Philippines Cebu Mission
January 2016
Things are so amazing here in the Cebu Mission! I love it so much! I am no longer on the island of Siquijor but am currently on an island called Negros in San Carlos. Its known as the "sugar cane company" in our mission since there is sooo many sugar cane fields. Its so beautiful in this area! very hilly, green, with the ocean. We also have a small island in our area called Sipaway, though I have not yet visited it. We concentrate all of our work in the areas near the church. The members are truly so amazing! Right now San Carlos is a District but hopefully in the next couple of years they will become a stake. They have a lot of youth who are so involved in missionary work inspite of so many family problems. They are all so amazing! The members do so much to help each other and help the church here. I am so humbled me as I see how easy I had it before. During this upcoming holiday let us thing about those who are struggling and reach out a hand to help them. I love you all!
Elder Crandall
Elder Kent Templin
Japan Tokyo Mission
August 2016
Kent and his third companion, Elder Webb, continue to use a
variety of ways to find people to teach and for teaching, for example, using
Kent’s art and teaching free English conversation classes (see photos). For
Christmas, Kent was able to talk via Skype with his family for 45 minutes.
Using video with the audio, it was great seeing each other live. In Japan,
Christmas is a bit different than in the States—they celebrate by eating
Kentucky Fried Chicken and cake, and it’s more of a holiday for couples than
families—the result of clever marketing by KFC, bakers, and others. The big
holiday for families is New Year’s Day, when families gather and enjoy
traditional Japanese foods, such as a warm bowl of soba noodles, fresh sushi,
and creamy rice cakes called mochi.
Similar to Christmas cards, the Japanese send New Year’s postcards with
pictures of the animal (from the Chinese zodiac) which represents that year. 2015
is the Year of the Sheep. In January, Kent calculated how often he prays as a
missionary, and he figured about 300 times a month—an important tool for
becoming close to our heavenly family.
Hermana Emily Santiago
Spain Madrid Mission
March 2016
Hermana
Santiago continues to progress and find success as a missionary. She
turned a huge corner in January as her mastery of the Spanish language took
hold. She reported in a recent letter that while she still has much to
learn, her mastery of the Spanish language gets better each day and she can now
speak freely and understand clearly in Spanish.
She
summed up her progress in a letter from January. She said, "This week was another one to
remember! It´s a little hard to comprehend that it has already been over 4
months, and 3 transfers (including the MTC) since I left the states. It´s
finally starting to feel normal, like this is my life. It´s also amazing to
look back over these four months and realize how much I have already learned,
how much stronger I am, and all the blessings I have already received. I see
the hand of the Lord in my life everyday, and I crave the company of the
Spirit. Just like the scriptures say. It´s also fun, as well as important, as I
look forward to all I still have to learn and experience. My love for the work,
the country, and the people grows more everyday!
