March 4, 2013

 Hey Everybody,
The picture I sent was a dead pig, in the same river there were 2 dead cats, me and my companion tried to hit them with rocks as we were going to our next appointment. They were swollen up like balloons.
This week we had a visit from Elder Hallstrom and his wife, they both gave great talks. One thing I really liked was something that Elder Hallstrom said was that the success of a meeting doesn't depend on the speaker but it depends on those listening, if we think why are we in that meeting and listen to the spirit and then commit to make a change for the better.
Mom asked to hear aboot some people that we are working with. Let me tell you about the Balagbagan Family, they are recent converts and we are preparing them to go to the temple. Before the dad was baptized he had a smoking and drinking problem but he kicked it and was baptized but then a few months after he started drinking again and he is kind of hard headed so if we told him the word of wisdom he would just go and drink some more, it was kind of frustrating to be honest, but then we had the idea to just read the Book of Mormon with the whole family just a chapter at a time. I noticed that as time passed the dad seemed to be happier and then a few weeks later he stopped drinking! It testifies to me that when a person reads the Book of Mormon with a sincere desire, it automatically makes them want to change for the better. it was great.
Another recent convert we have been working with passed away this week, his name is Romeo Aquino and he is the only member in his family, he had asthma and really high blood pressure, he was also preparing to go to the temple. His house is pretty far away and he was supposed to be bedridden but he always came to church early. My companion and I were asked to speak at his funeral, I read from Alma 40:11 and as I did the spirit testified to me that what I read was true, and that the Plan of Salvation is true. It was an overwhelming feeling.

Anyway this weeks assignment I want to hear your testimony about the Plan of Salvation, and how it has blessed you.

I love you all,
Love Elder Proctor

February 18, 2013

Hello everyone,
This week has been great, and the next 2 weeks are going to be crazy busy here for us, with the visit of 3 general authorities! We are excited for that.
Here is some cool stuff that has happened this week...
Vivian, our part member investigator is reading her book of mormon even though she is busy taking care of her new born baby
Tatay Fontanilla came to church after just one visit!
Tatay Balagbagan has stopped drinking and his family is so happy
We Started Teaching Tatay Cabunots wife and she prayed the first lesson and is reading in the Book of Mormon
and all because of the truth that we teach as missionaries and because of the Love of Christ and his everlasting and Infinite Atonement.
Have I told you I love this work? well I do
and I love you
Love Elder Proctor
PS tatay is a term you use for old men that are your friends or that your know well

February 25, 2013

Hey Everyone,
Y'all are right I didn't send an assignment last week, I kind of rushed my email.
Last week has been great, Last Saturday we had leadership training with Elder Ardern, He is in the Area Presidency. It was great, and he gave some great advice about writing home. He told us to not tell our families what we are doing, but instead tell them what we are learning as missionaries.
And so from now on that is what I am going to try to do.
I have learned so much as a missionary, but one thing that I cherish most is what I have learned about The Atonement of Jesus Christ. I now have a better understanding of it, I know that it is for everyone. I know that we are to use it to better ourselves, to become more like Christ.
I have also learned and experienced that Prayer is a 2 way communication, that Heavenly Father listens to us, that he knows our needs and desires. I also have learned that Heavenly Father really does answer our pleas to him.
For this weeks assignment I want to hear from ALL of you, share your favorite verse of scripture and tell me why its your favorite and what it means to you.
I love all of you,
Love Elder Proctor

Febrary 11, 2013

 This has been a great week, we had interviews with President Carlos, ZLC at the mission home, and my companion got to go back to his last area and baptize a family there. All and all a good week.
We saw a big snake last night as we were walking home(see in picture) and some guy on a motorcycle got a stick and killed, I got a video of it haha, he said that he was going to cook it and eat it, typical Filipino.
This weeks assignment I want to hear from ALL of you is an experience of sharing the gospel to a non-member.
Obviously as a missionary this is a daily thing, but I want to tell you an experience I may have told you in the past, I was still in my first area and I couldnt speak tagalog to save my life, we were coming home in a tricycle and the driver started to talk to me, wanting to know where I was from and what brought me to the Philippines, I told him why and then he told my about how he is a pilot on a ship and that he loves to read, the spirit was so strong as it told me to give this man a copy of the Book of Mormon, I gave it to him and never saw or heard from him again. But even though I havent heard anything from him I know that he has been given a chance to know the truth. I am grateful to be a missionary and have these experiences and learn and grow from them.
I love you all Sorry this is short and sweet
Elder Proctor

February 4, 2013

 Hey Er'body
 I am so glad that you guys are answering these questions for me, it really makes emailing a whole lot better.

