"Faith and Trusting in the Lord" Dec 16th 2012

this was a weird week, haha i dont got to much to write about it, lots of crazy stuff happened and im just left with a big question mark over my head haha. people in our area are still progressing so thats good, no complaints there. the christmas broadcast was really inspiring and it was something i think everybody needed to hear. This christmas season is even more different than last year, but the spirit of christmas is always still there, when we let it be. ive been reading jesus the christ and its absolutley incredible what He did for us and for me, really helped bring in the christmas spirit, we had a miracle happen yesterday at church, a less active who probably has the hardest head i have ever met came to church! her biggest problem was not coming to sacrament meeting cause she was working and no matter what we said she wouldnt budge. well yesterday we saw her walk in and it was incredible to see her using her faith and trusting in god to help her and make everything alright. the spirit of the lord truly touched her heart and she made the change. it always depends on us to make the change and when we decide to make the change, we will experience the most sweetest joy. i love you family and wish you a merry christmas! Elder Machen

"This Work Is AMAZING" Dec 9, 2012

Well howdy there family! it was great to hear from you and see the pictures i love that! well this week was crazy, we had a lot of things going on and our work suffered a little bit, nevertheless we got it done and we saw some great progression in some of our less actives and espically in our investigators. we have one family the "daven family" there is 6 of them included one of their cousins thats interested and we got 3 of them at church! we were way pumped! the other 3 had a emergency, oh well things happen, we were happy for the results, all in all we had 7 investigators come to church! it was a great week. this week was not all easy, it was a rough one with get punted left and right, people hiding more than usual haha and some of the worst excuses but thats all apart of the mission! i relied heavily this week on our Heavenly Father cause there were times i was just ticked and didnt know exactly what to do, but thats the amazing thing, hes always there to ease our burdens and give the direction we need. it was a great thing that helped me grow personally. today we had a activity and we went hiking, it was ok, i did get to hold to huge pythons that was neat and this week when i was on exchanges i got to hold a monkey! it was way cool it started picking throw my hair looking for lice and i learned they dont like it when you smile, they think your mad haha the little guy bit my finger, dont worry it wasnt bad, just a little nibble hahaha everybody was laughing way hard. Family this work is amazing and im loving it, we are working hard and the lord is really blessing us out here, our area is slowly starting to progress since i got here and thats been the great blessings from heavenly father. i love you guys and hope you have a great week! no news yet on the christmas call, if anything ill just call when its christmas over there. mahal kita elder machen

"And Then There Were Three" Dec 2, 2012

well this week was a interesting one for sure! we got a new companion this week, one elder in our house got sent home so we got put into a 3 some. our new companion is elder discaya, hes probably the coolest pilipino ive ever met! we had such a good time this week, the work was interesting at first there being 3 of us but we figured it out and man, this week was full of great things! this week we extended a lot of baptismal invitations to some well prepared families! im excited to see them progress as we help them get ready for baptism! this week i learned a lot from both of my companions, we set some lengthy goals that made us stretch and do the best that we could, we talked to so many people this week and found a lot of new investigators. our focus is starting to switch back to investigators and so its been a great challenge for me espically because my whole mission as been with less actives but im excited for the challenge. elder terry and i are doing great, the kids a stud with a fire for the work! haha he reminds me of the kid of the best two years that will just talk to everybody, hes been a good example for me! its been such a fast transfer! its already week 5. the work is starting to progress here in santa maria and its getting fun! well im kinda at a loss of words because of the new news, really throws a twist on things! i love you guys and thank you for your example! Elder Machen

"Self Evaluation" Nov 25th, 2012

Well this was thanksgiving huh? haha honestly i totally forgot when it was! people where asking me and i think i said the 24 of november or something i guess i was wrong, but im glad you guys got to have such a good time with bryce and cassidy! sounds great! well this week was a eventful one that tested me and elder terry. it was interesting cause we had lots of stuff going on and we tried finding some people in some areas in our area that we havent been to but that didnt turn out so well cause we just ended up walking so far and it really wasnt effecient, but it was a good learning experience. ok mom i dont want you to worry with what happened this week because as of right now i am 100% and nothings wrong but last tuesday i got bit by something and my ankle swelled up to the size of a baseball and i could barely walk! it was the weirdest thing ever, really painful as well but we still went out and worked and by the time we got home it was bigger and i wasnt feeling well so i called sister monahan and we got some antibiotics. they called the missionary doc and he said i had staphe infection, but we caught it early enough and so it was ok, i just had to stay inside one day cause i wasnt feeling good but like i said please dont worry haha im totally fine right now. so that was interesting. this week i also learned the importance of self evalution! its one of the most important things we can do because we constantly have to keep improving ourselves! this week things just werent falling into place and so we were constantly reveiwing what we could be doing better in our work and it was great what we learned! as far as our work went this week we had some great things happen with the La's. we met this one la named philip and he has been la only because he went abroud to work but came back and still wasnt going to church and said he complete lost his testimony. we taught him and that same sunday he came to church! we were pretty surprised with that! and he has a great support system so that helped. then we went back to follow up if he had read and prayed to know if the book of mormon was true and he said yes i know its true! wow! it was so great! he thanked us for the visits cause he said it really helped. this work is so rewarding! then we met this part member family and we told them we were going to stop by there house before church and we did, well it was obvious that they forgot so he said ill just catch up. well usually that means "yea im really not coming" but to our surprise he came! it was great! tender mercies of the Lord for sure! with our investigators where still working with them, some our so promising they just have no finish. meaning they get excited about the things we teach but dont act on it, like coming to church, thats the hardest part of our work here. our area in some aspects just seems dead so we have our work cut out for us but im pumped for the challenge heavenly father has given us! well family just like i say every week i am having the time of my life! dont worry just smile! Reach the Expection! mahal kita Elder Machen

"Church Outside?"

it was great to get your letters this week! i was so excited to read them! haha this week went by way to fast and man it's good being in a new area! its re-freashing! haha ok so this week was goo, i've walked more than i ever have in my entire life and we did some good work this week! the area im in is small but big at the same time because it's so spread across! so we do a lot of walking cause sometimes transportation isn't around haha i think we calculated one day we walked around 10 miles haha. good thing we are both tall americans so we can pick up the pace haha. so this week i met some of the hardest headed people of my life haha. working with the less actives is something else sometimes cause they know the truth they just do as the scriptures say, "openly rebel against god" we did are best to help them realize the importance and we had spiritual powerful lessons this week, it was an eye opener to me of how much the spirit is there and i know they felt it as well. i learned alot this week from the book of mormon, something that really made me think, so of course i have a challenge for you! you need to read helaman. the whole book, and count how many times they use or reference the word HEART. it will be amazing to you and the things you'll learn! so next week let me know what you guys think of it and what you learn!, while you read think of these 3 questions, "who has my heart?" "where is my heart?" "what do i allow INTO my heart?" ok so some stuff that happened this week oh where to begin, well yesterday was a first for me, like i said earlier our area is so spread out that some people can't make it to church in the town so what they do is they have a thing called the "group" the 2nd counsler has this house that he built in a tree, it's the most impressive tree house i have ever seen! it's a 4 story tree house! well we go out there on sunday and about 20-30 people come to this group and we hold church service outside! haha it was way cool me and elder taught the primary, turns out i'm not so good with kids haha but we did our best and then we were the speakers in sacrament, there was this little poduim thing haha oh man it was way cool! it was amazing how strong the spirit dwelt there! it was a testimony builder to me that even though we didn't have a church inside a church building the spirit was there because these people know the importance of sacrament and want to worship there god. i've rarely felt the spirit so strong as i did there yesterday. the filipino people amaze me with their faith! we also were able to teach some new people this week that seem interested and i know the lord directed us to them, so i'm excited to see what's going to happen the next few days! well thats a short summary of a great week that we had, i wish i could say everything, everystory haha theres so much that goes on that i don't have time to mention. just know i am loving it and love you! nagmamahal elder machen

"Welcome to Rosales"

Well just like every week it was great to hear from you guys and its something that keep me going, well here on the other side of the world some exciting things happened! i finally got transfered! haha i never thought the day would come but here i am! im in a little area called santa maria, haha it's like the arm pit of the mission, they say it's one of the hottest zones and yeah im feeling it haha! I have to admit it was sad leaving bauang, that place felt like home, the night before transfers we had a curfew because it's a holiday here and some people from the branch came by and visited and brought us food, the bauang branch will always be a place i will never forget, i guess you could say that's one of the hardest parts of the mission is transferring but it's good at the same time cause i got a new responsibilitly here and a lot of work to do! so im in a ward now but its a lot smaller than the branch i just came from and we had a meeting with the stake president yesterday and we have to get the attendence up an average of 10 people by the new year so we have a lot of work to do here. i'm so excited to start going and i know we are going to be able to do great things here with the help of the lord, the leaders here are strong and have a great vision so...it's time to get to work! this week was good the past few days have flown past, just trying to get used to the area and things, its weird not being in an area where i know it inside and out but its a relief. i felt i grew this week and the lord was right there on long the way to help me. i'm excited to have gotten my 1st american companion! haha elder terry is a stud and just wants to work hard, so i know we are going to get work done here! he is dang good at the language considering how long he has been out, 3 months maybe. we have been getting along great and things are looking great! well that's a wrap up on my week over here! it flew by just as usual and i'm enjoying everyday! thanks for your love and support and know you are in my prayers! take care over there and remember Him in everything you do! mahal kita Elder Machen

"Small and Simple Things"

haha just as usual it was great to see how everybody is doing and im way pumped for all the great things that are happening there and here! well this week was a better one, we had some great things happen, nothing huge and extraordinary but man "by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass." so i was thinking earlier of what i was going to tell you, if i had any cool stories or experiences and....i drew a blank but then i decided to look a little deeper, well this week was great, i've learned out here that things just don't happen all at once, well as i was thinking about this week i thought about everybody we our teaching and the things that have been happening with them, so this week we have been seeing improvement, small improvement but it's still great! for example of course with the less actives they dont read, so when we followed up on their reading some had read and even consistently throughout the week! haha we had people bring out concerns where we can create a base off that and find out ways to help them more. we had LA's come to church i wasn't expecting and was exstactic about that(haha i can't spell). i think throughout my mission i've been looking more for the big exciting things to happen when all this little great things have been happening all the time! don't get me wrong we always expect the "big change of heart to happen" but it takes time. it looks like im getting out of Bauang, unless president pulls a fast one hahaha. but it's an area that i am so grateful to serve in and i know i have grown to what i needed to grow here. the branch is great, they treated me like family and it's been a good 8 months, i won't ever forget the things i learned here, because it was such a big part of my mission, haha it's a big stepping stone i'm taking, haha going to my 3rd area! well family i love ya and want you to know how much i love ya and you are in my prayers every night! this work is great! Mahal kita Elder Machen

"Where Did The Week Go"

Haha sounds like things are doing great back home with you guys, i hope karter gets feeling better! thanks again for the emails and pics! well this week was a good one and i can't complain, we saw some good things happen and the lord really helped us this week, it went by so fast i couldn't believe it. I spoke yesterday in sacrament meeting yesterday and it was a good experience, i like speaking, it's a lot harder in another language but the Lord is right there to help me along the way. the past few weeks i have really been cracking down on my language study, i just really want to learn it. my comp is probably getting annoyed with all my questions haha. so the work this week was good, our investigators just dont seem to want to take the step, they start to progress so much and we are so close and then something comes up and...boom, there gone. it's been a struggle for me in this area but im extremely grateful for the help we have had in the less active work! some weeks are really good and we get some great work done and others not so much, this week was right in the middle! haha we got some good work done but things were slow to progress, it's all in the process but some people are really starting to make the steps they need to. that's the best is when we see people that haven't read, prayed, or gone to church in a while and slowly they start doing all of it! it's a really great experience, i love being a part of this work and really realize how important it is! i read a lot out of alma this week and was really inspired especially with the stories about ammon and aaron, there are some great doctrine in that chapter that helped me alot this week. i'm pulling a blank right now, this week went by so fast and i can't remember anything that happened, haha i'm sorry for this letter i'm trying to remember what happened, it's a good thing i've been writing in my journal or i probably wouldn't remember lots of stuff. family i just want to bear you my testimony that i know with all my heart this church is true! Christ lives, he is our mediator and advocate with the father he can heal any of our problems. the book of mormon is the word of God and is one book that can tell us all things we need to know. continue onward with faith, have fun and get the work done, know that i am doing great and i'm having the time of my life! mahal kita Elder Machen

"The Bauang Missionary"

Wow thanks for all those great pics and the great news from all of you! it truly helps my week with all your support. Well this was a good week, for conference i felt like a little kid waiting on christmas to open his presents, haha i loved it! it was absolutly amazing! it's so hard to narrow it down to what my favorite was but i really like the talks from President Uchtdorf those ones hit home for me! What great messages we can learn from the apostles and our beloved prophet, i think me and elder taught so many lessons these last two weeks about follow the prophet we had it down haha. it was great. well this week for us was a pretty good one, i get jokes from other missionaries from around the mission that i am the official "Bauang Missionary"haha so this week again struggles with investigators haha man i love it when people hide from us haha i've just learned to laugh it off. People made up some good excuses not to listen to us this week but all is well, i realized i had been putting a ton of presure on myself for not having too much success with investigators when i was missing all the blessings we were recieving with the less active work, me being here so long has given me the opportunity to see people slowly, 8 months slowly changes their life, become closer to our Heavenly Father, one thing from conference this week that stuck out to me is how much they talked about being a disciple of Christ and how to become converted, well it's a life long process and these people are making the changes they need! wow i was struck back this week about all the great things that have happened over the last 8 months, truly blessings from the lord that i'm so grateful for! one scary but turned out ok story was this less active we have the Ladaga family have not been progressing for the past 8 months and i was getting tired of teaching them, we almost dropped them but we felt we shouldn't, well it's probably a good thing we didn't cause these week we went over there on tuesday and she opened up to us after the lesson and told us she almost committed suicide cause she can't take all the problems they have, i was shocked i couldn't believe it! luckly her husband got home just in time to stop her, she thanked us for the lessons and this family has been slowly coming back to church and reading the scriptures, this is a family of 7 that lives in a house smaller than my bedroom at home and barely has enough money to but a small amount of rice for their kids. well we told them if they are faithful in following the commandments they would be blessed, I testify God loves us and we are blessed through obedience, her kid won two huge bags of rice in a raffle at school!!! it was a miracle. they reconginzed the blessing and that helped sister out a lot, they still have a long way to go but are making the steps! This work we are doing is amazing and how grateful i am to be a part of it! i would encourage everybody to follow the prophets council and GO! it will be the best thing they ever do! well family you keep "staying Golden" know that i love you and am so proud to have a family as wonderful as you thank you! Mahal kita Elder Machen

"Don't You Ever Get Tired?"

Well we still have to wait another week before conference but it sounds like it was great and i'm way excited for that! Well this week was acually a pretty good one, still faced the same challenges and struggles of the area, maybe even more than past weeks but this week was different. This week me and my companion made a goal to have a better attitude about the work despite the challenges we have been facing, we have been having more sincere prayers and really relying on Christ for all things. President monahan gave a great message about being a disicple of Christ. he said to us, "Do you want to know the most important thing anyone will ever say to you?" Be a Disicple of Christ." that has great meaning behind it, research and study the scriptures behind it, it will help you a lot. so the title of my email is 'Don't you ever get tired?" that was the question elder asked me this week as we were walking down this road with the sun scorching, i kinda walk fast for his little legs and he gets worn out haha. one day this week we were chasing the time so i made us run to one appointment, not far but it was funny. yesterday was fast sunday so that was tough too. but these past few weeks i have really been thinking of why i'm here. what is my purpose and why it's important. the more i learn about the gospel the deeper the desire grows, think about it, we are teaching people how to have eternal life!!! i could expound but that's really it! it's great if you think about it, so i think that has been what's driving me to work hard, also i thought about my companions statement as a spiritual sense, we know life throws at us burdens of every kind and we get worn out physically and spiritually, well i think it's a lot worse if we get worn out spiritual, that's why we have to do the things that build us up to withstand the temptations. haha this week was brutle but we Chose to have a good one, we had a great turn out with la's and investigators at church, the lords tender mercies. it was just a good week and i love to be out here, thanks so much for your support and love from good ole idaho! Mahal kita Elder machen

"Count Your Blessings"

Wow, i was really happy to get you letters this week! i am so excited for con man i'm just smiling right now haha, Well as you can see the title for this weeks letter is count your blessings. This week was a testimony builder to me of Heavenly Fathers hand in our work and helping us out! So we started off right on monday and it just sailed with us the whole week, it was a great blessing, i was blown away by the response of some of our investigators! We are teaching two investigators and their parents our members but la. they are kind of skeptical and have a lot of questions which is really great i love having investigators with lots of questions! anyways this week we asked her if she had prayed to know if what we were teaching was true, if Joseph smith was a true prophet and if the book of mormon was true, she said yeah i prayed about it, then she paused, i was on the edge of my seat!! she looked up and said "i believe it!" i appreciate the book of mormon, wow that moment was so powerful and i was speechless. i was just smiling and said yes it is, they even came to church this week! we had 7 investigators and 10 less actives at church it was a miracle, getting them to church is the hardest part but like i said Heavenly fathers hand was in our work and he really helped us out this week. Everyday things were just falling into place and it was a great experience to be a part of it! we also had great turn out with less actives and had some come to church for the 1st time in years! it was really amazing. this week i felt like i really learned to appreciate the time i have here in bauang and for my mission, there's nothing better than this in the whole world, knowing your helping people recieve the necessary ordinances and keep their commitments is a great feeling. This week was a great week and im just feeling good, me and my comp elder penaranda are getting along great and we have a good time everyday! i really appreciate your support and love, take care this week and always remember him in all you do! Mahal kita Elder Machen

"Priceless!"

