August 24th 2015

Well I am officially in the 3rd area. Even though transfers aren't until next week! I got a call on Monday from President saying that I would be have to make my way to the office on Tuesday after District Meeting. So that was fast and also unexpected. It was really sad that I couldn't say goodbye to all the members and investigators but we woke up early to say some goodbyes which was nice!

This week has been like nothing I have ever experienced on my mission. There is a lot done here in the office and I am still not sure where I fit in to the whole scheme of things. You are very close to President and get to see lots of other missionaries which is also nice. I am also going to get my license tomorrow! Driving in the Philippines!!!!!!

So it is really different but I know  I can learn a lot in this situation and I am going to just take it head on and try to let it change me! So I am now in Arevalo Ward which is the strongest ward I have been in yet. The Priesthoods classes separates and everything its great and lots of great families who I already love so much. "First impression is everlasting" So I have been working my tail off this week to try and leave a nice first impression in my area to build good relationships here as well! 

Even though we are in the office we got some good work in and had a sweet experience. They were showing me some members and we went to one less active member named Beo. We were talking to her for a while and it started raining really hard. Then a lady walked in who decided to teach instead of the less active member. It was a beautiful discussion about families and she opened up to us on how she decided to come to Beo's house which was pretty cool. She just met this lady Beo at the hospital a few days ago where they became friends. This lady was so impressed with Beo that she wanted to go visit her. She said that she went to her house but got shy because she just met Beo a few days ago and that it might be awkward she she walked away and she said when she walked away the wind blew her umbrella really strong towards the direction of Beo's house. Like I said it was a pretty good storm. She said she is a religious lady and took it as a sign that she need to her house. Little did she know that there were two Americans in that house with a message for her!:) So she is great and knows that there is something that Heavenly Father wants her to know. She did admit that she is very active as a Catholic but gave us her address and phone number to meet her family this week. So we will see how that one goes! To be real that was really cool. Again seeing the hand of God in missionary work. 

Like I said this is going to be a different couple of transfers here but I know that I have something I need to learn here and I accept that. A big shout out to Ryker with a beautiful deer and a pick 6 late in the 4th quarter to win the game!!! Taught him everything he knows;) Ha ha But everyone deserves a shout out because every one is just doing so good at home and am so proud of everyone! I love you all family:)

Alright well I am off again and love you all so much. I have such a beautiful family cheering me on at home and I feel your prayers here on the other side of the world!

Halong,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

August 19th 2015

'musta na kamo? Crazy week this week! Like I said last week our main job this week was to go to three different towns and try to find apartments that can work at the same time for a meeting house to start the church. President Aquino really is in expansion mode and wants to give the people there a chance to hear the Gospel. Elder Dacutan and walked all over those towns looking for apartments. Its easier to find people to teach than finding apartments in the Philippines:)

 

We were able to find nice places to have church but the prices were more than our budget could do so the next time we came back we brought some of those chocolate chip cookies that you guys sent in my package to try and build their trust and get them to give us a deal. We told them why we need it so bad and how good having missionaries would be for their city. And boy did it work! They bit hard and we were able to get them to fit in the budget. The place is so ready for missionaries and will progress so well. I know that it wasn't just us but Heavenly Father is very involved in those simple things like His meetinghouses. I am sure those Great Harvest chocolate chip cookies helped as well. So thanks for sending those:)

 

We also had a scary experience on Thursday night around midnight. To make a long story short. The sister missionaries called us and told us that someone broke into their apartment and they were hiding in their bathroom but could hear someone walking around! So we hurried over their and they were freaking out over the phone which freaked me out pretty good. But when we got there it was all good. No one was there. But whatever happened it scared the sisters pretty good and left me shaking pretty good. But everything is alright!

 

There is lots of good people here who just have bad luck and have some really terrible things happen to them. Even faithful members and returned missionaries. I am not sure why such bad things happen to such good people. But I have seen the two different ways that people react to those situations. 1 Is you can let them destroy you and your faith which makes everything so much worse. Or the other is you let it bring you closer to your Heavenly Father.

