January 4, 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! The change from 2015-2016 was a big deal for me! 2016 is going to be a crazy year for me! Lots of things in store and I am so so excited! New Year's Eve was awesome here! It is easy for you to forget you are in Asia but I got a big reminder on New Year's Eve. Fireworks are HUGE here. Seriously almost ever other house has a bunch of really big fireworks and they just all let them off at the same time for about 45min at midnight!!! It was so cool. Fireworks surrounded us and it by far the most fireworks I have ever seen in my life! All over the streets fireworks were lined up. 

Even though it was New Years week and transfers missionary work was awesome in Arevalo! For the first time in my mission all of our lessons where a member was present. Something has really got the ward excited here. I think its Cristia. The most perfect investigator ever! It is so fun to teach her. She is going through a picture perfect conversion that is really just blowing our mind. The ward is just working together to help her. And they want to find more people like her because missionary work is just that exciting! She is preparing herself to get baptized on the 30th of January. We also have a family with two kids trying to get themselves ready to be married in the morning of Jan. 30th then baptized in the afternoon. The Baullerte family!  So we are so excited!!!

We are trying to really make 2016 a big year for the Philippines Iloilo Mission. The last few months I have talked about all the changes that we have felt here in the mission. Its been so cool to see the improvement in all the missionaries. So we focused a lot on the missionaries before but now in January we have planned out how we are going to bring that same excitement to the members and leaders here. So that 2016 is going to be HUGE!!! We are trying to do something special here and this month we are going around to all the stakes leaders and Bishops to try and excite everyone about what is about to happen in 2016! We are so excited! I always told myself not to worry about things out of my control but since being here I have realized how much control we actually have on things. Again just a big thanks to my comp for showing me the power that comes from really magnifying a calling. 

Again I hope everyone is super excited for 2016. There is something special about a new year and what it will bring. I always say it and I will say it again. We can always get better! Like the conference talk "Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying" where he says "I'm no saint - that is unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying".  Hopefully in 2016 all of us can get a little bit closer to perfection! That is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The good news that we share everyday! I love it!

Have a good week. I love you all so so so so much!!!!

Love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne