We moved Brother Z's baptismal date on the 22nd of December,
shortly after his wedding with Sister H. Last Sunday, we were able to teach
both of them about the Law of Chastity and we can see how hard it was for
Sister H to know what they did. During that lesson, we told them about the
blessings of repentance and how it could help them live the Law of Chastity.
Brother Z is really progressing because he didn't just read the whole
pamphlet but he did read the additional scriptures that's in it. It just shows
how interested he is about the Law of Chastity which is really great. Both of
them came to church which is really great. And we will continue to help him
learn more of the Gospel. He even told us that he wants to be baptized not
because of his girlfriend but because he feels it is his decision and that no
one convinced him to do it. That made me happy. I can't wait to see
him enter the waters of baptism, hopefully, I really could stay longer here in
the area. But I know God knows better.
Well, Elder Pangilinan and I were talking about our work
this week. We don't know what happened, aside from the Specialized Training and
the office errands, but we really got panted. It was my first time to get
panted in our productive days. Even the people that we expect to be at their
homes the most are those that are not there. So, it really was weird. On a
brighter side, we were able to meet new people for us to teach. And, we are
being able to slowly meet the people that are being prepared by the Lord to
receive his Gospel. We are not finding them, they are finding us. That's why
there's a lot of work to do.
This week, I've been pondering so much on our purpose as
Missionaries. More to that, the insights I've learned from our companionship
study with President. I can still
remember the phrase he told us during the Zone Conference "so
what?". It helped me to look beyond what is in front of us. But to have
that "eternal perspective". I have been constantly reading Chapter 1
and 2 Nephi 31. And it helped me. Seeing Elder De Guzman go, I just can't help
myself ponder on our purpose. In our specialized training, we tackled about it,
especially inviting people to be baptized. I've been praying for the past week
to understand more of our purpose as a Missionary. Every District Meeting, or
Missionary Meeting, we always recite our purpose, but more than that, I want to
view it on a larger perspective. I know that my companions are somehow lenient
with some of the smallest things in the Mission like updating Teaching Records,
achieving our goals and plans, proper planning, consistent companionship study,
and such. I know that there's so much work to do. I am so much challenged by
the fact that my companion is leaving. It made me more determined to even work
harder, because I know that we are accountable to the Lord with our work. I
have learned so much the importance of "going and doing". And I can't
wait for next transfer. To do the things in His way, just what D&C 64:29
says.
I'm praying that Elder Pangilinan will do great things in
the field because he's a great Missionary. It's great to grow alongside with
your companion. I also pray that he'll even see the greatness of this work. I
know he can do it and I have trust in him.
With the things that happened, I am so thankful for the
lessons I've learned for the past months. I remember Ether 12:27 on how the
Lord shows our weaknesses, that we can be made strong. He wants to try our
patience in faith. I now understand even more the blessings of increasing our
faith in Christ. He wants us to trust Him more. And that is because he really
really loves us.
With our Investigators and Less-Actives in mind, as
Missionaries we need to press forward and do our best. I know that no effort is
wasted. Some of our Less-Actives are progressing like the Oblimar Family and
Pajomayo Family. Sister Oblimar was recently given a calling. For the Pajomayo
Family, because of Brother's father's worsening health condition, his other
siblings started to listen to us. His sister even shared her personal
experience about prayer. From the time she became a member of the church, she
never felt how powerful prayer can be, just recently, when their father fell
ill. It made us happy. And we're looking forward for their progression as well.
That's our interesting week. For the next 2 weeks,
we are planning to have more people with baptismal dates. Have a great week ahead guys!
Sincerely,
Elder Dimazana
Philippines Cagayan De Oro Mission
No comments:
Post a Comment