Ch 56 Ambitious as Hell

We were very ambitious this week and tried to get 30 SMA's. To do this, it required intense planning, all 30 needed to be planned. Monday we asked ourselves who are our investigators, everyone we dropped, everyone we thought had potential and everyone we know can realistically go to church. After counting we had 28, which meant we need 4 more at unites or 4 new Part member less active that I can find. and that's exactly what we did. Everyday we did splits to hit that goal. Teach. Reactivate. Invite. We needed to do everything we can to hit it. While this was going on, we also have another goal of finding every Mormon family that lives in the stake.

Quick reiteration of our 2 goals for the week
-30 investigators at church to beat the area record and to bring our wards alive
-find every family in the stake to reactivate, baptize part members, and bring them to the fold

Everyday had to be productive, with no useless minute. We did splits 4 times this week. I mapped and found reactivated and taught, While Elder Lowery maintained our 28 investigators and made sure life was okay and their testimonies will keep growing. Because whether we have 2 investigators or 4 golden families, until we give our all to the work. Until we give a part of ourselves to Heavenly Father's work every day, every hour, until I collapse, I don't believe we have done our jobs. I searched for more while my comp maintained what we have and we prayed every hour for this week that all will be well. We do this because that's what missionary work is about. If Jesus Christ, literally the only Perfect Missionary that has ever lived, gave His all for us, why won't I give my all for Him. Him, who died for me, bled for me on the cross, for someone as imperfect as me. If we are really, like really going to take upon His name and do His work, why should I settle for 95% effort. This week we worked, and we didn't come home until we were tired, and found, and were rejected, and walked, and are happy. Always happy, because I know that Heavenly Father will be be infinitely happier for each soul we invite to come to Him. Yeah as a missionary life sucks sometimes, but why should we expect it to be easy when it was never easy for Him. We smiled through it and life was good. Tiring sure, but still good.


Fun story (For me)

I worked AJ to hell.

He is one of the YSA workers and he told me (somewhat cockily) that he's ready and prepared to go on a mission, that it's pretty easy right?

"Really? Okay AJ, let's go to work and let me show you real deep-bone-pagod" -E. Villanueva (pagod means tiredness)

Luckily it was only the two of us, so I can go all out and so that we don't have baggage or have to wait for anyone else. Anyway those 9 hours went something like this.

"AJ my goals for today are to teach 8 appointments, preferably all new investigators, walk 15 Kilometers, and find at least 20 less active families. Let's go to work" - E. V.

"AJ remember, you have to be faster walking uphill than walking downhill" - E. V.

At this point I just wanted to murder him with work for fun hahaha

"Elder can you slow down my body hurts" - AJ
"Okay sure, let's get some coconut juice and stop, but I want you teach him the Law of Chastity while you buy juice" -E.V.
"I'm tired though" -AJ
"Your body sure, but testimony doesn't sleep, so preach" -E.V.

"Elder it's raining, should we wait for it to die down?" - AJ
"2 years is short, stop wasting the Lord's time and let's get a move on" -E.V.

Looking back I might've a bit mean, but he learned a lot. He knows how to work, once those 9 hours finished, he was dead and it was good. And the next day he called to work again. I'm proud of that kid. And I know he'll be fine. He's working everyday more and he's pretty cool when he's not pagod.


Oh yeah, umm we also had a baptism, increased sacrament attendance by 20-40 in each ward, and got 32 investigators at church. It was a productive and tiring week. I'm gonna buy a chocolate shake.

-- Elder Villanueva

Urdaneta Philippines Mission

Quezon City North Philippines Mission