So this week Caticlan group made a splash at the Stake Center for General Conference. Since we are so far and its pretty expensive to get to the Stake Center the Stake sent us a DVD to show in our meeting house so they didn't have to sacrifice so much to watch it at the Stake Center. But SACRIFICE BRINGS FORTH BLESSINGS!!!!! So we piled into some vans and made the 2hr trip to Kalibo. It was awesome! Everyone was so excited to see a real chapel and listen to the Prophets and Apostles. It was cool to see. The Stake Center was PACKED!!!! You seriously couldn't fit another person if you wanted to. So we weren't able to watch.... We spent most of the time outside. We will hopefully watch it on the DVD sometime this week! I heard it was good tho so I am so excited!!! This is an awesome Stake tho...probably the strongest one in the mission. I spent my first 6 months in this stake and I will spend my last 5 here. This is also where Talon ended is mission. Kalibo Stake!!! We will be splitting stakes next year and if I have anything to do with it Caticlan will be the center and strongest unit in the new stake!!!! HOOOOOO Go CATICLAN!!!!
Good things are happening. There are 4 of us now here and we have been able to find so many cool people who are really wanting to learn. Never have I had someone take notes while teaching until this week! Its so exciting. We expect great things to happen here.
Its summer here and boy is it hot!!! I don't ever remember it being this hot last year. Its crazy! What we have found to work for us is we start working at 8am then come back and do our studies when its soooo hot!!!! Its been way nice!
I truly feel like I am in the "Land of Promise" like the Brother of Jared in Ether 2:8 "whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time and henceforth and forever, should serve Him, the true and only God" I love this place and I just want to serve the true and only God. Not only for the few weeks I have left but even after this name tag comes off. I am trying to become less dependent on the name tag that I wear because its about to come off. I don't want to be obedient just cuz I am a missionary or I don't want to act this way just because I have a name tag. I want to serve the Lord and His children because I love Him. I love Him and I know I am His son. So when the times comes....I won't be dreading the day that I take off this name tag but I will be at the point where the name tag means...nothing. I am still a son of God and will still serve Him and His children forever.
Thank you so much for always writing me! I love reading about all you are doing!!! I am so proud of all of you and LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!
LOVE,
Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne
Here is a little something he wrote to me that I thought I would share. I noticed a comment on Facebook from Elder Dorman's mom that said something like "a cat had kittens on Elder Craythorne's clothes" so I asked Jackson and this was his reply.
HEY!!!! Alright here I got so much to say!!! Well its been an AWESOME WEEK!!!! Good things are happening. I was way excited for General Conference but we were only able to watch Sunday morning Session and Sunday afternoon session...except Elder Holland....We had to leave early. Another story I will tell you after. I will listen to it sometime this week. Haha you heard about the cat born in my closet. I could fill up a whole book with little stories like that. This place is so crazy. We only have running water for like 6 hrs a day, when we walk in our apartment like 20 cockroaches will scatter. Its that crazy. We climbed the coconut trees today and got fresh coconut. We bought fish the size of our pinkie didn't even cook them we just put it in vinegar. So many cool things we do here!!! We have the most beautiful spot on the beach in Boracay we do out Comp Study. I am seriously so happy. Everything is just so awesome!
Erik
