Week 57

Dear all missionaries who have gone home early, (for whatever reason)

I have O so much love for you. It has been amazing on the mission and being able to develop so many new attributes. However one thing i think i have develop a lot is Love. Its so weird how attached i feel to these people when i barely even know them. But i have grown a special love for all those missionaries who serve with me. Over the past 14 months i have had 7 really close friends return home all for their separate reasons and tomorrow goes another. However the point of this email is for you to know how much i love you. No matter how well you know me or i know you i love you. I have seen the efforts you have put forth. You left your family friends and everything for the Lord. So maybe you will receive criticism from friends or your ward when you go home but know Elder Sackley is proud of you. I am proud of the choice you made to come out and forever long or short you served i am impressed. Its more then a lot of people can do. Lastly i want to say that i know how hard it may be but do everything you can to come back. I know everyone has their own issues and reasons but i would advise you to do everything you can to come back. Elder Sackley prays for you everyday to come back and serve with him. I have had several friends go home and come back. and may i say they have the strongest testimony and i would argue are the most effective missionaries in the mission. So that being said no matter how hard it is i will do anything and everything for you to come back.I love you all lots. 

Elder gsack

 Cristian i am impressed but you messed up

 a mix of yw and investigators.

 District lunch 

Meet Dasmas finest trio of missionaries ;)

I bought this umbrella on my very first pday in the mission and it finally broke last night. ps here is some tagalog for yall

Week 56

Hello All,

Well i am sure lots of you have seen the giant typhoon that came through the philippines and many were killed and lots more injured. Well we were told to buy lots of food and fill our water containers because it was going to be absolutely insane and we got nothing. If nothing was said to us i wouldve thought it was just a normal day with some rain. It didnt rain very hard and the wind was none. So much for a giant exciting typhoon because we got nothing. 

However this week is a big week for elder gsack. This week and actually today is the year mark of me arriving in the Philippines. It is so insane to think that i haven been in america for a year now but its so peaceful to see how much of a home this country has become to me. If i start talking to a person on the street it takes me about 3 sentences to convince them that i am actually from the Philippines and there are some days i wish that was the truth. Its so amazing all the miracles an blessings i have seen over the past year and i am so excited to keep seeing them coming. 

On other news with investigators. We are planning for a big baptism on the 29! If everything goes to plan and they all pass their interviews on saturday Joyce, Jessica, Juanito, Zyrold and Zedrec will all be baptized together! So we are super excited for them but we are really trying to focus on finding new people for the coming months. We have been so focused on the people progressing right now that we have lacked a little bit in the finding category. However its no sweat when you are 6'2 and white everyone wants to talk to you :) just kidding.

 Thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers. I love you all lots!

Elder gsack

 Got the nails done, yea thats right.

  And Views :)

This is Tatay Juanito!! Fetty wap!

This little girl can read blind folded. SHe goes to this super intense classes to help her use more of her brain. Normal people use like 10 percent and she uses 14. So insane. 

Week 54

Pictures from last week...

Gave blood this week. heads up im O+ so if you need some blood im your man

Hello,

Well transfer day was this morning and sad to say Elder Toldanes was transferred. My new companion is Elder Mendioro. 

However this week i had a really cool experience. I had the chance to be on exchanges with Elder Egli. We were out visiting people and telling them that he was transferring and we decided to stop at one of his recent converts house. When we went in she sat us down and started to tell us about how her grand daughter was a premature baby. She was born at 7 months and now has been alive almost a month. However just earlier that day something had gone wrong and they need blood donated to the baby. They had searched all over cavite and the closest place they could find was a good 2 hours away and between the money they had to pay for fair and the money they had to pay for the blood they just didnt have enough. At this moment i felt so sad for this family. They had no place to get blood for this little baby and even if they found some blood they couldnt afford it. At this point though I felt a really strong impression to ask to see the babys blood request. So the mother went and got the papers and handed them to me. As much as i know about hospitals and doctor stuff i knew enough that the blood she needed is O+. Elder Egli and I read it at the same time and just looked up at the grand mother and smiled. She asked us why we were smiling and I just looked at her and said Nay my blood type is O+ I will gladly donate blood for her. She immediately started crying and was so grateful. So elder egli and I were able to go to the blood bank again that night. Took awhile of convincing because i just gave blood the other week but i was able to give just the right amount for the baby and the family paid absolutely nothing. It was such an amazing experience and I felt so much happiness. The baby recieved the blood it needed and last i heard earlier this morning the baby is doing better then ever and is looking to be released from the hospital soon. Its truly amazing the miracles God can work. 