Well family it warms me up here in the freezing cold philippines to know everything is going well there! hahaha. well what can i honestly say about this week, to put it simply and clearly it was the toughest week of my mission, maybe the toughest week of my life. so to start out we had exchanges with the zone leaders so i was finially able to get out of my area, the 1st time in 4 1/2 months haha, i was pumped well it ended up being a rough day, man we walked and walked and walked and got punted from every appointment, haha i guess that doesn't just happen in my area, anyways it was a long day, well the next day was transfer awareness were the AP's call the zone leaders to tell them whose getting transfered, i was so anxious to find out, i really really wanted to get transfered, i've been really struggling in the area and ready for a change, well the ap called and of course the zl's want to keep it a surprise so they didn't tell me but he hinted on i wasn't going anywhere, i was shocked. then later in the meeting we found out and i really wasn't getting transfered. i couldn't help but be annoyed and wondering why? well lets just say it went downhill fast from there, everyday we went to work people hiding from us, making up the most ridiculous excuses i've ever heard, walking away from us when we are trying to talk to them about the message, just everything, it was my worst week in bauang. i didn't understand, i was really struggling haha oh boy, but dad you said something to me last week about "how it is better to have holes in the knee of your pants then in the bottom of your shoes." well i'm a little slow and didn't catch onto that until about wednesday haha i was thinking about what you meant and it hit me, why am i trying to do this all by myself, why don't i call upon my Heavenly Father for help? well 1st off thanks pops, you have no idea how that simple phrase helped me get through this week. saturday and sunday ended up being better days and it was a week in my life that i think if i could describe it with one word it would be Priceless, Why? well here's a few things i learned from HIM this week. i learned i need to trust in the Lord more and learn to handle trials better, i learned 1st hand of God's love, quoting the Prophet Joseph Smith, "sometimes the Lord brings us lower before he can raise us higher." i learned to never give up, and He'll never give up on us. i learned that this work is more important than my selfish desires of wanting to be transfered, i learned a little bit of how to have my will swallowed up in the Lords will. i learned i am nothing without my Heavenly Father but with Him we make a great Team, He's the ultimate Coach and we are apart of His great team. i learned how powerful the Atonement is in helping us overcome ourselves, i learned I and my natural man am my own worst enemy but with the atonement can be controlled and overcome, i learned and gained a stronger testimony of how much we need the gospel in our lifes. it's almost helpless with out it. i can't express how grateful i am for this Challenging but Growing week. I love you family with all my heart and love hearing your are standing steadfast in Christ! Mahal Kita, Elder Machen

"Another Week in Bauang"

Well family im happy and im glad i hear everything is ok and i hope it continues to go well for you! this week was a fast one that just shot right on by, we were busy with traveling and the time just slipped right on by haha, well this week was another doozy, haha i'm really getting worn out haha i feel we are working our tails off and the work is just not moving, this week espicially, i swear we got punted at almost every appointment, people were either not home, busy and just not wanting to hear the gospel, i think i have heard every excuse in the book up to this point. something exciting this week was we got to go to baguio for zone conference and Elder Ardern came and spoke to us, he's part of the area presidency and so it was really neat to have him here and we learned a lot of new things and the spirit was just edifing, it was something i really needed and we left the meeting inspired to be better missionaries. this week we had a great lesson with brother willy and i thought we were going to get him to come to church but he didn't show, we're struggling with investigators in this area, have been since i got here, haha we talk to lots of people everyday and teach new people i think the elect are just really hiding from us haha, i really feel the lords hand in my life this week, He helped me hurdle those stumbling blocks and just keep pushing forward, this week on wednesday we find out whose getting transfered, well i'm not getting my hopes up cause president monahan does things differently than we are used to, so i don't think i'm leaving. oh shucks haha. well family i love you and thank you for all your support i'm feeling good and healthy so no worries there. just remember the lord in everything you do. mahal kita elder machen

"May Sakit Ako"

Well family thanks for your wonderful emails this week! it was truly a refreshener to read them and know that everything is going well there for you guys. well i'm sorry i don't have to much to say about this week, tuesday night i came down with a fever and wow it took me out, wednesday i was feeling terrible but i got a blessing and was feeling a lot better, went out in the afternoon for a lunch appointment and after that i had the good ole mimis and my fever shot back up to 101, i decided to still go out and work cause i hate sitting inside and ya i only lasted about 3 hours before having to come back cause i had a fever of 103, haha but a funny experience is i was in exchanges in another area and we were teaching this lesson and this old drunk guy comes in and completly ruins the lesson, it was ridiculous i was sitting in a bamboo chair and he come and sits next to me on the arm rest and ended up sliding down onto my lap, i was not a happy elder at this point, i think if i wasn't feeling so crappy it would have ended up different but i just sat there and answered his questions, it was a real doozy, anyways after that we ended up going home and then on thursday i was still feeling like crap and i broke out in this really bad rash, mom remember that time in rexburg when i had that one about 2 years ago, it was kinda like that so i took some benedryl and everybody here in the philippines thought i had the messels haha and then they all think they are doctors so i'm getting all this advice on what to do and trying to keep my eyes open from the benedryl, so lets just say we didn't get alot done this week, i absolutly hate staying in the apartment but i had no choice this week, i feeling a little better right now, just on some meds to get rid of the rash and it's pretty much gone, so sorry this week wasn't too exciting, things will be looking better this week, transfers are next week so hopefully i'm getting a new area. well family i love you and hope all goes well there. mahal kita Elder Machen

"The Book Is True"

Well family sounds like life is sure keeping you on your toes these days! glad to hear everything is fine and going well, sounds like everything is going pretty well and that helps me alot! well what can i say about this week...it was pretty good, mom don't worry i haven't said anything to you guys for the past couple weeks but i ended up getting staph infection on my foot haha, i had some gnarly sores that were spreading and not healing haha, well we got it taken care of and i've been on some antibiotics so things are looking good, haha so this week we have been lacking with investigators in this area and president monahan made it a new goal to get more new investigators and to add NI to our teaching pool. well that's what we did, along with teaching our less actives we got to work finding NI. it was a great experience, we worked our tails off this week and heavenly father really helped us out, this week went by so fast it was incredible! we had some ups and downs but thats apart of it, we went back to bro willy and found out his concern, he's worried about some of the lessons we taught him and of the commandments, we taught about how families can be together forever and he really liked that and the picture of the temple, so i'm excited to see if we can get him back, he didn't come to church but i'm not giving up on him, haha this week was a tough one on me for the fact that i have been here so long, don't get me wrong i absolutly love it but man it's taking a tole. prayer really helped me alot this week to lengthen my patience and endure well, my comp is doing well, we get along good and were just having fun and getting work done. yesterday we woke up early cause we were going to pick up some investigators to go to church and so we walk like probably a mile to get to there house and when we got there, the wife went to the market and brother wasnt feeling well. man to be honest i was ticked haha we committed them on friday and they were excited to go and they bailed, oh well what can you do, we had a good turn out of La's come to church so that was a good sign. oh and one cool experience we had this week is we were teaching these investigators about the BOM and i was testifing at the end of how the book had changed my life, one of the girls pipes up and says "how has it changed your life?" haha i just smiled and had the opportunity to bearing a neat testimony of how the book of mormon changed my life, and how when we read it we can find every question we have, it solves every problem and more importantly we come to know who our savior really is, family i have such a strong testimony about that book that i know it is true, the truth and divinity is shown on every page and we need to feast daily upon those pages, its a life changer. im so happy with the opportunity to teach, learn and grow everyday, thank you a ton for everything! have a great week and know that i love you. Elder Machen

"What Did You Learn From HIM ?"

Well family it's great to get your emails this week and i espicially needed them this week! thanks for sharing your testimonies and your love and concern for us over here. i was pumped to here about the football but sounds like it didn't end like expected haha. no worries you got a whole season to show them whats up! well for us over here in the pilipinas it was a...well what's the right word for this one, haha it was a real doozy, man i'll tell ya we worked hard this week, talked to tons of people, contacted LA's and taught some really good lessons, it was just one of those weeks that no matter what you did it always seemed to come up short haha. i can't say i'm sad about it or down in the dumps because that's just Life! just got push forward and work through the hard times and laugh through the good ones! if anything i should be super grateful for this week, Dad your question to me really impressed me, "what did you learn from Him this week?" it hit me, this morning as well as i was thinking of what to say today and what i learned, your question hit perfectly, i learned a lot of lessons i know i need to apply, he made it really clear to me this week of what i really need to improve on and how to be a better trainer and missionary. it was at sometimes hard to swallow and i think in this life i am blinded sometimes and am my own worst enemy but through his love and grace for us, he shows us our weaknesses to be better. this week tested my every whit but i feel i came away with a smile when it's all said and done. So yesterday, the floods and rain came and on sunday morning. well it was a little frusterating cause we had 5 la and no investigators. man a week spent and nothing came of it on sunday. man sometimes i get a little peeved when i hear people say they couldn't make it to church cause it was raining, holy cow you've lived here for 30+ years. it's just a little rain! haha they are a superstitious people that feel if they get wet they immediatly get sick. well we just have to build their faith so they can make it to church! i love the people with all my heart and love serving amongst them and that's why we are here. to invite them to come closer to Christ and build faith in him and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end. it's a marvolous work and a wonder serving in such a wonder country and amongst such great people who teach me so much everyday! I love you guys and hope you have a great week, i couldnt be prouder and happier to have a family such as you giving me encourgement and support. thanks for all that you do, and please Remember Him. nagmamahal, Elder Machen

"Here Comes The Flood"

