Adjusting to Life on Palawan

November 25, 2019

Hello everyone!

Elder Nimenzo and I are getting more familiar with the area with the help from our zone leaders. Our area is really big so it's kinda hard getting around. We have to walk and trike a lot to get to different places but it's really good here. 

It's different here in St. Monica then it is in Paranaque. A lot of people say they're really busy in Paranaque but here a lot of people are home and are willing to listen. 

Elder Nimenzo and I are having fun trying to find new people and trying to figure this area out. The members are very nice here. I'm impressed with the youth in our ward. They are all willing to work with us and do missionary work and we're doing really good. 

This week I went on exchanges with my district leader Elder Gessel from Maple Mountain Utah. He is an awesome missionary and super nice to everyone we see. That's something I really want to get better at and just smile and be nice to everyone. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and as we continue to strive to become more like Him and be kind to others and try to serve them we can become better every day. 

We had an appointment with this family, I can't remember their names right now, but they were so nice. We shared a scripture and then afterwards the 4 little girls (all probably under 8) that were there came up to Elder Gessel and I and gave us like 10 hugs. It made me think. Even though they didn't know us they still had that love for us. Even though they're young they taught me to be kind and love everyone no matter who they are. It was a really good experience. 

I'm super grateful for the opportunity to be here and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful His sacrifice for us so we all can become like Him some day. Hope everyone has a good week love ya!

-Elder Espiritu

Here in the Philippines when you lose a game in FHE you have to do a talent, so I definitely wasn't going to sing so I did a lil dance which was really weird and awkward haha

The Gallardo family and some of their friends from my last area. Elder Hedman told me most of them have a baptismal date for next month wohoo

Jessica Batsan (someone me and Elder Hedman taught in my first area) got baptized last Saturday! 

This is a member in my new ward.
His name is Dallin too and every time
he sees me he says "twin" in Tagalog 

Helping sand a chair during a service project

Elder Larson and I matched
yesterday for the Sabbath day

Some recent converts. We had a
family home evening with them 

New Area New Companion

November 18, 2019

So this week was transfer week. I got transferred to a new area. I left Paranaque and I'm really going to miss all the people there. I really liked my first area and my trainer Elder Hedman. He pushed me to become the best missionary I could be but i'm excited to go to my new area. 

My new area is called Santa Monica Palawan. My mission has two parts. The first one is in the cities around in and around Manila. The other part is Palawan. It's an island that is one of the most popular tourist spots of the country. In fact, my family and I visited here during our trip to the Philippines last April. It's freaking sick here! 

It's very pretty, mostly rural, and kinda in the jungle. I got a new companion who is a Filipino. His name is Elder Nimenzo. He's 23 years old, and from Isabella Philippines. He only really knows how to speak Tagalog and his native language (Ilocono). Us trying to talk to each other is really funny. His English is really funny but it's okay and getting better and he's helping me learn Tagalog way faster haha. We're getting along really well! 

Elder Nimenzo and I are fresh starting this area. Since we're both new to the area we have no idea where anything is. Yesterday was our first day going to our new ward. 

I bore my testimony in Sacrament and it was so scary but turned out okay haha. There are a ton of ward missionaries and they have helped us get more familiar with the area. A lot of the youth are the ward missionaries and it was helpful having them show us around. 

I'm really excited to work in the area and get to the know the people better. 

Hope everyone is doing alright! Mahal ko kayo (I love you all)!

-Elder Espiritu

Last dinner at my Tito Memmem & Tita Merce Misalucha's house before leaving my first area

Our kabahay the zone leaders.
Elder Larson and Elder Casilac 

We had an activity with the Primary
and the ward wanted us to dress up

The Temple & Selfies

Nov. 11 2019

Hi everyone,

I realized two things this week. I really love the temple, and if you love pictures and selfies come here to the Philippines! 

This week my district had a temple trip. It was really fun. The temple was about 1 hour and half taxi ride from our house. So we got up pretty early to make it on time. The temple is always awesome. I love the Spirit there and I'm grateful a temple is so close to us. 

This week so many pictures were taken of Elder Hedman and me. I think it's really funny Filipinos love selfies and pictures. Sometimes after we teach people, they will say "okay let's take a selfie" It happened so much this week. 

We would be talking to a random person while we're walking and after we talk to them they would just pull out their phones and take a pic with us. So there's a ton of random pictures of Elder Hedman and me. hahaha 

On Wednesday, I'm transferring to a new area. It's on the other part of my mission on the island part. It's called Palawan. I'm very excited! More details with next week's update!


I hope everyone is good. I love ya all!

-Elder Espiritu 

Holidays & Baptism

Nov. 4, 2019

What's up everyone!

This week was a really good week for Elder Hedman and I. 

Halloween was this week. Not to many people here celebrate it but there's still quite a few. It's sad though when kids trick or treat.They just go to public places and ask for money. It's really sad. It really makes me grateful for all the things I have in my life. 

The other Holiday celebrated here is "All Saints Day" (November 1st) "The day of the dead." It's a national holiday that the Philippines still celebrate from when they were under Spanish rule. The whole day, most everyone would go to the cemetery to visit the people who passed away in their families. Most people stay at the cemetery the whole day. Usually in our area there is a ton of people but this weekend it was really hard to find anyone who wasn't gone. But it was still good. 

Earlier in the week, we tried to go find some new people to teach in an area we haven't really been in. There's two things that still amazes me. First, our church has so many members around the world. And second, a ton of people really don't know anything about our church. 

While we were trying to find some people to teach, we noticed there was a ton of goats and turkeys just walking around. So we went up to a group of kids and asked them why there was so many goats and turkeys and they honestly didn't know. They just said they walk around and sometimes people eat them. 

After we finished talking about turkeys, one little girl said "Elders who are you looking for here?" So Elder Hedman and I looked at each other and asked her how she knew we were Elders. She told us her family were members. 

We went to go visit them. It amazed me that literally every little area we go to there's always at least one member there and it's awesome. A lot of people don't know anything about our church so missions are sick honestly haha.

We had another baptism this week. Elder Hedman baptized Daniel Casalda. Daniel is about 50 years old and he's so funny. He's been really good when we teach him. He likes to joke around a ton but when we teach he's super serious and his insights and answers are really good. 

During his baptism I had the opportunity to speak before Daniel got baptized. After Daniel was baptized Elder Hedman said he and Daniel were talking and Daniel said "Now I'm a real disciple of Jesus Christ". I thought that was awesome. Daniel's a very good example to me to remind me to always be happy and be a light in the world. 

That's about it for the week. Hope everyone has a good week!

-Elder Espiritu

P.S. From Mom while on a chat with Elder Espiritu: 

He was really sad about losing "Mira," our twelve year old dog. 

He also asked me like his brother Joseph who also served in the Philippines (Laoag), "Mom, why didn't you teach me Tagalog growing up." :)  

Filipinos LOVE Christmas so much that they start celebrating when the months of the year start with "ber." Christmas songs are already playing on the everywhere. These Christmas lights have been up since September! haha 

One of the APs (Assistant to the Mission President) in our mission Elder Harris

Annex 22 

At one of the other Elder's baptism with one of the members 

Us and Daniel (our new convert)

Some Elders in my zone after our zone activity