No Time to Waste

Hello Everyone,

Well time does not seem to be slowing down for me here in my mission because another transfer has passed I think that this past transfer was one of the fastest transfers of my mission since I have been here in the field me and Elder Abrigo worked hard this week we made a lot of progress with some of the people that we have been teaching about Jesus Christ and his gospel or Heavenly Father's Plan for all of his children here on Earth. All of the other missionaries in my zone are doing well also I feel that almost all of the missionary's work as well improved over this past week and I think that had to do with the zone fasting that we had this pasted week, after last week me and Elder Abrigo had a little chat about what some of the things that we can improve upon in the Pamplona Zone and we both agreed that we could have a zone fast in order for us to receive some spiritual strength and revelation so that we could find some more answers to some of the questions that we had about the people that we have been helping and teaching. This leads into miracles, something that we have been focusing on there in my mission is miracles and really taking the time to notice and give thanks to our Father in Heaven for the miracles that happen in our lives and especially in the lives of us as missionaries in the Lord's service. I know that the Lord's had is always never too far away from us I have seen his hand in my life countless times and that has not changed since I have been here in my mission I know that Heavenly Father loves and protects all of his missionaries wherever they are serving all over the world. 

I will also be receiving a new companion tomorrow because Elder Abrigo will be transferred tomorrow I do not know yet who my new companion will be but I ma not worried about that because I know that whoever it is is supposed to be here in Sipocot with me and I am sure that we will accomplish many great things together and for the record I have not yet had an American companion here in the mission field so I have had almost all Filipino companions in my mission thus far and I have had one companion that was from New Zeland so we will see what the Lord has in store for me I am just excited to work hard and go all out because I have no time to waste everyday for me is so important because they go by so fast but I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of me and I know that will accomplish what ever he needs me to because he will help me and I know that his Only Begotten Son even Jesus Christ loves us very much as well so much that he gave his life so that we all can have the chance to live again as well and I know that his atonement is real and powerful. Also a quick side note I was able to speak with my family again for the last time while I am here in the Philippines and they are doing well. I know that as we continue to do the things that Jesus would do if he were here then we will all prepare more fully to enter into the presence of our Heavenly Father when he is ready to call us back home.

Love,

Elder Chilson    

Last Skype with Elder Chilson from the Philippines 

Earthquake!

Hello Everyone, 

May has arrived so wherever you are that means that there should be Spring now except for where I am where summer started in March we sort of skipped over Spring here in the Philippines but that is okay there is not much that I can do about it I am just living it up under the sun day in and day out. This past week I saw that some prophecies were fulfilled to be exact it was Saturday afternoon roughly 1:30pm me and Elder Abrigo were outside in a forest type setting in the middle of a lesson and then I experienced for the first time in my life a real live Earthquake! Now please do not worry it was not a very big earthquake the Earth did not split open in two but I did feel the Earth shake beneath my feet and I was sort of taken off guard and Elder Abrigo told me that it was an earthquake and I was like wow this is cool and then he asked me if I felt it and I said yes I do and it was only like 5 minutes I think it was not very big but strong enough to feel it and I do not now if it was in the whole Philippines I think that it was only where I was at the time because I do not know if you are aware but I am close to a very large volcano the Mayon Volcano in Legazpi so that is what the people were saying here was because of the volcano the earthquake occurred as a result here in the Bicol Region and overall I though that it was an interesting experience. 

Now I said at the beginning that prophecies were fulfilled because when I entered the MTC in Manila that is what most of the leaders told us missionaries when we were there was that we should prepare for an earthquake because the Philippines was overdue I guess for an earthquake I am not real sure on the science behind all that but that is what they told us so I sat there thinking to my self wow I might be able to experience an earthquake while I am on my mission but what ended up happening was 2 Christmas ago we had the Super Typhoon and the last week the small earthquake occurred so that is what normally happens I guess when you live on islands the people here are pretty used to it the natural disasters do not phase them at all they just roll with whatever come but for me it has been pretty interesting for me especially me being a boy from New York where the only natural disaster that occurs is the occasional blizzard and ice storm and now I am here in the heat and opposite of snow, but I now that Heavenly Father is in control of it all and that he sent me here to the Philippines for reasons that I have discovered since I have been here and for other reasons that I probably will not find out until I return to America. 