Well family i love getting your letters and it just puts a smile on my face to know that you guys are walking steadfast in Christs footsteps, thanks you for all the support and the love! So to start off this week, well we got hit with a single 1 bagyo (storm). holy cow i have never seen rain like that in my entire life! it didn't matter if you had a umbrella or not you got soaked either way! haha we were walking through flood almost to the knee and it was like a river in some places. so that night tuesday night if i remember correctly we get a knock on our window about 3 am. it was our land lord telling us to move our stuff to the upstairs cause we might be getting flooded, so we woke up and moved some of the furniture upstairs, i walked outside to see and i was like What?! where's the flood hahaha, it was flooding in the street but not even close to our apartment, it was kind of funny but a lot of members got evcuated from their homes cause the river was really rising, but after a while it stopped and the water dropped super fast, i guess some of our neighbors got flooded bad but it never reached us so that was a blessing, we went to the church and visited the members that got hit and they were doing alright, we gave a blessing to a little girl and it was a really neat experience, lucky it really didn't effect our work and so that was good, and then after the big storm it's been sunny almost everyday and we get a little rain at night so it's all good nothing to worry about there, the lord is protecting us and i know he won't let anything happen to us that we can't handle. haha my comp is doing good, we do a lot of walking in our area and he complains i walk to fast and so he's usually 10 meters behind me and i have to tell him come on elder we got the Lords work to do! haha he's a trooper, behind the little complaints here and there we are getting along great and some great things are happening in our area, we have this tagalaba (the lady who washes our clothes) she's is the nicest person ever, nanay marissa, anyways she's acitve but her daughters aren't so much so we've been working with one and she's been coming alot but the one daughter usually would hide from us before and didn't like coming around at all, well we finally got to teach her and she came to church yesterday!! it's been the 1st time in years! wow it was really neat how the Lord is softening her heart and she's starting to feel the spirit again in her life! as for investigators we have this one lady who has come to church like 6 times and doing good but we can only teach her on sunday after church, we've been teaching the whole family but so far just the mom has been coming, we also have one brother cesar who is doing well, he read our reading assignments in the book of mormon so we are excited there, haha im just loving life and it's just a opportunity of a life time, as i look back at this year that has flown by i think, this isn't a sacrafice, this is a privledge i have been given, words cannot describe my gratitude for the things i have experienced and learned over this time, if i could say one thing i am most grateful for, it would be the testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He lives! He is our Advocate and Mediator, when we serve Him, we come to know Him, we know His will, His way, the only way. I love teaching about the atonement because it is the most wonderful thing and it does change lives. wow i only have 12 months to go. haha dad i remember you asking me if i have worn holes in the bottom of my shoes, well i can confirm that one haha there thrased, but i told my self i walked into the mtc with these shoes and i'm walking off the plane in these shoes haha, i love you family and am so grateful for your love and support, i see the changes in your letters and it just puts a smile on! Mahal Kita Elder Machen

"Welcome To Work"

well howdy fam! man thats so good to see those pics of you guys! i can't believe taylor is home that's crazy fast! you guys all look like your doing good! well this transfer period was really weird with the new mission pres, hardly anybody got transferred. in my zone theres 18 missionaries. only 2 got transferred my comp and the other trainee. it was crazy, we were all super shocked and so people are going super long in some of their areas but i think i still hold the record for the mission right now haha. well it was crazy on transfer day, i didn't get to see anybody cause hardly anybody was there but it's all good, i got my new comp, elder penaranda. he's a filipino from laguna or something like that haha. i'm not good with places. but yeah it's good, haha i'll have to break him in cause we have to walk a lot in our area and he's really not used to it haha, i was getting some complaints about feet hurting and getting wet because the rain haha i just laughed and said welcome to missionary work elder. i'm gonna work those shoes right off his feet haha. some great things are happening in our area and i'm just having the time of my life, Heavenly father is really testing me right now with being here so long and with training again, but i'm up for the challenge, just gotta go to work, that's the secret! so that's really what happened this week, it was kind of slow because of all the traveling and stuff but we still were able to get some good work in and had a great attendence at church yesterday so we were excited about that! well i love you fam and hope everything is going great for you this week! Mahal kita! Elder Machen

"Can You Say 8 Months!"

well family i can't help but just smile while reading your emails! they're great! you guys are a inspiration to me! Well usually when you train a new missionary the program lasts 12 weeks and then the trainer gets transferred. well i got a unusually call from the AP's. and my training period just went from 12 weeks to 24. yep i'm training again and staying here. i was shocked i honestly couldn't believe it! so the 1st thing that pops in my head was no way am i going 8 months in bauang. i'll probably get transferred and open an area. well i went down to urdenata to the mission home this week for the train the trainers meeting and president made it pretty clear that i wasn't going anywhere till october. so at 1st i was like sayang! i was pumped to get transferred and i'm not going anywhere. but then heavenly father made things pretty clear that i was still supposed to be in this area. we had a neat experience this last week that just got me really exciting. so it was late about 8pm and pouring rain but i thought we would try and get in another lesson, so as we were walking past this car wash place this guy yelled at me and said something in really broken english that i couldn't understand and so i walk over to him and told him i know how to speak tagalog and he just started going off. he started telling us that he really wanted to change his life around and come closer to christ. he was drunk at this time so i was like this is just another drunk guy and wasn't about to really listen but the spirit told me to just hear him out so he's just doing off and saying sorry i'm drunk right now. and then he started asking us questions and his big question which was perfect was he wants to know why he's here and what's his purpose. i was like YES! plan of salvation and we gave him a book of mormon and scheduled an appointment with him when he's not drunk and will answer all his questions. it was just a experience that heavenly father has been preparing this kid (he's 21) for His message and it was just so awesome! this week was good. we had a good turn out for LA's at church and i was excited, we just need to work more with investigators and that's been the hard part in our area but we just keep working hard! i love you guys and next week i'll send pics home of my new comp and all that jazz haha. thanks so much for bearing your testimonies to me, i love hearing others because it strengthens mine so much. Until next week i love you and remember, "stay pogi" haha have fun and get the work done! Mahal kita Elder Machen

"Sayang!"

Well family thanks for all the birthday wishes! haha the big 20! wow crazy haha. sounds like you had a great week and things are still going good for you! that's great amanda and zach had a good wedding, i'm happy for them! the pics were cool and looks like it was a good time! well this week was a real doozy haha. but one that tested me in every way and i have to say i love those weeks. this week was good and tough at the same time, i was praying for a opportunity to help me know my weaknesses and things i need to improve on. i think i sometimes get blinded and i knew if i was going to leave this area better then i found it i needed to improve myself. so this week was a humbling one, haha the Lord answers our prayers and he really helped me know what i need to work on! i'll put it simply, it was humbling. just like joseph smith says, "the lord sometimes brings us low, before he can raise us higher." well that's what my weak was like, the 1st couple days i was just like wow, what just happened. haha He made it very simple and clear and i did my best to improve my weaknesses to become a better missionary. by the end of the weak i noticed the difference and know i still have a long way to go but am grateful for the opportunity that our heavenly father gave me,. well you asked about bro willy, that was the real doozy of this week, we usually go over to his house wednesday and saturday. well he was gone on wednesday which was weird and on saturday we caught him just when he got home. he said come in i have something to tell you guys, my heart immediatly sank because i knew it wasn't good. we get in there and he says, this week has been really hard for me elders, my daughter got sick and my disease seems to be getting worse and i've been thinking alot about my baptizm and so much i can't even sleep at night,.i'm sorry but i would like to take a break from our meetings, it just seems ever since you've been coming over my life has gotten worse, i was shocked! i was just like no, no, no i don't want to loose him. we just sat there and he talked for about 30 min and i just waited for the spririt to give me what to say. i said to him brother willy i'm sorry you had such a bad week, sometimes that's just life and we don't know all the reasons behind it, but i promise you that it is not because of this, we are not giving up on you brother willy, because we love you and know if you do these things you will be blessed and this gospel is what's going to help you through these rough times. he just starred at the ground and looked at me and said well if you guys would research my disease i think you would understand better! that's how you can help me research it. i looked at him, i couldn't believe i actually said this but i said well brother willy if you will actually do what we've been saying i think you'll understand this and you'll find this out for yourselve and experience more joy then ever before. it was a sad experience and really tested my faith, we've got to help him through this, i still have faith he can do it! i learned a lot this week and really that Heavenly Father works in many ways and it's always for our good. Despite some of the let downs this is a week i will be grateful for because i know i learned and went through things i needed to, to help me become better, i love you guys so much and since it is my birthday tomorrow i want to ask for one thing, its not a temporal thing but a spiritual thing, i want you all Dad. MOM, and karter to bear your testimonies on this upcoming fast sunday. what a great opportunity to strenghten your own as well as others. mom i want you to know you are in my prayers and i know with all my heart heavenly father will give you the strength to get up in front and bear your powerful testimony. this is the only thing i want for my birthday this year, is to get on email next pday and hear that you all did it! i know you can do it and remember the promise. thanks again for all your support and i love you so much, Elder Machen haha funny story real fast. so we were walking to our appointment and there was this american guy about 28 and he was nice guy. so i was like cool i get to speak english to him, well haha my english failed me i asked him in pure filipino english, so can i ask where from you? he looked at me funny and said washington state, haha i didnt even realize i said it, we walk inside this house and i heard him say, how long has that kid been here? he has a filipino accent. haha i was like what? so after the lesson he askes me so how long you been here i was like just about 10 months. he was like haha you have a filipino accent, i didn't believe him at first and we were laughing about it and he was like no seriously. haha we talked a little more. it was funny. yeah my english isn't too good anymore which is weird cause theres 2 other americans in our house. haha crazy

"Go The Extra Mile"

