Service and Coincidences

From February 8

Noteworthy events this last week: We had exchanges, we participated in a Church sponsored relief service project, and the branch here in Malilipot started a group.

We had exchanges on Wednesday, which was a lot of fun. I realized that every exchange I've had here in Tabaco (except for a single time when both Zone Leaders came to Malilipot to work here) I've gone to their area, Comun. At this point, I know the names of several of their recent converts, and know their area relatively well.

My companion for this exchange was Elder Nielsen, who is originally from Arizona and only has three weeks left on the mission. He speaks Tagalog phenomenally well, and has a more developed vocabulary of Tagalog words than most Filipinos I've met. He pulls that off because most Filipinos will use English for most common vocabulary, but he finds the old outdated Tagalog word for the object and uses that. In between appointments, I relished being able to speak English, and found that there are quite a lot of phrases and words that I can say more easily in Tagalog than English.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to help carry out a Church relief effort to help farmers whose crops had been damaged by Typhoon Ruby (I don't know what they called that in the States. It was the Super Typhoon that hooked south and weakened at the last moment). Pretty much we ended up distributing forty kilo sacks of rice seedlings for several hours. I enjoyed myself, and I feel like the farmers (none of which were members) got a better look at what the Church is about.

On Sunday we had a surprise visit from Elder and Sister Wilcox, a senior missionary couple here in the Legazpi Mission. Apparently it was completely unplanned, but they came on the same day the Branch President was planning on officially starting a group out in one of the far areas called Binitayan. He said he didn't know how he was going to transport the twenty chairs they would need out there, and called the senior couple his "angels." The truck the senior couple uses made what would have been a very difficult logistics problem incredibly easy. The timing was pretty miraculous.

It was interesting seeing Elder and Sister Wilcox fit into the branch, seeing as neither of them speak Tagalog. There are a few members of the branch who speak pretty good English, but other than that members only know what they learned in school. I can't imagine what it would be like living for any extended period of time in a country where you don't speak the language.

The group itself was an interesting experience. It was held in the home of a family who hadn't been able to attend church for what I gather was months if not years due to economic reasons and distance. They seemed quite thankful to have the sacrament available in their own home. Due to poor communication, they were the only ones who were able to attend the group, but I'm told there are more members in the area who will be able to come next week.

Most of my study this week has been on Lehi's vision, and the beauty of that vision. A lot of times investigators have a hard time remembering rote sermons in the Book of Mormon, and that vision engages and sustains a very different set of readers. It's incredibly simple and visual, and yet it conveys a very simple yet difficult part of the gospel. Find the word of God, cling to it, and you'll be okay. Leave it, and Satan gains power to distort what you see and understand. Oh, and whatever you do, avoid pride.

I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's an incredibly elegant and effective book when read regularly. However, the book loses any ability to better our lives if it's just left to sit on a shelf and collect dust. I plan on making the study of that book my lifetime endeavor, and invite you to do the same.

Love,

Elder English

This is Cacao