Madison on a Mission

Magandang umaga po.

Another interesting week for sure. A lot happened and we are grateful that we have seen the Lord's hand in our lives. I think this week has been a little bit of a refiner's fire. I am learning even more just what it means to just do what the Lord wants and not what I think is best. I think our companionship has been strengthened for it -- learning to confide in each other and just trust each other in every lesson and in all we do.  It really helped me realize that we desperately need the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through the Atonement of Christ, He can fix everything and the work is heading in a new direction here. It's a little stressful when there's a lot to do and little time to do it but I'm grateful for a loving and patient companion.

We are really trying to help President Baybay who has a ton on his plate. He was so happy yesterday when we told him we would do everything we could to help and we spent some time on the computer trying to make maps to locate members. The whole plan is to help map members and find part member families and new investigators in the process that we can bring to church. We felt excitement and peace feeling like we were trying to do what the Lord wants us to do by listening to His servants. Of course this is not going to be easy. We are focusing on baranggays at a time, but we are going to trust that God will help us.

Seriously it strengthened my resolve that for the rest of my life I will seek to help my bishop in anything he needs. Including my wonderful father!

Sister Vilma Gonzalez passed away this week, the member with diabetes that we found on her deathbed last Sunday. We are so grateful that we found her and were led by the Spirit to Sitio Apit Liaoc Sur that day. Her funeral service was this morning and we got to sing there. We did CSP and helped with some yard work at the home of her family. Brother Gonzalez was so grateful for the kindness. He even came to church for the first time in probably years. Christlike love works miracles. It was really the love of the members that made everything happen after we found them.

On happier note, Angelito De Lion's baptism was a success. He is living evidence of the power of the Book of Mormon. He loves to read the Bible. He was a former investigator who didn't recognize the truth the first time the missionaries visited him, but they left him a Book of Mormon. As soon as he began a serious study of the Book of Mormon, however, he quickly recognized that it was coming from God. He loves every chapter he reads, and studies diligently. He came to church on his own by asking his member friends, and that's when the missionaries started to teach him. He was baptized only a month and a half later. Because of the Book of Mormon, he says, he believes everything else, that it is the true church and Joseph Smith was a prophet and that we have living prophets today. The Book of Mormon truly is "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations." As we study the Book of Mormon diligently, the Spirit will testify to us that it is true and a power will flow into our lives. As missionaries we will teach with power and authority and with the Spirit if we teach from the Book of Mormon. He's a little shy though so we are hoping that someday his wife will start coming back to church and we can help him meet more members.

Cultural Notes: Lechons are whole roasted pigs. They are expensive but I got to taste my first one at zone conference.

  

We don't have Halloween here we have All-Saints Day where everyone stays at the cemetery for the night and remembers their family members who have passed. Funerals here are different from the United States.

Word of the Day: pinaaalaalahanan -- basically it means to remind someone.