I know that sometimes we need to exercise patience in the one who knows all I know that Heavenly Father knows each and everyone of his children perfectly and individually and he knows what we really need and what is best so sometimes we may feel that we are worthy of certain blessings and we will be expecting certain blessing to come to us but sometimes they do not come and sometimes we can ask ourselves over and over why this happened or why did we receive these results but I now that as we continue on the road that we are traveling on (the road that leads us back to our Father in Heaven) with faith in Christ and patience we will see the hand of the Lord in our lives and in time we will see the things that we could not see the first time if you now what I mean I know that as we always turn to our Father in Heaven in prayer he will come and comfort us and rescue us from whatever situation that we might be in and he will never leave us alone. 

Love,

Elder Chilson           

Zone Conferences

Hello Everyone,

This past week was very busy for me but now I am so happy because of the results that came out of our work this past week. We were able to reach some of our goals this past week in the Pamplona District (It is not a Stake yet) so my District President I think will be happy about that when I see him and I am very excited about our progress since I have come here in the Pamplona Zone almost everything has increased and I think that the missionaries here are working very hard despite some difficult circumstances they are responding nicely. I would just like to share with you that I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of each and everyone of us because we really are his children and I know that he loves us perfectly. I have seen Heavenly Father over the past month help us through some tough times as a zone and as a result of that I think that we have come closer together and we have become more unified in the work of the Lord I know that is true for me and Elder Abrigo I think that every time we have something that we have to work out in the zone we always grow closer together because I know that the Lord gives us trials not to bring us down or tear us apart but to help us and mold us into the people that he wants us to become I know that Heavenly Father is always on our side regardless of the things that we have done in the past and the mistakes that we have made he will never leave us and his son's atonement in infinite and it will never run out.

This past week as well we had Zone Conference and I enjoyed it very much and me and Elder Abrigo also took the assignment that was given to us by President Zapanta to teach a workshop or give a training to 3 Zone the Pamplona Zone Daet Zone and Canaman Zone which adds up to more than 50 missionaries and I was excited for this teaching opportunity because I have never taught that many missionaries before in one setting but it went well we gave a workshop or lesson about the Book of Mormon and so now I feel that me and Elder Abrigo were able to help the other missionaries strengthen their desire to use the Book of Mormon in every aspect of the Missionary Work that we are doing and I know that the Book or Mormon is true and that it has the power to help anyone come to truly know who their Savior is and what he has done for us I know that as I have been serving here in the Philippines Naga Mission my testimony has been strengthen about the Book of Mormon on various levels and I hope that we will take all the spare time that we have to read the Book of Mormon because I know that it will help us in ever aspect of our lives there is nothing that the Book of Mormon cannot do or cannot help it has all the answers and it has all that we need in order to prepare in this life to return to live with our Heavenly Father and our Savior and Redeemer even Jesus Christ again forever.

Love,

Elder Chilson        

Pasacao

Hello Everyone,

This week was a pretty fun week for me because I took a temporary assignment in Pasacao which is an area inside of the Pamplona Zone of which I am the Zone Leader of because a companionship needed some help so I of course was happy to serve then and help them with whatever they needed, I was with Elder Mafi in Pasacao and he is a missionary from Tonga and he is really funny and I really enjoyed working with him but now I am back in Sipocot with Elder Abrigo and we are preparing for the Zone Conference that we have this week. I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have to be able to help and serve the missionaries that are in my Zone, you never know how Heavenly Father will work through his servants to help his children or in this case missionaries with whatever they may be in need of at that apparent time it is such a great feeling when you have the chance to be an instrument in the Lords hands and to be able to work through him to accomplish the work that he has prepared for us to perform. 

I have a sort of quick story to tell that you might think is funny so this past Saturday I had the chance to provide some service for a member in the Pamplona Branch and it was a lot of fun we worked in a rice field I dug some trenched for water to pass through and I moved dirt and we also cleaned out some other greenery that was getting pretty high and the funny part was that after we provided the service we were invited inside to have a quick snack so here in the Philippines when they say lets have a snack that means they have some sort of pasta prepared so we said sure we ate some pasta and I was pretty full then another thing here in the Philippines is that they usually always have rice at every meal so after we had that snack the father of the family to which we gave to service told us in so many words okay are you guys ready for lunch because it was lunch time at the time and then I looked at my companion and said didn't we just eat and then we were like yes but that was just a snack he said so now we are going to have lunch well that is pretty hard to have lunch we you are already full but the worst thing that you can do is when a Filipino gives you some food to not eat is so of course we have some rice and the other food that was prepared so we were really full when we left that house and those are basically the two main food groups here in the Philippines pasta and rice that is what they eat mostly everyday.

