Trying to call Manila

Hello Everyone,

This was a pretty crazy week there was a lot of stuff that happened and a lot of it was fun and some of it not as much but that is how it goes I have learned when you have a part in keeping a mission running you should just do your part and not ask questions. I cannot believe that my office training is already more than half over that is crazy I will be with my office trainer Elder Robinson for one more week and then he will be transferred and then it will just be all me and I will have to make the "big decisions" not really just the decisions that have to do with the tings I am in charge of. It is not really like as difficult as I may seem to be sounding because obviously if they needed adults to come and work in the mission office then they would go and get adults or senior couples to come and serve in mission offices like they do in America most of the time I think so it is all manageable. 

Towards the end of this week me and Elder Robinson did a lot of traveling which was fun we had to go to Iriga and Pamplona Zones on assignment so that was fun because as office Elders you have cars and have the "go ahead" or the "ability" to go and do whatever you have to complete your job or you assignment (the trouble is most of this stuff I cannot really talk about straight up because it is mission related business, it is not like I am keeping secrets from you guys or everyone but I am just held to confidentiality in some aspects of my assignment as an Office Elder and I cannot really break that I am sure that you guys understand I will be able to talk more about this kind of stuff when I go home). We got to take care of a lot of missionaries this week and it was awesome I love being able to help missionaries and helping them find answers to their problems whatever they maybe sometimes it is just a lot of mics. things but it makes it all worth it for me. 

I will share a funny story quick though that I at least thought was funny. So because of a certain issue that we have been asked to take care of by my Mission President it requires us to call Manila and it is really hard believe me that it is really hard to call Manila and me and Elder Robinson cannot really figure out why. The answer is because maybe two Americans do not really understand the way that the Filipino phone systems work? Yes that would be the answer that you would be looking for so me and Elder Robinson tried for a while using different numbers online to contact the Manila Distribution Center mismo and we used our cell phone and we tried to use the landline phone as well be we dont really know how to use it/it is difficult to use because from what we have figured out is that different numbers you can only call on landline phones and other numbers you can only call on cell phones so I will maybe let you know next week if we conquer that this week or not. Things like that that would not be stumbling block for a polished Mission Office Staff but we are not that so we just do our best to find solutions to the problems that are given to us we are definitely not professionals here in the Mission Office that is for sure but it is fun at the same time.

We also had some investigators come to church yesterday as well which was awesome and a bit of a change for me because in my last area we did not have many investigators that came to church so that was pretty exciting for me. I know that sometimes we are given hard things to do but I know that if we do all that we can and survive through the challenges that we receive that our faith will be strengthen because of it and I know that there are angels in heaven that are cheering us on so whatever the things are that maybe holding us back or keeping us from progressing they are only temporary and it depends on us how we want to respond we can either repent and become happy because of the opportunities Heavenly Father has give us to become more like him or we can just let things be and just waste our lives away. The choice is OURS. 

With Love,

Elder Chilson          

Office Elder

Hello Everyone,

I hope that all of you had a very Happy Easter for me nothing really special happened here which was fine we basically went to church and that was it. Here in the Philippines they have some different types of traditions but they are kind of based off of other religions so I dont really know about them enough to explain them (if that makes sense) and other than that is was just kind of another day and that is something that I am starting to notice here in the mission that when a family oriented holiday comes a long you just kind of have to stand a lone so to speak that it is just you and your companion and any other missionaries that might be nearby. So I dont mean to be kind of a downer about the situation dont get the wrong idea like I am sad or a lone or anything like that because I knew that this is how things were going to be when I put in my mission papers I am just trying to be honest with all of you and sacrifice is a big part of serving a mission and that is not sugar coated. I know that sometimes you have to give/sacrifice a lot to gain a lot more and I know that is true. 

So also some big changes happened this week, I moved into the Philippines Naga Mission Office so that means that I have accepted an assignment to be an "Office Elder" so that is basically what it sounds I work in the Mission Office literally. So there are missionaries that sometimes get assigned to work in the Mission Office for a time so I do not exactly know how long I will be in here probably 6 months but it could be more it depends on my Mission President but my job or my assignment is specifically called "Supply Manager" so I am in charge or all the supplies that missionaries need here in the Philippines Naga Mission and I am in charge of all the vehicles as well here in the Philippines Naga Mission and I will be getting my Filipino Drivers License soon as well so it is definitely a different type of assignment but I am happy to accept it and to help and serve the missionaries here in the Philippines Naga Mission. 