 

One of the hardest things for me here is trying to relate or help people that have just been dealt a hard hand and have had some terrible trials. I have not experienced anything like them and they know it! I have had such an easy life comparatively. I have been so blessed with my family. But what I have learned to do it just to ask them what is their ultimate goal. And most of them is they just want a strong family. That's usually the answer. Because most of them have been hurt so much by family problems. Then sharing my testimony that he Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about strengthening families and that Heavenly Father has given us so much to help our families and that helps them focus on their ultimate goal and make it through their hard time.

 

I have said it before and I will say it again. I love being a missionary and love what it is doing to me! I love you all and expect some results from this years deer hunt! Shoot straight!

 

Love love love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

Guess how many people are on that tricycle!!!

 

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't know if you can find skies this blue in Utah!:)

August 11th 2015

Hello everyone! I actually got back from a place called Manoling. It would be interesting to look up on a map! I have talked about it before I think but its a place so so so far into the mountains where there in a chapel. In a place you would never think there would be members but there is a strong ward! We went to some sweet waterfalls and did some cool hikes. I will send some pictures.

This week President visited our apartment and told Elder Dacutan and I to go to three different towns in Roxas and find apartments to open the area up. President is wanting to do a massive expansion. A lot of our week last week and a lot of our week this week is doing that. But we were able to have some powerful lessons even though we had so little time. We invited the first counselor to come with us to all of our lessons to relate to all of the dads of other families we are teaching. It made a big difference . The youth help a lot here but sometimes its a little challenging to get older people to come to lessons with you! But it was nice!

This week I learned a lot about having a vision of what you want to see done and do it. I think that is what I have really tried to do on my mission. Before my mission I would always say that there are only two things that you can control. Your effort and attitude! When you get out of your apartment you decide what kind of day you have. If you go out thinking that your going to have a good day and find someone who is ready for you and that your investigators will start keeping their commitments good things happen. There is so much power in a good attitude. The work is affected with a good attitude and enthusiasm! 

It's sometimes easy to get disappointed when families who promise to come to church and commit very hard never show up. I don't think I have ever been more excited for a sacrament meeting in my whole mission. We had some awesome families who committed and promised they would come to church. So Elder Dacutan and I were so excited to go to church last Sunday. We were jumping around all Sunday morning getting ready because we knew it was going to be a great day! But come time for church the Llaver andSerafin family did not show up.....So we were a little bit bummed but you know what I would have probably let that affect me a bit. After church we talked about it and said that we wouldn't let that affect our day and that we were still going to act like they came to church. So we went out to work happy like we were that morning and we were able meet some more great people. It's the same way in school and sports. I would find myself worrying about things out of my control and letting that affect me. But if we just focus on the things in our control and do them with full EFFORT. Then face the things out of our control with a good ATTITUDE. Then we will feel happy with our self and enjoy what is right in front of us. 

That picture of me doing my laundry can not explain how I feel about it. Its a love hate kinda thing. I like the experience. Like who else gets to do this? I feel like I am going back into time. I gain so much more respect for the moms here who spend crazy hours doing laundry for their families each week. My companion wakes up an hour early about ever three days to do his laundry Its crazy! I just save it all up for 1 week!

Everybody have fun on the deer hunt! I am expecting some results this year and some good hunting stories next week! I love love love my family. I love love love the Gospel and the guidance that it has given to me and the opportunity I have to be a servant of the Lord! There is nothing else like it!

I love you!!!

love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

PS

Interesting cultural side note! Kids here catch spiders and then put them on a stick to fight until one spider kills the other! Interesting to watch.

August 3, 2015

Woke up this morning to find this email from Jackson.  He did manage to send Jil and I a short email with one  picture so I will take a little bit out of each of ours to make up this weeks email.  

Erik

Well as I was typing the group letter the power went out and it just came on. And we have an appointment right now so we are heading out. Sorry there is no group email... But my week was so beautiful! I am in the best place in the world!!!! I love you all so much! 

A little bit from his email to me.........