I really love the hospitality of the Filipinos they are so nice they will basically invite anyone into their houses even if it is really inconvenient because it is in their culture they will go out of their way to give the missionaries food and anything that you may be in need of they will get it for you they really do love their missionaries here in the Philippines and that is ultimately how the Gospel of Jesus Christ got here to the Philippines in the first place was because of missionaries and I am so thankful for being another missionary here in the Philippines to keep the work of the Lord moving here in the Philippines this is such a chosen and prepared land for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father is preparing his children everyday to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as his disciples we need to be ready always to share that special message that we have in whatever setting we are in because there are people out there that are waiting for us to open our mouths and share it with them because they do not know where to find peace in this life and I know that we can find peace and safety in this life because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love,

Elder Chilson             

Patience

Hello Everyone,

This past week was pretty good because me and Elder Abrigo worked really hard we worked with many different members this past week because we are trying to find some good fellow shippers for our investigators that we have right now because I have seen and now have a stronger testimony that the members are essential in missionary work the missionaries are simply just the placeholders for the Lord so to speak because the missionaries can be transferred at any time, they will leave eventually, and they only have 2 years to give all that they have to the Lord but the members are not just placeholders because they will be there forever, the missionaries have to put their trust in the members because missionaries need them every missionaries knows that they are essentially nothing without the help of the members at least that has been some of my experiences since I have been serving here in the Philippines I know that as the Lord prepares his children to receive his gospel he also prepared members also to be able to help out in that process because the missionary work is not just the work of the missionaries alone that is one of the common misconceptions when it comes to missionary work but as I have worked in the shoes of the missionary for a time I have come to know that the missionaries need the help of the members in order for them to be successful and I have been very blessed because as I have been serving here in the Philippines there are awesome members everywhere that I have been assigned and I will be ever so grateful to them and for the service that they rendered for the work of the Lord.

Also right now I would like to just share a bit about patience I know that patience is something that we need to have to grow and to become the people that Heavenly Father wants us to be sometimes we have ideas of how things are supposed to work out and what we are supposed to do and then we find out that Heavenly Father had a better idea because he has the big picture he loves us more that we can comprehend here on Earth and I know that Heavenly Father gives us experiences so that we can learn and grow and to be able to develop the gifts that we has given us. I know that we all have talents and gifts that Heavenly Father has given us and I know that we all have a purpose as to why we were sent here to Earth at this present time and I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for all that he has given me, he has given me so much and it is natural to feel sometimes that we do not measure or that we are not good enough because I think that in this life we will always fall a little short because this life is not perfect and we are not yet perfect but I know that as we continue to do our best to repent and turn to the Lord he will great us with open arms ready to embrace us. 

I know that as we continue to be teachable and to serve the Lord with a willing heart that we will gain so much happiness and that we will want to share that happiness with others and I know that desire will lead us to do the things that the Savior would do if he were here I know that Heavenly Father is counting on us to help his children come back to him and I know that we can do this as we continue to look for opportunities to serve his children here on Earth and I know that with great sacrifice come great blessings I know that Heavenly Father is only a prayer a way and that the atonement of Jesus Christ is always there for us to grab and use it, it will never run out or expire until at least our Savior and King even Jesus Christ returns here to Earth for his 2nd Coming and I hope that we will all do our best to prepare for that day.

Love,

Elder Chilson 

Another Transfer Week

Hello Everyone,

This week was another pretty busy week for me, not much of a surprise there, it seems like this whole transfer is going to be pretty busy for me but I am excited about that as well because if we are busy that means that we have a lot of work to do which means that Heavenly Father is really pushing forward his missionary work here in the Philippines and I am so honored to be able to serve the Lord and his people here in the Philippines. So this past week was another transfer week and so we got several new missionaries here in the Pamplona Zone so I am excited for the new missionaries that are here now and for all the things that we will be able to accomplish together I know that communication and unity are two very important things that we must have if we want to accomplish the Lord's work effectively and that also applies in any real life situation as well communication is very important when working with other people. I have enjoyed working with other missionaries last transfer and I look forward to working with other missionaries this transfer as well and helping them achieve their goals and helping them to become successful as well. That is one thing that I have noticed as a Zone Leader is I work a lot more hands on with the other missionaries in my zone and I follow-up often on their goals and what they are trying to achieve in their companionships and in their branches. I know that this is the work of the Lord and as I said earlier I am so lucky to have been called as one of his servants here in the Philippines and that with his help nothing is impossible. 