Well family it's great to hear things are going well for you over there and i love reading your emails and seeing the growth! Oh man this week was absolutley amazing! where do i even begin! well lets just say i really think Heavenly father was testing our diligence this week because nothing came easy! oh let me tell ya the rain has stopped, temperature rising, and the blazing philippines sun did not let up this week. Everyday we were just out there and i remember thinking holy cow i've never felt anything like this is my life! but it's also amazing to see the lord helping us along the way and you end up not even really noticing how hot it really is. but this week was the definition of "have fun and get the work done" because we were blessed and got work done! i've never had a week like it! usually the days are good, we get a good amount of lessons in and nothing is to difficult, but this week we had to work extra hard for our lessons. we got punted, people weren't home or either super busy and had no time, somedays i just looked around and thought what should we do know. WORK! and that's exactly what we did, but it's just like the success aaron and ammon have in the book of mormon, it is all because of the blessings of heavenly father, i realized it's really him doing most the work, we our just the instruments that bring the spirit. so we show up to church yesterday and i was shocked! we had 19 Less actives at church and 2 investigators! WOW, truly tender mercies of the lord. my heart beemed with joy when i saw some LA's show up for the 1st time in my 5 month stay here. this week i learned lots of life lessons and just goes to show hard work pays off, i couldn't do this mission without the help and love of our Heavenly Father, because this week i gained the testimony of when your tired, sweat dripping from you face, legs hurt way bad cause you've walked about 5 miles and you just want to sit down and give up, and if you "Go the Extra Mile, you will get the Extra Blessings" it's the greatest feeling ever knowing everyday we get to wake up and do missionary work, it's truly life changing and something i love! this week was truly one to remember and just one that i am so grateful for! i love you guys and hope you are all doing well, it's amazing 11 months already down, wow. i've still got a lot of work to do and truly looking forward to it! I love you guys and just remember "Pray Hard, Study Hard, Work Hard" and reap the blessings. Mahal Kita Elder Machen

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Kamusta kayo! sounded like you guys had a great week! wow that's awesome you got to go to elder frandsens farewell sounds like it was good! he had a huge impact on me out here so that's neat. karter i hope you enjoy the belt! i thought you would like it! it's kinda cool because this is the only place in the world you can get them so wear it proudly! haha your guys emails inspired me this week and i couldn't help but just smile and think of how much i love you guys. well this week was crazy! i felt like we were traveling all over the place and it just cruised right on by! so tuesday we went down to zone gathering in agoo which is about 45-1 hour away and were down there for a while and then on friday we got to go to baguio and met the new president. wow is all i have to say! the guy is truly called of God and he got a fire in him that is contageous. he is probably one of the smartest people i've ever met! it was a really neat experience and i think he will be great for the mission! well besides all the busyness in traveling this week was a trying one, i really felt the lord wanted me to learn something this week cause it was rough haha. still not enough to get the spirits down, no way haha. but still there were times it just felt we were doing the best we could and nothing was happening, the traveling kind of threw off our regular schedule but still it was a trying one. But despite it all it just amazes me how much the spirit is with us in the work. sometimes this week i would come home just kind of down and just thinking what i need to do better and trying not to get down on myself, but that's exactly when the spirit comes in and comforts me and just lets me know that when we are doing the best we can everything is ok. so it was a good week with a lot of learning experiences. i just think everyday of how blessed i am to be out here and meet and teach the people that i do, what a blessing! well for bro. willy i didn't get to see him this week because we had exchanges the day we go to him and then his wife came home from hong kong so he wasn't able to come to church. he's kinda stressed about his baptism and asked to extend it so that's a little hick up we have to help him with and i just i hope we can before i get transferred. but we are doing all we can to help him and i know the Lord will bless him accordingly so all is well. so yeah this week was one that i will be thankful for, for the trials i had to go through to learn and become stronger. Heavenly Father knows us and his plan is perfect! i love you guys and hope you continue to trust in the lord in all things! sending much love from the Philippines. Elder Machen

"When We Stand In God's Promise"

Well howdy there family! yes i still have my country lingoo! haha anyways sounds like you guys are busy and having fun! i'm glad dads getting better and hope everything works out there! hope karter had a good birthday! crazy it's already getting to the 4th! man i'm not going to lie though sounds like since i left the family outtings just havn't been the same haha. oh well hope you guys still have a good time! well honestly this week was amazing! everyday just going out and getting work done, as well (of course) having fun! the lord blessed us this week tremendously! everyday we just laughed and taught spirit inspired lessons! my comp is doing great and it's been really fun the last few days! he started cracking jokes and it's made a big difference in our work! oh yeah before i forget, i'm not getting transfered so that means 6 months in this area haha, it's all good though cause i absoultely love this area! it's just crazy to think i'm coming up on a year and am only in my 2nd area but im excited cause i get to see these people keep progressing and i have come to love them so much! so yesterday was fast sunday and i've never seen so many people at church! we were asked to bless the sacrament so we were up on the stand and i just couldn't believe it! our less actives were walking in and some that i haven't seen there since i got here so it was incredible! then back to bro.willy, so we went to his house and he was super stressed about his baptismal date on the 14th cause he has a ton going on that week and so asked if he could move it back, and he really asked us to look up parkinsons disease because i guess it's a lot worse then we ever thought, he can only be out of the house for a few hours, maybe 1 or 2. so my heart was just breaking when i heard him saying this stuff because he's really struggling so we shared 1 nephi 3:7 and just tried to comfort him and i honestly thought he wasn't going to come to church or anything cause of how bad he made it sound but.....right before sacrament started guess who walks in? Bro Willy! oh my goodness i can't describe the amazing feeling that came over me, it just goes to show that God answers prayers and prepares a way for us to accomplish his commandments! this week was just amazing and i just love it here! and one thing i wanted to share was yesterday our branch mission leader bro. jeff was called to be branch president. he's 24 haha. he his such a stud and he said something really cool yesterday that i liked, "when we stand in God's promise, He will always remain Faithful." remember that and live by it. sometimes we may think that we are forgotten or alone but when we are always doing what he askes of us, he will always be faithful to us. Family i love ya to death and hope you have a great week! things couldn't be better here! love you! Elder Machen

"The Word of God"

Well fam sounds like things are getting back to normal and i'm glad to hear dad that your doing better! and sounds like everything is keeping you busy back home! that's neat you got to go to kevins farewell! sounds like he did great and i know all those guys will be great missionaries! i'm glad to hear they are all going! well things are keeping us busy here in the phillippines! this week was full of great experiences and ups and downs of course! one cool thing that really strenghtened my testimony this week was we went and taught our investigator brother willy and we asked him how is book of mormon reading was going. he said "everytime i read it i just get this comforting relaxing feeling and makes everything seem ok." wow i just couldn't help but smile and know that this man is really feeling the spirit and the truthfulness of the book of mormon! the only sad part was is he didn't come to church so we gotta figure out why. but that experience really strenghtened my testimony of how real the book of mormon is. but yesterday at church we had a lot of LAs show up! it was amazing and a great sight to see people coming back to church! i know i sound like a broken record sometimes but the spirit just continues to guide our work every day its just amazing! time is going by so fast i can hardle believe it! i couldn't be happier right now and my comp is coming out of his shell and it's been a great improvement! i found great comfort this week reading the book of mormon, i read mormon 8, wow that really had a impact on me! you guys should read it. well i'm kind of at a loss of words haha because i got to talk to you guys on tuesday! but just know i'm doing great! loving everyday and just trying to do my best! keep up the good work at home! you guys are great and i love you so much! Elder Machen

"A Week Full Of Miracles"

Well fam sounds like you guys had quite the week! cant say im not concerned about my pops! get better dad! ill keep you in my prayers! well this week was sure a good one! it was one full of moments that just made my heart swell with joy! well ill start with today and kind of work backward! so this morning we went on a nice run through the "bukud" which is like rice fields and stuff well it had rained super hard the night before so it was intense haha. they have these little walk ways inbetween the bukuds so we were running on those but it was kind of hard haha anyways im out front and all the sudden i hear this big splash! haha i look behind me and the other american turfed it hard and landed in a muddy field haha he was covered, it was pretty funny, im really enjoying running lately trying to get into shape and stuff. anyways back to the more spiritual stuff. so to start off earlier in the week we stopped by our investigators house and hoping to teach but he was busy and couldnt but we thanked him for coming to church and he told us the story, so his disease has the symptoms of parkinsons so its pretty bad, well the night before sunday we gave him a blessing on his request and this is what he told us, "so i was sitting there waiting for my legs to get better cause there were bad when i woke up and about the time i needed to get ready to go to church, they got better and it allowed me to go to church!" just watching him walk breaks my heart and so i can see the problem with him going to church but when i herd this i couldnt believe it! it was absolutly amazing i couldnt even begin to describe my feelings at that moment. our heavenly father loves us and blesses us according to our needs. so needless to say it was amazing then we went to his house again later in the week and he had been reading the book of mormon and we asked him if he had prayed about it to know if it was true, he said "umm honestly i havent prayed yet....because i believe everything you guys have been teaching me, i dont have any doubts." i was blown away in amazment! wow i thought this man was prepared to recieve the gospel! so that was just one of the experiences that strengthened my testimony, another quick one is on thursday we devoted that day to finding to new less actives so we were walking down this street that we always do and i honestly didnt know where to go so i prayed that the spirit would guide us, all the sudden i felt the prompting "go right" i thought why? ive never been there before. again "go right" so i listened and we ended up finding new less actives!!! wow what a experience! then another one that strengthened my testimony about the book of mormon is we went to this returning less active and asked if she had been reading she said yes and so we asked her if she has noticed any help since she has been reading and she said "since i have been reading i noticed that we always have food and its good food to. we havent gone hungry." wow i thought what power and blessings come from the book of mormon! honestly this week was just amazing! i just love being a missionary and wouldnt change anything right now! i love you guys and hope that you all continue to be steadfast in the commandments and you will reap the blessings! i can promise you that. have fun and get the work done! love you Elder Machen

