Hey Y'all!

Kumusta po kayo?! Nagpapasalamat ako para sa mga sulat at para sa mga package. Nagpapasalamat ako para sa mga pnalangin niny. Alam ko po na nagdasal kayo para akin araw araw at marandaman ko ang Bamal ng espiritu araw araw din. Nagdasal po ako para sa inyo araw araw. Paki-dasal po ninyo para sa district ko at para kay Elder Webb at para sa akin.
(How are you? I am thanking each and everyone for the letters that you are sending and the packages. Thank you for the prayers, as well. I know you are all praying for me everyday and I can feel the Holy Spirit inside me. I am also praying for all of you everyday. Please continue praying for my district and for Elder Webb.)

So how is everyone doing?! Thanks for all those dear elders, letters, and packages I have been getting. I'm eating snacks like a champ over here. Learning Tagalog is really awesome. I'm doing pretty good at it right now, there's just so many words that sound exactly the same. It's all good though, I always keep telling myself English is harder and I somehow learned that. We just saw a district going somewhere state side leave  yesterday. It's funny cause they got here a week after we did and they are already out in the field. We keep learning more and more about the doctrine as well. Learning the doctrine is so fun! Now I actually know what I'm teaching for myself so when I actually  teach it to my investigators, I know what I'm talking about. We learned a lot about how the Book of Mormon is essential in conversation. It's sweet because it's just so true. The Book of Mormon is so important in conversation because once they know that it's true, then everything else falls in place. I also realized that I'm actually stating to get the Book of Mormon more now cause of all the studying I get to do here at the MTC. I really study a crazy amount but it's necessary if I'm going to teach it to other people! Elder Webb and I taught in our district meeting on Sunday and our topic was recognizing the spirit. We did really well and we studied a lot for it cause we knew a member of the branch presidency was going to be there. It was sweet and we talked a lot about how the spirit helps you in the lessons. It we're in tune with the spirit, it allows us to really know what our investigators needs and wants which allows them to have a better experience and ultimately gives them a warming feeling that we actually care. We also had the opportunity to listen to a talk on Sunday by Bother Stephen B. Allen who is like the director of the missionary program. He was totally awesome! He was super funny too. He kept having people stand up for things like, "it you love your companion" and he even said "stand up if you're engaged." It was hilarious cause one guy actually did stand up. His message was really sweet and it was that we have a lot of influence as missionaries. People see us and know exactly who we are and that we really do represent this church when we walk around in our white shirts and ties and badges that say Elder/Sister on them. I can't wait to go out in the field and be a representative of Christ and of this church out there in the Philippines. It's crazy to think I've been here almost a month. That's basically halfway done with my stay here in the MTC. Time is flying by sooo fast. I still remember the day I came in and Brother Stephenson, our teacher, was speaking in Tagalog and I had no idea what he was saying. It was sweet! not... But really though, it's crazy how fast time is flying by here.Well that's it from me! I'll talk to you all later!

Elder Stephens

Woot woot!

Hey y'all!! Kumusta po kayo?!

Thanks for all of the letters and emails! I love getting and reading all the awesome things you guys have to say! Thanks for the packages as well. So this week has been just about the same as all the other weeks so far haha. I just learn a whole bunch of Tagalog and get into the doctrine pretty hard too. The Tagalog is really coming along and I'm definitely able to talk a lot more in it. We're getting to the point where we can say most of what we want to say in Tagalog so that's what we're trying to do. We learn so much of it everyday that it's almost impossible to just not think of saying what you want to say in it. I didn't realize there were so many rules when it came to Tagalog, but if you think about it, there's like a million more rules in English and I think I know it pretty good so I'll be just fine. One of our teachers, Brother Stephenson, said that there's about 100,000 words in Tagalog. I think that's what he said at least. He also aid that there's about 40-50 million words in English. I'm glad I don't have to learn that. I'm getting more comfortable speaking in Tagalog and now I don't even have to have notes in our Tagalog lessons with our investigators. I also get a whole bunch of study time every single day so I really just read the Book of Mormon every day and I read a whole bunch of it. This past week I read about the sons of Mosiah and Alma the Younger going out and being missionaries. It's so awesome knowing that I'm in the same boat as those guys were all those years ago. Being a missionary is definitely tough, but so many blessings come from it that you just forget about all the times that are hard. We also get to hear a lot of talks while we're here. Every Tuesday night and every Sunday night there are devotionals. I don't know who's going to speak tonight but I'm sure it's going to be great. Sunday night Brother Tracy Watson gave a talk on the Book of Mormon and it was absolutely wonderful. He really focused on how the Book of Mormon is very important in the conversion process for investigators and how it is the foundation of our religion. I love reading the Book of Mormon and I really learn something new every time I read it. I get bummed when I'm reading it and then it comes time for lunch and I have to put it down. The temple really is a wonderful place. I get to go a lot being at the MTC. It's so awesome every single time and the spirit is super strong there. I hope I get to go to the temple in Manila, I know you get to at the end of the mission but I would like to go throughout it every once in a while. Well I think that's all I got to say, I love you all!