You are exactly right there is no where else I would rather be than the Philippines the work is fulfilling and there are so many opportunities to do good and learn. I seriously have learned so much from the people here again. I am so interested in them and their way of life. I think I realized the scale of how poor people are here. If you flipped burgers at McDonald's you would be making the same as lawyers here! So crazy. I don't know how much you could afford on your mission but we can't afford cereal and milk and that's a humbling thought!! Of course I have money in my account which I use sparingly because I really want to try and live as much like they do for the time that I have here. Its pretty sweet spending 1-2 dollars per meal! Its a fun challenge! Alright well I better move on to Mom's email. FYI I am going to Iloilo.....again this week. Thank you for everything!!!!

To him mom.......

I got your package two days ago! I am so excited to make those cookies tonight! I am willing to bet no missionary in this whole mission gets more packages and letters from home than your son. You guys spoil me!!! I am not complaining either! I love it! Especially all the letters. there is not a week that either you or Melanie don't send me a letter. Its helps so much!   

I am in the best mission in the world. The Philippines is exactly what I need. I first thought that the people needed me more than I needed them but I was so wrong the longer I have spent here the more I realized that this place is exactly what I need! I love you mom so so much.

Then he sent his mom this with the picture attached.....

I would be lying if I said this wasn't a pain. Not too many missions have to
do this....:)

July 27th 2015

Some of you may have heard in my voice recordings but I had a very interesting week! Well first of all I went to America!!! I stepped on official American territory! There is a very big Navy ship here going around to different places and helping them buildings schools, hospitals, and getting fresh water. The Chaplain of that ship is a member and invited our Mission President to take a tour! And since my Mission President is awesome he also invited some of us to come as well! So on Tuesday after District Meeting we went to the Port and took a boat to the big Navy ship! I wont talk a lot about it but it was just very weird being around so many Americans and really big ones! We also got to eat there and ate good old Shepard's pie with unlimited milk!!!

The spiritual part was when he took us into their small room where they have church and he talked about how even though he is LDS he is in charge of all the other churches as well. His job is to help everyone on the ship worship how they want. But at the same time he is literally set apart as a missionary! I like what he said about respecting other peoples beliefs and at the same time just sharing the "light" that you have. He talked about how he goes around the world on that Navy ship and when he was in Guam he made eye contact with someone and just saw something different about him or saw that "light" that he had and thought that he might be a member of the church! And he turned out to actually be a returned missionary. You can really just see a light in faithful members on the church. That light comes from our obedience to the commandments! And I think is just something really special!

As missionaries we are really supposed to stay away from debating and tearing down other peoples beliefs that is what sets us apart from others. We are just inviting others to become closer to Jesus Christ and sharing the light that we have!

It was also a cool thing to attend sacrament in Sigma in the small building that they have and see just how strong those members are. They don't have the amazing buildings that we have but understand the real meaning of why we come to church to take the sacrament and renew our covenants! So amazing! From opening that area we have found so many people who were very active members but moved and now since there was no church by them stopped. And they are so excited that their prayers were answered and that they have a place to go to church even if its small for now!!!

So ya its been quite the week and very enjoyable! Thanks for all of your emails.  All of you seem to be having quite the summer. I love you so much and want you to know that I just love my mission and love being a missionary!!!

Love love love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

July 20, 2015

Kamusta kamo? ari pa ako diri gihapon sa Roxas!!! So I survived another transfer here in Roxas. Actually not much really changed my apartment is the same. Elder Kellerstrass from Hooper is here and Elder Seeds from West Point is still here. So this morning we actually went around to some schools with the LDS Charities Organization. They came here to Roxas for two weeks to do a bunch of service projects and hand out relief goods. This morning the church paid for a puppet show team to go around to a bunch of different schools to teach about how smoking is bad! This is a huge project and is cool to see how much the church really does is small poor places. I never knew actual how much good the church does around the world. We don't just talk about service but its actually really happening all around the world! And to make it even crazier the leader of the area of the Philippines is from the Philippines and while we were talking he said he actually lived in Utah for 10 years. In Davis County....In Syracuse...On Banberry street! Haha it was so awesome!!! Small small world!!!