"The Spirit of the Lord"

Well family i have to start out and saying this week was a good one! at first it felt like we were just climbing this mountian and everything and anything was getting in our way! and then on about thursday to sunday we made it to the top and started "skiing down" haha. oh man it was a real neat experience. me and my comp are doing a lot better now! i'm still working with him but he's coming out of his shell and we are really starting to enjoy the work together! so this week was fun because on tuesday we got to do a service project for this family. i finally got to use a machete!!! it was awesome! we went hacking away at this huge bamboo tree and cleared it out! it was awesome i felt like indiana jones or something with this big machete in my hand and hacking at this bamboo tree! it was a neat experience and something i love doing! service! anyways that was a good time and then our lessons this week were really good as well! our goal this week was just to really step it up and to work even harder! i was proud of my companion cause he stepped up as well and we got work done! Brother valle. the old man were we water plants is doing ok, his health his declining and he lives all by himself and so it's taking a tole on him but we keep going out there to cheer him up. we haven't been able to water as much because of the rain but we still find ways to help him. another really neat experience we had this week is probably about in our are lessons but this week my testimony was really strengthened on the gift of dicernment. it was amazing to be the instrument for the spirit and finding out these peoples concerns. so that was really cool and then we went to our investigator brother willy! he is a great old man and really progressing! it's great because his best friend is a less active member but still has a super strong testimony so we are trying to do the hit a two birds with one stone thing and so hopefully we can get both of them closer to Christ. so we went to his house and we always ask if we can help him in anyway and he said well elders yeah i think i could use a blessing. i was shocked and my heart was filled with joy as i heard him say that. it's great when they request it because it means they have great faith. it was a great experience giving him that blessing and humbling. anyways when we went to church yesterday i was kind of bummed cause he wasn't there and only a few of our LA's were there. but as the meeting started they just started flowing in! and it was great because there were some there that haven't been there in a really long time so it was amazing! then walked in Brother Willy! oh man again my heart was filled with joy as i saw him struggle to walk because of his disease. the man has amazing faith, it's not easy for him to come to church becaue of his sickness but he still does and it's amazing. so all in all this week was truly one lead by the Lord and it was a blessing to be a part of it. i love you guys so much and hope you continue to follow Christ and do what's expected! love you guys so much. This church is true and this work is the work of God, i love you all Elder Machen

"Walk With Faith"

Well howdy fam! i loved reading your emails and sounds like your doing great! this week flew by and it's hard to believe i'm already at the computer again. well this week was a challenging one. my companion is super shy and i can't get him to crack that shell. we also had a lot of traveling to do this week so it cut alot into our proselyting time. it's all right though we still got in some good work done. well rainy season has hit in the phillippines and it rained everyday this week! the rain here is crazy and we are only starting according to all the natives. they say it's gets even worse later on so that should be exciting! i actually like the rain cause it cools down and we aren't walking in a oven. haha but this week was good and filled with good adventures! some great things happened this week and it was neat to see! maybe it's just cause the gloomy weather but i swear all are LA's and investigators just had some big problems and we had to do are best to nourish them with the word of god and invite them to come closer to christ. a neat experience we had this week is we were teaching our investigator brother willy and we gave him a priesthood blessing after we taught about it and he was like "oh that's exactly what i need!" so he has great faith and he said he felt some improvement so that was really cool! it's just amazing to see the spirit of the lord work through us and the people we teach. we were able to meet some new LA's this week and it was good cause they were priesthood and that's exactly what we need in our branch! anyways sunday was kinda of a bummer cause we woke up and it was pouring outside and i immediatly thought to myself this is really going to test our LA's faith. when sacrament meeting started we had like 30 people there and by the time it ended we had like 50 maybe. so it was kind of a bummer not seeing some people that have really been progressing! but there are always days like that on the mission and we just have to push forward and keep enduring. i honestly think there was something the lord wanted me to learn this week and he set some trails in our path and really tested our endurance. i've learned it's times like those when you just think you can't do anymore and want to give up is the time that we need to stand tall by kneeling. then stand up and little taller and walk with faith and everything will be alright. it may be scary at times and we may be down in the dumps but Christ will always be there and we just have to trust in that. And always smile! haha that's at least what i try and do. just be happy. it took me awhile out here to learn that but it makes all the difference! i love you guys and want you to know that i honestly couldn't be happier right now! i love it here and i love this work! this is honestly a marvolous work and a wonder! hope you guys have a good week and enjoy! remember to always read and pray and be strong! i love you guys Elder Machen

"A Roller Coaster "

Well hello there family! man it sure looks like you guys are having a good time up there in bear lake! man i have to say i sure miss that! but i'm glad you guys are doing good and having fun! it's always good to have some fun sometimes! Karter you look like a stud bro! i loved the videos you sent me haha you are the man! keep up the good work bro! mom you look as good as ever and i was happy to see your smiling face! haha well now i know that i only have to miss one more haha. well to tell you about are week...it was some good one that sent us for a ride. we had some great success and we worked hard this week!! and it showed, the lord blessed us alot this week and we had a good number of LA's at church. so to tell you some things that happened. well we had this investigator and she was really progressing and we extended a baptismal commitment and she accecpted and we were really excited and so when we went over to teach here again we found out that we can't teach her anymore cause some crazy stuff went down with her family and so it's a no go. my heart like broke in half when i found that out but there's a purpose for everything. then our other investigator accepted the baptismal commitment also and we had a great lesson with him and we were so excited and turns out he has some big problems to and his sickness is getting worse. so he didn't make it to church and so we have to work through that and help this man. so it was a week full of times that i couldn't help but smile and some where i was just bummed. but all in all it was a great week. we had fun and got the work done. we were able to meet a lot of new people and lots of members that we havent met yet so that was exciting! we taught by the spirit and i know the people felt it! one sister we have been working with since the day i got here finally came to church for the 1st time yesterday and it was so coooool! this work is amazing and honestly i wouldn't want to be anywhere else! I love you guys and hope your doing well back home! just keep the faith and keep pushing foward! i came across a scripture that was really cool! actually what happened is we were in a lesson and i was just feeling like i needed to change what we had origianlly planned so i opened the book of mormon and it fell on this scripture, alma 37:36-37. it was perfect and she was like wow elders that's a really great scripture and it was exactly what she needed for that moment. stuff like that happens all the time and it's just a testimony builder to me that this work is true and it shows the power of the book of mormon. so read that verse and apply it! it will make the difference! i love you guys and hope the best for all you! i love this mission and i love the phillippines! Nagmamahal Elder Machen

Welcome to Buaung!!

Well fam it was great to talk to you and i was so excited haha sorry if i was a little abnoxious haha. well this was a good week and definitely an eye opener for me! man i feel the weight of my calling in training a new missionary and it's going to be a good ride! my comp is way good and i can tell he knows why he's out here! that's the good thing! he's a little shy and quiet but i can't blame him it's only his first week. it will be good. this week was a good one and the lord truly opened the windows of heaven and blessed us tremedously! it was amazing! yesterday at church our investigator came again! and it's great! his schedule is hard to find a good time but we stopped by real quick this week just to invite him to church and he came! man it's amazing! and we had a good number of our less actives show up which put a smile on my face! oh yeah i spoke in sacrament meeting yesterday, i actually like speaking in sacrament and it was a cool experience. i talked on "rescuing the one" and home and visiting teaching. haha i used the story of when my friend jake lockie got lost in jackson snowboarding and how ski patrol and the helicopter was there to help and how our job as members is to rescue and save the less actives just like the ski patrol. it was fun to relate a story into skiing and snow! and it fit perfectly and hopefully had a impact on the people. the spirit really took over and helped me speak! So this next week i really plan on turning up the heat and going to work and show my new companion how we do it here for the lord! this last week we worked hard still but it was alot of meeting to the members and stuff so this week it's going to be a good one! he's kind of quiet and still kind of in shock a little so that's the hardest part is just helping him enjoy. that's really what are mission president wants us to focus on is having the new missionaries enjoy. well for me the best part of the mission is the work so that's what we are going to do is work haha. have fun and get the work done! this work is amazing fam and hope you guys look for opportunities to share the gospel as well! thanks for all your support and everything! i love you so much and look forward to hearing about memorial day weekend! Mahal Kita Elder Machen

