Wow.
It's been over a week. Not gonna lie, this last week has gone by really slow.
Not sure if that's just the Lord stretching out the time I have so that I'm
prepared before I hit the Philippines or if that's just my perception, but man
does time seem to be going slowly. I guess I can't complain though because I
feel like I'm blazing through this language. My vocabulary is starting to flesh
itself out, and I can say prayers, bear my testimony, invite someone to prepare
to be baptized, get to know people (to a point) and a lot of other things. I
know how to simply conjugate verbs and a lot of other stuff I can't think of
right now. I think all that praying for ng koloob ng mga wika (the gift of
tongues) is seriously paying off. Now I just need to get to the point where I
can consistently understand my investigators...
Speaking
of investigators, We've had three more lessons with Brother Ricky since I last
wrote. They went so so so well. During all three I could feel the Spirit. I
don't think hardly anything we said was grammatically correct, and even as is
it was barely intelligible, but I know that we taught by the Spirit, and the
Spirit can breach barriers that I know I can't. Wednesday was our last meeting
with Brother Ricky, though we will have other investigators. I know that Brother
Ricky was a role being played, but I had grown to love Brother Ricky. I found
myself tearing up during the closing prayer of our last lesson. I'm going to
miss him.
Oh,
and another tidbit about the investigators we have. Every investigator is played
by a Return Missionary, and ever RM chooses an investigator that they
themselves had, and takes on their personality, habits, and lifestyle during
our lessons. I found that really cool, like we are learning to get to know and
love the Filipinos even before we fly out of country.
Last
Saturday, after writing I had the opportunity to attend a session in the
Temple. It was a bitter sweet experience, because it would be my first and last
opportunity while at the MTC, because the temple is closing for renovations.
I've also heard whisperings that if you don't have a temple in your mission
(which I don't) then you don't get to attend temple sessions in the field
either. Not sure whether that's true or not. Guess I'll find out! The temple
itself is such a wonderful place. Each time I've gone through, I've learned and
felt so much. I really hope I don't have to wait two years to go again.
Last
Sunday we had some great services, but the highlight of the day was after all
the services were over, a screening of the talk The Character of Christ by
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was offered. The
talk was originally given in the MTC on a Christmas Sabbath. He started by
saying that he didn't mind if we didn't remember anything that was said that
night, but he hoped that we would never forget how we felt. I definitely will
never forget how his talk made me feel, and I highly doubt that I'll forget
what he said too. He also said that if that day had been just any Christmas, he
would have opened the meeting up for a Q and A, but since it was the Sabbath
and they'd partaken of the sacrament, such a meeting was not fitting. Every
time I think of that sentence, I think "what a waste that would have
been." I know that a Q and A from an apostle isn't a waste in and of
itself, but the words he offered in that talk made up one of the most profound
spiritual feasts I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I wouldn't be able to
do the talk justice, but I encourage you to watch it. It has a lot of beautiful
insights into the life of Christ.
On
Tuesday they had an evening devotional, and the key speaker was Elder Teh of
the Quorum of the Seventy who is from the Philippines. He had all those who
were going to serve in the Philippines to stand up, which was really cool.
Elder Teh spoke about Ammon, and his extreme focus while on his mission. Ammon
turned down the kingdom of his father in order to go on a mission, and soon
after arriving in the land of the Lamanites, he was offered one of King
Lamoni's daughters, which would have made him heir to yet another kingdom.
Ammon, however, knew what he was sent to do. He turned down the offer of yet
another kingdom and asked to be a servant. If I am to be as successful as
Ammon, I need to have that same focus and realize that serving a mission is
about becoming a servant to the Lord, to my companion, and to the people of the
Philippines. He also shared Alma 18:2, which contains the reaction of the
people of King Lamoni to Ammon. It uses the words "exceedingly astonished"
and they become certain that he is more than just a man. I know that if I have
the focus of Ammon, I can draw the same response, and people will look at
myself and my companion and say, "surely this is a servant of God."
Thanksgiving
was amazing in here. We had Elder Nelson speak in the morning, which was really
cool. We also had one Brother Foster who works for the Church Humanitarian
services give a talk about the humanitarian services the Church offers and the
importance of service. Normally, I find talks like that suspicious, because a
lot of people that talk about service in that way don't actually offer all that
much service. However, when we did a service project later that after noon
making meals for Utahn children who don't have enough to eat over the weekend,
his family ended up working at our station, and he was just a couple of tables
over. It was really heartwarming seeing someone roll up their sleeves and bury
themselves in the work along with everyone else. It really gave me a desire to
visit Welfare Square in Salt Lake and inquire into giving service there when
I'm back in school at Westminster. That evening they screened Ephraim's Rescue.
If you're interested in pioneer stories at all, I highly recommend that one.
It's amazing. Funny, heartwarming, and tear jerking.
Lastly,
I had the opportunity to check out FamilySearch.org.
It was really cool to see my family tree so plainly set out. I love seeing
Jedediah Morgan Grant in my family tree, and being able to trace my lineage to
Heber J Grant, who I really look up to. I'm so thankful to those who did the
family history work to make that possible. Also, I tried to find the line that
goes farthest back, and it was through the Grant line that I found I am
distantly related to King Henry I, William the Conqueror, and Vikings spanning
back as far as 150AD. I love family history.
Oh
jeez, a single hour of email is not enough to relay all of the wonderful
experiences I've had while here. I'm going to have to cut out the spiritual
epiphanies I had yesterday, but I'll try to add them in some other week when I
don't have so much to say.
I
love you all. I hope you can feel God's love and know that he is watching out
for you. Ingat!
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