I also attended several meetings this past week which was fun for me because I love learning from President Zapanta ever since I got here in the Philippines Naga Mission I always felt that there was some sort of special connection between us and I am always excited when I have meetings with President Zapanta because I always learn things that I can improve on and new ideas that we can try to improve the missionary work wherever we are serving, I know that he is called of God to preside over the Philippines Naga Mission and I know that I have been called of God as well to serve at this time while President Zapanta is here as well. He is a great teacher and he really loves his missionaries and I have learned so much from him since I had the opportunity to work in the mission office and now as well as one of the leaders here in the Philippines Naga Mission I am always excited for the opportunities to be taught by my leaders because they are the ones that receive the inspiration from Heavenly Father and in like manner I am happy to have had the opportunity to hear from our living prophet as well President Nelson in General Conference I know that he is also called of God to lead and direct this church in the direction that the Lord wants it to go in. 

I know that we are all sons and daughters of a living Father in Heaven and I know that he loves us very much and that is one of the reasons that he has given us a Living Prophet Russell M. Nelson and scriptures the Bible and the Book of Mormon and other for us to study and ponder about how we can become more like our Savior Jesus Christ because I know that Jesus Christ is our way in order to return to our Father in Heaven and I know that as long as we continue to follow his commandments and more forward with faith regardless of what will happen to us we will be blessed according to our obedience and faith which is in Christ and I know that families can be together forever and that is one of the best gifts that we can ever receive from our Heavenly Father.

Love,

Elder Chilson      

Easter Sunday

Hello Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a joyous Easter Sunday yesterday for me it was a pretty normal Sunday for me because outside of going to church the Filipinos do not really have any big traditions or anything that they do special for Easter here but that is fine, I enjoyed remembering Jesus Christ through the scriptures this week I did sort of a special study about the life of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon and in the New Testament. Outside of that this is my first time experiencing "Transfers" from the view of a Zone Leader so it is a little different I have experienced "Transfers" from many different points of view throughout my mission and this is just another experience to add to my book of experiences so to speak as a missionary. There are several missionaries that are transferring from my zone tomorrow but I am still excited because the missionaries worked really hard last transfer and this transfer I think they are going to be able to harvest the seeds that they planted lasted transfer so I am excited for that speaking of harvesting me and Elder Abrigo had a baptism last Saturday and it was awesome I really enjoyed it and I felt so happy for the person that got baptized after her baptism she was speechless and she was just overwhelmed with the Spirit those are the kinds of moments as a missionary that are priceless because you know that you did your job right because you know and God knows that you did all that you could to help that person get closer to their Savior Jesus Christ and ultimately return back to their Father in Heaven. 

This past week was Holy Week as we know so our work was a little bit different the Catholic population here in the Philippines is really large so most people were really busy this past week with their families and vacationing so me and Elder Abrigo had to work sort of extra hard so to speak so that we could continue to fulfill our purpose as missionaries even though sometimes the other people do not really want to cooperate but you cannot really blame them because they are legitimately busy. I would just like to share that I know that we are so blessed to have the religious freedoms that we have here in this world (I realize that there are some areas of the world that do not really have religious freedoms and that is tough) but in the areas of the world that do have it we are so blessed and I know that that is one of the blessing that Heavenly Father has given to us and I know that that is part of his great plan for all of his children. I know with all of my heart that Heavenly Father wants all of this children to be able to return to him I have felt that time and time again since I have been here serving my mission here in the Philippines I know that Heavenly Father loves all of his children perfectly and as we turn to him in prayer often I that he will come to our aid and he will help us with the things that we are struggling with and he will give us comfort. I have also experienced this throughout my mission as well I know that Heavenly Father lives and that Jesus Christ lives and I know that he rose again as well so that we all can rise again as well when the time comes. I hope that as you all go throughout this week you can see the hand of the Lord in your lives because I know that he is not that far away if we will open our eyes and just look him.

Love,

Elder Chilson