I think that things have settled down back home, unless the Jones' are going to take another chance at buying a pet, maybe they should try a cat haha I am just kidding

So things are going great here, we just moved into a new apartment and its a huge improvement, I am sending a picture of our new place.

As far as the work goes, two less-active families that we have been teaching were able to come to church yesterday and they both had a great experience and saw old friends and It was a blessing to see it. I think that the biggest struggle in my mission has been seeing these less-active people, people that have served missions, been endowed or sealed in the temple and still fall away from the church. Its just an eye opener that shows me that even after we have served missions or gone through the temple that things aren't "all downhill" from there. I remember something that Jake said, "falling out of the church and bed happens for the same reason, your not all the way in."

So this week I want you to tell me about a time where you heard modern day revelation, or council form Prophets then applied it, For me it was just this last conference where President Thomas Monson said that we should look at people not as they are but as what they can become, this has helped me so much as a missionary whether dealing with non progressing investigator or a companion or less active members, I try to imagine them in the temple, or at their baptism, it has helped me love the people here so much, Its like I can see a glimpse of how Heavenly Father sees his children.

I love all of you, mom I haven't received the book yet I think it will come this week.

Love Elder Proctor

January 28, 2013

Thanks Mom for getting that book sent, I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.
This week I said goodbye to one of my good friends Elder Oliver from Fillmore, He is a good kid and served a great mission.

I don't really know what else to tell you. only you dad Martha, Casey and Michelle wrote me today. Its always nice to hear from all you. Things are still going good, although being a Zone Leader can be overwhelming at times. but its a good learning and growing experience.

This week, I want to hear who is your favorite Scripture Hero and why. For me I would have to say that its a tie between Peter and Captain Moroni, Peter is a favorite of mine because he was just a simple ordinary man that chose to follow the Lord and then did many great things. and I think that he is the perfect example of what the Gospel of Jesus can do to change a man, from a low and sinful state into an apostle of Jesus Christ, Captain Moroni has been a favorite of mine since i was a kid, but it was only because the Arnold Friberg painting of him was really cool. but when I grew up and actually read about him in the Book of Mormon that he became a hero of mine. and its because of his decision to stand up for what is right and true.
Well I hope that you will let me know who your scripture heroes are.
Sorry my letters are always so short.

Love,
Elder Proctor

January 21, 2013

 Naimbagngam Malim! (Good Afternoon in ilocano)
This week has been a great one, me and my companion have had great success with finding less-active members in our area which is always really cool or really scary, Because there are only 2 types of less actives here, the one that havent come to church because they havent been visited in a while or the ones that have been offended and want nothing to do with us (hint those are the scary ones)

Yesterday our stake had a leadership training meeting and the Stake President invited/commanded my companion and I to come and report to the leaders on missionary work in our zone and and train them how to more effectively use the full-time missionaries assigned to the wards. It was kind of intimidating but fun too.

Another cool thing that happened this week is I finished reading the New Testament! I love it, I love the scriptchas. That reminds me, are you going to be sending me "The Miracle of Forgiveness" like you said you would? I sure would love it if you would do that!

This week is transfer week, me and my comp are probably staying together. and we will get new Elders and Sisters in our zone which is usually fun haha.

Oh and today for P-Day we played rugby again and I scored my first Try (touchdown) it was great. It is always fun to play with the Poly's in our zone, I love the Mission

So I had this idea to make our email communication more quality, and the Idea is that I will ask questions to you all that we normally ask the people that we teach, questions that have to do with the gospel. And this week I would like to ask you to share with me your testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I think this will make these emails more meaningful and you and I will grow closer together and we will all come closer to Christ our Savior. and I will more effectively fulfill my purpose as a missionary.

So since I am asking you to share your testimony of the Book of Mormon with me of course I will share mine with you. Its like this, I have known that it was true since I can remember but I didnt have the Holy Ghost Confirm it to me until I actually did as Moroni tells us, to read it, ponder it and then ask God if it is true with sincerity. I was in Ilagan my third area and I had just finished reading the Book of Mormon, It was just before lunch and I went into my bedroom and knelt in prayer and asked our Father in Heaven if it was true and I waited there then whether I heard it or thought it or just felt it I am not sure, but the answer was yes. I felt so loved, that my Father in Heaven would let me know of its truth, and that single experience has changed my mission and my life. Because it was the moment when I knew it personally independent of anyone else'  testimony.
Now you share yours, you have got to admit this has to be one of my best ideas, its right up there with the gopher trap I made.

I love all of you and cant wait to hear your testimonies, next week
Love Elder Proctor
PS if you dont comply, I just might just not send emails home :) is that a threat? ....no its an offer you cannot refuse