"Digging Deep Into Our Bag Of Plays"

well another week down and honestly looking back i don't know where time is going! haha and i don't really know what to say because i got to talk to you guys on saturday! oh man it was so good to hear your voices and it sounds like your doing great! and i am for sure calling back on wednesday to let you know what happened on transfers! should be exciting! i can't lie i'm a little nervous to train, ready for the opportunity! should be one good ride! well so i guess this week was good kind of slow because we had lots of oppointments with families in the branch and so that took up a lot of time but we still got in some successful lessons and had a great attendence at church yesterday! i was way excited to see some less actives and investigators so the lord is really blessing us! i want to share with you one thing i've learned or been really pondering in my studies this week. so i was reading in alma 22 about king lamoni and how when aaron teaches him and he says he will give up everything even his kingdom to recieve this great gift, which is eternal life! so i was pondering really hard on how to have that happen to myself and to some of our less actives because honestly it's a lot easier said then done. what does it really take to have that type of conversion where we really live the principles of the gospel, really put Christ first in our life. well.....i have some ideas but before that i want to hear from all of you! i want to hear your ideas of really how to have that happen! so this is my challenge to you. Prayfully read and ponder that story in alma and i want to hear your emails next week, i would greatly appreciate it! thanks. well since i don't really know what else to say i tell you about what we did earlier today for pday. so we woke up way early 5am! and went out to the beach and played football and rugby! Young men vs Elders! there was only 6 of us and like 11 of them and it was a real battle on the gridiron! haha it was way fun and we had some good times. maybe its just the competitive side of me but there was no way we were going to loose. we kind of do a kansas city playoff thing so if they don't score and we do we win and vice versa. so we held them on a goal line stand, we started driving down the field slowly but surely it was 4th down with about 10 yards to the 1st, (which is like the middle of the field haha) we had to get the 1st or it was a turnover. so we dug deep into our bag of plays haha and pulled out the ole statue of liberty mixed with a sketchy hook and ladder haha.........1st down elders! so we had about 25 yards to the endzone we ran a few plays that didn't work to well but got some well needed yards. again 4th down the game is on the line, i call a trips left with a slot on the right side. they defense was well spread..i hiked the ball looked off the two safeties with a pump fake left and hit the slot on the right on run for a touchdown!!! haha it was way funny and i have to admit since we have been playing football for the past few pdays there actually getting pretty good! we had some of the parents come say to us that the young men have been so excited to play football because it's a new sport and there having lots of fun with it! so its cool to have that experience. well family sorry this email is kinda lame haha but i just want to let you know i am doing great and enjoying this work so much! it's the best thing ever and im excited to talk to you again on wednesday! i love you guys! Elder Machen

"We Are Just The Instruments"

well howdy fam! oh man what a great week here in the philippines! truly one that i will never forget! still i can't believe how fast these weeks are flying by! it blows me away! so first off i'll give you details about the call next week because i can tell your a little excited! and i can't lie im way pumped! so we haven't gotten any news about the call but im planning on calling monday morning here so it will be sunday afternoon for you there. i think i'll call probably around 6,7,8 there haha im not completly sure but just be ready for it! and i'll probably call the house phone so hopefully we get things all worked out this time. Alright so on to this great week we had here. so first off we had exchanges with the zone leaders and that was a good experience and i learned a lot of good things there. then the next day back in our area and we went out to help water the old mans plants brother valle, i have come to love that man and it always puts a smile on my face when we go out there but this time he was having a little bit of a bad trip. i guess his TV broke this week and so he has been extremely bored and feeling bad for himself. he was a little upset but we did our best to comfort him and the coolest thing his he came to church like he does every week. every time we go out to his house he always says elders i don't know if i can come to church this week because i have no money, my wife died, i have no food, and my tv broke, but every week he comes and has been a great help fellowshipping one of our investigators that has really been progressing. So he is great and we do our best keeping his plants alive in this extreme heat. so on to our investigator brother willie. oh man what a amazing experience there! we went and saw him last week and asked how church was for him and he said he really enjoyed it and felt really welcome which was a great thing to hear. he said he didnt know if he would be able come to church because he had a appointment....but he came! i really hope he keeps progressing so he can get baptized! so on to the coolest part of my whole week! we had exchanges on friday and i was with another american. while we were planning the night before my comp told me to go to this area that i have only been to like once and start our work there because it is like a whole compound full of less actives. i was a little nervous because i only like 2 families there but i was excited for the challenge because it was going to test me and push me. so we started out there and it started out terrible i went to the family i knew and started asking if they knew these peoplet that we had planned for, they told us that none of these people where home and so i was a little worried. what are we supposed to do now? so i just started talking to people and finding new less actives and teaching, then some of the people ended up coming home and we ended up have great success over in that area. the spirit truly made me capable to do and say the things i needed to. it was amazing! then on to the coolest part of the whole week! we have these investigators and they are born again christians but are super nice to us and are willing to listen to what we have to say, well when we go there i don't say to much because it's all out of the bible and that's one of my weaknesses so when we had planned to go there i was nervous and kind of apprehensive to go but i prepared scriptures from the bible about the apostasy and sutff like that. They were confused about joseph smith and why he isn't in the bible, so we started off the lesson and the other american with me was kinda of struggling with tagalog and i was a little nervous of how this was going to turn out, so while he was talking i said a quick prayer in my heart that the spirit would take over and help us speak! Family, i want to bear testimony with all my heart that what happened in that lesson was 100% by the spirit. i couldn't believe what was happening when i started speaking, things that i have never thought of came out, things that i have never said before or been able to say before came out. i understood there questions and answered them with conviction, i was able to share scriptures from the bible that i never knew before but prepared earlier that day. the spirit took over and it was surreal. We walked out of that lesson and i looked at my comp and said so elder how was our lesson in there? he looked at me with wide eyes and said where did that come from? we were both shocked and surprised at what had just happened. it was the most neat experience sitting there and speaking and knowing deep inside that at that very moment i was an effective instrument in the hands of the lord. Family this work is amazing and unlike anything else. i've come to learn one of the great experiences here is feeling a prompting from the spirit and acting on it. i love this work and i love you guys! have a great week and i will talk to you guys next week!!!!! Mahal kita Elder Machen

"Christ Is There"

Hello family! i have to say sorry right now because i am at a loss of words! we got to come to baguio again for p day and get some things we need so it's been kind of stressfull and i can't even think of what went on this week haha. but i'll do my best. first off i'm really glad you enjoyed your birthday mom! i thought the sand would be a nice idea haha. i was worried you wouldn't get it cause sometimes it doesn't work but all is well! so this week went by so fast i can't even believe it! we are started week 4 of our this transfer! can you believe it already week 4!! i've only got 2 weeks left with my companion, it's been a great two transfers and he's heading home so we will see what next transfer brings. I do want to share with you my testimony this week of how much our heavenly father loves his children. i feel like i felt the saviors love for me and our area this week more then ever. just like every week there are some bumps and challenges and i was feeling the weight of the pressure and just felt worn out and kinda down in the dumps. well i probably prayed harder then i ever have and i testify that god is there and listens and answers to our prayers. it was amazing. the spirit was in our work and truly softened some of the hearts of the less actives and one experience that happened yesterday that almost brought me to tears. so yesterday was church and so earlier in the week we taught one of our investigators and he his an old man and has a slight case of parkinsins disease. it's not too bad yet and they have it under control sometimes but still it's hard for him to walk. so we were telling him about church and invited him to come. he said " well elders i dont know if i can make it because of my condition" and he went on to tell us about some of the problems he has with this disease and so he didn't think he was going to be able to make it. my companion and i were both prompted to tell him that nothing was impossible with God and that if he put is faith in him and come to church his condition would get better so he could come to church. it was a powerful lesson and the spirit was so strong. well that was like on thursday and so when we got to church i couldn't believe what i saw. He was there!!!! and he was really early which is surprising here in the philippines haha. anyways words cannot describe the joy that i felt and i literally was "cheesin from cheek to cheek" oh and so i was sitting by him and we had a fellowshipper for him and it was amazing. i got called to bless the sacrament and i was just in awe at some of the less actives we saw at church! it was truly a amazing day and one that i will never forget! so i was praying so hard that this man would feel the spirit and just listen to some great talks haha well it was kinda funny because the talks were on "fasting" "tithing" and "patriatical blessings" haha i was just thinking oh man this poor man is probably so confused. then in sunday school the lesson was on family history and they showed a movie in straight english so who knows if anybody really understood hahaha. i did my best to try and explain to him what was going on haha but it was amazing experience and the lord really blessed us this week. I think one thing that i have really been learning the past couple weeks is to really rely on the lord and despite our challenges in life just to stay positive, smile, and be happy! i'm so grateful for this misison and there is no other place i would rather be! i love you guys so much and hope you have a enjoyable week! nagmamahal Elder Machen

"Mabait Ba Siya" "Is He Nice?" (YIKES)

kamusta family! well first off i want to wish a very happy birthday to the best mama bear in the whole entire world! happy birthday mom! i hope you have the day that you deserve! your the greatest and i can't even explain how much i love you! mahal kita mama bear! Well this week was a good one! and a very fast one! it was crazy! but a lot of cool things happened this week! first off i should probably warn you (speaking from personal experience) not to mess with a 1 ton bull in the middle of a field. not a smart idea hahaha. it's real scary! well so this is the story. we had a lunch appointment and to get to this house we always walk by like 4 carabou and this big bull cow. well we had 6 of us elders and we were walking home and decided to take some pictures with the carabous and the bull. haha some little filipino kids came over and were helping and laughing at us haha. so the elders said elder machen go get a picture with the bull. so of coarse i'm not going to say no. so i start walking up to it.(luckly it was roped up) and i was going kind of slow so i didn't startle it. it was like i was in a safari or something. i was one with the wild. so it was a stare down between me and this bull. he puffed a few times but i wasn't about to back out of challenge. i got a little closer and another elder came around the back a little to fast and i didn't see him coming. at the same time i looked at the little kid and asked him "mabait ba siya" which is is he nice? so right when i turned my head the bull found his opportunity and charged at me full steam! some one yelled and i was shocked as i saw this massive bull come after me! i felt like i was dodging a fret train! i jumped back and to the side, it was a pretty nice juke move if i do say so my self. stiff armed his horn with my right hand and got out unharmed! his head jerked back as his rope tightened up and he couldn't go no farther! oh man my heart jumped for a sec and then we all just started busting up laughing! good times here in the philippines! so that was a funny experience but of course we also had some neat spiritual ones. this one that really struck me was i was on exchanges with an elder from an other area and we were working in our area. it was kind of dark outside and we were walking through this field. for some reason i don't know why we both stopped and turned around and saw this lady and this girl walking kind of behind us and so we said. lets go talk to her. so we approached her and started talking to her. come to find out she is a member! a less active! oh man we both got so excited and she told us her daughter really wanted to get baptized and so we scheduled a time to return to teach her! i want to testify that the hand of the lord is in missionary work! he leads and guides us to the people that need and are ready to hear our message! it was such a testimony builder to me to know that that was truly inspired by the spirit and it lead us there. it was a great experience for the both of us and left me speachless as we walked away! this work is amazing family! words cannot describe my joy here and how much i love it! the philippines sure do keep you on your toes all the time but thats what makes it so great! i love you family and don't worry i'm fine here, kind of skinny, but im fine and surely protected by the lord! love you so much and hope you have a great week! Love Elder Machen