Elder Stephens

Pictures!

Just some pictures from the past couple weeks!

 Elder Stephens, Elder Urry, Elder Carter, Elder Farrow, and Elder Chapman all together!

Week 2!!

Hey Everyone!! Wow this week has been super amazing! Thank you for all the emails and all the dear elders. They really keep me going in this place to feel all the love and all the support of each and every day. So this week we learned a lot about the doctrine. We really dug deep into lesson one and it was awe3some just getting to do that just so I know more about the doctrine for when I want to teach out in the field. Our first investigator, Sister Zabala, ended up being our second teacher! Her name is Sister Ward and she totally speaks English. She's actually from flagstaff. that would have been so nice to be able to talk to her in English more but I'm glad she didn't because it really made us speak in the language more than we were used to. Tagalog is such a crazy language, I thought i would have known that by now listening to you mom, but now that I'm actually learning it I know how crazy it actually is. Once I really get to know more about it though I know it's going to get easier and easier. We have learned a lot about the verb conjugations and stuff and we really focused a lot on more of the grammar this week which helped out so much. It's so much easier to make my own sentences now in Tagalog rather than just try to memorize some from the books and from TALL. TALL is just some computer program that has a bunch of vocab and phrases that we can memorize and learn and it helped but I like doing the vocab and just making my sentences. It's crazy how much I have learned already. Just a week ago we learned how to pray, and now this week I'm praying in front of groups of people with no hesitation at all. Time is flying by here at the MTC. I feel like I've only been here a week. It's crazy to think that it's already been two! I also saw Elder Carter, Elder Urry, Elder Chapman, and elder Farrow and we all got to take pictures together. I think it's so crazy that we were all in here at the same time!  The spirit is what guides us in this work. We are just the instruments in the Lord's hands, it's the spirit that does the converting, not us. So that's all from me, I'm glad I was able to send a lot this week since I didn't have to read a bunch of emails. I love you all and thanks for everything!!

Elder Stephens

FIRST WEEK!

Hey Everyone!!
So just to let everyone know, Tuesday is my p-day so I'll be r=writing an email every Tuesday. Oh and if you could do the Dear Elder thing that could help me a lot since it's hard to read all the emails and write a big email in only 30 minutes. WE only get 30 minutes and some people get a little annoyed since they want to write too. It's no problem at all. So this week went by and it seemed like it was going slow until we got to p-day and realized I have been here 6 days. Everyone always says that the days go by like weeks and the weeks go by like days. This is sooo true. They very first day I got here my host companion took me to my room and then to class. And right away my teacher Brother Stephenson started talking in only Tagalog and no English. Yesterday was the first day he taught in English. Learning Tagalog is super crazy, there are so many things in it, but I know it's not as hard as learning English. English has got to be one of the hardest languages to learn since there are so many meanings for just the exact same word. We have learned how to pray, how to bear our testimonies, and we have an investigator named Queen Zabala who we have taught 3 lessons to already. She always talks in Tagalog and when we ask her questions she totally goes off and says a whole bunch of stuff and we just nod and say "mabuti" which means good! Yea I don't know if it's good or not but she always has a good look on her face so I sure hope so. The food is decent, it makes a lot of Elders in my district gassy. Especially my roommates Elder Lomu and Elder MCBride. My companions name is Elder Webb and he's awesome. He's goofy and funny and we get along super well. He always goes off talking about nerdy things like comics an TV shows. He is soo great. My district is super awesome as well. Elder Lomu and Elder McBride are two huge Elders and they totally are the enforcers. Elder Mcbride is our district leader and I honestly believe it's because he is gigantic. Elder Brockbank, oh dad I think he's the one elder you were talking about who is going to be in the Philippine Islands the same time as me, well he's a red head and he has a girl at home. Elder Wong is from New Zealand and he has a sweet accent. I always try to mimic his accent and I guess I always sound Australian. I honestly thought I was doing it great. Elder Conrow is a small elder but he is hands down the funniest elder in the district. He ways the funniest things and it's really funny because you would never know it from him. Elder Branham is really serious all the time and he always keeps Elder Conrow in Check. Elder Taylor is too cool for school and Edler Ellis just laughs all the time. Elder Park is a baseball player and a lifeguard and he's great. He wanted to switch companions or something so he would be with me. Elder Kiser is really nerdy and little but he is amazing at singing. He also makes his own songs. Well I'm out of time so I'm not able to write a lot more. I love you all and miss you all. Thanks for the letters and prayers. They help out a lot. Again, please write the Dear Elder. I know this work is true and that I am doing it for the Lord. I know that Jesus Christ helps me with everything. I know that the spirit helps guide us and keep us safe and that his is what I am supposed to do. I love my family so much. I am so grateful for my parents and their love and support for me. I can't wait to get more letters and emails and I can't wait to write again. I LOVE YOU ALL!

Elder Stephens