"GANA".... A Drive to Work!

Well ladies and gentlemen i bet your dying to find out where i got transfered! drum role........Bauang 1st. Agoo zone! oh man this place is great! i have to admit i was way nervous to get transfered and leave my home "baguio" it was tough leaving my comp elder azores but it's all good. My new comp is Elder Apduhan. he's a good elder and i'm living in a 4 man apartment. haha with all philipinos! it's kind of hard cause i can't really understand all what their saying and being the only foreigner i do feel a little out of place haha but i look at it as a blessing because i imagine my tagalog getting a lot better living with all philipinos and only speaking tagalog. so are apartment is like one of the nicest ones in the mission hahaha it's Huge! it's way nice also but i experienced the cold shower! its not as bad as i thought i actually enjoy it because it's so hot outside! oh man the heat is nuts! but i was expecting it so i don't mind it too bad. the ward here is great! oh man they're so nice and really made me feel comfortable. the work is different here! in baguio it was kind of tough to teach lessons but here we have more lessons so that's good! i imagine the time will fly if that's the case. I've already felt the blessings of the lord in my tagalog. it has been a huge blessing because elder apduhan is my 1st senior comp so when we got into lessons he said ok you got this and without even hesistating the spirit took over and i was able to do what i needed to do. people have been asking how long i've been here in the philippines and i say about 4 and a half months and some are really surprised with my tagalog so that made me feel good haha. the rescuing is going well! i don't know really anybody here but we did have some less actives at church yesturday. but it's nice because we always have people to teach and new people to meet. i'm really loving the work i just have a "gana" or in english a drive to work! even though here is scorching hot i love it! haha i thought i was going to go through another culture shock but i was blessed and didn't. dont get me wrong it's like a whole different world down here! nothing like baguio but i love it! the circumstances are even more humbling. it's really sad to see some times but one thing that i admire about the philipino people is that despite the harsh conditions they live in they always have a smile on their face! the people here are so happy and so grateful for what they have. i'm learning a valuable lesson i thought was impossible for me to learn haha back home i loved the things of the world, cars, I phone all the material things that make our lives pleasurable and exciting. haha don't get me wrong those things are still nice and are a blessing but being here has really been teaching me those things aren't what bring true happiness! The gospel of Jesus Christ is what brings true and everlasting happiness into our lives. no matter what are circumstances, no matter where we are on the map, no matter how little or much we have, we Always have the Gospel and that is something that is priceless. it's a lesson i'm learning that i couldn't learn anywhere else. I love you guys so much and miss you! i hope everything is going well and i pray that you will be blessed and "Keep Pushing Forward" no matter what happens.
Pagmamahal
Elder Machen

"I'm Being Transferred!"

Well its happening! i'm being transferred! oh man it's rough! i really don't want to be! but all is well i know it's necessary and it's the lords will. I found out early because my comp elder Azores is training so it's for sure! Dad i remember you telling me about how you have comps on your missions that end up being your best friends. well you were right, elder azores has become one of my best friends we get along way good haha, we've had some dang good times and some rough times but man this transfer went by way fast! i'm sad to be leaving but it's all good. so this week... well it went by way fast because we were so busy! tuesday was zone con! and i didn't have to speak i think sister divine said that because we were at their house monday and i said i had a feeling i had to speak but it didn't happen. but we had a lot of stuff to do this week cause my comp is district leader so the work was kind of slow but still productive! then on friday we had to go down to urdaneta for the train the trainers meeting. well i got my taste of the low lands! holy cow it is so hot down there! the whole time we were outside i thought my skin was melting off! and it's so humid you immediatly start sweating. haha the whole time my comp was just laughing at me cause he was loving the heat and i said "elder im going to die when i come down here!" haha it's all good though, i'm pretty sure im going to be going through another culture shock because the low lands and here is not even comparable. it's crazy the difference. so my next email home will be really interesting im sure haha. but sunday was another great day at church! we had more less active members come and it was great! it's always good to see the fruits of your labors! the lord blessed us a ton this week and the spirit was with us for sure! it's amazing to see the spirit work in our work and in the lives of others! time and time again i'm reminded it's all about being diligent, it doesn't matter if it's in missionary work or just life in general. you just have to keep pushing forward and working. i came across a way cool scripture this week! Mormon 9:27. the whole chapter is way sweet but that verse is awesome! we always have to keep striving and working for our salvation, of course were going to have hard times but i've learned when we push through the really hard times, that's when we are really blessed and grow the most. it's a life lesson that applies to all of us! Diligence is key! it was kind of sad because it was my last sunday in university ward! i've come to love the people here and in the ward, it's kinda sad leaving but it's all good. earlier today for p day we went up to this mountain and it was probably the coolest thing i've ever seen! it looked and smelt like home! oh it was refreshing to breath fresh air and not a breath full of diesel smoke. not a bad way to end my last p day in baguio! I love you family and am so blessed to be serving here in this great place! i appreciate all your support and your prayers! they really do help! i feel them everyday! keep pushing forward! Mahal kita Elder Machen