"I Don't Understand Why I'm So Happy"

Well family this week was one of a kind for sure! ill start off with one phrase. "I don't get why im so happy!" i'll tell you what this week was nuts! i have never been so stressed out in my entire life! it seemed as if everyone of our less actives had some huge problem and we both just felt overwhelmed! everynight coming home and being completly exhausted! oh man, but i have to say despite how stressed we were and how many things were happening this week was "sobrang masaya!" i can't even explain haha. the lord was just blessing us with good attitudes because we were always laughing and having fun and getting the work done! haha it was so fun! haha just little things we learned to laugh about and just keep pushing forward! that's one big thing i've been learning out here in the mission! is despite rough days and challenges, just continue to be happy! and laugh and smile through the thick and thin! we had some amazing things happen this week and as i write this i'm trying to remember them haha! it just seemed this week we had a new and uplifting attitude for the work and it made all the difference. Yes mom we got to water the old mans plants again! haha about twice a week and on friday it was so funny! we were laughing again and i have never seen him so happy haha. it was great and at the end of the lesson we said alright well we will see you on sunday and he said...like he does everytime "i dont know elders i have no money and its so far" we told him to trust in the lord and he can do it and low and behold he showed up! haha i was on exchanges and i told my companion dont worry he says that everytime and he always shows up! and he did! it was great! oh yeah i had "first" here in the philippines. i was asked to speak in sacrament meeting! and i was a little nervous just because it was in a different language! because i usually don't mind talking i kind of like it but i made it a goal in this talk not to speak any english. Well it was a little difficult for me at first but i was able to speak in straight tagalog for my talk! it was pretty neat because it was a blessing from the lord. I had some members come up to me after and ask how long i had been out and i told them about 5 and a half months here in the pilipinas and they said they enjoyed my talk and were impressed so it was neat and i was very grateful for the lords help! And on church on sunday, we had more less actives show up then i had ever seen! some that we have been working on for a very long time finally showed up! it was such a neat and amazing feeling! i just want to tell you how happy i am here! i was thinking about it the other day and i thought to myself, "i don't understand why i am so happy?" because i'm always tired, it's so hot you sweat whether your working or just sitting in the house. there was a million things i could have been bugged about or upset but none of that stuff matters! this is the lords work and like everybody says the best two years. i think i'm really just starting to realize that. how much i enjoy this work and the joy that this work brings! it's amazing! i thank you for your support and prayers! they help and i feel them everyday! this week was just filled with hard work and laughter! i love you family and hope you guys continue to do well back home! If you truly want to be happy in this life you have to be obedient and follow christ! that's what we tell everybody because its true! Continue to feast upon the words of Christ daily! i promise you, you will find peace and answers to your everyday life! I love you guys so much! Elder Machen

"Elders Share With Me Some Gospel"

Kamusta Fam! Well i wasn't expecting to get transfered and i didn't think my comp was either....and we were right hahaha we didn't get transfered! hope i got ya there for a second! anyways it was good we got a new roommate at the house elder slaughter from utah. he brought with him a football so i'm pumped! we actually went to the beach today and played catch on the sand it was way nice! it's always good to play and get rid of some stress and have some fun once in a while! my comp goes home in 6 weeks! it's crazy i've ended up killing 2 out of my 3 compions on the mission so far haha. so things went good this week it was a hectic week though because of transfers and we did lots of traveling so it was exhausting but again went by way fast! so lets see what happened this week? well so much happened i want to tell you a cool and neat experience i had the other night. so before our dinner appointment we went and taught a lesson to this family that is kind of less active. so we were teaching and after the lesson we asked if there was anything he wanted to say and he said well actually elders would you mind giving my kids a blessing? they are leaving tomorrow and i want them to be safe. so of course we said we would be glad to. so 1st off instantly my mind shot towards conference and how many talks were on the priesthood and how special it is that we use it only for rightousness and so i said a quick prayer in my heart that the spirit would help me give this blessing and i had the most comforting feeling come over me and i knew the spirit would be with us, well that was my experiance but then we asked brother if he had the melckezidek priesthood and he said he did and so we suggested that he give the blessing. he looked down and said so humbly elders..i don't know how. my heart melted for this father but i was so excited for the opportunity to teach this father how to give blessings. we went over the steps and and with our help he was able to give his children a fathers blessing. after that i really pondered of what he had just done. Here was a man that held the power and authority from God but didn't know how to use it. I thought wow, we truly our just intrusments in the hand of the lord helping these people in any way possible. as i thought of conference and the talks that were about the priesthood and how special it is i couldn't help but smile knowing that from now on this father is able to use his priesthood power for his family. it was a great and humbling experience for me to know that what we our doing is truly the lords work!!! another cool and funny experience we had this week is we went out to our member out by the beach. he's 70 yrs old and his wife died in January and he always says he thinks he's going to die soon and so he doesn't have much hope for life. i love this guy. every time we get to go teach him i get so excited because we help him water is plants cause he has a lot haha. and he always tells us he doesn't know if he's going to be able to eat cause he has no food and says he can't come to church cause he has no money but week after week he shows up! its amazing the faith he has. anyway so when we teach him we usually try and boost his spirits and help him out and this time he was really down in the dumps! it was so hot outside and his arthritis was really hurtin him so we helped him water his plants and then he was like "alright elders share with me some gospel." we all started laughing and for some reason the whole lesson we were just laughing! we had no idea why but we could barely talk because we were laughing so hard! slowly this man started to lighten up. we saw him start to joke and laugh with us and he even started doing magic for us and telling us stories about when we was young and "macho" haha after we left we asked each other haha "elder why were we laughing so hard there?" haha we honestly didn't know but i couldn't help but think it was for us to help him and lift up his spirits a little. it was a great week with things that just testified to me that this is where i should be and doing the lords work! i love it here in the philippines. you remember how i always used to say at home if i could live in any time era it would be the 1950's. haha i think i said that haha but that's what i feel the philippines is like. life is just simpler here and i love it! and that's a blessing from the lord for sure! i love you family and hope things are going well for you back home! i love and feel your prayers for me and thank you so much for them! oh bytheway conference was way good but i won't really try to expound to much on them because the Prophet and apostles do a lot better job haha. President Uctchdorf's talk was amazing and that was truly inspired!. well i love you guys and can't wait to share with you my experiences from this next week! love you! Elder Machen

"Speechless"

well howdy fam! sorry this computer didn't save my email and so i have
to start over! this week was a really good one with lots of challenges
and stepping stones! so a cool experiance we had this week is we were
teaching our investigators and i didn't have much hope for them because
their pretty stuck on there religion but my comp said dont worry
they'll come around. so when we went and taught them this week oh man
it was powerful! we had a plan but when we were walking there we
thought we should change it so we followed the prompting of the spirit
and WOW! so they said they won't read the bom until they finish the
bible so we thought if they won't read by themselves we'll read with
them to get them interested! we read 2 nephi 27 about the coming forth
of the bom! oh man and it was a an exert from isaiah from the bible so
it was kind of hard to understand but the spirit was so strong and i
know they felt it. the look on there face was they were really
pondeing it! it left me speechless at the end of the lesson how
powerful it was! so that was a neat experiance and then yesturday at
church we had a bunch of less actives show up! man i'll tell you it is
the greatest feeling when you see the fruits of your labors and feel
the saviors love when we see those less actives come back to church!
so this week was a good one and it went by so fast!!!! i can't believe
how fast this transfer went by! we find out on wednesday who is
getting transfered. there's rumors flying that my comp is getting
transfered but we doubt it cause this is his last transfer and so it's
not likely but you know the rumors on the mission they fly like wild
fires hahaha. oh and freak dad you got me so bad on your april fools!
freak i had the biggest pit in my stomach reading that!!!! haha that
was a good one. about conference we don't watch it until this coming
sunday because of the time difference so haha i hope it's a good one!
and mom my favorite food here is....well almost all the time i
honestly don't know what im eating so i couldn't tell ya! but there's
this stuff called "pancit" its like spagetti with veggies and the
noodles are super thin and its way good! but other than that i don't
really know haha. hope you guys have a good week and know that i love
you so much! oh and i started reading D&C this week! oh man i can
hardly put it down! its so cool! it really made me realize the weight
of our calling as missionaries and how important it is! so it was a
good week! love you guys and hope you have a good week! Love Elder
Machen April 2, 2012