Thank you so much for all the love and support. I love you all lots

Elder gsack

BAPTISM WOOHOO!!!!!

 Little kids at the church 

Bayan district. I know its blurry sorry

 Found a really dope spider the other day 

and This transfer is for the boys...

my new companion and elder uasikes new companion. we are the only white people in the whole zone :)

week 56

Hello.

This week lots has happened so ill try to share as much as i can but i sent lots of pics too so just give those a peep as well. 

However just on Tuesday we had zone conference! It was lots of fun and i had the opportunity to conduct the zone conference. It was a great training and we talked about what is the "silver bullet" to missionary work. How only silver bullets can kill werewolfs so what is the silver bullet in missionary work. what is the most effective to help investigators progress. It was quite helpful. After the zone conference we got a really cool chance to got on exchanges with President Speirs. So he drove us back to our area after the zone conference and worked us for a good 4 hours. It was a super cool experience because i think some times we all think the mission president is oh so scary and they arent even a person but seeing your mission president shooting the basketball with some teenagers or playing rock paper sissors with little kids on the street is sweet. SO the whole experience was just tons of fun and it was a good new side to see of President Speirs. 

Investigator real fast:

Joyce 17. Jessica 21. Jesslyn 25 (JJJ)

They are siblings and are so legit. They are a referral from a recent convert and it is now just a waiting time before they can be baptized. They are so involved in activities and go to seminary and all. Its awesome. 

Love you all lots!@

Elder gsack

7 transfers left!

week 55

Hello!

Im sorry i am on so late but its because WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE TODAY!!!! So happy. You get to go once in your entire mission and its been 13 months since ive done an endowment session so it was really nice to go however besides the spiritual experience of the temple itself i had a really awesome experience earlier at the temple, hence the subject line.. 

I knew Elder Jake Halverson got his mission call to Naga mission a few months back and of course i was super excited for him however i had no plans or way of seeing him. So i didnt think to much of it. Well i thought Elder Halverson came into the philippines a couple weeks ago and was already in Naga however i didnt know he had been visa waiting in Texas. So just as we were arriving at the temple i thought "Oh jake was here not to long ago" But quickly shrugged off the thought. When we got into the temple you have sign in on a sheet to rent out clothing so i picked up the clip board and saw near the top the name "Elder Halverson" I set the clip board down immediately and went to ask the worker what time this elder halverson signed in and what mission he was coming from. She told me that he was going to Naga but his session was 10 and it was already 10:20 so i quickly lost hope of that maybe being him and if so seeing him. So i got my stuff and went into the locker room thinking maybe after the session i could go search for him in the MTC and thats when a door swung open and it was like a deer in head lights. Elder Halverson was just walking out of his session. I guess the lady lied to me but i was able to give him a hug and talk to him for a couple minutes before i had to run into my session. It was tons of fun seeing him and being able to talk to him for a little bit. He heads off to his mission tomorrow so they chose to go to the temple for their last day. Just a super comforting moment to see someone from home. 

THis past week has been super busy! We have had lots going on and we are teaching tons of new people. I had lots of pics and videos to send so that will tell plenty of stories itself. ZOne conference is this coming week and we have to check all the missionary apartments in our zone so it should be another busy week.

Last week the mission got 20 new Americans. this coming transfer day is another 20. The transfer day in November is 17... SO many white people its insane.

Love you all lots!

Elder gsack

Matching companionship watches

temple

Sister Matiga, my favorite!