"The Lord makes weak things become strong when we are Humble"

Well this was a good week. it was super slow and felt like we were getting nothing done. it just seemed day after day we were just getting punted and punted and again this week i wasn't expecting much for church. and as i thought about your questions if i saw any miracles this week...i wondered if i saw any at all but i realized that sunday is a miracle. even though this week was kind of slow and i felt we didn't get anything accomplished we had more people show up to church yestuday then i have ever seen since i've been here! i think we had like 8 less active families come! it was unreal! and i learned you just have to work! even though it may be pouring rain, freezing cold, and we just keep getting punted you just have to work! the lord knows when we try are hardest and we are rewarded according to our works! so i guess you could consider that a pretty big miracle! oh and something kind of cool this week is we had to go on exchanges and i had to go with the greenie from calgary alberta haha. anyways i was pretty nervous because he can't really speak and i can only speak a little. but i prayed my heart out and just like in ether 12:27 the lord makes weak things become strong when we're humble. but it was an amazing experience for me because i was able to do what i have been nervous to do in the past and my tagalog was ok for what i needed to do! it was truly a blessing from the lord! it was a neat experiance for sure! oh and this week we went back and visited this guy named fred he was a investigator and one of the first people i ever taught here anyways we haven't seen him in like 4 months and when we went back i dont think he really remembered me but when i started speaking he just smiled the whole time haha and then he said "oh man your better then that other american a few months ago" haha i just chuckled because that was me. but things are going good. me and my comp are getting along great he's a stud and has helped me tremendously this transfer im praying i don't get transfered but whatever happens will be for the best. The lord really looks out for us out here! im loving the mission more and more everyday! some days are tough and i feel like im failing out here but im quickly reminded by the spirit that we are doing what the lords wants us to do and he is aware of our situations at all times. he gives us challenges and trials in life to help us learn and grow. sometimes it's hard and not fun but we just have to remember he knows best and put our faith and trust in him and everything will be ok. thanks for being the best family in the entire world and preparing me for this mission. i couldn't do this without all the things i learned from you guys! i love you guys! have a great week!


Pagmamahal Elder Machen

"Jumping for Joy!"

Well Hello there family! haha im just doing dandy here in the phillippines! oh man where do i even begin! well this last week was super tough! i swear no one was home and no one wanted to meet with us! Holy cow we got punted 6 times within one hour! im pretty sure that's got to be a record! oh man it was still good it was just exhausting day after day only teaching like 2 lessons a day because i swear people just weren't home! it was rough stuff! i kinda stuggled with the language this week! it seems to be really up and down but still it's improving. my biggest problem with it is i still have a tough time understanding what people are saying! so it's hard to respond. anyways we weren't expecting much on sunday because we felt it was a pretty slow week compared to the others! so it was fast sunday here and i really just wanted some less actives to come to church. so we get to church and i couldn't believe my eyes! a lady we have been visiting since i first got here came to church for the first time! i honestly couldn't tell you how happy i was! if i wasn't a missionary at church i would have been jumping for joy! running around screaming haha i was so pumped! me and elder azores we so excited! we also had some others come to church that we weren't expecting! i couldn't believe it! we also had an investigator show up so that was good to! so just when i thought this week was going to end in failure the lord open the windows and poured out his blessings upon us and the members of the church! it was so amazing. i learned to have patience and to endure the tough weeks well and we will reap our reward when we show we are working hard! this is truly amazing work, not everyday is a stroll in the park but when you have your tough weeks it makes it all worth it when you see the fruits of your work on sunday! yeah it was kind of a slow week but rewarding non the less! sorry i don't have more to say! oh yeah mom asked when transfer day was...well this is week 4 of 6 so my time is running out here in baguio, im praying i don't get transfered but if i do all is well, it will be good for me to get a taste of the "low lands" i love you guys! hope everything is going well for you! i have some pictures to send home. Mahal Kita Elder Machen

