Week 46 - kamusta po kayo?

Madangdang Hapon! Not a single one of you understands what that means, but it is evidence that my Tagalog is coming along! It is official we are now the Tagalog missionaries for the Canada Edmonton Mission-while we are still the Zone Leaders and assigned to our area! Not sure what will happen in the future, until then we will just keep pluggin' along and doing the Lord's work! It has been a little overwhelming at times, but that is okay! I am slowly getting things. Actually quicker than I thought I would. I could not do this, nor would I even want to do this, without the help of the Spirit. It really is such a miracle in learning languages on a mission, now I get to experience that a little bit for myself.

To start I will go with our area…the work in our originally assigned area is sort of slow.. We do have the one investigator and her family, but nothing is really moving along with that. Hopefully it will pick up. It has been hard because she is pregnant, and her body does not respond well to that.  She always seems to be sick or tired; not seeming to be like a lack of desire, she just really doesn't feel well.  But good news, pregnancies end! So we will see what happens. The finding we have done in our area has been a little discouraging, well at least among the white people... haha I say that with all respect possible, it seems like I just look for Filipinos now wherever I go! But it will come around!! I know it will. We will continue to work at it. The ward just announced and implemented the new ward mission plan, which we had a role in creating, and I think it really will excite the people. It is a really well put together plan, and I think the ward will all get in line with it and the work will move forward. The work will hasten! I think with the maybe "less likely candidates" in our eyes, it really will come down to the members and us coming together not just in teaching, but in finding. It can be challenging in the more wealthy areas as their priorities seem to have a different focus, but I hope to never hold anything back from them or the opportunity from them because I think they are not ready or willing to accept the gospel. They deserve the same chance that anyone else does. They just simply have different problems, or different trials they go through, all of which the "cure" is the same--the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope I can keep that in mind in all situations.

The work as a Tagalog missionary is actually been pretty fun!! I love the Filipino people--especially the food! ha They are just really fun to be around, and from what I have seen they are some of the strongest members. We have just been trying to go around trying to find the different families and then work with them and who they know. Also we have then gone around and tried the potentials and formers from the areas surrounding us. We have gotten a few people we can then try; hopefully we can find a family who is willing to accept the message. It is a little difficult not knowing really where to start. In a way, we are starting like our own mission; it is just us two out there trying to find these Filipino people. The mission president is on board though, even texted us yesterday of a family we should try in another ward on the other side of the city! ha it is pretty nice to have him on our side. It has been discouraging at times when we go into these "filipino interractions" and I have no idea what is going on! BUT! they speak English too, so I will always still be involved if it comes down to it! That kinda takes the pressure off in a way, but  I want to learn the language so bad!

This last week we had exchanges and things like that, except it was with the other elders in our ward, so  I didn't leave the area...which was weird sort of! ha It is fun being a Zone Leader though because we get to work with so many different missionaries and be an influence to them--hopefully it is the right influence! It is a very spiritual experience to help another missionary become what your Father in Heaven would have them be.

No crazy things happened this week up here! The weather is cooling down, the days are a lot shorter, but the people are the same! We will keep on keepin' on! I love the people up here! I can't believe how fast time has gone already.. Conference is already around the corner and upon us! We will see if there are any wild announcements this time. This time last year in the world, there were about 40,000 fewer missionaries, who woulda thought we would be in this situation! I love you all! I'll talk to you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

Sorry it took so long to get you this picture! I just haven't really thought about it! But now you see how "new age" we are! 

In front of our good 'ol apartment complex.