Another interesting thing that we did this week is we asked the Captain (which is kinda the leader of a neighborhood) here if we could meet with him and talk to him about service projects. He invited us to a meeting kinda like a city council meeting back at home. It was awesome. They brought but somethings in their town that they need fixing and how we can help! It was very successful and it kinda reminding me watching dad leading a city council meeting with his mallet. Only Filipino style!

So ya these next two weeks there is a big project going on here with the church and even the US Navy. There are members of the US Navy who are doing free surgeries for members here and just so much service is going on here right now its cool to see so many people get the real meaning of being a disciple of Christ! This church is a church of Service!

Mia had a great baptism and has unbelievable testimony. Like I told you before there were a lot of things keeping her and her family getting baptized but she KNOWS it is true and her family will follow her in two more weeks!

I don't have a ton of time to read some extra books so it took me a whole year to read Jesus the Christ By Elder Talmage. I finally finished!!! But wow! That really helps you understand who the Savior really is! Its beautiful and have really grown in actually knowing who Jesus Christ is and what he really did for us!

I love you guys so much!!!! 

Love love love,

Elder Craythorne:)

July 13th 2015

Hello everyone! How is everybodys summer. I got all of your birthday letters this week! Thanks so much for thinking of that. From all my priesthood leaders who helped me so much growing up and get on this mission. I have been so blessed with leaders sacrificing so much for me to take me to awesome camp outs to keep me out of trouble. That is something that is missing here. But the church is just starting and progressing very fast here!

This week was fantastic everyone kinda thinks that I am getting transferred because usually you never stay in one area more than 4 transfers. So its kind of a bitter sweet feeling telling all the people that you love that it might be the last visit. Its cool to see how loving the people are here and I am so so so blessed to be here and learn from such a great humble people.

I read the last talk of President Packer last the conference looking for those treasures that are always in there and I loved how he talked about when out bodies get a cut a scar is left. But because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ when we make a mistake and our spirit gets a spiritual cut through the Atonement no scar will be left. No matter what our weaknesses, trials, sins are he has felt them and paid the price for them so that when we repent no scar will be left behind. I am so thankful for the full knowledge of the Atonement and what it really means. That doctrine is found in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants and so great to teach to people who don't quite fully understand yet.

I love reading those talks from our modern Prophet's and Apostles. I am so grateful for their guidance and the opportunity to share what I have felt from being raised in the church!

Keep having a great summer!!! Have fun at EFY! That is a little taste of what I am doing everyday! Talk to you next week!!!!

Love,

Elder Craythorne

My boys. I love my apartment!!!

When I went with Elder Kellerstrass I took him to that couple who we met at the bakery if we remember. They were more prepared this time and still as good as ever. They had a problem with their relationship before but now they are ready to get married now! Kinda cool...

July 5th 2015

That is officially one year in the books! One of the best most challenging year of my  life. I have been sitting here trying to figure out how to summarize my 1st year as I missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! One year ago I left everything got dropped off at the MTC ready for the most rewarding two years of my life!

 

The 5 weeks in the MTC now feel like a dream and just remember the spirit that was in the special place and wanting to get out of there as fast as I could to go the Philippines and convert the whole island! Then came the humbling experience where I realized how much i needed the help of Our Heavenly Father. I had some rough days which I wouldn't trade for anything because those were when I prayed harder than I have ever prayed in my life! And really found my relationship with my Father in Heaven. Then had those days where you just come back smiling from ear to ear because you met someone who really want prepared for you and at the end of the day you say the most powerful prayer of thanks because you knew that He answered you prayer and He is taking care of you!

Studying the scriptures and saying countless prayers out load everyday. Finding how true the Book of Mormon and being amazing by it everyday! Then go out and try to get people to see how it can help them. To see them accept the Gospel and really change. Makes you realized why you left everything to serve a mission.

 I have learned things that I know I could only learn here in this place with these special people. I am so grateful for this place are for all of my companions no matter how different we all are. I have learned priceless lessons from them and I love every single one!

"Do what is right let the consequence follow" That is what Mia Lago has decided to do. She announced yesterday at church after singing that song that. She knows whats right and will get baptized and will put her trust in God no matter might happen when she gets baptized. She knows that God will make sure that she will be OK. God does not give us a commandment unless he also provides a way for us to follow! 

I  am so happy to be here and know that we have the Restored Gospel today. No matter where you are the church is blessing the lives of people and bringing them closer to God. I am so thankful for the truthfulness of the Gospel it makes it a lot easier to be a missionary and answer their questions!!! Its so true and so so good!

Love,

Elder Craythorne

June 29, 2015

My first birthday in the Philippines was something I will never ever forget! Wow what a great week! Actually the 25th was not all that eventful. Like I said last week me and my comp had to go down to Iloilo for another two day meeting! So we actually celebrated it on the 27th. And boy was it awesome. There were so many members who made it a big deal and made it quite the event! I sent a bunch of pictures so you can get an idea about how awesome it was. I love these people so much and i felt really loved on Saturday. We had a bunch of cakes that the Bishops wife made and people prepared dances and songs. Just an amazing sight. I will never forget these people here! They are very special to me!!!

We had baptisms this week from a family who became members on a different island but after they moved here they became less active but now their testimony has caught fire again. Their kids weren't members yet. We also extended a baptismal date to their neighbors who are also coming to church with them. They have been a great example to their friends and the excitement is high.

After the baptism we had a ward lunch at the beach. I sent some pictures of that and it was an awesome white sand beach. An awesome activity to get the ward excited and welcome the new members. So ya this week was a crazy busy week but super fun!

You guys sound like you are having a great summer. Ryker is trying to make me jealous from his Alaska bear hunt/ fishing trip but its not going to work because I am in the best place in the world working for the Lord. But I am proud of Grandpa getting his Grizzly Bear with his Mathew's! That's so cool to have such a big goal and work so hard for it even when it seems hard. Goals are what we need to reach our full potential. Here you make goals daily, weekly, and even monthly to make the most out of your time.

This is my hump week and its actually kinda scary how fast this has came. They say it gets so fast after your year mark and that scares me even more. I enjoy every day here. So thanks for all your birthday wishes. It was amazing probably the biggest birthday party i have ever had! I felt really loved and a confirmation that I am here for a reason and doing some good!

I love you guys so much have fun a Fish Lake!!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Jackson Erik Craythorne

June 22, 2015

Hello everyone!!!

Another week down! I guess its fathers day today and not last week. So another shoutout to my father and my grandfathers. I love and appreciate you so much and everything you have done for me. I guess Ryker and Grandpa are in Alaska!!! I am so jealous and I am expecting some monster fish from him and hopefully Grandpa can fulfill his dream with his Grizzly!

I loved hearing about Camp Helaman. Those awesome activities that the church has are amazing and have had a huge impact on me! We are so lucky to be surrounded with so many amazing leaders! I am really excited to have my first birthday in the Philippines! We got some things planned with our Ward and Investigators to make it a great one!

A lot of members worked with us this week to try and start building relationships between the active members and our investigators and less active members. That has been really effective. Its cool to see all the connections that people have with the church here. You meet a lot of people who have family or neighbors who are members. Its really something special.

So I am sure you are very familiar with the Lago family. Well a few of them worked with us this week even though they are not members the think they are. It was cool to hear them bare their testimony because they aren't doing it just because they are members of the church but they can really say that the Book of Mormon has affected their family! We just need to be patience and know that a time will come that they will be baptized and then sealed in the Temple someday! I loved hearing about Macy being able to witness one of the families she taught get sealed. How cool is that. Missionary work really is eternal and does a whole lot of good!

I love you all so much and I know that we have a Heavenly Father. Even when sometimes we don't understand everything and things are really hard. He is there and He loves us!

Love,

Elder Craythorne