The Lord Truly Opened the Windows of Heaven on Us

Well hello family! wow what another great week here in the good ole philippines! holy cow where do i even begin! well first off we had exchanges on tuesday and elder frandsen came to my area and it started off terrible haha every appointment we had planned, we ended up getting punted!!!! 5 in a row! we thought for sure it was a record haha. anyways we finally got to someone that was home and she is a less active. so we were teaching and deciding on who's talking, i sometimes have a hard time understanding! so i kinda of struggled in that lesson but it was good none the less. we invited her to church but she was going down to pangasinan so wouldn't be able to make it. but then we went to this older ladies house who is really nice to us! she loves the missionaries but is pretty hard headed and we can't seem to figure out what she needs. anyways we open up the lesson and we kind of got a feel for what it's going to be like and she walked into the other room and elder frandsen looked at me and said "alright elder it's time to be bold" so i said a pray in my heart that i would be able to say what i needed to say and be able to understand. oh man i can't even put into words how strong the spirit was! we opened up and the more we started talking and reading certain scriptures the spirit flooded in the room and i honestly have never felt it that strong before! it was one of the most powerful moments i've had on the mission. i learned in that lesson that the spirit really does have different roles in our lives. cause i realized the feeling you get from going to the temple is like a happy and really joyful feeling but the spirit in this lesson was so strong and it truly was testifing what we were saying was true! it was so thick and she was feeling it for sure. everything i said was purely by the spirit. there's no way i could have said what i did without the help of the spirit. i read my good buddy Elder Jensen's email about how were just the bodies for the spirit to work with and how true that is! it was unreal! i thought for sure she was going to come to church cause the spirit was unreal! but she didn't end up coming so i don't know what we're going to do. but still day after day we were just lead by the spirit. i learned some good lessons and learned not everyday is going to be great. somedays this week were way tough and challenging but it made it all worth it when you have that one good lesson and feel the spirit so strong! Elder Azores has taught me so much its incredible, we've learned to make the work fun and it's made all the difference. lately he has had me start out leading in lessons and i get way nervous everytimes but the spirit takes over and it's not bad cause it's really not even me haha. i think thats why my tagalog has gotten a little better because im really enjoying it now and the spirit is more abundant in our work! i can't help but smile writing this haha. so to answer some of your questions! first off mom yes the one lady with the non-member husband came back with her husband! it was great to see. we were way exciting for sunday cause tons of people committed to come to church but not as many as we planned actually showed up but oh well we are still getting people there that haven't been there for along time! its amazing how are area is progressing since my comp got here! i'm really just gaining so much charity for the people here its been a blessing for me! haha im dreading transfer day haha its alright were just starting week 3 so i've got some time left here! its a real bummer though cause the koreans didn't come to church this week!!! so disappointing cause we get so close with them! they have great faith and a great desire to get baptized its just their schedule at the school interfers with church so its a problem we have to work out! i just hope it happens! so all in all it was a great week! the lord truly opened the windows of heaven on us and our work! i'm falling in love with the mission and its great! i love you guys so much and hope your doing well! sounds like it. i love and appreciate all your prayers i truly feel them everyday! Mahal kita!


Elder Machen