So everything else is the same I am still a missionary and I do all of the things that I did before as a missionary this is a just an added assignment to work in the Mission Office so I have a new companion now who works in the office to but he has different responsibilities and I have a new appt as well which is above the Mission Office we live up stairs so I am now assigned in the Naga 2nd Ward now and that is nice we have church at 1pm (it is kind of like my home ward we have 9am and 1pm church) So things are pretty different now but it is okay it is sort of a learn as you go kind of experience but I am happy to serve. 

With Love,

Elder Chilson      

 Elder Chilson and Elder Bondoc

  

Camaligan District

Happy Easter

Hello Everyone and Happy Early Easter,

I cannot believe that yesterday was Palm Sunday (at least here in the Philippines) time is crazy right now as we have our choir performance/concert on this coming Saturday and I still do not know all the songs we are singing some songs in English songs that all of you would probably be familiar with from Hymnals and Easter type music and songs about Jesus Christ and then we are singing one song in Bicol which is pretty hard for me but it will be okay and then there are some songs as well that we are going to sing in Tagalog but they are not that bad. I will say that I have sung in English Spanish and French  but singing in Tagalog or Bicol is very different because of the way the languages are but it is okay because I have gotten used to it now so it will be fine. 

This week we spent a lot of time finding new people to teach that is just a part of the missionary work that I am a part of, if we do not have anyone to teach then we are not really doing our jobs effectively because in simple terms I am here in the Philippines right now to teach people about Jesus Christ and if I am not teaching people I am just wasting my time and we all know that I am not about wasting time so sometimes it is difficult because there are people here that do not want to talk to us or there are people that do not want to talk to me because I am a white American here in the Philippines but that is just all part of my job right now so it does not bother me I know that everyone has there own agency even though I know the effects of someone listening to the message that I have and the joy that they will feel because of it but I cannot force anything one anyone it is just as simple as that. 

I really enjoyed General Conference as well (if you do not know what that is I will explain) General Conference is a big meeting that we have as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints every 6 months, it is a worldwide meeting where all the members of the LDS Church tune in to listen to the words of what we believe to be a living prophet like in the days of Biblical Prophets we believe that we have one right now on the Earth and his name is Thomas S. Monson and of course other Church Leaders as well they give talks about different Gospel Principles and uplifting things sorry I cannot really explain more because my time is limited but if you have any other questions you can ask someone who is a member of the LDS church and I am sure they would be happy to help you. Anyways I really enjoyed the General Conference this past weekend and I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true living Prophet of God and because I know he is a true Prophet of God I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ now on the Earth. I hope that all of you have a great Easter Sunday and continue to partake of the special Easter Season.

Love,

Elder Chilson          

 Elder Brown he is padjaking with some children.

 Elder Chilson and Nanay Segovia 

He provided service for her.

   

Crazy Week

Hello Everyone, 

This week was a bit of a crazy week for me but that was fine because I am pretty good at being flexible, just like in football where ever my coach needs me to play for the team to be successful that is where I will play same here in the mission what ever my mission leaders tell me to do that is what I am going to do because I know that their information comes from Heavenly Father mismo and that is awesome for me I know that the Windows of Heaven are open and that Heavenly Father speaks to us and gives revelation when we need it. Anyways a quick side note I am singing in a missionary Easter Choir so I am pretty excited about that and it was by invitation as well so that was exciting for me to accept that invitation to singing there is so much power para sa akin in bearing testimony through song (D&C 25:12) 

Also I had an experience this week that reminded me of home we were siting on a jeepney(a jeepney is a big form of transportation that they use here in the Philippines it is like a bus and a truck combined) waiting to go to Camaligan from Naga City and there was a lady on the jeepney that was on the phone talking to here children and planing with them what to do because she was going to be late and it just made me think of home because my mom's schedule is always crazy and it was always impossible for here to be everywhere that she needed to be so that is just sort of life but I thought it was funny. Another quick funny story Jehovah's Witnesses came to our door again (I think we need to move to a new apartment just kidding...) This time they spoke English so that was fun we were planning for the day and then I saw some people out side our gate in front of our apartment and I said to my companions I bet those are Jehovah's Witnesses again and then Elder Campo was like okay then you go grab the door and so I was like okay so then I answered the door and sure enough it was Jehovah's Witnesses and they were different than the last ones this time they spoke English because they were from Africa apparently so then me and Elder Brown took care of this one because our Filipino companions ran inside because they are not very good at English but we just talked to them and gave them some reading material so maybe they will read I dont really know it is up to them. 

It is also graduation season right now where I am at in the Philippines at least most colleges and schools right now have graduation so that has been fun it has made me think back to my high school graduation a little which is weird for me to think about but that is life and reality. That is really all that has happened not much else really all that exciting just the same work that we do as missionaries. I hope that this Easter Season will be one of peace hope and joy for all of you. 

Love,

Elder Chilson