April 14, 2013

Anyways this week has been a long one. I am just exhausted from this heat and from lack of sleep. Man I feel so weak sauce but it is starting to pile up on me! The work has been hard this week. Everything went like usual but, a lot of our appointments just fell through and so we had a really hard time when we try and make last second plans. Also we need a male over the age of 18 to enter into the house of women so it is hard when we don't have someone working with us that day when we really need them to enter their homes. So anyways we did what we always do we teach, if we don't have a lesson, we go and invite people on the streets. Well the highlight of this whole week though was general conference. After a long week, we had what I like to call MISSIONARY VACATION!! Man what a blessing it is to hear a prophets voice! Haha it was also weird to see people I recognized in the YSA choir and the Mormon Tabernacle! TRUNKIE!! haha Just kidding but man what a great message they shared. Priesthood especially was good. I especially liked the effort that has been set forth to get the youth involved in this great work. Seriously a something I wish everyone in this church would take seriously is this effort to rescue the one. Here in the Philippines that is a big effort and we have seen success, but not in the missionaries teaching, but in the members. We as missionaries have been given a responsibility to help those who are fallen away here, but seriously the most effect I have seen here in the Philippines is when their friend in the ward reached out and invited them back. I echo what President Monson has been saying for much of his years as a prophet of the lord. Jesus left the 99 to rescue the one. I also strongly believe it is our duties as members to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who need to be comforted. To reach out our hands and just invite someone back or in other cases make sure everyone feels welcome and accepted at Church. It is important we not only spread the gospel, but retain those who have found the way. Anyways it was a very spiritual day to hear the prophets voice. Than on Sunday that was a great day. Day 2 of conference and also another spiritual vacation!!! Man air con and prophets and apostles. What more do you need huh? Anyways our 3 candidates passed for baptism so this April 20th the heavens will rain down doves upon our investigators! haha We were way excited about that. Also I really enjoyed Elder Holland and President Monsons talk that day. President Monson has always brought it down to earth for us to all to relate. Seriously how simple is this, if we do as God commands, we will have safety and peace here on this Earth. I we don't we have no promise. Yet we all struggle to do the simple things to keep ourselves in tip top spiritual shape. Also Elder Holland is one of my favorite speakers for the reason which he showed us in this conference. His talk on faith and doubts was great. I too had a question like that in my heart while in the MTC about how much faith do I really have? Would I be able to walk across the plains if the Lord commanded me to? Man to this day I want to say yes but when the time comes I guess that is going to be a trial of my faith. But I loved what he said when he said, "Do not give up the ground you have won."Everyday I am growing and my faith and my belief in this Gospel grows everyday. I will never go back to where I was 5 months ago before I got here and I am not going to give up that ground I have won. My very favorite part of it all, is the part where he bore his testimony. The scriptures say that the role of the apostles and Prophets is to help us believe in Christ. Elder Holland invited those who might not have the advantage of age and time as he has to gain his divine witness to lean on him. I believe what Elder Holland said and I echo his testimony. I know God is our loving Heavenly Father. Jesus is son and our savior who gave his life so that we may become as them, perfect. They both love us more than we can comprehend. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God. Through the power of God and Jesus Christ, and the help of angels, Joseph Smith restored the one and only True Church here on this Earth. He also through the priesthood restored a record that contains the fullness of the Gospel, The Book of Mormon. I invite everyone else to believe these things and to search to find if these things are true. I look forward to the day, that I might receive a knowledge like the Prophets and Apostles. I lean on his testimony as I continue to further grow mine. I don't have a perfect knowledge in these things, but that is OK I have faith in them because I know where happiness lies. This life is for us to walk in faith and I will continue to do so as I have put my Trust in God. I cannot deny these things. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen