church!!!!! YA! We tracked them a while ago and they finally came to church! There are 5 of them in their family. So that was awesome! We have been teaching them for a few weeks but one of their daughters was going to school in Bacolod so this week was the first time that she was there and boy! She was just what we needed! We taught her one time and the spirit was very present where she couldn't hold back her tears. After that the family agreed to go to church! Its funny we have been teaching them for a while and this week it finally got to them!!!

So we actually had 8 at church this week and it was an amazing fast and testimony meeting to have them all attend. I wish you could see our ward. If you want to see how the Gospel changes lives you just look at all the members and you can see a difference in them its crazy. I love just sitting on the Piano bench and looking at all the families and listen to their testimonies. There is something special in those fast and testimony meetings which shows my how powerful my calling is and how important the message I get to share!!!! 

I also have to tell you about one more family which I just have to tell you are one of the most peculiar family I have ever met! In such a good way! I am going to have a hard time explaining them but they just shine!!! there are 3 girls and 1 boy who is 18! We met them for the first time this week and have taught them twice now! The first lesson we left a Book of Mormon and when we came back they ready all about the introduction and the 3 witnesses and the Testimony of Joseph Smith. All of them! Even the little 9 year old. They are all little geniuses! They are going to progress really fast! Watch out for them in the coming weeks.:) The Cortillio family!!!

So this week was holy week here in the Philippines. If you remember Elder Adams letters they have some crazy traditions. Where they actually crucify people and other things. Its more of a culture thing than anything! I love explaining to people about the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and why we don't have a cross on our church! Because Jesus Christ is alive and leading his church today and is there when we are experiencing a trial. Because he felt everything and know how to help us because he know what if feels like. (Alma 7:11-12) I like the last sentence of verse 12!

This was one of the best weeks of my mission! Felt the spirit more than ever! Its funny I have been sharing the same message for 8 months now and you would think that eventually you would stop feeling the spirit sometimes when you teach because you are so used to saying the same thing over and over. But this week I realized its pretty crazy that even though you say the same thing over and over if you are worthy the spirit will testify again and again that your words are true! 

I am jealous that you have already watched conference that will be this Saturday and Sunday for me. So hopefully there are no spoilers in your letters!!! I love you all so so so much. I love my family more than anything. Mom Dad Ben Ryker Brooklyn Easton, and Lexi! You are all very special to me and I just want to thank you for all you have done for me and our wonderful relationship! I love my mission and I love this work. It may be small but when you see the lives that have been blessed from this work you can see how powerful it is!

Love you all!

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne