Where Can I Turn For Peace?

Family and Friends,

This past week was great. I loved our zone conference! We had a special musical number by Elder Vanwagoner (he is in my batch).. and he sang, "Where can i turn for peace?" I LOVE the line where it says.. "He.. only He". The zone conference was one of the most amazing experiences on my mission thus far. We watched the worldwide missionary broadcast! The training broadcast was so powerful. I was very much inspired to work harder because of it. That is also my charge to you.. watch it! If you haven't. The biggest thing I pulled from that (and from my 2 months so far in the field) is this.. WE NEED YOUR HELP AS MEMBERS. It's vital! I can't stress it enough. Like it was said in the training, missionary work should be focused and done by the members... missionaries are only there to help. I know it can be scary.. but like the training said.. "the spirit comes when you start & begin".  Something i pulled from President Monson's remarks were this... Center your marriage on missionary work. and why would that be the case? because it focuses on fulfilling your duty as a church member, and most importantly it increases your charity... which will improve your marriage. simple. I left the training with an added desire to help the ward I am serving in. 

 We had 2 baptisms on Saturday of 2 young girls who are sisters. It was a very spiritual experience. I was able to baptize both, what a blessing Weekly baptisms are so important because you feel the spirit so strongly. I am very appreciate of the vision in our mission because it gives me a great sense of direction. We have been exactly obedient this week i would say.. we do all we can to be as perfect in that regard as possible. i really enjoy it. I dont understand why some people are disobedient, it doesnt make much sense. its like why come on a mission and be disobedient? you can do that at home? i hope i dont have a disobedient compnanion ever... cause he will hate me! I won't let him be disobedient! This past couple weeks i have started from the beginning of PMG and am doing every activity and scripture found within. It is powerful. Try doing it yourself! it will strengthen your testimony of missionary work and of the gospel. Oh i taught Gospel Principles this past week at church... in ilonggo! wow! that was fun and a good experience. haha. 

I love having Elder Baradi as a trainer. I appreciate that happening. He has helped me SO much with all aspects of missionary work. Sad to know he will be going home at the end of this transfer! Funny quote from him.. in zone conference we were talking about doing practice teaching and questions and stuff, he turns to me and says straightfaced.. "Elder, let's practice how i am going to propose" hahahahha i almost lost it. all is well here, minus some serious chaffing. But Sister Chin (our mission nurse) gave me some ideas to hopefully help that. haha. gosh its brutal. Keeps me up in the middle of the night sometimes. hahaha. This week was great.. went by SO fast. The language gets a million times bettter every day. thats the power of prayer right there. haha. This week was great.. i can't remember everything about it cause its all a blur. thats missionary work but i will tell you one funny story. We went to this family wayyyyy out in nowhereville and got punted hard. Wa'ay tawo (no people)... and their neighbor lady started talking to us. I could tell from the start she was kinda different. She basically whispered when she talked. And she just looked... distant. Like not there really. We started teaching and she asked me if i was german? then she said her dead husband had german ancestory. just weird? oh then she said something to the effect of "may balatygon ko nga kamo amo ang espiritu gid" which means.. she thought we were like weird spirits.. yeah. Oh and she had no blood in her hands.. like they were violet, and she had cuts on her wrist. umm.. yeah sketchy. then her "husband" (we werent sure if that was who he was, cause he introduced her as his Ms.) comes by (we were teaching outside) and he has a big machete... for cutting sugar cane. He looked way sketchy but was like continue continue.. we asked him to join but he kinda just went inside the house with an angry look on his face.. then this happened. it was one of those missionary prompting you always hear about. it was SO strong. it was this, "you need to leave... NOW" i didnt think twice. haha. i turned to elder baradi and said (mid lesson) we are leaving right now. he looks at me and says yeah, i feel the same way. So i just stood up and walked off. didn't say a word. he was trying to shake her hand and stuff. i booked it out of there. Def the weirdest experience on my mission so far. hahah. I think legitametely that she was possessed. Wow! 

So a few spiritual things! First.. about when Peter tried to walk on water. He was doing fine when his focus was on Christ, but then this happened (Matt 14:30)... it says he "saw" the wind.. and began to fall. not heard, not felt, not thought.. but SAW the wind. Meaning he took his focus off of Christ. Let that be a lesson in our lives. When we turn away our faith and focus from Christ.. we fall. A great quote by Elder Biradi this week, "Change your nature, not your behavior" i think its originally from pres lopez.. but its so true. thats why missionaries are good on missions then go home and are inactive or unrighteous.. its cause they only change their behavior. love that quote. K here is my assignment for the week.. go listen to/watch the talk by Elder Holland entitled, "Remember Lot's Wife" wow. power at its finest. One thing from that that struck me hard is when he said... "dont dig up people's pasts and use it against them! The Savior of this world, Jesus Christ, DIED to try & heal that mistake. You have no right to open that wound back up." We need to allow people to repent.. that is true faith. believe they can change! One of my new favorite verses is this.. D&C 101:16- be still, and know that I am God. meaning.. take the time to ponder to think to be still to feel.... your very breath denotes God. Something Pres Lopez wanted us to tell you parents (especially mom and dad) that he is SO grateful for missionary parents. and he has SO much gratitude for you. K i know i talk about this every week.. but there is a reason. In PMG it talks about how a good habit of scripture study helps us endure to end. know why? have you ever seen someone who reads their scriptures every single day fall away or doubt the gospel? NOOOOOOOPPPEEE! figure it out. its a half hour of your day... or less.. or more.. that will fortify and protect your life in a way that NOTHING else can. I promise you! a good verse about this is found in Romans 10:14... read it then think about this. How can you expect to fully believe in something you havent studied and learned about? can we be saved without our belief? no. it all starts with learning. another verse.. D&C 93:19.. we must understand (obtain knowledge through scrip study) to be able to worship, you must worship to come unto the Father, you must come unto the Father to be saved. simple enough. k perfect. haha. Another thing i have learned is so powerful is this.... have one prayer a day when all you do is give thanks! you will see how blessed you truly are.

Life moves on.. and righteousness will roll on (Mormon 8:22) whether you are with it or not. I pray you are. I pray you treasure up the words of God.. and do the things you know you should do. My life has been so blessed by this gospel and this work. I am forever grateful for all of you who have helped me get here! i love you all so much! miss you. enjoy 4th of july! Happy birthday to my lovely mother! i love you! and happy birthday also to my best lad's wonderful wife Jenny Brooks! Love you all! 

Palangga,

Elder Stagg

elder baradi likes to "one up me" i wrote lock my heart. and he wrote "lock her in ;)" hahahah! 

just a cool view!

baby powder is my life.. our house has a small layer of it all over the place. ahhaha.

Elder wilstead interviews our bapt candidates because he is ZL and Baradi is DL and thats how it work. That is brother and sister antonano. brother was baptized june 1 and sister will be baptized july 6! long time in the works with her! she has one leg but has crazy great faith and desires! love her

Our EB MAGalona tree of life (where we keep our baptism plan)